Olivia’s POV
I was sitting in my room alone when Andre came in.
He looked at me with wide-open eyes and gasped in fright.
“Olivia, what happened to you?”
Before I could say anything, he rushed to my side, sat down beside me, and gently cupped my face in his palms. His eyes washed over me, and he gently patted my hands and face.
“Olivia, what is wrong? Why do you look so pale? Your eyes are sunken in, and you look so weak.”
I ran my tongue along my chopped lips, and all I could do was smile at him. And pull his hands gently away.
“I… I feel fine, Andre. I just felt a little sick, that’s all.”
He looked at me again, and I saw his brows crinkle slowly as he finally realised what I was talking about.
“Olivia, you should have told me that you needed me, and I would have been here.”
My face fell again, but Andre tilted my head gently so that our eyes could meet.
“Why do you want to do this to yourself? You know that I will always come when you need me.”
I felt a sinking feeling in my heart and turned my face away from his.
I felt the fever again, but I couldn’t call him because I didn’t want to.
For days, he had been the one making me feel better, and I felt like I was bothering him and disrupting his schedule. I thought I could manage on my own, even if it was just this once, and give him some space to breathe. I didn’t want to become a burden or a parasite to him. I didn’t want him to think that I was weak.
I grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently.
“Andre, I am fine. You don’t have to worry about me. If I just rest a little, I will look better. I just don’t want to be bothering you all the time, especially when you’re doing important things, just so that you can please me and make me feel better. It… It hurts me, and I… I…”
I tried to keep talking, but tears choked my voice and made it croaky and coarse.
Andre pulled me into a hug, and I rested my head against his chest while he stroked my hair. He cooed softly to me and coaxed me to stop crying.
“Olivia, I would never be too busy to make sure that you are feeling all right. I really don’t mind doing any of this for you. It’s for you and the baby. I just want the both of you to be all right until we can find a solution to your symptoms, even if it’s a temporary one.”
I pulled away from him, and he wiped my tears away with his thumb and planted a soft kiss on my forehead. I felt his love burn into me, and warmness was slowly restored to my body.
I turned my head and noticed a small plastic box on the bed.
“How did that get here?”
I turned around and pointed to the box, and Andre followed my eyes and finger.
“What are those?” I questioned inquisitively.
Andre didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he grabbed the box and smiled a little.
“The head of the research team came over, and he brought this box. Inside it are syringes with elixirs that will aid your symptoms and give you some relief. He also gave me the instructions on how to administer them for you.”
My eyes shone as soon as Andre explained what was in the box. I felt my spirits rise, and I felt hope restored to me. This meant that we could finally go to Elvis Pine and find out what happened to Papa.
I grabbed the box and tried to open it, but Andre stopped me, took the box, and put it on the bedside table.
“Olivia, we can test them out tomorrow. You are still weak and pale, and I suggest that we have sex, and I can make you feel better than the normal way that we’ve always done. We can test the drugs out tomorrow.”
Andre held my hands and pleaded earnestly, but I refused gently. I wanted to test them out as soon as possible. I didn’t want to have to burden him with having sex with me. Since we had the drugs, we could test them out as soon as possible. The sooner we knew that they worked, the sooner we could leave for Elvis Pine.
“Andre, please, I want to test them out now. You’ve been wonderful to me and taking out time to always be with me so I can feel better. But we have the solution, and I think we should test it as soon as possible. If it doesn’t work, we can tell the research institute, and they can make adjustments early and come up with a better solution. And if it does, we know that it works and we can finally start going to Elvis Pine and find out about Papa. We have waited so long and wasted so much time. I’ve been patient like you’ve asked me to. Please, let’s just give this a try.”
I took his hand softly and placed a gentle kiss on it with my chapped lips, urging him to consider my decision.
He looked sceptical and worried, but he finally gave in.
“Fine. We can try it out now.”
A smile crept on my face, and I gave him a hug around his neck and a kiss on his forehead.
He gave a little smile but he didn’t still seem too pleased about the idea.
“Okay,” he said gently. “Sit down and roll up your sleeve. The doctor said that the elixir must be delivered intramuscularly and you must take one once a day and only when you begin to feel the symptoms.”
I nodded to show that I understood and sat down with my sleeve rolled up, waiting for Andre to deliver the injection.”l
He took one of the syringes out and removed the protective cap over the needle. Watching the sharp, metal tip gleam in the light filled me with fear. I wasn’t a big fan of injection needles.
Andre pushed the needle deep into my arm, and I hissed in pain as I felt the needle travel deep into my skin.
It was over quickly and I didn’t even realise when Andre had pulled out the needle.
He put the protective cap back on the syringe and tossed the needle in the paper bin in our room.
He sat down beside me, and we sat in silence for a while.
“How do you feel?” He asked gently.
“I still feel the same. Maybe we should wait a little to determine the effectiveness of the drug.”
Andre pulled me close, and we cuddled in silence, waiting for the drug to have some visible effect on me.
Fifteen minutes passed, and I slowly began to feel stronger. Andre noticed that my pale face and skin had regained their colour, and I looked much more lively.
I also noticed that my libido had reduced, and I wasn’t crazy about having Andre fuck me.
“Olivia, it worked. You look much better.”
I smiled and pulled him into a hug.
“I feel much better. Thank you, Andre.”
As we hugged, my mind began to work. What if it wasn’t the elixir that made me feel better? What if I was actually able to wait out my symptoms, and they just disappeared on their own?
I made a mental note to wait a little longer before taking my injections. I wanted to be very sure of the effectiveness. I knew Andre wasn’t going to like it, but it was a risk that I had to take.