Chapter 23: Fever

"Something's wrong! Take him to the infirmary!" Emma shouted to the guards. They acted quickly and grabbed Killian, who was still unconscious. Emma followed the guards, who quickly rushed to the other side of the castle. She was worried and hoped that Killian would be alright.

Only 5 minutes later they were in the infirmary. The royal doctor rushed towards his king, immediately checking his temperature. "This isn't good" he muttered to himself.

Emma frowned worriedly. "What's wrong with him? He looked just fine this morning."

"It must have been the journey. It has taken a toll on him. I'm going to give him some medication for the fever." The doctor pulled out a syringe with a clear substance, carefully putting it into Killian's arm. "It will take some time for the medication to kick in. I will be back in an hour to check on him, don't hesitate to call for me if anything is wrong." Emma nodded and sat down next to Killian's bed. She took his hand in hers, rubbing circles on his palm.

It didn't take long for Ruby to rush into the hospital room. She was also in distress, worried for her brother. "What happened?" She asked Emma.

"I found him in his study. I thought he was asleep so I tried to wake him. Then I noticed how hot he was feeling so I asked the guards to take him here. The doctor just left, he gave Killian some medication." Emma explained.

Ruby sat down next to her friend with a sad sigh. "I hope he gets better soon. It has just been too much the past few weeks."

They didn't speak after that, both lost in their own world. An hour later, the doctor came by again, just as he promised. He checked Killian's fever but there was no improvement. He knew it would have been too soon for the medication to have kicked in but it was important to keep checking for any changes.

Ruby's stomach grumbled and it made them both realize they hadn't had dinner yet. "You should eat something." Emma said, "I will stay here to keep an eye on him."

"Are you sure?" Ruby asked, "Don't you want some food yourself?"

"I'm not really hungry." Emma replied, "Go ahead before you starve to death."

Ruby nodded. "Are you sure you don't want me to bring you anything from the kitchen?" She asked before leaving.

Emma shook her head, "Don't worry about me. I'm really not that hungry."

After Ruby left, Emma turned her attention back to Killian. He looked so pail and fragile lying in the hospital bed.

"I brought you some food in case you get hungry." Ruby said as she walked back into the room half an hour later.

Emma accepted the plate with a small smile. "Thank you, Ruby."

"Any changes?" Ruby asked hopefully. Emma shook her head in reply. "Maybe we should get some sleep as well." Ruby suggested, it was already late by then and it had been an eventful evening so both of them were tired.

"You should go and get some rest. I will stay here some more until the doctor comes to check up on him."

"Are you sure you don't want me here to keep you some company?" Ruby asked. It felt wrong to leave Emma behind on her own while she would get some rest.

"There is no use for both of us to be tired. Don't worry about it, really, get some rest."

Ruby left the room with a yawn. "I will be back in the morning!"

The night went on and Emma was having a hard time keeping her eyes open. Surely a small nap wouldn't hurt too much and she was near Killian if anything happened to him. With that note, she rest her head on the bed Killian was laying on, still keeping one of his hands in hers. Sure, it wasn't the most comfortable sleeping position but she didn't care. All she wanted was to be close to him in case something happened, in case he woke up.

As the morning sun rose and the sunlight creeped its way into the small room, Emma woke up to Killian staring at her. "Good morning, love." He said with a yawn.

All the sleepiness that was still inside her, left immediately when she saw Killian awake. "You're awake!" She said with a smile. "How are you feeling? Are you alright? Do you want me to get you something? Do you need the doctor? I will call him" The questions streamed out of her mouth.

"Slow down, love." Killian said with a small laugh right as Emma was starting to get up from the chair she was sleeping in just moments ago. "I'm still feeling a bit hot. What happened?"

"I found you in your office last night. You were knocked out from the fever so the doctor gave you some medication to make sure the fever left your body as soon as possible." Emma explained, placing her hand on his forehead to feel if his fever went down at all. Although Killian was still feeling hot, it wasn't as bad as the night before, which made her sigh in relief. "I think you have gotten better during the night. I'm going to get the doctor so he can check up on you."

Emma left the room in search for the doctor… and a drink for the both of them.

It wasn't long before she returned to the room, doctor in tow and two glasses of water in hand. "Here you go." She handed Killian one of the glasses.

"Thank you, my love."

"So, how are you feeling, your majesty?" The doctor asked as he unpacked some of his equipment.

Killian finished his water with one last gulp before replying, "I'm still feeling tired and hot. I also have a headache and a sore throat."

"Are you feeling hungry?" Killian shook his head. "Any muscle pains." Killian nodded slightly.

"I think you have the flu, your majesty. I will give you some medication but you will need your rest for the next few days so you can get your strength back. I am going to give you a shot as well, my lady, so you won't catch the decease as well."

"So, when will he be better?" Emma asked after getting the shot, pressing a bit of paper to the place where the syringe broke her skin.

The doctor cleaned up his equipment while he replied to the questions they both had, "It can be a few days or a week, it really depends. I will be checking up on both of you a few times a day though to make sure you are both fine."

"I'm fine, really." Killian said, trying to sit himself up with a groan.

Emma pushed him back to lay down on the bed. "No, you are not. Please, just rest for a few days. I don't need another scare like that."

Killian sighed. "Fine, only for you though, love."

The days passed in a blur, with Emma spending every second of the day by Killian's side while Ruby made sure all the royal duties were taken care off. The days together in the hospital room made Killian and Emma's bond even stronger.

"Hello, lovebirds." Ruby said as she carried two plates of food into the room, sharing a look with Emma.

"Thank you for the food, Rubes." Emma replied, glancing at Killian while he was quickly scoffing down the food until there was nothing left.

"I will leave you guys to it. You're looking much better, brother!" With that, Ruby rushed out the room, making Emma and Killian laugh.

Later that night, Killian and Emma were lying in each other's arms, using small talk to pass the time. Killian turned to face Emma and smiled. He wondered how he got so lucky to get to know a woman just like her.

"I love you." Killian said with a small smile, staring into Emma's eyes.

"I love you, too." Emma said with a slight blush.

"Will you be my queen?"

Thank you guys for waiting! Here's another chapter for you! I'm hoping there are people still reading this :D Don't forget to comment what you think! I feel like my writing gets worse every chapter, oops. Anyway, I'M GOING TO DISNEYLAND IN 5 DAYS WOOHOO I'm so excited to get my infinity AP!

Thank you for reading and sticking by me! And sorry for the cliffhanger :D