Welcome to my fav chappie of the story ~ And to ktooty, hope you love the 'snuggle' in this chappie =) And I will update Start All Over just after this!

HEART WARS

chapter 7

'cause darling i'd catch a grenade for ya

DAY TWENTY

Shane Gray had never in his wildest dreams thought this day would come. He hadn't even ever fathomed the idea that his current predicament would ever occur.

Shane Gray had never even dreamed of the day when he'd be holding someone's hair, rubbing their back soothing and whispering sweet nothings to them as they vomited out the contents of their stomach into his toilet.

Mitchie's gut-wrenching sounds almost made him want to push her aside and empty his own stomach and the smell of regurgitated food wasn't sitting too well with his sense of smell. Not to mention that, due to her blindness, she'd initially missed the toilet bowl and some of her digested food lay on his once flawless bathroom tiles.

He honestly had no idea what in hell's name he was still doing in the room.

But, he couldn't bring himself to leave the ill girl's side as he crouched beside her, keeping her messy locks from her face and caressing her back in some form of comfort. She was shaking rather violently from the effort of trying to keep herself from toppling over.

Yet, that wasn't what bugged him the most.

It was the fact that she'd been vomiting for the past ten minutes.

She'd barely touched or mentioned food in the past three days.

There couldn't possibly be anything in her stomach.

She was coughing now and then she was gasping for air as her arms finally gave out as she could no longer support herself. Fortunately, he was there to catch her and stop her from injuring herself further. She was breathing raggedly and she was shivering again.

With a frustrated sigh, Shane reached over to flush the toilet. The gushing water was the only audible sound as he cradled the sickly girl in his arms.

It was nearly three in the morning, but that mattered nothing to the rocker. He hadn't been sleeping much in the past three days due to Mitchie's illness. He'd even gone as far as setting up a sleeping bag in the guest room. She hadn't even blinked without him knowing about it.

He'd taken her to the doctor yesterday, but all the white-coated man had given him was a prescription for flu tablets. Mitchie definitely had more than a simple 'case of the flu' and this had proved it. With his limited knowledge of the human body and medical conditions, he'd surmised that she had some form of virus or bug.

"Sh… ane," Mitchie croaked, her glazed eyes searching straight through him. She seemed so helpless. "You, you don't have to be here," her voice faded as she spoke and he was barely able to hear the end of her sentence. He breathed deeply and moved to wipe some of the sweat from her brow. He was planning on throwing his current jersey away after this event anyway.

"No, I want to," he replied as she sent her a weak smile, knowing she wouldn't see it, but she'd hear the sincerity in his voice and imagine it.

Emptying her stomach seemed to improve her condition as colour began to faintly tint her previously snow-white cheeks. Maybe the virus or bug had been inside something she'd eaten and now it'd been flushed away.

He certainly hoped so.

After a few more minutes of silence, Mitchie's breathing had steadied and the sweat was beginning to lessen. Placing a hand on her brow, Shane was more than relieved to feel that her fever was breaking.

"You're getting better," he told her in a calm tone as he stroked more of her disgruntled tendrils from her face. A small cough wracked through her body and he simply tightened his grip around her slender frame. She felt as though she'd shatter if he held on too tightly.

"I feel so… so…" she stammered, "… dirty. And I probably smell like a sewer." Okay, so he couldn't deny that fact. She smelt like three days worth of sweat and ten minutes worth of puke. But, despite her gaunt features, straw-like hair and pale skin, he still found her gorgeous. He didn't know how or why, but he did.

He leaned his head back, stopping when it came into contact with the bathtub behind him.

It was then that an idea came to mind.

"Hey Mitchie, I have an idea," he told her, "But you'll just have to bear with me okay? And tell me if it makes you feel awkward." She offered no protest as she nodded.

Trying his best not to jerk her body too much, Shane reached out and turned on the hot water for the bathtub. Moments later, steaming water came rushing forth and spewed into the white marble tub. He was glad he kept the plugs in.

The girl in his arms didn't even react to the noise as she remained motionless.

When the hot had finished running, he turned on the cold and leaned his head back again. He must be one of the craziest men in the entire world and most women would hit him for what he was about to do. But it wasn't like he was doing it with sinister intentions and he'd stop whenever she told him.

The cold had finished running and he hesitantly dipped a finger into the water. The temperature was perfect.

Now came the hard part.

"We're going to try and stand okay?" Mitchie gave no visible response but he went on anyway. Using the bathtub as a support, he was able to drag himself and Mitchie into an upright position. She was still a tad unstable on her feet, but he kept his grip on her.

They stood for a few moments until Shane slowly and cautiously let go of her waist. Mitchie tilted forward a little, but managed to keep her ground. He bit his lip with anxiety. Now came the worst part.

"Okay, now I've got you standing and there's a bath run for you…" he paused, unsure if he should go on or not, "But I'm scared something will happen if I leave you by yourself. So I'm going to help you. But I need to take your clothes off for this to work. Is that okay with you? If you're wearing a JT, that and your underwear will stay."

She gave absolutely no protest as she just nodded.

Shane inhaled and placed his hands on the hem of her hoodie, "Lift your arms for me," he asked and watched as she slowly complied. When her arms were up, he tugged the woolen jersey upward, revealing more and more of her skin until he had it over her head. Luckily, she was wearing a shirt underneath and it'd simply ridden up when he'd pulled her hoodie.

Her arms fell limply as he adjusted her shirt.

Then, his hands grasped the waistband of her pj long pants and he exhaled loudly. Somehow, this moment had always been different in his head.

With a swift tug, her pants were piled by her ankles and she moved her feet so that she was free of them. Resisting the urge to observe her legs, he swiftly removed his jersey and freed himself of his tracksuit pants, leaving him clad in only his boxers. To say he felt awkward at the moment would be an understatement.

He was now a little grateful that Mitchie couldn't see his flaming cheeks.

Her shivers had returned and he took her hand, "You'll have to step into the bath yourself." He only offered her direction as she lifted her right foot into the welcoming water. He kept her study as she placed her other foot inside the water. Then, it was his turn and he slipped inside with ease.

He stood behind her and let go of her hand to wrap his arms around her waist. "Now, we're just going to slowly sit down." She shivered in reply and her knees began buckling. Shane found that he had to keep her supported as he bent the both of them into the water.

Mitchie whimpered as most of her body became engulfed with the soothing water but he ignored it as he settled himself in the tub. It was just big enough. He extended his legs so that she lay in between them, her back pressed against his chest and her head upon his shoulder.

"There we go, all better."

With small movements, he undid the various clips that held her hair in some form of mess atop her head and allowed the locks to stream downward and touch the water's surface. Might as well clean her hair as well. He ran his fingers through the locks, carefully kneading out the knots and wetting the strands. He was being meticulous.

A gentle sigh escaped the sickly girl as her shivers ceased. Shane was grateful for this. By now, his boxers and her black JT had become soaked and were clinging to their bodies, but he couldn't find this moment 'sexual'. It was intimate, and if she hadn't been sick, it would've been perfect.

After he'd washed her hair with the water, he ghosted his hands over her arms, making sure he left nothing dry.

He even turned her so that he could rinse her face. The heated water brought more colour to her features and he found that her fever had lessened even more. She was getting better. It was at this point that Mitchie's eyes found his, and he knew even though she couldn't see, she was looking into his soul. He didn't break the connection.

Her greatest weakness wasn't a weakness to him.

She saw the real him, the one that had been hidden underneath the 'him' he'd made himself into. She saw past his outer shell, the image he'd created, and into his very soul. He couldn't conceal himself from her and she couldn't see the fake he'd turned his outer appearance into.

Maybe sometimes, you didn't have to have eyes to truly see.

"Why?"

It was a valid question, but one Shane wasn't sure he knew the answer to.

Why was he sitting here, bathing her, supporting her and holding her as her frail body shook? Why had he not been able to sleep the past three nights, worry for her well-being keeping him from slumbering? Why had he so eagerly held her hair for her as she thrown up, forcing himself not to do the same from the intense odor?

Was Shane Gray beginning to care for someone other than himself?

He gave her a lopsided smile as he placed a wet hand on her cheek, "I'm not sure Mitchie," he paused as she furrowed her brow, "But, I think it's because I'm starting to care for someone other than myself."

It wasn't a direct 'I care for you' but Mitchie's eyes began to water nonetheless. To her, it was almost better than him admitting he full-out felt something for her. He had opened a portion of his heart and had spoken honestly from it.

Shane Gray was changing.

… For the better.

HEART WARS

Exhaustion was tugging at every single piece of his tired body.

After he'd taken her out of the bath when the water had begun to cool and picked out new clothes for her, Mitchie had been able to change into them by herself. He'd then gone to change himself into something warmer.

When he'd returned, Mitchie was already back in her bed and Anakin was snuggling into her side. She had seemed at peace and her eyes were no longer shut so tightly together as she slept. He was tempted to just simply stand there and watch her even breathing.

But, he couldn't. Three whole days of barely any form of rest had taken their toll on him and he wasn't even sure how he was standing up properly. With Mitchie's fever dying, the adrenaline was fading from his body and it'd been the only thing keeping him awake.

But as much as he simply wanted to collapse into some form of bed, he couldn't. He still had to clean the bathroom.

He groaned and shook his head.

He was grateful he hadn't eaten much lately.

It was nearly 5am when Shane had finished mopping the tiled floor and he had officially gone beyond the point of no return.

He felt like a machine, his movements completely automatic as he trudged to his bedroom. The sun was starting to rise in the horizon and he willed it away. His room felt like heaven and his mattress was like a massage to his battered body. Sleep welcomed him like the prodigal son that had returned.

But, even though he felt as though he was about to slip into a coma, he realized that it'd all been worth it. The sleepless nights, the smell, her helplessness and everything else he'd just experienced.

It was worth it as long as she was okay.

And that was his last coherent thought as he passed out.

HEART WARS

The smell of bacon, eggs and burnt toast greeted him.

His mind was fuzzy and his eyesight blurred as Shane arose. He found that nearly every muscle was stiff and the rest of his body ached. What time was it? He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and mechanically threw his legs out of the covers.

Voices and laughter filled his ears and all of them sounded familiar.

What was going on?

Well there was only one way to find out.

"Hey look! It's sleeping beauty!" That was Jason's voice, followed by Mitchie's giggle and Nate's chuckle.

Shane shook his mop of un-straightened curls and turned to the kitchen to find a sniffing Mitchie sitting on a stool at the counter, a slice of buttered toast in her hands, Jason was at his fridge grabbing milk from the chilled container and Nate was at this stove, a pan in his hands and eggs busy frying.

"What are you guys doing here?" Shane groaned at them as he trudged over. He couldn't recall inviting them over or even speaking to them in the past few days. But here his brothers were, not only causing a racket but cooking breakfast too.

"They were worried Shane," Mitchie spoke, instantly capturing his attention. She was so much better. The bags beneath her eyes had lightened immensely and even her glazed eyes were a little brighter. Her skin no longer seemed so deathly and she'd managed to style her hair properly, leaving it loose, but it had regained its silken sheen.

"Yeah, you don't answer your phone for three days and the last thing you tell us is that Mitchie's sick," Nate spoke, casting a glance over his shoulder, "We thought maybe you'd both passed out and were dying from some illness." The curly haired guitarist frowned, "Well, actually, only Jason thought that."

The eldest Gray shot his brother a dirty look as he crossed his arms, "Well, I'm sorry for caring." Mitchie giggled at this as she slowly chewed her toast. Shane was glad to see her eating again. Just meant she was getting better.

"But we decided to come over, because we have a key," Jason was explaining, dangling the key in front of him, "We found Anakin whining by his food bowl, your fridge empty and Mitchie coughing up a storm." The mentioned girl grinned sheepishly.

"Just one question, what time is it?"

"It's nearly two in the afternoon."

Shane's eyes popped. He'd been asleep for nearly ten hours. "Then why are you guys cooking breakfast?"

"It's the only edible things we could find, but the bacon is a little dodge so I wouldn't eat it if I were you," Nate answered, turning off the stove. "I only made it because I put too much oil in your pan."

He rolled his eyes at his youngest brother and grabbed the plate of eggs Jason offered. He hadn't realized how hungry he actually was and Nate was the best cook out of the three of them…

Shane felt a silver of a smile tug at his lips, he was actually glad his brothers had decided to stop by.

For the first time in a long time, he felt part of his family.

Yay~ Happy family times! Hope this wasn't OOC in the slightest and that you enjoyed the fluff of it!

Lorey

Xox