The Checklist || Álvaro Morata

III

(There is a very brief mention of nausea/vomiting in this chapter. It's very very short and not graphic at all but if that is a trigger for any of you I just wanted to let you know beforehand)

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When I entered her house the next day, I knew something was wrong. 

For starters, the house didn't smell like incense. 

But to be honest, that was not the thing that worried me the most. 

What really got me anxious, was seeing Mr. and Mrs. Martínez sitting on the kitchen table, both with worried and tense expressions on their faces. 

"Is everything alright? Is she ok?" As always, the back door had been left open for me to come inside. 

Mrs. Martínez was the first to speak up, "Honey, she's not feeling very well today."

"She's in her room, if you want to see her. Be quiet though, Álvaro. She was sleeping when I last checked," her father looked at me with concern in his eyes, but after knowing the family for so many years, I knew they trusted me enough to take care of her. 

"I will, thank you," I gave her mum a brief hug and her dad a light pat on the shoulder before slowly making my way to her room. 

Nicolás was sitting in the living room, but when I gave him a smile he just glared at me. Trying to act as nonchalant as possible, I turned around and opened the door to her room. 

It was pitch black inside, light seeping in as I entered, but leaving just as quickly as I closed the door again. I heard some shuffling in the bed, and could barely make out her body hidden beneath quilts and blankets. 

"Mamá?" It pained me to hear her voice. She was practically croaking. 

"No, it's me," I slowly walked over and sat on the edge of her bed. 

"Alvarito?"

"¿Qué te pasó, nena?" I could feel her stick a hand out from her pile of covers and fumble around for mine. Lacing our fingers together, I gulped. Her hands felt clammy, cold. 

"Lay down with me?" Although I could barely make out her face, I smiled. 

"Of course."

She was quiet for a while, and I made myself comfortable under the covers next to her, stroking her hand with my thumb. Inching closer towards me, she lay her head on my chest and threw one of her legs over mine, slotting it between both of them. I let out a quiet and airy laugh, untangling our hands and using my arm to pull her closer to me as she put hers around my waist. 

"Migraine," she broke the silence a while after. It was not uncommon for her to suffer from those. Even before the diagnosis, she would often complain of them. They would range in strength and intensity, but I'd been a witness of just how strong they could be. I would never forget the time she was laying on her bed, pulling at her hair and crying, trying to muffle her screams into the pillows. From that day on I read all I could on her situation, adamant that I'd never have to feel so useless and helpless ever again.

"Have you..." I cleared my throat. It was still a very uncomfortable question to ask. Usually, Carolina would become nauseous during her migraines, but she had always tried to control herself. That was until one day she read that vomiting could help relieve some of the pain. 

"No. I haven't," she snuggled closer towards me, if that was even possible, and let out a shaky sigh. I could feel warm tears falling on my shirt, and the sound of her quiet sobbing filled the room. "It hurts a lot, Alvarito."

Peppering kisses all over her head, I whispered, "You'll be ok, mi cielo. Just close your eyes and try to take deep breaths, yeah?" 

Nodding against my chest, she spoke up once more, "I'm sorry we couldn't do anything on the list today, Álvaro."

Laughing, I gave her another kiss atop her head, "Don't worry, gorda. We have a lot of time left. A lot of time." 

She nodded again, "I love you."

"I love you more," and we lay there for a long time, whispering sweet nothings in the darkness of her room until we both fell asleep.

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Well that was kinda sad :(

As always thank you for reading this chapter and being amazing people <3

Love, 

Sarah