⇢ CHAPTER 84

Holly warned, skipping into step with Jackson as she fiddled with her ring, "I heard there's an infection running around the hospital."

"I know." Jackson assured before looking at her with a smile, "Don't get sick."

"I won't." Holly grinned, "I'm gonna talk to Derek to find out how to."

"Derek?" Jackson quirked a brow, "Why?"

"He, Mark, and Addison figured out a way on how to get sick." Holly explained, pursing her lips as she looked around, "I'm trying to find him so I can ask—" She looked back at Jackson, "how has wedding planning gone?'

"Good." Jackson beamed, "Our favorite venue was picked, invitations have been sent out, I've booked all the caters, and all need to do is pick your bridesmaids and dress— oh," He winced, looking at her through one eye, "and I picked April as my best man."

Holly scoffed, crossing her arms in front of her chest, "You pickedsister for your best man?"

Jackson flashed her a smile before pecking her lips, "I love you."

"Mm." Holly hummed, squinting at him, "Fine— I'll just get Derek as my maid-of-honor—" Her eyes widened as she caught sight of him, "speaking of which, I found him."

"Hey," Jackson grabbed Holly's arm before she could go, "can I get a list of bridesmaids and—"

"I'll take care of the dress." Holly nodded, pecking his lips one last time before she slipped out of his hold and rushed up to Derek, aware of Jackson's eyes still on her, "Derek!"

"Oh, Holly." Derek waved lightly before he refocused his attention to his notecards, "I'm just looking over—"

"Your speech for the fifty doctors from D.C." Holly recited with a nod, entering the elevator with him, "I know— I remember."

"Oh." Derek looked over his notecards before grinning at her, "Can I—?"

"Sure." Holly shrugged, knowing he was going to ask her to listen to his speech, "But if you share your secret weapon to not getting sick." Derek hesitated, "?"

Derek squinted at her, "Fine." He pressed the emergency stop button on the elevator and looked at her, "All right, first thing you want to do is the hand-sanitizer, and I mean treat it like it's your best friend."

Holly nodded, writing down the information in a small piece of paper before looking at him, "Got it."

✧

Jackson smiled as he saw Holly tapping away at her patient's chart before he started to frown as he approached her, "...Holly?"

"Hey." Holly weakly grinned, looking at Derek across the hall, who was also as ill as she was, "I—"

"Oh, God." Jackson blinked, bringing a hand up to her forehead, "You're burning up, you—"

"I'm fine." Holly assured, closing her eyes as she held Jackson's hand on her head, "Ooh, you're cool."

", sweetheart," Jackson chuckled lightly as he tilted her head up, "need to get home."

"No." Holly frowned, shaking her head, "I have patients, I—"

"I'll go home with you if you want." Jackson suggested, "I don't want you to pass out in the middle of nowhere and have a nurse set up an I.V. for you."

Holly opened her eyes, deepening her frown, "But—"

"No buts." Jackson decided, wrapping an arm around her waist as he directed them down the hall, "I'm gonna go tell Owen we're calling out sick."

Holly frowned her brows, "But you're not sick."

"No, but  are, and as your soon-to-be husband," Jackson informed as they entered the elevator, "I need to take care of you."

"Aww." Holly hummed, leaning her body against the cold wall, "This feels nice."

✧

"So Matthew's also sick and April's staying with him." Jackson informed, brushing one hand through Holly's hair as the other held it up while she retched all of her food into the toilet, "My mom said we can use my grandmother's cake topper for our wedding, which I think will look cute on the lovely cake we decided on— and I'm thinking about having the color red as a theme, since Mark called you red, but now I'm rethinking my decision..."

"I'm fine... with whatever you... decide." Holly spoke between breaths, leaning back from the toilet as she wiped her face clean with a frown, "I hate this."

"I know you do." Jackson sighed sympathetically, "But at least this time I can talk about the wedding stuff without you getting dragged into a surgery."

Holly shrugged, "I guess." Holly groaned, rushing back over to the toilet as Jackson once again held her hair.

Jackson cleared his throat, "So, I was thinking— since we're getting a dog, and potential children in the future," Holly sniffled as she leaned away once again, "...what do you think about moving into a house?"

"Aww," Holly smiled softly, turning to look at Jackson in her fever-daze, "really?"

Jackson beamed with a nod, "Really."

✧

"I feel contagious." Holly pouted, watching a movie from the couch with blankets over her as Jackson cleaned the kitchen— having cooked a large soup for Holly to feel better, "I feel like I'm — Derek's tips sucked."

"Maybe you didn't follow them well." Jackson shrugged before his phone beeped, prompting him to read the message as a chuckle escaped his lips, "Nevermind— Derek's sick, too."

"Yeah," Holly nodded, "serves him right."

"Well," Jackson voiced, walking back over to Holly, "I—"

"Don't get closer." Holly warned with a frown, "I'm gonna get you sick."

"So I'll get sick." Jackson shrugged, joining Holly as he offered additional warmth, "I won't leave your side, Holl."

Holly squinted at him before caving as she attached to him like a koala bear, "Fine." She rested her head on his chest as she looked back at the film, "But if you get sick— I'm gonna tell you 'I told you so.'"