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♞{carryindabanner}

Nonsexual acts of intimacy

♞: Caring for each other while ill

@carryindabanner

“How long have you been sick?” Katherine asked, holding the back of her hand to Jack’s forehead. “You need to get back in bed right now. Honestly, the fact you made it this far is unbelievable.”

carryindabanner:

A shiver tore through Jack’s body. “I dunno anymore. It’s like I can’t make up my mind.” He was absolutely burning up with a bad fever that’s for sure. He could see some spots dancing in his vision as he looked up at Katherine.

“I been hidin’ this from you. I’m sorry. I got my cough weeks ago, I didn’t tell ya ‘cause I thought it’d go 'way.” He’d been hiding this, that meant it’d had time to advance in his lungs leaving little lesions where the infection festered and spread despite his body’s best attempts at trying to fight back.

Katherine made an executive decision to go with the cool cloth, dabbing at the sweat on his brow. “Weeks,” she repeated under her breath. She’d barely seen him around New York, all because of this? “And here I was thinkin’ you were headed off to Santa Fe or something.”

Alaina rolled up the covers by Jack’s feet to take off his boots. Katherine asked, “When did you start coughing up blood?”

"An' leave ya? Never, ace." He closed his eyes wetting his lips, the cool cloth felt so good against the heat radiating from his forehead.

"I 'unno. Maybe week 'go." He wheezed a bit as he took a deep breath. "Listen, ace, I know what's wrong with me. That's why I kept my distance. People die from this.

♡ {carryindabanner}

Nonsexual acts of intimacy

♡: Accidentally falling asleep together

@carryindabanner

The first thing Katherine realized upon waking was that she was cold. Had she left a window open? She opened her eyes and was met with a pale blue sky.

Oh, hell. She and Jack had fallen asleep on the lodging house roof.

She shot up immediately, shaking Jack awake. “Why didn’t you wake me?!”

carryindabanner:

“I ain’t ever really had no soft beds or nothin’ so I guess it’s ‘bout th’ same as th’ bunks down there. An’ if I sleep here another kid gets a place t’ stay for th’ night.” He shrugged putting on his vest and cap.

Jack made a big show of loving sleeping out on the hard concrete, but while he enjoyed the night sky and being in the open it was really mostly so that some other kid had a bed that needed it more than he did.

Her fingers fumbled over the buttons of her blouse. “And while we’re up here, you don’t have to share me with anyone.” She shot him a grin. She might have a lot of explaining ahead of her, but the event was damn fun.

“Is the fire escape up to code?” she asked, walking to the edge of the building. “I’d rather not walk through a whole building of boys in this state.”

"Yeah, it'll support ya. You is lighter than me anyway an' I ain't had a problem." It was probably wise for her to not go through the building's interior. It wasn't like none of the occupants didn't know what they were doing, but that was here nor there.

"I'll walk ya home. Sun ain't fully up yet, can't have my girl walkin' 'round alone this early."

♞{carryindabanner}

Nonsexual acts of intimacy

♞: Caring for each other while ill

@carryindabanner

“How long have you been sick?” Katherine asked, holding the back of her hand to Jack’s forehead. “You need to get back in bed right now. Honestly, the fact you made it this far is unbelievable.”

carryindabanner:

“It’s my job t’ worry ‘bout ‘em, 'bout you not th’ other way 'roun-” His words devolved into coughs again. He was gasping for air, feeling like a massive weight had been set on top of him preventing him from breathing.

She waited out the coughing fit, absolutely helpless. “Look at you. You’re in no condition to worry about anyone else,” she said when it subsided, readjusting the pillow beneath his head. “At any rate, if you follow your own logic then I get to worry all over you, so don’t you dare try to sway me off it.”

Alaina returned with the tea and the cloth. Katherine perched on the edge of the bed and asked, “Which are you, hot or cold?”

A shiver tore through Jack's body. "I dunno anymore. It's like I can't make up my mind." He was absolutely burning up with a bad fever that's for sure. He could see some spots dancing in his vision as he looked up at Katherine.

"I been hidin' this from you. I'm sorry. I got my cough weeks ago, I didn't tell ya 'cause I thought it'd go 'way." He'd been hiding this, that meant it'd had time to advance in his lungs leaving little lesions where the infection festered and spread despite his body's best attempts at trying to fight back.

♡ {carryindabanner}

Nonsexual acts of intimacy

♡: Accidentally falling asleep together

@carryindabanner

The first thing Katherine realized upon waking was that she was cold. Had she left a window open? She opened her eyes and was met with a pale blue sky.

Oh, hell. She and Jack had fallen asleep on the lodging house roof.

She shot up immediately, shaking Jack awake. “Why didn’t you wake me?!”

carryindabanner:

He let out one high pitch giggle as he stood up and grabbed his shirt from where it was hanging on a lightening rod. “Have ya seen me?” Jack asked incredulously as he began to do up his front buttons. “I ain’t th’ one t’ ask fo’ help lookin’ presentable.”

He tucked his shirt into his trousers and pulled on his suspenders. “But if ya ask me ya look fine. Ya look like someone who probably spent th’ night sleepin’ on a hard surface. Like a desk. Goes witcha story.”

Even though it only added to her credibility, Katherine didn’t like being told she looked like hell.

She climbed to her feet and did her best to disguise the stains. “How do you sleep out here regularly?” she asked, rubbing her sore shoulders. “I had the benefit of exhaustion, but you make a habit out of this.”

"I ain't ever really had no soft beds or nothin' so I guess it's 'bout th' same as th' bunks down there. An' if I sleep here another kid gets a place t' stay for th' night." He shrugged putting on his vest and cap.

Jack made a big show of loving sleeping out on the hard concrete, but while he enjoyed the night sky and being in the open it was really mostly so that some other kid had a bed that needed it more than he did.

♡ {carryindabanner}

Nonsexual acts of intimacy

♡: Accidentally falling asleep together

@carryindabanner

The first thing Katherine realized upon waking was that she was cold. Had she left a window open? She opened her eyes and was met with a pale blue sky.

Oh, hell. She and Jack had fallen asleep on the lodging house roof.

She shot up immediately, shaking Jack awake. “Why didn’t you wake me?!”

carryindabanner:

Jack sat up, yawning, a lopsided smile playing his lips. “For sleepin’ at th’ Sun yous sure did rock my World last night.” He knew they couldn’t just spend nights with her out like this. Especially when it left her in her current state.

“Ya look like you was hit by a train, Kath. An’ ya got some…um…stains…on ya skirt.”

In horror, she examined her skirt and found the stains Jack was talking about. She whispered a soft “damn it” and then shook her head. Well, better here than in certain other places, she supposed.

“For the record, you have an awful bedside manner. Can you try and fix me up so I look presentable? I don’t have a mirror, so I”m gonna have to trust you.”

He let out one high pitch giggle as he stood up and grabbed his shirt from where it was hanging on a lightening rod. "Have ya seen me?" Jack asked incredulously as he began to do up his front buttons. "I ain't th' one t' ask fo' help lookin' presentable."

He tucked his shirt into his trousers and pulled on his suspenders. "But if ya ask me ya look fine. Ya look like someone who probably spent th' night sleepin' on a hard surface. Like a desk. Goes witcha story."

♡ {carryindabanner}

Nonsexual acts of intimacy

♡: Accidentally falling asleep together

@carryindabanner

The first thing Katherine realized upon waking was that she was cold. Had she left a window open? She opened her eyes and was met with a pale blue sky.

Oh, hell. She and Jack had fallen asleep on the lodging house roof.

She shot up immediately, shaking Jack awake. “Why didn’t you wake me?!”

carryindabanner:

Jack groaned at the rude awakening, refusing to open his eyes. He sleepily put his arm around her, moving to pull her close. “The mornin’ bell ain’t rung yet, ace. We don’t gotta be awake.”

She brushed his arm off. “I was supposed to be home! I’m going to catch hell for this, you know. God, if my father doesn’t already suspect–”

She sat up and ran her hands through her hair, doing her best to detangle it. “I can say I fell asleep at the Sun. That’s believable.”

Jack sat up, yawning, a lopsided smile playing his lips. "For sleepin' at th' Sun yous sure did rock my World last night." He knew they couldn't just spend nights with her out like this. Especially when it left her in her current state.

"Ya look like you was hit by a train, Kath. An' ya got some...um...stains...on ya skirt."

♡ {carryindabanner}

Nonsexual acts of intimacy

♡: Accidentally falling asleep together

@carryindabanner

The first thing Katherine realized upon waking was that she was cold. Had she left a window open? She opened her eyes and was met with a pale blue sky.

Oh, hell. She and Jack had fallen asleep on the lodging house roof.

She shot up immediately, shaking Jack awake. “Why didn’t you wake me?!”

Jack groaned at the rude awakening, refusing to open his eyes. He sleepily put his arm around her, moving to pull her close. "The mornin' bell ain't rung yet, ace. We don't gotta be awake."

♞{carryindabanner}

Nonsexual acts of intimacy

♞: Caring for each other while ill

@carryindabanner

“How long have you been sick?” Katherine asked, holding the back of her hand to Jack’s forehead. “You need to get back in bed right now. Honestly, the fact you made it this far is unbelievable.”

carryindabanner:

Jack’s chest heaved, the wind had been taken right out of him. His body felt cold yet hot at the same time, and sweat lined his brow and yet he still couldn’t stop a smirk from weakly playing his lips.

“I’m in a bed an’ yous takin’ off my clothes. I think I’m doin’ pretty well.”

She paused to shoot him a look he’d doubtlessly find familiar (and maybe even comforting). “Always a charmer,” she said wryly.

Before Alaina could say anything, Katherine sent her off to get Jack some tea and a cloth soaked with water. “Why didn’t you ask one of us for help before? The boys could pony up something to help you, I’m sure.”

"It's my job t' worry 'bout 'em, 'bout you not th' other way 'roun-" His words devolved into coughs again. He was gasping for air, feeling like a massive weight had been set on top of him preventing him from breathing.

♞{carryindabanner}

Nonsexual acts of intimacy

♞: Caring for each other while ill

@carryindabanner

“How long have you been sick?” Katherine asked, holding the back of her hand to Jack’s forehead. “You need to get back in bed right now. Honestly, the fact you made it this far is unbelievable.”

carryindabanner:

Jack pulled himself up with their help. His breath was rough, he could barely make his way up the grand staircase that led up to the second floor and the bedrooms.

“I don’t mean t’ be any trouble.” He felt like his chest was burning from the inside out, his lungs on fire.

“Don’t you dare worry about being trouble.” Katherine and Alaina virtually dragged Jack to the closest guest bedroom, where Alaina peeled off to draw the covers back as Katherine lowered Jack into bed.

Katherine set Jack’s cap to the side and then unbuttoned his vest, working it off him as she’d done innumerable times before. “How do you feel?”

Jack's chest heaved, the wind had been taken right out of him. His body felt cold yet hot at the same time, and sweat lined his brow and yet he still couldn't stop a smirk from weakly playing his lips.

"I'm in a bed an' yous takin' off my clothes. I think I'm doin' pretty well."

♞{carryindabanner}

Nonsexual acts of intimacy

♞: Caring for each other while ill

@carryindabanner

“How long have you been sick?” Katherine asked, holding the back of her hand to Jack’s forehead. “You need to get back in bed right now. Honestly, the fact you made it this far is unbelievable.”

carryindabanner:

The older Pulitzer let out a defeated sigh. “I don’t have time to argue this right now. You get him up to a guest room and he’s not to leave it, not while he’s coughing like that. And the door shall remained closed and I don’t want you hanging around in there with him. But far be it from me to try to get you to see common sense or reason. I’ll be in my study.” He beat a hasty retreat, he certainly wouldn’t be risking hanging around and catching his death.

Jack was almost amazed, if getting sick was all it took to have Pulitzer begrudgingly accept him into his home he should have done it a long time ago. Would have made evenings with Katherine much easier.

That had always been the fastest way to persuade her father of something: catch him while he’s busy.

“Yes, Father.“ Katherine took Jack’s arm and said to Alaina, who had just reappeared in the doorway, “Come on, help him up. Did you get in touch with a doctor?”

“Yes, miss. Doctor White’ll be here within the hour.” She went to Jack’s other arm. “Come with us, darlin’, we’ll get you in bed.”

Jack pulled himself up with their help. His breath was rough, he could barely make his way up the grand staircase that led up to the second floor and the bedrooms.

"I don't mean t' be any trouble." He felt like his chest was burning from the inside out, his lungs on fire.