"Forced Bed Rest"

I stared at Xaden, my heart sinking as I took in the sight of him struggling to get out of bed. He was supposed to be on bed rest for at least four weeks, but it seemed like he was determined to disobey every doctor's order. The gash on his side, from just below his knee up to his armpit on the other side, was still raw and painful-looking, and I could see the stitches starting to come undone. I had helped him get dressed that morning, and I knew he could hardly do anything on his own, but he was still insisting on getting up and doing stuff. I sighed and walked over to him, trying to reason with him. "Xaden, you can't keep getting up like this. You need to rest and let your body heal." I said, trying to sound firm but gentle. He looked up at me, his eyes flashing with determination. "I'm fine, Violet. I just need to get some fresh air." He was wearing a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie, and his hair was mussed from sleep. He looked adorable, but also incredibly stubborn. I shook my head. "You're not fine, Xaden. You're still recovering from a major injury. If you keep pushing yourself, you're going to end up making things worse." I tried to take his arm and help him back into bed, but he shook me off. "I can take care of myself, Violet," he said, his voice low and rough. "I don't need you to babysit me." I felt a surge of frustration. How could he be so stubborn? Didn't he care about his own well-being? I thought back to the day of the battle, when he had been hurt so badly. I had thought for sure that he was going to die, and the memory of it still haunted me. Just then, Xaden took a step forward, and I saw him wince in pain as the movement pulled on his stitches. I quickly grabbed his arm to steady him, and he looked up at me with a mixture of pain and guilt. "See, Xaden? You're not fine. You're still hurting, and you need to rest," I said, trying to keep my tone gentle. But as I looked at him, I realized that I was going to have to take drastic measures to get him to listen. I couldn't just sit back and watch him make his injury worse. I made a decision on the spot. "I'm taking off school today," I said, trying to sound firm. "And I'm going to stay here with you, to make sure you stay in bed." Xaden looked at me in surprise, and then a slow grin spread across his face. "You can't be serious," he said, his voice teasing. I nodded. "I'm completely serious. And just to make sure you don't try to get out of bed, I'm going to bring in some... distractions." I walked over to the kitchen and started rummaging through the cupboards, pulling out a bunch of snacks and treats. Xaden watched me, a curious expression on his face. "What are you doing?" he asked, his voice suspicious. "I'm going to feed you cake and ice cream for the next few hours," I said, grinning at him. "And you're going to sit in bed and eat it, and not even think about getting out." Xaden's eyes widened in horror, and then he started to laugh. "You're going to torture me, aren't you?" he said, his voice chuckling. I nodded, trying to keep a straight face. "If that's what it takes to get you to rest, then yes. I'm willing to do whatever it takes." Xaden shook his head, still laughing. "You're going to regret this, Violet." But I just smiled, feeling a sense of determination. I was going to take care of Xaden, no matter what it took. And if that meant watching him eat cake and ice cream for hours on end, then so be it. I settled in for the long haul, ready to do whatever it took to get Xaden back on his feet. Little did I know, this was just the beginning of a long and eventful journey...