Chapter Text
Alex had been looking forward to this all week. She had planned for a night where both she and Audrey would be home at a decent hour, and she wanted to make a simple dinner and just spend time with the love of her life.
Finally that day has come and she’s in the kitchen getting dinner ready. Music is playing softly on a Bluetooth speaker in the kitchen. Her homemade marinara sauce is lightly simmering on the stove and she’s just waiting for the water to boil for the pasta. Audrey should be coming home any minute.
She felt warmer than usual all day, but thought nothing of it. The seasons are changing and it’s getting warmer outside. Since she and Frank were out walking a neighborhood for a case earlier in the day, she thought it was just from being out in the humidity of the afternoon.
The thing she can’t understand is why her body feels so achy, but she pushes on as if nothing’s wrong.
Alex is stirring the sauce as Audrey walks in the door. She puts the spoon down and goes toward the doorway to the living room, but feels the room sway a bit as she turns.
“Whoa, whoa, Lex, are you okay?” Audrey grabs her by the waist and kisses her on the lips to greet her.
“Hmm… yeah, just got a little dizzy for a second. I’m okay though. Dinner’ll be ready soon!” She can’t resist the urge and leans forward and kisses Audrey again.
“Babe, your lips are really warm. Are you feeling okay?” Audrey puts a hand on Alex’s forehead, “Aw, Baby, I think you have a fever.”
“I’m just burning for you, Baby.” Alex tries to be cute, but starts coughing.
“Oh ho, no, no, no, you’re sick, Lex. Let’s get you to the sofa. Come sit with me. You have any other symptoms? Headache? Body aches?”
Alex gives in and sits down on the sofa with Audrey.
“Yeah, all of it. And my throat is on fire.”
“Aw, my baby, wait here, rest your eyes, let me get a real quick shower and I’ll get you a few things. I’m gonna take good care of you.” On that, Audrey kisses Alex on her hot forehead and goes into the bedroom.
Once Alex hears the shower running, she gets up and puts the pasta in the boiling water and sets the timer. She stirs the sauce one more time before turning its burner off and putting the lid back on the pot. She uncorks the red wine Audrey loves and pours two glasses and leaves them on the counter next to the bowl for the pasta and the two bowls she will serve dinner in. Alex gets herself back to the sofa just as Audrey emerges from the bedroom cleaned up and in comfy clothes, with the thermometer and a foiled sleeve of medicine in her hand.
“Let’s start with taking your temperature.” Audrey turns on the digital forehead thermometer and gently touches it to Alex’s forehead. After a few seconds it beeps a warning tone and flashes red.
“Hmmm… 102° (38.9° C), that’s a fever alright. Lay back on the sofa here, my Love, let me cover you with the blanket. You need to rest.”
Alex allows herself to be babied by the woman she would give up breathing for. Snuggling under the cozy blanket and burrowing her back into the corner of their L shaped sofa.
The kitchen timer goes off.
“That’s the pasta, baby, can you drain it please? I have a bowl there to put it in.”
“No problem.”
Audrey heads into the kitchen where she takes care of everything Alex had asked her to before popping her head back in the living room.
“Do you think you could eat a little? To take the meds? And, you’re definitely not drinking wine!”
“I’ll try.”
Audrey goes back in the kitchen and gets the plates ready.
“Don’t forget the Parmesan and I already prepped some fresh basil.” Alex calls to her, but her throat is raw so it hurts to get the last words out. She massages her throat, realizing how much it hurts to swallow.
A few minutes later Audrey comes into the living room with two bowls of Alex’s perfectly cooked pasta and homemade sauce. She hands one with very little in it to Alex with a fork before sitting down with her own slightly fuller bowl.
“Mmmm…. Alex, you’re sauce is divine! Thank you so much for cooking babe, but I hope it didn’t make you feel worse.” They look into each other’s eyes and smile at each other lovingly.
Alex barely took more than two bites of the pasta before giving up trying to eat. She sipped on the water Audrey had brought her, but it felt like she was drinking fire.
She felt bad so fast, but she was so happy watching Audrey eat the food she made for her.
Audrey was taking a sip of her wine when she looked over and saw Alex had stopped eating and was dozing off wrapped in the blanket and curled up in the corner of the sofa. She softly caresses her face now glistening with sweat. Alex shivers under the blanket.
“Baby, you hardly ate anything. Can I bring you tea or warm some broth for you?” The tenderness in her voice complemented by her soothing strokes of Alex’s shoulder and arm.
Alex just shakes her head no and wraps the blanket tighter around herself. Audrey gets up and gets the other blanket and covers her with it before kissing the top of her head.
Audrey cleans up the dishes and puts away the food. She makes both tea and broth for Alex and brings a mug of each to the living room. She settles down onto the sofa before beckoning Alex to come lay with her.
Sliding on top of her fiancée leaves Alex shivering and coughing, but this doesn’t stop Audrey from wrapping her arms around her and hugging her tightly.
“Go ahead and relax, you can take a nap with me here.” Audrey whispers softly into Alex’s ear.
“This isn’t what I planned for tonight, I’m sorry.” Alex is already starting to fall asleep.
“It’s okay. You can’t help getting sick. Oh, but, before you sleep, we almost forgot, take some meds with the tea. Hold on.”
Without getting up, Audrey reaches over and gets the meds for her and helps her to sit up a little more so she can take the pills with the tea. The pills go down like little jagged pieces of glass, but the tea helps to soothe it a bit.
A coughing fit starts and it takes her a few minutes to settle down again.
“Oh, my poor baby. The medicine is going to kick in soon and you’ll start to feel better. I promise.”
“Hhrrrrmmmm” Alex just makes a grumbly noise, trying not to start coughing again.
“Just try to sleep, I love you.”
“Mmm… I love you too.” Alex harshly whispers as she snuggles into Audrey’s chest, and burrows herself deeper into her blankets.
Soon they are both asleep on the sofa.
A few hours later, Audrey wakes up suddenly when she gets elbowed by Alex who’s still sleeping but obviously having a nightmare.
Audrey wraps her arms tight around Alex and holds her close.
“Lex, relax, it’s just a dream. I’m right here.” Audrey whispers to try to soothe Alex without waking her.
Her body had tensed up at first, but now is relaxing again. Audrey realizes how hot and sweaty Alex feels. She reaches for the thermometer. Alex doesn’t wake up or stir. She takes her temperature. 103.5° F (39.75° C).
Audrey tries again to wake up Alex. She’s not taking any chances. She has to get her to the hospital, Alex still doesn’t wake up. Her breathing is shallow and irregular.
“Wake up, Alex, come on.” Audrey whispers.
She finally stirs and her eyes flutter, but her breathing remains shallow, and she looks physically uncomfortable.
“Baby, we’re going to the hospital, come on, let’s get you up.”
Getting Alex to sit up starts her on another coughing fit. But the cough sounds deeper now and seems to rattle her whole body. Audrey waits and gives her some water as soon as she stops, but the sips obviously hurt based on the pained face Alex makes while drinking. When Alex sits back, her face is pale and her lips have a slight bluish tinge to them. Her chest is rattling as she breathes.
“Aw, my poor baby, I know it hurts.” Audrey strokes Alex’s hair making sure she is still breathing before she checks the time and reaches for her phone to send a text to her sister.
Ava arrives at their door twenty minutes later and lets herself in with her key.
“How’s our patient doing?!” Ava tries to sound playful, but the concern comes through when she sees Alex on the sofa.
“I don’t have any equipment here to help her. I need your help to get her to Evergreen. I think it’s pneumonia.”
“That came on fast. We went for a run a couple days ago and she seemed fine.”
“You know how stubborn she can be, she probably just pushed past any symptoms she had over the past few days. Pushed herself too hard,” the regret she feels for not paying attention sooner brings tears to Audrey’s eyes as she continues, “I should have noticed. We’re both so busy it’s hard to stop and pay attention.”
Ava strokes Audrey’s arm. “It’s not your fault, you both are doing the best you can. Let’s get her down to the car.”
Ava drives them to Evergreen while Audrey sits in the back with Alex resting on her lap, her breathing is more shallow and labored.
By the time they get there, Audrey is pale with concern, and Alex’s lungs sound like they are filled with fluid.
Sarah rushed out to the car when they arrived along with two orderlies who carefully helped get Alex out of the car and onto a gurney. They rushed her inside and started oxygen and blood work. Audrey is just shaking and crying. Ava just wraps her arms around her sister.
“Ava take Audrey to the waiting area, it’s doing her no good being here.” Sarah tries to be firm but gentle when she sees Audrey hovering.
A few hours later Sarah shows up in the waiting area. Audrey is resting her head on Ava’s shoulder, but jumps up when Sarah approaches.
“How is she?”
“You were right, it’s pneumonia. We have her on antibiotics and breathing treatments. You can come sit with her.”
Sarah put an arm around the shoulders of her best friend and walked her to Alex’s room. Ava walked behind them.
At the door, Sarah gave both sisters a big hug and let them go in the room by themselves.
They both stand on either side of Alex’s bed and hold her hands, grateful she sounds and looks more peaceful as she rests.
Audrey bends over to kiss her on the cheek.
“I love you, Lex.”