Work Text:
Dr Al-Hashimi pulled the curtain back just enough for them to step inside, her hand on Cassie’s back nudging her forwards watching as the slumped woman shuffled unsteadily towards the bed.
Dana was already there, discretely tucked to the side. She waited until Baran stepped back, pulling the curtain over to mask them in privacy before stepping into action. She was sat beside Cassie in an instant, worried hands slipping both under her shirt into the palm of her back and the other brushing under her damp strands of her fringe. She was clammy. The skin on the doctor’s back bristled with goosebumps yet beads of sweat clung to her forehead.
The nurse sighed, the long sympathetic type. The type where you know the next few days were going to be awful to endure. “Poor girl.” Her voice was soft, her next words chosen carefully, “What on earth were you thinking? Exerting yourself like this.”
Cassie let out something that might have been a laugh if it hadn't dissolved into a grimace halfway through. "I wasn't," She muttered, voice rough around the edges, "I was trying to ignore it.”
Dana gave her a look that managed to be equal parts exasperation and fondness. "Well," She agreed quietly, "That much is obvious." Her words carried no bite. Only concern for the younger doctor. She knew of Cassie’s terrible habit when it came to taking her of herself, or lack thereof.
It had gotten worse the last few years. Her life hadn’t fallen into place as she had expected. Addiction. The custody battle for Harrison, relationships and heartbreak before falling in love all over again. Through the emotional turmoil Cassie had found herself clinging onto the only other stable thing in her life. Work. Her work felt less like a job and more like a necessity, like taking a break would be a betrayal rather than a comfort. As if the lack of her presence alone would cause the whole thing to crumble. It wasn’t ego. It was cold, the cold floors of the same ER. The same walls. The same doors. And despite the cold, she clung to it. Refusing to let go, even as it burned her.
Cassie moaned quietly as the fever sat flushed on her cheeks. She was too hot. The whole room felt like it had been turned several degrees, leaving a damp, sticky coat on her skin. “You need to try and stop moving hon’,” Dana’s voice murmured from beside the bed, “I know it’s hard, but you’re just making yourself feel worse.”
She knew how restless Cassie got with a temperature. Despite how exhausted she may be and hoe much her muscles ached, she could never seem to keep still. It often took her hours to settle, even in the comfort of their home. But here, under the glaring white lights. They were bright, too bright. She wasn’t meant to be here like this. The irony of the juxtaposition wasn’t lost on her.
“You’re okay,” The nurse’s hand came to her cheek, gentle thumb rubbing circles under the warm skin, “You’re exactly where you need to be.” She spoke gently.
The next moment, the curtain rustled politely before Dr Al-Hashimi reappeared, Cassie rolled onto her side to face away from the doctor. Embarrassed? Or simply just uncomfortable. She coughed miserably against the sheets curled under her fist as the two spoke.
As quick as the doctor had arrived, she was gone again. The two once again alone. Cassie muttered something incoherent under her breath, not bothering to repeat herself when asked. She tossed over onto the opposite side, a frustrated huff leaving her lips. Dana moved just out the corner of her eye. Cassie’s gaze followed, she had just been about to question what was going on when she hissed suddenly.
It stung for a quick moment, a sharp wince escaping her throat. A beat, than another than finally her muscles relaxed, her grimace slowly morphing into comfort as the cool ice sank over her head. Dana adjusted the icepack carefully, having wrapped it in a small towel. “Better?” She asked, a small smile forming as she watched Cassie’s features relax into a relieved expression.
“You can thank Baran for this,” Dana added, “She’s also put in a prescription for you.” Cassie’s rapid tests had come back positive for the particularly awful strain of the flu.
Cassie’s eyes widened, her throat strained to swallow before whispering, “Pills?” Despite being hidden by the rasp, Dana could still make out the shake tucked in her voice.
“Liquid.” The nurse put her mind to rest instantly, “Special request. It’ll take a little bit to get ready.”
The doctor sniffled, rubbing her chapped nose against her wrist, “How long?” She managed to ask before her breath hitched off desperately as she curled into herself with an exhausted sneeze.
Dana grabbed the tissue box from the cabinet beside her, swiping a tissue to hand to her before setting the box on top of the sheets, “A few hours most likely, apparently it’s really busy down there today.” She leaned forward, adjusting the pillow behind her wife’s back to have her lay further down, “Bless you.”
As she tried to settle, a damp, wet cough objected as the congestion on her lungs shifted. Cassie spluttered, feeling Dana’s soft hand on her back as she carefully recaught her breath. Her hand reached out from under the sheets, just close enough to let her grip sit on Dana’s knee.
Dana smiled softly, mirroring the action and curling her fingers as the two locked hands. It was quiet but she made it out clear as day, “Thank you for staying with me.” Cassie’s voice was heavy with exhaustion, eyes threatening to close at any moment.
The nurse leaned forward, pressing a small kiss to the top of her brow, “Get some sleep sweetheart.” She watched silently over the next few minutes as her wife finally (and inevitably) drift sleep. She kept her hand steady, feeling the warm faint tick of her pulse under her skin. This was where she needed to be.
So here she would stay.