Here's the other one-shot I promised. I don't own Leverage

Always Here For Me

It was the morning after a long con in New York and Nate woke up late. He saw that it was 11 o'clock but he was too tired and content to even care. When he looked over at Sophie his smile turned into a frown. She looked pale and sweaty yet she was hogging all the blankets as if she were freezing. He reached out and touched the back of his hand to her forehead. She was burning. Great, he thought sarcastically, she must've caught something during the job. He rolled back over and closed his eyes. Just as he was drifting off he felt Sophie gently shake his shoulder.

"Hm?"

"I don't feel good," She mumbled. He could hear how congested she was just by how nasally her voice had gotten.

"What's wrong?" He asked as he turned over to look at her. Even her eyes looked teary and he wondered if she might have come across something she was allergic to.

"Everything. I'm freezing but I feel like I'm burning up at the same time. I have a headache, a sore throat, and a stuffy nose. Not to forget that my eyes are watering and my body is sore."

Nate got out of bed and went to go grab some medicine and a thermometer. Sophie did look very sick but he wanted to see how bad her fever was in case they had to go to the doctors. Before he went to take her temperature he took out some Tylenol and a decongestant. When he sat down on the bed to take her temperature she just batted his hands away.

"No!"

"Soph, I need to take your temperature."

"Uh-uh," Sophie grumbled as she covered her mouth with her hands and shaking her head.

"Please Soph?"

She looked at him with a slightly frightened face before opening her mouth. He put the thermometer under her tongue and she closed her mouth. She hated being taken care of like some little child. Normally she just confined herself to bed with green tea and movies. Nate took the thermometer out of her mouth after it stopped flickering.

"Were you feeling alright during the job?"

"Not exactly."

He showed her the numbers on the thermometer, which read 104. She sighed inwardly but didn't say anything. Nate handed her a glass of water and some medicine. She looked at the medicine in disgust before taking it. After watching her swallow the pills her went into his closet to go find some clothes. As he was doing so Sophie got out bed and went to also go rummaging through the closet. She ducked under Nates arms a grabbed a pair of short shorts and a tank top because she was starting to get really hot. She quickly changed and then went into the bathroom to splash water on her face.

"Do you want anything to eat?"

"Soup would be nice," She replied with a weak smile.

"I'll get right on that."

"I'll be downstairs on the couch if you need me," She said before leaving the room and going down the stairs. She wasn't paying attention and her mind still felt groggy as she descended the stairs. Her foot hit the second to last step way too far and did a face plant on the floor, twisting her ankle in the process. The pain shot through her body and then burned through her ankle, foot, and shin. A loud groan escaped her mouth as she lay on the ground in pain. She could swear that she broke it as she felt a worse burning and numbing sensation set in. Tears escaped her eyes as she sobbed in pain. Not a moment later Nate was next to her.

"Sophie! Sophie are you alright?" He asked worriedly.

"It hurts so much."

"What did you do?"

"I feel down the stairs and I think I broke my ankle," Sophie replied, trying to keep the tears from continuing to fall.

"I'm gonna carry you over to the couch alright?"

She nodded for she didn't have the energy to speak anymore. He picked her up and laid her down on the couch, propping her injured leg up and her back.

"I'll go get you some soup and then make you an appointment," Nate said softly as he sat down on the edge of the couch and gently stroked her hair.

"No!" Sophie whined, "I don't wanna go to the doctors!"

"You have to go to make sure it's not broken or fractured."

Sophie glared at him for a minute but he didn't back down. "Fine!" She started coughing and then groaned in pain as it stung in her chest.

He kissed her forehead and then went in the kitchen to do his stuff.

~LEVERAGE~

Short in short Sophie hated the doctors and hated the public attention she got there. And when she meant public attention she meant the fact she couldn't walk and they had to put her in a wheelchair. Seriously, she tried walking four steps before they left and started crying out of pain. They were stuck there for an hour and Sophie had to do x-rays to make sure there wasn't a broken bone or anything. Once they got there the doctor started poking and prodding at her ankle to figure out where it hurt. It hurt everywhere. To make this short story shorter - she had gotten a nasty sprain. The doctor told her to ice it a lot and try not to walk on it until she was feeling better.

Basically everything sucked.

Everything except the fact she was getting loads of attention from Nate. And she meant loads. He was there at her every call and whim she had. The only thing she didn't like was that she couldn't kiss him because she was sick. Well, she could but he didn't want to get sick either so he didn't let her.

"Would you like to lay down in bed?" He asked as he sat there stroking her hair.

"As long as you're up there to keep me company."

"Of course Soph."

Nate picked her up in his arms, making sure that he didn't hurt her foot. She reached up with he left hand and gently caressed his face. He looked down to see a small smile on her face and her brown eyes big and innocent. The heat that creeped up into his cheeks was unexpected but it gave him a warm (and fuzzy) feeling he only felt around her. Once they got up there he again elevated her foot, which as she frequently reminded him hurt a lot. He was lying down in bed with her as they communicated with their eyes. It was their way of saying they love each other sometimes. They would talk about anger or lust. A happiness or loneliness. Each look would tell a story and they had miles of knowledge on what each look meant. Right now she was giving him on of her sweetest smiles that was filled with love and warmth. He returned the smile, looking at her with eyes full of adoration and love.

"Have I said how beautiful you are lately?"

She turned over to look at him (she was able to do this because her left foot was sprained and he was on her right side.) "No you haven't."

"Well you're very beautiful Soph," He murmured lovingly. The look in his eyes changed told her that he was vulnerable and filled with lust that he didn't dare release.

"I know what you're thinking."

"What?"

"You want dinner but you can't have it because I'm sick."

"Mind reader," he scoffed.

She giggled and trailed her hand down his chest, playing with the waistband of his boxers. "It's alright. It's the same for me."

With a small competitive glance at her he slowly brushed his hand up her thigh, resting it right below her hips. He knew she held back a moan because she started coughing a second later.

"Sorry," she cleared her throat, "I'm ruining the moment."

"Do you have any special remedy that can take care of this?" Nate asked as he took his hand from off her thigh, tracing her jaw line with his finger instead.

"I don't eat any dairy and a drink a lot of tea with honey in it."

"Would you like some tea?"

"Yes please," she said. He kissed her on the cheek and then went to go make her tea. Sophie wished she could go with him but alas she could not walk. He returned a few minutes later to see she was propped up in a sitting position.

"Careful it's hot," He said with a small smile as he handed her the mug of tea.

"Thanks Nathan," Sophie smiled. "I mean thanks for everything, you know taking care of me and all."

"It's nothing Soph, I mean it."

"I probably couldn't take care of myself with-" She was cut short when she started coughing. "Without your help."

Nate sat down next to her and stroked her hair while looking into her eyes. "Don't worry I'm always here to take care of you."