A/N: Written for Day 3: Hospital for RosaWatts Week 2k18

"Wow, Eva. You do look like crap."

Out of all the proper, right things to say, that was the first thing that popped into his head when he saw her for the first time, the words coming out of Neil's lips before he could stop himself and think about what he was supposed to say to a sick friend. It was the sort of thing that, at this point of their friendship, Eva was used to, the sort of thing that came in one ear and out the other. The sort of thing that she never really minded, not even when they first met, all of those years ago.

The remark, as stupid as it sounded, seemed to do something to improve her mood. From the corner of his eyes, Neil caught her lips curving into a lopsided smile and that was proof enough of that, and, as small as it was, that he considered a victory.

And then, in a heartbeat, the smile was gone again, her eyes closing as she curled in on herself, hoping to feel more comfortable. It didn't seem to be for nothing, though; clearly, she was feeling slightly better now than she was five minutes ago, right after he walked in and before Eva noticed his presence; Neil knew she didn't expect him to stop by.

"Such a charmer," Her voice was hoarse, one of the side effects of coughing non-stop for weeks. Winters had always been rough on both of them, on her, for several different reasons, and the sickness had come out of nowhere, catching Neil and Eva by surprise. They had known each other, had been the best of friends, really, for as long as he could remember and he never had seen her sick enough to hospitalized. Had never seen her sick at all, honestly, and Neil had no idea how to react under these circumstances. Had no idea where he stood, really, at the moment, "You know exactly how to make a girl feel special."

"That's me, dumpling," There was no way Eva could see it, but Neil couldn't help himself but return the smile as he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, unsure of what he was supposed to do, almost as if his feet were suddenly stuck to the ground. A long time had passed since his secrets had been spilled, and since then, their relationship had improved, left unnamed after countless years of the same old familiarity. Now, neither of them knew what to expect, and Neil had no idea where he stood under those circumstances, how much he was allowed to take from it, from her.

He had never been the coming over sort of friend, after all, "Neil Watts, always trying his best."

"Come here," Opening her eyes again, Eva took a good look at him, a puzzled expression taking over her face. It felt like minutes, hours, really, had passed since he heard a sound, since he had heard her at all, and the sudden sound of her voice startled him; and for the first time since walking in, Neil felt like he was allowed to move once again.

Kicking off his shoes, Neil didn't waste any time before climbing on the bed and making himself comfortable as Eva wrapped herself around him, hiding her face in the crook of his neck and breathing his scent in. It wasn't until then that he noticed how exhausted she looked, the faint hospital lights making Eva look paler than she really was. He had never been fond of the thought of getting sick, and it wasn't any different then, but Neil couldn't help but push the thought aside as he dropped a kiss on her forehead.

"I have to go soon," Arms wrapped around her body, pulling her even closer to him, Neil mumbled against her hair. Curled up around him, it had been the most well-rested and most peaceful he had seen Eva since walking in, and for a moment, Neil wondered if she had listened to him at all, wondered if she had finally fallen asleep.

"I know," She replied under her breath, sleep slowly catching up to her. Both of them knew visiting hours would be over soon, but there wasn't any reason to worry about that. For now, Neil and Eva could have this moment and, for them, it was more than enough.