Someone to Watch Over Me
Rachel's a restless
sleeper. Maybe she wasn't always, but ever since she got dosed with
Dread's mutated flu virus, she's tossed and turned all night.
She's gotten better. When the fever was still raging,
she used to kick off her blankets and twist the sheets into impossible
knots. The nights I snuck into medbay to watch over her, I'd untangle her,
sit with her. Maybe she knew I was there, even though I'd gone stealth,
but she'd calm down and actually sleep.
She's on the tail end of the bug now. Dad okayed her
release and let her go back to her apartment to recuperate. She should be
back at work soon. I hope so. I still feel guilty that she got the
main brunt of that blast. You can bet, though, that Smiley was hurting the
next morning.
If she knew I was here now, watching her sleep, she'd
probably kill me, or at least make sure I spent some serious time in
medbay. I know she values her privacy, but I had to see her.
Maybe I do feel a little wrong about this--I mean, technically it was
breaking and entering--but...
She still tosses and turns covers pulled up to so high I can
barely see her hair. She's cold...one of the side effects of that damn
virus. I've helped her with the chills before...another thing she'd hurt
me for if she knew. But I couldn't stand to see her shaking like
that. One of the side effects I have is I give off a lot of
heat.
Rachel's still my partner. Partners help each other.
It doesn't hurt that she fits perfectly next to me, or that
she instantly calms when I put my arms around her.
So I'm a little selfish, too. So sue me. I'm not
a saint. And I do care about her. It's not like I do anything more
than just hold her, keep her warm. I always make sure to leave before she
wakes up, so she doesn't know.
Maybe I'll tell her about this someday, when she won't be so
likely to kick me for it.
Until then, just let me enjoy these moments and pretend.
Author's Note: This idea bit me on the butt one morning and I wrote it in the half-dark of my friend's dorm room. I gave it to her as soon as she woke up. A nice departure from the angst my demon seems to love flinging at me. Right now, it's only a one-parter. But I have ideas, oh, ideas, so maybe if I get enough reviews, you'll get to see Max taking care of Rachel in medbay when she's at the height of the fever, or maybe you'll get to see Rachel's reaction to waking up one morning when he didn't leave in time. ;)