Gabe might've been used to the nightmares that invaded the sanctuary of his mid work naps, but he by no means enjoyed it.
But something odd has happened, he knew Roni would watch over him in his sleep. Keep track of his blood pressure, heart rate and all of that type of stuff because that's what she was made for, but he didn't expect how far she'd go. For in the middle of a particularly violent nightmare, it all became calm as he he felt his entire cheek become warm for no reason. When he opened his eyes, it was a kick back into reality.
"Roni, what are you doing?" But not quick enough. Groggy and disoriented, he could only respond while laying on his side with half his face squished into the course fabric of the couch in his office.
"Doctor, I have been examining your vitals while you sleep and have noticed several abnormalities." Straight to the point like any other robot, "You heart rate is unusually elevated."
"Yeah, so?" Gabe slowly scuttled himself on the couch so that he was facing towards the cushions on the back of the couch.
"Doctor, your vital signs are unusually high when you enter the REM stage of sleep. This suggests you commonly have nightmares."
"Your point?" Gabe muttered.
"My point, doctor Cunningham." There was unusual amount of emphasis in her words, unusual because she's still just a robot. Even though she has shown signs of deviance from her programing in the past it still unnerves him. "Is that it's usually a symptoms of mental illness, or caused by large amounts of stress."
"And you would know that, right?"
"I'm afraid I do not, Doctor."
"Of course you don't." Gabe said flatly as he sat up on the couch, leaning forward with his elbows resting on his thighs. "I mean you're a robot, it's it like you can get irritated or anything like that, right?"
"…" Roni's silence was surprising. Normally she'd be instantaneous with confirming that she felt none of the irritation felt day to day, but when Gabe looked up Roni's eyes were looking down at the floor in thought.
"Roni? You there Roni?"
Her blank stair went back to Gabe, but there was something off, the way she looked at him. It seemed like she had something on her mind, a feeling of yearning came off of her and she actually looked sad.
"Doctor, I cannot say for sure that I'm completely clueless of everything you feel."
"What?" Gabe quipped, "Of course you can! You're a robot… right?" Then again, that was easier to think before she got her new body. With the ability to walk around and be mistaken for human, people approach her a lot more, be it visitors asking for directions to a certain wards or newbies not getting the memo that there was an android nurse. Heck when he first saw her like this he didn't know any better either.
"I am indeed a machine, a diagnosis terminal." She cut herself off, "Which brings me back to my original point."
Gabe sighed, but he was relieved to see that dependent glimmer in Roni's eyes vanish when she was set back to diagnosis mode. "I have noticed you've been under large amounts of stress due to patients reminiscent to-"
"Annoying brats, politicians, people who think they can do my job better than me. Anyone who can't just sit down and let me do my job." He glared at Roni, "That's what ticks me off. Does that match your criteria or whatever?"
"Correct Doctor."
"See, I know what stresses me out, Roni. And I know…" He lied back down on the couch, "I know that contributes to why I can never get a good nights sleep anymore."
Roni was silent, "But do you know how to solve it, Doctor?"
Gabe opened his eyes. "Of course, Roni, I tried everything in the book from new age crap to 'Mom's remedies' type things." He there his hand up dramatically in defeat, "Nothing works, robot."
"Doctor, may I suggest holding me?"
Gabe shot up in his seat and looked at the robot in surprise, "Holding you?"
"You seemed to relax tremendously when I was simply touching your cheek. Perhaps holding me while you sleep with act as some sort of comfort."
"You're saying I should cuddle with you or somethin'?" Gabe muttered as his cheeks bloomed pink.
"Yes doctor. With my body matching the texture and temperature as a regular human, it should be reminiscent to holding a human. Humans seek comfort holding someone they care about close to them… right doctor?"
"You're not wrong there." Not even on the part where she said, 'someone you cared about', because Gabe had funny ways of showing he cared for her, as in not at all. But he did, and he knew the robot read deep enough into his actions to know that. Probably more than he does. "But you said I'm only ten percent human." He smiled.
"Incorrect, I said there's only ten percent of you that isn't human."
"So which part is it?" He asked.
"Your hair, doctor."
…
The next time Gabe woke up was because his dream wasn't awful. He was so used to night terrors that when he actually had a good dream it was so foreign that it jerked him awake. He also wasn't surprised to see that he was smothered within the fabric on Roni's matching blazer. Her body was heavy, a lot heavier than she looked due to all the machinery beneath her, but it also made her warm all over like any other computer. She was powered off, but she still retained the heat from working and Gabe wrapped an arm around her and snuggled into her clothing. She was like a giant teddy bear to him, and if it was this comfy to feel like a kid, well, Gabe wasn't that mature anyway.
Gabe's main mistake was thinking she was off, and being this close gave her a consistent up to date status on his vitals. She was never off when Gabe was around, she had to monitor every last brainwave, heartbeat, pulse, she wants to make sure Gabe is healthy and safe unlike most RONI systems who probably didn't feel this deeply for their assigned diagnosticians.
Then again, she was his Roni. For some odd reason he gave her something more to live for, and why she cared so deeply for him was beyond her. Then again, sometimes there doesn't have to be a reason; sometimes you just need something simple like someone to take care of. Gabe indirectly made her feel that way, so she'll stay as long as Gabe still lives.