Not only is this my first attempt at a FanFic, it is the first story I have written since I was in high school a thousand years ago! This idea came from the discussion about why Lucien holds his hand over his lower, right abdomen so much. I am taking some liberties as far as the medical stuff is concerned, but if our medical dramas on TV in the states can do it, I figure so can I. I hope my fellow DBM fans enjoy this. Thanks for all the encouragement to write something.

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Jean was slightly annoyed as she and Charlie sat at the dinner table waiting on Lucien. Just 20 minutes ago, she had brought him a whisky and told him when dinner would be ready. Lucien had not been late for dinner or been thoughtless on any occasion since they had become engaged, so this was a bit out of character for him now. She was about to throw a tea towel over Lucien's plate to keep his dinner warm and tuck into her own meal, when she remembered Lucien didn't seem like he was feeling very well earlier. She told Charlie to start without her and left the kitchen to find Lucien. She went straight to his surgery and had already said, "Lucien, dinner is on the table!" before she stopped short. Lucien was not in his surgery, and what was even more troubling was the glass of whisky that stood on his desk untouched. Even when Lucien had been under the weather before, he always drank his nightly whisky(s).

The first pang of concern coursed through Jean's body as she thought about Lucien's state when he arrived home. She noticed he seemed a bit lethargic and pale when he came through the door over an hour ago. Even his attempt at a cheery smile did not fool her and she asked if he was feeling okay. When he had replied that he was just a bit tired, she chalked it up to his working long hours on a case and not getting enough sleep. Now, she wondered if her fiancé was really just tired and she felt just a little bit guilty at not being more persistent with him earlier. Jean crossed the hall and knocked softly on his bedroom door. She was hoping he was just changing into one of his cardigans and would open the door, pull her into his arms and give her a kiss like he had done so many times before. When she did not hear anything, she knocked again before opening his door. The scene before her did nothing to ease her worrying; Lucien lay on his bed, fully clothed, sleeping. She could not remember Lucien ever having a nap before (at least not without her), so this was highly unusual. She walked over to his bed and sat down next to him. She gently stroked his cheek, with the intention of waking him, but was slightly alarmed at how hot his skin felt under her fingers. He definitely had a fever and the fact that he continued to sleep worried her even more. She tried to think back over the previous days in an attempt to remember any signs of Lucien becoming ill that she might have missed. The only thing that came to mind was she had noticed that he seemed to be grunting a bit more when he was sitting down or standing up. He also seemed to be placing his hand over his lower right abdomen more than usual. She had always thought this was a nervous gesture of some sort and when she asked him about it one time, he had just said it was nothing. Now, she started to think that maybe it was more than just a gesture or habit and was actually something he did out of discomfort. This surely appeared to be the case in the last few days anyway.

Jean bent down and gave Lucien a kiss on the cheek before heading back to the kitchen. Charlie was almost finished with his meal and, noticing the concerned look on Jean's face, he asked her if everything was okay. "Not really Charlie. The doctor is ill and is running a fever. I am going to see if I can get him to take some aspirin and put a cool cloth on his head." Jean ran a washcloth under some cool water and filled a glass with cold water as well. Jean hated to wake Lucien; perhaps he just needed a good night's rest. Her concern over his fever won out in the end and she stroked his cheek and said his name until he awoke. Jean thought he really must feel terrible. Even when he had been unwell in the past, he always put on a brave face for Jean. She remembered the fights he had been in and the time he was almost crushed under a car. She knew he had injuries that must have really hurt, but Lucien never showed an ounce of pain. This time, however, he looked and sounded miserable. Jean helped Lucien sit up and handed him the aspirin and the glass of water. "Take these darling. They will help you feel better." Lucien did not protest and did what he was told. Although seeing Lucien like this upset Jean, she did her best to hide it and smiled brightly as she asked him if he was at all hungry and if he would like her to bring his dinner to him. "No, thank you Jean. I really have no appetite and just want to sleep." He gave her a small smile, which only made Jean's heart break a little more. Feeling a bit helpless, Jean put the washcloth on Lucien's head and decided it would be best to let him get his rest. With another kiss on his cheek, she left the room.

As she sat on the couch knitting later that evening, she felt very much alone. It was one thing for Lucien to be out on a case, but it was completely different for him to be in the house and not sitting next to Jean with an arm around her. Even though Charlie was in the same room reading a book, Jean felt lonely. She knew she was terrible company, so she finally said goodnight to Charlie and headed upstairs to bed. She had been tempted to check on Lucien, but she decided it would be best to let him rest. She was sure a good night's sleep and the aspirin would work wonders for him.

Jean awoke with a start early the next morning. Looking at her clock, she saw it was just nearing 04:00. She had not slept well at all and must have woken up at least once every hour worrying about Lucien. She couldn't place her finger on why she was so concerned. She had cared for sick loved ones before, but something just felt different this time. Lucien had no other symptoms to explain the sudden fever. Donning her old pink robe, Jean crept downstairs to Lucien's room. She was hoping he would be back to his old self and she smiled at the thought of her giggling as Lucien pulled her down into bed with him and wrapped his arms around her. However, as Jean walked into his room, even in the dim light, she could tell right away that he was still ill. As she turned on the bedside lamp, Jean's stomach clinched with worry. Although Lucien was drenched in sweat, he was shaking from head to toe. She felt his forehead and was immediately alarmed at how hot he felt. She knew she had to get his temperature under control, so she started pleading with him to wake up. She needed to get him into a cold bath and said a silent prayer of thanks for the new bathroom in the studio. Lucien had added the bathroom and a new water heater in anticipation of them using the studio as their bedroom once they were married. Lucien only balled up in the fetal position and begged Jean to find a warmer blanket for him. "Please Lucien," Jean begged him, "Please help me help you."

It was a full hour later when Jean finally had Lucien back in bed after getting him into a cold, albeit a very brief, bath. Although he was burning up with fever, Lucien felt like he was freezing. He was reluctant to let Jean strip him down to his underwear, and flat out whined when she helped him into the tub. If Jean had not been so worried about him, she would have given in to his protests. She felt very sorry for him and knew she was making him more uncomfortable, but she needed to keep his temperature from getting any higher. Now, back in his bed, wearing nothing more than his robe, he seemed exhausted. In his feverish state, Lucien kept muttering about the war and clutched his abdomen again. When Lucien was in the bath, Jean noticed a rather large, irregular scar on his abdomen. She briefly wondered if that scar still bothered him, but her mind was too preoccupied with his current state to give it too much thought. Jean was genuinely worried now. She had given him more aspirin and tortured the poor man with a dunk in cold water, but his temperature was still alarmingly high. She tried to sooth him as best she could while she struggled to think of what to do next. Jean pressed a cold cloth to Lucien's forehead as she whispered, "it's okay my love, I am here. I will take care of you" over and over again.

Jean was surprised when she heard Charlie coming down the stairs. She hadn't realized it was so late and went out to tell him that the doctor was still ill and Charlie would have to get his own breakfast. Charlie could see the worry on Jean's face and suggested she call Dr. Harvey. A wave of relief swept through Jean's body. Of course! Why hadn't she thought to call Alice before now? Jean was sure Alice would be able to help and headed to Lucien's study to make the call. Jean, who had been worried Alice would have already left for work, breathed a sigh of relief when her friend answered the phone and said she would be over straight away. Jean was sure Alice could help Lucien and, once again, a wave of relief swept over her. She went back to Lucien's room with a little more hope. As Jean pressed a fresh, cold cloth to Lucien's forehead, he continued to mutter something about the war. Jean told him that Alice was on her way and that he would be better soon. Jean alternated between telling Lucien she loved him and that he would feel better soon and kissing him on the cheek. She could feel the heat radiate beneath her lips with each kiss and silently urged Alice to hurry.

Although it took Alice less than 20 minutes to get to the Blake household, it seemed like an eternity to Jean. Lucien was always so strong; he was such a steady, calm presence in her life. It was hard for Jean to see him so sick and vulnerable. Jean, who was expecting Alice to tell her she was overreacting and worrying too much, noticed Alice's alarmed expression when she first laid eyes on Lucien. Alice asked how long Lucien had been in this state as she examined her friend and coworker. As Alice took Lucien's temperature, Jean filled her in on the events since Lucien arrived home the previous night. She also told Alice about Lucien's feverish mutterings and his tendency to press on the scar on his abdomen. When Lucien muttered something that sounded like "It's from the war," a look of concern passed over Alice's face and she quickly opened Lucien's robe enough to expose the scar on his lower abdomen. She noticed an unusual amount of redness around the scar and placed her hand on the skin surrounding the area. As hot as the rest of Lucien's body was, the area around the scar was much warmer. Jean noticed Alice's look of alarm and the gnawing in her belly that had been bothering her all morning grew even worse. Alice asked Jean where the nearest phone was and immediately headed to Lucien's study. Jean had to trot after Alice as she headed towards the study and was just asking Alice what she was doing when Alice spoke into the phone with a clear sense of urgency. "This is Dr. Alice Harvey. I need an Ambo sent to Dr. Blake's surgery at once. Tell the surgeon on call to prepare the operating room. I believe Dr. Blake needs surgery immediately. Please hurry." Alice turned to see Jean with one hand over her mouth and the other clenching her stomach. She looked absolutely horrified and tears were beginning to form in the corners of her eyes. "Alice, what is it? What's going on?

"Jean," Alice replied as calmly as possible, "I believe Lucien has an acute infection –either appendicitis or as a result from a foreign body left over from an old war injury. Since he did not have any of the usual symptoms of appendicitis, I am leaning toward the latter. For whatever reason, his body is rejecting something and it is making him very sick."

As Jean rushed back to Lucien's bedroom, Alice followed and tried to reassure her as much as possible. Jean sat next to Lucien, who was muttering something that neither of the women could understand. Jean leaned over Lucien and kissed him. She begged him to hold on and to stay with her. As tears ran down Jean's face, she told him she was sorry for not getting him help sooner.

"Jean," Alice tried to soothe her friend, "There was no way you could have known Lucien was so sick. He must have been experiencing some pain for a few days and obviously hid it from you. In fact, you very well may have saved his life by making him take that cold bath. It must have kept his temperature in check for a while anyway."

Jean was now leaning with her head on Lucien's chest and crying openly, so Alice stopped talking and just tried to sooth Jean by rubbing her back in between Jeans sobs. Finally, Alice thought she could hear the faint sounds of sirens and let out a quiet sigh, willing her friend to hold on a little longer.