Disclaimer: I don't own Madam Secretary. Nor do I own the characters. Or their cuteness.

A/N: Hello Madam Secretary fellow fans! I recently got hooked to the show and I absolutely love Henry and Elizabeth. I'm having so many idea for fanfics in my head, but not enough time. Still, I decided to give it a shot. Hope you'll like it! :)

I Got Nothing Left in Me Tonight

Everything I have written seems like straw by comparison with what I have seen and what has been revealed to me.

― Thomas Aquinas

23:33

Elizabeth looked at her watch and sighed. Yet another long day at the office. Things have been frantic since she got back from Iran and staying at home for just one day was enough for her to gain a pile of paperwork. She was tired and truth was she wasn't feeling all too well. Not that she ever mentioned it to anyone, especially Henry.

She scanned the files still resting on her desk and decided she must stay a while longer, or this paperwork would never end.

"Ma'am", Blake called as he walked into her office to find her deep in some report, "these files will be here in the morning as well. It's late".

She chuckled. "That's exactly the problem. Don't you know some magic trick to make them disappear? I'll be out of here soon, don't worry. Just finishing this one". Blake nodded and closed the door on his way out. He knew better than to try and convince her to go home.

01:45

She quietly closed the door behind her as she entered her house. The lights were out and it was quiet. She was glad not to find Henry in his office waiting for her. With her crazy hours, it always made her feel guilty to know he's not getting as much sleep because of her.

She climbed the stairs and entered their bedroom to find him asleep with a book lying open on his chest, his glasses still on. She smiled at the sight and carefully removed his glasses and closed the book. She kissed his forehead ever-so-lightly, cautious not to wake him, and headed towards the shower.

Later she climbed to bed and scooted closer to him. In his sleep, he pulled her into his embrace and she laid her head on his chest and drifted off to sleep, lulled by the rise and fall of his chest.

04:26

She suddenly awoke, sweat covering her body. She jumped out of bed with the sudden urge to vomit and was right on time at the bathroom. Once she finished emptying her stomach, she slid to the floor, leaning against the bathtub. She sighed, letting out a breath. She closed her eyes, trying to regain control over her heart beats.

5:12

"Elizabeth?" she blinked her eyes to the faint sound of her husband calling her name. "Elizabeth, wake up".

It took her a moment to realize that she fainted at some point. She was finally able to focus on Henry, when she saw how pale and worried he was. "Hey" she whispered softly.

Henry let out a sigh and kissed her forehead. "You scared the hell out of me. What's wrong? You're burning with fever".

"I'm not feeling too well. Haven't been for the last couple of days. But it's nothing, I'm fine".

"Elizabeth, you fainted. You're not fine. What's going on?"

She slowly sat up and Henry sat beside her. "I…" she sighed.

"What? What is it?" Henry pushed. These days it felt like he always had to push her to get anything out of her. Before Iran they talked about everything and she shared every single thing with him. But ever since she got back, it's was like she shut him out.

"Look, I didn't want to worry you, I thought it would pass. But I think my scar is infected. I can't really see it, but it hurts, and then I was nauseated and fainted, so…"

"Turn around, let me see".

She looked at him, her eyes quickly filling with tears. He didn't give it enough thought, but truth was he never saw her scar. She somehow managed to hide it from him, evading whenever he asked about it. He then realized she didn't want him to see it. Why was beyond his understanding and he wanted so badly to ask her. Instead, he wiped her tears and stroked her cheek. Giving her a light nod, he rose and went back to their bedroom to get the phone. "I'm calling a doctor". Elizabeth nodded and gave him a small gratitude smile.

8:50

After pacing the halls of the hospital, Henry finally decided it was a proper hour to call the office. He wasn't surprised when Nadine picked up the phone. She was always the first one there, except for the rare occasions Elizabeth managed to wake up early. That also usually meant she left the office early the day before, something that hasn't happened in a very long time. The problem was that when the phone rang that early in the morning, it was almost always bad news.

"Nadine, hi. It's Henry".

"Dr. McCord, good morning. Is everything alright?" she couldn't shake the concern from her voice. Truth was, she didn't get along with Elizabeth when she first came into the office. It had more to do with the fact that she wasn't Vincent, rather than with Elizabeth herself. But after the dreadful hours of almost losing her in Iran, Nadine came to acknowledge they had more in common than she thought, and she truly cared for her boss.

Henry didn't really know how to answer this question. There were so many things that weren't alright, but he knew that the last thing Elizabeth wanted was for others to know just how badly she has been since returning from Iran. "Yes, um. Elizabeth was not feeling too well last night, so she won't be coming to the office today. She… We're at the hospital, her scar got infected so she needs antibiotics".

"What happened? I thought she was healing well!"

"Yeah, the doctor said that some small pieces of glass are still inside, and this is what's causing the infection. He needs to remove them, but the swelling and the infection must heal before he can do anything more. She's feeling okay though, sleeping at the moment."

Nadine nodded into the phone. Silent agreement to the request Henry never made – no one should bother her, and if anyone asks – she just came down with the flu. The speculations regarding her mental health after the coup were just winding down, and the last thing the state department needed was another spin regarding the Secretary's ability to remain intact.

10:17

"Hey you. Good morning." Henry smiled as she opened her eyes.

"Hey" she offered her own smile, tired. She glanced around the room, only then remembering that she was at the hospital. "What time is it? I have to call the office".

"Already done, don't worry about it. How are you feeling?"

Elizabeth stared at the floor for a moment before finally catching his gaze. There were so many words to answer this question and she was fighting the urge to say everything was okay. Because it wasn't. It wasn't her newly added physical pain that was bothering her. It wasn't even the repeating flashbacks she still had, she was learning how to deal with them, one flashback at a time. What bothered her most, what had her worry to death was how things were with her husband. It's not that she questioned his loyalty, or his love for her. She knew he would always be there beside her. But she could feel them drifting apart and she hated it. It wasn't his fault either. She was the only one to blame. She couldn't open up to him, too afraid he might not like this new shattered woman in front of him. And the scar was just another thing she hated – she had it in her mind that if he ever saw it, he would forever look at her differently. Might even find her less attractive. There were times reason was able to make her realize how stupid all this was. At those times, she wanted to run into his arms and apologize for shutting him out like that. But reason was such a faint voice since she got back, that her own emotions always got the best of her and she quickly immersed back to this awfully familiar zone.

Henry's eyes remained steady and fixated on hers but she could see his mind spiraling, trying to find a way back in. It was just another one of those things she caught him doing ever so often. He used to read her like an open book, and he was clearly still able to do so, which is why he was walking on egg shells. At any other time Henry would've pushed her for answers, and he would've never have agreed to be left in the dark like that.

"I'm better, I guess", she finally managed to reply.

Henry nodded but the worry was written all over his face. He leaned forward and gave her a light kiss on the lips, whispering I love you to her. She placed her hand on the back of his neck, pulling him closer for a long, deep kiss. If she was unable to open up to him with words, the least she could do was show him she still needed him. When they broke the kiss, his forehead was leaning against hers. Eyes closed, not a word was said, but Henry knew. And it made her feel bare, suddenly exposed, vulnerable. She moved in the bed, making some room for him. He lied beside her, pulling her to his embrace, soothing with the touch of his arm. He closed his eyes as he felt her quiet tears soaking through his shirt.