An alternate version of 4x17 and Addison being sick
"Why didn't you tell me you're sick?"
"Amelia" Addison groaned. She was lying the couch in her office. She hadn't felt well the whole morning, but insisted on going to work. Now she started to regret her decision, because it had gotten worse. Nausea and dizziness came in strong unexpected waves and her head was throbbing like two elephants were dancing salsa on it.
"It's really not a big deal. I'm just not feeling well. I'll be okay in a few minutes" she lied.
"You look horrible" Amelia gave her a critical look.
"Well, thanks for that" the redhead replied sarcastically and sat up. Amelia put a hand on her forehead.
"Geez, you're burning up!"
"I'm FINE, Amelia. It's probably just flu or some sort of belated stress" Addison said and stood up. The room immediately started to spin. She quickly shut her eyes, hoping the dizziness to go away but her knees got weak and she lost her balance. The tall woman swayed dangerously and would've fallen on the coffee table in front of her if it hadn't been for Amelia who quickly rushed to her side to stabilize her.
"Try to tell me that without falling over and I might believe you" Amelia smirked and helped her friend to sit on the couch again. Addison groaned when her friend settled down next to her. It wasn't only the fact that she was sick that bothered her, it was the lack of control over her own body that reminded her how little control she had over her life right now.
"We should go home" Amelia said after a while.
"We?" Addison asked skeptically. "I'm perfectly able to take care of myself, I…" A sudden wave auf nausea stopped her from going on. She put her hands on her knees and focused on her breathing to not throw up the rest of her breakfast. Amelia gently stroked her back before returning to the conversation.
"Don't think I'll let you go alone. You can't even stand properly, not to mention walking around on your way to high heels. I bet you wouldn't make it to the elevator without any injuries and afterwards I'm always the one to listen to your whining and complaining because no one else can endure being bossed around by a sick nasty Addison longer than ten minutes except me. So yeah, 'we' are going home"
Addison raised her eyebrows. "Nasty?"
"Only when you're sick and not in control of everything and everyone" Amelia reassured her.
"Are you calling me a control freak?!"
"I would never dare to do that" Amelia smiled innocently. Addison scoffed, but she was too tired to shoot back. She closed her eyes and leaned back against the pillows, trying her best to remain control over her body.
"Oh man, you are really sick, are you?" Amelia said, more empathically and this time with a hint of worry in her voice. "Come on, I'm gonna take you home" She took Addison's hands and pulled her on her feet. The older woman leaned on Amelia's shoulder for support.
They slowly made their way to the elevator. They had to stop twice because Amelia struggled keeping her friend upright due to Addison's intensifying dizziness. When reaching the metallic doors, the young woman breathed heavily. This was a lot harder than she imagined. Even though Addison kept her eyes closed most of the time, she didn't miss Amelia struggling with the additional weight. She felt guilty for causing her friend problems.
"Amelia, you don't have to do this. I'm gonna be fine with sleeping in my office"
"Addison, please. Stop telling me you're fine. Don't you get I'm worried and I want to help you because I care about you?!" It came out harsher than Amelia intended, but her friend's constant attempts to get rid of her were kind of hurtful and completely annoying.
"I'm sorry, I just…OUCH!" Addison cried out in pain and clutched her stomach. In seconds Amelia was by her side. "What's wrong?" "Stomach. Hurts" Addison groaned with teeth clenched together.
"Okay enough, I'm taking you to the hospital" Amelia expected resistance, but her friend was too focused on controlling the pain. On the way to her car she called Charlotte to make sure everything was gonna be prepared when they arrived.
The blonde waited for the two women in the ER and led them into examination room. She paged her best intern for initial evaluation and blood sampling. After taking all the tests, the young man brought them into an empty patient room so they didn't have to wait in the ER. They sat down opposite of the door. Addison curled up on two of the chairs and rested her head on Amelia's lap, who started running her hands through the long red hair. When the door opened and Charlotte entered, Addison straightened up and gave the head of St. Ambrose hospital a slight smile.
"How are you feeling?" Charlotte asked. "Little better" the older woman replied.
"Apparently, it's a simple gastrointestinal infection, but combined with a weakened immune system due to stress and the lack of sleep, its impact on the body can be more serious. I'm prescribing you some painkillers for the cramps but for a complete recovery you need to rest at least a week"
"That's really not necessary, I'm…" she didn't finish her sentence when she saw Amelia glaring at her with a say-it-and-I-will-kill-you look in her eyes. Charlotte smiled at the interaction.
"I'm taking that as a yes" She handed Amelia the prescription. "I have to go, I have a patient in the OR. Get well soon, Addison" the blonde gave her friend a sympathetic look and left the room.
In the hallway, the duo bumped into Sam. "What are you guys doing her?" Instead of an answer, Amelia pointed on Addison who rolled her eyes. She didn't want the whole hospital to know about her medical condition.
"Just a stomach bug, it'll be okay tomorrow" Although Sam knew that his friend was for sure sicker than she admitted, he decided not to argue with her, Amelia had probably done that the last couple of hours. He lightly squeezed her shoulder when she started to walk towards the exit. The neurosurgeon made an attempt to follow her in case she might lose her balance again.
"Amelia?" Sam touched her arm to hold her back. "Yeah?" "Take good care of her. Even if she tells you she's fine - she's not and she needs somebody by her side"
"Trust me, I will" she reassured the cardiac surgeon and went after Addison.