Disclaimer: Nobody you recognize is mine! I just like to let them out to misbehave =)
A/N: I don't know where this came from…I guess this is what happens when you are a forensic anthro grad getting a nursing degree who just did an assignment on H1N1…This is my first time writing in first person so be kind!
It started out as a case of the sniffles. Nothing major, I'd assured the rest of my team; just a head cold that would be gone in a couple of days. Boy was I wrong. Three days after the sniffles had started, the virus had migrated from my sinuses to my chest, making it hard to catch my breath. Around that time the fever started. I checked it Tuesday, and it was 101F which I figured wasn't so bad. At last check two hours ago it was 104F and I was staring to worry.
When the doorbell first rang I seriously contemplated ignoring whoever it was and trying to get some more sleep but after three more chimes I dragged myself to the door.
"Hi sweetie! I just thought I'd drop by and see how you were, you never take time off so we were all so worried and I volunteered…" the words died on Angela's lips as she looked up from her Blackberry to fully take in her best friend's appearance. "Oh my God sweetie you look terrible!"
I rolled my eyes and stepped back to let her in, assuming she meant to stay, though based on the outfit she looked quite ready to party.
"Oh sweetie, I'm sorry I can't stay! I have a date and I never thought you would be this bad…You know what? I'll call and cancel, it's not a big deal."
"Ange," I manage, my voice sounding like sandpaper, "It's fine. I'm just going to go back to bed."
"Are you sure? I honestly don't mind staying…"
"Seriously, just go. I'm just going to be sleeping anyways, there's no point in you staying," too much more time on my feet and I was pretty sure my legs would simply give way where I stood.
"Well…okay but you have to promise to call me if you need anything!"
"Mhm," I promised as she backed out the door. I locked it behind her, or at least I think I did, and dragged myself back to bed.
It may have been five minutes or five hours later, I have no idea, but the doorbell rang again; just once this time so I ignored it and rolled over. I thought I could smell chicken noodle soup and that worried me…if I was having hallucinations, I figured should probably go to the hospital. But that was too much effort so instead I closed my eyes and tried to go back to sleep.
I heard my bedroom door creak open and sat bolt upright, nearly passing out from the quick movement.
"Booth!" I yelled as my eyes adjusted enough to make out his outline in my doorway.
"Sorry Bones, I didn't mean to startle you. Angela called and said you were pretty sick, I thought I should check on you." Booth slid the dimmer switch down before turning on the bedroom light. I groaned and fell back on the bed, pulling the blankets up to my neck.
Booth came closer and stuck a thermometer in my ear, I didn't have the strength or inclination to resist. I cringed when it beeped in my ear, the display flashing red in my eyes.
"BONES!" Booth yelled, ripping the covers off of me, "Your fever is 105! You know you shouldn't have all these blankets on!"
"But I feel cold," I protested weakly. Booth forced me into a sitting position and began unbuttoning the chunky, oversized cardigan I was wearing. When it was off and tossed into a pile on my floor he ran his hands over my body, "Booth!" I objected.
"Bones you're soaked through, you need to change." He pulled me out of bed and I stood there limply, without energy to comply. Booth sighed and pulled open one of my drawers. In the back of my mind, I hoped he didn't find my stash of…personal toys…and even further back I kind of hoped he did. God, I was delirious!
Booth pulled out a dry t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants I didn't recognize. "You need to change," he said, "I'm not doing that part for you too."
I took the clothes and began to peel off the sweaty layers I had on. I don't know if I didn't notice or didn't care that Booth was standing mere feet away (and I was braless) but I'm pretty sure he averted his eyes like a gentleman.
Fully redressed I moved to get back into bed but Booth stopped me. "I have to change the sheets Bones; they're soaked too." I instead sank into a chair in the corner of my bedroom, watching through half-open eyes as Booth methodically stripped my sheets and remade my bed with what could only be termed as 'military precision'. "Up you get, Bones," he said as he hauled me out of the chair and half carried me back to bed.
I shut my eyes as he left the room, slipping towards unconsciousness. "Nuh-uh Bones," he said as he came back in, "You need to take these before your fever melts that big brain of yours." I felt two pills fall into my hand and I automatically put them into my mouth. Booth brought a straw to my lips and I greedily sucked back the entire glass of water. As I relaxed back into the pillows, I felt cold compresses being draped over my body before I gave in to the darkness.
The sun was shining when I woke up. I couldn't remember whether that had been the case when I'd fallen asleep. I then succumbed to a coughing fit of epic proportions that left me gasping for breath. My chest still felt tight and it seemed as though I wasn't getting quite enough air each time I inhaled but I was pretty sure my fever had gone down, which was a step in the right direction (unless it was Ebola, then I was two days from death...but I was pretty sure it wasn't Ebola, H1N1 maybe, but not Ebola).
"Good afternoon," Booth chirped as he walked into the bedroom. Yes, I said chirped. Maybe it just sounded like that because I felt like crap, but I've never seen Booth so cheery.
"Afternoon?" I asked, a little afraid to ask what day it was.
"You just slept for 21 hours," he informed me, sticking the thermometer into my ear again before I could protest. It beeped and the display was a happy yellow, "Down to 100.3, much better. Would you like some soup? I brought it last night but you weren't really in any fit shape to eat it."
I let Booth pull me out of bed, pausing briefly to consider that I hadn't showered in two days, nor had I brushed my teeth but an impatient growl from my stomach made me stagger unstably from the room towards my kitchen instead of the bathroom. I heard Booth snicker behind me and spun around to face him, nearly losing my balance. Booth caught me and said, "Did you know your ass says 'Juicy' across it?"
"What?" I asked indignantly, pushing off of his chest to stand upright again.
"Those sweatpants…they say 'Juicy' in bright pink letters on your ass."
"Oh God," I groaned, looking down at a pair of sweatpants I now recognized as Angela's, "Angela must have left them here after she dragged me to that horrid bar last week." Booth chuckled again and placed his hand on the small of my back, propelling me towards the kitchen.
One hot bowl of soup later, I was beginning to feel human again. I excused myself to go have a shower, shuddering when I saw my reflection in the mirror – hair tangled into a messy bun, skin as pale as alabaster and deep purple smudges beneath my eyes.
I turned the shower on, setting the water to just a few degrees below scalding and stood beneath the pounding spray for a good ten minutes before I bothered to move. The steam that billowed through the bathroom helped clear my lungs a little and I felt ten times better as I padded to the livingroom to see what Booth was up to.
"You know Bones, I'm beginning to think you're a klepto," Booth said, staring pointedly at my shirt. I looked down at what I'd pulled blindly from my drawer: lululemon yoga pants and a black hooded sweatshirt with the letters 'FBI' emblazoned across the chest. Oops. Apparently I borrowed Booth's sweatshirt. "So how do you feel now? You look a heck of a lot better."
"A lot better. Thanks for staying Booth."
"Any time Bones, I'd expect you to do the same for me," Booth winked at me and I went to sit beside him on the couch. "So I'm guessing you never got around to getting your swine flu shot?"
"Um…that would be no. There was always a new case! I never had time!" I got a little defensive but Booth just laughed.
"Well I guess next time you'll know better," the show Booth had been watching returned from commercial break, "Here you go Bones, you can see a real pandemic in action!"
"Booth, Stephen King's The Stand is hardly a real pandemic…" I paused as I looked over at him, "Oh…you were being sarcastic." Booth just laughed and threw and arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer so my head rested on his chest.
A/N Pt2: Okay so I'm contemplating doing another (possibly smutty) chapter here, or I might just leave it as is (making this my only fic rated under T!). Here are your options: 1. do another chapter here; 2. get my ass in gear and do some more of "The Kid in the Catacombs"; or 3. get my ass in gear and do some more of "Carnival Ride".