Michelle rubbed her temples gingerly, trying to relive the pain from the headache spreading across her forehead. She'd been trying to ignore it all day, but she was getting sick – and she could tell. As much as she tried to pretend it wasn't happening, she was failing fast.
One more hour… she thought to herself. Almost done…
Tony glanced at her from where he was stationed. She could feel his gaze on the back of her head, but she would not acknowledge it. He had seen in the past hours that she was not herself, and he knew exactly what she was up to. If she admitted that she was sick, it would happen and she wouldn't be able to fake it. One more…
She'd taken two Advil but it didn't seem to be working. She pinched the bridge of her nose. The computer screen seemed so bright… so blurry, so far away. She risked a look in Tony's direction and found him staring directly at her, a look of genuine concern across his face. She shook her head decidedly. Don't worry. I'm ok. As much as she just wanted to curl up in his lap and go to sleep, she had to stick it out for a little longer. After all, there were more important things than her own, personal comfort.
Somehow, Michelle found herself in their car a bit later, not quite sure how she'd come to be there and barely awake. She leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes, breathing deeply and finally allowing herself to show outward signs of exhaustion.
She felt Tony's fingertips gently brush her cheek, and she knew he could feel the heat radiating off her body. He didn't say anything, but it was obvious that he knew.
"Come on. Let's get you home."
Michelle felt the engine start and the car shift into gear beneath her and they were finally off. She must've fallen asleep somewhere along the way because before it seemed they'd barely left when Michelle found herself in their driveway again. Tony was at the passenger side door, waiting to help her out.
"No, no. I'm ok," she managed. What a lie. When she stood up, she was hit with a sudden rush of dizziness that threatened to send her crashing back into the seat, but she put a hand on Tony's shoulder, steadying herself before moving on. Tony understood – Michelle just had to stay strong until they got inside. It wasn't like anyone was around to see her, but it was a mental thing. She just needed to know that she'd made it through the day without losing it and then she could feel better about it.
When she finally found herself on the threshold of the front door, Michelle was feeling so ill, she thought she might throw up. Fortunately, she had barely eaten anything all day, at first not really being in the mood and later trying to silence a decidedly upset stomach. She swallowed hard against the bile building up in the back of her throat and flopped onto the couch, kicking off her shoes and shutting her eyes.
She was losing control fast. Having arrived at home, she was finally able to relax and accept what was happening. She could feel Tony sit down next to her. He put a gentle hand on her shoulder and helped her to lie down. "Do you want some dinner?"
Michelle didn't open her eyes, but just shook her head.
"Would you like me to get you some pajamas and a blanket?"
"Mhm…" She could feel the sofa cushion raise a little when Tony stood up and felt it sink again when he returned. Michelle sat up briefly to change, but immediately dove under the blanket again, curling up on her side.
Tony watched his wife sleeping fitfully and his heart ached for her. He remembered her getting sick once while they were still dating, but since they hadn't been living together at the time, he hadn't seen as much of her. He cradled her head in one hand and moved the pillows out of the way with the other, moving to sit down in the empty space and setting her head down in his lap.
He flicked on the TV and thumbed through a few channels, but found nothing interesting on. Michelle rolled over and pulled the blanket up to her chin, shivering. He took her hand in his – it was freezing. He put the back of his hand to her forehead – it was burning up. Sliding his hand across from her forehead, he tucked a stray curl behind her ear. Sensing the calming effect the action had on her, he continued to fuss with her hair, giving the hand he still had not released a reassuring squeeze. With time, he too had dozed off on the couch.
A few hours later, Michelle woke up coughing, the dry kind of cough that won't go away no matter how many times or how hard you cough. She tried to roll over and go back to sleep but the tickle in her throat wouldn't go away. Soon, the convulsions wracking her slender frame were threatening to make her gag and spill the minimal contents of her stomach on the floor. Hoping to avoid the seemingly inevitable, she slid off the couch and headed quickly to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water.
The cool liquid helped to calm her coughing, but she felt that the reprieve was only temporary and began heating some water for tea. The tea kettle steamed with a startlingly loud scream that woke Tony instantly. He came trotting onto the cool tile. "You're awake."
"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you. I was coughing."
He nodded in affirmation of his understanding, "You feel any better?"
"Yeah. Lots," she murmured unconvincingly, followed by and incriminating cough.
"Chelle…" his tone was slightly accusatory. "Idoubt that."
She smiled slightly in admission. "Okay, well maybe not lots better." He gave her another look. "Okay, maybe not much better at all."
"Oh, Michelle…" he moved closer to hug her, "You and your stubbornness will be the death of me… or you." He added, then after a moment of thought: "Or both."
His last comment elicited a spurt of laughter from them both, but soon dissolved into a fit of coughing on the part of Michelle. She went quickly for her mug of tea and gulped a few mouthfuls before turning to a concerned Tony again. "I'm okay."
"Let's get you back to bed." It was not a question. Tony wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her into their bedroom where he tucked his wife tightly under the covers before moving across the room to change into some more comfortable sweats for the night. He slid under the blankets and engulfed Michelle's shivering and feverish body in his arms and waited until he could feel her relax and fall asleep before drifting off himself.
The next morning, Tony woke bright and early to the blaring of the alarm clock. It was 6 AM. Michelle groaned, "Ugh. Work."
"Not for you, that's for sure."
"But Tony-" she protested.
"No, not a chance. We can do without you for a day or two. Go back to sleep. It's too early."
Disappointed, but reluctantly seeing his point, Michelle rolled over onto her back and tried to sleep again. Tony padded quietly out of the room to call CTU and fix some breakfast for the two of them. He stopped at the phone and dialed the all too familiar number. By chance, Jack answered.
"Hey Jack. Listen, Michelle's got feeling really good today. She's gonna stay home."
"Ah, Tony, that's too bad. Tell her I hope she gets better soon, okay?"
"Sure thing, Jack. And uh…" he paused.
"Hm?" Jack prodded him.
Tony glanced back at the door of the bedroom. "You know what, tell them I'm not feeling well either."
Jack chuckled. "Alright then. See you tomorrow."
"Thanks, Jack."