"Lieutenant! No!"
Abigail's eyes flew open at the sound of the scream. She sighed. Ichabod was having another nightmare.
As she sat up, she glanced at the alarm clock. Twelve fifteen. She thought it'd be later, the night was going by slowly.
Frowning, she pulled on her slippers and stood up. She'd have to go wake him lest he continue to yell and rant and rave. This was the third time that evening that it had happened, and she contemplated whether or not it was easier just to stay in the bedroom with him.
She walked into the hallway and heard him again. This time he was speaking, his voice shaking.
"Please, don't..."
Abigail quickened her pace and made her way to Ichabod's bedroom. She wasn't surprised to see the blankets lying half off the bed, nor did it seem odd that her partner was tossing and turning. He'd had the beginnings of the flu that morning, and by supper time he'd had a full blown fever. That seemed to be what was causing all of this.
"Crane." She sat on the edge of the bed and shook his arm, "Crane, wake up."
"Get your hands off me!" He yelled at her, shoving her away.
Abigail didn't back off. It seemed as though it was harder and harder to wake him as the night wore on.
"Crane, wake up!" She tried again, shaking him more forcefully this time.
Her heart hurt when he made a whimpering sound and seemed to pull away from her in response. Whatever he was dreaming of must have been pretty awful. She'd never known him to be anything but brave.
In a last ditch effort, she slapped his face.
"Crane. Wake. Up!"
Ichabod flinched, then slowly cracked his eyes open.
"L-lieutenant?" He whispered.
"It's me."
"W-why are you in my bedroom?" His eyes widened as he woke more.
"You were yelling in your sleep. Having another nightmare." She wanted to ask him what it was about, but decided that it might be better to ask him in the morning.
"I see." He shivered slightly, thinking of the horrible dream he'd had. A demon had possessed Abigail. She'd been coming right at him and he'd felt frozen. The thought of harming his fellow Witness was almost too much to bear, so he allowed her to attack him, barely fighting back.
He pulled the covers back onto himself. "I apologize for waking -" He was cut off by a coughing fit.
"It's not your fault." She grabbed the glass of water on his nightstand and held it, waiting for the fit to subside.
The coughs seemed to shake his whole body, and with the moonlight pouring through the window, she could see that his skin was covered in sweat. His pajamas were practically sticking to his body. Maybe he was worse off than she'd thought.
When he finally stopped, she held the water to his lips and placed a hand on his back in an attempt to support him.
"Here, have some," she instructed.
Ichabod obliged and took a sip, then began chugging the water down. Apparently he was dehydrated, too.
After he had drained the glass, Abigail placed it back where it had been.
"Are you okay?" She asked, though she knew the answer.
"I feel terrible," he admitted. "So very weak…"
Abigail frowned sympathetically.
"I'm sure you do. I'm gonna go get you some more water and some other supplies. Can you stay awake for a few minutes?"
Ichabod groaned and sank back onto his pillows.
"Yes," he answered, coughing yet again.
"I'll be right back."
00
Abigail returned with a thermometer, some Tylenol, and a large glass of water. Ichabod was still in the same place that she'd left him, except now the blanket was wrapped tightly around him.
"Hey," she said, catching his attention. "I need to turn on the light, okay?"
"Yes," he replied, softly.
When she flicked it on, she heard him groan yet again.
Now that she could see him, she truly felt bad. His eyes were glassy, and his skin paler than she'd ever seen it. Despite the blanket, he continued to shake uncontrollably.
"Put this under your tongue," she told him, holding out the thermometer.
He opened his mouth and let her insert it.
They waited in silence until it beeped.
"103. That's really high, Crane. If it goes up another degree I'll have to take you to the hospital."
"No!" He said, more loudly than she expected. "No, no hospitals. Please." He looked her square in the eye, and she could see how afraid he was. Had he some fear of doctors? That was probably a question for another time. For right now, she had to focus on trying to getting his fever down and helping him get some rest, preferably rest not involving nightmares.
"Okay, calm down," she kept her voice even. "Let's try some Tylenol. It might bring your fever down. Okay?"
"Okay," he agreed.
She removed two pills and instructed him to open his mouth. When he did, she placed them on his tongue, then handed him some water.
"Swallow."
Ichabod once again did as he was told.
"You want another blanket?" She asked.
"Please…"
She nodded and walked to the closet to get one, laying it over him once she had it.
When he was sufficiently tucked in, she returned to her place on the bed.
"You were having pretty bad nightmares it seemed. That was the third time tonight. Do you want me to stay here for a while with you?"
Ichabod wanted to decline her offer. He was a man. He could take care of himself.
But truth be told, he knew that he would sleep better if she were nearby.
When he didn't answer, Abigail spoke up again.
"I'll take that as a yes. It's okay to need help sometimes, you know."
"I know. It's just… slightly embarrassing." He coughed again and she rubbed his back as best she could.
"Nothing to be embarrassed about. Besides, it benefits me, too. No nightmares means more sleep for me."
He blushed slightly.
"Again, I apologize."
Abigail rolled her eyes and stood to turn off the lights. She soon returned to the bed, where she slid in next to him. It was a tight fit, but they managed it.
At first, Ichabod continued to toss and turn. It lasted for several minutes until Abigail had enough.
"Here." She reached out for him, "Come here."
He stared at her, unsure of what to do. Was it appropriate to let her hold him? It was a boundary that they'd never crossed before.
She seemed willing, though. And he was quite ill…
He supposed it could be excused if he indulged in some comfort for the time being.
Slowly, he crawled towards her, eventually resting his head near her collarbone. He wrapped an arm around her waist and sighed as he felt Abigail wrap an arm around his back.
This felt good, he thought to himself. Warm. Safe. Secure.
He closed his eyes and listened to her heart, relaxing to the rhythm of it. He couldn't help but moan in pleasure when he felt her touch his hair. She was playing with it, alternating between smoothing it out and rubbing his back in an attempt to comfort him.
It wasn't long before Ichabod closed his eyes and fell back asleep.
And this time, there were no nightmares to be had.