So, I am finally able to edit this, because it didn't work before.
I wrote part of this one shot for my other Arastoo and Cam story. Then however it didn't fit in anymore and so I added some scenes and changed some of the backstory.
This one shot kind of helped me to get back to writing like I used to, at least length wise. I don't have a beta so I can only hope there aren't too many mistakes in there.
I hope you like it anyway.
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters nor do I have an connection to the show.
Sickness and talks
Arastoo felt exhausted. Every muscle in his body was aching, as well as his joints. The pounding in his head had started again and even the shortness of breath had come back, although he hadn't suffered from it in a few days. The few steps from the car to the elevator had done that to him and that reflected very well on how close he had come to dying just five days ago.
Still, he was glad that he was out of the hospital now and could rest at home. Well, not at home per se, because Cam had insisted that he would stay at her place until he would feel better. As it was he was barely able to walk more than a few steps without pain and so he was grateful that he wouldn't have to stay alone at his place. Also round the clock care had been a reason why he was even allowed to leave the hospital already.
He had thought about calling his parents and telling them what was going on, but then his mother would insist in looking after him. Only the thought of having her around for more than a few hours made him feel worse. So he stayed with his girlfriend at her place, a place he had only stayed over in a few times.
He watched her while she unlocked the door with one hand and juggled his bags with the other. He wanted to take his stuff from her and carry it himself, especially knowing that this was only the dirty laundry from the hospital and he would need some clean clothes soon. He was too weak though and leaned against the wall for support without carrying anything.
When the door was open he slowly followed her inside. She dropped the heavy bag right next to the door in the living room and took the key out of the lock.
„You can stay here in the living room on the couch or in the bedroom. It's up to you," Cam told him while he was standing a bit lost in her living room. He felt like a burden and just didn't want to be in her way, but wasn't sure where that would be the case.
„What's better for you?" he finally asked when he couldn't decide, but knew that he had to sit or lie down soon. The pain in his knees and feet was getting too much.
„Wherever you are more comfortable," she replied. When he didn't say anything and only looked more pained by the second she decided for him in the end. „Come on, we'll get you settled in the bedroom. I already set up Michelle's TV for you there and the bed is not as hard as the couch. Once you're feeling better you can camp out here," she said with a small smile and led him into the bedroom by his hand.
He wanted to just drop down on the bed and never move again, but knew that it would hurt too much. So he sat down slowly on the bedside. He noticed that the cover was already pulled back and the bed just waited for him to sink into the mountain of pillows. First he needed to take off his shoes though. He just wanted to lean over and untie them when Cam stopped him by placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. She didn't say anything, but just crouched down, untied his shoe laces and took off his shoes for him, careful not to hurt him. Now only dressed in hoodie, sweatpants and socks he lay down and sighed in relief when the pain in his joints lessened as soon as the pressure was off.
„I will go down to the car and get the rest off your stuff, then drive over to your place. Do you need anything else but clothes? Books? Laptop?" she asked him.
„Maybe my ipad and the charger for my cellphone," he replied, barely able to keep his eyes open.
„OK, are they on your desk?" Cam needed to know because she didn't feel comfortable enough at his place to search through his drawers.
„Should be," he nodded.
„I'll get you some water and put it on the nightstand before I leave. Anything else you might need while I'm gone?"
„No, I just wanna sleep," he replied tiredly and closed his eyes.
„Sleep tight," Cam only replied and placed a soft kiss on his forehead. She was nearly out the bedroom door when he opened his eyes and stopped her.
„Hey Cam?" he called her.
„Yeah?" she turned back around in the doorway.
„Thank you," Arastoo needed to say.
„You're welcome," she winked at him and then left and he was asleep in a matter of seconds.
When Arastoo woke up he found Cam sitting on the bed next to him, laughing quietly about something she was watching on TV. He watched her for a while before she realized that he was awake.
„How are you feeling?" she asked him and felt his forehead. It had become a habit of hers over the last few days, even though the fever had been gone a few hours after he had been given the anti-serum.
„Better," he said honestly. For the few minutes a day he didn't feel as fatigued he actually really didn't feel that bad as long as he didn't have to move.
„You need to drink something, eat something and take your meds," she let him know with a sideward glance to the clock.
„Ok," he agreed but didn't move.
„Your ipad is on your bedside table and your cellphone is charging as we speak. And I got you all jogging pants, T-shirts and sweaters I could find," she told him and stroked his hair off his forehead.
„Thank you," he said once more and slowly sat up. He picked up the glass of water from the bedside table and drank it all, then put the empty glass back down.
„You want some more?" Cam asked him and was already getting off the bed.
„No, stay," he said and pulled her back by her hand and into his arms. It was the first time that he held her since the infection and before that it had also been a few days. But no matter how many days it had been, it had been way too long. Cam seemed to feel the same way because she snuggled up to him with a content sigh.
„What do you want to eat?" she asked him as she nuzzled her nose into his neck.
„I'm not very hungry. You decide," Arastoo replied and buried his nose in her hair. How he had missed holding her like this. And to think that they had nearly lost this forever… He pulled her closer.
„Next time there is a biohazard at the lab or any kind of other dangerous situation I want you out of the lab," Cam said and seemed to know what he as thinking about.
„I feel the same way about you. I think we both have to stop working," Arastoo grinned, knowing that this was an impossible thing to ask of him.
„Then again we could both stay when there's poison or viruses involved. How big is the chance you get poisoned twice in your life?" she mused and started to play with his fingers.
„When did you get poisoned?" he asked her, picking up on that part from what she had just told him.
„A few years ago. Does the name Howard Epps mean anything to you?"
„Wasn't that the guy who killed women, then his own wife and fell to his death or so?" He knew parts of the story because he had already been a student of Dr. Brennan's back then and they were always following the news of her cases.
„Yes. Creepy guy. He had it out for Brennan. Then he targeted Booth's son just to torture the two of them. When we found the head of Caroline Epps they pressured me to work faster because they were so worried. I skipped protocol and sew into the head. It was filled with poison which I inhaled and it landed me in hospital," she recounted the tale of her own poisoning.
„How bad was it?"
„Bad enough that Seeley called my family to say goodbye and I spent about two weeks in ICU until I could breathe without help," she said. „ Although my family coming in was worse than the rest," she added darkly.
„They looked after you when you got out?" Arastoo wanted to know.
„God no," she laughed out loud. „I just stayed home for a week once I was released and then could go back to work. Brennan stopped by once and Hodgins kept stopping by."
„Booth didn't?" he wondered. „I thought you were friends?"
„Seeley and I had rekindled our relationship shortly before the poisoning and then broke it off directly after the poisoning. So we needed some space at the time, even though there was no bad blood between us," she explained.
„Booth left you while you were in hospital?" Arastoo exclaimed louder than necessary, because he couldn't believe it. „What an ass," he added.
„Why do you think he ended it?" Cam grinned.
„Because I think you had other problems after being poisoned than relationship troubles," Arastoo knew.
„Seeley was already in love with Brennan back then and I knew that. It was just a fling, nothing serious. Friends with benefits if you want," she tried to protect her old friend.
„I really don't want to hear about that part," Arastoo muttered, but kissed her forehead.
„Ok, then let's change the topic," Cam chuckled and pecked his lips. When Arastoo deepened the kiss she pulled back with a smile. „It will be a while until we will be able to enjoy these… benefits again," she laughed but gave him another quick kiss.
„I'd be happy right now if the thought of getting up and going to the bathroom wouldn't kill me," he grinned about his own misery.
„So what do you want to eat? Grilled cheese sandwiches or tuna melts?" she changed the topic back to her original question.
„Tuna melts don't sound half bad," he had to admit.
„Ok, then I'll get you something else to drink and your meds and then make dinner. You need anything else?" Cam asked him as she untangle from him and sat up.
„A fork lift to get me to the bathroom?" he joked.
„That's something I can't provide," she laughed, but helped him up anyway and then made her way into the kitchen.
„What are you doing here?" Cam asked him half an hour later when Arastoo came shuffling into the kitchen.
„You brought me here?" he misunderstood her on purpose.
„Here, in the kitchen," she rolled her eyes.
„Checking on you," he replied. „And on dinner," he added when she raised her eyebrows.
„The sandwiches are nearly done and you should be in bed," she lectured him.
„I can't lie around all day or I have to get shots with blood thinners. Also you hate crumbs in bed. I found out the hard way," Arastoo added.
„That was a totally different situation. There is a difference between eating in bed because you nearly got killed or eating chocolate cookies in bed because you're too lazy to put on some socks to stay warm in the living room. I still have a chocolate stain on my sheets," Cam argued back, knowing which incident he was referring to.
„You kicked me out of bed. I don't want to take that risk right now," he defended himself laughingly and held up his hands.
„You poor guy, you're bad, scary girlfriend kicked you out," Cam rolled her eyes and walked over to where he was sitting on a chair, his arms still raised. Gently she wrapped her hands around his wrists and looked at him. The smile on his lips vanished but he nodded, knowing what was coming. She squeezed his right wrist and he flinched.
„I'd say four," he told her, giving her the number on the one to ten scale how bad it hurt.
„Better than yesterday," she nodded appreciatively.
Arastoo laced his fingers through hers with both hands. „Everything is better when you're out of hospital."
„Ok, let's eat then before the sandwiches burn or you're falling asleep again." She said the last part teasingly. She set the table in the kitchen, brought him something to drink and even got his meds from the bedroom before she sat down herself and started eating.
Arastoo took two bites, then placed the sandwich back on the plate with a sigh.
„You don't like the sandwich?" she asked him.
„No," he muttered, then realized that that could be understood wrong. „I mean, yes, I like the sandwich, but …" he stopped.
„But…?" she questioned and also stopped eating.
„I feel bad for intruding on you here and you have to look after me and cook for me and play nurse and I can't do anything," he voiced his frustration and also his shame.
„Honey, look at me," she said and placed her hand on his on top of the table. When he looked her in the eyes and she was sure she had his attention she continued. „Just imagine for a second the roles were reversed." „I don't want to imagine that. No," he refused and shook his head.
„Ok, then imagine me having a really bad cold and what you would do. And if you would mind looking after me," she went on. She was really sure that Arastoo would drop everything to look after her like a full time nurse if she only had a sniffle. She didn't know anyone more generous or caring than he was, so there was no doubt in her mind that he would get it. He still didn't look convinced though. „Arastoo, I came this close to losing you forever," she went on and held up her index finger and thumb. „Right now I am just relieved and over the moon that the man I love is still alive and breathing. And it might be selfish of me, but I don't want to let you out of my sight for longer than absolutely necessary. And if I wash your laundry, make you food or look after you in any other way, then I do that gladly because it means you're still here, with me, as opposed to dead on my table at the lab." At the end of her speech she became chocked up and was fighting the tears.
„You know if my legs and arms weren't hurting this bad I would pull you over onto my lap, hold you as tightly as I could and then kiss you. But because I can't, this will have to do for now," Arastoo said when he saw how upset she was, took her hand and kissed it softly. She replied with a small smile and pointed to his sandwich.
„Eat, your sandwich is getting cold," she told him.
„Yes, mam," he grinned and gave her hand a squeeze before letting it go.
„If you call me mam again I will do the squeeze test more that once a day," she told him darkly, but could't hide her grin completely.
-*-
It was during his first night after the hospital that Arastoo was woken up by Cam's whimpering, twisting and turning. He just wanted to wake her when she quieted, but then she started again. He couldn't understand what she was saying in her sleep, but she sounded so upset and even her breathing was erratic. It sounded like she was having a panic attack in her sleep. He switched on the light on his side and carefully he shook her awake and called her name. Her eyes flew open and she was gasping for breath when he managed to wake her up.
„Cam, babe, everything's alright. It's ok, I'm right here," he said quietly, trying to calm her.
„Arastoo?" she pressed out, like she didn't believe he was really there.
„Come here," he said and pulled her to him, wrapping her in a hug. It was a painful thing for him to do, because his joints still hurt, but he didn't care. When he felt her shake against him, her breathing still erratic and way too fast he knew that it was the right thing. He held her for a while and waited for her to calm down but after a few minutes nothing had changed.
„Hey, you remember the first case we worked together?" he asked her. For some reason that was the first thing that popped into his head. „It was the dead teenage girl who we found dead and pregnant in a salt truck. She was dehydrated and you and Brennan got into a spat over whether you should rehydrate the body or remove the flesh," he went on.
„You stole the monitors," she told him and he felt the shaking stop and her breathing become calmer.
„I did. And it turned out that you were right and without you we wouldn't have found cause of death. I thought you were so incredibly brilliant both in your work and because you were standing up to Dr. Brennan like that," he kept talking.
„You hovered." Cam mentioned and moved closer to him.
„I was intrigued, also because you were the only one who didn't seem to have a problem with my religion."
„That came later when I found out you faked your accent," she remembered. „I'm ok now," Cam sighed then.
„What was going on?" he asked her.
„I've been having nightmares," she stayed vague.
„About?" he questioned.
„You dying, us being too late, the antiserum not arriving in time…" she rambled, squeezed her eyes shut and hid her face in the crook of his neck.
„You've been having these dreams since I got infected? I barely managed to calm you down right now. What happened the other nights?" he asked out loud what he was wondering.
„Take some pills, smoke a whole pack of cigarettes in the middle of the night, wake up and have a sore throat, most likely from screaming," she muttered against his skin.
„Guess I'm not the only one who needs someone to look after him," he tried to lighten the mood.
„Once you're healthy again can we please go on that trip through New England we have been talking about. No more excuses," she requested. It didn't seem at all connected to what he had just said, but it was Cam's way of getting some form of security. Making plans was something they both had thought they couldn't do anymore.
„That sounds nice. You have a place in mind?" he played along.
„Yes, I do," she nodded. They stayed quiet for a while, both basking in the fact that they could be together, even if it was after a nightmare at two am in the morning. „I should scoot over because I know I must be hurting you. But I don't want to," Cam broke the silence at one point.
„It's not that bad," he assured her, even though he knew that spending the rest of the night with her lying half on top of him would most likely make him cry in pain.
„Liar," Cam said and carefully moved away from him back to her side of the bed. „But thank you for being my hero."
„You didn't have to move all the way over there. A bit closer would actually be really nice," Arastoo laughed when he saw that she moved right to the edge of the bed.
„I really don't want to hurt you any more," Cam protested and stayed where she was.
„Physically you're on the save side, quite literally. Emotionally however…" Arastoo smiled. Cam couldn't help herself but smile back at him and scoot back over to him.
„See if you're that close I can even kiss you without moving too much," Arastoo told her and proved his theory by gently kissing her.
„I like this so much better than the sleeping pills," Cam smiled when they broke the kiss.
„Speaking of sleeping: We should try to get back to sleep. You have to get up in a few hours."
Cam shook her head. „I don't. I took some days off."
„You're sacrificing your vacation time to look after me? You really shouldn't do that." Arastoo didn't like it at all.
„No, not vacation time. I will use that once we're actually going on vacation together. Right now I'm using some of my over time," she corrected him. „And if you ask me it's a very good use of it."
„Ok, you win," he gave in.
„And you'd be totally lost without me," she smiled and kissed him again. He then turned around, switched off the lights and they went back to sleep.
When Arastoo woke up the next time it was shortly before noon and when he turned his head he found that he was alone in bed. He listened for sounds that could tell him where she was or what she was doing, but the apartment was quiet.
Slowly he lifted his arms and moved his fingers and wrists. It was a test that showed him how much moving would hurt and if it was even worth it. To his biggest surprise it was really bearable this morning and even his headache was gone for now. He moved slowly anyway when he sat up and got up. It was cold out of bed so he took his grey vest from the armchair in the corner where Cam had left it for him and put it on. When he opened the bedroom door the smell of coffee and pancakes surrounded him. He walked a bit faster to get to the kitchen and couldn't help but smile when he found Cam sitting at the table fully dressed in a black shirt and jeans. A glass of orange juice, a cup of coffee and a plate with pancakes and scrambled eggs were in front of her while she was reading the newspaper.
„Any new murders?" he asked her and chuckled when he startled her.
„Jesus…make a noise," she laughed and put the newspaper down. „Aren't there always," she replied to his question. „Everything is still hot. I just finished making breakfast," she added, pointing to the food.
„Looks good," he complimented and wanted to walk over to the cupboard to get himself a plate and a cup, but she was out of her chair and stopped him before he could move.
„You sit down and tell me what you want and I'll get it for you," she told him and basically pushed him down on the chair. She wanted to move in direction of the cupboard, but he held her back by her hand this time.
„How about a kiss good morning," he suggested and she gladly gave into his request.
„Ok, now breakfast," she smiled when she untangled from him and got him all he needed for breakfast as well as his painmeds.
„I don't think I need them right now. The headache is basically gone and the pain in my joints is bearable," he protested.
„Ok, but take the ones against the inflammation at least. I don't want you to get worse again," she ordered in full doctor mode.
„Alright," he sighed and took the pills with some juice. „When did you get up?" he asked her after he had swallowed everything.
„About an hour ago. I took a shower, got dressed and then made breakfast," Cam listed.
„You really went all out," Arastoo commented and looked around the table. There were even croissants there.
„That's my way of saying ‚I'm sorry' for canceling on you the weekend before this all happened," she admitted.
„There's nothing you have to be sorry for. You had to work," Arastoo protested, even though he remembered that he had been disappointed when she had cancelled on him.
„I know but it's not the first time that happened. When you were unconscious all I could think about was how much time we wasted because I cancelled because of work," Cam admitted. „But I promised myself that if you wake up again I would get my priorities in order. So that's what I'm doing now," she explained.
„I love spending time with you, but we are both workaholics. We both need to make more time for each other," he pointed out.
„So we have a deal?" she asked him with a small smile.
„We have a deal," he confirmed with a nod. „That is if you're not sick of me once I'm back on my feet," he only half joked.
„Would you stop that? You've only been here for a day and I don't want you to feel bad about it. I love having you here and I love taking care of you," Cam insisted.
„And I love you," he knocked the wind out of her by this sudden declaration. It wasn't the first time he said it, but the first time he said it in a kind of random setting.
„I love you too," she replied once she found her voice again. They smiled at each other knowingly and then went back to their breakfast while quarreling playfully over who would get which part of the newspaper.
„Hodgins, what are you doing here?" Cam asked surprised when she opened her front door late in the afternoon.
„I'm here to visit the patient," he replied and held up wrapped gift.
„Is Angela with you?" Cam asked and checked the hallways once he had entered.
„No, she's at home with Michael Vincent." Hodgins took off his jacket and sat down on the couch in the living room.
„You should have just brought him along. I haven't seen him in forever." Cam replied. „I'm just making tea. You want some?" she asked him then.
„Sure. Where's the patient?"
„Asleep. He overdid it a bit today," she replied and made her way into the kitchen. Hodgins followed her so they could continue their talk while not yelling through the apartment when Arastoo was sleeping.
„What did he do?" he asked.
„Not much, but he got up, had breakfast here in the kitchen, then read the newspaper and nearly fell asleep in front of the TV. Then he insisted on helping me sort the laundry. Only when his headache got so bad he could barely see straight did he agree to lie down and has been asleep ever since," Cam reported not without her tone showing how irresponsible she thought Arastoo was being.
„He must be pretty bored if he insist on folding laundry," Hodgins laughed and took a cup of tea from her.
„He's been out of the hospital since yesterday. What did he expect? He can't walk more than a few steps without pain, his joints are still inflamed, the headache comes and goes and he is just really weak, which is expected because he nearly died last week." She was really frustrated.
„He was already climbing the walls when I saw him last in hospital and there he wasn't awake for longer than twenty minutes at a time," he laughed and accepted one of the cookies she placed in front of him. „Speaking of climbing the walls: Our newest victim at the lab is a rock climber who seems to have fallen," he let her know then.
„I checked my mails this morning and found the report. Brennan thinks it's murder?"
„Not sure yet. I think Booth thinks it was murder and hopes we can give him the evidence. Also jurisdiction seems to be a nightmare."
„Once I'll be back that case will hopefully be solved," she just grinned and took a sip of her tea while she leaned against the kitchen.
„How long will you be gone?"
„I don't know. As long as Arastoo needs me. I took a week off, but it might be longer," Cam shrugged.
„You know, to be honest, when I first found out about you two I thought it was so romantic with the poem and all, but I wasn't sure this would last. I was really happy though when you came out at the lab. Arastoo would have been devastated if you had ended it because of work and all that," Hodgins told her and grinned knowingly.
„Why? Did he say anything to you?"
„Just that I should keep my mouth shut so I wouldn't ruin the best thing that ever happened to him," he grinned even wider. „That guy really likes you."
„Yeah, he kind of grew on me, too," Cam laughed.
„He's one of the good guys," Hodgins agreed.
„Hearing that from you is surprising, because as I remember you distrust Muslims." She was teasing him now.
„Who distrusts Muslims?" came Arastoo's sleepy voice from the hallway and then he appeared in the kitchen.
„Hodgins," Cam laughed ad pointed her finger at her colleague who was standing beside her.
„You were pretty freaked out about the whole Satan thing if I remember correctly," Arastoo joined the teasing. Then he took the tea cup out of her hands and took a sip.
„I can get you your own cup," she told him with raised eyebrows.
„I have a cup," he smiled back at her and held her cup up.
„You seem to be feeling better," she rolled her eyes and Hodgins laughed at their exchange.
„How are you man?" he asked then.
„Better… again. I keep feeling better and then after a while all the energy is draining out of me and the headache is back," he sighed. „I'm sick of being sick."
„I know the feeling. It just sucks," Hodgins nodded.
„Ok, guys, while you are throwing a pity party here I will go and get some groceries so we have something to eat for later." Cam told them. „Hodgins, don't let him fool you: He's not ok and he shouldn't be out of bed or off the couch." She said the last part more to her boyfriend than her co-worker. „So it's your job to keep him in line while I'm gone," she turned back to the other guy in the room.
„You're worse than the nurses at the hospital," Arastoo muttered.
„Oh, good, you wanna go back there. No problem, I'm sure Hodgins will drive you," she replied while patting his chest. „See you later," she said then, pecked his lips and left the two guys alone.
„Doctor Cam is annoying you already?" Hodgins asked once the front door was closed and they were sure Cam was gone.
„No," Arastoo shook his head. „Could we continue this talk in the living room? My knees are killing me," he admitted and slowly made his way to the couch and sat down. „I'm annoyed by this," he said once Hodgins had sat down in the armchair next to the couch. „Cam is running herself ragged looking after me and I can't do anything. She took time off of work, looks after me, gives me my meds, cooks, cleans, washes my dirty laundry… She even had to carry my bag from the hospital when we came here because I was barely able to walk straight," Arastoo ranted.
„Well, you could always spend the time you're stuck here productively," Hodgins suggested.
„I can't work on anything because I can't concentrate for longer than five minutes," his friend replied still upset.
„I wasn't talking about work. You could always use the time you're awake to think of a way to make it up to Cam. Weekend at the spa, theater tickets. You know, whatever she likes."
„That's actually a good idea," Arastoo agreed. „We keep talking about a trip through New England but couldn't find the time so far."
„So, you plan the trip, make a list of what you want to see, where to go, which hotels or Inns you could stay in…"
„I really like it. Thanks," Arastoo said and smiled happily. He finally had something to do. And it was something that could make Cam happy which was even better. „So what's new at the lab?" he asked then and took another sip of the tea he had stolen from his girlfriend.
„No, no, no, that's not true! The referee is totally manipulating the game," Cam disagreed strongly the next day while she and Arastoo were sitting on the couch watching an ice-hockey game.
„The time out was ok. He played dirty," Arastoo argued with her.
„You have no idea what you're talking about!"
„And you're biased!"
„Of course I am! The others are cheating," she insisted and threw some of the popcorn she had in her hand at his head.
„You are assaulting your patient Dr. Saroyan? I will report you!" Arastoo laughed and plucked the popcorn from his hair. „And this is my evidence." He held it between his finger to show her.
„Wimp!" she rolled her eyes at his dramatics and tried to take the popcorn from him.
„Now you're trying to steal the popcorn. It's getting worse and worse. Maybe I should call Booth so he can arrest you before you commit another crime," he said while he held the popcorn out of her reach. She put the bowl on the table and then leaned over him to take it. When she was lying halfway on top of him, still trying to take it, he noticed that her shirt had ridden up, revealing some skin. He threw the item she wanted behind him on the floor and then, without any warning, started to tickle her. He knew her body well enough to know her especially ticklish spots and used that knowledge to his advantage. Cam didn't stand a chance even though he was still weakened from the infection. He wasn't in any pain though because of a mild dose of painkillers he had taken and wanted to make use of this pain-free time in another way than discussing the ice hockey game on TV with her.
„Stop! Stop! Sto-op! I can't breathe!" she laughed and gasped for air at the same time.
„So you confess?" he asked with a smile on his face.
„I confess under torture, but I confess, yes," Cam said breathlessly with a smile. „What's my punishment?" she wanted to know once she could talk again.
„This," Arastoo replied rakishly, pulled her completely on top of him and kissed her like he hadn't kissed her in way over a week. Cam didn't protest but was an eager participant. When he glided his hand under her shirt and caressed the skin of her back she moaned appreciatively and melted against him. His other hand rested against her cheek, holding her agains him - not that she needed any convincing.
„We can't do this," she said when he attempted to take off her shirt.
„If I remember correctly we can not only do this but we are actually quite good at it," he disagreed and played dirty by going for that one spot on her neck and kissing it. He knew that drove her crazy.
„Arastoo, honey, we really can't. You nearly died last week and you're not ok yet," she kept protesting but much weaker than before.
„I nearly died… which means I didn't. I'm alive and breathing and not in any pain right now. I might not be well enough for some things, but I very much feel like making love to my beautiful girlfriend." He spoke that last part while looking her directly in the eyes and then kissed her again.
„You're not playing fair," she mumbled against his lips.
„I don't intend to… you know what I want." He kissed her deeply.
„But… slowly," she got another word in.
„Very slowly," he grinned, pulled her shirt over her head and kissed her again.
-*-
„Arastoo, you're ok"? he heard Cam call and couldn't help but roll his eyes.
„Why don't you just come in?" he yelled back and then heard the bathroom door open.
„Everything alright?" she asked again.
„I've been in the shower for maybe three minutes. I didn't even wash my hair yet. What should be wrong?" has asked back and sounded as annoyed as he felt.
„I told you that because of the warmth of the water…" she started her lecture again, but he interrupted her.
„The water is luke warm. I'd more likely freeze to death than collapse," he barked.
„Ok, you know what? You didn't take your meds today against my advice. You didn't lie down this afternoon against my advice and now you're taking a shower against my advice. You know everything better and then get snappy with me when I worry. Why don't I go out and join my friends for the drinks we had planned for weeks, while you stay here and do whatever you want? As long as I won't see it, I don't have to worry. Oh, and if you're not feeling well: Don't call me!" Cam yelled and slammed the bathroom door shut without giving him a chance to say something. Arastoo took a deep breath, quickly washed his hair and then got out of the shower and dressed as fast as he could. When he got out of the bathroom she was already gone though and all he could do was sit down on the couch and wait for her.
When she was gone for an hour his daily headache came back and he went to the kitchen and got his painmeds. For whatever reason the pill wasn't helping this time and so he took another one after another half an hour. He got sleepy afterwards and just lay down on the couch, too exhausted already to make his way to the bedroom.
The next time he opened his eyes it was two hours later and he was still on the couch in the living room. He had to change that quickly though because he felt very sick. He stumbled into the bathroom just in time and started throwing up. Once he was done he felt shaky and fought the blackness in front of his eyes so he just stayed on the bathroom floor in front of the toilet. That turned out to be a good thing because he kept throwing up and felt worse after each time. He was just throwing up for the fifth time when he heard familiar steps behind him.
„Oh god, what happened?" Cam exclaimed when she saw him. He felt her warm hand against his neck and then the other touch his forehead. He didn't know if the fever was back or not, he just knew that he felt horrible. He fell back against the bathtub when he was done and Cam was right there, kneeling beside him on the floor. She wiped his sweaty forehead with a towel and checked his pulse by feeling his wrists. He could hear her mutter something but couldn't make out what she was saying until she addressed him again.
„Honey, we need to get you back into bed. You're ice-cold," she told him and pulled him into her arms. He was so weak that he couldn't even hug her back. The only thing he could do was burry his face in her shoulder and hope that she would make him feel better soon. He felt her rocking him slightly from side to side while gliding her fingers through his hair. „Come on, we have to get you up," she said then and together they managed somehow to get him off the floor and into bed. Cam brought him a bucket in case he would get sick again and made him rinse his mouth with some mouthwash.
„What happened?" she wanted to know and he knew he had to speak.
„Headache, took a pill. Didn't help. Took another. Fell asleep. Threw up," he gave her the informations in memo style while fighting new waves of nausea.
Cam wrinkled her forehead as she always did when she was thinking about something and then asked: „ Did you eat anything before or after taking those pills?"
„No," he pressed out and started retching again, this time into the bucket. It was more like dry heaving though, because there simply wasn't anything left to throw up.
„I really can't leave you alone," she sighed and walked off. He was lying in bed completely exhausted when she came back with another bottle of medicine. She opened it, poured some of the white liquid on a spoon and then told him to open his mouth. He did so obediently but nearly gaged when the taste of licorice filled his mouth.
„Swallow, you need to take another one," she said and for once he did as he was told. She made him rinse his mouth again right after and spit out into the bucket. „You stay here and don't move. I will bring you a hot water bottle so you can defrost and what I just gave you should help with the nausea. And now open your eyes," she ordered and he didn't dare to refuse. Cam shook her head when she saw his bloodshot eyes but then continued just as sternly. „If you ever take one, not to speak of two, of these strong pain meds without eating anything or taking something to protect your stomach I will leave you on the bathroom floor for as long as it takes. You get me?" she asked him and he could only nod weakly.
Next she got up and took the bucket with her when she left the bedroom. He heard her turning on the water in the bathroom, most likely rinsing out the bucket and then she was rummaging around the bathroom and then the kitchen. The light in the bedroom got switched off then and warmth filled him as she placed the hot water bottle underneath his blanket close to his feet. He felt the bed dip as she got in beside him. Last night they had made love before falling asleep still holding each other and that night he first provoked a fight with her and then felt like crap because he took the meds the wrong way. All she wanted was to look after him and make sure he was ok and then he had to ruin everything.
„I'm sorry," he muttered into the darkness and didn't dare to move and touch her.
„I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have left you here and I shouldn't have yelled at you. I know how frustrating it is to be sick and to rely on others all the time," she replied. Next he felt her hand on his arm, softly stroking her fingers over his skin.
„You wanna roll over?" she asked then and he was sure he heard a small smile in her voice. He didn't reply but simply rolled over in her direction so he rested on his side. She slung her arms around his neck as he rested his cheek against her shoulder. While he basked in the additional warmth and the smell of her skin she placed soft kisses on his forehead.
„You can't sleep like that. You sleep on your side," he whispered after about fifteen minutes, which they spent in complete silence.
„Ssshhh," she shushed him. Before he could protest again he fell asleep.
„I have to say I'm impressed that you really stayed on this couch the whole day and only got up when absolutely necessary," Cam complimented him with a hint of sarcasm in her voice the next evening.
„Well, I decided to listen to you in order to avoid a repeat of last night," he tried to charm her.
„It's strange what it takes until I finally get through," she sighed exaggeratedly and then tapped his outstretched legs. „Make some space please."
„You want to come under the blanket, too?" he asked
„Yes, I'm cold," she nodded. So Arastoo scooted up a bit on the couch and then opened his legs so Cam could sit down in between them, before he covered both of them with the blanket.
„What do you want to watch?" he asked her then and held out the remote control for her to take. Cam looked at it, turned around at him to see his face and started laughing out loud.
„You must feel really guilty if you offer me free reign over my own TV," she laughed. Arastoo didn't know what to say to that because no matter what he had tried to do that day it had always ended with some sarcastic comments on her part. Now that he was finally listening to her it didn't seem to be the right thing to do either. He watched her laugh, dropped the remote in her lap and sighed deeply. There was nothing else he could do after all.
„Hey," she requested his attention and placed a finger under his chin to lift his head up so she could look at him. „I'm not making fun of you right now or want to tease you. I just really think it's funny. I'm done being mad at you," she told him seriously.
„Doesn't feel like you're done," he replied.
„I still think you were being an idiot yesterday, but I still love you and I'm glad you're feeling better." She kissed him softly to prove what she said.
„I agree," he nodded and gave her another kiss. „You love me enough to hand me back the remote?" he asked then.
„Don't overdo it, buck," Cam quipped, snuggled into him and started flipping through the channels.
-*-
When Cam came back into the living room later after cleaning up after dinner he was still lying on the couch and had changed the program to the news. She took her former position and leaned back against him while sitting between his legs.
„It's always the same," she muttered when she saw the news about political debates, budget cuts, lacking health insurance, war in Afghanistan, bombs in Iraq and yet another shooting at a school.
Arastoo slung his arms around her waist und pulled her closer. „Sometimes I can't stand it anymore. All this violence and hatred. In the end they are always killing for power or money, no matter what they pretend it's for," he sighed.
„Back when I posted that report about brain damage in veterans and they wanted to silence me I found myself suddenly doubting everything. I felt so helpless being caught between all of these lies and intrigues. I felt the same when I first started working as a coroner. We had an increase of gang violence back then, followed by a new designer drug that caused the addicts to OD in eighty percent of the cases. My morgue was flooded with bodies," she recounted and made the random connection between the topics.
„Violence and death everywhere. When I fled Iran and came here I thought that all of that was over. I got mugged in broad daylight two months after I arrived. Then all of these wars began and nine eleven happened , I served for a while and was sent into the warzone. I saw people get killed and killed myself. I guess it will just never stop. Maybe it's human nature after all." Arastoo recounted.
„You nearly died because some idiot wanted to have power over life and death," Cam added. „But, thank god, we won that round."
„We?" he asked not really knowing who she was referring to.
„Us, the good guys," she shrugged and turned a bit to look at him.
„I have to believe that good will always destroy evil. Love always wins in the end," his poetic nature shone through.
„As nice as that thought is can we please change the channel and the topic? I'm still not really over what happened and will probably start bawling if we keep talking like that. I don't think I'm really ready to talk about everything that happened to you and what could have happened," Cam admitted and already her lip started quivering. He knew that they had confronted him nearly dying several times already, but she had yet to tell him what exactly had been going on while he was unconscious. Her own feelings and actions were also still in the dark, other than the things that had burst out of her when she became emotional.
„We have to talk about it at some point," he knew. „I think we both know it won't get easier and time doesn't heal everything."
„It's just… I feel like an emotional wreck and start crying at the mere mention of it all. That's not me. I don't cry that easily." She sounded more frustrated than anything else.
„I'm feeling guilty that I am doing this to you," Arastoo admitted and Cam turned around so she was lying halfway on top of him and could look him in the eyes. „Not only that you have to play nurse now, but also that moment when I stung myself on that needle. I felt panicked, because I knew what it meant, but the moment I saw you panicking because of me… I hated seeing you like this."
„You were so calm and so accepting. I nearly lost it when you volunteered as a lab rat," Cam said and felt anger welling up inside of her again. „Why did you do that?" she asked forcefully.
„You know that I had no choice. No one could help me, not at the lab and not at the hospital. I just knew that if you would panic nothing would get done and we would not even catch the killer. That was my motivation. I didn't want to die in vain and I didn't want you to panic."
„Oh, I panicked all right. I just didn't know how to handle the situation. I was falling apart inside but had to pretend I wasn't…" Cam lost her fight against the tears. They were rolling down her cheeks and dripped onto Arastoo's shirt.
„You know, I wanted to tell you how much I love you and that I was sorry and that I didn't wanna die and leave you, but I thought that me saying goodbye would make it harder for you. I thought that once," here he was overcome by his own feelings as well and teared up. „once I was dead you would read the poems and remember our conversations and know how much I love you."
„After the serum Hodgins and Brennan had made didn't really help but only slowed down the progression I lost hope completely. I was torn between wanting to spend every second with you and the feeling that I couldn't stand the pain of watching you die." She rested her forehead against his, their noses touching as Arastoo pulled her tightly against him. „I wasted so much of our time together by playing chicken. I kept us a secret and I made you keep us a secret. I waited and waited to tell you that I love you until it was nearly too late. I cancelled our dates and hid behind work. I am so sorry, Arastoo," she told him. She had already said some of it before, but she just needed to say it again.
„I understand. I understand because I know you. As horrible as this all was I am happy that you're finally letting me in."
„I trust you, I really really do, but it's harder with you because I am your boss at work and a part of me still thinks that this relationship is totally inappropriate."
„You don't like being the center of gossip. But now all people who should care about know anyway and our friends don't seem to have any problem with it. Hodgins even applauded," Arastoo reminded her. The comment lightened the mood because they both started laughing when they remembered the scene.
„Maybe we should just stay here and hide from the rest of the world," Cam suggested and kissed his cheek.
Arastoo laughed out loud. „I've been here for five days straight and we already had our first fight and you left. We'd kill each other after two weeks."
„Only because you're not listening," she knew.
„No, because you're overbearing," he shot back. Instead of starting another fight they just laughed again. Arastoo placed a kiss on her forehead before he continued. „If I am feeling better tomorrow can we go out? Even if it's just for lunch?" he asked.
„Sure. If you're not in pain. We could go to the Royal Diner and meet the others for lunch. I bet they're having some fun stories from the lab."
„Sounds good. But no quick stops at the lab, no matter what," he insisted.
„Oh believe me, I don't plan on going there during my time off," she shook her head.
„How about we're going to bed now?" Arastoo grinned.
„So you're very well rested tomorrow?" Cam asked with raised eyebrows after a quick glance at the clock. It was only nine.
„Of course, what else could I have in mind?" ha laughed and kissed her soundly.
„Last night you were puking your guts out and today you wanna have sex?" she summed it up disbelievingly.
„You make that sound so romantic," Arastoo snorted. Cam untangled from him and got up, he followed her.
„Ok, Mr. Lazy, then romance me," she teased and honestly thought that all they would do in her bed was sleep.
„My love, you still need to learn how to trust me," he winked at her and swept her up in his arms a second later. Cam let out a surprised yelp and wrapped her arms around his neck.
„If you drop me and I break something we're so screwed," she pointed out laughingly.
„Incorrigible." It was his turn to roll his eyes at her. He carried her into her bedroom and then showed her that he was really feeling better.
-*-
Arastoo and Cam had barely entered the diner when Angela came running towards them. „Arastoo, it's so good to see you," she gushed and hugged him tightly. He swayed a bit at the impact and looked slightly uncomfortable, Cam only laughed and winked at him. Once Angela let him go she gave Cam a hug while Arastoo was greeted equally happily by the rest of the gang, consisting of Wendell, Clark, Hodgins who held Michael Vincent, Sweets, Brennan, Booth and Christine. The last one had taken a shine toward him during her last visit and wanted to be picked up and held by him.
„Is that save?" Booth whispered to Brennan but it was loud enough for the others to hear.
„No, Seeley, I let him out while he's contagious. Thought the spreading of that virus wouldn't be too bad," Cam grumbled and rolled her eyes.
„I cuddle your child when I know I'm contagious," Arastoo replied nearly at the same moment as Cam.
„I didn't understand half the medical mumbo jumbo Brennan told me about this illness, so don't blame me, Camille," Booth shot back, ignoring Arastoo's comment altogether.
„Don't call me Camille," came the usual reply.
„Don't call me Seeley," he finished their routine.
„Ok, now that is taken care off, can we order something to eat. Just because you two are being lazy doesn't mean that the rest of us have all day," Hodgins started nagging.
„Maybe we should just leave again and have a nice long lunch somewhere else. Alone," Arastoo turned to Cam.
„Right now that sounds very good," she grinned and nodded in agreement.
„Come on, you two, sit down," Angela laughed it off.
„How are you holding up? Both of you" Sweets asked them and was reading their body language. While they seemed exactly like before the attack, he noticed that they sat closer together and communicated more without words. Arastoo's illness and the time together seemed to have brought them closer together and made them more at ease. The giddy newness of the relationship was gone, but so was Cam's professional distance and him acting as inferior. They were equals now, a unit, and he hadn't seen that before.
„I wasn't sick," Cam shrugged.
„And I wouldn't be here if I wasn't ok," Arastoo avoided answering his question as well. „Can you tell them I'm ok?" he asked Christine playfully. Christine only laughed at him at Cam had to smile at the picture.
„Is the inflammation in your joints gone?" Brennan inquired in her usual clinical voice.
„Mostly. I think I'm down to a one on the scale. Maybe a two in the evenings," he admitted after another sideward glance from Cam. „And I still need to thank you Dr. Brennan. Well, all of you, for saving me," he decided to announce right then. While he held Christine with his left arm he took Cam's hand in his with his right on top of the table.
„Well, you should be grateful, because if we weren't as brilliant as we are you wouldn't be alive," Brennan nodded.
„What Brennan wants to say is that we're all very glad you're ok," Booth translated as Cam tried to hide her laughter.
„Mommy, I want some pie," Michael Vincent made his presence known.
„Pie sounds good," Arastoo agreed with him.
„Didn't you want to eat chili cheese fries? I remember you talking about it the whole drive here," his girlfriend pointed out.
„I might get both," he shrugged unimpressed.
„You had pie for breakfast," Cam couldn't believe it.
„It was leftover from the night before," he tried to defend himself.
„Honestly, you eat like a pig. And I mean that lovingly," Cam rolled her eyes.
„But Dr. Saroyan, pigs are considered unclean in Islam. You really insulted me here," he exaggerated.
Cam slapped his arm with the hand he wasn't holding. „Shut up," she laughed.
-*-
„Was that Michelle?" Arastoo wanted to know the next morning when Cam came into the bathroom. They had been woken up by her ringing home phone and while she had talked to whoever it was he had taken a shower. Unsupervised this time.
„No, my sister," she sighed and started to undress. „She is in town next weekend and asked me t have dinner with her."
„Felicia, right?" he tried to remember her name,
„Yes, Felicia," she confirmed and still sounds less than thrilled.
„You don't get along?" Arastoo asked just before he started brushing his teeth and she stepped in the shower.
„We do get along, but she drives me crazy most of the time. She's still living where we grew up, never made it out of there."
„New York?" he spoke, his mouth full of foam.
„South Bronx," she clarified,
„Oooh," he made.
„Exactly. My mother worked in a clothing store, my father was a teacher and my sister is a hair dresser. She's actually quite good at her job, but her boyfriends are always something else."
„You're parents are still alive?" he asked after he had rinsed out his mouth.
„My father, yes. My mother died years ago. Gang shooting in the area and she got caught in the crossfire while she went to get groceries," she told him. „It's not much better now so I'd prefer it if my dad and sister would get out of there, but they refuse to move. Can you pass me a towel?" she asked then.
He got one of the shelf and handed it to her. „So how did you make it out?" he asked her curiously.
„When I was eleven I helped one of our neighbors cleaning her apartment. You know, cleaning windows, wiping floors… She was older and couldn't do it anymore. She paid me a few dollars for it and I used the money to get a pass at the library. I loved books, but we didn't have the money to buy them all the time. I had already read my way through my dad's school library so that was the perfect thing to do. All the other money I saved for clothes I wanted or music. School came easy for me, once it got harder I just studied harder," she told him, while she dried herself and put on some lotion."I was valedictorian of my high school and with the help of my teachers and because of my good grades I got a full academic scholarship for med school."
„Impressive," Arastoo complimented as he leaned against the sink and listened to her as well as watched her get dressed.
„Shortly before I graduated my mother died and I decided I wanted to be a cop. After graduation I worked for the NYPD for a short while and then decided I was better as a doctor. I interned at a hospital here in D.C. then in San Fransisco and then became a pathologist. At one point they wanted me back in New York and I became the youngest coroner in New York City. Well, and now I'm here," she shrugged and was dressed by then.
„You really are an impressive woman," he smiled and pulled her against him by her hips.
„I just like my job," she tried to play it cool.
„I told you I knew you were brilliant the first day I worked with you," he wouldn't let it go.
„You seemed to hang around my lab quite a lot. And a lot more than the other interns," she grinned.
„So you noticed," he hung his head, but smiled.
„Not back then, but once I noticed you for real," she chuckled. „I was very aware whenever you were around that you were around." he didn't reply to that with words, but instead kissed her tenderly.
-*-
„I have something for you, before I leave," Arastoo told Cam while he was leaning against the doorframe of her entrance door. he would go home again, because he needed fresh clothes and also because he had stayed at Cam's place for seven days so she could look after him while he was sick. He was cured now and as nice as the time at her place had been he had no reason to stay there for much longer. „A little something to say thank you."
„You didn't need to get me anything, Arastoo," Cam protested but took the flowers and the envelope from him. When he watched her expectancy she opened the envelope and read the card that was in there. „You booked the whole New England trip?" she exclaimed. „You even reserved a room at this small Inn I was talking about." She was beaming, a huge smile on her face and wide, bright eyes. He couldn't remember when he had last seen her that happy.
„And I booked some theater tickets and got tickets to this exhibition you want to go to. I just need to print them out," he added.
„This is too much Arastoo," she said while shaking her head and reading through the program he had written in the card.
„Nothing is too much for you," he smiled and kissed her softly.
„This must have cost a fortune," she couldn't let it go. „Let me pay at least for half of it."
„No, I won't. I won't even discuss this with you. Just make sure you have time that week." He pointed to the dates he had written down.
„Oh, I will have time," she grinned and kissed him deeply. „You're really gonna leave?" she asked with a pout once they broke the kiss.
„Yes," he nodded.
„I'm gonna miss you," she said in the same tone of voice.
„I'm gonna miss you, too," Arastoo told her, gave her another kiss and decided that he really needed to leave or she would persuade him to stay. And they hadn't talked about moving in together yet.
His own apartment seemed weirdly foreign to him when he got there, It was quiet and small and it didn't smell like her. he had bought groceries on the way and put them in the fridge, saw that Cam had cleared it out when she had got the clothes for him. He put his dirty clothes in the washing machine, put fresh sheets on his bed, dusted and vacuumed. Once he was done he was exhausted but didn't miss her any less.
„I know it's only been four hours and I'm totally pathetic, but I miss you. Would you have dinner with me tonight?" he said once she picked up her phone. Cam's laughter filled the room, because his phone was on speaker.
„Thank god, you're calling! Yes, of course, dinner tonight sounds great," she laughed.
„Will you come over? Dinner at my place?" he suggested.
„Sure, but why don't you come over? We both know our way around my kitchen by now," Cam asked him.
„I could lie and say that it's because I want to cook for you do all the work alone, but my place seems lonely and doesn't smell like you. I'm trying to remedy that," he chuckled.
„It's nice to know you're as pathetic as me. I'm sitting on the couch wrapped in your shirt," Cam admitted and this time they both laughed out loud.
„See you in twenty minutes?" Arastoo asked hopefully.
„Make that half an hour," she corrected him.
„Ok, love you!" he agreed.
„Love you, too," she replied and they both hung up with smiles on their faces. With a happy sigh Arastoo got off his couch, his ankles still slightly hurting. He knew the pain would be completely gone in the morning and maybe come back the next evening. But he was alive and his girlfriend was on her way over. Everything was ok, again.
The end.