Disclaimer: Not mine. Title comes from the song of the same name by Florence + the Machine
A/N: I guess I was sort of inspired by a prompt by rabidnar but I sort of went in my own direction I guess hahaha. I was in a hurry to upload this (which explains the shitty title) so any typos are definitely all mine and I apologize. I also took a few liberties in some other situations, so sue me. This story is, as always, for my panda thefutilitarian, who needed a bit of fluff today. Hope this counts.
"All This and Heaven Too"
"I really wish you would just wait." Aubrey remarks from her spot at the kitchen table, not looking up from the files and papers that she has spread out in front of her. She's had years of practice at multi-tasking, so talking to Chloe while going over her notes for tomorrow's meeting is like second nature. "Levi from downstairs said he would help us hang them up."
Even though Aubrey can't see Chloe's face, she can imagine the expression: stubborn and a little bit pouty. "He said he wouldn't be able to do it until Saturday. That's two more days without curtains." Chloe points out.
"We haven't had curtains for two weeks." Aubrey counters. "Please just wait Chloe." She writes something on her notepad and picks up another file.
Chloe huffs out a breath. "I can do it. How hard can it be?"
"Have you ever put up curtains before?" Aubrey questions.
"No."
"Plus we have vaulted ceilings. How are you going to even reach the top of the windows?"
"I've got a chair. And I'll finally put some of your huge business books to use. You know, the books that you used in college five years ago but won't get rid of."
Aubrey rolls her eyes. "Yes, that sounds safe." She mutters to herself.
But there's no talking Chloe out of something once she has her mind set on it. Her tenacity is one of the things that Aubrey both loves and hates about her girlfriend. Like most things. But like most things, she wouldn't trade it.
Aubrey continues working on her preparation while listening to Chloe's progress in the living room. The redhead comes over to the table, grabs a chair and marches back out of the room without a word. She hears Chloe go into the bedroom and come out again several times, undoubtedly carrying the aforementioned textbooks with her. Aubrey really knows that she should get up and stop this. But, then again, Chloe is a grown woman. If she wants to do this then who is Aubrey to stop her?
A few minutes later, Aubrey hears the sound of the power-drill seconds before there's a huge crash and Chloe cries out in pain. Aubrey jumps up so fast that she knocks over the chair that she was sitting in but that fact hardly even registers as she hurries into the living room.
Chloe is laying on the floor amidst an overturned chair, a pile of textbooks and the curtains and rod. Chloe's face is twisted in pain and she's cradling her left arm close to her chest. Aubrey kneels down beside her, wanting to take her girlfriend in her arms but too afraid to touch her at risk of hurting her.
"Oh my God Chloe. Are you okay? What happened? What's the matter?" Aubrey lets out a litany of questions that she could probably answer for herself.
Chloe groans and a few tears leak onto her cheeks. "I think I broke my arm." She moans. "Bree…ow."
"How could you break your arm? You couldn't have fallen that far." Aubrey questions.
Chloe glares at her. "Is that really the question you need to be asking right now?" She snaps. "My arm freaking hurts. It feels broken. Take me to the doctor."
Aubrey nods quickly. "Yeah, yeah you're right." She agrees. "Okay, we should go. Let's go."
Aubrey puts her arm around Chloe's shoulders and tries to push her up slowly and gently. Chloe cries out, gritting her teeth. "No, bad idea. Bad idea." She lays her head against Aubrey's chest, breathing heavily. "That hurts."
"I know Chlo, but we have to go to the doctor." Aubrey says gently, kissing the side of her face. "You're just going to have to stand up. I'll help you."
Slowly and amidst much protesting, Aubrey finally manages to get Chloe to her feet. Chloe holds her arm closely to her chest, not bothering to wipe away the tears on her cheeks. Aubrey puts on a pair of Chloe's flip flops (normally she wouldn't be caught dead wearing shoes like that but she doesn't really want to waste the time trying to find a pair of sensible flats) and grabs the car keys and they start the arduous journey down three flights of stairs to the parking lot. Aubrey is really regretting moving into a place that doesn't have an elevator; listening to Chloe whimper every time they take a step is something that she could have gone her entire life without experiencing.
"You'll feel better when we get to the hospital." Aubrey assures Chloe, wishing that there was something more that she could say. Something that would actually make Chloe feel better. Aubrey has always been a doer, the type of person who takes action as soon as it becomes clear what action needs to be taken. She likes results. So being unable to do anything at all to help the person that she loves, being this useless…really sucks. Aubrey would do anything if it would help Chloe right now. "You'll be fine Chlo."
"I really think my arm is broken." Chloe mumbles, resting her head against the car window. "It hurts Bree."
"I know baby." Aubrey says soothingly. Not that it makes much of a difference. She lays her hand on Chloe's knee. "We're almost there. Hang in there."
Aubrey is pretty sure that for the first time in her life she's actually ignoring the speed limit, but she doubts that anyone could blame her given the situation. They finally get to the emergency room and Aubrey throws the car into park without bothering to make sure that she's perfectly in the space. She helps Chloe out of the car and into the crowded waiting room, where she instructs Chloe to sit down while she handles all the paperwork. Aubrey's not above trying to muscle Chloe in before the other people waiting around. They all look like they can wait a little bit longer anyway.
Aubrey smiles sweetly at the woman behind the front desk. "Hi, how are you? My girlfriend really needs to see a doctor, like as soon as possible." She says as she takes the clipboard that the woman hands to her.
"Is the injury severe or life threatening?" The woman seems nice enough but her tone betrays just a hint of boredom. She definitely looks like the type of person who doesn't really get riled up because she's seen everything at this point. And, working in the emergency room of one of Atlanta's busiest hospitals, she probably has.
Aubrey hesitates. She knows that if she tells this woman that Chloe hurt her arm they'll be waiting around for hours and she can't bear the idea of Chloe having to sit in one of those little plastic chairs suffering. "Yes. I mean, I guess it could be. She fell down a flight of stairs in our apartment building and I think she hit her head. She keeps zoning out and has this weird look in her eyes." Aubrey furrows her brow. "I'm worried that she hit her head really hard. And she hurt her arm."
The woman purses her lips and glances toward the waiting room to where Chloe is sitting. Chloe's eyes are closed and she's slumped against the wall. She's definitely painting a pitiful picture. Aubrey gives the woman a desperately hopeful look. "Please. She needs a doctor. She's in pain." At least that's not a lie and she doesn't have to fake the anxiety in her voice.
"Fill out that paperwork and I'll get a doctor to look at her as soon as I can." The woman instructs Aubrey.
Aubrey thanks her profusely before going back into the waiting room and sitting down next to Chloe, who opens her eyes just a crack. "Can I get some pain medicine?"
"Soon." Aubrey assures her, rubbing circles on her back. "They're going to take care of you soon, okay?" Chloe lays her head against her shoulder and closes her eyes. Aubrey kisses the crown of her head and gets started filling out Chloe's paperwork. After having been friends with Chloe for nine years and her girlfriend for six of them, it's not hard to do.
Aubrey finishes up just as a nurse calls Chloe's name and directs them to an empty examination room. "Someone will be in an a second to take you to get an MRI." The nurse informs Chloe as she hands her a hospital gown to change into.
Chloe gives Aubrey a confused look when the nurse leaves the room. "An MRI?" She repeats. "Why?"
"Well…I…" Aubrey's face flushes. "I sorta lied about what happened so they would check you out sooner." She informs Chloe. "So if someone says something about falling down the stairs, just go along with it."
Chloe rolls her eyes. "Right. What kind of idiot falls down the stairs?"
Aubrey arches an eyebrow. "What kind of idiot thinks it's a good idea to try and hang curtains by standing on textbooks? On a chair."
"You can't be mean to me. I'm in pain." Chloe whines. "You're a bad girlfriend." She tries to unfold the hospital gown with one hand put quickly gives up, giving Aubrey a defeated look. "Help me."
Aubrey is pretty sure that she's never heard or seen anyone so pitiful before. It's times like these that she wishes that she had gone to medical school. Then she would actually be able to do something to help Chloe. She takes the gown and unfolds it, laying it out on the examining table before helping Chloe undress. It's slow going because of Chloe's arm and she starts crying halfway through in spite of Aubrey's best efforts to make the process as painless as possible.
When a different nurse shows up to take Chloe to get her MRI, Aubrey is instructed to wait around in the examining room. This is not something that she does very easily. She paces the length of the room counting each step in hopes that it'll keep her thoughts occupied. It doesn't work. She starts chewing on her thumbnail, something she hasn't done since she was six years old and her father berated her for twenty minutes after he caught her doing it. Yes, Aubrey knows that she's being stupid. Chloe is going to be fine. It's just a broken arm, if that. Aubrey knows that she needs to just relax and calm down. But not being with Chloe, not being able to do anything to help her…it makes her few useless. And Aubrey does not like feeling useless.
When the door finally opens again, Aubrey would put money on the fact that it's been twenty years since the nurse took Chloe to get an MRI. "Good news, I'm not concussed. I was worried." Chloe tells Aubrey dryly.
The nurse eases Chloe into one of the chairs instead of trying to get her up on the examining table and then swabs the crook of Chloe's right elbow before giving her an injection. "That should help with the pain. The doctor should be in shortly to share the results with you." The nurse informs the pair. She tells Chloe that she can get dressed in her own clothes again and then leaves the room to attend to one of the many other patients requiring emergency care.
Aubrey does her best to dress Chloe as quickly and painlessly as possible but she can't help but notice Chloe wincing in pain from time to time. It's a relief when she's finally back in her own clothes and can sit back down again. Aubrey goes to stand behind Chloe's chair, kissing the crown of her head before absently starting to run her fingers through her hair. "How are you feeling?" She questions, continuing to play with Chloe's hair in hopes of giving her girlfriend something else to focus on.
Chloe sighs and closes her eyes. "Well the pain medicine hasn't kicked in yet so still not too great." She mumbles. "You can keep doing that though."
Aubrey smirks. "Okay, I can do that." She assures her girlfriend, leaning down to kiss her on the cheek. Chloe's skin is hot and her forehead is beaded with perspiration and Aubrey just really hopes that pain medicine kicks in soon. She really doesn't want to have to curse out any nurses today for their inability to help Chloe feel better.
Chloe's head starts nodding forward a few minutes later and Aubrey can tell that the medicine is finally kicking in and she's struggling to keep herself awake. She's seen the same thing happen when they try to watch specials on the History Channel or when they were back at Barden and Chloe had a big exam that Aubrey was trying to help her study for. Aubrey is pretty sure that if there's anyone in this world capable of falling asleep while standing up, it's Chloe.
The doctor finally comes into the room and Chloe's head jerks up, startled. She winces at the pain caused by the sudden movement. The doctor introduces himself and then proceeds to explain that Chloe has managed to fracture her radius, an injury that should take around five weeks to heal and will require her being in a cast for at least that long. Chloe is nodding but Aubrey can see that her girlfriend is having a difficult time focusing on what the doctor is saying. She knows not might not be the most appropriate time to point this out, but she's finding Chloe's look of concentration to be extremely adorable.
"You're lucky you didn't injure yourself more severely." The doctor tells Chloe. "Falling down the stairs is extremely dangerous."
"Oh, I didn't really fall down the stairs." Chloe informs him frankly, her voice slightly slurred because of the medication. "Aubrey lied so we didn't have to wait behind all those other people." The doctor arches an eyebrow. "But don't be mad at her! She was just trying to take care of me." Chloe gives Aubrey a sleepy smile. "Right?"
Aubrey smiles back before giving the doctor a slightly guilty look. At least he looks more amused than anything else.
"I was trying to hang up curtains." Chloe continues on, unfazed. "Aubrey told me not to but I did it anyway. You should always listen to Aubrey." She tells this to the doctor, her tone and facial expressions completely serious. That expression quickly changes when Chloe glances over her shoulder at Aubrey and her brow knits. "I'm sorry I didn't listen."
Aubrey smiles at her. "It's fine, Chloe." She assures the other girl, kissing the top of her head. "It's really okay."
The doctor smirks and shakes his head. "Well, let's go get you that cast, shall we?" He helps Chloe to her feet and Aubrey reaches out to steady her when she wobbles. "Then you can go home and get some rest, okay Miss Beale?" He looks over at Aubrey. "The nurse will provide you with the aftercare instructions and we'll meet you at the front desk to finalize the discharge paperwork." Aubrey nods, following them out of the examination room.
"Why am I so tired?" Aubrey hears Chloe ask the doctor as they start down the hospital in the opposite direction. "My head feels funny."
Aubrey smiles to herself and shakes her head. This Chloe is a lot like the Chloe that comes out whenever she's had a little too much alcohol. The only difference is that the pain medicine keeps her from bouncing all over the place and invading everyone's personal space.
Aubrey listens carefully as the nurse hands over the prescription that the doctor wrote out for Chloe and explains when to administer the medicine and what things to look out for and what to do in case the pain increases. She thinks that the nurse is surprised when Aubrey actually asks questions and for clarification on certain things; she figures that most people usually just nod along and hope for the best but Aubrey isn't going to leave anything to chance. This is Chloe they're talking about after all. She wants to know what to do in any situation that might possibly arise.
When Chloe and the doctor finally appear, the nurse looks relieved and quickly disappears down the hall. Chloe holds up her cast, grinning proudly. "I made them do yellow and blue. Like Bellas colors!"
Aubrey can't keep from grinning. Sometimes she's convinced that she's dating the world's only six-year-old trapped in a twenty-six-year-old woman's body. "It looks great, Chlo." She assures her girlfriend. "Are you ready to go home now?"
Chloe nods, leaning against Aubrey as she finishes signing the necessary forms and makes the follow-up appointment. "What if you weren't here? I would have to sign all those forms by myself." Chloe laments as she watches Aubrey sign the bottom of yet another sheet of paper. "I'd be here forever."
"Well, luckily you don't have to worry about that." Aubrey assures her. "I'm here."
"I know." Chloe grins at her, her expression so serene and trusting. "You always take care of me." She says as they start to walk out of the emergency room and toward the very crookedly parked car. "Why do you do that?"
Aubrey laughs and shakes her head. "Because I love you, you goof ball." Aubrey opens Chloe's door for her and helps Chloe sit down. "What kind of question is that?"
"I love you too." Chloe says as Aubrey gets into the car. "Even though sometimes you think you don't deserve it. I love you always. Especially then." She leans her head against the window and closes her eyes. "My head still feels funny. The doctor said that would stop soon. He lied."
Aubrey looks at her girlfriend for a minute, unsure of what to say. She knows that it's just the pain medicine that's responsible for Chloe's lack of a filter but she has no doubt that Chloe means everything that she says. She knows that Chloe is right, that sometimes she still finds herself unable to accept the idea that she's worth anyone's love and affection, especially Chloe's. But Chloe has never given her reason to doubt that she's loved, something that she definitely lacked before meeting the redhead. And she's pretty sure that she couldn't possibly love Chloe any more in this moment.
Chloe is silent as they drive away from the hospital and back toward home. When Aubrey pulls into the CVS down the street from their apartment complex, Chloe suddenly lifts her head and looks disoriented. "Where are we going? You said we were going home." Her tone is almost accusatory.
"We are. But we need to get your medicine first." Aubrey reassures Chloe, giving her right hand a squeeze. "So when this medicine wears off your arm won't start hurting again." Chloe nods, sufficiently convinced that this is a stop worthy of making and then lays her head against the window once more. "Do you want to come in?" Aubrey questions and Chloe just closes her eyes, making a noncommittal noise. Aubrey hesitates for a minute before finally turning off the car and opening her door. "I'll be right back. Just…stay here."
Chloe doesn't look like she possesses the motivation to get out of the car but Aubrey still hurries through getting the prescription filled. She's sure that the pharmacist thinks she's the biggest bitch in the world because she wears her impatience plainly on her face and keeps tapping her fingers against the counter but the pharmacist's feelings are currently none of her concern. She just wants to get back to Chloe and get back to the apartment.
When Aubrey returns to the car, Chloe is still slumped against the window with her eyes closed, completely oblivious to everything going on around her. She doesn't lift her head against until they get back to the apartment and Aubrey puts her hand gently on her shoulder. "We're home Chlo." Aubrey says softly. "You can go back to sleep in a minute."
"Are you going to go to sleep too?" Chloe questions as Aubrey helps her out of the car. "I don't like it when we don't go to sleep together."
"Sure, I'll lay down with you." Aubrey promises as they start walking up the first flight of stairs. Chloe seems to have difficulty putting one foot in front of the other but eventually they find their rhythm and make it up to the third floor without incurring further injury. Though Aubrey figures that it would be some sort of poetic justice if one of them ended up falling down the stairs after all.
Aubrey lets them into the apartment and locks the door back behind them. The kitchen chair is still overturned and the living room is still a mess from Chloe's failed attempts to hang the curtains but all of that stuff can be cleaned up in the morning. She sits Chloe down the edge of the bed and then goes through the dresser to find a tank top and sweatpants for her to change into.
"Aubrey, I have something to tell you." Chloe says in a solemn tone and Aubrey turns back to look at her. "It's about the cactus. I told you that I took it to school but I really didn't. I accidently knocked it over one day when I was cleaning and I tried to put it back in the pot but it died and I just didn't want to tell you." Her brow knits as she tells this story. "I'm sorry. I killed it."
It's all Aubrey can do to keep from laughing. But, judging by the expression on Chloe's face, she wouldn't take very kindly to being laughed at right now. She walks over to Chloe and kisses her forehead. "It's okay. It was just an accident. I forgive you."
Chloe sighs in relief and nods. "We can get another one."
"That's okay." Aubrey tells her. "We don't really need a cactus. I poked myself every time I tried to water it."
Chloe's eyes get huge. "You have to water them?"
Now Aubrey can't keep herself from laughing. "Oh Chloe." She says affectionately, shaking her head. "I love you."
"I love you too Bree." Chloe smiles at her. "You're my favorite."
Aubrey can live with that.
Aubrey sets her alarm so that she can be sure to give Chloe a dose of her pain medicine in the middle of the night before her arm can start hurting again and keep her awake. Chloe dutifully takes the medicine and then promptly falls back asleep. Even though it's just after three, Aubrey finds herself struggling to follow Chloe's example and drift off once more. She watches Chloe sleeping for a few minutes (yes, apparently she has become one of those people) and reaches out to brush a lock of hair behind Chloe's ear.
Making sure to be careful of Chloe's arm, Aubrey curls herself around Chloe once more, resting her chin against her shoulder. "I really don't deserve you." She says softly, kissing Chloe on the cheek.
Of course, Chloe doesn't answer. But Aubrey can hear her response in her head as clear as if she had spoken it herself. Of course you do. Aubrey smiles softly to herself and falls back to sleep.
"You have to sign my cast." Chloe informs Aubrey the following morning as she watches Aubrey make scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast. "It's like the law."
Aubrey raises an eyebrow. "What kind of law says that?"
"The law of broken bones." Chloe counters. "I broke this same arm when I was in kindergarten and I made friends with everyone in the class because everybody wanted to sign my cast. I was super popular. Until Jenny Baker brought in her pet rabbit for show-and-tell."
"I've never broken a bone before." Aubrey says, scooping scrambled eggs onto a toasted piece of bread for Chloe. "No one ever asked me to sign their cast either."
Chloe goes over to the junk drawer and roots around until she finds what she's looking for. "Well, now's your lucky day." She holds the Sharpie out to Aubrey. "You get to sign my cast."
"I'm sure your students would love-" But Aubrey doesn't get the chance to finish.
"Nope. No one else gets to sign it before you do." Chloe informs her frankly. "So you better think of something really great to say."
Aubrey takes the Sharpie and uncaps it but then just rolls her eyes. "This is silly. What would I write on here that I couldn't tell you in person?"
Chloe shrugs. "Just write 'get well soon' or something."
Aubrey thinks for a minute and then smiles, scribbling something down on the cast. "This is harder than it looks." She remarks.
When she finishes, Chloe looks at what she wrote: patience is a virtue, love Aubrey. "Ha, very funny." Chloe rolls her eyes. "Forgive me for wanting to have curtains in our apartment."
"You're forgiven." Aubrey assures her with mock solemnity, giving Chloe a kiss. She picks up their plates and carries them over to the kitchen table.
Chloe sits down next to Aubrey and kisses her cheek. "Thanks for making breakfast. And taking the day off to be with me. You win the best girlfriend award."
"Well, someone has to take care of you." Aubrey teases, bumping Chloe's shoulder gently with her own. "Just no more dangerous stunts, okay? I think one trip to the emergency room is enough."
"Yes, Mom." Chloe says with a nod. "I promise."
After breakfast (and after Chloe slowly masters the art of eating with one hand), Aubrey gives Chloe another pain pill and they both go back to the bedroom. "What do you want to do?" Aubrey questions as Chloe rests her head on her shoulder. "Since you are the cripple and all."
"Funny." Chloe sticks her tongue out at Aubrey. "You're hilarious." Aubrey gives her a kiss. "Let's watch all the Disney princess movies. And The Lion King. Everyone knows that's the best one."
Aubrey raises an eyebrow. "All the movies?" She repeats. "That's…a lot of movies."
Chloe matches her expression. "Well what else am I going to do? I think playing baseball or knitting are both out of the question right now." She points out.
"Fine. I guess we can have a marathon." Aubrey relents. "But only if there's cuddling."
"Deal."
end.