Off Balance
Category: Hurt/comfort, Romance
Pairing: Sparky
Summary: The ridiculousness of the statement blindsided his concern for about half a second. People didn't faint for nothing. There might not be a complicated reason but there was always an explanation.
Warnings: none
Disclaimer: own nadda
Author's Notes: I've been clearing out my draft folder and found a couple of things floating around. Thought I may as well post this one instead of deleting it as it was pretty much done :)
"Elizabeth?" John fanned his fingers across her cool skin tapping her cheek, "hey Elizabeth, come on... wake up."
She stirred with a gasp, her gaze darting to the ceiling as she pushed up on her elbows. Realising there was no immediate danger she let go of the breath she'd been holding and turned finding John crouched beside her with a worried look etched on his features. The two of them were alone and she brushed a hand through hair gazing up at him in confusion. "What happened?"
"What's the last thing you remember?" He pressed the question just as much in the dark as she was. It was only by chance he'd stopped by her office hoping to get an extra day's lee-way on a report she needed. He hadn't expected to find her sprawled on the floor unconscious.
The uncertain shake of her head tightened the concern in his chest and he bounced on his heels glancing around the room. There was nothing to suggest fowl play. If anything the papers stacked on her desk indicated she'd been working alone and he turned back with a careful expression. "I came in and you were out cold."
She frowned at the piece of information swallowing dryly as she tired to recall what had happened. There was a light buzzing behind her temples that accompanied a vague sense of falling but neither produced much clarification and she palmed her brow trying to keep the annoying pain to a minimum. "I'm sure it's nothing." She uttered the reassurance quickly dropping her hand, "I'll be fine in a moment."
The ridiculousness of the statement blindsided his concern for about half a second. People didn't faint for nothing. There might not be a complicated reason but there was always an explanation. "Have you been sleeping all right, what about food... have you eaten anything today?"
The flush of pink across her cheeks told him that at least one of the assumptions was true and he fought a wave of frustration as she ducked her head away from him. They all pushed their physical boundaries but Elizabeth seemed to be the only one doing it with a prolonged effect. The rest of them had enough sense to stop when and where there was time to rest.
"What am I supposed to do with you, huh?" A sigh edged from his lips, his expression softening as she watched him silently from beneath her lashes. Without asking permission he reached up tapped his earpiece and opening up a channel, "Keller... this is Sheppard. Doctor Weir's feeling a little under the weather, I'm bringing her down to get checked out."
"That really isn't necessary." She protested the offer but quickly realised it wasn't a negotiation. His set expression told her as much and when he stood first she stubbornly declined his help using the edge of the desk to pull herself up. His watchful eye made her self-conscious but her pride slipped as the rush of momentum sent her office into a tailspin. Out of nowhere she collided with a solid force; his chest, she realised as her fingers grasped the cotton stretched over his body. His hands were already at her waist, brushing the exposed skin where her shirt had lifted as she sucked in a sharp breath trying to get her bearings.
John swallowed roughly, chiding himself for the unprofessional thoughts that sidled his concern. He'd held her before, though she'd always been unconscious first, but the proximity still shouldn't have been an issue. She was sick... but the feel of her body pressed against his made the fact the last thing on his mind and he hated himself for it.
"You okay?" He tried to keep his voice even as he waited for her to regain her balance.
She splayed her fingers to steady herself expecting the action to push him back but his arms stayed locked around her and she glanced up hit by the tenderness of his gaze. It was filled with uncertainty, worry and something else that made her heart slam violently against her ribcage. He should have been letting go but neither them moved and she brushed her lips with her tongue trying to ward of the dryness preventing her response. "I...fine," she squeaked the reassurance trying to dislodge the lump in her throat, "just a bit dizzy."
"That much I got." There was an edge of sarcasm to the comment but his eyes remained fixed on hers as he his thumb grazed up the small of her back. She shivered at the touch and he was so close he could see goosebumps dance across the nape of her neck. His hand itched to caress the skin and return some of the warmth but doing so would mean loosening his hold and he didn't trust she was ready to stand on her own.
Not to mention how highly inappropriate it would be.
"I could carry-"
"Finish that sentence and I'll put you on the floor."
The spark of strength drew a smirk to his mouth but it also grounded the realisation he was pushing the boundaries by staying so close. Even though there was honest intent he could deny the heat he felt blazing from beneath the touch of her fingers, the way her soft pout made him list ever so slightly toward her. They were colleagues, friends even, and he quickly shut down the urges his body was feeling.
She was vulnerable and it wasn't right.
He let go slowly and it took a moment for her breathing to regulate, defiant stubbornness willing her not to read into the moment even though she was sure something had just shifted between them. Maybe she really was ill or delusional because the Captain Kirk fly-boy routine had never once been directed her way. Brandished in front of her sure but he'd never looked at her that way before, at least never so brazenly and she took a shaky step forward pressing her thumb and forefinger lightly to his elbow.
The contact sent a spark shooting up his arm and he sucked in a sharp breath cooling his expression.
He'd let his emotions his emotions get the better of him and neither of them could afford his recklessness.
She read the retraction easily and forced a smile trying to pretend it didn't stab painfully through the dizziness clouding her brain. It was for the best, she reasoned, taking the lead. He stayed close behind almost touching but not quite and she shrank into herself wishing there was an easy way out of the throbbing pain and ache in her sides. She knew he wouldn't go anywhere until Keller gave the all clear, a fact that both touched and irritated her. He cared, just enough to fuel the crush she's been harbouring over the years.
Her instincts turned out to be right.
He waited until Keller came back with her bloods confirming she had a virus, no doubt due to a lack of nutrients and near exhaustion. She avoided John's gaze as the doctor purposelessly emphasized the last part. It was as if neither of them realised she had a city to run.
A look passed between them when she refused a drip, promising to get some rest instead, and the niggling feeling that John wasn't going to let her off so easily rested heavily against her ribcage. She was right again but too tired to argue as he trailed behind her in silence.
When she finally made it inside her door she was caught off guard as his fingers curled around her wrist and she turned, confusion drawing her brows together.
He hesitated for a long moment struggling with what to say. He'd never been good at expressing emotions but fear was a strong motivator and he took a step closer wresting with the words. "You scared me... when I saw you lying there, I-" he stopped, shaking his head at the image. The truth felt foreign on his tongue and he knew he should cut his losses, leave before things got to heavy but his mouth had other ideas. "I can't do this without you," he admitted quietly, "I don't want to."
Her expression shifted to surprise but she quickly hid the reaction as she pulled free from his grasp. When he glanced up she moved in again taking hold of his elbows and offering a soft smile. "You're not going to lose me John, I'm right here." She waited for the recognition to settle on his features before sliding her hands up and over his shoulders. He tensed, like she'd expected him to, but after a few seconds he relaxed into the hug winding his arms protectively around her waist.
A content sight left her lips at the reassurance.
Something had definitely shifted between them but if she thought back it had probably been changing for a while now, maybe even since day one, they'd just been too wrapped up in Atlantis to notice.
Now it seemed they were entangled in a lot more than just a city.