A/N: This was a lot harder to write then any of my other stories and I don't think it turned out very good. I came very close several times to just deleting it but I thought oh well I'll finish it. It was really hard for me to picture Red being sick…like a normal person LOL I do hope you enjoy it anyways :)
No Tom in this story as I hate that guy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Wish I did but I don't.
Red's Sick Day
Washington D.C. Friday Night. 7:37PM. Toki Underground Restaurant.
With every sad, pitiful stare that came her way, Lizzie felt herself getting madder and madder. She was suppose to meet Red here for dinner at 7 PM.
She was surprised when she arrived at five minutes till to find Red hadn't arrived yet. Whenever they were to meet for dinner, he was always there before she was. Always. He said it was in poor taste for a lady to wait on a man at a restaurant. In the past, she had actively tried to arrive before he did but he was always there before she was. Once she had arrived 45 minutes before their meeting time and damned if he wasn't sitting at the bar drinking his glass of scotch.
When she walked into the Toki Underground restaurant and the hostess told her Mr. Reddington hadn't arrived yet, Lizzie felt her mouth drop open. She couldn't believe it! As she took her seat at their assigned booth in the very back, she felt herself smiling. She couldn't wait to rub Red's nose in the fact that she had to wait on him.
Red had suggested they meet for dinner that morning when he called to check in. He had just arrived back from a little business trip to Vancouver and he wanted to see how things were. When he asked Lizzie to dinner she accepted. Since she had gotten sick with the flu about a month ago and Red took care of her, they had gotten closer. They would have dinner together at least three times a week and if he couldn't do dinner then they would always have lunch. He had been in Vancouver for the past four days and even though Lizzie would never admit it to him or anyone else…she missed him. She missed his company.
So when Red asked her to dinner that morning she accepted happily. He suggested Toki Underground. He said Luli loved going there for their assorted pan fried dumplings. They agreed to meet at 7 PM.
Lizzie left work early to head home and get cleaned up. She took her second shower of the day, redid her hair and makeup and put on a new dress she had bought about a month back but never worn. It was a strapless black and white pattern dress that just hit her knees and it had a cute little red bow at the waist. She paired it with black high heels and a red handbag. She had taken a taxi to the restaurant knowing that Red would insist that he and Dembe drive her home.
As Lizzie sat in her chair she checked her watch once again. 7:43. She hadn't ordered anything but a glass of white wine when she arrived and she was starving. Hungry, angry, and embarrassed.
That's it! I'm done, Lizzie thought to herself. She motioned over the waiter who had been so very patient with her taking up one of his booths on a Friday night.
"May I have the check please?" Lizzie had asked when he came to her side.
"Yes Ma'am," the waiter said before he turned to leave.
For the past 25 minutes her profiler mind had been steady at work. Why would Red stand her up? What was his reason? Was it to show his dominance over her? No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't figure it out. None of it made sense.
The waiter arrived back at her table carrying a thin black book.
"Here you are Ma'am," he had said.
"Thank you. I'm so sorry I've taken up your time tonight," Lizzie said reaching into her handbag and pulling out a $100 dollar bill and placing it in the black book without looking at the check amount.
"You were no trouble Ma'am. Thank you very much! And may I say, he is a fool to not make dinner with you," the waiter said with a smile.
Lizzie smiled back and said, "Thank you."
He nodded as he walked away from her. She knocked back the last swallow of her wine before getting up from the booth. She made her way through the restaurant and out the entrance door. Just as she raised her hand to signal for a cab, she noticed a black four door Mercedes pulling up to the curb. Lizzie lowered her arm and frowned. She could feel the anger overtaking her body. She waited for the back door to open wide but it never did. When Dembe brought the car to a complete stop, he got out.
"Ms. Keen," Dembe said softly.
"Dembe," Lizzie said as she looked around. "So? Where is the son of bitch?"
"Ms. Keen I'm terribly sorry but Raymond is not feel well," Dembe said walking up to her on the curb.
Lizzie felt herself frown. "What do you mean he's not feeling well?"
"I didn't know he was suppose to meet you for dinner you see. That's why I didn't call you. He never got around to telling me," Dembe said.
"Dembe what's wrong with Red? Has he been hurt?" Lizzie said with a slight panic in her voice.
"No, no, nothing like that. I believe he has the flu. Or maybe a virus of some sort. I have called Dr. Harland to come by and check him out. If we hurry, we will make it back to the safe house before he does."
Lizzie's anger vanished and had been replaced by worry. She had never seen Raymond Reddington, the FBI's Fourth Most Wanted Man, sick. Physically hurt from an altercation with a criminal yes, but not sick-sick.
Dembe drove faster than the posted speed said to which was odd for Dembe. Every time Lizzie had been in the car with Dembe he was the model driver. He must be truly concerned for Red.
"Who is with Red now Dembe?" Lizzie asked from the passenger seat.
"No one. That's why I want to hurry and get back. If Luli or Gray were still…well they would be with him but it's just me now," Dembe said softly as he drove through a yellow light.
"If Red hadn't told you he was having dinner with me, how did you know where to find me?" Lizzie asked.
"Around 5 PM Red said he was heading upstairs to get cleaned up. I assumed he had to be somewhere for dinner but I didn't think to ask. When we arrived back from Vancouver I had a few calls to make and Raymond had asked me to take care of a few other…things for him," Dembe said looking at Lizzie side-eyed before continuing. "I really didn't notice the time until I was sending off an email to one of Red's contacts in London. It was ten after seven and it occurred to me that I hadn't seen or heard from him. I headed into the living room and when I didn't see him I went upstairs. He was sound asleep in the same suit he had on this morning. I went over to him to wake him up and when I touched him I noticed how pale and sweaty he looked. I touched his forehead and he was burning up."
"Was he feeling bad this morning?" Lizzie asked as Dembe ran a stop sign.
"He never said. He was moving rather sluggish but I didn't think much of it. When I touched him he immediately woke up and asked me what time it was. I told him just after seven. He got very upset and that's when he said he was suppose to meet you for dinner. He tried to get up out of bed but he said he felt dizzy when he moved. I gave him a couple of Advil for his fever and told him I would call Dr. Harland. You remember him? The doctor who came to your house?."
Lizzie nodded.
"He asked me to go to the restaurant and pick you up. I didn't want to leave him but he was very insisting. I was afraid he would try to get up and go himself if I didn't leave. I called the doctor as I was driving to get you," Dembe said as he turned off the main road and onto a side street.
"Where is he staying now?" Lizzie asked.
"An old friend of his is on vacation in Europe with his wife. He's staying at their home for now. It's not to much further now," Dembe replied.
After another 10 minutes or so Dembe was turning into a very prestigious housing development. Dembe flashed a small card at the security guard that was stationed outside of a massive black gate. The security guard nodded his head and the gate began to open.
Soon after, Dembe was pulling into a long drive way. Since it was dark Lizzie couldn't really make out a lot of the details but could tell it was a beautiful white brick home with black shutters on the windows and a wrap around porch. It reminded her of an old southern home.
As Dembe stopped the car he said, "The doctor hasn't arrived yet."
"How do you know?" Lizzie said unblocking her seatbelt.
"He would have waited here till I got back." Dembe said opening his door and getting out.
Lizzie did the same and followed Dembe along the brick pathway that led to the front door. She noticed the door didn't have the traditional key handle and instead had a keypad entry door lock. Dembe quickly typed in the security code and opened the front door. Lizzie didn't really look around as she followed Dembe up the stairs that were immediately to the left of the entryway.
As she and Dembe walked into the master bedroom, she saw Red right were Dembe left him apparently. He was on top of the covers, dressed in his black suit pants, black vest, white dress shirt, and his black dress shoes. The only thing missing were his tie and jacket both of which were laying next to him at the foot of the bed.
"Raymond?" Dembe said softly as he touched his shoulder.
Red immediately woke up and looked up at Dembe.
"Are you feeling any better?" Dembe asked.
Red didn't say anything but did shake his head with a frown.
"Did you go and pick up Lizzie like I asked?" Red asked.
"I'm here Red," Lizzie said from her spot behind Dembe.
Just then the doorbell rang.
"Doctor Harland. I'll be back," Dembe said turning away and leaving the room quickly.
Lizzie stepped forward and locked eyes with Red. He looked pale and his eyes were glazed over. She sat down on the side of the bed next to Red.
"Hey," Lizzie said softly with a smile.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry didn't make our dinner. I'm just so sorry," Red said in a whisper.
"It's alright," Lizzie said touching his forehead. He was burning up and his skin was all clammy to the touch.
"No it's not. You were there alone. Everyone in that place must have thought you got stood up. I'm so sorry Lizzie," Red whispered softly closing his eyes.
Lizzie couldn't help but smile. He looked and felt awful and the only thing he could think about was missing their dinner date.
Lizzie turned as she heard Dembe and the doctor walk in the room. She stood up as the doctor held out his hand to her.
"Ms. Keen. Nice to see you again. You are looking very well," the doctor said with a smile shaking her hand.
"Thank you doctor. I feel great but him on the other hand…" Lizzie said pointing to Red.
"Yes, Dembe said he was quite ill," the doctor said walking over to the bed.
"Dembe, I know you told me he was moving slowly this afternoon but any other symptoms? Today or in the last couple of days?" The doctor asked.
"Well, he didn't eat much dinner last night at the hotel but he did drink three cups of herbal tea. This morning he ate a light breakfast but that's not really out of the ordinary for him. He's not much of a breakfast eater. He didn't have anything on the plane either," Dembe said.
"Anything else? Any coughing, sneezing?"
"No not really. He didn't sleep much last night which again isn't really out of the ordinary."
The doctor nodded as he continued looking Red over. He put a thermometer in his ear and when it beeped he took it out and looked at it.
"102.8. Not good," The doctor said with a frown.
"I gave him three Advil before I left to pick up Ms. Keen about a half an hour ago," Dembe said.
"It's either not working or they are working and it was a lot higher than that," the doctor said. "His glands aren't swollen at all. His chest isn't congested, heart rate is fine, blood pressure is fine. No sneezing or coughing you said."
"So I'm not dying then?" Red said from the bed. His deep voice speaking up made Lizzie and the doctor jump in surprise.
"I thought you were asleep?" Lizzie said looking at him.
"Who can sleep when you have someone poking and prodding at you," Red muttered.
"If he wasn't sick last night then the chances of him having some sort of virus are slim to none. I think he has a slight case of the flu and it's just kicking in," the doctor said.
"He caught it from me didn't he?" Lizzie said feeling guilty.
"Oh I doubt that Ms. Keen. I saw you over a month ago. It wouldn't have taken that long for him to get sick. Mostly liking he picked it up while traveling somewhere. Him getting sick has nothing to do with you. I promise you that," the doctor said with a smile.
"So there's nothing we can do for him?" Lizzie asked.
"No, not really. Keep a very close eye on his fever. I don't want that getting any higher but if it does call me right away. Since I know he won't go to the hospital, if it gets to much higher I will come back out and hook him up to an IV. Make sure he gets plenty of liquids. I don't want him to get dehydrated. Don't be surprised if he starts vomiting," the doctor said gathering up his things. "Basically expect him to have all of your systems Ms. Keen. Nausea, headache, body aches, sleeping a lot. He'll be good as new in a few days. His body just has to ride this out."
Lizzie nodded.
"I'll call you back in the morning to check on him but if you need me tonight just call. And please try to keep him from getting up to work. He needs to rest. If he fights it, it's just going to last longer," the doctor said to Dembe.
Dembe nodded as they walked to the door. Lizzie waved as they went by her. She turned back to the bed and took her spot next to him. Red turned his head and opened his eyes.
"Well, I guess it looks like it's my turn to take care of you," Lizzie said.
Red smiled slightly looking up at her.
"And I don't want any arguments either," Lizzie said sternly.
"I wasn't going to. It's not everyday I get a beautiful girl waiting on me. I like Dembe and all but I don't find him attractive at all," Red whispered with eyes half closed.
Lizzie giggled as she looked at him.
"Ms. Keen?"
Lizzie turned to Dembe's voice at the bedroom door. He motioned with his head to join him.
Lizzie put down Red's hand that she didn't realize she was holding and got up off the bed before making her way to Dembe, who had moved out in the hall.
"Yes?" Lizzie said when she joined him.
"I'm going to have to run to the store. There's nothing here he will be able to drink or eat. Will you be okay staying here with him till I get back?" Dembe asked looking at her.
"Oh sure. I'll be fine," Lizzie said. "Although, if I'm going to stay here to help him I'm going to need some of my stuff. Will you go by my house and pack me a small bag?"
"Sure," Dembe said with a nod.
"Let me get you the key," Lizzie said as she turned away.
"I don't need a key Ms. Keen. I can get in," Dembe said with a smile.
Lizzie looked at him with an upraised eyebrow. "I don't even want to know."
"I'll be back as soon as I can," Dembe said before turning and making his way down the stairs.
Lizzie sighed and walked back down the hallway to the bedroom. It was going to be a long weekend she thought to herself.
Dembe arrived back a little over an hour and a half after he left. Lizzie was in the bedroom, sitting on the bed next to Red.
After Dembe left, Lizzie had taken off her high heels by the door and had a look around the bedroom. It was beautiful decorated in shades of blue and dark browns. There was a king-sized bed, two bedside tables, a TV armoire that was directly in front of the bed and to the left side of the room were two overstuffed chairs, two ottomans, and a small table in between. This was all sitting in front of a set of floor to ceiling windows that had the curtains drawn closed. She didn't however see a dresser or ever a chest of drawers.
She walked into the massive connecting bathroom and saw the closet door just to the side of the double sinks. Walking in she saw that a dresser was against the far wall of the huge walk in closet. Hanging on one side of the closet was row after row of suits, ties, vests, and dress shirts that she knew just by looking at the fabric, were Red's. On the opposite side of the closet, she saw several pairs of black jeans, a couple of black hoodies, and a few black t-shirts. Next to the dresser were built in shoe cabinets. One was filled with various color and styles of dress shoes and boots.
Opening some of the dresser drawers she found several pairs of silk pajamas, socks, and boxers-briefs. It dawned on her that he was still dressed in his suit and knew he needed to change into some pajamas. She picked out a pair in a beautiful shade of hunter green and a pair of black Armani boxer briefs. Even his underwear are designer Lizzie thought to herself.
Walking back into the bedroom, she saw Red had fallen back asleep. She put her hand to his forehead and could tell he was still rather warm. He woke up when she touched him.
"Red, Dembe went to the store to get you a few things. You need to get up and get changed," Lizzie said to him.
Red blinked before slowly trying to get up. Lizzie could tell by the frown on his face that he was hurting. She put her arm under his and helped him up.
"I set you out a pair of pajamas and set them on the counter in the bathroom," Lizzie said. "Do you need me to help you change?"
Please God, say no Lizzie thought. If she saw him naked, she didn't know if she would ever be able to look him in the eye again.
Red chuckled as he made his way into the bathroom.
"Lizzie just because I'm sick doesn't mean you can take advantage of me. I'll do it myself."
Lizzie sighed in relief but didn't say anything. After making sure Red was stable enough to walk by himself, she closed the bathroom doors.
She looked at the watch on her wrist and saw it was ten after nine. It had only been a couple of hours since Dembe had given Red his Advil but Lizzie decided to give him a couple more. His fever needed to come down as much as possible. She saw the bottle on the side table but nothing to drink. She left the bedroom to find her way to the kitchen. It didn't take her long as the house floor plan was pretty open. She walked into the spacious kitchen and opened the refrigerator door.
Dembe hadn't been kidding when he said there was nothing here he could eat while he was sick. Two bottles of wine, one bottle of champagne, an assortment of French cheeses with names she couldn't pronounce and bottled water were all that were there.
She grabbed a bottle of water and quickly made her way back upstairs. When she walked back into the bedroom, she saw Red getting back into bed.
"Either this would have been the first night for you to stay here or you have a pretty serious drinking problem," Lizzie said walking to Red's side.
Red chuckled as he pulled the blankets back over himself.
"No, tonight would have been the first night. Those cheeses and wine I picked up on my trip," he said. "I was really looking forward to that bottle of wine tonight."
"Well the wine is going to have to wait a few days. Here take a couple more Advil. You still feel warm," Lizzie said handing him the two pills and the water bottle.
He leaned up and took his pills without any fuss. She took the bottle back when he was finished and sat it on the nightstand.
"I never did tell you but you look beautiful," Red whispered to her.
Lizzie couldn't help but smile. "Thank you."
"Were you angry? Tonight, when I didn't show up."
"Yes. Yes I was," Lizzie said locking eyes with him.
"I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you," Red said sleepily. "There's a wonderful place in Vienna. They serve a 36 course tasting meal. It takes well over 4 hours and it's some of the most amazing food you will ever eat. I'll take you there."
Lizzie was silent as he spoke. She licked her lips before saying, "How about a burger and fries uptown?"
"Whatever you want, Lizzie," Red muttered as he started to fall asleep again.
Lizzie stood over for him for quite awhile watching him sleep. He seemed much less powerful and intimidating when he slept. Younger too. Even as sick as he was, he looked young. Like the pictures she saw in his FBI folder that Ressler spent years drawing up. Maybe it was the last 20+ years of his life that made him seem older. Everything he had seen and done. The life he lead would age anybody.
The sound of the front door opening and shutting pulled Lizzie out of her day dreaming. As she made her way out of the bedroom she saw Dembe heading to the kitchen carrying several bags.
"Hey," Lizzie said walking to the kitchen.
"Ms. Keen. Here is your bag. I hope I got what you would need," Dembe said passing her a black duffle bag.
"I'm sure it's fine Dembe. Thank you."
"How is he?"
"I got him up and he changed into his pajamas. I gave him two more Advil. He still felt awfully warm to me but he's asleep again," Lizzie said unpacking the grocery bags.
Kleenex, cough drops, Dramamine, several boxes of tea, ginger ale, soup, crackers, bread, and eggs. Pretty much the exact same things she found in her pantry after she was sick. Dembe was very good at grocery shopping for sick people.
"If I see he needs anything else, I go back in the morning," Dembe said.
Lizzie nodded. A thought crossed her mind.
"Hey will him being sick cause any problems for him? You know…business wise?"
"No I'll take care it. He won't be down long enough for people to get curious or worried," Dembe said.
"Good. Does he get sick much?" Lizzie asked.
"No. This is only the 4th time I've seen him sick since I've known him. He takes good care of himself," Dembe said.
Lizzie nodded. "Well I'm going to get changed. Thanks again for getting me my stuff."
"Call out you need me," Dembe said.
Lizzie nodded as she picked up her bag and left the kitchen. Walking back up the stairs she remembered what Red had said when she was sick.
"You know those stairs are for a young person's knees."
Lizzie smiled at the thought.
The sound of Red and Dembe talking in hush tones woke Lizzie up the next morning. Since the curtains were closed she couldn't tell what time it was but if she had to guess it was very early. Or it felt very early to her. She had been up and down with Red most of the night. Around midnight he started vomiting and around 2 AM she had called for Dembe since his fever had shot up to 103.4. Lizzie and Dembe covered Red with cold washrags, gave him three Motrin, having given up on the Advil, and then forced him to drink a few sips of cold water. They both didn't go back to sleep till around 6 AM when Red's fever started to drop.
She originally fell asleep in one of the big overstuffed chairs while reading a book she found down in the living room but by the time Red's fever started to go down, she was so tired she just fell asleep next to Red in the big king size bed.
Turning over, she saw Dembe standing over Red fully dressed. Did the man ever sleep?
"What's wrong? What time is it?" Lizzie asked sitting up.
"It's just after 10 AM. Doctor Harland called and wanted to check on him," Dembe said. "I took his temperature and it's down to 101.1. The doctor said to keep him posted."
"Are you hungry at all?" Lizzie asked Red who was laying next to him.
"A little yes," Red replied.
"You want some soup?" Dembe asked.
"Yes, that would be good," Red said.
"You want me to get it Dembe?" Lizzie asked.
Dembe shook his head and headed out of the room.
When he left, Red turned his head to look at Lizzie. He liked the way Lizzie's dark brown hair looked against the stark white of the sheets.
"Are you feeling better?" Lizzie asked laying her head back down to the pillow.
"Some I suppose," Red whispered.
"You want to watch some TV?" Lizzie asked.
Red shook his head. He never took his eyes off of her.
"What are you thinking about?"
Red smiled and shook his head.
Lizzie looking at him for a moment before pulling back the covers. "While Dembe is making your soup, I'm going to go to the bathroom."
Lizzie made her way around the bed and into the bathroom. After using the restroom she brushed her teeth and combed her hair before pulling it back into a ponytail.
As she walked back into the bedroom a few minutes later, Dembe was coming in with a tray. She helped Red sit up against the headboard and Dembe placed the tray in his lap. She saw Red's bowl of soup, a few crackers and a cup of what smelled like some sort of ginger tea. Also, on the tray was a bowl of grapes, a cream cheese covered bagel and a cup of coffee. Also under his arm was a newspaper.
"Thank you Dembe,." Lizzie said looking at him with a smile.
Dembe nodded his head and said, "You're welcome. I'll be downstairs if you need me. Raymond I'll call Jameson and tell him what you said."
Red nodded as he took a sip of his tea. After Dembe left the room, Lizzie walked back around the bed, went over to the small table by the window, picked up her book from the night before and walked back over to the bed, climbing back in.
"What are you reading?" Red asked watching her.
"Unbroken: A World War II story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand," Lizzie said showing him the cover.
"Very good book," Red said taking a bite of cracker.
"Let's see what's in the paper today," Lizzie said taking a bite of her own breakfast before picking up the paper.
After Red ate his breakfast he fell asleep very soon after and slept much of the day. Awaking only once to use the bathroom. He never did throw up again but he was still running a low grade fever.
As nightfall approached, Lizzie was sitting in one of the chairs by the window just finishing up her second book of the day. While she was sorry Red was sick, Lizzie did love the fact that she was able to take this opportunity to just read. It had been months since she had been able to rest on one of her days off. Usually if she had a weekend off she was busy running around doing errands and taking care of things around the house that she didn't have time during the week to do.
Dembe had been in and out of the bedroom all day checking on Red. She had tried many times throughout the day to engage in a conversation with him but she had come to realize that he just wasn't a very big talker. She always thought it was because whenever she had seen Dembe it was during "working hours". She thought he was too busy standing guard and keeping an eye out for threats made to Red to really relax and speak to her. It became clear to her that he was just a quite person. Either that or he just didn't like her but she didn't think that was true. At times she caught Dembe looking at her with a lot of respect and great fondness.
Lizzie had just finished her last page and closed the book. She pulled off the throw blanket that was covering her legs and stood up to stretch when she noticed Red watching her from the bed.
"Hey, I didn't know you were awake. How are you feeling?" Lizzie said walking over to him.
"Better," Red said with a smile.
Lizzie picked up the ear thermometer and placed it in his ear. It beeped several seconds later and Lizzie was happy to see 100.1.
"Your fever is almost gone Red. That's good. I still want you to take your Motrin every three hours or so tonight so it doesn't go back up," she said. "Are you hungry?"
"Yeah. Yeah I am," Red said with a nod.
"Want some more soup? I'll have some with you."
"Sounds great," Red said.
"Be right back. Do you need to talk to Dembe?"
"Yeah, send him up."
Lizzie left the room and walked down the stairs. She found Dembe in the den sitting at a desk behind a computer screen.
"Dembe, he's up and wants to speak to you," Lizzie said to him when he looked up at her entering the room "He's hungry too so while you talk I'm going to make him some more soup."
Dembe nodded as he stood up from his chair. Lizzie turned around and headed for the kitchen. After looking in all the cabinets and finding the pantry she got to work on making them their dinner.
A little over 15 minutes later Lizzie was walking up the stairs carrying a tray of dishes. Dembe was just walking out of the bedroom as she was walking in.
"Perfect timing," Lizzie said to Red as she walked over to the bed. Red was sitting up against the headboard reading a folder of paperwork.
Lizzie placed the tray on Red's lap before walking around the bed to take her spot next to him on the bed. They talked about nothing in particular as she sat crossed legged facing him while they ate their soup and crackers.
After dinner, Red took a shower and changed pajamas. She got him settled back into bed and took his temperature. Still had a low grade fever but as long as it wasn't going up, there was no cause for concern.
After getting Red back in bed, Lizzie headed to the bathroom to get herself ready for bed. It was a little past 10 PM when Lizzie walked out of the bathroom.
Red was still in bed, reading yet another file that Dembe must have brought him. Even when he was sick, the man still worked. Lizzie shook her head as she looked at him.
"I'm going downstairs. Do you need anything?" Lizzie asked.
"No thank you," Red replied.
Having finished her book earlier that day, Lizzie headed down to the den to find herself another one. After looking over the shelves she settled on The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.
After making a quick stop into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water, she made her way back up stairs. She hadn't been gone more than 15 minutes but when she walked back into the bedroom she saw Red had fallen asleep holding the folder he was reading.
Putting down her water and book on the foot of the bed, Lizzie picked up the folder, closing it, sat it next to Red on the side table and turning off his bedside lamp. Picking up her water and book, Lizzie made her way to her side of the bed and gently climbed in as to not wake Red. After getting herself settled, she opened her book and began to read.
"My heart is afraid that it will have to suffer," the boy told the alchemist one night as they looked up at the moonless sky. "Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when in search of it's dreams."
"What are you reading now?" Red's said in a deep voice.
Lizzie jumped slightly not knowing he was awake. She had been totally engrossed in the book she didn't even feel him move.
"The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho," Lizzie said showing him the cover.
"Also very good. You choose good books Lizzie," Red said with a smile.
"Are you feeling bad again? Do you want more Motrin?" Lizzie asked with a frown. She touched his head but he felt cool to the touch.
"No, I'm feeling better. I just have a hard time sleeping. Too many ghosts of days past make their presence known at night," Red whispered looking at her.
Lizzie knew without asking that the ghosts had nothing to do with Red's chosen profession but rather dreams of his wife and small daughter. Her heart broke for him whenever she thought about it. Yes, Raymond Reddington was a criminal. Yes, he had killed time and time again and will continue to do so if he feels he has to. But under it all, Red, the man, is just a husband who lost his wife and a daddy who lost his only child. It may have happened 20 years ago but that kind of pain never faded away.
Lizzie smiled slightly at him before putting her bookmark in spot, placing it on the bedside and turning off the light. Turning over so she faced Red, she could make out his outline in the dark and could tell he was still looking at her.
"Thank you Lizzie," Red whispered.
"What for?" Lizzie asked confused.
"For taking care of me. You are an FBI Agent laying in bed next to a criminal. You've nursed me back to heath," Red said in a sleepy voice.
"You took care of me so it's only fair I take care of you," Lizzie said with a smile.
"I will always take care of you Lizzie. Till I take my last breath, I will always take care and protect you," Red whispered softly as he fell asleep.
Lizzie could tell he had fallen back asleep. She reached over in the darkness and took his hand. Holding it between their bodies underneath the sheet and blanket.
"Me too Red," Lizzie whispered so softly that even if he had been awake, Red still wouldn't have heard it.
The End!
A/N: Unbroken: A World War II story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand and The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho are real books and great ones at that. I highly recommend them :)
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