Thanksgiving Cold
A Reese/Carter Story
By Brown Eyes Parker
Rated: K+
Author's Note: This little story was inspired by my own sickness. I came down with some sort of illness on Friday night and spent three days in bed with a fever and chills, so I had a lot of time to think about this story. As most of my stories go, I don't think I executed it the way I wanted to but I'll let you be the judge.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything.
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To say Joss Carter felt like crap would have been the understatement of the century. Her whole body ached and she had been taken over by the worst case of chills that she had ever experienced. She couldn't even sit up for long periods of time without being overtaken by wave after wave of dizziness. To make matters worse, she had come down with whatever she had the day before Thanksgiving. All her plans for the holiday had flown out of the window when she had woken up feeling like she'd been run over by a truck. It had taken everything in her to drag herself out of bed, call in sick and put the turkey in the freezer.
She sniffed violently and buried herself further under the covers, hating that she just had to get sick during Thanksgiving. She sniffed again and closed her eyes, allowing sleep to carry her away to a dreamless oblivion.
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The next thing Joss knew she was being woken up by a gentle hand on her forehead. She opened her eyes halfway and saw John Reese peering down at her with a look of concern in his blue eyes.
"John—"
"Shhh," John replied. "Finch told me that you weren't feeling well, so I came to take care of you."
"You didn't—" Joss coughed. "You didn't have to do that John. It's Thanksgiving; you must have had something better to do today."
"Nope, nothing better to do," John answered, taking his hand away from her forehead and sitting down. "Can I get you anything? Like water or something?"
"I'm good," Joss told him, shutting her eyes again. "I just want to sleep right now."
"Alright. I'll be right here if you need anything when you wake up," John said.
"You really don't have to do this John. I would hate for you to get sick too," Joss murmured.
John smirked. "If I get sick, I'm sure that you'll return the favor and come take care of me."
"Mmmmh," Joss replied, barely registering what he was saying to her. "Is Taylor still here?"
He caressed her cheek, gently pushing her hair away from her face. "Shaw came and took him to have Thanksgiving dinner with her and Finch. She thought you'd like to know he was being properly taken care of today."
"I appreciate that," Joss answered, smiling at him. "He wasn't going to have anything except for Pop Tarts and frozen lasagna today."
"Don't worry about it anymore, he's being taken good care of. Just get some sleep now, I'll be here if you need anything when you wake up."
"Thank you," Joss murmured, falling back to sleep quickly.
When she woke up again, the sun had started to set in shades of orange and purple and John was sitting in a chair by her bed watching her carefully.
"Feeling any better?" He asked softly.
She shook her head. "Hardly," she replied.
"Could I get you anything to relieve your discomfort?"
"Some water and a painkiller might help," Joss answered, not daring to move her head.
"Don't move a muscle," John cautioned. "I'll be right back."
"Don't worry," Joss muttered. "Even if I wanted to, I don't think I would be able to get very far."
He returned a few minutes later with two clear, blue capsules and a tall glass of water. He sat down beside her and propped her upright, then he put the pills on her tongue and helped her drink.
She sighed in relief as the cool liquid slid down her throat. "Thank you."
John nodded and eased her back down into the covers. "Do you want me to leave you alone so you can get some more sleep? You still look a little tired."
Joss yawned and then coughed. "I'm not really tired."
"I believe you, really," John said dryly as he tucked her in. "You try and get some more sleep Joss. I'll still be here when you wake up."
But Joss didn't hear him because she was sound asleep again.
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When she woke up for a third time, it was completely dark, save for a thin strip of light that was coming through her cracked door. She got up and went to see what was going on outside her bedroom.
Christmas music was playing softly on her stereo in the living room and John was in the kitchen, stirring a pot of soup.
"You're up!" John said in surprise, coming over and ushering her into a chair. "How do you feel?"
"Lousy," Joss replied.
John gave her a look. "Joss, you should still be in bed."
"Please, if I sleep anymore than I'll probably be awake the rest of the night. Besides, I just have a cold, John. It isn't like I'm at death's door or anything."
"Do you want some soup?" John asked, going to the cabinet and taking down a bowl.
"Okay," Joss answered before sneezing.
"Bless you," John said, placing the bowl down in front of her and then taking the seat next to her. "Eat."
"Thank you," Joss replied, she spooned some broth up and tested it cautiously.
John watched her eating and then he touched her cold hand with his warm one. "Happy Thanksgiving Joss."
She smiled at him, grateful that she had such an amazing friend in him. "Happy Thanksgiving John."
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Two days later. . .
To say John felt like crap would be the understatement of the century. He had had bullet wounds that didn't hurt as much as his chest did right in this moment. He didn't think he'd ever had a fever this bad in all his life. He groaned and pulled the covers up over his head; all he wanted to do was die. But Joss wouldn't let him, not on her watch.
Well, he reflected drowsily, there was something to be said about sharing a sick bed with a beautiful woman. Even if Shaw was the one who had been recruited to take care of both of them.
_The End_
Author's Note II:
Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American readers. May your own holidays be healthy, your turkey be moist, your Black Friday shopping be smooth, and your Christmas decorating be painless. I hope you enjoyed this little one-shot, tell me what you think. I am open to all kinds of feedback as long as it helps me improve as a writer.
Holly, 11/27/2013_