Amelia approached the open bedroom door, stepping quietly so as not to disturb a most likely asleep Arizona. After nearly two days of sniffling, sneezing, and barely sleeping, the pediatric surgeon had finally agreed to take a sick day. Her coworkers insisted that she go home, complaining that she was going to infect every doctor, nurse, and patient in the hospital. Amelia had made an effort to end her shift as early as possible, rushing through her paperwork so that she could hurry back to the house, which she now shared with both Meredith and Arizona, to check on the blonde.
"Hey, you," Amelia cooed softly, her voice barely above a whisper. She lightly knocked her knuckles against the doorframe, causing Arizona to snap out of her dreamy haze. The blonde was curled up under a pile of blankets, wrapped up in an old Hopkins sweatshirt with the hood pulled over her head, her eyes glassy, her face ghostly pale and bare in a way Amelia had never seen it before. She turned her attention towards the brunette, who couldn't help but smile at the sight of her. She looked so small, childlike even. Amelia had never seen her this way, her usual strength and confidence completely shattered, her upbeat and perky disposition replaced with total defenselessness. All the brunette wanted to do was wrap her up in her arms, but that was an urge she knew she had to resist.
"Hey," replied Arizona, her voice raspy and strained. Her heart warmed for a short moment when she noticed the container of what appeared to be hot soup clutched in Amelia's hand. She forced a slight smile and met Amelia's eyes.
"I, uh… This is for you." Amelia moved towards the bed and placed the container on the bedside table. "How are you feeling?" she asked, clearly concerned. She sat on the edge of the mattress, placing a gentle hand on her friend's forehead.
"Mmm." Arizona let out a soft, content moan as the brunette lightly brushed the hair out of her eyes. Her fever had broken, but violent chills continued to travel up her spine. Taking notice of Arizona's shivering, Amelia removed the lid from the soup and placed the container in the other woman's hands.
"Thank you," Arizona whispered, sitting up and bringing a spoonful to her lips. Amelia smiled and hummed in response, standing up from the bed and gesturing towards the door. "I'll be right back. Mer's on call tonight and the kids are still at daycare, so I'm going to pick them up and put them to bed."
No more than thirty minutes later, Amelia reentered Arizona's bedroom, this time carrying a glass of water and two Advil. The brunette had changed into sweatpants and a tank top, her hair pulled up into a ponytail. She placed the contents of her hands on the bedside table and frowned when the blonde began to shiver again.
"Cold?" Amelia muttered quietly. Screw it, she thought, climbing into the bed beside Arizona.
"What are you doing? You'll get sick," the pediatric surgeon protested, her eyes half closed as sleep threatened to overtake her. Amelia merely shrugged and slipped under the covers, moving closer to the other woman.
"C'mere," Amelia whispered, pulling the blonde into the warmth of her arms. Sighing at the feeling, Arizona relaxed and rested her head on the neurosurgeon's shoulder, snuggling in closer as her chills finally began to subside. She hummed contently as the heat radiating from Amelia's body engulfed her, and wrapped her own arms around the other woman's torso, hugging her tightly.
The brunette reached out to turn off the lamp on the bedside table and scooted the two of them down the bed so that their heads were resting on the pillow, her arms still secured protectively around the other woman, Arizona's head tucked into the place where Amelia's neck met her shoulder. She held Arizona close, rubbing a warm hand up and down her back soothingly as the blonde's breathing began to even out, reaching up to stroke her neck, running her fingers through soft blonde hair.
"Sleep," she commanded softly, placing a soft kiss on Arizona's forehead as her own eyelids drifted shut. She knew she shouldn't be doing this, blurring the already extremely fine line between friendship and something more. But she didn't care. At this moment, all she cared about was the feeling of Arizona's body pressed against hers, the blonde's warm breath gently tickling her exposed skin, and the steady sound of the other woman's heartbeat against her own.