-X-

Cosima watched Delphine, watching her breathing. They had managed to get their hands on a few nasal cannulas, as well as a few oxygen tanks. At first, Delphine hadn't wanted to use them, protesting, saying that she wasn't that sick. That she was perfectly fine. But after a few days, she could barely stand up without passing out, and Cosima had insisted. Cosima's worry had grown immensely with each passing day. She had Scott working on searching for the cause of the illness. They had ruled out auto-immune deficiencies, and they were trying to search for any other reasons as to why Delphine was ill.

Cosima brushed the blonde hair out of Delphine's face, softly tucking it behind her ear. Delphine stirred slightly, but didn't wake, murmuring small little nonsense words that Cosima couldn't make out. She sighed softly, sitting up and grabbing her glasses. She looked around the small hotel room that they had moved into a few days before. Delphine hadn't wanted to stay in Felix's apartment, but she wanted to stay close to the DYAD, trying to convince Cosima to go to them, to get help. Cosima had refused every time that Delphine had brought it up. But in that moment, staring at Delphine's small figure, something broke.

She wrote a little note, leaving it on the pillow next to Delphine, grabbed her jacket and headed out. The note read:

'Going to see if I can find some friends to help.

I'll be back soon.

I love you

– Cosima'

-X-

Cosima had found her way to the DYAD very quickly and managed to get into Leekie's office. She mentioned Delphine's name and was shown into the large office, being told to take a seat and wait for Leekie there, so there she sat, heart racing. She wasn't fully sure if she would be able to trust Dr. Leekie, but Cosima couldn't see any other way out. She had to help Delphine, no matter what the cost.

The sound of footsteps behind her signaled Dr. Leekie's arrival. She looked back over her shoulder and gave a small wave as he entered the office, watching him sit down across from her. "Cosima," Dr. Leekie's voice sounded slightly surprised. "What a pleasure to see you again. But I must admit, this visit is a bit out of the blue." He said, smiling softly.

Cosima narrowed her eyes slightly and sighed. "I need your help." She said.

"Oh?" Leekie responded. He sat back in his chair, folding his hands together.

"I have a friend who is really sick." Cosima started. "She's been to see doctor after doctor but no one can seem to figure out what's wrong with her." She said, deciding to keep the identity of her 'friend' a secret. "I've tried doing my own research to figure out what's going on, but I keep coming up empty. So, I thought you might be able to help us." Leekie raised an eyebrow. "The DYAD has significantly more resources than any individual doctor, and definitely more than I do." Cosima bit her lip. "If we don't figure this out soon, she'll die." She murmured.

Dr. Leekie sighed and leaned forwards on his elbows. "Well, you don't seem to have any other choice, do you?" he said. He stood suddenly, folding his hands behind his back and walking back around his desk to face Cosima. "I'll tell you what," he said. "If you consent to regular testing, I'll see what I can do for your friend."

Cosima weighed her options. Regular testing, who knew what he meant by that. They would probably have a contract written up eventually that would enlist all the details, but Cosima was an Evolutionary Biology student, not a law major, she would never understand all the legal garble that they put in front of her, and even if she got a lawyer to go over it, Delphine could be too sick to be cured. But if she didn't, it could take her months to find out what was wrong with the young French doctor, time that they didn't have. Finally Cosima sighed and nodded. "Alright." She said.

Dr. Leekie clapped his hands together, smiling and nodded. "Wonderful!" he exclaimed. "You and your friend can make your way here next week Monday and we'll get started right away." He turned and sat back down at his desk, opening a notebook and writing a small note on it. He tore out the paper and handed it to Cosima, "Bring this with you when you return and hand it to the front desk, they'll help you from there."

Cosima looked down at the sheet, reading it, but not making sense of any of the words. Her mind was so fraught with worry and fear, but not for herself, she didn't care what happened to herself, she was worried for Delphine.

"Don't worry." Dr. Leekie told her. "We'll figure this out." He smiled and nodded at her.

Cosima blinked a few times before nodding. She stood and made her way out of the office, not hailing a cab, but just walking aimlessly for a while until she could finally find the strength to tell Delphine what she had done.

-X-

Cosima looked down at her phone, checking the time. She had left at about 9:30 that morning, but looking down at her phone, it read 2:54 in the afternoon. Her meeting with Leekie couldn't have taken more than half an hour, the rest of the time she had spent wandering the streets, not paying attention to where she went or what she was doing. She ended up at a small park, watching small children run around, laughing. Young couples walking hand in hand, smiling, sharing happy little thoughts. She had felt nothing but fear and worry for Delphine.

A cough from behind the door told Cosima that Delphine was awake, probably waiting for her, worried. Cosima sighed softly, inserting the key card into the door and opening it slowly. She looked up to see Delphine struggling to stand up from the bed. She rushed forwards and helped Delphine lie back, sitting next to her and smiling softly. Her face was the only thing that Cosima wanted to see, it was the only thing that could bring her any joy at that point. No matter how pale, how sick that Delphine was, to Cosima she was the most beautiful woman that science could have created.

Delphine reached up and grabbed Cosima's hand as she reached up to brush the blonde hair out of her face, gently gazing at Cosima with wonder, curiosity and worry. "Where did you go?" she whispered.

Cosima shook her head. "I –" she broke of her sentence, shaking her head and sighing.

Delphine's eyebrows drew together. "Cosima, I was afraid. I woke up at 10:00 and you weren't here. You have been gone almost the whole day." She murmured.

Cosima sighed. "I went to go talk to Dr. Leekie." She said, ashamed of the words that came out of her mouth. "I thought I could do this on my own. I wanted to. I was sure I could." She shook her head. "But he has more resources there…" she murmured.

Delphine tilted her head slightly. "What is it?" she asked. She could sense that there was something more. Something that Cosima was holding back.

"I – I made a deal with him." Cosima started. "Regular testing." She whispered. "I'm not exactly sure what it all entails, but if it means that you'll get better," she looked over at Delphine. "I'd do anything for you to get better." She murmured.

Delphine shook her head. "Cosima," she muttered. "You should have talked to me first, I do not want you doing anything that will get you hurt. Not even if it means that I would get better." She whispered.

Cosima smiled softly. A sad smile, and shook her head. "I don't care if I get hurt. Hell, I don't even care if they kill me. I just want you to get better. I can barely stand to see you like this." She murmured. "I weighed my options. By the time I figure out anything, you would already be gone. This is the only way." She whispered.

Delphine shook her head, tears spilling from her eyes. "Mon amour." She whispered. She lifted Cosima's hand and kissed it softly.

Cosima laid down next to Delphine, pressing her forehead against Delphine's hair, breathing in the soft scent of her shampoo. She wrapped her arms around Delphine and shook her head. "I'll do anything to make you well again." She whispered. "I promise. I'll make sure you are well again."

Delphine smiled softly, soft tears still rolling down her cheeks. She rolled onto her side, brushing her fingers against Cosima's cheek and shaking her head. "Effronté petit chiot." She whispered.

Cosima shook her head and sighed. She watched as Delphine closed her eyes and fell asleep. She gazed at her thin figure, the bones in her face, the pale skin that covered them. But her lips remained dark, stained with the blood that rose from her lungs and covered the tissue that rested on the side table.

-X-

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