Tanith Panic, I'm just happy you found it at all! I love a bit of Freechamp too. It does get a little but smutty in this chapter, but I hope not too much! Thank you for both your reviews.
Tato Potato, thank you for your review. I'm really happy you like it so far. Rita is a woman so she might not be quite such a baby as Cal, so she might recover more quickly!
Rita had hoped she would feel better once she was in bed, but the longer the day went on, the worse she felt. Her headache was worse and she really needed a painkiller, but she couldn't quite bring herself to stand up and walk all the way to the kitchen. If she'd been thinking clearly, she'd have brought everything she thought she might need into the bedroom, but she was finding thinking extremely difficult at the moment. Her head felt completely stuffed up: all she was really capable of thinking about was a) how ill she felt and b) how hot Connie looked today.
She just wished Connie was here now. She was sure Connie would distract her from how awful she was feeling.
But at the same time, Rita didn't want Connie to be here. She didn't want Connie to see her like this. Partly because Rita was feeling extremely unattractive; partly because she knew that seeing her with a cold would be as distressing for Connie as seeing any other patient dead; and partly because she didn't want Connie to catch it.
Rita closed her eyes. Once some of the brightness was shut out, the throbbing in her head did ease slightly, but then she started sneezing and had to open her eyes to find her tissues. As soon as she'd finally got her nose under control, the coughs started again, racking her whole body, the force of them almost throwing her into a sitting position. Once the coughing was over, she needed to blow her nose again and once that was done, she became aware again of just how sore her throat was. She felt like someone had been messing around in there with a scalpel.
How Cal had managed to get himself out of bed and all the way to hospital to see Ethan was a mystery.
But then Rita imagined how she would have felt if a phone conversation with Connie had ended with a scream and she knew she would go a lot further than the hospital if she was worried about Connie.
Rita closed her eyes again and tried to sleep. She thought it was going to be impossible, but then she suddenly found herself opening her eyes with the impression that time had passed. She also felt as though something had woken her up, but she wasn't sure what. She tried to lift her head, but this was painful and took more energy than she possessed so she let it fall back onto the pillow again.
No, there it was again. A strange sound; a sound Rita couldn't identify. A sort of tapping. Very faint, but definitely there. Perhaps it was a bird or something tapping on a window.
The tapping stopped and Rita heard a click. She didn't think she'd ever heard a click exactly like it, but there was something familiar about it all the same.
The next sound she definitely recognised. The front door closing. And that could only mean one thing.
Someone was in her flat and they hadn't used a key to get in.
Rita froze in her bed. She wanted to get out and find something heavy, just in case the intruder came into her bedroom, but she didn't think she was strong enough and she didn't want to make any kind of noise that could betray her presence.
She felt a sneeze coming and pressed a tissue desperately to her mouth and nose. She couldn't sneeze now. She couldn't. But it burst out of her with a force and sound that frightened even her, and then she heard the footsteps: the hurried footsteps of someone wearing high-heeled shoes and then Rita knew who it was; knew even before the door burst open and Connie came in.
"Rita darling, are you all right?" Connie hurried anxiously to her side. "You're shaking. Did I frighten you? I'm sorry."
"No, of course you didn't frighten me, sweetheart," said Rita. "I just had a nightmare."
"A knightmare? About Cal?" Connie looked sympathetic. "I had one of those once. It was terrible. He was wearing your uniform and a blonde wig, but then he took his clothes off and… no, let's not go into that. It's not something I want to think about and I really don't think you're strong enough."
"What are you doing here?" said Rita, staring up at her beautiful girlfriend and wondering if she was still dreaming. "And what are you wearing?"
"Do you like it?" Connie smiled and stepped back so Rita could get the full effect. "I thought you might like a nurse to look after you. After all, it's usually nurses that people fantasise about."
"I usually fantasise about clinical leads," said Rita. "Though not when Zoe had the job of course."
"Or when Dylan temporarily had the job, I would hope."
Rita had to laugh at the idea of finding Dylan attractive. "What would I want with him? He's a man!" Rita smiled as she looked Connie up and down again.
Connie was wearing a very short, pale blue dress with a white collar and a plunging neckline, which Rita examined in detail. She smiled even more as Connie turned her torso this way and that: it was clear to her that Connie was definitely not wearing a bra. The dress looked like it was just about long enough to cover her bottom and Rita caught her breath (and then coughed a bit) as her gaze travelled down Connie's thighs to her calves. On her feet were very high-heeled black shoes and on her head was a small, white nurse's cap.
"Where did you get it?" said Rita, awed.
"EBay," said Connie. "There wasn't anything decent in the hospital. I looked. All trousers. Not that you don't look enticing in yours, but don't you just yearn to see a bit of leg sometimes?" As she spoke, Connie lifted one of her legs, bending the knee and pointing the toe.
Rita sat up slightly to get e better view. She felt slightly dizzy, but she often did when she looked at Connie. "I'm always a bit disappointed when you wear trousers, though I probably get more work done on those days." She smiled at Connie, who immediately smiled back, letting her tongue sneak out to wet her lips, but then Rita was seized with a coughing fit and Connie rushed to her side, concerned.
"It's all right, Rita. It's all right, darling. I'm here and I've brought lots of things to make you feel better."
"Did you bring the double digger?" asked Rita between coughs.
Connie shook her head. "Oh no. I don't think you're well enough for that."
"How about the crystal jellies?"
"I'm not even sure if you could cope with those at the moment. I didn't bring the pump either." Connie kissed her forehead. "But don't worry. I didn't come empty-handed."
"That doesn't surprise me," said Rita. "As far as I can remember, you always have your hands full when you come."
Connie kissed her cheek. "Now, Rita, that's very naughty. You mustn't let yourself get overexcited."
"Maybe you should go home then," said Rita cheekily.
Connie looked severe. "I can see you need a firm hand. Luckily, I have two."
Rita shivered in anticipation, only for Connie to start fussing.
"You're cold, Rita. You should have told me you were cold. Let me tuck you in properly. I don't want to see any exposed skin apart from your face – no, that's a lie, but your health comes first."
Rita blew her nose. "I don't suppose I'm very sexy at the moment anyway."
"I wouldn't say that," said Connie. "There's something about you lying helpless in that bed that makes me want to do all kinds of things to you."
Rita licked her lips. "Like what?" she asked.
Connie bent over and picked up her bag from the floor, allowing Rita to enjoy the view as her dress rode right up to display taut, bare buttocks.
Rita started wheezing. "Oh my good God. I think my heart's stopped. I need the defibrillator, please, and lots of mouth-to-mouth."
"Just be a little patient, Rita…"
"I'm definitely a patient, but I wouldn't say I'm very little," said Rita.
"Of course not. You're exactly the right size in all the right places. And I spend a lot of time looking at bodies so if anyone knows what perfection is, it's me."
