Chapter 15
Lip tries not to obsess about how high Charlie's fever is, but he is very uneasy seeing her unresponsive for so long. He attempts to pass the time by answering all the texts he receives, but it only adds to his frustration. He considers going out for another cigarette, but would really prefer not to give into that old habit. He scoots the chair closer to the bed, and stretches his arm across Charlie's shins. He lays his head on his arm, so he can still see her.
Finally, Lip succumbs to all the mental stress of the day and falls asleep. A different nurse comes through the night to check on Charlie's temperature, and it stops rising.
About 8 a.m., the nurse that first saw them the day before comes in. She places a hand on Lip's shoulder and he startles awake. "Good morning," the nurse says in a chipper voice.
"Morning?" It takes him a minute to get his bearings. He raises his head and sees Charlie, still asleep. "What's her temperature?!" Lip demands, realizing it's been hours and he hasn't a clue if she's better or worse.
"103.5, she's probably past the worse of it," the nurse says lightly.
"How do you know it won't go up again?" Lip asks quizzically.
"It could, but generally when the body gets the upper hand, it continues in that direction as long as the person keeps resting. Charlie seems to be resting more comfortably now than she was yesterday."
Lip sees Charlie rolled onto her side, like she normally sleeps. "Yes, she does."
"Go get some breakfast, or do something else to get out of here. Come back in a couple of hours, and she might be awake by then," the nurse encourages Lip.
Lip decides she might be right, and grabs his coat and scarf. When he steps outside the building, he absent-mindedly lights another cigarette. He stands on the stairs, staring out at the snow in the morning light, thinking about the last eighteen hours. He looks down at the cigarette in his hand, and purposefully stomps it out on the concrete. He tosses the mostly full pack into the trash can.
Lip heads back to the dorms, showers, and retrieves their books from Robert. He gives Robert an update on Charlie, and Robert decides to swing by the infirmary before his study group meets.
"We are going to work on the Hydraulics problem set. Do you want to join us?" Robert reminds Lip of the problem set due Monday.
"Nah, I want to get back to Charlie. I'll work on them, but if I get stuck, can I find you tonight?" Lip asks. The group really watches out for each other.
"Sure. Or tomorrow. I have plans with a female tonight – no offense."
Lip chuckles, "None taken." He remembers that Robert generally stays busy on Saturday nights with one of his many lady friends.
Lip gathers his books and notes and heads back to the infirmary.
When he enters the room, Charlie is still asleep. The nurse is there, and lets Lip know that her temperature is down to 102 degrees. "It's really good that you brought her in yesterday. I think we have her down to something more manageable now. When she wakes up, we can probably release her."
That is good news. Lip relaxes more. He decides to spread his Hydraulics book and notes along the side of the bed in front of Charlie. He scoots the chair back up, and starts working on the problem set. He says the problems out loud, just as he would if they were working together. He manages the first and second problem, but gets stuck on the third. He repeats the problem out loud twice, hoping he can make sense of it. Suddenly, he hears in a soft voice, "Use the Bernoulli equation." He quickly looks up at her, and she hasn't opened her eyes, but Charlie is awake.
Lip laughs. "Yes, the Bernoulli equation. That'll work." He puts his hand on her hip and gives her a shake. "Hey you, welcome back." At that point, Charlie opens her eyes.
"Welcome back? Where have I been?"
"Asleep for almost a day. You gave us a bit of a scare last night. Your fever kept going up."
"I've been here since yesterday?"
"Yep."
"And you?"
"Here, until this morning. Your fever finally started going down, so I went and got our books. I figured as soon as you felt half better you'd start asking about what is due Monday. I know how you don't like to get behind." Lip teases her.
"You were here all night? I'm sorry. I haven't been sick in a very long time. It just kind of pulled the rug out from under me." Charlie apologizes.
"Don't be sorry. The doctor said you being run down is probably why you got so sick. You still have a 102 degree fever, but it's manageable, and as long as you continue to rest, you should be fine. I guess I'll have the arduous task of making sure you do that for the next couple of days." Lip feigns defeat, like it's the hardest thing he'll ever do.
"Well, before that, write down Bernoulli's equation and let's get that problem finished."
Lip laughs. "It's good to have you back!"
Charlie is smiling and Lip is laughing when the nurse returns. She takes Charlie's temperature, and it's still 102 degrees. "Well, we can release you now, but you really need to take care of yourself with lots of rest and fluids so you don't end up back here."
"It seems I have a caretaker who is going to insist on both of those things." Charlie says matter-of-factly, looking at Lip.
"Yep, I'll tie her down if I have to." Lip winks as he looks at Charlie.
The nurse laughs at the implication. "We don't need to go into details, but make sure she RESTS!"
Lip packs up their books, and waits in the lobby while the nurse helps Charlie get dressed. When the nurse hands Charlie her coat and scarf, she remarks, "He was really worried about you last night. He really loves you."
Charlie has a look of contentment on her face as she smiles. "Yeah, he does, doesn't he?"
Lip and Charlie slowly make their way back across campus to the dorms. Charlie's roommate is gone for the weekend, so Lip takes it upon himself that he'll be staying in Charlie's room to keep an eye on her.
"Chicken soup and rest for you. The doc's orders, and mine."
"I need a shower. I feel like I've been sweating for a week." Charlie says as she removes her coat.
"You practically have. We can make that happen. Put your heavy robe on so you don't get chills on the way down there."
Charlie starts to remove her clothes. After she removes her boots and pants, Lip sees how weak she is when she plops on the bed to do the rest. He hands her the robe, and says "Hold on a second."
Lip walks down to the common room and retrieves a plastic chair. He heads to the hall shower area and puts the chair in one of the stalls. He goes back to Charlie's room and gets her and two towels.
"Two towels?" Charlie asks.
"Yep, you will be having a guest." Lip informs her.
"Oh, just like Vegas," Charlie weakly smiles.
"Not quite. REST, remember?"
They go down the hall, and luckily there aren't too many people in the co-ed bath area. They step into the stall with the chair, and Lip hangs their clothes on the hooks outside the shower. Charlie sits in the chair, but wraps her arms around herself to protect her body from the cold. Lip quickly turns on the warm water and pulls her up to him to warm her by wrapping his arms around her. Charlie lays her head on Lip's shoulder and relaxes in his arms. "Nice," she says.
They stand like that for a short time, and then Lip tells her to sit so he can wash her hair. Charlie obeys his request.
While Charlie is sitting in the chair with her back to Lip, he puts shampoo in his hands and starts massaging Charlie's scalp. She puts her head back, closes her eyes and succumbs to the feeling of being pampered. "Thank you," she quietly says to Lip.
"You are welcome." He kisses her forehead, and hesitates for a second before continuing. "You really scared me last night Charlie, and I had some time to think."
Charlie starts to respond and Lip stops her. "Shhh, don't say anything, just listen." He continues shampooing her hair. "I hope you understand that it's kind of hard for me to say how I feel." Lip doesn't feel as vulnerable since he's not looking into Charlie's eyes while he continues. "But I want you to know, need you to know, that I'm in love with you Charlie. I'm sure I have been for a while now, but I realized that night that I need to make sure you know that."
Charlie doesn't open her eyes, but smiles as she says quietly, "I know."
Lip smiles to himself while he rinses Charlie's hair and continues to soap her down and rinse her off while she sits languidly in the chair. When she is all rinsed, he turns off the water and quickly grabs a towel for her so she doesn't get cold. He dries her himself, then puts the towel around her tightly for a second as he pulls her toward him to warm her again with his body. When he releases her, Charlie looks into Lip's eyes and returns the sentiment. "I love you too, Lip Gallagher."
(to be continued...)
