Delia was suddenly aware of her senses.
She was curled in fetal position and lay next to Patsy, who she could hear breathing next to her. Delia curled her toes and discovered that she was wearing fuzzy socks; a pleasant surprise, but she did not recall putting them on. Too content to move, and feeling actually a little woozy, Delia lay there, dreading the upcoming surgery.
She felt Patsy stir.
"Pat-sy," Delia slurred, finding her tongue to feel thick and numb.
The movement froze.
"Deels?" Patsy mumbled back, probably just then waking up.
"I don' wanna go to-day," Delia garbled, eyes firmly shut.
"Go where, sweetie?" Patsy questioned, sounding more awake.
"The sur-gery," she said, exasperated. There was an odd pause.
"Delia, you've already had the surgery," Patsy said back, sounding both surprised and amused.
"…huh?"
"Yes. You are waking up from it now."
For the first time, Delia cracked an eye open to glower at her wife. Patsy's face took a moment to come into focus, but when it did, Delia's eyes widened. They were not in their bedroom. The brunette looked down at her hands and saw the IV plastered to the back of her hand, and the clamp on her forefinger. As realization and memories began to flood back, Delia raised her eyebrows.
"…oh," she said softly. Patsy smiled ruefully back at her, her face barely visible in the dimness. Patsy stroked Delia's cheek with her thumb. Delia leaned into the touch, her muscles cramping from being in the same position for so long.
"What happened?" the brunette asked softly as Patsy scooted even closer, resting a hand on Delia's elbow.
"You were brilliant," Patsy purred, "The doctor says he'll look at the tests tomorrow, but he thinks he got all of it."
Delia smiled sleepily.
Patsy moved closer and gently kissed Delia, the brunette's lips still numb and sluggish as she tried to kiss back. When the ginger pulled back, Delia went to move her arms, but then seemed to decide against it.
A concerned look flashed across Patsy's face.
"Are you in pain?" Patsy asked anxiously.
"No."
Okay, that was partially a lie.
When Delia went to move her upper limbs, she became aware of the left side of her chest beginning to ache, as if someone had taken a sledgehammer to it. Patsy frowned, not believing her wife.
"I can ring for a nurse, Deels, you can get more morphine."
"Well, allow me some time with you sober," Delia scoffed, using her right hand to tug at Patsy's shirt. With a smirk, Patsy complied and crawled even closer, until their bodies were flush against each other. Patsy placed an arm underneath Delia's head and the brunette used it as a pillow, her own hand trailing along Patsy's side. With her free hand, Patsy wriggled underneath Delia's thick blanket, her bare feet brushing up against Delia's legs.
"You're feet are freezing," Delia complained.
"Well, I'm sorry, I forgot to ask for fuzzy socks," Patsy said sardonically, adding a playful smile as she tucked her feet beneath a fold of the blanket.
"What time is it?" Delia asked, suppressing a yawn. The ginger glanced at her wristwatch.
"Eleven," she whispered, snuggling closer to Delia.
"How's…how's Ellie?" Delia asked hoarsely. Patsy's fingers idly stroked Delia's tresses thoughtfully.
"I think she's okay," Patsy said slowly, "She got some sleep during the surgery, but I could tell she was a little freaked out."
Delia's face fell.
"I miss her," Delia whimpered.
"I do too," Patsy sighed, "but right now, you need to focus on getting better."
Delia rolled her eyes, but fell silent. She could now feel her heart beat throbbing as the ache from her chest began to fall in waves.
"Deels…" Patsy murmured, seeing her wife wince.
"Maybe now's a good time for that morphine," Delia whispered wryly. Patsy leaned back and pressed a buzzer on the wall.
"I'll have to make out of here like Speedy Gonzales," Patsy said, beginning to disentangle their limbs.
"Pats, no," Delia said sharply, "We just got comfortable."
The ginger stopped and spared her wife a scandalous look.
"We are breaking hospital rules," Patsy said neutrally.
"And I had cancer surgery," Delia sniffed, "Forgive me if I don't give a damn about hospital regulations."
Patsy flashed the other a smile before snuggling back and wrapping her in a hug. Pressing their foreheads together, Delia hummed happily, despite the growing ache in her chest. Several seconds later, the door creaked open and a nurse slipped inside.
She seemed to take a moment to absorb the scene, and then decided to not address it.
"Time for more morphine?" she asked gently.
"Please," Patsy said, smiling softly.
The nurse disappeared momentarily before returning with a syringe and a large glass vial. She upturned the vial and extracted a sizable amount of morphine before approaching Delia's IV stand.
"This should last you all night," she said, removing the cover off the port in the line, "If not, we'll switch to Norco." Patsy and Delia raised their eyebrows at this.
The nurse inserted the needle and pushed the plunger down before removing it and replacing the cover.
"There you go! Have a good night!"
"Thank you," Patsy murmured, watching as a glazed look came over Delia.
The nurse left and Patsy leant forward to capture Delia's numb lips with hers.
"Good night, my love," Patsy said softly, sadly.
"Pats…" Delia whimpered drowsily, a fog encompassing her and making everything fuzzy.
"I'll be right here when you wake up, darling, don't you worry," Patsy breathed, leaning in for another kiss.
"Car-i-ad, I… 'uv… ooooh…" Delia slurred, eyes fluttering as she struggled to keep them open.
"I love you too, so, so much."
"Pa…'sy." Delia said softly. Patsy pressed their bodies flush against each other and kissed the tip of Delia's nose before placing her forehead against the brunette's.
"I'm right here," Patsy murmured, "Now go to sleep."
Delia only managed a soft, indignant snort before going silent, her breathing deepening as she fell into a deep, drug-induced sleep.