P/N: I am sp sorry that this took so long to update. I was having computer problems then I went to Vegas for a week, and they did'nt have computers at the hotel. Thanks for the wait!

Chapter 36: Fever (Ha! You're thinking sexual thoughts I know!)

"You and I must make a pact / We must bring salvation back
Where there is love / I'll be there
I'll reach out my hand to you / I'll have faith in all you do
Just call my name / And I'll be there

I'll be there to comfort you / I'll build my world of dreams around you
I'm so glad I found you, yeah
I'll be there with a love so strong / I'll be your strength
You know I'll keep holding on

Let me fill your heart with joy and laughter
Togetherness, well it's all I'm after
Just call my name / And I'll be there
I'll be there to protect you / With an unselfish love that respects you
Just call my name / And I'll be there" – Mariah Carey (I'll Be There)

Sydney finally conceded to eat lunch at about 4:00. She checked on Vaughn periodically and he was still sleeping every time she checked him. Donovan had retaken his place at Vaughn's side and he popped his head up every time she entered as if he were protecting his master. She smiled at him whenever he did this, and he would yawn and return to his napping with Vaughn.

Will had left a few hours before to pick up Francie, and they wouldn't be in until late tonight. She watched some more TV while she ate, and began to read a book she'd been meaning to for some time. She took a short nap herself and woke about 4:45. She padded quietly into Vaughn's room, and he was still asleep. She approached the bed, just to reassure herself and noticed he seemed to be sweating. His hair was matted to his forehead slightly and his cheeks had a slight red flush to them. She reached out her hand and placed it on his cheek and pulled it back alarmingly when she felt how hot it was to the touch. She ran to the bathroom and grabbed the electric thermometer and came back into the bedroom and tried to take Vaughn's temperature without disturbing him. She waited until it beeped softly and the display screen read 102 degrees.

Instantly, she remembered from the sheet that if he got a fever over 101, she was supposed to call the doctor. She ran to the phone and dialed Dr. Tom's number. Donovan leapt up, ready to protect Vaughn.

After more rings than Sydney would have liked, a rushed voice said, "Yeah…yeah…Tom here…"

"Tom, it's Sydney…"

"Hey, Sydney…how's Vaughn, is he follo–"

She interrupted, "He's got a fever of 102! He's been sleeping like all day, so I really didn't think anything was wrong, but now I checked him and it's 102! I don't know what to do!"

"Ok, let's stay calm…he had a muscle spasm this morning, right?"

"Yeah…"

"What did you do after that?"

"I gave him a bath…and he was really out of it for awhile after I gave him all that medication."

"Mixing the meds can make you a little…loopy…actually it can do that even if you don't mix them. It'll happen again, so don't worry about that. Did he seem tired?"

"Well, yeah…I mean he fell asleep in the tub…"

"He's going to sleep A LOT, Sydney. When was the last time he had any medication? Ibuprofen?"

"Oh, man…hours ago…before his bath…"

"Ok, fever's aren't good, but I'm not overly concerned at this point…he had a tough morning, and I bet his muscles are really inflamed at the moment. Since he's been sleeping, he hasn't had any medication; I think that probably why his fever is so high. Wake him up, make him take the medication and eat something…have him drink some water, as much as he can…keep pushing it…and monitor the fever. Keep him warm, even if he says he's hot and if by tomorrow morning, it's not at least down somewhat, call me again, and I'll come over and check him out. Ok?"

"Yeah, ok…I'm sorry I'm calling you all the time…"

"No, I'd rather you call than not…if you have questions, call…k?"

"Yeah, thanks Tom…"

"Keep me posted…and we've got like what six more days, and then I'll come over and check him out anyway. You call me and keep me up to date…don't start any exercises or anything, and skip the bath tomorrow. If he's asleep when it's time for medication, wake him up. You hate to do it, but you have to if he's going to remain comfortable right now. But let him sleep as much as he wants…Alright?"

"Yeah, ok…I got it."

"Alright, I'll wait to hear from you."

"Thanks again Tom, you've been so great!"

"That's my job…but I go out of my way for friends…I'll talk to you later."

"Ok, bye Tom."

Sydney hung up the phone and retrieved Vaughn's pills and a large glass of water. She went back into the bedroom and sat down on the bed. She placed the pills and the water on the nightstand and shooed Donovan off of the bed gently. He complied but looked rather miffed and trotted out of the room. Sydney placed her hand gently on Vaughn's chest; the shirt was wet under her touch.

"Hey, Vaughn, sweetie, you gotta wake up now."

His brow furrowed, but he remained asleep. She tried a few more gentle attempts, but he didn't wake up. She went to the bathroom and got a cold washcloth and returned to her spot, placing the washcloth on his forehead.
Some of the tension left his face and she prodded a little more forcefully. His eyes finally fluttered and he seemed groggy. His voice was full of sleep and hoarse.

"Syd?" he croaked.

"Yeah, I'm here…you need to wake up and take your medication…I waited way too long to wake you up. You've got a fever, Tom says you're supposed to eat something too."

She didn't want to startle him, but she delicately started to sit him up a little more.

"Mmm…not hungry…"

"You have to eat at least a little something…do you want to pick it out, or should I just bring something?"

She lifted the glass to his lips as he took the pills and helped him drink.

"You have to drink this whole glass of water…"

"Aw, man, Syd…then I'm gonna have to go to the bathroom like every five minutes, how are we gonna do that?"

"We'll figure something out, but you have to have lots of water…sorry, doctor's orders…" Sydney said in a stern voice. "What do you want to eat?"

"Bring whatever…"

"Ok…stay awake…" She moved to the kitchen and came back with several things. She was glad to see that he had managed to stay awake.

"Ok, what do you want, I brought pudding and applesauce…or I could make you something…I think Will got oatmeal the last time he went to the store…"

"What kind of pudding," he replied.

"Swirl kind…"

"Ok."

She opened and kept spoonfuls coming even though she could tell he wasn't really hungry. She smiled; she knew he was humoring her. That was fine with her as long as he ate. She made him drink some more water and his eyelids started to fall again. She was about to move off the bed and discard the remnants of his "dinner," when he opened his eyes again.

"Syd?"

"Yeah?" she said returning her gaze to him.

"Will you lay with me?"

"Sure, let me…" she looked down at him and decided that the remnants could wait. She grabbed another one of his tee shirts and moved to her side of the bed next to him. She eased the other shirt off and put on a fresh one, readjusted his sling and moved his pillow down again so she could lie down next to him. She turned the washcloth over so it would be cool again and covered his body with hers. He was still hot to the touch, but he was shivering slightly.

"Are you cold sweetie?" she asked softly.

"Yeah…a little…"

She pulled the covers up and adjusted his oxygen tube before she settled against him again.

"I'm sorry Vaughn…" Syd said shakily.

"What for?" he asked.

"I should have known to give you your medication. I shouldn't have let you sleep that long without it…this is all my fault." She sounded as though she might start to cry.

Vaughn tightened his grip on her, "Hey…listen, there's no way you could have known that…I would have let you sleep if it was you…it's not your fault Syd. You're taking great care of me…I have no complaints…"

She lifted herself up and looked down into the emerald pools before her. "Vaughn…"

"Yes?" he asked, eyes twinkling.

"I love you…you know that…right? I'd never do anything if I knew it was going to hurt you…"

"Sydney, I love you too, and I'm not even going to answer that question…c'mere." He pulled her gently and she responded, placing a soft kiss on his lips. She lingered there, tracing his jaw line with her fingers.

"You sleep now, ok…I'll do the worrying," she said seriously.

"Ok, Syd…but you sleep too…"

She lay back down and they huddled together. He stopped shivering and drifted off quickly. She watched him sleep for a while; it was rapidly becoming one of her favorite things to do. She reached up and removed the cloth, which wasn't really cold anymore and felt his cheek. It seemed cooler, so she set the cloth on the table and tried to get some sleep. She drifted off quickly, following Vaughn into the land of dreams. She prayed tonight he would sleep soundly, nightmare-free.