Despite Catherine's best efforts to reiterate Sara's delicate state, Lindsey was out of the car and scampering up the drive before she had even turned off the engine.
By the time she caught up, silently praying that Lindsey hadn't hurtled herself at the poorly brunette, she found herself pleasantly surprised by the sight before her.
Sara had fallen asleep on the couch and was curled up on her side, one arm tucked beneath her head and a soft frown on her face. Lindsey was sat on the floor beside the couch, being thoroughly examined by a curious little ball of fluff and clearly loving it.
Catherine smiled at her soft giggles and Maverick sniffed her face.
"Hey," she said quietly, so as not to wake the brunette. "Why don't you take him for a little walk down the road?"
Not needing to be asked twice, Lindsey hopped to her feet and snatched up Maverick's leash from the coffee table.
"Don't go far." She instructed sternly, although she already knew exactly where her daughter was heading – straight to her best friend's house two blocks over, to show off her new houseguest.
Alone, Cath moved to perch on the coffee table and brushed Sara's hair aside. To her surprise, dark eyes blinked open at the tender action.
"Oh, hey." She smiled. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."
Sara mumbled something and carefully sat upright.
"Where's Lindsey?" She asked, gathering her bearings.
"She's getting acquainted with her new best friend." Catherine smiled and Sara matched the action, nodding in understanding. "You must be starving, what can I get you to eat?"
"No, I'm okay thanks." Sara replied, but Catherine was already heading into the kitchen.
"I know you like pasta, right?" She called back.
Sara stood up gingerly and followed her into the room.
"Cath, I'm not sure I can eat now."
Catherine turned, taking in her pale complexion and uneasy movements. It would appear that her nap hadn't improved her nausea much.
"Honey, you need to eat something." She said. "It doesn't have to be much."
Reluctantly relenting, Sara slithered into a seat at the table. Cath nodded approvingly, accepting the movement as defeat.
Perhaps this wouldn't be as hard as she first thought. Or perhaps Sara was just too tired to argue right now. Either way, she would take it.
x X x
She looked up at the gentle tap on her door and smiled. Sara had fallen asleep again after eating, but was awake now and loitering in her doorway.
"Hey, you alright?" She asked, resuming doing her makeup.
Sara nodded, stepping nervously into the room.
"You heading to work?"
"Soon." Cath hummed. "Do you need anything before I go? I can make you something to eat, or run you a bath?"
"No thanks." Sara said awkwardly. "I might take a shower, if that's okay?"
Catherine appraised her carefully.
"Are you sure you can stand upright long enough for that?"
Sara smiled tightly, although something behind her eyes belayed the truth.
"I'll be fine." She lied.
"Alright." Catherine agreed, somewhat uncertainly, standing up and coaxing Sara towards her en suite. "But use mine, and keep the door open, just in case."
Sara rolled her eyes, but allowed herself to be ushered into the room. Not that she was that bothered upon entering it, as Catherine's bathroom was very ... Catherine. Truth be told, it was more luxurious than some of the nicer hotel rooms on the strip.
Catherine hovered in the doorway for a moment.
"I'll just be in here, if you need anything."
Sara nodded, visibly uncomfortable with this arrangement. Stepping back into the bedroom, Catherine pulled the door to, but left it open a couple of inches.
Resuming her seat at her vanity table, she kept one ear open for any sound which may be indicative of Sara needing assistance. Once she heard the water stop running, she stilled and listened carefully. After a whole moment of silence, she moved to the bathroom and tentatively nudged the door open, peering inside.
Sara was attempting to brace herself against the sink, while simultaneously holding the towel around her up.
"Hey," Cath greeted softly, moving closer and placing both hands on Sara's hips. "It's alright, I've got you."
Sara set her jaw, clearly uncomfortable at this invasion of her privacy, but Catherine didn't care. She carefully managed to prise Sara away from the sink and sat on her on the closed toilet lid.
To the brunette's surprise, the older woman wandered off, before quickly returning with a pair of pyjamas slung over her arm – one of the things Cath her stolen from her flat.
"What are you doing?" She asked, mildly alarmed.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" Catherine asked. "I'm helping you get dressed."
Sara blinked at her, unamused.
"Well, I mean, you can stay like that all night if you want?" Catherine gestured to the towel she was clinging to, cocking a knowing eyebrow.
Sara released a sulky sigh, allowing Catherine to help.
"You know, you're going to have to get used to this." The blonde mumbled, shaking her head at the scowl on her colleague's face.
"I'm not an invalid." Sara pointed out. "I am capable of doing some things for myself."
"I know honey." Cath smiled. "But you are sick, and it's going to get worse before it gets better."
"If it gets better." Sara muttered, causing Catherine to still.
"It will get better." She asserted, gently pulling Sara's damp hair out from beneath her collar. "But you need to look after yourself; and that means accepting help when you need it."
Sara looked down shyly as Catherine began tidying up around the bathroom.
"I'm ... not good at this kind of thing." She said at last. "But I really do appreciate this. Everything. I just don't know how to ..."
She trailed off, but Catherine knew what she was trying to say and smiled. Crouching down, she wrapped Sara into a hug, breathing in the scent of her own shower gel on her friend's skin.
"You're welcome." She mumbled, pressing a kiss to her cheek before releasing her.
x X x
Having checked on Lindsey, who had fallen asleep with Maverick's favourite toy clutched in her hand in a vain attempt to entice him into sleeping in her room, and deposited Sara back in the spare room to sleep off her arduous shower, Catherine sloped into the kitchen. She hadn't even got to work yet and she already felt exhausted.
"Oh, God!" She started, clutching her chest. "When did you get here?"
"I'm sorry." Lily offered unapologetically. "I didn't realise I needed to call ahead?"
Cath winced, suddenly realising what she had forgotten to do.
"Oh, I'm sorry." She pursed her lips. "I meant to ring you earlier, you don't need to babysit tonight. Sara's here."
"Sara?" Lily frowned. "Why?"
"I ... it's complicated." Cath shook her head. "I'll explain tomorrow, I need to go..."
"Catherine," Lily stood up, taking a step towards her daughter with concern on her face. "Is everything okay? You look stressed."
"Yeah, I ..." Cath trailed off, an unexpected tear escaping before she could stop it.
"Hey, come on." Lily took her arm and attempted to pull her towards the stools, but Catherine resisted.
"No, mom, I need to go to work." She tried to step back, but Lily held her strong.
"Be late." She instructed sternly. "Tell me what's wrong."
Since she didn't have a choice, Catherine sank sadly onto a seat, letting her tears start to flow unhindered this time.
"I'm scared mom." She whimpered meekly. "I'm really scared."