"You didn't need to do all of this."
When Neil arrived at the hospital this morning, he expected to find Audrey in her office. Their relationship was still very new and they were still keeping it on low radar. They couldn't arrive and leave together, nor could they be too demonstrative towards each other in public and this was driving Neil completely nuts. They had chosen to keep their relationship secret by mutual agreement, but not being able to show the world how much he loved her was getting more and more frustrating. He made it a habit to arrive a little earlier in the morning when they were sharing their shift and bring her favorite hot hazelnut latte macchiato. She would have offered him her best smile, the one she was keeping just for him and they would have shared knowing glances, full of love. He was looking forward to these little moments, especially when they hadn't had the opportunity to see each other outside of work for a few days. So he was disappointed to find her office empty, and even more surprised to hear she had called in sick for the day. Audrey Lim was never sick. But after the events of the quarantine, her immune system had weakened making her even more vulnerable.
He had started his shift as usual, trying to not seem too worried about Dr. Lim's absence. He had texted her to know if she was okay, but hadn't got any answers since then. As the hours went by, the more worry he got and he was starting pacing up and down like a caged lion. He had managed to hide it from his team the rest of the morning, and he was sure no one had any doubts – despite Murphy, maybe. But as long as the boy genius wasn't letting hints get away, Neil would keep playing it cool.
When the lunch break finally arrived, it sounded like deliverance to him. He was on call for the rest of the day, and had briefed his residents on the tasks left to do and the patients that needed to be monitored for the afternoon. They only had a few hours left and he was sure everything would be fine for them. He had – of course – told them he was still reachable by phone even if he had hoped they wouldn't do so.
An hour later, he parked in the driveway of Audrey's house, next to her Ducati. She absolutely had no idea he was coming and he was hoping she wouldn't be mad at him for showing up unannounced. He came out of his Tesla, a small bag in his hand and climbed the few steps before reaching the front door. He rang and waited a few minutes before Audrey came at the door. She froze when she came face to face with Neil. It took her a few seconds to realize he was really standing at her threshold, probably because of the lack of sleep and her clouded mind.
"Hey, you." Neil broke a smile.
"Neil! What are you doing here?" She finally said. Her words didn't sound like a reproach, but more like a pleasant surprise.
"I heard you called in sick this morning. I wanted to check on you and see how you were doing."
"Well, as you can tell, I'm in great shape." She rolled her eyes. She was looking pale, with bags under her eyes, her hair tied up in a messy bun and was wrapped up in a blanket. She looked miserable, and he felt bad for her.
"I brought chicken soup," he brandished the bag in his hand and leaned forward, before whispering "and macaroons."
She tilted her head with a cute pout, and softly smiled at him. "Thank you." She stepped aside to let him in. As he walked past her, she resisted the urge to grab him right there and snuggle in his arms. She had never been the kind of woman to appreciate signs of affection, nor to be the most tactile in a relationship but with Neil, everything was different. She had never felt this way before, and as time was getting by, she was feeling the need to touch him, kiss him, to feel his presence even more. But she wasn't used to this entire emotional outburst towards a man and she often slowed down her own enthusiasm. She was still learning how to let go with him. She followed him in the living room as he stopped his track to turn towards her.
"I hope you don't mind that I came by. I tried to text you, but you didn't answer so-"
"No, it's fine." She cut him off. "I forgot my phone upstairs and didn't have the strength to go get it." She flopped down on the couch, with a heavy sigh. Neil was following her close behind, and he put his hand against her forehead. Her skin was burning and from the look on her face, he was pretty sure she had a fever.
"Have you seen a doctor?" She glared up at him.
"Neil, I am a doctor." He snorted at her remark.
"Well, it doesn't hurt anyone to see a doctor. Not even for us."
She didn't answer and lied down against the cushion. Neil grabbed the blanket at the edge of the couch and laid it on her.
"I hate this time of the year." She mumbled as a shiver went through her spine. "Everyone rushes to the E.R. for the stupid flu and now I'm infected by their stupid microbes!"
"Well, you know what they say: the risks of the job." He joked and cracked a smile. "Stay right here, I'll warm up your soup."
"I'm not going anywhere." She mumbled again, with her eyes closed as she snuggled up in the blankets.
Neil would have never admitted it out loud – for the sake of his own life – but he found Audrey particularly adorable when she was sick. Of course, he didn't like to see her suffering, but she was cute being the grumpy one. He had taken his time to clear his things and get comfortable while the soup was warming up in the microwave. A few moments later, he came back to the living room with a bowl of soup and a glass of water. Audrey had fallen asleep on the couch, and he couldn't help but smile. He put the soup and the glass down on the coffee table and squatted down at her height. He watched her sleep peacefully for a moment. She was so beautiful, even with the flu, she was still irresistible. Every time he was thinking about her, or looking at her, his heart was swelling with love. He felt like a teenager again with the butterflies spinning in his belly. She was making him feel things he had stopped believing in a long time ago. When Jessica broke up with him, he saw his world collapse. He had seen his future darken and his dreams of starting a family shatter. It was still too early to think about that at the stage of their relationship, but deep down, when he was looking deep into her eyes, he knew that life would still hold many beautiful things for them. He couldn't picture his life without her anymore, and sometimes this intense love even frightened him. Was it possible to love someone so much without coming out unscathed?
He sighed, and tried to ignore his thoughts as he tenderly brushed some hair out of her face. He leaned down and dropped a kiss on her forehead, still stroking the top of her head.
"Audrey." He whispered. He didn't want to wake her, but he knew she had to eat something before she could take any pills. He waited a few seconds, but she didn't move an inch.
"Baby..." He whispered again, trying to take her out of her sleep. "Your soup's gonna get cold." She frowned slightly and groaned. She blindly raised her hand to his face and grope around to find his mouth. She put a finger on his lips to shush him, and it made him chuckle as he tried to hold back a laugh.
The next second, her hand fell heavily as she was completely exhausted and Neil quickly gave in to the idea of trying to make her swallow anything. There was no way he was taking her out of her sleep and he knew she would be too stubborn to take medication right now anyway. He was about to stand up and let her sleep when he saw her shivering again despite the two thin blankets. Without thinking twice, he straightened up and put one arm under her and the other under her legs. He easily lifted her and huddled her in the palm of his arms. As he walked with her towards the stairs, he felt her snuggle even more against him. She wrapped her arm around his neck instinctively and he could feel her breath against his skin.
"Did you really call me 'baby'?" She mumbled.
"Nah, 'must have been a dream." He teased her, not even hiding his smirk. Even though he couldn't see her face, he knew she was smiling too in the crook of his neck. She was no longer really sleeping, but didn't have the strength to move or even open her eyes. She simply let herself be carried by Neil, and savored the feeling of being in his arms.
Slowly, he reached the bedroom and gently laid her down on the mattress. She felt another shiver through her spine as her head hit the coldness of the pillow. He covered her with the bed sheets and tucked her in like a child. She frowned and carelessly hid the top of her face with her left hand. She had been suffering from a terrible headache since this morning and no medication had worked ever since. Neil guessed that daylight wasn't helping her soothe the pain and he rushed to the window to pull the curtains, plunging the room into darkness. He didn't care if they were in the middle of the afternoon, he walked around the bed and took off his shoes. He slipped under the sheets and came snuggling against her body. Audrey felt his arm wrapping her from behind, as he pulled her back against his tone chest. His warmth helped her soothe her shivers and it felt good.
"You didn't need to do all of this." She softly said, thanking him in her own way.
"I know." Neil stroked the back of her neck with the tip of his nose, and dropped a chaste kiss against her skin. "I'm just taking care of you because that's what a good boyfriend does. And I'm a really good boyfriend." He teased her, and he felt her softly laugh in his arms.
"Smartass…" She smirked, intertwining her fingers with his own and nestled even closer in his embrace.