She woke up and in seconds the wave of nausea hit her. Though her whole body ached, she quickly ran to the bathroom and just let it out. She slid to the ground, feeling dizzy. She all ready understood she had some sort of sun poisoning, and she promised herself on the ground at that moment that she'd never go out in the sun again.
She didn't remember anything that had happened after she had laid down and put ice packs on her. She just barely remembered feeling something happening, and by the way she smelled, she figured he had put something on her to ease the pain of the burn. She was too sick to be angry that he dared touch her, actually, she might even go as far to say she was thankful for doing that.
She felt sick again, and proved it as she hurled up her last few lunches. She managed to flush the toliet, and wearily sighed, trying not to notice how much the world was spinning. She had to have a fever, because she felt deathly cold. Leaning against the wooden wall of the bathroom, she tried to ease her pain as best as she could by closing her eyes, which blocked her from her blurred vision which kept making her feel like she wanted to throw up a few more meals.
"Steph?" she opened her eyes briefly, her eyes glancing up at Jericho, who looked like he had just woken up. She mumbled something incoherently, or at least she couldn't understand herself. She felt a cool hand touch her cheek.
"You're burning up." she felt like laughing bitterly at how true that statement was.
"I have to.." she suddenly, more instinctively, pulled herself to the toliet, puking on a little on that occassion. During it, she felt him push the hair back, and when she fell back she opened her eyes to see him still by her side. "You're a jerk."
"Well, at least you can still tell who I am." he grinned good naturely, though, even though her fevered daze, she noted a hint of worry in it as well. "Come on, let's get you off this floor.." She didn't even bother to reply, knowing he would anyway. She felt herself being lifted, and then carried somewhere. She opened her eyes to see him grabbing clothing.
"I'm not going through your stuff." he explained, pushing her up into a sitting position. "But you need something to keep you warm I think, so here." She felt him push a shirt over her, and it was probably about a good few sizes bigger then her actual body. She winced, the fabric touching her burn, but let him put it on fully. She couldn't fight back anyway, even if she wanted too.
"I'm tired.." she mumbled. She felt him pull some sort of shorts onto him, then what she wanted--the feel of a pillow. Sighing lightly, she mumbled something again into her pillow, not really making any words, just making noise.
She kept hearing noises, like the sound of some kind of pan hitting the ground, and scuffling. She couldn't believe she was welcoming his care, but then again..she didn't have too much of a choice, did she? She finally felt herself slip into sleep.
***
He had been sitting there for hours, watching her sleep. She had gotten as sick as he thought she would, and she had been out cold for a good 4 or 5 hours by then. He put the rag he had been putting on her head to cool off the fever back into the bowl of fresh water, and reapplied it.
"You better not die on me McMahon." he informed her as she continued to sleep away. Her fever hadn't broken yet. "And this isn't a bit of my fault, you know. This is not going on my conscience. I'm helping you, I'm doing the right thing. I mean, I didn't HAVE too. Well, OK, maybe I did, but..whatever. Why the hell am I talking to you anyway? It's not like you can hear me."
He fell silent, watching her sleep. He couldn't believe that he, Chris Jericho, was actually..worried..about her. It had to be cabin fever, or something like that. Maybe the sun got to him too. She would just go back to being a bitch once she got better, he figured.
"Mm.." his eyes glanced up as he noticed her stirring. She opened her eyes, and he watched them seem to scan the area. She finally noticed him, and she blinked. "Chris?" Her voice sounded strained.
"Here, try to get this down." He reached over, grabbing a glass of ginger ale, that was thankfully around. She sat up slightly as he handed it carefully to her. She sipped it, then made a face. "I don't like it much either, but it'll calm your stomach down." She drank a little more, then Chris took it.
"I feel like shit." she whispered.
"Sun poisoning does that to you." he replied. "Listen, thank God I got you in when I did. Any longer, you would probably have needed medical attention, something we can't get."
"Thank you." she replied, wincing, probably from the burn.
"What, I'm not a jerk anymore?" he chuckled. "You remember who I am, right?"
"Remember me to strangle you." she smirked. "..After the world stops spinning.."
"You should be better by tomorrow." he explained. "Just rest now." he dunked the rag again, draping it on her forehead. She twitched as the coolness hit her. "You look better all ready."
"Then why do I feel like I'm about to die?" she squeaked. She obviously still wasn't very aware of her surroundings.
"Think of it as the stomach virus." he shrugged. She let out a large sigh. "It'll get better, really."
"I believe you." she murmured, sounding like she was drifting back into her sleeping state. He found himself letting out a small smile.
"Just sleep." he said comfortingly. A few minutes later, she was back asleep. He changed the rag one more time before walking out into the kitchen. Nibblers looked pretty hungry, so he fed the little thing a few scraps. He sat at the table and grabbed himself an apple, not feeling too hungry though he hadn't eaten for a good long while. He sighed.
"What are you looking at?" he glared at the squirrel that was looking at him curiously. "If you think I'm worried about her, you're wrong." The squirrel twitched it's nose. "I'm only helping her because I don't want to get blamed for her dying or something. Aw man, now I'm talking to squirrels.." He let his head drop to the counter, his hair splaying around his face, hiding it. He winced feeling the squirrel tug at his hair. "Will you quit biting my hair?" It tugged harder, and he raised his head. "I said--"
He watched as Nibblers hopped off the counter and into the room Stephanie was in. Blinking, he had a feeling he should follow, so he did. He walked in to see Stephanie standing, seeming to be trying to walk, while also swaying harshly. She really looked drunk.
"I have to go do things.." she mumbled, sounding half asleep. Jericho caught her as her knees buckled under her.
"I gotcha!" he said as he managed to pull her to her feet. "What did I tell you about resting?" She nuzzled into his chest.
"You're warm." was her response. He rolled his eyes, dragging her back toward the bed. He slid her back into it, and she didn't fight back. "I'm sorry." she whispered.
"For what?" he asked, covering her again. She didn't respond. She was asleep again.
She didn't remember anything that had happened after she had laid down and put ice packs on her. She just barely remembered feeling something happening, and by the way she smelled, she figured he had put something on her to ease the pain of the burn. She was too sick to be angry that he dared touch her, actually, she might even go as far to say she was thankful for doing that.
She felt sick again, and proved it as she hurled up her last few lunches. She managed to flush the toliet, and wearily sighed, trying not to notice how much the world was spinning. She had to have a fever, because she felt deathly cold. Leaning against the wooden wall of the bathroom, she tried to ease her pain as best as she could by closing her eyes, which blocked her from her blurred vision which kept making her feel like she wanted to throw up a few more meals.
"Steph?" she opened her eyes briefly, her eyes glancing up at Jericho, who looked like he had just woken up. She mumbled something incoherently, or at least she couldn't understand herself. She felt a cool hand touch her cheek.
"You're burning up." she felt like laughing bitterly at how true that statement was.
"I have to.." she suddenly, more instinctively, pulled herself to the toliet, puking on a little on that occassion. During it, she felt him push the hair back, and when she fell back she opened her eyes to see him still by her side. "You're a jerk."
"Well, at least you can still tell who I am." he grinned good naturely, though, even though her fevered daze, she noted a hint of worry in it as well. "Come on, let's get you off this floor.." She didn't even bother to reply, knowing he would anyway. She felt herself being lifted, and then carried somewhere. She opened her eyes to see him grabbing clothing.
"I'm not going through your stuff." he explained, pushing her up into a sitting position. "But you need something to keep you warm I think, so here." She felt him push a shirt over her, and it was probably about a good few sizes bigger then her actual body. She winced, the fabric touching her burn, but let him put it on fully. She couldn't fight back anyway, even if she wanted too.
"I'm tired.." she mumbled. She felt him pull some sort of shorts onto him, then what she wanted--the feel of a pillow. Sighing lightly, she mumbled something again into her pillow, not really making any words, just making noise.
She kept hearing noises, like the sound of some kind of pan hitting the ground, and scuffling. She couldn't believe she was welcoming his care, but then again..she didn't have too much of a choice, did she? She finally felt herself slip into sleep.
***
He had been sitting there for hours, watching her sleep. She had gotten as sick as he thought she would, and she had been out cold for a good 4 or 5 hours by then. He put the rag he had been putting on her head to cool off the fever back into the bowl of fresh water, and reapplied it.
"You better not die on me McMahon." he informed her as she continued to sleep away. Her fever hadn't broken yet. "And this isn't a bit of my fault, you know. This is not going on my conscience. I'm helping you, I'm doing the right thing. I mean, I didn't HAVE too. Well, OK, maybe I did, but..whatever. Why the hell am I talking to you anyway? It's not like you can hear me."
He fell silent, watching her sleep. He couldn't believe that he, Chris Jericho, was actually..worried..about her. It had to be cabin fever, or something like that. Maybe the sun got to him too. She would just go back to being a bitch once she got better, he figured.
"Mm.." his eyes glanced up as he noticed her stirring. She opened her eyes, and he watched them seem to scan the area. She finally noticed him, and she blinked. "Chris?" Her voice sounded strained.
"Here, try to get this down." He reached over, grabbing a glass of ginger ale, that was thankfully around. She sat up slightly as he handed it carefully to her. She sipped it, then made a face. "I don't like it much either, but it'll calm your stomach down." She drank a little more, then Chris took it.
"I feel like shit." she whispered.
"Sun poisoning does that to you." he replied. "Listen, thank God I got you in when I did. Any longer, you would probably have needed medical attention, something we can't get."
"Thank you." she replied, wincing, probably from the burn.
"What, I'm not a jerk anymore?" he chuckled. "You remember who I am, right?"
"Remember me to strangle you." she smirked. "..After the world stops spinning.."
"You should be better by tomorrow." he explained. "Just rest now." he dunked the rag again, draping it on her forehead. She twitched as the coolness hit her. "You look better all ready."
"Then why do I feel like I'm about to die?" she squeaked. She obviously still wasn't very aware of her surroundings.
"Think of it as the stomach virus." he shrugged. She let out a large sigh. "It'll get better, really."
"I believe you." she murmured, sounding like she was drifting back into her sleeping state. He found himself letting out a small smile.
"Just sleep." he said comfortingly. A few minutes later, she was back asleep. He changed the rag one more time before walking out into the kitchen. Nibblers looked pretty hungry, so he fed the little thing a few scraps. He sat at the table and grabbed himself an apple, not feeling too hungry though he hadn't eaten for a good long while. He sighed.
"What are you looking at?" he glared at the squirrel that was looking at him curiously. "If you think I'm worried about her, you're wrong." The squirrel twitched it's nose. "I'm only helping her because I don't want to get blamed for her dying or something. Aw man, now I'm talking to squirrels.." He let his head drop to the counter, his hair splaying around his face, hiding it. He winced feeling the squirrel tug at his hair. "Will you quit biting my hair?" It tugged harder, and he raised his head. "I said--"
He watched as Nibblers hopped off the counter and into the room Stephanie was in. Blinking, he had a feeling he should follow, so he did. He walked in to see Stephanie standing, seeming to be trying to walk, while also swaying harshly. She really looked drunk.
"I have to go do things.." she mumbled, sounding half asleep. Jericho caught her as her knees buckled under her.
"I gotcha!" he said as he managed to pull her to her feet. "What did I tell you about resting?" She nuzzled into his chest.
"You're warm." was her response. He rolled his eyes, dragging her back toward the bed. He slid her back into it, and she didn't fight back. "I'm sorry." she whispered.
"For what?" he asked, covering her again. She didn't respond. She was asleep again.