Longer chapter after the short one. Hope I didn't shake you up too much. Please review.
Chapter Thirteen – Don't Take Care Of Me
Waking up had never been more peaceful. Wesley could feel the softness under his unshaven cheek. He could hear her steady heartbeat, her unique scent filling his brain.
Faith had wrapped herself around him like a blanket. Cocooned in her warmth, he didn't want to move. To wake up like this every morning would be heaven. His version, probably not hers.
He sighed and nuzzled deeper into her quite impressive cleavage. Faith groaned in her sleep, shifting to pull him tighter. Any tighter and he wouldn't be able to breathe.
Wesley heard Dawn and Connor approach. No sense them thinking that the grown-ups were getting it on, as Faith always so aptly put it. So when he pulled away, Faith rolled the opposite way.
Bloody hell, she'd been awake. The groan had been real. Explain that one to her, Pryce.
When the teenagers entered, they were on opposite ends of the bed, not near to touching.
"Morning," he croaked to the two.
"How's the side?"
"Better. Only a dull roar instead of an intense, searing pain."
Faith snorted beside him.
"I have more drugs for you, if you need them," Dawn told him happily.
"What did you give me yesterday?" Wesley said much too calmly, although Dawn jumped back slightly.
"Two Vicodan. Thought you needed something strong."
"Well, it worked. Help me up please while I go vomit up my guts in the closest toilet. Now."
Connor helped him up as gingerly and as fast as possible. After he lost the lining of his stomach, he lay back down and closed his eyes. Faith was still there, smiling.
"You big baby."
"Pain medication. Can't stand the stuff. Makes me quite ill."
"Thanks for not upchucking on the bed. Better now?"
"Much. You?"
"Hey, slayer healing. I'll be good as new by tomorrow, tops. Wes, we need to talk."
"And you need to eat. To get your strength back."
"Hey, barf boy. What about you?"
"We'll see if I can hold anything by this afternoon."
Faith bounced up out of bed, which jiggled his stomach. She looked down to see the pale face trying to hold it together. He would not lose it in front of her.
"Sorry. Let me see if we have anything for your stomach." She patted him on the head as she started to leave the room.
"I'm not a child, Faith."
"Well, I'm takin' care of ya. Whether you like it or not."
That's not the way it was supposed to be. He was supposed to take care of her, bandage her wounds. She was the slayer, for goodness sake.
Dawn entered with a bottle of water and something else in the other hand.
"No more pain medication," he growled at her even as the pain lanced through him.
"Just Pepto for your stomach. Faith said."
"Yes. Faith said." Sarcasm was so lost on today's youth.
After another nap and the medication, Wesley did feel somewhat better. Embarrassed by his weakness, but better. It was mid-afternoon by the time he finally woke up. Time to round everyone up. Just doing that by getting up out of bed would be a chore.
He sat up carefully. How many times had he been down in the past week? More times than he had in the past three months. He was becoming careless. Having other humans to take care of sometimes made one careless. And Faith had just added to that list exponentially.
Bracing himself against the wall, Wesley took it step by step. The hallway seemed to be extra long. He finally heard voices coming from a room to the right. Angry voices.
"Hurt him and you'll be sorry," Dawn's voice carried.
"Dawnie, I don't think you're in a position to threaten me."
Had the two females gotten into an argument regarding Connor?
Dawn turned to see him stagger in. Dining room of some kind. Two chairs and a small table. Faith had draped herself over one chair as only Faith could do. She had one foot propped up on the table. She looked relaxed, but Wesley knew better. He could read the tension rolling off her body. He'd gotten there just in time to save Dawn.
"Where's Connor?" noticing the absence of the boy. He wasn't up to refereeing the two.
"Hunting us some dinner. He'll be OK. He's good at that kind of stuff." Dawn actually gave him a compliment. "But if you tell him that, I'll deny I ever said it."
"Hey, watcher. How ya feeling'?"
"Like a truck ran over me, then backed up again for good measure."
Dawn clucked after him like a mother hen. "Sit down before you fall down. I didn't patch you up just to have you fall over. Man, how did you ever survive without me?"
Wesley eased himself down into the nearest chair. "It wasn't easy."
Faith eyed him up and down. "How many fights have you gotten in? Looks like you lost."
"Just two. One right after the other. Three months without so much as a scratch, then I find the three of you."
Dawn leaned against the fading yellow wall. "Hey, don't blame me. You're the one who took that flying leap. Should have blown his brains out."
Out of the mouths of babes. "Faith was too close. I didn't want to chance it. When's Connor returning?"
"Left a couple hours ago, crossbow in hand. I told him whatever it is, he had to clean and cook it."
"Don't think the boy will have any problem with that," Faith answered. She hadn't changed her position much, but the tension eased out of her body somewhat. She had changed clothes and washed most of the blood away.
"No water, I take it?" he asked Dawn.
"It comes out in a trickle. Don't think I'd want to drink the stuff though. Contaminated well water." Dawn grimaced.
He sighed. The blood caked to his body itched under the now gross shirt he had on from yesterday.
"I'll get you some to clean up though."
Faith still eyed him silently. Her mind must be whirling around at mach speed. He could see it in her eyes.
"My things?"
"I'll get them." Dawn left the room to get his bag of clothes.
"We should talk," Faith finally broke her silence.
"Yes. That's the understatement of the year."
"Please tell me that this is just too weird for words."
"You said it. I didn't. All true."
Wesley stood up and braced himself on the table.
"Careful. The table's a little wobbly," Faith said as she put a hand over his.
"Thanks."
Dawn came back with his stuff, giving Faith a not so nice look. He'd have to learn what their conversation was about later.
TBC
That's my explanation of why Wes hates pain medication. He declines it several times on the show. Go figure.