Chapter Three: Bedside Manner

Disclaimer: See Chapter one

Summary: Christ is shot; Neil finds that Fairlight is pregnant. Neil removes the bullet, but Christy goes into shock at the beginning of the operation.

A/N: This is PG 13, I know that the main plot of this chapter is considered "racy" during this time period, but hey, Christy hardly ever follows the rules, sides, nothing actually HAPPENED… : -P

Bedside Manner

Neil was starting to worry. The bullet had been removed, the wound cleaned and sutured, but Christy still had a raging temperature, was still in shock, and still unconscious.

He turned away from her unnaturally still body to make a bed for himself next to her bed on the floor. He wanted to be as close to her as possible, just incase something happened.

He then moved to get what little ice he had out of the icebox to put it of Christy's forehead. If I don't have enough here, I could always go get the snow, it's not like it would be missed. He wrapped it in a thick white linen cloth, so her face wouldn't get wet when the ice eventually melted.

"Neil-" Christy moaned softly.

Neil dropped the ice back into the box, not bothering to close the lid, and ran to the young woman's side. "Christy, lass, what is it?" he almost whispered in his Scottish brogue.

Christy let the tears that were building up from the pain fall freely. " It hurts, all I can feel is the pain."

Neil took her delicate hand in his paw-like one, and almost dropped it because it felt like ice! He felt her forehead with his other hand, and then moved on to other random flesh, the feeling was the same, ice.

" Christy, you feel like ice all over! You're probably going back into shock from the operation and high fever. I need to get you warm again, fast." He glanced around as the pale woman nodded, and saw the makeshift bed he had just prepared.

" Hold on, Lass. I'll be right back." He gently touched her cheek, and looked into her dilated eyes. " I promise."

Neil bundled up the blankets on the floor next to Christy's bed, and moved them to the floor next to the fireplace, adding the two quilts from the upholstered chairs as cover for himself and Christy.

"Christy, listen, I need to get you warm, and fast. The only way I can think of doing that is with body heat. You can yell at me later, okay?" He didn't wait for an answer; instead, he took the sweat-soaked blanket away from her naked body and picked her up.

" Doctor McNeil, what do you think your doing?!" Christy yelled hoarsely, a bit disoriented. She tried to pull away from Neil's grip on her, and stand up, but instead, fainted.

"Christy, don't push yourself lass! Just grab onto my neck…" He helped guide her obliging hands. " That's it, verra good, Lass." He praised softly, eyes full of concern.

Neil walked over to the blankets and gently laid Christy's disoriented body closest to the fireplace, temporarily covering her with the two quilts on top. He stripped down to his boxers, praying that he would be able to ignore his arousal and focus on Christy's health.

He carefully lay down next to Christy, lifting the blankets and pulling her towards him, shivering against her ice-like body. He rubbed his warm hands briskly over her arms and back, trying to circulate the blood in her veins.

Soon, Christy began to respond to his touch, her body became warmer. She drowsily cuddled up close to him, tucking her head under his chin and laying her right hand on his bare-chested heart. They both soon fell into a content sleep in each other's arms.

Christy awoke alarmed. She could feel two strong arms around her waist, and then realized she was naked. She tried to get up, but as soon as she moved, the arms tightened, and piercing pains near her shoulder made her fall back and scream.

The body next to her shot up, revealing his state of dress, and yelled her name.

" Lass, what's wrong, are you bleeding again?!" Neil immediately went to check the wound, but a soft, warm hand stopped him.

"Neil?" Christy questioned, her eyes full of confusion and mistrust.

He softly cupped her cheek in his hand and smiled softly when her eyes slowly closed to relish his touch.

" Your hurt lass. I suspect you were near a still, and a drunken man shot you without question. I think you passed out in the snow, because when I found you, there was a huge blood trail, and you were buried in the snow. I had to get you warm, immediately. I removed the bullet first though, and you spiked a fever. I went to get ice, and when I came back, you were unconscious and colder than the ice I had. I figured the fastest way to get you warm was body heat." He removed his hand from her face and sat up while saying, "I'll understand if you want to end our friendship, I took advantage of you, I apologize."

The arm that was originally resting against his chest was presently latched around his waist, pulling him down to the pillows. "Neil, I may be hurt, but I am fully up to making my own decisions, and your right, I don't want a friendship anymore. I want something else." She sat up, ignoring the pain in her shoulder, and put her face inches away from his. " Stay with me."

A/N: I know, I know! Cheesy, unrealistic. Blah Blah, Woof Woof… I figured that Christy being as forward as she is, and as stubborn, that she wouldn't be shy, like some people portray her as.

You know the drill, you review, I write…

-Katie