I suddenly had some inspiration and wanted to write something. As per, I haven't even read over this since typing it, so apologies for any mistakes. Please leave a review if you liked it.
Sybil and Tom were going about their business in their bedroom, getting ready for work. Sybil had a ten-hour shift and Tom had an important international meeting in the morning.
"You're being unusually quiet," Tom noted. "What's wrong."
"Nothing, I'm fine. I just don't have much to say."
Tom didn't buy it, but he knew Sybil well enough to know that he had to give her space, and she would tell him whatever it was that was bothering her when she felt ready to do so. That is, until he caught her as she practically fainted in his arms.
"Syb, love," he said, as he sat her on the bed. He kissed her forehead and said, "Wait here."
Over the last week or so, Sybil had been having bouts of dizziness and faintness, and neither of them could figure out what it was. Pregnancy had crossed both of their minds, but the five pregnancy tests that Sybil had done earlier in the week suggested otherwise. It was probably just a bug that Sybil couldn't shift, but it made Tom nervous, and he was having a hard time convincing her that the best option was to go and see a doctor.
Tom came back into the room holding a glass of water and a banana.
"Eat this," he said, thrusting the banana towards Sybil. "Drink this," he put the glass of water in her hand. "And lie down."
"I don't need to lie down," Sybil protested, putting the water and banana on her bedside table. "I can go to work."
She reached for her shoes, but Tom pulled them out of reach.
"No, you can't," he said. "You're feeling faint. It's not safe to drive, and you get travel sick at the best of times, so putting you on a bus is only going to make things worse."
"I'm fine," Sybil sighed, trying hard not to show just how dizzy she was feeling.
"Sit!" Tom said sternly.
Sybil sat on the edge of the bed and shot a scowl at Tom, though it didn't last long. She was too busy trying to stop the feeling that her head was full of cotton wool and the world was spinning without her to put much effort into a scowl.
Tom knelt on the floor in front of her and reached over to pick up the glass of water and banana that he had brought upstairs. He put the glass of water in Sybil's hands.
"Drink it," he said. "I promise it will make you feel better."
Sybil sipped at the water little by little. Even the idea of tilting her head back to pour the water past her lips made her feel faint.
Tom peeled the banana for her and put it in her spare hand.
"Eat," he said.
Sybil took a small bite, followed by a bit more water.
"If you're not feeling better in twenty minutes, you're not going to work."
"I'm going to work."
"You're not going anywhere if you don't feel like you can stand on your own two feet without fainting."
"I'm fine," she said as she worked her way through the banana and glass of water.
"You'll be neither use nor ornament at the hospital if you faint," Tom said, intentionally making his accent slightly thicker. He knew that his accent was a weakness for Sybil. It was hard to resist any request of his when it came out in his Irish brogue. Then, in a gentler, more desperate tone, "Please book an appointment with Doctor Grey. You're a terrible patient for me, but if a doctor tells you to lie down, you might actually do it."
Sybil closed her eyes, trying to ward off the next wave of dizziness. She nodded softly, not wanting to make any quick movements.
"I'll see if I can get an appointment today," she conceded. "And I won't go into work."
"Do you need me to stay with you?" Tom offered.
"No, don't be so stupid. You've got that important meeting that's been planned for months. Go to work. Leave me here. I'll be fine, I promise."
Tom kissed Sybil softly.
"All I care about is that you're safe and well," he whispered.
Sybil smiled weakly. "I love you, too."
Having someone care about her, really care about her, was something that she was still getting used to. In her childhood it always felt like there were larger, grander entities that her family viewed as more important than the individual beings that made up the family. Having Tom care about her so entirely was something that she never knew she needed, and took some getting used to, but it was something that she'd never trade for all the world. They looked out for each other. They cared for each other. They loved each other. The rest was detail.