Disclaimer: I do not own the Fosters.
AN: As usual, thanks for reading, and reviews and ideas are always welcome.
Lena woke up early in the morning, even earlier than she usually did. She wasn't feeling all that well, but knew that she needed to get up and get going with her day. Today she had a mountain of paperwork that needed to be completed as well as several meetings. If she could just get through that, she would be able to finally have a relaxing evening with her girlfriend. She and Stef had only been together for about a month now, but she felt a connection to Stef that she had never felt with anyone else. On top of that, she loved Brandon and the time that they all got to spend together. Tonight was supposed to be their date night though and she never turned down an opportunity to spend time alone with Stef. Just Stef's presence was enough to make her very happy.
Unfortunately when she decided to get out of bed, she realized just how bad she felt. The minute she stood up, she felt dizzy before ungracefully flopping back onto the bed. Her head hurt and she was starting to sniffle. It seemed that getting bugs was a career hazard since she spend the majority of time in a building overflowing with children who seemed to be nothing but little disease spreaders. Now to top it all off, she was certain she was sick and it was on the one night that she had planned to spend with Stef. Stef had been working a lot this past week which had left essentially no time for them to see one another and tonight was their only chance.
Once she felt like the dizziness had finally past, Lena attempted to get ready for the rest of her day. By the time she had taken a shower and gotten dressed, she found that her throat was starting to get scratchy. It seemed like getting sick was always much worse when you were an adult and you had to just live with it and go to work. She managed to get a little bit of breakfast into her stomach before making her way to work.
After what seemed like an eternity of filling out paperwork, Lena took a short break and dug through her purse hoping to find something to relieve her headache and the ache she was starting to notice in her throat. At least the cool water managed to soothe her a little bit. Now all she had to do was get through a few meeting and then she could hopefully make her way home. The meetings too felt like they took an eternity and Lena started to notice just how hot the room seemed to be getting. Since they didn't seem to be getting anywhere on how to restructure the elementary school schedule, she requested a short break. About that time, she started to stand so that she could go grab her water bottle. Next thing she knew, she was heading for the floor as it spun beneath her and she was caught by Mr. Johnson, one of the third grade teachers.
"Lena, are you alright?"
"Um, yeah, just a little dizzy."
"Are you sure, you feel like you are burning up."
"I think I just caught a bit of a bug, that's all. I will be fine."
"Here sit down for a minute and I will go get you some water."
"Thanks, Peter."
As Peter returned with a glass of water for Lena, she was also greeted by her boss.
"Lena, listen we are alright for the rest of the day, why don't you go home and get some rest. You are starting to look like death and if you are still feelingbad tomorrow, stay home. No offense, but no one else wants a bug and we can reconvene the meeting after you are feeling better."
"Yeah, okay thanks."
"Sure thing Lena. Just get to feeling better."
That was the best thing that had happened all day. She felt miserable and couldn't wait to get out of there and now hopefully she could just deal with the headache caused by her illness and not the one caused by all of the bickering over policies and schedules.
"Lena, since we are done for the day, let me drive you home," Peter said.
"Peter, you don't have to do that."
"Yes Lena I do. You looked as if you were going to pass out on the floor, and on top of that, I want to."
"Okay, thanks. Let me just go and get my stuff."
"I will come with you," Peter said and the two headed off towards Lena's office.
Soon they were both in his car and headed towards her house. Once they arrived, Peter helped her to the door and wished her well before heading home himself.
Once inside, Lena made her way to the kitchen, making a quick cup of tea and then found herself heading for the bedroom. She quickly stripped off her work clothes and got back into some comfy pajamas before climbing into bed and quickly falling asleep. With all of the events of the day, Lena had forgotten to call Stef and cancel their dinner. This morning she was hoping that she would be feeling up to is so she just went to work, but as she got progressively worse, she forgot all about their plans.
Stef had finally gotten off work after what seemed like the longest shift of her life. Now all she wanted to do was get home and get changed for dinner with Lena. She was finally kid free and couldn't wait to spend some one on one time with her new girlfriend. Although they hadn't been together all that long, Stef felt like Lena was the one and only person she was meant to be with. So far they hadn't gotten around to the entire relationship experience and Stef was hoping that tonight would be the night that she would get to really be with Lena. She had tomorrow off and Brandon would still be with Mike so she was thinking that the timing couldn't be better. One thing she did have to admit was that she was a little scared. She had never been intimately involved with a woman, but she knew that Lena would understand and hopefully help her through it. Lena was good about that type of thing knowing that Stef was new to the whole being gay and out thing.
Once Stef made it home and got changed, it was nearly 5:30 so she finished quickly and made her way to the car so that she could pick Lena up.
Before making it to Lena's, Stef made a quick stop at the florist and purchased a nice bouquet of gladiolas hoping that Lena would love them. She then made the short trip to Lena's small house and it took her a moment to realize that Lena's car wasn't in the driveway. Stef was a little confused since it was almost six and they had made plans to meet here at six. Maybe she just got stuck at work. Stef waited in her car for five more minutes, but when Lena didn't pull up, Stef decided to give her a call. Dialing her cell number, Stef was surprised to find it just going to voicemail. She decided that she would try the house phone, but it was probably not a lot of use since it didn't appear that Lena was home. As expected the phone just rang until the machine picked it up.
Now Stef was starting to worry. She decided to try knocking at it was about that time that she realized that the kitchen light was on. If that wasn't strange enough, it seemed to be on and no one was answering the door. It was at that moment that she remembered that they had just recently exchanged keys. She decided that she would let herself in and see if Lena was home.
As Stef made her way into the house, she heard what seemed to be a powerful sneeze and some coughing. Closing the door she decided to announce herself as not to scare Lena by just walking in.
"Lena, honey, its Stef. Are you home?"
When there wasn't an answer, she made her way towards the bedroom where she heard more coughing. Knocking on the door gently, Lena looked startled to find Stef standing there.
"Stef, what are you doing here?"
About that time, Lena remembered the fact that it was the night they had planned for their date.
"Oh, Stef, I am so, so sorry, I completely forgot about dinner. I was going to call you this morning, but then the day got crazy and I fell asleep."
"Lena, its alright. I wish I had known that you were sick though."
Stef made her way into the bedroom and took a seat next to her girlfriend, automatically reaching out to feel for a fever.
"I'm sorry Stef. I think I just picked up a bug and I should have called. You should go so that you don't get it."
"Lena, I'm not going anywhere. Its okay that you are sick, you can't help it. Now I know that we were going to to out, but we don't need to go anywhere. I will make you some soup and we will just have a night in."
"Stef, you really should go. You don' t want to catch this and I am not a lot of fun right now. I'm sorry I ruined our plans."
"Lena, stop apologizing. Its not your fault and our plans aren't ruined. Plus, I live with a five year old, I am used to him bringing things home so I am not worried about catching whatever you have."
As if to make a point, Stef leaned down, taking Lena's face in her hands and gently kissed her. Next thing Lena knew, she was being pulled into a loving embrace. It felt so good to be in Stef's arms and she could just feel the love radiating off of her girlfriend.
"Hey, I have an idea, why don't I start you a bath, we will get you in the tub and I will go get some soup going. That way you can relax a bit and hopefully you will feel a little better."
"That sounds really good Stef, thank you for staying with me."
"Anytime my love. Oh, and I completely forgot,"Stef said leaving the bedroom and returning shortly with the bouquet of flowers that she had left on the table when she came in, "These are for you."
"Oh Stef, they are beautiful. Thank you."
After another quick hug, Stef made her way into the bathroom to get the tub going, adding some lavender to the bath to soothe Lena. She then returned to the bedroom, helping Lena up and out of the bed and leading her into the bathroom. They had yet to see each other naked, and Stef was a little unsure as to what to do when they got to their destination. As soon as she let go of Lena's arm, Lena started to sway. Stef grabbed her and helped her to sit down on the toilet seat.
"Hey, are you alright?"
"Sorry, I've just been really dizzy when I stand up and move around."
"Okay, I am just going to step outside and let you get undressed and settled into the tub. Let me know if you need me. "
As Stef started to walk out of the bathroom, Lena grabbed her arm, stopping her dead in her tracks. She turned around to find Lena looking so miserable that it broke her heart. However what Lena said next was enough to melt it.
"Stef, I'd really like you to stay. I could use some help, but I don't want to make you uncomfortable, so if you don't want to, let me know now."
"Lena, I am never uncomfortable around you. Let me help you get situated."
Stef reached forward, starting to unbutton Lena's pajama top just to find that Lena was unbuttoning her shirt. This caused her to pause and look questioninly at Lena.
"Stef, I don't just want you to help me get situated. I feel horrible and one thing I know that makes me feel better is being in your arms. I want you in the bath with me so that I can have that feeling. Is that okay?"
Stef didn't know what to say. This was certainly a first for her and she noticed the hesitant look on Lena's face when she asked. How could Stef deny the woman that she loved something that would make her feel better.
"Lena, I would love that, but only if you are sure."
"I have never been more sure about anything in my life," Lena said leaning up to kiss Stef softly on the lips.
The two women quickly finished undressing each other. Neither seemed embarrased and they both felt so comfortable with each other that it seemed like they did this often. Stef helped Lena over to the tub and got in first, helping Lena in and getting her situated between her legs so that she could lean back against Stef.
It was the first time that they had been in such an intimate postition and Lena couldn't help but think about how nice it felt to have Stef's naked body this close to her. The one thing that she didn't realize was that Stef was having that exact same thought. Stef brought her arms around the woman in front of her and held her snugly to the front of her body, occasionally planting a kiss on her exposed neck or shoulder.
The two women remained in this position for as long as they could, neither saying a word, but just enjoying this closeness. The only thing that cut through the silence was the sound of Lena's coughing which Stef attempted to soothe by rubbing her back and holding her close.
After about thirty minutes, the water was starting to get cold, so Stef reached out for the towels while Lena began emptying the tub. Stef wrapped her woman tightly in a towel before climbing out of the tub and drying herself. She then led Lena back to the bedroom where she finished helping the woman dry off and helped her into some clean pajamas. Stef quickly slipped back into her clothes and after tucking Lena back into bed, made her way to the kitchen where she found some canned soup to heat up. She went ahead and also made a cup of tea for Lena before gathering the food and heading for the bedroom.
Lena was sitting up in bed when Stef walked through the door carrying a cup of tea and a bowl of chicken noodle soup. She gratefully took the tea and took a sip, which helped to soothe her throat. Next thing she knew, Stef had returned with a bowl of soup for herself and a glass of water.
"Stef, thanks for everything. I really appreciate it."
"Anytime my love. I would do anything for you.'
"Well, I do have one more thing to ask, but please don't feel obligated, okay."
"Alright, what is it?"
"Would you consider staying the night? I know we haven't done that before and I know that I am sick and you probably don't want to catch it, but I really like having you here and being in your arms."
"Lena, I would love to. If you hadn't noticed, I don't mind getting sick. If I did, I wouldn't have gotten in that tub with you, but that was the most incredible feeling that I had ever had. I would love to have you in my arms all night and get to experience yet another new thing. I love you Lena, and I want to make you feel better. I might not be able to do that, but I can at least be here."
"I love you too Stef. Thank you. I don't know how I got to be so lucky. I can't wait to spend my first night with you.
"Lena, I am the lucky one."
With that, the two women finished their soup and found themselves curled up with each other in bed. It was true that they hadn't gotten intimate yet in the sense of sex, but this was one of the most intimate feelings that they had ever hand and both women knew that if this was all they could expect, then they would be more than willing to accept it. For now, they would enjoy this new feeling of closeness and hopefully soon, they would know what it was like to spend a romantic night together. All they knew was that they loved each other so much and each was enjoying the thought of a lifetime like this.
AN: Sorry that this wasn't the best chapter. It started out well in my head and then felt like it fell apart some, especially towards the end. I have been having some issues with writers block so any ideas are welcome as are reviews. As always, thanks for reading.
Endevour