Choking

Although the episode showed Nate finding out about Chris choking in Paul's penthouse and going to see him, they didn't actually show their interaction which could have allowed for some comedy and cuteness, so this is how I imagined the conversation to be.

Although Nate was usually an expert at maintaining his cool in stressful situations, he started panicking the moment that he received the phone call that Chris had choked on finger food. Usually he would have laughed at the irony that his boyfriend, who loved eating, would end up choking on food. However, the fact that Georgia had to perform the Heimlich manoeuvre on him suggested that the situation was pretty serious. Even though Chris hadn't been rushed to the Hospital and was instead being kept in the first aid room at the hotel, Nate was still extremely worried about him, and hurried through Lassiter's Complex so that he could be with him.

xxx

Nate rushed into the first aid room at Lassiter's to find Chris sitting on a bed, sipping some water from a plastic cup, face pale and body trembling slightly. However, when their eyes met, Chris' whole demeanour improved and Nate sighed in relief that his boyfriend wasn't as bad as he had initially feared.

"Hey" Chris croaked, then cleared his throat, "What are you doing here?"

"Terese called me and told me what happened" he explained before kissing Chris' head, "Are you ok?"

Chris nodded, placing his cup down on the floor and looking ashamed, "Yeah, I'm just more embarrassed than anything else"

Nate raised an eyebrow, "'embarrassed', why?"

Chris glanced up at him, "Because it was supposed to be a fancy gathering in the penthouse, and I went and choked on a canapé" he scoffed before rolling his eyes, "talk about undignified"

Nate sniggered, "How can stuffing your face with canapés and then choking on one ever be 'dignified'?" he pointed out.

Chris considered this and shrugged so Nate continued, "Besides, it allowed Georgia to prove that she's an asset to the Hospital"

Chris nodded, "Well I reckon that everyone already knew that"

Nate nodded in agreement and Chris put his head into his hands before groaning, "I'm never gonna live this down, am I?"

Nate held back a laugh and shook his head, "Nope, never" he joked before kneeling down beside Chris, wrapping an arm around him and gazing into the distance, "I can already see all the memes about this everywhere!" he announced dramatically, pointing ahead of them.

Chris pulled a face, "Don't even go there"

Nate nudged him, "I'm joking!" he reassured his boyfriend, "I doubt anyone even noticed"

Chris jeered, "You weren't there" he argued, "And how could anyone not notice a waiter almost choking to death and needing the Heimlich manoeuvre?"

Nate mulled this over, "Yeah, but with the Hospital stuff and the Erinsborough Festival going on, what happened to you isn't gonna be remembered" he assured him.

Chris looked doubtful, "You think so?"

Nate nodded, "Definitely" he replied, before pausing and smiling slightly, "Just as long as you learn to eat properly"

Chris looked outraged, "I was starving!" he cried

"Why am I not surprised?" Nate murmured, "I'm not even gonna point out how ironic this whole thing is"

Chris chuckled, "Well I've learnt my lesson" he replied, "When it comes to eating, it's gonna be 'slow and steady' from now on"

"Good" Nate nodded, "In that case, are you ready to go?"

Chris nodded and Nate offered his hand to help him stand up.

"Susan's made a load of treats for us to try before the Bake-Off" Nate began, "Do you fancy some?"

Chris paused and scowled at him, "Is that supposed to be funny?"

"No" Nate retorted unconvincingly.

However, after Chris shot him a disbelieving look, Nate smiled sheepishly, "Yeah" he admitted before grabbing his hand, linking their fingers together and leading him out of the room.

xxx

"Uh, Nate, not that I don't appreciate this but I only choked on some food, I've not got the flu or anything" Chris told him as Nate passed him a glass of water. His boyfriend had set up the sofa in the living room of number 28 with blankets, DVDs and hot water bottles. Chris was flattered by the effort that he had gone to for him but was unnerved by the sense of déjà vu that he felt.

"Don't argue" Nate instructed firmly, "There could still be complications like abdominal damage or something"

Chris shook his head, "They checked me over in the First Aid room and gave me the all-clear" he reminded him, "So except for losing my dignity and my appetite - for the first time ever - I'm absolutely fine"

Nate chuckled uncertainly, "But just to be on the safe side, it's better for you to rest"

Chris opened his mouth to disagree but Susan strolled past them, "Hey, just go with it" she called out, "You should be grateful. Loads of people would kill for a partner who took care of them like this"

Chris smiled slightly, "Yeah, that's true" he murmured thoughtfully, "And I know how lucky I am"

Susan shot them a quick grin before heading into the garden.

Chris shifted uncomfortably and Nate raised an eyebrow, "What?" he asked worriedly

Chris glanced up at him hesitantly, "Thanks for this" he replied quietly, "I feel like a complete idiot for what happened earlier but you've really helped"

Nate shook his head slowly, "That's not it though, is it? There's more to it, I know there is"

Chris avoided his gaze, "Why would you think that?"

"Because I know you" Nate replied simply, "And I know when you're lying"

Chris sighed, realising that Nate was right. One of the downfalls of being in a serious relationship was definitely the fact that your partner would know when you were lying, so it was difficult to hide anything from them.

"Look, it's not that I'm not grateful for you taking care of me" he began carefully, "It's just that for a moment it felt like we'd gone back in time five months"

Nate quickly did the maths to figure out that Chris was referring to October and realised what he was implying, "You mean just after your attack?"

Chris nodded, "Yeah. You looked after me and helped with my rehab, but remember what it did to our relationship?"

Nate looked puzzled, "I thought that it strengthened it" he replied, remembering that their relationship became much more serious, particularly following Chris' seizure before they admitted their love for each other.

"Well yeah, ultimately it did" Chris admitted, "But I was really worried for us back then. It felt like you became my carer rather than my partner"

Nate considered this, "I know, but what's that got to do with this?"

Chris shrugged, "It just felt like I was back there, you know? Being looked after"

Nate scoffed, "But this is completely different" he argued, "I mean, looking at you now, you wouldn't even be able to tell that you had brain damage a few months ago"

Chris nodded, "I know, but I hated being in that position. Knowing that I used to be able to do things that I couldn't anymore. I felt helpless, and I never want to feel like that again"

Nate was taken aback, and Chris frantically tried to explain and reassure his boyfriend, "I love everything you've done for me, but this is too much" he told him whilst gesturing around himself. Nate stared at the hot water bottles and blankets, realising with regret that Chris was right: it was too much.

"I just wanted to help" he murmured

Chris smiled slightly, "I know, and it was sweet. Thank you"

Nate shrugged modestly and Chris chuckled before leaning up to kiss him.

Thanks for reading! Although I was immediately inspired by the episode, it did take me a while to write this because I wasn't sure what I should cover, but I hope that it worked. Anyway, if anyone has any ideas for Chris related stories then feel free to let me know, and reviews are always welcome.