A/N …ok… so I know it has been like… wow… 2 and a half years since I updated this… but I didn't want to be one of those authors who have unfinished fics… so I found the start of this in an old file and decided to post again…
Hopefully it still has some potential to be a good wee fic.. keeping in mind I began this when I was like 14…
Anyway… I've tried to recap most things that happened in chapter 4 in this chapter… but if you can't remember it may pay to read the other couple of chapters… they're not very long so it shouldn't take too long =]
Right… enough of my rambling ;] on with the story :]
Although Lisbon had only been struck with a terrible case of food poisoning, various tests had still been administered to be sure that the dehydration hadn't damaged any of her vital organs.
Jane had been lying on the bed in the ER with Lisbon for over an hour, holding her while she slept. He could feel the heat radiating off her skin, and he knew she wasn't out of the woods yet. He lay there, stroking her hair softly, knowing that this would help keep her calm.
He shifted slightly. A slight cramp had begun to form in his right shoulder, but he couldn't release it without waking her.
He looked down at her pale face, and gently caressed her face with his fingers. While it had been many years since he had held a woman like this, he wouldn't want it to be with anyone else but her.
He had had to devastate her before she had cried herself into an exhausted sleep… she had had a fever dream, imagining they were married with twin girls. Jane knew how desperate she was for a family, and just how much she didn't want to be alone anymore. She had admitted that to him… and he felt slightly guilty for taking advantage of their close proximity. While he knew she needed the contact, he could find himself beginning to enjoy it a little too much.
Lisbon was his friend… his best friend. And while they had a great relationship, it was still extremely complicated. Sure he had feelings for her, but he had no idea how to distinguish those feelings. He knew he loved her, there was no doubt about that, he would do anything for her… but he wasn't sure what kind of love he felt. Even then, as he held her protectively in his arms, he wasn't sure if the heat coursing through his veins had any romantic feeling towards her, or if it was just a large sense of wanting to save her.
She was always saving him, maybe this was his opportunity to save her.
She had had a highly unstable childhood, and he was sure that even though she had her brothers at the time, she still would have felt incredibly lonely. And now, as an adult, she didn't really have anybody either. Of course she still has her brothers… and there's the team… but she doesn't really have anyone she can rely on one hundred per cent… and while he was lying there, holding her in his arms… he decided he would like to be that person.
Jane was roused from his thoughts when a nurse popped her head around the corner. He saw her smile at the pair, obviously thinking they were still married. She tip-toed into the cubicle, checking Lisbon's vitals and scribbling them down on her chart.
"If you'd like to wake her Mr Jane, a doctor will be along shortly." The nurse whispered.
Although the nurse was smiling, Jane could see a certain darkness hidden beneath the surface of her eyes. He looked at her suspiciously and she backed out of the room skittishly. Yup… definitely hiding something.
Jane focused his attention back at the woman sleeping in his arms. He ran his fingers gently along her cheek until he felt her beginning to stir.
"Teresa?" he whispered.
"Mmm?" she answered groggily.
"Time to wake up now. The doctor wants to speak to you soon."
"Mmmk." She said vaguely.
He felt her snuggle into his shoulder and he chuckled slightly at the action.
"Lisbon!" he said a little more fervently, although he still whispered to keep from startling her. He wasn't sure what frame of mind she was going to wake up in, and he really didn't want her to start crying again.
She stirred again, bringing her hand up to her face.
"Jane?" she asked quietly.
He smiled. At least she knew who he was… now to check her sanity…
"How are you feeling?" he asked kindly.
"Sick." She replied almost grumpily. "Jane…?" she asked again.
"Yes?"
"Why are you in my bed?"
Jane let out a sigh of relief. Obviously… and thankfully the delusions had stopped… but how was he meant to answer that one? You thought we were married and when I told you we weren't you broke down and fell asleep in my arms? He shook his head.
"Why do you think I'm in your bed?" he asked, turning the conversation back onto her.
"I… don't know? I can't remember."
Jane smiled sadly, slightly glad she couldn't see his face properly.
"You had a very high temperature… we had a bit of trouble calming you down." He said slowly. This was delicate… one wrong move and she could completely shut him out.
"Oh… right."
Jane sigh in slight relief at her vague answer.
"Would you like me to move?" he asked softly.
"Well it's not very professional…" she answered with a slight questioning tone. Secretly she was loving having him hold her. It made her feel safe.
Jane felt this sudden burst of happiness when he heard her tone… she didn't want him to move. But he could feel things beginning to get a little awkward and he didn't want her retreating into her shell again.
Being mindful of the IV in her arm, he wordlessly shifted out from under her, stifling a sigh of relief as the feeling started coming back to his arm. As he lay her gently back on the bed, he couldn't help but notice her grimace in pain when he moved her.
"Are you alright?" he asked gently.
She blew out the lungful of air she hadn't even realised she had been holding and placed her hands delicately on her belly.
"Yeah… my stomach… moving hurts." She offered him a small smile but he could see it was forced.
"How about the nausea? Has that lessoned at all?" he asked.
She could see he was genuinely concerned, and she felt quite comfortable voicing the truth, when he obviously cared quite a bit about her.
"Well no, it's still there, but I think they've given me some form of anti-nausea, because I don't feel like I'm going to actually throw up any more."
After sitting on a chair beside her, he had taken her hand in his, gently rubbing small circles on her wrist. She was quietly happy for the contact.
They sat there for a while in a comfortable silence before a doctor came around the curtain, carrying a clipboard.
"Teresa, I'm Doctor Howard. How are you feeling?" he asked kindly.
"Still quite sick, but a lot better than I was."
The doctor smiled at her.
"That's a good thing, your fever is beginning to reduce and the anti-nausea and saline drip will be making you feel more comfortable also, I'm sure."
Lisbon nodded her affirmation.
The doctors face turned serious.
Jane didn't like that look in his eye. It was the same sadness he had seen in the nurse. There was something they weren't telling them. He caught the doctors eye and flashed him a questioning look. Lisbon looked to be completely oblivious to the exchange until the doctor nodded his head.
"Teresa, when you were first admitted, you were extremely dehydrated, and it took a while for the anti-nausea and electrolyte bag to kick in. We did some tests… and I'm sorry to say that not all of them came back clear. You have Prerenal ARF… which stands for Acute Renal Failure."
Lisbon felt her heart drop to her stomach, and would have lost it, had Jane not squeezed her hand in that moment. She wasn't alone in this.
"Now while that may sound scary," the doctor continued. "this type of kidney failure, doesn't affect the kidney itself. It is reversible."
Lisbon felt herself relax a bit.
"So where do we go from here?" Jane asked for her when he realised she was too shocked to speak.
"We will move you to a ward where you will be more comfortable, and start you one a course of medication that will rebalance your fluid levels, and hopefully get your kidneys working properly again." Dr Howard said, still addressing Lisbon.
"What…" she cleared her throat, trying to compose herself a little more. "What happens if we can't fix it?"
"We'll come to that later, if we have to." The doctor replied. "Right now, we want to focus on keeping you relaxed and comfortable and getting that fever of yours down. Rehydrating you at the moment is the best thing for you, so hopefully we can keep the nausea at bay, and hope the vomiting continues to stop."
Lisbon only nodded in response. She had so much going through her head. What if she was to lose a kidney? She knew she could live without one, but they were both damaged… what if one kidney wasn't enough to keep her going? She might have to go on dialysis for the rest of her life… or get a transplant. She was a cop. She needed to be able to trust her body.
She vaguely heard the doctor say something about an orderly coming to transfer her to a ward. Once he was gone, she caught Jane staring at her, noticing he hadn't let go of her hand.
She looked worriedly into his eyes.
"Jane…"
"Don't." he cut in. "Just don't Lisbon. You're going to be ok." He smiled.
"How do you know that?" she asked in a small voice.
"I just know… call it a hunch."
Lisbon nodded, accepting that to be the best sort of comfort she could get from anyone. Considering Jane's hunches were usually pretty spot on, she felt safer having him with her.
"Lisbon… if you'll let me… I want to be there, to help you through this."
She smiled at that, looking down at their intertwined hands.
"Jane… I wouldn't want it any other way..." she looked up into his eyes, and found there was something else in there… something she hadn't noticed before…
She broke the contact and look nervously back at their hands, relishing in the warmth of their touch.
"Thank you for being there for me Jane… it means a lot to me."
Jane smiled at that. He knew how much it hurt her being alone all the time, so he was honoured that she had chosen him to be her support in this… sure he was the one who found her and was there when she found out the news… but he still liked to think, that even if he wasn't… maybe she would have asked him to help her anyway.
"It's my pleasure Teresa." He then did something that surprised both of them, he leant forward and placed a small kiss on her overheated forehead. He had to say he loved the shocked look on her face when he pulled away. "Get some rest Lisbon, I'm sure they'll be around soon to move you."
Lisbon nodded and obediently closed her eyes.
Jane smiled. She really was a remarkable little firecracker.
She was going to be fine… she had to be.
I hope you enjoyed that…after two years of waiting *hides :]
Please let me know what you think in a REVIEW… I need to know if I should just wrap it up fast or if it has the potential for a few more chapters.
Thanks for reading! And so so sorry about the wait! x