Sicktember Day 7: Sneaky Temperature Check
Word Count: 921
Author: aquietwritingcorner/realitybreakgirl
Rating: G/K
Characters: Denny Brosh, Maria Ross
Warning: NA
Summary: Being the oldest of six, Denny's gotten good at knowing when someone has a fever—as well as finding a good time to check for it.
Notes: I do not feel like I wrote Denny and Maria well here, but I don't have time to try to write it better. Maybe in the next one!
Sneaky Temperature Check
Denny Brosh frowned as he looked at Lieutenant Ross. It wasn't the first time today he had frowned at her like this. In fact, he had done it often enough that she had snapped at him to stop doing it and mind his own business, which was a bit uncharacteristic. He had, of course, apologized, but it didn't mean that he had stopped watching her. No, it just meant that he was sneakier about it.
He was certain that she was running a fever.
Denny was the eldest of six siblings. He had been responsible for his younger brothers and sisters for many years now, providing for them and helping to raise them. He'd been through stomach bugs, viruses, colds, infections, broken bones, bumps, burns, nightmares, broken hearts and many, many other things. He'd become very good at telling when one of his brothers or sisters was faking an illness or hiding an illness.
Turns out, that experience transferred over to his colleagues too.
He understood why Lieutenant Ross didn't want to admit she as sick. They had been working this case for weeks, and it was finally pulling together. They were starting to find all the threads that were needed to catch the band of thieves, and after all of their hard work, he wouldn't want to be home either. The problem was, if she was sick, if she didn't rest, she was only going to get sicker and wouldn't be able to help at all.
Another thing Denny had become good at over the years, was sneaking up on someone to check their temperatures.
It was, honestly, all about the timing. If you snuck up on them without a good reason, of course the other person would be suspicious. But if they called you to them, well, then usually the other person was less on guard. He waited until Lieutenant Ross was concentrating hard on the file in front of her. He petered around for a bit in the background, making sure that she was focused, doing whatever she asked of him.
When she asked for a cup of tea, he knew that he had his chance.
He brought her the cup of tea, sat it down, and peered at the papers. "What'cha working on?" he asked her.
She gave a light huff. "It's the last report from the area of interest," she said, reaching to pick up the cup of tea and taking a sip of it. "I'm trying to see if the pattern h—"
Denny saw his chance and took it. She wouldn't jerk away with the hot tea in her hands, especially not if there was a risk of spilling it on the reports. She wouldn't be expecting it, because she had asked him close to her, so he would have the element of surprise. And she was sick, which gave anyone not sick an advantage.
She gave a squawk of protest, but Denny already had his hand on her forehead. There was no denying it—she was burning up. She was attempting to set the teacup down without spilling it and trying to find the words to scold him. He didn't let her get that far.
"Lieutenant Ross!" he said, carefully injecting just the right amount of concern into his voice. "I knew it! You've got a fever!"
She had sat the tea down by this time and was batting away his hand.
"Brosh!" she snapped out, clearly irritated with him. "I do not have a fever."
"You do," he said, taking his hand back and taking a step back as well. "I felt it."
"You had no right to," she said, grumpily.
She hadn't, he noticed, gotten herself up out of the chair to scold him. It was another sign that she wasn't feeling good.
"I figured you'd rather have me than Major Armstrong check."
Lieutenant Ross opened her mouth but closed it again after a moment. There was no denying that it was better for him to have found her with a fever then for it to have been the major. He was always a bit over the top with these things.
"You should probably go home," Denny said, his voice a touch softer. "Go home, rest, and see if you feel better tomorrow or the day after. If you don't, you know what the major will do."
"Ugh," She made a face. They had both witnessed the last time someone was sick at work and Major Armstrong had found out. It had been dramatic to say the least, and the soldier hadn't come back to work for a week solid, because of the fuss that had been put up.
She glared at him. "You're sneakier than anyone gives you credit for, Brosh."
"I do have five younger brothers and sisters," he pointed out. "I have to be good at this stuff."
She sighed again but stood up. "Fine. Fine, you win, I'll go home and sleep and take a day or two for sick leave. But I will be back to keep working on this."
Denny nodded. "Sure. I'll let Major Armstrong know. Take care of yourself, Lieutenant."
She muttered something as she left the room, but Denny didn't bother to try to catch it. His job here was done.
Well… actually, it wasn't. She still had all the files out, and if that teacup left a ring on the reports, Sheska would have his head. Denny sighed, but got to work, just glad that the lieutenant had listened to him.