"Hunter. Hunter, wake up."

"McCall?" Hunter lifted his head from the pillow and fuzzily remembered the storm and the fact that she was spending the night on his couch.

"Hunter, I'm freezing. I need more blankets."

"You can't be that cold. This isn't the North Pole." He turned on the bedside light. She was slumped against the door frame, wrapped in a quilt, but her pale face was flushed. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and started towards her.

"Well, I am. Just tell me where the blankets are, huh? What are you doing?" Hunter was looking her straight in the eyes and had placed the back of his hand on her forehead.

"You're burning up," he announced.

"No, I'm freezing," she insisted, close to tears. "And exhausted. I want to go back to sleep."

"You have a fever," he told her as if she were a child. "You're sick. Go sit on the bed. I have a thermometer around here somewhere." He guided her to his king size bed before heading into the bathroom. A minute later he emerged with a thermometer in his hand. "Put this under your tongue," he instructed, "and don't take it out 'til it beeps."

McCall did as she was told. After taking it out she squinted at it briefly and then handed it to him. "I can't read those numbers.

103.8. That's a fever. A pretty high one. That would explain why you're feeling so frigid. Never fear, I found some aspirin in my search for the thermometer." He went back into the bathroom and returned with a glass of water and pills. "Drink that whole thing. Don't want you to get dehydrated." She glared at him, but took the pills. "Now, any other symptoms?" he continued. "Sore throat? Headache? Stomach pains? Is there a chance you may barf up a lung?"

"No!" she exclaimed. "I'm worn out, I ache, and I'm freezing cold. Just give me some blankets and let me go back to sleep," she whined.

"Not with a fever," he said. "Your body's already overheated." He looked at his partner, practically falling asleep sitting up, wrapped up in two quilts, still shivering, and his heart went out to her. "Give me those and get under the covers,"he told her, pulling them back. She gingerly laid down on his bed. "A sheet, a blanket, and two quilts," he listed as he covered her with each one. "That should be enough to warm

you up. Of course, if you really wanted to get warm, body heat would be much more effective." He grinned.

"Careful," she replied, giving him a dirty look, 'there's a chance

I may barf up a lung." She burrowed into the covers and closed her

eyes. " I really didn't mean to take over your bed,"she added in a small voice.

"I think that's been your plan from day one, McCall," he joked.

Then to reassure he said, "It's fine. I'll be here if you need anything."

Hunter woke up a little before eight the next morning. His partner was still sound asleep. He decided not to wake her, hoping the chance to rest would cure whatever was ailing her. He got up silently, grabbed a change of clothes, and headed downstairs.

After a run on the beach, a shower and a cup of coffee with the morning paper, Hunter felt a little at loose ends. He wasn't used to feeling so responsible for someone. And he was more than a little concerned about her fever. For lack of anything else to do, and for his own peace of mind, he went back up into the bedroom to check

on her. He sat down carefully on the side of the bed and felt her still-flushed cheek. The movement must have woken her.

"Hunter? What...?" Her eyelids fluttered and she started to sit up. "Whoa." She put her head back on the pillow. "Dizzy. God, I feel like crap."

"Try just opening your eyes," he advised her. This she was able to manage. "That work?" She nodded. " I'm going to take your temperature again." He retrieved the thermometer. "You know the drill,"he said, handing it to her. They both waited the allotted time, and when it beeped she gave it back to him. "102.9. Lower, but not by much."

"So give me some more aspirin and let me go back to sleep. I am so tired," she said, rubbing her eyes.

"Not so fast," he said as he handed her the pills. "How are you feeling?"

"Rotten."

"I mean, do you maybe need to go see a doctor?"

"Hunter, no. I just want to sleep. Didn't someone at work have that 24 hour thing? That's probably what that is. The doctor would just tell me to go home and rest. And I'm doing that. Except for the home part." She felt a little guilty about being at his place, but was really in no condition to care. "Please just let me go back to sleep,"she begged.

"Okay, but first you're going to drink some water. And then I will let you sleep. But I will be back in exactly," he paused as he looked at the medicine bottle, "four to six hours to check on you again. How do they get the print so tiny on this label?"

"I have no idea," McCall answered as she closed her eyes again. "I'm going to sleep on it."

While Hunter didn't really like the idea of leaving his partner alone in this condition, he knew if he stayed in the house much longer he would go stir crazy. Thinking it would help both of them out, he decided to go see if there was anything he could do to get her car up and running again. Pulling into the parking lot of the strip mall he spotted it immediately. He searched through the glove compartment

for the key that she had given him in exchange for his shortly after they had become partners. It was helpful when they had to drive each other's vehicles.

He headed toward the driver side door, with the intention of seeing if just maybe the car would start for him. After unlocking the door, he was about to put the key in the ignition when something on the passenger seat caught his eye. There was a picture of Samantha Harris. And a note that read "Thought this might help."

And a gun.

"So the car was locked when you got here," the officer questioned.

"Correct. Both the driver and passenger side doors," Hunter

explained for what felt like the hundredth time.

"And you're sure she locked the doors when she left it here?"

"Yeah, she's a cop. Whoever left this for her was able to unlock the door, place all this inside, and lock it again without attracting too much attention." And maybe caused the car trouble? And maybe had been following her? These thoughts were racing

through Hunter's mind, but he left them unsaid.

"Well, we can have the techs check the lock to see if it was jimmied somehow."

"I'm having it towed back to our station anyway," Hunter told him. "They can go over it there.

"Where is McCall anyway?" the officer asked.

"Uh, she's not feeling that well," Hunter said vaguely, not wanting to go into too much detail. "I talked to her this morning and she told me what happened to her car. Thought I'd come and check it out, see if I could do anything."

"I guess you weren't expecting this," the officer went on, trying to make conversation.

"No," Hunter replied sarcastically. Then he pointed. "Here's the tow truck.

It was several hours later by the time Hunter followed the tow truck to the station, explained the situation to his captain, made copies of all information they had on the case, and stopped by the store before returning home. McCall had been awake for a few minutes when she heard him come in. She had lived alone since Steve died, and had gotten used to things being quiet. It was odd, hearing him walk around

downstairs, opening and shutting doors. Come to think of it, it was odd to be lying here in his bed. She was a little uncomfortable with the whole situation, but honestly felt awful. She must have dozed off again because she awoke to him standing in the doorway, holding a paper bag.

"Hey," she managed, and was able to sit up without getting dizzy.

"Hey yourself. Feeling any better?"

McCall did a quick mental check. "My head doesn't hurt as much. And I think I could do without a few of these blankets."

"Let's see what the friendly thermometer tells us,"he said.

"What is it with you and this thing," she asked. But she put it in her mouth.

"For one, it keeps you quiet." She smirked at him. "It also lets me know how many more of these I have to give you." He pulled a brand new bottle of aspirin out of the bag. "I've been shopping." The thermometer beeped and he took it out of her mouth.

"Do you want applause?"

"A standing ovation, when you can manage it." He winked at her before glancing at the numbers. "100.8 That might explain your renewed sense of humor."

"It might explain why I feel like I've been hit by a truck. I cannot remember ever feeling so exhausted. I just woke up and I'm ready for another nap."

"Not before you take some more of these," he insisted. He handed her two more pills and got water from the bathroom.

"So what else is in the bag?"

"This," he said, holding up a can of Lysol, "is for me to spray everywhere you or your germs may have managed to land. And I'm washing those sheets the minute you leave my bed"

"Who says I'm leaving it?" McCall asked as she settled back in. "I'm considering vacationing here."

"Is that a promise or a threat?" he retorted. "Seriously, you get one more nap, and then I'm relocating you to the couch. You need a change of scenery. And something to eat. And this whole area" he gestured, muttering to himself, "needs to be disinfected."

"Well, well, well, Sleeping Beauty awakes," Hunter dead-panned as his partner carefully made her way down the stairs. It was after six, and just starting to get dark outside. "I thought maybe you were hibernating up there."

"Be nice, or I just may," McCall warned him. She walked over to the couch and sat down next to him. "This is as good as it gets today. Me, sitting on your couch. I think this is all I can manage" .She leaned back into the cushions. "Is this the weather channel?"

"It is. It's really quite informative. Keeps you from getting caught in flash floods, tornados, those sorts of things." She elbowed him in the ribs. "You must be feeling better."

"I am. I think I may even live. Look, Hunter. If you're getting tired of me, drive me home. I appreciate you letting me stay here, but I'm back among the living, sort of, and I'll be fine at my place. I can sit on my couch as well as I can on yours."

"I think you look cuter on mine. And actually, you going home right now is not such a good idea." Hunter filled her in on what he had discovered in her car and the events of his day.

"In my car?"McCall said in disbelief. "Someone got in my car?" She put her head in her hands. "I'm just not going to deal with that right now."

"I don't know if somebody's following you or what," her partner said, "but I think you'd be better off here for a while."

"Well then,"she said, turning to face him, "what's for dinner?"