Trivia: This is now the longest story in the series. :D

Contagious

"I can't believe you're gonna actually force me to stay in bed for two days!" Alex was pratically grolwing at Mike as she was pulling her bed covers over her body, whilst he stood beside the bed, trying not to jump in with her.

"Sorry. Docs orders!" Mike replied, in a low gruff voice.

Alex shot him a glare. Despite her bad attitude about the whole situation she knew Mike was right and that she had to so she could get better and not end up back in hospital. Knowing everyone as well as she did she knew that if she collapsed again they wouldn't even bother ringing 911, they'd just take her straight to the ER. "Doesn't mean I have to like it!" She told him, as she put her head on her pillow and looked at him as he offered a small smile.

"Do you want me to get rid of everyone?" He asked, knowing that Bobby, Eric and some other members of her family were in her living room. It seemed when a member of the Eames family was ill, they all did their part.

Alex nodded, trying to stifle a yawn, which didn't work. Mike turned to leave but stopped when Alex spoke, "You know you'd think after a spending all night and most of yesterday asleep I wouldn't be tired anymore." She mused, Mike turned back to her and smiled.

"Lucky for you then that you get to be in bed for two days!" Mike said, quickly turning to dodge the bed pillow that came rushing towards him. Unfortunately he didn't make it out the room before it hit him on his shoulders. She laughed at her victory and he refused to turn back around for fear of one landing in his face. He just closed her door behind him and walked into her living room.

To see a room full of faces turn to him expecting anything from him, hopefully news on Alex. But all Mike said was, "She's sleeping so if you guys just wanna leave and come back tomorrow..." The rest of the sentence was lost amidst the hussle and bussling of her family as they all reached for their coats and grabbed their gear.

He waited for them all to leave and Bobby was the last one to reach the door. "Is she okay?" Bobby asked, as Mike stood by the door.

"I'll stay with her. She'll be fine." Mike told him and Bobby nodding, trusting Mike to take care of his partner.

"Call me if..." Bobby started.

"I will." Mike said, interrupting slightly but not in a rude way. Bobby nodded again and then he turned to leave the house. Mike closed the door behind Bobby and locked it. When he turned around he saw Alex standing in the coridoor, wrapped in her blanket. "You're meant to be sleeping." He said, quietly as he walked over to her.

"I can't." She told him and he waited for a reason. "My ears are ringing - it's too quiet in here."

"You got used to the hospital noise?" Mike asked, incredulously. Alex shrugged and then nodded. Mike sighed and put an arm around her, gently guiding her back to bed. "Listen, here's how it is." He said as they reached her bed, "You made me stay in bed, so I'm making you stay in bed."

"Payback, eh?" Alex said, with a grin.

"Yep." Mike replied, happily. Alex sighed and got back into bed.

"You know, yours was a little easier. I mean you actually had a broken rib... it's not like you were going anywhere." She told him, logically. Then she looked at him thoughtfully as he sat down on the bed. "Do you still get pain?"

Mike nodded, "A little." Alex uncontrollably sneezed, thankfully the tissue box was right next to her bed.

"I hate being ill." She moaned as she wiped her hands and nose, then looked at Mike, "Are you my nurse now?"

Mike laughed, "I'm not wearing the uniform because you wouldn't wear it for me."

Alex snorted, "I wouldn't want that image, thanks." She laughed. Alex yawned and Mike nodded at her.

"Get some sleep." Mike stood up to leave but Alex grabbed his arm as he did so. "What?"

"Stay." She told him.

"Alex..." His tone warning. "You're ill and ... I don't want to catch the flu." She could tell it was some kind of excuse and that upset her. She let go of his arm and nodded. "I'll be out there though if you need me." Alex nodded again and Mike sighed, walking out the room and heading straight for the sofa. Even though his stomach was completely empty and he knew that he should eat something, he didn't because his mind was too full.

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Alex had slept on and off for a couple of hours and was now lying wide awake, staring at her ceiling suddenly wondering why she never decorates her bedroom. It was serious need of some paint as the current layer of paint had cracks in a mile long. Alex sighed and tried to listen out for Mike, hoping he was still there and that he hadn't left her. She thought she could hear something but she wasn't sure. Ignoring the 'bed' order she got out and wrapped herself in her bed blanket. Slowly she walked out of the room and walked down the coridor to the living room to see Mike sitting on the sofa, with a mug in his hand, watching the TV, it looked like a DVD and she couldn't be sure because she didn't watch it but it looked like a Sinatra movie.

She sighed at the sight of that film and Mike turned round. She walked fully into the room and sat down on the sofa beside him. "You're supposed to be..." Mike started.

Alex interrupted, "I know, in bed. But I can't sleep anymore. So what's wrong with sitting?" She asked, and Mike thought about it for a moment and then shrugged.

"Alright, you win." He told her, in a deep voice and she could tell that he was tired. He tried to continue to watch the movie but he could feel her eyes burning into his skull as she was watching him. He turned to her to see she was deep in thought and it was obviously about him. "What?" Mike asked, curious to what she was thinking so hard about.

Alex seemed to swallow something, "Did you mean what you said?" Her voice was almost a whisper, and Mike couldn't tell if that was the flu or her feelings making her do that. She'd sounded fine before.

"Said? When?" Mike asked, her question didn't make sense to him.

Alex looked down at her hands and began fiddling with her fingers. She looked at him, trying to remain calm. "When we were at your place, after you'd been to the hospital." She was trying to jog his memory, she didn't want to say it in case he'd forgotton. "When we were falling to sleep."

Mike looked confused for one more second and then it hit him. "Ah." He said, looking at her. "I told you that I meant that."

"I know but..." Alex looked back at her room and then at him. "You wouldn't..."

"Alex, I didn't stay in there because you're ill." He told her, hoping it was a comfort. Here he was hurting her again, and he was silently berating himself for doing it again. He put his hand on her arm and stroked it gently. "You know you're ill. Look at how upset you are, you're not normally like this."

She looked at him directly in the eyes. "There was another reason, wasn't there?" The problem with dating a cop and vice versa is that they seem to always be able to spot hidden thoughts and feelings. Mike looked away for a moment, "You still blame yourself, don't you?" Mike looked at her but didn't answer, "I thought I'd told you about that."

"Alex, it's not as simple as that." Mike sighed, getting frustrated, more with himself than her. "I put you in hospital." Alex shook her head but Mike continued, "I put you in hospital because I was arrogant."

"Arrogant?" Alex asked, confused. This must have been something she'd missed.

Mike sighed, rubbing his mouth, he looked at her and said, "I told Barek that what I don't believe wouldn't hurt me." Mike looked away from her and continued, "But it hurt you instead."

"So... you're saying that voodoo is the reason I ended up in hospital? Because of your arrogance?" Alex still didn't believe it. "Now, come on, Mike. You know that's stupid. I don't believe in voodoo either. What if it was me?"

Mike shook his head, "You would never have been disrespectful."

Alex scoffed, "Ha. Are you so sure?" Mike looked at her and a grin started to break out onto his face. He shook his head when he thought about it some more. Alex laughed. "Okay, I'm going to tell you this one last time. I was in hospital for two reasons and yes, I got the poison ivy from you and if it makes you feel better, I forgive you. But I don't want you blaming yourself anymore. Got it?" Mike looked at her and she gave him a hard look that told him to disagree if he dared. He then nodded at her and she smiled. "So, you're coming to bed now, right?"

Mike looked at her and shook his head, "No, there was a third reason." Alex gave him an incredulous look, a frown forming on her face as she was puzzled. Mike looked in the direction of her bedroom and then back at her, trying not to laugh at her facial expression. "If I go in that bed with you, I guarantee it won't be to sleep." Alex smiled, "And trust me, I don't want... I do want... but not whilst your ill." She did find it a little strange because they had shared a bed before, but she guessed that those situations were different to this one and ever since they'd admitted feelings for each other they hadn't directly slept in the same bed since then.

"So let me get this straight." Alex said, a small amused smile on her face. "You don't want to go to bed because you're afraid that you won't be able to keep your hands to yourself?" As Mike was nodding, Alex's smile was forming a huge grin across her face.

"I'm glad you find it funny." Mike said, sarcastically as he rubbed his hair.

Alex nodded, laughing. "I do." Still laughing she continued, "I can't tell if it's because I'm irresistable or it's just because of who you are."

Mike grinned, "It's a little bit of both, I think."

Her laugh turned into a smile and then her face turned serious. Mike watched as she did so, his curiosity rising. She gave him a soft smile when she said, "That means alot to me." She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder. "That you're willing to wait for me." She was almost whispering as she spoke into his ear.

Smiling, Mike wrapped his arms around her and rested his face into the nape of her neck, not caring about the hair tickling his nose. "You're welcome." he whispered into her hair.

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