A/N: Here we go! Chapter 2 of my fic, "Te Busque." Please R and R!

Disclaimer: (checks) Nope, still don't own nuffin'. No money is being collected, no copyright infringement is intended. Okie dokie? Plus, don't you think NW's pregnancy would've been written into the show if I owned Spooks? Sheesh.

In Ruth's opinion, sitting at home alone on a Saturday night was a very spinster-ish thing to be caught doing. Unfortunately, it wasn't as if she had much choice in the matter, since she had come down with a very nasty flu that morning. She did a superb job of hiding it, never sniffling when people were listening, and always making sure to clear her desk of offending tissues, but eventually they caught on by lunch. Adam had pulled out a soggy roast beef sandwich for lunch in the meeting room, and she just lost it, bolting out of her chair and running as fast as her legs would carry her to the bathroom, coughing in disgust the whole way.

She was in no condition to do anything, even things as trivial as sifting through housekeeping surveillance with Malcom in the techroom were extremely difficult to perform. Ruth could hardly stand without getting dizzy or feeling imminent nausea rise in the back of her throat. Zaf called a cab for her and without a hint of hesitation, she had gladly clambered into the car. For once she was willing to just drop everything and leave. Nobody had stood in her way thankfully, and there wasn't anything urgent to be tackled.

Harry hadn't been on the Grid when she left, he'd been stuck in a meeting with the DG and other section heads. What they discussed was beyond her. Frankly, Ruth didn't have the energy to wonder what they were doing. The moment she arrived at her flat, she stumbled in, throwing her bag down on the wood floor in the hall and she made her way up the stairs into her bedroom. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

The rest of the day had been spent in bed, bundled up in old t-shirts and sweat pants from her college days with a waste basket and a box of tissues by her side. Along with the constant dull aches in her head, there was nausea, sneezing and uncontrollable shivering. She shut every window in the room, and was covered in the coziest wool blankets, all topped of by her huge, thick comforter. None of it felt any better, and the shivering was damn near impossible to beat. When she last took her temperature, she discovered that she had a high fever and immediately took a pill before going back to bed.

By 12:36 am the shivering finally began to retreat. Her head felt less heavy but that tingling sense of sickness was still lingering in her body. While she slept, she had actually managed to sweat, and she needed to remove a couple of shirts as well as one blanket. She was fully awake, but now her problem was finding something to do. There wasn't anything good on the telly, just a couple of crap shows that she had never been able to get into because of either a total lack of interest or simply not having time to sit and watch them. Fidget, her older tabby cat was out and about, probably somewhere hunting little birds or rodents.

Her newly obtained 5 month old kitten Sally had curled up on the bed in between the wrinkles of the comforter while she was sleeping, so Ruth scooped the purring fur ball up and settled the tiny baby into her lap. Her hand smoothed the cream colored fur as Sally flipped onto her back, clearly enjoying the attention Ruth was giving to her. This was one of the reasons she loved cats. Her natural tendency to worry about things and occassional obsessive compulsiveness were what made her and her feline companions so compatible.

As she continued to stroke the kitten, the phone in the kitchen began to ring. She cringed, not wanting to stand. Everytime she tried to get up, her head would swim and the floor would seem to zoom in and out of her already impaired vision.

The phone rang again, the trill of machinery slicing through the silence of her flat, and she gently carried Sally in her left arm as she slid out of bed to go to the kitchen.

Her eyes scanned the caller ID, not wanting to answer if it was some stupid telemarketer, and get back into bed as soon as possible. To her immediate displeasure, the call came up as "unavailable number" and she waited until her answering machine kicked in.

"...Ruth. I heard you had to leave early today, and er, I just want to let you know that you can take tomorrow off too, if you need to of course. Jo told me how bad you were feeling...she made it sound like you were hacking up blood. I..." The wonderfully grumbly voice trailed off, and her momentary trance was broken by the sudden uncertainty in his demeanor. "I hope you're alright. Get lots of rest."

He trailed off again, as if he couldn't decide what to say next, and it caused her to smile. She loved when he got all twisted and bent out of shape, especially when he was having a one-sided conversation.

"I...I find that sweet tea helps settle my stomach when I feel nauseated. Goodnight Ruth."

She was very much disappointed when the resounding click echoed through the dark kitchen, and he was no longer speaking. His voice was so pleasant to listen to, its resonance warmed her spirit whilst she got lost in his velvety words, it was a perfect blend of smooth logic, concern and sensuality.

Ruth wasn't very surprised when her hand grabbed the phone and dialed his number on its own. She waited a few seconds, and then it began to ring. She walked back to the room, holding the purring kitten in one arm and cradling the phone in her other hand. She soon was safely tucked into bed, with Sally sound asleep on her lap. Her breath caught in her throat as she heard him again.

"Hi," Was all she was able to muter. Stupid, stupid, stupid, STUPID...

" Hi...Ruth. Did...Did you get my message? I called minutes ago..."

"Yeah, yes. I...was sleeping, but I did scramble up just in time." He didn't answer for a moment, and it felt like she was being deprived of oxygen.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have woken you. We don't have to talk now, I can call back in the morning-" Ruth also loved how protective he was when she was unwell. A tad selfish, but it was nice to know that someone was thinking of her, worried for her...

"No. No..." She repeated, "Now's good. I need something to keep my mind off the queasiness."

"How are you feeling?"

"Better than earlier, but I can hardly stand without getting terribly dizzy."

"Make sure you take something, and do try the sweet tea. It might help."

"Thank you. You're so sweet." It flew right out of her mouth before she could stop it. The filter between her brain and her mouth wasn't functioning, and she found herself feeling very, very silly.

"I can't tell if you're being real, or if that was a very poorly delivered pun." The sheer playfulness instead of his typically morose tone was present. Ruth laughed slightly, delighted that some of the awkwardness had melted away and familarity began to take its place. He joined her in laughing, an almost raspy sound that was beautiful to her ears.

"Oh Harry, you've caught me in a very poor state. I can't even make a proper joke. Just talk to me, keep me occupied."

"What do you want me to say?"

She smirked and then realized that he couldn't see her.

"Anything. Tell me about George."

He chuckled, as if he thought she was being funny, but Ruth insisted on the topic. He couldn't say no, and the turn in their conversation lasted for the better part of the hour. They stuck with all the safer topics; where Harry got George the terrier, to which she commented that it sounded like a good title for a children's book, and things like where they both went to buy pet food or how often they needed to groom their respective animals. Harry found himself doing most of the talking, and sleep was beginning to creep up on Ruth, who was content to lay back against the cushions and listen to him. She yawned into the mouth piece, slightly but involuntarily exagerrating the little whimper she made in the back of her throat. She could imagine his frown of concern, his handsome face flashing before her closed eyes.

"Am I boring you?"

Ruth nodded negatively and said, "No, I'm just...feeling very tired all of a sudden. Your voice is lovely to listen to."

"I'll take that as a compliment," He smiled, feeling as though he were somehow tucking her in by talking to her.

"It's meant as one. Do...Do you mind if I just, try to fall asleep on the line?"

"I'll be here 'til the end."

Ruth didn't miss the double meaning in his statement, but she didn't call him on it. She bit her lip in shame.

"Goodnight Harry."

"Goodnight Ruth."

She turned off the lamp on the bedside table and lay down under the blankets, as Sally hopped off the mattress and left the bedroom. Ruth kept the phone near her ear and listened for his consistent, oddly soothing way of breathing. Sleep came easily as she imagined his arms around her, his strong body supporting her back, and the room around her began to fade away into nothing.

TBC