It was several hours later when he heard the gentle knocking on the door. Robin didn't have the key to his apartment, after all, they have been together only several weeks and were still in that shaky phase when they tried to look the best in each other's company. Which was about to change, because Connor sure as hell didn't look or feel his best. He was happy that the latest bout of chills stopped about twenty minutes ago and he started to feel like the temperature of the room was approaching normal, but the chills were usually followed with hot flashes and sweating. Connor's shirt was now clinging to his body uncomfortably and he probably needed a shower, but he felt like a newborn kitten and had to pause even just sitting up in the bed.
Groaning, Connor realized that he'll need to stand up and cross the room to open the door for Robin. Gritting his teeth and leaning against the wall for a second when he stood up too quickly and the world spun, he thought that if she won't run away after seeing him like this then maybe he should get her her own key, if only to make sure that next time he felt this bad there would be someone able to come inside, without the need to break down his front door. Which, he should maybe let Robin know that he wasn't dead yet and was on his way.
"Coming," he croaked then repeated it a bit louder, wincing when the sound elicited a headache. Great, another thing to add to the pile of hurt.
Shuffling, he finally made it to the door and opened it.
"Hey," he said, half leaning against the door as Robin gave him a quick look over. „Didn't think you were making home visits."
"Only for my favorite patients," she said with a small smile and came inside. She walked straight to the kitchen counter, putting a bag with some takeout on it then turned toward Connor, who was just closing the door.
"Speaking of which, you look worse than some of my patients," Robin muttered as she walked back to him. "And I've worked on people who had Ebola."
"That's... not at all comforting," Connor replied with a grimace and tried not to flinch away when she reached up to touch his face. She paused, quirking an eyebrow at the reaction.
"Sorry. Just... feeling kinda gross from all the sweating. Need to take a shower," he explained even though she already moved and put her palm on his forehead then neck, checking for swelling.
"You feel a bit clammy, and hot, but I think the fever is down."
"About damn time," Connor muttered, leaning into the touch before he shook off the desire to just let himself get lost in her arms. He was stinky and the damp shirt was making his skin crawl. Everything hurt.
"Why don't you go take that shower? I've brought some food. Simple broth and chicken with rice."
Connor blinked then shook his head.
"Not sure I can eat anything."
"Maybe you'll change your mind after you take a whiff of that soup. It always works for me."
"Well, the only thing I can smell right now is me, so I better head off. If you hear a crash... please put some towel over me before you call 911," he only half joked and she rolled her eyes. "What? I need to uphold my reputation."
"Such a drama queen. Go. If you fall, I promise to take some embarrassing pictures first, how's that for incentive?" she said, smiling sweetly at him and Connor snorted.
"I see where Daniel gets his charm from," he muttered under his breath.
"Hm?" Robin asked, taking off her coat and boots.
"Nothing," Connor quickly said and headed for the shower. Taking off his shirt and shorts was a relief. Feeling the lukewarm water running down his skin would've been even better if it didn't feel like he was being pelted by hail. He quickly adjusted the jet and finally relaxed under the easy spray. Leaning his head against the wall he closed his eyes and just enjoyed the feeling of the sweat washing off. He was starting to relax so much he felt like falling asleep when the door to the bathroom opened and Robin peeked in.
"You okay in there?"
Connor startled then cursed when his head banged against the wall.
"Connor?"
"Yeah, out in a minute," he quickly said and spluttered a bit as the water hit his face.
"Okay. I brought you clean clothes. Do you need some help?"
"Only if you want to come in and wash my back," he joked.
"Somehow I think that would be a bit counterproductive," she chuckled and Connor turned off the water, his head peeking out from the shower booth, face flushed and eyes glinting.
"You don't know what you're missing," he tried, the boyish smile on his face almost enough to make Robin change her mind, but then she noticed the way he was leaning against the shower door.
"Rain check," she said with a sigh and left the bathroom before she could reconsider. The moment she was out of the bathroom, Connor's smile slipped and he practically stumbled out of the shower stall, catching himself on the sink. He could feel that the chills were coming back, so as quickly as he could he toweled off and put on the shirt and sweatpants Robin brought him, thankful for her insight. Taking one look at the fogged mirror, he brushed the wet hair out of his face and tried to ignore the sunken eyes and tired look. If he could only pretend a little bit longer that he was fine, Robin would leave and let him die in peace and with some dignity.
'Dramatic much, Connor?' he thought with a snort and slowly made his way towards the kitchen counter, where Robin bustled about, looking for something.
"I thought the food was already cooked," Connor joked as he saw the broth was on the hot plate, bubbling away happily.
"It was. I just wanted to heat it up a bit and add a few secret ingredients, but I didn't realize you don't even have a ladle in here."
"Top right drawer, in the back," Connor said with a grin and Robin pulled the instrument out.
"Do you want to eat at the counter or the couch?"
Connor didn't want to eat at all, but he knew he should at least try and Robin looked like she was hungry herself. When he felt the goose bumps rise on his arms, the thought of a hot soup didn't sound so bad after all, though he wasn't sure how long he could stay upright.
"Couch sounds good. We could watch the TV."
"You mean, Netflix and chill?" she batted her eyes and smiled. Connor bit back a groan.
"Chilling sounds about right," he answered and Robin gave him a sympathetic look.
"Feeling cold again? The soup should warm you up. Now go and find something worth watching, while I embarrass myself with my poor serving skills."
"And here I was thinking you were perfect at everything," Connor jested.
"Fair warning, cooking and bedside manners probably aren't those things," she joked. "Now shoo."
"Hm, I can see the bedside manners... can't wait to taste the cooking."
She threw him a warning glare and Connor decided the couch sounded just about wonderful. Twenty minutes later there were half empty dishes on the living room table, the TV was playing the Dog Whisperer and Connor was trying hard not to shake, while Robin went looking for a comforter. Finally she pulled one out of the closet; she walked back to the couch and sit down on one end.
"Come here," she said, pulling Connor to lie down, his head resting on her lap, and then she threw the comforter over him.
"T-thanks," he said and tried to suppress his shaking. "Sorry for-"
She hushed him, putting her left hand gently over his chest and the right was playing softly with his hair, occasionally running through his hot forehead.
"Your fever is rising," she commented after a while, pouting.
"D-does this all day. Will d-drop in the morning."
"Let's hope so. If it goes up too much, I'm taking you in. I really don't like those chills."
"I'm n-not enjoying them either," Connor stuttered and took the hand lying idly on his chest into his, giving it a slight squeeze. "It's j-just a cold," he tried to convince her, but Robin shook her head.
"The symptoms don't fit. If you don't feel better by the morning, I'll want to do some blood tests."
Connor groaned. He hoped this would really go away in the morning. The last thing he wanted was to go to the hospital and get poked at by one of his colleagues just because he caught some bug. Not when he felt so miserable.
"Y-you don't have to c-come back in the morning just to check on me," he said and startled when Robin suddenly put her palm on his cheek, looking all worried.
"What?"
"Nothing. I just thought you're getting delirious if you think I would leave you alone in such a state." She looked slightly offended at the idea and Connor thought he might've just insulted her, though he didn't know how. He wasn't exactly thinking straight right now, but he wanted to fix the problem.
"Sorry?" he offered and Robin sighed.
"Remind me not to take you seriously when you have a fever," she mumbled and gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Why did you think I'd leave?"
"Don't want to get you sick too," Connor admitted then tried to hide a yawn. The chills have stopped and he was starting to feel warm again. He felt incredibly weary all of a sudden and the comforter was becoming stifling, so he tried to shrug it off.
"You know I work with sick people all day. I'm also vaccinated for all kinds of nasty stuff. So long as you don't have Ebola, I guess I am pretty safe."
"Mhm, I don't think Saudi Arabia or Mexico are too prone to that. And except a quick trip to Hawaii, I haven't been out of Chicago for almost two years," Connor said, his eyes closing as Robin once again ran her hand through his hair.
"No exotic vacations in the deep jungles of South America? Or a trip to a safari?" Robin asked with mock surprise.
Connor snorted.
"I keep a bit busy with work," he muttered, snuggling his face against the palm of her hand. It felt soft and cool against his flushed skin.
"I haven't noticed," she said with a smile coloring her tone. "Well, I think it's safe to assume you don't have Ebola or some deadly infectious disease. So I see no reason to leave you suffering alone."
Connor blinked, looking up at her hazily. He felt puzzled, unsure what to say. Whether to try and convince her to go or take this as a win and simply enjoy being taken care of for once. However strange that felt to him after almost two decades of taking care of himself alone.
But thinking about his childhood and the lack of sympathy his father seemed to offer was just too draining and frankly not something he wanted to ponder when already feeling miserable. Especially not when having such a nice company. He looked up at Robin and she was looking down at him, a soft smile playing on her lips.
"Thanks," he said, reaching up to take hold of her hand and give it a squeeze.
"What are girlfriends for?" she answered in kind and Connor hummed.
"I'll owe you a nice dinner," he noted absentmindedly.
"Well, I won't say no to that," she agreed, giving him a quick peck on the forehead. "As soon as you won't be hot enough to boil an egg," she noted with a sigh.
"What, you don't like boiled eggs?"
Robin chuckled.
"I prefer a good omelet. But most of all, I prefer my boyfriend not feeling like crap."
Connor huffed, closing his eyes. He really hated being sick.
Robin leaned back against the couch, and her hand resumed playing with his hair, while the TV finished with the commercials and the show resumed. Connor let the sounds and soothing touch lull him into fitful slumber. He might've managed to sleep through another set of chills if Robin hadn't moved. Sometime during his sleep she rested her hand on his chest but as she moved to make herself more comfortable, the hand slid down to his stomach. The pressure brought forth the pain and Connor woke up with a hiss.
"Connor?" she asked, startled. "Are you okay?"
Connor winced, turning slightly so that her hand wasn't lying on that one spot and shook his head.
"Yeah, sorry. Just a bit sore there," he said as he laid on his right side, eyes slipping closed already.
There was moment of silence and he might've already forgotten the discomfort, when Robin moved her hand back to his chest and gave him a small nudge.
"Connor? Hey, stay awake," she said and Connor grumbled but opened his eyes.
"Hm? What?"
"Does your stomach hurt?" she asked and the tone of her voice had the familiar tilt... like a detective fresh on the scent of a new puzzle.
"My stomach?" he repeated, confused. He didn't feel nauseous and he told her so. "Food was okay," he added, hoping she didn't think he was somehow criticizing the dinner.
Robin hmmed but didn't relent. Her hand edged towards his stomach and Connor wanted to roll his eyes, but as she pressed down just below his sternum, he winced and instinctively tried to pull away slightly.
"Did it hurt?" she asked pointedly and even though Connor just wanted to go back to sleep, he knew it would be impossible now.
"Feels like I ate too much... or pulled a muscle," he finally admitted and grunted when Robin moved to get up off the couch. His comfortable pillow was suddenly gone and he found himself lying flat on his back.
"What're you doing?" he asked a little bit put out when he felt cold hands pulling up his shirt.
"Tell me when it hurts," Robin said and started palpating his stomach. She started from the right side and slowly worked up to the upper left quadrant, when Connor hissed and reflexively moved his hand to cover the painful area.
"Tender?"
"Y-yeah," he said, his breathing shallow. The chills gave way to heat and from the look on Robin's face he knew this wasn't just a simple cold.
"What's the verdict, Dr. Charles?" He already had a feeling he won't like the answer.
"A bit early for a diagnosis, but your spleen and liver feel enlarged. Can you sit up for a moment?"
Connor blinked then with a soft curse made the effort to get into a vertical position. Everything hurt and the fever made his skin so sensitive, even the fabric of his shirt felt like sandpaper. And he was thirsty. He wanted to ask Robin to bring him some water, but she was gone and Connor looked around, startled. Was this just part of another dream? He sure felt strange enough to be dreaming, though in his opinion a person shouldn't feel pain when sleeping. That just sucked.
"Robin?" he asked, sheepishly and felt relief wash over him when he heard her rummage in the bathroom. Shaking his head in embarrassment, Connor rubbed at his eyes, trying to wake himself up a bit. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he didn't feel well and things weren't making much sense. But he wasn't alone, so it was okay.
After a while Robin reappeared, her face suddenly focused and professional and Connor knew she meant business.
"Well, for a doctor, it was pretty hard to scrounge up the right instruments. I found several sewing kits, a stethoscope and a basic first aid kit. One would think you never get sick," she joked lightly even as she took his temperature.
"103.3. Nice."
"Your definition of nice sucks," Connor said and let her give him a cursory exam. It was a pity he felt so bad, otherwise he would've enjoyed her touching him a hell of a lot more. Right now though, every touch felt ice cold to his skin and he felt the goose bumps rising on his skin. Robin brought up her penlight and shone it into his eyes, pulling down his eyelids and practically blinding him with the light. Connor grimaced and rubbed at his eyes once the offending light was gone and Robin put away every possible torture instrument, after which she sit down on the couch next to him and gave him a long look.
"Do you think there's a chance you contracted malaria during your travels?"
Connor blinked, his lips twitching.
"You're kidding, right?"
Robin raised a brow, crossing her arms.
"Are you doubting my expertise, Dr. Rhodes?" she asked a bit cheekily.
Connor snorted then schooled his features, noticing she wasn't amused.
"Uh no... I just... think it's a bit of a stretch?" he tried, carefully.
"That wasn't an answer," she pressed on and Connor didn't have the energy to explain just how improbable that diagnosis was.
"I am pretty sure I would remember catching malaria," he said. "And I haven't felt this rotten for quite a while," he admitted.
Robin pursed her lips, posture relaxing as she leaned over and put her hands on his knees.
„I think we should go to the hospital and do a blood test," she said and Connor groaned and pouted.
„Come on... can't it wait till the morning?" he drawled and tried his pleading puppy look. "Please?" he added for good measure and for a moment Robin looked like she might be contemplating it, but then shook her head.
"Sorry, babe, but if this is really malaria, you can get into trouble quickly."
"It's been two years since I returned from Riyadh, and there's rarely any case of malaria."
"But you were also in Mexico and Guadalajara is in an area where malaria is endemic. Were you on any kind of prophylaxis?"
The look on his face was enough of an answer.
"I never contracted malaria," Connor repeated gruffly. "And it's been several years now since my last trip."
Robin just rolled her eyes.
"You want to tell me that during all those years abroad, you never once had a cold or flu like symptoms? Come on, Connor. Not to mention there's a chance the parasite lay dormant in your liver until now."
"Well if it waited so long, it can wait till morning too," he tried again, not even sure why he was fighting her on that. Maybe just the idea of getting off the couch, putting on clothes and getting all the way to the hospital when he felt like the world was crumpling down on his head was a bit too much.
"Hey, it won't take long, I promise. I just need a drop of blood and with the rapid diagnostic test we get the results within 15 minutes and we can get you on the right meds right away. If we wait too long, the parasite may cause a lot of damage."
"If it is even malaria," Connor pointed out, ready for a fight, but just as soon he gave up.
"Hey, the sooner we leave, the sooner you can get the meds and get some rest."
It was only when Connor was putting on his jacket at the speed of a sixty year old that he realized Robin didn't tell him he'll get to rest in his own bed. Glaring at her back, he considered just turning around and staying on his couch for the rest of eternity, but then she turned to him with that concern in her eyes, reaching out to help him zip up the jacket and something in him melted.
"You know, if this turns out to be just a cold, you'll look like an overprotective girlfriend," he joked lightly and she gave his arm a playful nudge. "Or a mother hen."
"There's no one in that hospital who would call me that," she said confidently, "and live to tell the tale," she added with a glint in her eyes. Connor just raised his eyebrows and wisely didn't comment.
He felt a bit of relief over the fact that Robin decided to call a cab, instead of faring the city transport. He was even more relieved that the cabbie knew all the shortcuts and they made it to the hospital before Connor could redecorate the inside of his car. Somehow the turns and the stifling heat of the car made the dizziness stronger, who knew.
Once they reached the hospital, Connor half stumbled out of the cab, grateful when he felt Robin's support under his arm.
"You okay?" she asked as Connor focused on his steps and hoped he won't stumble. His knees felt strangely week, the skin under the jacket was covered in cold sweat and his head was throbbing more the closer they got to the brightly lit hospital entrance.
"Awesome," he replied through half gritted teeth and gave Robin a smile that looked more like a grimace.
"You're still feverish," she mumbled and walked him through the door. Connor squinted and tried to think about who was working the night shift and who would be done with him the fastest. Maybe Edwins...
"-or you can just do the RDT in the lounge room and we can head back home," he said out loud, which only brought him a concerned frown and a tighter grip on his waist. Robin was leading him past the admittance desk right inside the ED, but instead of heading to the lounge room, Connor was pulled towards the nurse's desk, which was currently manned by nurse Mary Walters, who could be almost as scary as Maggie if she wanted. Tonight though she looked to be in a rather good mood, at least until she spotted them.
"Ah, Dr. Rhodes and Dr. Charles. What can I do for you?" she asked, but she was already eyeing Connor with some suspicion.
"Hi, Mary," Connor smiled at her and gave her a drunken little wave and that seemed to do all the trick. Or it might've been the fact that he swayed and Robin had to tighten her grip on him.
"Dr. Rhodes doesn't feel all that well, Mary," Robin started, but Mary was already looking at the computer and nodding.
"I can see that. Okay, take him to exam 6; the doc will be with you in a minute."
"Thanks," Robin said with a smile and navigated Connor towards the familiar room. He grudgingly sat down on the bed, and let Robin help him with his jacket.
"Sorry," he muttered as she was standing close to him, her hands on the zipper of the jacket. She paused.
"What? Why?"
"That you had to drag me here... after your shift," he said and she let out a sigh.
"Don't be silly. If I remember correctly, you didn't want to come."
"S just a stupid cold," Connor grumbled but with less conviction than before. If this was a cold, it had to be the worst one he had so far. And he definitely didn't remember any cold or flu giving him such chills. Just the thought of it made him shiver and Robin pulled the jacket off his shoulders.
"Trust me, I'll be happy to hear a told you so, instead of putting you on my patient's list with malaria."
"Did I hear malaria?" Will Halstead stood in the door of the room, with raised eyebrows. Connor blinked then frowned, looking confused.
"Uh... what's the time?" he asked, dumbfounded. Will chuckled then looked at Robin questioningly.
"It's about eight in the evening. Edwins has some family emergency and I can use the overtime," Will explained the reason he was working a double shift. "So... malaria, seriously?"
"I need to do a RDT first to confirm, but the symptoms fit," Robin said and rattled of Connor's symptoms, while at the same time pushing him to lie back on the bed.
"It can still be just flu," Connor protested, but both Robin and Will seemed to ignore him.
"What about the timeline? He's in the states for at least two years. Did you suffer from a previous attack of malaria?" Will turned to Connor, who was trying not to pout at being ignored, as well as trying to find a semi comfortable position on the bed. Truth be told he was happy to be lying down, but he would've definitely preferred his bed or couch.
"Not that I remember," he said, then added: "And I would definitely remember those chills." A shiver run down his spine and Connor winced.
"Okay then, let's get you sorted out. Robin, I'm not sure that we have the RDT on hand but a blood test-"
"I have some at my department. I'll get it while you check him out. It wouldn't hurt to put him on some saline... he's pretty dehydrated from the fever." Before Connor could protest, she gave him a quick peck on the forehead then went in search for the needed test. Will chuckled.
"Well, you really like the feisty ones," he said, thinking back to Sam Zanetti.
"I don't know what you mean," Connor protested, running a hand over his hair, grimacing at the thought of how rotten he must look, based on how miserably he felt.
Will was still smirking as he told Connor to take off his shirt, ignoring the glare headed his way. A nurse peeked in just as he started taking Connor's vitals.
"Dr. Charles sent me to help you out," she said and Will gave her a nod, the smirk on his face deepening. "Of course she did."
"Shut up," Connor grumbled weakly and Will chuckled, but took pity on his friend and the 'I told you so' was left unspoken.
The nurse's name was Eve and she occasionally worked with them, so she knew both doctors. She did a quick job at taking Connor's vitals and writing them down on the chart, while Will was busy listening to his patient's breathing.
"Lungs sound clear, but your heart rate is a bit off. Robin mentioned something about an enlarged spleen?"
Connor nodded, squinting as his headache ratcheted up a level from all the bright lights. Will made the head of the bed decline, so suddenly he was lying in a supine position. He could feel the heart pressure pump tighten on his arm, then release and he didn't realize what was Will doing until he felt cold fingers pressing against his stomach. His legs moved in protest and he gritted his teeth, holding back the moan.
"Okay, I'll need CBC, urine and a chemistry panel. Let's check your standing BP."
Will watched as Connor went from lying down to shuffling off the bed and he was right next to him when he stood up and faltered, feeling the blood rush from his head. Will grabbed his arm and steadied him, then looked at the watch and waited for a minute before taking his BP. It was lower than he would've liked, and it could've been an indication of different things. Low BP could be a side effect of the enlarged spleen and liver as well a sign of dehydration. While Will was steadying Connor, he felt he was warm, but not alarmingly so.
"What's his temp?" he asked and Eve did a quick check.
"100.3 °F. It was 100.4°F five minutes ago." Will nodded and let Connor get back to bed, then pushed him to lie back down when he was determined to stay sitting up. He went down easily though and he cursed the weakness.
"Good, fever is going down. Robin said you were at about 103 earlier. When did the chills start?"
Connor thought about the answer, while Eve was preparing his arm to take some blood samples.
"Around noon, I think."
"Did you feel sick yesterday?" Will asked, though he remembered grabbing a lunch with Connor and he seemed to be okay then.
"Just a bit off and tired. I fell asleep as soon as I got home. Maggie woke me up, calling because I was late to work. Think I had a fever then, and a headache."
"But the chills started later, right?"
"Yeah."
"Okay. Any other symptoms that Robin didn't mention?"
Because Connor wasn't paying that much attention when the two of them spoke, he had a hard time remembering what Robin said to Will, so he just shrugged.
"That's okay," Will patted his leg in support. "I think she's got the right idea about the malaria, but I'll wait to see what the RDT tells us first. In the meantime, Eve, bring him some pedialyte to get rid of the dehydration."
Connor grimaced at the thought of having to drink that stuff, but didn't protest because it was better than the IV Robin was threatening him with. It also meant he still had a chance to get home and not having to spend the night at work. Now only if his headache stopped everything would be just fine.
"I'll get started on your chart while Eve finishes getting the samples. I'll be back when Robin brings the RDT. Till then, rest up." With a pat on his leg, Will left him alone with Eve.
Ten minutes later Robin and Will walked into the room to find Connor sitting on the bed, picking at the bandage covering the puncture wound after the blood samples. When he saw the testing case in Robin's hand, he glared.
"You know, if you'll head to the elevator, you might still catch Eve with the samples. There's no need to prick me again."
"Ah, but that wouldn't be half as much fun."
"You just want to suck me dry. I bet there's some truth about the myth we're keeping vampires in the blood bank."
"Come on, don't tell me you're afraid of needles?" Will put in his two cents, raising an eyebrow at the still full bottle of pedialyte that was sitting on the bedside table.
"I'm not afraid of them. Just don't like them, especially when my nurse had to stick me three times, just for the fun of it."
"Well, maybe if you'd drink that she wouldn't have so much trouble finding your veins." Robin grabbed the bottle and pushed it into Connor's hand with a pointed look. Will decided that keeping a straight face was prudent, so he didn't comment. Connor rolled his eyes, but opened the bottle and dutifully took several sips, grimacing at the taste.
"Think I'd prefer water," he muttered and hissed when Robin used the distraction and stuck him in the finger. She caught the drop of blood on the dip stick, then put the case on the bedside table and added the buffer, finally looking at her watch. Both Connor and Will were watching the process curiously.
"So... which form of Malaria can this RDT confirm?" Connor asked after a moment, rubbing at the finger that was just pricked.
"All four of them."
"Isn't it a waste... using it on me, when we can just wait for the lab?"
Robin shook her head.
"No. My department received fifty of them from the pharmacy rep as a sample product. It has another ten month of shelf life, then it'll get useless, so I'm happy I can test it out."
"How much of those fifty did you use already?" Will asked, curious about the occurrence of malaria in Chicago.
"Five. We had a family coming back from a vacation from South Africa who were showing symptoms. Two of them tested positive for P. Vivax and the blood tests confirmed the results. I didn't have a chance to test it out more, so..."
"So I'm your guinea pig," Connor added with a grimace.
"You're a bit less hairy, but in a way, yeah," Robin joked and sat on the bed next to Connor, putting her hand on his.
"Dr. Halstead, we need you in treatment 3," Eve peeked in and Will excused himself. Robin settled on the bed a little more comfortably and pulled Connor closer, so that he could rest his head on her shoulder and relax.
"How are you really feeling?" she asked and got a shrug in reply.
"Tired and achy... but it's better than before," Connor admitted after a moment. He still had a headache and his stomach was a bit tender, but the feeling of burning or freezing was gone and he felt almost comfortable with the room temperature.
"Why don't you get some sleep then?"
"Want to know the results," Connor protested, though his eyes were starting to close on their own volition. The fact Robin was gently running her fingers over his arm and chest only helped to make him feel even more drowsy.
"Whatever the test shows, we'll still have to wait for the lab results before we can start the treatment, so you have some time to kill. Come on, just close your eyes and get some sleep. Hopefully when you wake up we can head back home."
"That sounds great," Connor admitted, eyes already closed. He snuggled closer to Robin, enjoying the heat of her skin against his own.
Ten minutes later Robin's phone beeped, signaling it was time to read the results. She slowly extracted herself, being careful not to wake up Connor and looked at the stick. Grimacing, she looked at Connor to make sure he was still asleep then quietly walked out of the room. First, she called down to the lab to let them know what the RDT results had shown and what they should focus on and also wanted to make sure it wouldn't be pushed back in the queue, so they could start with the right treatment as soon as possible. After the call was finished, she spotted Will just as he was walking out of treatment 3 with a chart in his hand. He headed towards her as soon as he spotted her.
"By the look on your face, I feel you want to say I told you so."
"I'm reserving that for Connor, but he's asleep and I don't have the heart to wake him," Robin said with a grimace.
"Okay, so what are we dealing with?" Will asked, putting his other patient's chart on the nurse's desk.
„Looks like P. Vivax, which, while not exactly great news, is better than what I thought."
„Whew. I thought it was a wild shot, what with him being asymptomatic for so long..."
„Well, maybe he wasn't. If the malaria doesn't present with all the typical symptoms, it might be easy to misdiagnose as flu. And you know how doctor's are the worst patients... my bet is Connor just brushed off the flu like symptoms and forgot anything happened, and the virus settled in his liver for a little slumber party."
"Few years is a heck of a slumber party," Will shook his head in wonder. "So what's your recommendation for treatment, Dr. Charles?"
"I would try chloroquine. Hopefully he didn't catch the resistant strain, those are mostly in Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, maybe a bit Korea and India, but Connor wasn't in any of these areas."
"What about primaquine?"
Robin nodded.
"I've called the lab to do a Beutler test for G6PD deficiency just to be sure. We're still waiting for the confirmation of the RDT and parasitemia, but that should be done soon. He doesn't look jaundiced yet but I want to see if his liver enzymes are up. And we need to keep an eye on anemia."
"Okay. Let's wait for all the lab results. I think I'll put him on a dose of saline to rehydrate him a bit, and then if the numbers are good you can take him home."
Robin looked at her watch and sighed. It was half past nine, so they would be lucky to get home around midnight, that was, if no complications popped up. She was thinking about calling in and taking a day off, though she wasn't sure if Connor would accept her doting on him all day long and in any case, he should be feeling better tomorrow.
When Robin returned to Connor's room, he was still sleeping. Five minutes later, when Eve carefully inserted the IV with the saline, Connor blinked, muttered something incomprehensible and turned on his side, never fully awakening. Robin and the nurse shared an amused look.
"He must be pretty exhausted," Eve whispered and rechecked the IV, making sure Connor didn't pull it out when changing position.
Robin just nodded and gently ran her hand over Connor's hair, pushing the strain of hair out of his face. With a sigh, Robin made herself comfortable in the chair and turned on the tablet she grabbed from her locker earlier.
Half an hour later Will silently stepped into the room, chart in hand. Robin looked up from a game of solitaire then put away the tablet.
"Results from the lab," he said quietly, so as to not wake Connor, although the man looked to be deeply asleep. Robin took the offered chart and studied the results.
"Seems like you were right. I've ordered 600mg of chloroquine and 30mg primaquine to be brought in, and you'll get the prescription for the rest of the doses."
"The parasitemia is 1.3%, could be better, could be worse," Robin muttered and Will stepped closer to Connor, checking the IV and doing a visual exam. His skin was a bit pale but didn't yet have the yellow tint. Will checked Connor's temperature and was happy to see it didn't go up.
"His liver enzymes are very slightly up but he isn't anemic. Looks like the acute phase is over for now. He should be feeling better for a while and in the meantime, the chloroquine might do its job."
"Let's hope so. I'd rather not be making a case study from my boyfriend," Robin said, sounding a bit put out. On one side, she couldn't hold back the professional interest in Connor's case, just the lab results made her salivate. She didn't get that many patients with malaria after all and her mind was of course interested. On the other side, this was Connor and she really didn't want to see him sick and suffering. Running a gentle hand over his cheek, doing her own check of his temperature, she watched as he leaned a bit into the touch, his face relaxing a bit more.
Someone was gently caressing his face and whispering into his ear. Warm fingers carted through his hair and for a moment Connor just enjoyed the touch. He was on the verge of sleep, he could feel it pulling him back to sweet nothingness, but the voice near his ear whispered "It's time to wake up, babe," and he couldn't ignore it.
Blinking open his eyes, Connor was looking right at Robin's face. She smiled at him and a finger brushed his cheek.
"Hey," Connor said then frowned as his eyes took in his surroundings and he realized he wasn't lying in his own, much more comfortable bed. "Damn, I forgot where we are." He muttered and reached up to rub the sleep out of his eyes, when he felt the tug on his hand.
"Will put you on a drip to rehydrate you while you slept. I must say, I was impressed it didn't wake you up," Robin said with a smile as Connor frowned at the IV in his hand then looked up at the now empty drip. He felt partially offended that they were doing medical decisions without his say in it then realized that he was actually feeling a little bit better. Maybe some of the nausea and headache was caused by the dehydration, he admitted, at least to himself.
"Do you plan to keep me hooked up, or can we take this out now?" he asked, a bit gruffly. Robin rolled her eyes.
"That's the reason I woke you up. Well, that and the fact I'd like to get home sometime today." She took his hand and gently took out the IV needle, putting a bandage over the puncture wound to stop the bleeding. Then she took a small cup with two pills and handed it to Connor along with a bottle of water.
Connor sat up in the bed, wincing as he felt the aches in his limbs and joints awakening and the tenderness in his stomach.
"What's that?" he asked, looking at the pills and trying to figure it out by their look.
"Chloroquine and primaquine. Congrats babe, you somehow managed to contract malaria."
"Awesome," Connor grumbled and swallowed down the pills. "Which one?"
"Vivax. Lucky you. That's the only one that could've lain dormant for such a long time."
Connor huffed, pushing his knuckles against his eyes to maybe restart his brain, which seemed to react a bit sluggishly.
"You said I'm free to go home?" he asked after a while, looking at Robin hopefully.
"Yeah, as soon as Will checks you out, we can go home."
"What then?" While he hadn't seen any cases of malaria during his stay in Riyadh, it was a more common occurrence in Guadalajara and he had a chance to see two cases during his studies. Both were patients with a severe case of Palcifarum, diagnosed a bit too late and sent to Guadalajara from their local doctors. One was in complete organ failure, the other had cerebral malaria. It didn't end well for either of them and Connor shuddered at the memory.
„Then we will see how the meds work. Ideally, you should feel better in a day or two. You can get back to work as soon as your blood sample is clear."
„Awesome," Connor rubbed at his eyes, stifling a yawn. Even though he felt a little better, he could imagine sleeping a few more hours... or maybe days. The weariness hit him like a rock and he tried to shake it off, unsuccessfully. Robin saw his eyes blinking and thought it best to leave before Connor fell asleep again. She'd rather get some shut eye herself in a comfortable bed than on the stiff hospital chair.
"I'll go get Will. Try to stay awake," she said with a small smile, gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and left the room.
Half an hour later, Connor was half dozing on the back seat of the cab, with Robin holding his hand and unconsciously playing with his fingers. When she shook him awake gently he opened his mouth to tell her she should take the cab and go home. She could still salvage some of the night and get proper sleep. But the words didn't leave his mouth. He felt miserable and if he was honest with himself, the attention and care felt good. It had been a long time since someone took care of him and while under different circumstances he would've balked at showing such weakness, he couldn't find the strength to care right now. So he didn't protest.
Connor pulled few bucks from his pocket, handing it to the cabbie as a tip.
"Thanks man," he mumbled as he stepped out, faltering. Robin was there, offering her shoulder in support and while Connor made sure not to lean on her fully, feeling her arm wrap around his waist made him almost giddy.
"Are you sure you want to spend the night with me?" he asked as they entered his apartment. Robin turned to eye him questioningly.
"Depends on what you mean by that," she said cheekily. Connor took a step towards her, attempting to look all sundry, but it was ruined by a huge yawn splitting his face.
He grimaced, covering it up.
"Uh, sorry," he shook his head remorsefully. "Not sure I'm the best company tonight," he sighed.
Robin rolled her eyes.
"Well, even though I had something else in mind before you got sick, I can't say that you aren't entertaining tonight."
Connor snorted.
"Happy I can be of service, Dr. Charles," he noted. "Fortunately your specialization isn't pathology, or I would be in real trouble, trying to provide you some professional entertainment," he joked, earning a chuckle.
"Okay, I think you're just about done in. Hand me your phone," she made a gimme motion and Connor blinked, confused. He pulled the phone from his pocket but was hesitant to hand it over.
"Uh... what for?" he asked warily.
"I want to snoop for nudes, what do you think?" Robin smirked then shook her head and sighed, reaching out. "You need to take the chloroquine at certain intervals. I'm setting up your alarm for that."
"Oh. Thanks," Connor said, feeling a bit stupid. Robin waved him off with a smile. He waited until she finished, handing him the phone back. "I mean it, Robin. Thanks. For tonight."
Her face softened and he pulled her into his arms, giving her a kiss on the forehead. She chuckled.
"You realize we can kiss, right?" she wiggled her eyebrows seductively.
Connor felt his cheeks flush and he cleared his throat. Before he could respond, she kissed him on the lips. He leaned into the kiss and for a moment he felt almost normal. Too soon though his body reminded him of reality. A chill ran through him and he let out a frustrated groan as Robin pulled back.
"I think that's our cue to go to bed," she said and Connor let himself be pulled towards the bed, knowing well that there won't be more than cuddling tonight. Still, the thought of having someone there next to him felt good. Maybe she could keep the nightmares away.