Chapter 156: Chicken Soup for the Injured Soul
"Only the pure of heart can make good soup." – Beethoven
"It soup breathes reassurance, it offers consolation; after a weary day it promotes sociability...There is nothing like a bowl of hot soup, it's wisp of aromatic steam teasing the nostrils into quivering anticipation." – Louis P. DeGouy
"Do you have a kinder, more adaptable friend in the food world than soup? Who soothes you when you are ill? Who refuses to leave you when you are impoverished and stretches its resources to give a hearty sustenance and cheer? Who warms you in the winter and cools you in the summer? Yet who also is capable of doing honor to your richest table and impressing your most demanding guests? Soup does its loyal best, no matter what undignified conditions are imposed upon it. You don't catch steak hanging around when you're poor and sick, do you?" – Judith Martin
"Chicken Soup: An ancient miracle drug containing equal parts of aureomycin, cocaine, interferon, and TLC. The only ailment chicken soup can't cure is neurotic dependence on one's mother." – Arthur Naiman
She helped him sit in the chair again and set to drying him off. He had a satiated grin on his face, but he looked really worn out. She dabbed him with the towel, ruffling his hair and leaving it on his shoulders while she grabbed his razor and shaving cream.
She lathered him and gracefully ran the blade over his face. She rinsed his face and grabbed the aftershave and then knelt down in front of him, "We have to look at the wound…try to get the bandage off…"
He nodded and she stood and removed the towel from his shoulders.
'ACHOO!' was followed with a resounding "OW."
"You ok?" she asked, "No steam anymore…"
"Mmm…that sucked without the wrap…" he said tensely.
"You want me to wait a few minutes?"
"No, just do it…get it over with."
She looked down at the bandage and hoped it would come off without too much trouble. She gripped the edge, and pulled at the soggy tape. The tape came off rather quickly and she slowly started to peel the gauze back. She winced as he pulled away from her, the gauze sticking to the wound. She kept going though, knowing that it had to come off. She was trying to be gentle, but no matter how she tried, it still was hurting him. She pulled the rest off, listening as he groaned with the removal. It was hard to tell how much had been on the bandage because it had gotten so wet, but the wound itself didn't look all that bad considering the way it should have looked. She prodded around the wound, sending him forward with a slight jerk.
"You ok?"
"Mmm…yeah…" he said tiredly, "Ya think maybe we could do this later?" he asked.
She moved to look at him, "You sure you're ok?"
"I'm really tired Sydney…" he said.
She looked concernedly at him, "Aww honey…I'm sorry…"
"No, it's ok…really…I'm just…yeah, shower kinda wore me out…"
"Not the sex then…"
"Lack of sex…" he pointed out.
She smiled, "Not the jerking off then…"
He chuckled, "No…not really…although…" he said his eyebrows rising.
She giggled, "Let me just finish with the bandages, I gotta get them back on…can you sit that long?"
He nodded, yawning.
She kissed his forehead and moved back to the wounds, covering each one again in turn. She put more Cavilon on the infected wound and a TAD and wrapped his ribs before grabbing his hand to help him stand.
She walked him slowly back to the bed and sat him down, then proceeded to grab a pair of sweatpants and a tee shirt for him to wear. She dressed him and replaced the sling and then reclined him on the bed.
"You want lunch?" she asked, tracing his jaw line, "Then you can take a nap…how does that sound?"
"Mmm…good."
She smiled, "Ok, I'll make lunch. You care what we have?"
"No," he said tiredly.
"Ok," she got off the bed and went to the kitchen, scouring for something that wouldn't take too long so he wouldn't be asleep by the time she brought it back. She quickly grabbed a can and dumped the contents into a saucepan, and went about grabbing bowls and other utensils.
She brought in the tray, careful not to spill the contents of the lunch, and set it down gingerly on the bed.
"Soup…score." He said with a smile.
"Well…I figured you have a cold, you're all achy and sore, I just wore you out masturbating with you in the shower…should give you soup," she said with a smile and a shrug of her shoulders.
He chuckled, "Good plan…aww…is it chicken and stars?" he asked.
She giggled, "Yes, I think that's a total 'Will purchase.'"
"He should buy all the food in the house," Vaughn commented.
"Yeah, then you'd die of heart failure and clogged arteries within a week…"
"Well, it'd be a helluva way to go…" Vaughn said dreamily.
Sydney laughed, "You're obviously spending WAY too much time around Will…"
Vaughn smiled, "You jealous?"
Sydney smirked, "I want you all to myself of course…"
She moved closer to him and maneuvered so she would be in a good position to help him eat the soup. She tried the spoonfuls, but they both wound up giggling when half of it landed on Vaughn's shirt.
"Maybe I should just drink it…" he suggested.
She smiled, "Good idea, I'll get a mug."
She bolted off the bed and ran to the kitchen, reentering the bedroom moments later with a mug. She grabbed the bowl and transferred the soup to the cup and then handed it back to him.
"I could live on a liquid diet," he said proudly.
She smiled, "You sure? That would mean no tacos…no burgers…no pizza…"
"But…beer…" he said in a purely frat boy way.
She rolled her eyes, "Ugh…Will has NOTHING over on you."
He smiled proudly, "I'll take that as a compliment," he said bringing the mug back to his lips. "Can you fish some of these stars out of here…maybe a piece of chicken or two…"
She giggled, "Sure," she said, taking the mug and getting some of the noodles and chicken on the spoon for him.
"Thank you," he said, taking the cup back and gulping down more broth.
Sydney smiled and ate her own soup, happy that despite his cold, and his slightly injured-again self, he seemed genuinely happy. Of course, they had just…well…yeah, that was something that made her smile…
He noticed her grin, "What?" he asked.
She smirked at him, "Nothing…just…us."
"What about us?"
She snorted, "The shower…Vaughn…I mean I just got done telling you that we had to go easy…we had to cool it…and we do that in the shower? Where is my mind?"
"I like where your mind is Sydney…" Vaughn said simply, "Your mind keeps mine sane…"
She looked over at him, watching him look down at his mug, "Hey," she said lifting his chin, "I'm always here…"
"I know," he said smiling at her.
She smiled back, kissing him softly, "You done?" she asked.
He nodded and handed her the mug.
"Pills," she said handing him his usual assortment.
He took them and she took the glass too, grabbed the tray and cleaned up.
She came back into the room again, "You should nap…"
He nodded tiredly, "K, yeah…you're full of good ideas today."
She smiled, "You rest now," she said kissing his forehead.
"You gonna nap with me?" he asked.
"I'll come in and check on ya, I'm gonna get some stuff done around the house, that ok?"
"Mmmhmm…"
"You sleep well…"
He yawned and closed his eyes, letting the warm soup and the warmth in his heart that always seemed to abound when Sydney was near, take him off into the realm of sleep.
Sydney started a load of laundry and cleaned up the kitchen from lunch, loading everything into the dishwasher.
She was about to check on her laundry, when the phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Hello Sydney," Amélie said cheerfully, "How are you?"
"I'm good…yourself?"
"Good…is Michael available? I wanted to ask him how the session went…"
"Actually, he's taking a nap Amélie…"
"I have the keenest sense of time, don't I?" Amélie said with a chuckle, "I hope I didn't wake him…"
"No, I'm sure he's fine…and the session went very well…"
"Oh, that's wonderful…no more…incidents?"
Sydney chuckled, "No, he said he was very comfortable with her…"
"That's wonderful, I'm so glad to hear that…"
"Yeah, me too…he seems really…happy today…"
"Oh Sydney, I'm so glad I called, I've been worrying about him endlessly."
"He's doing great," Sydney informed her.
She could hear the smile in Amélie's voice, "Thank you Sydney."
"For what?"
"Helping my son…"
Sydney smiled, "Well, he does a lot on his own, most times, I just sit there…"
"Sometimes that's all you need…and he needs you to be the one sitting…"
"Thank you Amélie."
"It very true dear…well I won't keep you…you tell Michael I called, and that I'm happy he's doing so well…"
"I will pass that on to him."
"If he has time, he can call his mother…"
Sydney chuckled, "I'll pass that along too."
"And of course, tell him that I love him."
"Will do."
"Ok, you take care now."
"You too Amélie."
"Goodbye Sydney."
"Bye Amélie." Sydney put the phone down and smiled while leaning against the counter. There was no way you couldn't like Amélie. She walked back to the bedroom and looked in on Vaughn. Thankfully, the phone hadn't woken him; he was laying peacefully, the calm of sleep resting on his features.
Sydney smiled and walked out again, passing Donovan on her way, "Come on boy…you can help me get the clothes."
Donovan hurriedly trotted along, following Sydney down to the basement. She took the clothes out of the washer and threw them in the dryer, "Come on Donovan…"
He got up and trotted with her again, up the stairs and back to the kitchen. She unloaded the dishwasher and turned towards the refrigerator, a chart catching her eye.
She walked over and smiled at her chart from…God, it had to be almost a month ago…it listed everything she needed to know and do. She smirked; the chart was more of a guideline…it was more practical to just go with the flow. She grabbed the paper down from the magnet and took it over to the counter. She read from the chart, and grabbed the phone, "Oh shit!"
"Dr. To–"
"Hi."
He chuckled, "Hi Sydney…you sound cheerier than normal…what's up?"
"Weeellll…Vaughn's doing much better…and I was looking at this chart from long ago…"
"Yes."
"One of the ones you first gave me…says here…Vaughn can get the splints off this week…"
"You asking me for a date Ms. Bristow?" Tom quipped, "Cause…ya know…I have a fiancée now…you shoulda snagged me while you had the chance…now…she's got me…"
"YES…I know…and we are gonna talk about that…and you have to come over with your wonderful fiancée for dinner sometime too…"
Tom chuckled, "Yes ma'am…"
"Good boy…so about these splints…"
"I guess I should make a house call…"
"I guess you should…"
"What day would work best for you? Cause with Kaia…my days…my nights…um…yeah, all the time – pretty full…"
"Um…Today?…Today would be a good day for that…You think you have time to squeeze us into your very busy sexual schedule?"
Tom laughed, "I think I might be able to break away…I'm not sure…she rarely lets me out of the bed…"
"She's been taking lessons from me of course, you realize this Tom…"
"Well…that explains it!" Tom said with a giggle.
"Of course…girls talk Thomas…"
"Well, if she won't let me out, I'll just drag her along…"
"That sounds good Tom, when can you be here?"
"I'll consult with my keeper…actually, hang on…"
Sydney hear muffled noises and then, "KAIA?!" She pulled the phone away from her ear. She could hear them talking, "I gotta make a house call…that ok?"
"Sure baby…"
"You wanna come with…"
"If you want me to…"
"Well I always want you baby…"
"Aww…I know…and you always keep me very happy…that tongue of–"
Sydney cleared her throat, "I can hear you…"
"Oh!" Tom said, "I'm sorry…really…um…yeah…shit…"
"Tom?"
"Mmm…today's fine!" he said, his voice escalating on the last word, "What's the rush?"
Sydney giggled, "You getting kinda…warm there Tom?" She could tell he was covering the phone, "Um…Vaughn and I kinda…took a shower…and I didn't remember about the splints – I didn't even realize now until I was looking at the chart…I'm sure they got wet…"
"Mmm…k…yeah…lil while…just a lil while…he'll be…hoooooo…h'ok…for a bit…"
"Ok, we'll see you in a little while then…"
"Sssyd…I gotta go…"
"Yeah, I know…I get it…how long is a little while?"
"Time…time…KAIA!" There were more muffled noises, "45 minutes!" he said and hung up the phone.
Sydney started to giggle uncontrollably, it made her feel much better to know that she and Vaughn weren't the only couple that was notoriously lustful.
