Hope the wait was not too long. Lots of fluffy goodness below, at least I think so ;) Enjoy!
Chapter 5
Regina spends Saturday relaxing with Henry. She snuggles him close while they watch cartoons, allows him to help make lunch and dinner, and plays outside with him for what feels like hours in the warm afternoon sun. It isn't until after he is tucked warm and cozy in bed that she starts to feel worn and ragged, perhaps a symptom from being out in the cold last night and running, bending, and crawling with Henry outside today far more than she is used to.
She settles herself into a warm bath, bubbles filled with the fruity scent of strawberries, and lets her body relax from the long day. A sigh of relief escapes her lips as the warm water flows across her skin, soothing aches and heating her tense muscles. Her phone chirps from the bedroom, but she can't bring herself to care. She does not care. Not when her body is melting away, her mind drifting into calm space.
It is an hour later she finally makes her way to the bedroom, lifting her phone from the nightstand. She missed a call from Robin. A smile pulls at her lips as she swipes across the screen, placing the device to her ear to listen to his voicemail.
"Hi Regina. I had a lovely time last night, as did Roland. I cannot thank you enough for the playdate, and was wondering what you would say to a date date, sans kids? I'm hoping my bakings skills impressed you enough to convince you of my worth. Give me a call back, bye for now."
Regina feels giddy and ridiculous. The ecstatic thrill that skitters through her body makes her feel like a hormonal teenager. Something she is definitely NOT, so she sets the phone on the nightstand, and decides it is best to let him sweat a little. Not to mention she fears if she responds at this very moment her excitement would be painfully obvious.
Quickly swapping her robe for a silky nightie, skipping her usual flannel garb or oversized t-shirt, she settles between her sheets pondering her reply to Robin's request.
Light filters through her window, waking her. She yawns, stretches, and lifts her phone, squinting at the screen. It is a little past 7 A.M. on Sunday morning. That bath last night must have been more relaxing than she realized, pulling her into sleep without permission, and now she feels guilty having let Robin wait so long for a reply.
Setting the phone back down and raising a hand to her eyes, she only now feels the sore swollen feeling of her throat, the pressure building between her eyes, and the fact that she can't seem to breath through her nose. Sitting up, every muscle strains and pulls, and her head throbs, squeezing like a vice.
Great, she thinks to herself, this must be how Henry felt just days ago when they first met Robin. She has definitely caught his virus, the nasty bug that's been going around, as everyone seems to refer to it. Just what she needs.
Moving slowly toward her bathroom, she can already see her reflection through the open door. Her skin is pale, lips slightly chapped, and her eyes look glassy and distant. She reaches for one of the many thermometers in the house and has to chuckle at herself when she pulls not one, but two from her medicine cabinet. She thinks that she could probably send Henry to college with the amount of money she has invested in thermometers since he was born.
Placing the device in her mouth, Regina reaches for a washcloth and dampens it with cool water before pressing it to her temple, then her neck. The device beeps. A shrill sound she does not remember being so irritating earlier this week, but then again, her head wasn't pounding at that time.
Sure enough, the thermometer reads 102 degrees F, and Regina sighs, her shoulders slump in defeat, and she hunches over her bathroom vanity, resting her head in her hands with a groan. The coolness of the stone vanity top seeps through her elbows into her arms, and Regina finds herself frozen, not wanting to move an inch, because this current position seems to have momentarily alleviated some of her discomfort. That is, until her phone chirps on the nightstand from the other room, and even the distance of the sound does not prevent the throbbing from returning to her skull.
With a groan and sigh she grabs a box of medicine, dayquil, from the cabinet before sauntering back to her bed, and plopping, quite ungracefully onto the mattress. After popping a couple orange capsules down her throat, followed by two large gulps of water, gulps that only make her throat ache more, she sets her glass back on the nightstand and reaches for her phone.
This time a text from Zelena awaits her, 'Hey, super slow weekend on call. I only had one patient! A nice break, but I hope it doesn't keep up.'
Regina releases a strangled cough, the reflex clenching and tugging at her throat and lungs painfully. With a wince she swallows thickly and presses the call button under Zelena's name. After a quick greeting, the other woman immediately assesses that Regina sounds awful, and better not be coming to work tomorrow because Zelena does NOT want to get sick, and the redhead goes into how they cannot afford to be down too many personnel. A little more discussion reveals that all of the doctors are facing a light schedule thus far for the upcoming week, and Zelena says she can easily take over Regina's cases for Monday, and probably Tuesday if needed.
Swiping to end the call, Regina feels mild relief knowing work is taken care of, Zelena gave reassurance that they could handle the clinic without her for a couple days, and with that concern off her mind, sleep drags her down once again.
The next time Regina wakes, it is not due to the light filtering through the window, but the 3 year old bouncing on her bed.
"Mommy? I'm hungry." Henry says, a huge grin on his face as he jumps in the air again, her soft mattress cushioning his landing.
"Of course Sweetie," she cringes at how her voice sounds, "how long have you been awake?"
"A while." He says. "Why do you sound funny?"
"I think I have that virus you had last week." She responds, riling his hair with her hand. "Now head out to the kitchen. I'm right behind you."
Regina watches Henry skitter across her bed before leaping off, running out of her room as fast as his little legs can take him. She sits, and notices the medicine has helped some what, at least her head isn't pounding anymore, just a dull ache present. Reaching for her phone, she sees it is already half past 8. She walks from her room, grabbing a box of kleenex on the way, and poors Henry a large bowl of cereal for breakfast. That will have to be good enough today.
The day passes slowly and painfully for Regina. She mutters quiet thanks under her breath after Henry finally settles down for his afternoon nap. He doesn't always take one anymore, getting too old he says, but Regina enjoys the break when he just can't seem to keep his eyes open, and she gets an hour to herself.
She turns around, watching him shuffle under his blanket while she pulls the door shut behind her, that is, almost shut, before her cell starts ringing in her pocket. She quickly grabs the offending object, silencing the device, letting a quiet stream of expletives leave her mouth, while closing the door completely. She prays that he stays asleep, and based on the lack of a loud 'MOM' being uttered, she thinks he has.
A quick glance at her phone has her smiling slightly. Robin called, and although he almost woke her son, she has to admit, the sound of his voice is very tempting at the moment. Padding quietly out to the livingroom Regina presses her finger to the green button under Robin's name and places the phone to her ear.
"I was hoping to hear from you." He greets after two rings, and his accent does things to her, she has decided it definitely adds to his attractiveness, the accent, and the dimples.
"Well, you did just try calling me." She responds, wincing at the roughness of her voice. The playful reply seems to go right over Robin's head because in the next moment his voice is filled with concern.
"Are you alright? You sound awful!" he says, before stuttering out, "I mean, not awful, I didn't mean that, just," he pauses when a coughing fit overtakes her lungs for a moment, "actually, yes. You sound awful." He states without amusement.
"I seem to have caught that notorious 'bug going around'." She says, her voice leaving her almost completely, coming out raspy and quiet.
"Regina I'm so sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do?" Robin questions, and his words warm her heart. This man hardly knows her. He did his job, tended to her sick child as his doctor, and they have been on one 'play date', and yet here he is, offering his help to her earnestly.
"I'll be fine. Just need some rest. Thank you though," she smiles, swallows slowly passed her aching throat, "you'll just have to treat me to another homemade batch of cookies next time I see you."
He chuckles softly, and Regina settles comfortably into the sofa, rests her head against a cushion, enjoying the sound of his voice, much nicer than her own at the moment.
"And when can I see you again?" He replies.
"Hmmm. Well, I can't really say how long I'll be feeling like this," she voices her thoughts, suddenly very angry that this virus has disrupted her budding romance, "maybe next weekend." She finishes with a sigh.
"I will try to be patient then. Do you plan on going into the veterinary clinic tomorrow?" He asks.
"Probably not, unless by some miracle I feel amazing in the morning." Doubtful she thinks. She decides that this is nice, talking with this man, the words flow effortlessly between them, and he makes her feel comfortable.
"I prescribe plenty of rest. Let me know if you need a doctor's note." He says jokingly, and Regina laughs fully, picturing David's face as she hands him such a note from her pediatrician. The laugh pulls at her congested lungs, and in the next moment, turns into a wheezing cough.
She sighs before jesting, "I would, but you're not my Doctor. Unfortunately, I'm over the age warranting your expertise."
There is a short pause in conversation, nothing awkward or dull, just comfortable, and she lets her body sink further into the sofa, lets his breathing lull her.
"If I may ask, what are your plans for dinner this evening? I know it can be difficult spending the day with a rambunctious toddler when not feeling well." He says, speaking from experience, his voice still warm with concern.
"And what? Things would be less difficult if I went out for a dinner date?" She questions, trying to understand what he is getting at, she must be misunderstanding him, probably the fever.
He laughs again, this time a hearty deep thing that makes her feel relaxed and content. "Of course not, but I am just as good at cooking in the kitchen as baking." He says, drawing her interest, "this cool weather has put Roland and I in the mood for soup, and I made a large kettle at lunch time." He pauses, seems tentative and unsure of himself, and though she has rarely seen this side of him, she finds it oddly charming.
"Yes?" She implores.
"Perhaps, if you would allow, I could bring you and Henry some for dinner this evening?" He asks hesitantly. He is uncertain, and she understands why. Even though she finds him devastatingly attractive, and has enjoyed every interaction with the man, they still have not known each other long. Technically, she has not even agreed to an actual date with him yet. Asking whether he can have her address to personally deliver homemade soup is a huge step into this very new relationship.
This feels like the point of no return for her. She can decline, after all, she is sick and is not eager to have him see her like this, but she fears in doing so she may be declining a step forward, a step from 'playdate'/friend zone to 'date date'/something more, and in her feverish state she feels her intentions may not be clear. She does want to move this forward. It has been years since she let a man make her feel anything, and Robin managed to do so from the moment she met him. Her decision is made.
"Yes. I would love that," she says, suddenly feeling guilty inviting him into the infectious realm surrounding her at the moment, "that is, if you don't mind. I'd rather you not get sick."
"I don't mind at all Regina. I offered, and don't worry about me catching anything," she can almost feel his smirk through the phone, "I already suffered at the hands of this 'bug going around'. I highly doubt I'll come down with it again."
They talk a little longer, until her throat is dry and scratchy, and Robin insists she try to rest while Henry does. She sends him her address via text, and receives a quick response of, 'I'll be there at six with your dinner Milady, and dessert.'
She sets an alarm for 4:00 P.M., just in case Henry naps for two hours instead of one, because she really wants to get a shower in and look more presentable when Robin arrives. Then, with a soft smile on her face, she lets her body fall into sleep, thinking of Robin, pondering what type of dessert he'll bring, chiding herself for thoughts of having 'him' as said dessert.
Good, bad? Hope you liked it. Let me know, and thank you all for the reviews/follows/favs. They really keep me motivated. Let me know if there is anything you would like to see happen in the story. I didn't come up with a huge plan for this one since it started as a one shot prompt response and has turned into tons of fluffy outlaw queen/ Regina feels. I can try to add things in upon request.