It was a beautiful day. Rather, it had been a beautiful day. Tess Morgan had spent most of it indoors working at her job in the University Lab. It wasn't her dream job, but it helped pay the rent and she got to work on her own experiments in her free time. With a massive yawn, she took a brief break before climbing out of her car. She was parked a block down the street from where her currently injured boyfriend Harrison Wells lived. Since injuring himself saving Tess during a hike, Harrison had been stuck in his little apartment for five days, his former roommate Dr. Christina "Tina" McGee and Tess were taking care of him.
Tina had taken the daytime shifts. With her daytime job, Tess couldn't cover them and the former roommate was waiting to start a new job so she had the time available. Two days ago Tina had taken Harrison to a follow up appointment for his broken leg. Unfortunately, the appointment hadn't gone well and the doctor had ended up prescribing more pain medication after resetting Harrison's leg for the second time.
When it came to medication, Harrison Wells was a "drug weenie." They were his own words, uttered in one of the few lucid moments he'd experienced since the accident. It was probably more the drugs than anything else which required he have a companion with him day and night. There were times he was absolutely nutty. Earlier Tina had left him alone while she made lunch and come back into the room to find he'd doodled all over himself with magic markers. He was like a giant toddler on crack.
Taking a few deep breaths, Tess climbed the stairs to Harrison's apartment and knocked softly. The door was opened almost right away. A frazzled looking Tina McGee greeted Tess with a nod. "He's sleeping," Tina said, letting Tess inside. "He took his pain meds about an hour ago. He won't need them again until the middle of the night. Are you sure you're okay to do this? You look absolutely knackered."
"I'll be fine," Tess said, hoping she was telling the truth. Nodding, Tina patted her shoulder and then grabbed her purse and headed out the door. "Good luck. I've hidden all the pens. He managed to find another marker. He'll need a bath at some point, but I draw the line there." Flashing a quick smile, Tina waved good-bye and was gone.
Sighing, Tess closed the door and wandered into the kitchen, hoping she would have at least an hour of peace before her patient would awaken. She'd only just opened the refrigerator door when a scream sounded from Harrison's bedroom. Wondering what the hell could be wrong this time, she headed towards the room. Previously, she would have run, but after five nights of caring for Harrison, she didn't.
"My body!" Harrison was screaming as Tess entered the bedroom. Tina had tucked him in, his arms over the bedsheets and blankets. Seeing Tess, Harrison turned his horrified gaze on her. "Tess! My body! Somebody stole my body!" Shaking her head, Tess grabbed the covers and pulled them back, revealing his marker covered torso. "You made it reappear! Cool!"
"Harrison, you have to stop playing with the markers," Tess said, her hands resting on her hips. She hoped she could keep herself together long enough to deal with him. It wasn't his fault the medicine made him a lunatic.
"I didn't do this!" Harrison protested, motioning at the scribbles. "Why would I do this?" He started to sit up, apparently trying to get out of the bed. Throwing the covers back all the way, he frowned at the still new hard cast. "Whoa. Tess, did I piss off the mob?"
She took a moment to try to figure out his line of thinking before responding. "No. Why?"
"Cause someone tried to give me cement shoes only they screwed up and missed a foot!" Harrison's blue eyes were wide, but cloudy. It was how Tess could tell he was enjoying his meds.
"You broke your leg," Tess reminded him. "While we were hiking."
"Oh!" He said the word as if she'd just explained the secrets of the world to him. "Right." They were silent for a few minutes. "I'm hungry," he finally declared. Sighing, Tess sat down next to him on the bed.
"Any idea what you want?"
"Food! The edible kind!" He grinned childishly. "Wanna go swimming?"
"Harrison," Tess said with a sigh, reminding herself it was the drugs. "You're wearing a cast."
"Oh," he said, his accent mutating to what sounded like Irish. "Is that not fashionable? I understand if you don't want to be seen with a fashion disaster like me." His eyes took on the puppy dog look and Tess felt her heart breaking. She knew he couldn't control the way he behaved when medicated. She'd done a bit of research and found some recent papers on genetics and the metabolism or breakdown of drugs.
"I'll go see if I can get Hogan to rustle up a meal for us," Tess said. She'd make dinner herself, but she didn't trust him alone for that long. She knew a shout out the door would bring the shop owner lumbering up the stairs. It seemed Harrison was a well-loved member of the neighbourhood.
Going to the door, Tess shouted and went back to Harrison's room to put a movie in to distract the injured man while she waited for Hogan. A few minutes later she heard the door open and Hogan call her name, "Tess, you shouted?" The big man entered the bedroom, used to the routine after five days of helping the two women.
"I was wondering if you'd be willing to get us some dinner," Tess said. With a beautiful grin, the big man nodded. "Harrison isn't being specific, so whatever you're willing to get would be great."
"I want edible food! I was too specific!" Harrison shouted from his bed. "Hi Hogan!" Laughing, the big man shook his head.
"You sure are Doc. You sure are. How much longer is he gonna be on those crazy pills?" Hogan had turned his attention back to Tess. With a sigh, she held up seven fingers. "Two weeks total?" Tess nodded. "Look, you ladies get tired of playing babysitter, let me know. I have plenty of help down at the shop and Doc here fixed me up enough times I owe him."
"Thanks. For right now, I'd settle for dinner," Tess pleaded, hating how tired and worn down she felt. Nodding, Hogan turned and headed back out of the apartment. When she heard the door slam shut, Tess prayed she'd be able to deal with a doped up Harrison by herself.
Turning back, she was relieved to find Harrison absorbed his his movie, quoting along with Cary Elwes and the other actors in The Princess Bride. The drugged genius even mimicked the different accents. With a sigh of relief, Tess sat, resting her head on her hand. Her cell phone rang, making her jump before she realized what it was.
"Tell your mom 'Hi' from me," Harrison said, rolling in the bed so he could watch the movie on his back with his head hanging off the foot of the bed.
Shaking her head, Tess stood and answered her phone, watching Harrison from the doorway. "Hi Mom," she said, wondering what the hell was going on now.
"Hello dear," her mother said sweetly. "Just wanted to see how you were doing."
"I'm great Mom," Tess said.
"Don't forget to tell her I say 'Hello' Tess," Harrison shouted, not realizing she was just at his door.
"Goodness, who was that dear?" Mrs. Morgan wanted the best for her daughter but had a hard time connecting with the scientist who was her second daughter.
"Harrison," Tess said, glancing in at the man. Harrison had started drumming on his doodled on stomach while still spouting lines from the movie.
"Harrison?" Mrs. Morgan was confused for the briefest of moments. "Oh, that sweet gay man who drove you home when your father… well. That Harrison?" She still wasn't used to the idea that her husband was dead.
"Yes Mom. That Harrison. He broke his leg while we were hiking. His friend Tina and I are taking turns taking care of him."
"Tess, Doc, I brought food!" Hogan called out as he let himself into the apartment. His massive arms dwarfed two take out bags from a nearby Chinese Restaurant.
"Who is that dear?" Mrs. Morgan couldn't help be curious.
"Harrison's friend Hogan," Tess said, waving a greeting at the man who nodded seeing she was on the phone. "He brought over dinner."
"Oh, well, I'll let you go dear. Call me when you're done eating?"
"Sure Mom. Love you."
"Love you too dear." The line clicked off, and Tess snapped her phone shut moving to help Hogan with the bags of food.
"Tess, how much sleep you been getting?" Hogan asked as he set the table with plasticware and set out the food.
"Probably not nearly enough," Tess answered. "I'll go get Captain Crazy." With an exhausted sigh, she went back to Harrison's room.
"Tess, something smells yummy," Harrison said, struggling to get up. He'd already paused his video and was struggling with the crutches. That was the other fun effect of the drugs. Harrison Wells looked like a drunk flamingo trying to tap dance when he attempted to use the crutches. He just lacked the coordination needed. Tess wondered if he'd have any more luck when he was off the medicine. Taking pity on the poor man, she moved to help, coaching him through it as he'd gotten angry when she'd tried to do too much.
"Hey Doc," Hogan greeted them as they entered the dining area off the kitchen. A bar separated the two, so it was possible to work in the kitchen and talk with people in the dining room or living room. "I brought Chinese. Little bit of everything almost." The big man smiled and pulled out an extra chair so Harrison could prop up his injured leg.
"Oh, Hogan, you are the best. Marry me?" Harrison's blue eyes were big and serious. To Tess's amusement, Hogan simply rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"Ask me again when you're sober," Hogan declared. Perhaps more amusing than the gentle giant's answer was the fact that Harrison's face seemed to fall in disappointment. A smile re-lit his face though when Tess passed him a fork and started putting food on his plate. He waited till everyone had food, and then started shoveling the food into his mouth.
"Did Tina forget to feed you?" Tess asked, watching him eat.
"I slept through lunch," Harrison answered almost lucidly. A few minutes later, he sat back from his empty plate with a groan. "I ate too fast." He looked dizzy, almost drunk. Putting down his chopsticks, Hogan stood, waving a paw of a hand at Tess.
"Don't worry Tess. I'll take care of Doc." Standing, he handed Harrison the crutches and the two headed back towards Harrison's bedroom and bathroom. Tess let the world fade as she focused on eating, so tired that she was afraid she might fall asleep in her lo mein. When she looked at the clock later, she realized that the two men had been gone for nearly twenty minutes.
Tess was standing to go check on them when Hogan returned, shaking his head and running a hand through his dark hair. "Poor fool," Hogan grumbled. "Does he have to take those pills?" He sat down at his place, picking up his chopsticks. "All that food, and he pukes it up."
"He got sick?" Tess felt bad for the man she'd been getting so frustrated with. Hogan nodded as he chewed on some food. "I suggested we take him off the meds but his doctor said he'd be in too much pain."
"And barely keeping food down and acting like a mad man is better? I think the Doc would rather be in pain if he could weigh in with his opinion." Hogan shook his head, but then grinned. "Course, I do get to tease him about proposing to me now." His grin made Tess laugh and it felt so good.
They spent the rest of the meal talking about science, the beach, surfing, moving, and more. Hogan was an easy going man and Tess found she really liked him. He seemed to very much be one of those giant cuddly teddy bear men. When they finished eating he insisted on cleaning up and put the leftovers in the fridge. Before leaving he gave Tess a bear of a hug.
"Listen Tess, you need me, just shout. I'll be here. You don't have to do this alone." He stepped back, smiled gently at her, and then vanished out the door and down the stairs. Locking the door behind him, Tess went to check on Harrison.
His movie had finished and he was fast asleep sideways on the bed. Sighing, Tess threw a sheet over him and returned to the living room to call her mother. "Hey Mom," Tess said when her mother answered.
"Oh, Tess dear. How was your meal with those two men?" If she hadn't known Harrison was gay, Mrs. Morgan might have been bothered by her daughter having dinner with two men, but instead she didn't mind.
"Good," Tess answered. "Harrison proposed to Hogan."
"Really? How exciting. What did this Hogan say?"
"That Harrison should ask again when he isn't on medicine." Tess smiled, knowing she was just kindling the fire.
"Oh. So, is Hogan taking care of Harrison now?" Mrs. Morgan wondered why her daughter was doing it instead of the man's boyfriend.
"No. He had to go back to work. It's okay though. Harrison is asleep now." Tess stifled a yawn but knew her mother still heard.
"Oh. Tess dear, get some sleep. You sound exhausted. I love you. I'll talk to you later." The line clicked off, and Tess tossed the phone on the coffee table. With a tired blink, she sprawled out on the couch, pausing only long enough to kick her shoes off. In seconds she was asleep.
Singing woke Tess up. Trying to blink the sleep away, she sat up and looked around the room in confusion. She was in Harrison's bed. The curtains were drawn, the TV was off, and somebody had tucked her into the bed. Throwing back the sheets, she got out of the bed and went to investigate the singing.
It turned out to be two people singing. Harrison was in the kitchen, leaning on his crutches as he flipped pancakes and sang along with Hogan, who was sitting on a bar stool playing the ukulele. The two men didn't notice her at first, instead focused on their singing, cooking, and strumming. Uncertain she should believe her eyes, Tess rubbed them, blinked, and then looked again. This time Harrison looked up from the song as he plopped a pancake onto a plate. Seeing her, his blue eyes sparkled and he grinned.
"Hey! Tess," Harrison greeted her when the song ended. For her part, Tess stood in the doorway, shocked and uncertain what was happening. "Sleeping beauty wakes."
"She sure is a beauty," Hogan agreed. Putting his ukulele down, he stood and went into the kitchen, picking up a knife and slathering several pancakes with butter. "Doc, you make the best pancakes." Slapping Harrison on the back, the big man then returned to the table.
"Thanks. That's a very firm back slap you have there," Harrison said with a groan. Realizing she'd slept through giving Harrison his medication, Tess went to the counter where they'd been keeping the pills. "You won't find them," Harrison declared, glancing at the counter where she was searching. "I crushed them up and Hogan dumped the powder in soiled cat litter."
"What?" Tess couldn't believe her ears.
"Sorry, but I hate the way they make me feel. I'd rather deal with the pain." He hopped back a little and turned the burner off. "Pancakes are done. Grab these two plates?" He nodded down at two plates stacked with castle shaped pancakes.
"You still have a week to go on that prescription," Tess nagged, picking up the plates and following Harrison into the dining room. He was much more graceful on the crutches now. With little effort he managed to get out of the kitchen, into the dining room, and sitting. Hogan pushed a chair out with his leg, and Harrison propped his own leg up on it.
"Yeah, well, Hogan here says I proposed to him last night. I figure, stop the drugs before I propose and he accepts. That might throw a wrench in our relationship." Reaching out, he squeezed Tess's hand and then motioned at the plates she'd set at the table.
"Lucky for you I understand. Hogan does seem to be perfect marrying material," Tess teased, feeling so much better with a good night's sleep and a nearly sane boyfriend. "Are you sure you can deal with the pain?"
"Better a little pain than a total lunatic. I can barely remember the last five days and some nut colored all over me with marker," Harrison declared, sipping at some tea. "And I had to ask Hogan what day it was to figure out how many days I'm missing!"
"I'm getting more," Hogan said, standing and going back into the kitchen. He returned with a large stack of pancakes. "Good thing you made a triple recipe." Harrison nodded, smiling behind his teacup.
"I must admit, I think I like you better this way," Tess said
"Oh, before I forget," Harrison said, setting down his cup and picking up a pad. "Chrissy called. She wasn't certain if she'd get here on time today. Hogan told her not to bother as he was going to watch me today. Also, some woman named Ellie called. She wanted to talk you into coming to girl's night."
"I cancelled on her so I could stay here and take care of you," Tess said.
"Oh, well, I told her I'd make sure you were ready for her to pick you up at seven. Apparently you're going to a new movie and dinner." Harrison shrugged as he put the pad down.
"Harrison! I told Tina I'd take care of you!" Tess protested.
"I know. Now, I'm taking care of you. Tess, nobody likes being cooped up. Go out, have a good time. I'll be either here or down in the shop." He reached out and gave her hand another squeeze. "You can ask your girl friends what we should do on our next date. I'm thinking karaoke. Nobody will have to tell me to break a leg!"
"Harrison!" Tess rolled her eyes, laughing. "You're awful."
"So, does that mean I don't get a kiss good morning?" Harrison asked with clear puppy dog eyes. Grinning, Tess leaned in and kissed him. A napkin hit their faces.
"Hey, I'm trying to eat here!" Hogan declared. "And that's my fiance, Tess." He grinned at the two. "So kiss him like you mean it."
"I should tell you," Harrison said, leaning in towards Tess. "We should probably do as he says. He's my landlord."
"Oh. Well, I wouldn't want to be responsible for you getting evicted," Tess said. It felt so nice to have her boyfriend back. "So I guess I better kiss you like I mean it."
"Yeah. Guess you better." With shared grins, they kissed again, this time, Hogan clapped.