Part 2- Feverish Friends

The door knob jiggled and opened and Elliot smiled at the sound of Noah dumping his stuff right in front of the door. It used to make him crazy when his kids left there crap everywhere, but he realized he missed it.

"Mom!" Noah called.

"Hey Noah," Elliot called back.

Noah bounded around the corner into the kitchen. "Elliot!" He exclaimed, and bounced over to give him a hug. It had been a few weeks since Elliot had been there last.

"Hey!" Elliot greeted him. "Your Mom is pretty sick so I think I'm going to stay here and help out tonight. That okay?"

"Yeah!" Noah answered like it was a no-brainer.

"Chinese or pizza for dinner buddy?"

"We had Chinese a couple days ago, let's get pizza."

"Pizza it is." Elliot agreed.

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Elliot made sure Noah finished his homework before shuttling him off to bed. He peeked in on Olivia periodically, but she remained asleep the entire evening.

Once Noah settled he wandered around the apartment, picking up all the miscellaneous things strewn about. He laughed a little when he realized Olivia's stuff was no more organized than her eleven year old son.

He straightened up the apartment, and cleaned the kitchen. Liv still slept soundly so he snuck the laundry basket out of Noah's room and threw a load in. He checked the time, and realized Liv probably needed more meds.

He pulled open her door quietly, and padded over to the bedside. Her complexion was flushed and she shuddered periodically from the chills. He placed a hand on her cheek. It felt cold and clammy. She had finished the first water bottle so he snagged another from the fridge before kneeling by her bed. He ran his fingers up and down her arm softly, but she didn't wake.

"Liv," he whispered. "Hey Liv," he said a little louder.

She winced before her eyes opened. A smile crossed her face when she recognized him. "Hey," she said sleepily.

"How're you feeling?" He felt her forehead, noting she still felt very hot.

"Like I got hit by a bus," she admitted.

He laughed lightly. "I'm sure." He reached over for the water bottle and Tylenol on her night stand. "Take a couple more of these." She took the pills from his hand and swallowed them with some water.

"Let me grab a temp real quick." He ran the thermometer over her forehead. "Damn." 102.7. "Still really high Liv."

"It's fine." She waved him off, ignoring his worried expression.

He felt her forehead and face again, cupping her cheek affectionately. "It's not fine. We definitely need to keep an eye on you tonight."

"I'll be fine." She insisted, burrowing deeper into her covers.

He knelt there uncomfortably for a minute before asking. "Do you have a sleeping bag or something? I'd sleep on the couch but I'd rather be in here in case you need anything."

She chuckled, "Elliot. Do we look like the kind of family who owns sleeping bags?"

He laughed, "Probably not."

She laid quietly for a minute and Elliot thought she might have fallen asleep. Just before he stood up she whispered, "Just sleep up here by me."

"You sure," he asked somewhat incredulously.

"There's room and I'm not going to make you sleep on the floor."

He cupped her face with his hand. "Thanks."

She smiled sleepily. "There are some random NYPD police sweats in my bottom drawer. I don't remember where they even came from."

Her bottom draw was mostly empty so he easily found the sweats in the drawer. As he lifted them to see if they'd fit he laughed out loud.

"What?" Her voice was groggy.

"Damn Liv, where did you get these? I have been looking for these for years!"

"They're yours?" She laughed, but winced from her body aches.

"Yeah. I lost them forever ago, but apparently someone stole them." He eyed hee pointedly through the darkness.

She chuckled lightly, "Sorry."

"You don't sound sorry," he smiled again.

"Yeah. I'm not."

He chuckled again, and quickly swapped his jeans for the sweats. He climbed on to the bed from the opposite side. He hesitated before slipping under the comforter, wondering if she would be okay with it. She seemed asleep again so he rolled to face her and find a comfortable position.

"El, just take off your shirt." She hadn't even turned to look at him. He laid there awkwardly for a minute. She clarified, "You sleep shirtless. I slept in an opposite bunk from you for years."

"I don't want to make you feel…"

She cut him off. "Doesn't bother me. Plus I know you're a heater and right now that's the last thing I need."

He still hesitated, but decided to go ahead and unbutton his shirt and toss it on the floor.

He settled back in, feeling much more comfortable. Liv's breathing deepened and he knew she had fallen back to sleep. He set an alarm on his watch so he could check on her in a few hours. Even with the comfort of her bed, sleep evaded him. Liv slept only a matter of inches from him, and it took every modicum of will power he had not to reach out and touch her. He rolled to face away from her, hoping it would quell the temptation. His 'heater' self would probably make the fever worse if he got too close. After what felt like an eternity, he drifted off to sleep.

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Elliot's watch buzzed and he tapped it off. He started to get up only to find a feverish Olivia snuggled against his bare chest. He bought his arms around her, relishing the closeness and the feeling of her breath on his chest. He kissed the top of her head before peeling himself away.

He rolled off the bed in search of the thermometer. Her fever came down to 101.9 which made him sigh in relief. He slipped back under the comforter, again maintaining some space to keep her cool. He set another alarm, this time to get up and start getting Noah ready. This time he dropped off to sleep quickly, feeling more reassured with her improvement.

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Elliot hadn't been asleep long before he felt Olivia roll over to him. "El," she mumbled. Her voice sounded groggy and he wasn't sure if she was actually awake. Then she said his name again, this time more clearly, "Elliot?"

He rolled towards her and reached his arm out for her to grab. "I'm here."

She clasped his forearm and pulled him closer, scooting herself into his chest. His breath caught at her obvious desire to have him close. "Liv," he warned, "I don't want you to get too hot."

"I don't care." She snuggled impossibly closer.

He knew he should insist she move, he should worry more about her fever than his desire to feel her in his arms, her hot breath beating against his chest. His arms tightened around her, savoring the intimacy she allowed in this moment. He knew she was probably somewhat delirious, but how could he refuse this opportunity to hold her close?

She sighed and her breathing evened out, and he knew she fell back asleep. He placed a kiss on her hair and tucked her head beneath his chin, sighing as he drifted back to sleep.

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The morning went smoother than he anticipated. He got up before Noah so he had time to gather up his things and make sure he had breakfast. Before he took Noah to school he checked in on a still sleeping Liv. Her temperature came down to 101.1 so he felt comfortable leaving the apartment for a bit.

After dropping Noah off at school he gave Ayanna a quick call to let her know he had a family thing, and he would be doing some background research for their case at home. He swung by his apartment to take a quick shower and change his clothes before dropping by the bodega near Liv's apartment for some gatorade, tylenol, and a Covid test. He worried the high fever was Covid related so he figured they could test. Better safe than sorry.

His errands took a couple hours, and he was anxious to get back to the apartment to check on Liv. Noah lent him his key so Elliot could come and go as needed throughout the day.

The quiet apartment indicated Liv was still sleeping. He stuffed the gatorades in the fridge and left the tylenol and covid test on the counter. He turned around to grab his computer from his bag but found Liv standing at the edge of the kitchen.

He smiled. She was an adorable mess, bed head, yesterday's clothes and a fluffy blanket hanging from her shoulders. "Hey," he greeted, "How ya feeling?"

"Better, I think."

He closed the distance between them, placing his hand on her forehead, and then her cheek. She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. "Much better," he murmured. She felt much cooler than last night.

She surprised him when she impulsively wrapped her arms around his torso. He encompassed her in a firm embrace, relieved she seemed to be feeling better. Her weight dropped into him, and he realized she probably was pretty weak. "Hey," he whispered into her hair. "Why don't you lay back down and I'll get you some food and more medicine."

Her cheek pressed into his chest, and she seemed to be savoring his closeness. The thought made his heart quicken. "One more minute." Her voice was low and mildly hoarse.

He kept his arms around her, and after a minute she pulled her head away from his chest. He missed the warmth of her cheek there, but the look in her eyes distracted him from his disappointment. Her warm brown eyes brimming with affection took his breath away. She never looked at him that way. She tippy-toed up, bringing her lips impossibly close to his. He suddenly couldn't breathe, or think for that matter. He waited for her next move and his heart leapt when she closed the distance between them, pressing her soft lips against his.

The kiss was slow and tender, radiating deep affection. He tightened his arms around her, determined to savor this moment. Her lips moved away, and he instinctively chased them back, kissing her a little harder with more passion. She responded in kind, and he knew he would probably get sick after this, but it would be totally worth it. One hand pressed into her lower back, and his other hand threaded up into her hair pushing her mouth harder against his. He finally released her lips to place a row of soft kisses along her jaw, causing her to sigh with contentment.

She seemed exhausted, barely able to keep herself standing. "Let's get you back to bed," he whispered against her lips.

"Only if you come with me." He pulled back from her to study her face. Obviously they weren't doing that today, but the idea started a fire in his belly. She took his hand and led him back to her room. She pulled him down with her and pulled his arms around her as she settled back into his chest.

He settled into her, but his mind was racing, trying to figure out what this all meant, if it meant anything at all.

"Elliot?"

"Yeah Liv."

"I love you."

His arms tightened around her, "I love you too."