sliceitwithwind | (no subject)

"Hey, I said I'd be here." she admitted, reaching out to stroke his cheek gently. He said he hurt when he was sick, she was being very, very careful. "I love you too." a bit scary to get the admission at the onset of illness.

Or maybe she was being melodramatic.

He smiles just a little bit and closes his eyes. "Your skin feels cool."

That of course prompted Aya laying her hands fully against his face. Yes, her hands tended be warm but...feverish Dilan. 'Warmer' was negligible. "is this a bad time to admit I've only really dealt with a sick Ben before? Him we just kinnd of dose with kiddie NyQuil and tuck into bed..."

"It's fine. Can read to me if you want." Dilan offers.

"Hmmm, I can do that." Aya tucked her knees up onto the bed and leaned against Dilan's side "What are we reading? I warn you, I stumble over words eight syllables or longer..."

"Book on the night stand." he says, softly, "Crime book. Sorry."

"Hmmm" she stretched to reach the book then eyed the cover "I forgive you. Just this once. Page one?" she couldn't tell if he'd started it yet or not.

"Yeah." he smiles at her again, eyes drifting closed.

She tucked her head against his shoulder gently and started in. She refrained from critiquing some of the procedure. It wasn't so bad, but...it wouldn't have held in court. But hey, it looked like the detective was going to get the girl! When she needed to take a break she sighed and stretched her legs, then reached up to feel Dilan's forehead.

Still hot and feverish. Braig comes in with supper for Aya and chicken broth for Dilan, and Dilan shifts until he's seated.

Hey, food! She eyed the chicken broth a bit worriedly, then reached over to poke the bowl "How does that hold you?" she asked curiously. She knew Dilan's appetite...

"It's about all I'll eat." Dilan says quietly, "It's real broth, though. Boiled the bones down into it until they're liquid."

"How much weight loss do you usually experience?!" she wasn't arguing really. If he said it was all he'd eat she trusted he had experience backing him up but...damn it. She could worry?

"Dunno. Don't usually bother weighing." Dilan admits, shrugging and drinking his soup.

"Fair enough" Aya sighed and dug into her own plate. Mmmm, curry and rice. It was normal enough that it made her relax a little. "I guess now is a good time to admit I have very little nursing experience..."

"Braig can teach you all you need to know." Dilan promises softly.

"I am a quick learner." she offered Braig. Reassuring him she'd come to help, not flutter and fret at people. "And I've actually got two and a half weeks starting today..."

Dilan smiles and drifts off to sleep again. Braig - pretty much starts explaining that mostly? They're just going to watch him sleep.

Well, watching him sleep except when they weren't? Fair enough. She helped wash up the dinner dishes then went back upstairs to settle in. She'd thoughtfully brought things to review for work?

And reports to write?

All of which got dropped the moment Dilan woke up. But for the time being, she was content to inch her chair beside the bed, lean it back so she could prop her feet on the bed, and read.

He wakes up off and on for the first five days. And then he's in a coma for four.

Aya slept more in the chair than she did in the cot or even Braig's bed. She slept better all curled up? And then the coma hit and she barely let herself sleep at all. Sure, it was normal?

She'd lost way too many people to not be terrified. She hadn't expected that, really.

Braig shows her how to change the sheets around him when he starts sweating, and keeps her as calm as possible. Four days after he drops into the coma he wakes up again and smiles sweetly at her.

At least for Braig's peace of mind Aya was a very quiet terrified? And she'd known enough to get herself away from the bed for short period. Hot baths, cooking, mild cleaning...that was about as long away as she could stand.

Her answering smile to Dilan's waking came very slowly after the sheer, naked relief. "Hey love. Missed you." she informed him soberly.

"Hi." his voice is dry, cracked, but he smiles a little broader, "Love you."

From where her chair was at she could reach out and lay a hand on his ankle...just touching him was reassuring? "I'm drinking water at the moment..." she offered. "Or I can run get you something else?"

Yeah, she wasn't going to be the one filling him in on her terror?