Chapter Text
When Deborah comes home five hours later, Josefina meets her in the foyer, takes Deborah’s coat and gives her a knowing look. “Ava is upstairs. She’s good for you.” Don’t mess this up goes unsaid, and Deborah even mentally adds a ‘don’t mess it up again’.
Out loud, she just thanks Josefina and walks to the stairs before she can overthink it.
Ava is waiting for her in the bedroom door.
“Are you supposed to be up?” Deborah asks and moves past Ava to get to the vanity and get out of her wig.
“I’m fine! Josefina did all the concussion checks, and I’m back to normal, so you can like stop worrying already.”
“That male nurse said you might develop symptoms days later. We’ll keep checking.”
Ava groans, pushes herself away from the doorframe and flops onto the bed. “You don’t have to specify that he’s a male nurse, you know? Men can be nurses!”
“I know, I’ve met him. That’s why I said it.” Deborah snarks back, and her eyes meet Ava’s in the mirror as she pulls the wig from her head.
“Yeah but like you make it sound like it’s not normal or something.”
Deborah refrains from pointing out that that assessment is quite correct in her opinion. She’d just end up having to explain to Ava that she doesn’t think it’s bad, it’s just a fact that there are less men in nursing than there are women! Oh dear, now she is having entirely made-up arguments with Ava in her head. She really must have missed the silly girl.
It's good that she has her back.
“What?”
Deborah startles, realizing that she has a silly smile on her face and hasn’t moved at all in over a minute. “What were you doing all day?” She deflects the question back at Ava.
“Oh, you know, not much. Sleeping. Thinking.”
Deborah might have believed Ava’s fake nonchalant tone of voice if she hadn’t also sat up and started fidgeting with the duvet she has so carelessly bunched up under her toes.
“Thinking. How novel.” She picks up her make-up remover and starts to remove her professional armor.
“Oh, shut up. Anyway, like, I hadn’t had time to react to it earlier, but I mean, you basically did it and quit Late Night for me, didn’t you?”
Deborah shifts, uncomfortable. She doesn’t want Ava to think she only came to visit her in the hospital to prove a point. It’s not like she really lost her job over it. On the other hand, she really does want Ava to start trusting her again…
“Come here,” Ava stretches out her hand towards her.
Deborah puts down the eye wipes. “I’m still wearing half my make-up,” she murmurs, ignoring the fact that she is already moving towards the bed even as she says it.
“Don’t care,” Ava replies, the last word already smothered against Deborah’s lips.
“I’m glad we got here in the end. Though I could have done without you hitting your pretty head.”
“Oh, so I’m pretty now? Do you tell that to all the girls you let in your bed?”
…
“You know, I would have forgiven you eventually anyway. Can’t seem to stop myself from falling for you.”
“That’s almost romantic.”
“Almost?! I’ll have you know I’m very romantic. I’m a writer, we’re super romantic!”
“Comedy writer.”
“Oh shut up.”
“So eloquent.”
“Seriously, Deb, I’m starting to think you don’t want me to – uumph!”
…
“Stop trying to take off my clothes. You’re still concussed.”
“So?”
“No strenuous activity until the doctors clear you.”
“You’ve watched too many medical dramas.”
“Only because you made me.”
“Ugh, like I can make you do anything.”
“You can, Ava. You really can.”
…
“I love that about you.”
“Now who’s almost romantic?”
“Ava!”
“Okay, okay. Love you too.”