Chapter Text
Cassian exercised every ounce of restraint while he was quarantined in the medbay, then in a private meeting with Draven, then in another meeting with Intelligence, and finally he was allowed to go find Jyn. His imagination had run wild since that message from Bodhi that read “Jyn sick. Taken to medbay.” He sent Jyn several messages, but she never replied. For four days he could do nothing but stew in his transport on the way back to Echo Base.
At the medbay he was able to get some answers, since he was her medical proxy. She came in with a sore throat and a low fever, and they sent her off with fever reducers and a week long medical leave. He hadn’t seen her as he moved from meeting to meeting, leaving him to hope that she was resting in either his quarters or hers. Hoth had a nasty habit of taking a light illness and turning it into something more life threatening.
So when he entered his quarters and turned on the lowest light setting, he was relieved to see Jyn sleeping in his bed. It concerned him, however, that she didn’t stir when the light came on (either the illness or the medicine or both dulled her senses). He set down his duffle bag by the door, then picked up the wall of crumpled up tissues and ration bar wrappers that line the side of the bed and threw it all away.
He knelt down next to her and gently touched her flushed cheek. She was burning up, but she curled in a tight knot like she was freezing. He picked up the canteen on the nightstand and rattled it to find it bone-dry.
“Oh, Jyn…” he murmured.
He wanted to kiss her and hear her say his name, but she needed tended to first. He returned to the duffle bag and pulled out the tightly-rolled green blanket he bought for her. After shaking it out, he tucked it under her chin and around her neck. He filled her canteen from the sink, then set up his heating coil and thermos so he could make her tea. While the water slowly boiled, he dug up the last tissue box in their closet and put it on the table next to the canteen.
Jyn whimpered in her sleep, and he gingerly sat next to her.
“Are you awake?” he whispered as he brushed back her greasy hair.
She said nothing, and she was completely still. Even with the flush in her cheeks, her skin was so pale and shiny with fever sweat. The circles under her eyes were darker than normal, as if she hadn’t slept in days. A wild thought wondered if she’d ever open her eyes again, and he stamped it down.
Cassian leaned over and kissed the top of her burning forehead, trailed down to her temple, and rested on her ear.
“I missed you,” he breathed, “and I love you, Jyn. I love you. Please get better soon.”
Her hot breath rippled over his throat. He closed his eyes and promised himself that if she didn’t wake up by tomorrow morning, he’d carry Jyn back to the medbay himself.
Cassian stayed curled over Jyn until he heard the water bubble. He made her tea and set it on the nightstand table as well. His datapad pinged, informing him that Draven needed to see him once more. He sighed, but he kissed Jyn on the temple once more and retreated to the ’fresher to thoroughly wash his hands.
He took one last look at Jyn, then turned off the lights and let her sleep.