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The bed creaked when Harvey lied down, laying his head on the wall behind him. He turned to his right, where you should currently be, resting and having a good night's sleep. Except you weren't, and were still outside, doing who knows what. The doctor sighed heavily.
It was a daily occurrence, that it bordered on what you considered as normal; but Harvey never had. He wanted you to have a proper sleeping schedule, to have your health be at its utmost best. Most importantly, he wanted to hold you in his arms as the night passed and morning came; until it was necessary for both of you to get up. But he can't do that when every instance of an opportunity was almost in his grasp, you still haven't gone to bed, and Harvey, guilty as he possibly can be for being tired from his work, slept as quickly as his eyes closed without you by his side.
He tried talking to you about it, how you're not taking care of yourself and pushing past what you're capable of doing, and all you said was that you're fine, that you just needed to finish something before going to bed, that it really can't wait until tomorrow, that he shouldn't worry that he himself needs rest more than you, and that he should take care of himself instead.
And it infuriated him so much; how you simply brushed off his concerns for you, and all the while doting on him at the same time. He didn't know what to say, for you went back to what you were doing, completely ignoring him until the morning after where you greet him sweetly and give him coffee (distracting him), then go back to do your chores and your stupid little secret project or whatever it was.
Harvey suspected as much, he's not well versed with farm work, his expertise lies in a different field after all, but anyone can see that you were doing something that was obviously straying from the usual tasks you do. While he adored watching you carry out errands you made for yourself, at least those were well enough to not cross limits, the added workload you decided upon yourself recently that was certainly crossing limits drew the line.
What was it that you worked on day and night, that was so important and significant that you refrain yourself and your husband from spending the remaining hours of the day together?
In actuality, Harvey couldn't care less, if you were adding up trivial matters to further injure yourself. He can't stop you from going to the mines (because for some blasted reason you willingly go there on the regular), but for presumed pointless errands, he sure will keep on trying to talk you out of it.
He planned to stay up till you came back home and confront you once more. Right now though, he wasn't having any luck. It was so late; while Harvey did have his own share of tough nights, that was long ago, and he was, unfortunately, a few years younger, and was now too old apparently for this small objective. Rarely does it occur when some of his patients require his time after hours, especially at this time.
Hours ticked by, and Harvey was drooping slightly into the blanket, his head lolling left and right, making a tremendous effort to be awake for your arrival. He contemplated going to the living room to watch the television, but then remembered there were only like 4 channels on, in which two of those were not particularly interesting and would probably lull him to sleep more. Finally, the wind blew right and the door opened, with you looking horribly deprived of energy. This spurred the doctor immediately to his feet.
"Do you have any idea what time it is?"
You had the audacity to look startled. Harvey took your hands and pulled you towards the bathroom, letting its entrance ajar for a few inches. He gave you a glare that reminded you of a fussy puppy.
"Well?" You shook away your thoughts.
Humoring him, you pointed towards the clock at the corner, helpfully suggesting the answer for your husband. Alas, he didn't feel the same, the puppy getting rather flushed, huffing out an exasperated sigh.
"At this rate darling, you'll pass out in who knows what place. While yes, you have nicely insisted that you have always set foot in our home before you lose unconsciousness, I would still prefer it if you don't pass out at all."
In contrast to his sharp voice reprimanding you, his movements were gentle as he helped you prepare for bed. When the both of you went back to your room, he went straight for the dresser, continuing his displeased stare on your poor clothes. Pursing your lips, you felt amused by your husband's antics. Never had he looked so adorably heated. You let him dress you, and it hadn't missed your attention that he chose your most comfortable nightshirt, one that you wore occasionally solely for the reason of being Harvey's favorite, thus rendering it snug and pleasant.
By the time your husband deemed you to be ready for a good long rest, your eyes were slipping close, feeling so safe and easeful under his care. The doctor nearly forgot what he wanted to say and downright settled on making sure that your pillow was soft, the sheets fully covering you without warming you up too much, and adjusting your position carefully for maximum solace.
He remembered when you raised your hands to his neck, beckoning him to come closer, so you can whisper to him your bewilderment for his sudden outburst. Harvey lets out a quiet breath, nuzzling your nose against his, closing his eyes out of self-indulgement and to get away from your humored gaze. He wished you'd stop teasing him so much.
"You're hurting yourself, dear. I’ve told you to not be apathetic to what your body tells you, but still... ” A sad hum. “Because of your stubbornness, I want you to stay home for tomorrow, or shall we say later?” Harvey glanced at the clock you pointed at earlier. You chuckled. “Whether you’ll be on the couch or in bed I don’t care, as long as you’re comfortable and not working. Doctor’s orders, alright? And don’t worry about the farm, I’ll take care of it.”
The man shuddered to think about what he needed to do; he wasn’t as experienced as you, but he watched sometimes, when he was at home bored from reading and attempts in contacting pilots. Mostly, he looked at you rather than the things you did, though that doesn’t mean he hadn’t picked up a few things here and there about your work. And it looked easy enough.
Smiling faintly, you nodded and pulled him to his side of the bed, barely registering what your husband just said. Harvey sighed again. At least for tonight, he could hold you until you fell asleep, and you get the slumber you deserved.
-
You woke up early at 6:00 am, just as you did every morning. But today, you feel exhausted, as if your energy was completely drained out. You’d love to stay under the sheets, though the farm can’t take care of itself; you should feed the animals (you’d hate for them to go hungry and look thin), and water the crops (can’t miss a day for harvesting) at least. No other activities for now, it’ll have to wait. Stretching your arms, you made the bed and stood up.
Although a delicious scent took your attention; on the side drawer by your right lay a plate of complete breakfast, and a steaming mug filled with coffee. It looked appetizing. You planned on going to the kitchen and making yourself and Harvey a cup, but it seems he beat you to it.