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Hawkins was quickly becoming more and more blanketed in snow, and it was only the first week of December. It was so bad, in fact, that the news was saying a blizzard was likely coming their way that weekend. Robin kicked snow off her boots and hung her scarf up by the crackling fireplace to dry. She had to do Christmas shopping alone today due to Nancy having an article to work on. The school was having a snow day, likely several snow days, leaving Robin free to get some errands done. So that left her alone to do the bulk of the work for now. She didn’t mind, though. She knew that Nancy prioritized her career above anything else. It was something they had discussed. As long as Nancy wasn’t overworking herself, and they consciously still made time for one another, Robin had no issues.
However, Robin was in for a shock to see Nancy home early, huddled in a blanket despite the house being eighty degrees to keep the cold where it belonged: outside. She was so stunned by the sight for a moment that she wasn’t sure how to proceed. She slipped off her boots and approached the curly haired girl.
“Nance?”
When she got no response, she knelt in front of her and felt her cheek and forehead. Burning hot. She got up and went to find a thermometer. It was then that Nancy finally spoke.
“I’m alright, really,” she insisted, her voice hoarse and weak to the point that Robin could hardly hear it from the bathroom.
“Well, I’m sure this will come as no surprise to you,” Robin said as she returned to her girlfriend on the couch, “but I’m not convinced. You’ve got a fever, I need to see how bad it is.”
The thermometer read 102.4 degrees. A pretty serious fever. Robin sucked in a breath and knew she had her work cut out for her today, and perhaps tomorrow as well. She set the thermometer aside, knowing she would need it several more times.
“Okay, off to bed with you.”
“No,” Nancy whined before dissolving into a miserable coughing fit. “I wanna go out in the snow.”
“What are you talking about?” Robin would be bemused by this out of left field statement if she wasn’t so worried. “You can’t go outside like this, Nancy, I gotta get you to bed.”
She sighed and helped Nancy to her feet. She slumped into her. She was slim and shorter, but made of more muscle than Robin was expecting, so it took an effort not to fall over when Nancy put almost all of her weight into her side. This was going to be more difficult than she thought. Still, she didn’t let a single complaint escape her lips as she took Nancy into their bedroom and laid her down. Robin made a mental list of what they had: tea, chicken noodle soup, and a small amount of medicine. They needed more. She strode to the phone and decided to call for backup.
She shifted from foot to foot as the phone rang. She heard a thud from the bedroom just as the other end picked up. Fantastic. She’d have to deal with whatever that was later.
“DJ Munson, how can I make your party rock?”
“Ugh, you gotta work on the greetings.”
“Whatever, you love me.” Robin was sure she could hear Eddie’s grin through the phone.
“Anyway, I need a favor Eds.”
“What can I do ya for?” His tone was slightly more serious now.
“Can you pick up some cold and flu meds? Nancy is sick as hell and I don’t wanna leave her to restock on supplies for flu season.”
“Oh yeah sure, no problem. Anything else?”
“Maybe extra soup and crackers…I haven’t had time to do grocery shopping between all the Christmas shopping and decorating and cleaning.” Robin frowned. Maybe Nancy really had been spending too much time at work and she just hadn’t realized it.
“You got it, Buckley. I hope Nancy gets better, that’s real rough. And right after you got better too.”
“Thanks, Eddie. See you soon.”
She hung up and strode to the bedroom to help Nancy, only to see the bed was empty and the window was open. Oh shit. She sprinted outside. Nancy was in the snow, lying on her back. Robin scrambled to get her up, Nancy coughed, but she seemed unbothered about the predicament she was in.
“How the hell did you get yourself out the window?” Robin was baffled. What was she trying to do?
“I wanted the snow,” Nancy said, as if that made her behavior make any more sense.
“Come on, honey, you gotta rest. Please. For my sanity.” Eddie could not get here soon enough.
As soon as she had Nancy comfortable under some blankets again, she shut the window and wished she could lock it. Robin hadn’t predicted Nancy to be a wanderer while sick with a major fever, but she supposed it wasn’t that much of a surprise. She had worked while sick before. Again and again. Now she was paying the price. Robin too, it seemed. She put some soup on the stove and searched the pitifully empty medicine cabinet for Tylenol. Just as she found it and rushed to take the soup off the heat, she heard a rustle from the bedroom. Not again. She huffed and placed the pot on the counter to chase after Nancy again.
“Nancy, stop!” she called out as she threw the front door open.
This time, as she took her girlfriend back indoors, she set her at the kitchen table so she could keep a better eye on her. As she was giving Nancy a small portion of soup to eat, she heard a car door slam outside. That had to be Eddie. She sighed in relief and grabbed a spoon from the silverware drawer.
“I’m n-not hungry,” Nancy said before dissolving into a sneezing fit.
Robin grabbed a nearby box of tissues and set it beside her so she could blow her nose. Tissues fell into Nancy’s lap like snow, one after the other. Every single one of them was picked up without comment and thrown away as the front door opened.
“Just have a little broth, okay? We can save the rest for later.”
Robin went to greet Eddie. She couldn’t have been more relieved if he had shown up with angel wings and a halo over his head.
“Say, those are some nice snow angels outside,” Eddie commented. He was holding a couple of grocery bags in his left hand.
“What?”
The conversation was cut short by Nancy’s miserable coughing. It was even worse this time, and Robin was concerned about her ability to breathe. She immediately drew herself to her side and put a hand on her back, frowning, but at that moment, Nancy quieted down and groaned. Robin kissed her head in an attempt to comfort her.
“Yeesh, that doesn’t sound good,” Eddie said, pulling out several medications from his haul. “I got a little bit of everything. Has she taken anything yet?”
“Just some Tylenol, but I’m pretty sure it’s expired,” Robin mused. “Thanks again, Eddie, you’re a lifesaver.”
“Well like I said, I got a variety, I know you’re always catching whatever bug the kids are spreading around, Robin. And enough soup for like, two weeks.”
Robin flashed a grateful smile and went to put the soup in a container.
“Could you just keep an eye on Nancy? She’s been wandering outside today and it’s driving me up the wall.”
“Really? Well that explains the snow angels…”
“Snow angels?”
Robin almost spilled the soup she was holding. What the hell was he on about? She shook her head and dumped the soup into the container before going outside to investigate. What was Eddie on about with snow angels? It didn’t make any sense. She threw the front door open and found the two spots in the snow she had discovered Nancy in. She tilted her head and suddenly recognized the shape.
“Oh…snow angels…”
Robin burst into relieved laughter.
“C-Can we go make some?” Nancy said from behind her. “Please? It feels so nice out there.”
“When you feel better,” Robin promised, turning to face her. “Let’s get you to bed, okay? Don’t run away this time.”
“Okay. Promise.” Nancy’s nose was bright red, and Robin was tempted to make a Rudolph joke, but she refrained.
“Come on Rudolph, time for some meds,” Eddie called.
“Oh jeez, Eds,” Robin grumbled, but she couldn’t help the smile on her face as she shut the door.