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9. “Get your butt back in bed!” (TBC of 5)
When Peter pulled up outside his house, Neal was a jittery mess. He’d consumed mass amounts of coffee and as much DayQuil as he could without overdosing, and he was practically vibrating in his seat. Peter smirked when he saw how Neal’s eyes kept drifting shut, just to be snapped open again as his eyes rolled around in his head. It was concerning, for sure, but Peter couldn’t help but be a little amused at the sight of the infamous Neal Caffrey struggling to stay awake the way he was.
“Come on, cowboy. Let’s get you to bed.” Peter unbuckled and climbed out of the car, hurrying around to Neal’s side before the younger man fell over.
“Bed sounds nice,” Neal croaked. His voice was completely wrecked from the hour and a half of undercover work he’d had to do earlier that morning. He let Peter haul him out of the car and tried to walk under his own steam, but by the time they reached the front door, Neal was leaning on Peter pretty heavily.
“El has the guest room all made up for you,” Peter said as he unlocked the door and guided Neal inside.
The sight of the stairs looming between him and a bed made tears burn at Neal’s eyes. “Maybe the couch?” Neal asked, his legs starting to shake.
Peter could feel Neal slowly collapsing, so he half dragged him over to the couch and set him down. “Couch works, too.” Peter knelt in front of Neal and untied his shoes before moving on to his tie and dress shirt. “I’ll run upstairs and get you some pajamas, okay?”
Neal waved a listless hand and let himself tip over so that he could curl up on the couch cushions.
Peter ran up the stairs and entered his bedroom, pulling out an old pair of sweatpants and a broken in Twins crewneck before hurrying back downstairs. He found El perched on the side of the couch feeling Neal’s forehead with the palm of her hand.
“He’s really warm, hon.” She looked as worried as Peter felt.
“I know.” Peter helped Neal up and efficiently changed him into the sweats he’d brought down. “Christie said he should see his PCP, but I’m not sure we can get an appointment for today.”
“Could ask to borrow June’s,” Neal said, his eyes closed as he sat upright on the couch.
El and Peter shared a look, not sure if Neal was keeping up with the conversation going on.
He peeled his eyes open when no one responded to him. “She has a concierge physician.”
“Oh, right. That makes sense.” Peter rolled his eyes and pulled his phone out of his pocket to call June.
El helped Neal lie back down on the couch and laid a blanket over him, sitting on the edge like she had been before once he was comfortable. “How are you feeling?”
Neal shivered and curled in on himself more. “Bad,” he admitted. Being vulnerable with Peter and El felt natural to him, despite never having anyone reliable to be vulnerable with in his life before meeting them. Plus, he figured that the more they knew, the sooner he would feel better.
El made a sad noise and leaned forward to kiss his forehead. “I’m going to get the thermometer. Will you be okay while I’m gone?”
Neal nodded, letting his eyes slip closed. He was too wired to sleep, but that’s all his body wanted him to do. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed after El said she was leaving; it all jumbled together in a mirage of fever dreams and conversations he wasn’t quite sure he was hearing. When he next woke, there was a stranger in the living room speaking to Peter and El quietly.
“Hello, Neal. I’m Dr. Sasha. June tells me you’ve come down with quite the cold,” the stranger said once she realized Neal was awake.
Neal pushed himself up so that he was sitting and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
“Let’s see what we’re dealing with, here.” She got to work swabbing the inside of Neal’s nose and the back of his throat before carrying the swabs to the kitchen. After a few minutes, she returned with a blood pressure cuff and her stethoscope. “Let me just get some vitals and then you can bundle back up again.”
Neal let her do whatever she needed to him, his eyes drifting shut as she worked. Before long Peter was helping him scoot back down so that he was lying flat again. Neal couldn’t ever remember feeling so terrible. It seemed as though every part of him ached, down to his fingernails, and he was exhausted from all the shivering he’d been doing. His throat hurt, his cough was severely unpleasant, his head ached, and his nose was beginning to feel stuffy. Overall, he was having a pretty bad day.
“Well, it seems as though Neal has a pretty severe case of influenza a. I’ll leave him a prescription for some Tamiflu, but other than that, I’m afraid he just needs rest and plenty of fluids.” Dr. Sasha packed up her bag, leaving the prescription with Peter as she pulled on her jacket. “Call me if he gets worse.”
“Thanks so much,” El said, showing the doctor to the door.
Neal cracked an eye open when it seemed as though the doctor was gone.
“Hear all that?” Peter asked from where he was sitting on his recliner.
Neal nodded, deciding that speaking took too much effort.
“I’ll go get your medicine. You need anything before I go? I’ll only be gone about 20 minutes.”
Neal shook his head. “Actually,” he croaked. “The remote?”
Peter smiled. “Of course.” He handed the remote over and bent to kiss the crown of Neal’s head. “Be right back.”
El came back in from outside then, rubbing her hands up and down her arms. “Well, that was pretty convenient.”
“Pretty expensive,” Peter said under his breath.
Neal felt his heart clench at that. “Sorry. I’ll pay for her visit,” he said, pushing himself up so that he was sitting again, despite his body’s protests. He didn’t want to feel like a burden on top of feeling like a steaming pile of garbage. “I can actually just head back to June’s, if that’s easier for you guys.” He started to stand, but was overcome by a wave of dizziness.
Peter was at his side in a second. “Get your butt back on that couch,” he instructed firmly. “You’re not going anywhere.” He waited until Neal was sitting back down, covered in his blanket again before continuing. “What I meant was that it’s convenient to have a concierge physician, but it must also be pretty expensive. For June.”
Neal looked like a kicked puppy, so Peter sat next to him on one side, and El joined them on Neal’s other side.
“We want you to stay here, kiddo. You’re not a burden or any trouble. Okay?” Peter looked Neal in the eyes and tried to portray how serious he was, though he wasn’t sure Neal was with it enough to catch on.
El rubbed a hand up and down Neal’s back in comforting circles. “How about we watch a movie while Peter goes to get your medicine?” She asked, pulling Neal into her side.
Neal sniffled and nodded.
“Okay, sweetie.” She fussed over his blanket and they both got comfortable together on the couch. “Neal could probably use a cup of tea before you leave, hon.”
“One cup of tea, coming up!” Peter kissed the crown of Neal’s head again, kissed his wife, and went to the kitchen.