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“Is something wrong with you today?”
Santos had been hunched over one of the central computers. Her shift had finished an hour ago, but she couldn’t go home yet. There was still so much to do. She’d been painfully trying to work through her growing backlog of charts when a sudden voice made her jump.
She sniffled, rubbing her eyes quickly before swivelling around in her chair trying to force a polite smile. Mel King was looking down at her with an unusual expression. She was wearing a thin jacket, bag over her shoulder looking ready to go home for the night.
Over the past few months, Santos had gotten better at reading her girlfriend’s faces. She knew how she looked when she was angry, when she was disappointed and most importantly, when she was happy.
But she couldn’t quite read this one. It was different. A sort of frown, and if she had to guess, concern? Mel shuffled her feet a little, a small silence stretching between them for a moment before she repeated herself with a little more urgency this time, “Are you doing okay?”
Santos opened her mouth to answer, but nothing came out at first - just a rough exhale that hitched halfway through. She swallowed, blinked hard, and tried again.
“I’m fine.” She said a little too late. Even if she had answered within a normal time frame, there was a congested edge to her usually hoarse voice and she knew that they both could hear it.
Mel blinked, fidgeting with her hands. She hadn’t seen her girlfriend like this before. She was used to the brunette being all-guns-blazing, never slowing her pace for anyone. It was different. Thick bags hung beneath her eyes, and now that she looked closer, she could see the way her nose has taken on a slightly red hue.
“…You’re not fine.” She spoke quietly.
Santos huffed out something that might’ve been a laugh, except it dissolved into a cough halfway through. She turned her head, pressing her fist to her mouth, shoulders tightening as she tried to stifle it, but it came anyway, rough and scraping, leaving her breath a little uneven when it finally passed.
Trinity had never been one to make a fuss when she was sick. If anything, she preferred just to be left alone to sleep it off by herself, away from the noise and away from people. She’d felt this cold creeping up on her all day, silently in denial until it became clear that it wasn’t going to go away so easily.
In all honesty, she hadn’t even thought of telling Mel. Maybe it was embarrassment - not wanting to be seen as weak. Or maybe it was something a little deeper. She hadn’t wanted to disturb her with something so trivial. Mel King had better things to do than worry about her girlfriend’s sniffles.
Santos sighed, rubbing at her throat with a small wince, “It’s just a bit of a cold, okay? It’s fine.” She grumbled finally, eyes not quite meeting Mel’s as she spoke, “I’m handling it.”
Trinity drew in a slow breath like she was about to say something else, but it caught awkwardly in her chest. Her nose twitched, eyes narrowing as she turned slightly away, one hand lifting on instinct. She tried to fight it, pressing the back of her wrist under her nose, but the effort only made her breath hitch again.
The sneeze snapped out of her, sharp and unrestrained despite her attempt to muffle it. It left her blinking, momentarily dazed, a faint groan slipping out as her sinuses throbbed in protest. She sniffed thickly, dragging her wrist beneath her nose again, but it only made the congestion more obvious.
Mel cooed at the sound, “Awh, bless you!”
Santos watched as Mel’s eyes lit up in realisation. The doctor shrugged off her backpack and began searching through the contents. After a moment, she pulled out a small pink travel pack of tissues and presented them with a proud smile, “I’m always prepared.”
Trinity couldn’t bring herself to make a comment on her girlfriend’s easily-pleasured nature. Instead, she gave a small, grateful smile and accepted the offered tissues. She tried her best to blow her nose as quietly as possible, but it didn’t do much, only serving to stuff her up further.
“You’re going to give yourself a sinus infection doing that-“ Mel fussed, shaking her head as she took back the packet only to take a couple out herself, “Here- if you’re not going to, let me.”
She held them over the doctor’s nose, like a mother would to a fussy child, “Blow properly.”
As if she wasn’t embarrassed enough. Trinity’s cheeks burned, a dark crimson flush settling across her face. She swatted Mel’s hand away, taking the tissues herself and blew properly. Producing a damp congested sound that made her and several others nearby cringe.
“Happy now?” She grumbled, tossing the tissues into the bin before sanitising her hands.
“Yep! That feels better now, doesn’t it?” Mel beamed, completely unaware to her girlfriend’s embarrassment.
Santos didn’t have it in her to argue, she rubbed her eyes, trying to hold back a tired yawn before agreeing. She’d accidentally wiped off some of her mascara and had left a faint black smudge at the edges of her eyes.
Her gaze softened a little, sucking her thumb for a quick second before reaching up to rub away the black smudge, “How about you let me take you home?”
Santos mumbled a reply, likely an objection but it wasn’t quite audible.
“I’m serious,” The blonde added, reaching up without thinking and brushing a stray curl back from Trinity’s face. Her fingers lingered just a second too long, cool against warm skin. “You’re exhausted. And you feel like shit.”
Trinity raised an eyebrow, an amused smile tugging at her lips. Mel rarely swore.
She just sighed, the sound heavy, her posture sinking another inch as if being seen so clearly took the last bit of fight out of her. “It’s just been a long day.” She admitted quietly.
“I know.” The doctor’s voice softened even more. “So let me take you home.”
She hated this part. The giving in. The admitting that maybe she wasn’t fine, that maybe she did need someone to take care of her for once. It sat uncomfortably in her chest, tangled up with pride and stubbornness and something softer she didn’t like to examine too closely.
But she was so tired. Her head felt heavy, sinuses aching faintly, that dull pressure building behind her eyes. Even sitting there felt like too much effort now, her body swaying ever so slightly where she sat.
Mel noticed. Of course she did.
Her hand found Trinity’s wrist just enough to hold her steady. “C’mon,” She murmured, a little gentler now. “You can argue later. Right now, you can barely keep your eyes open. I’ll help you with your charts tomorrow if you let me take you home, deal?”
Trinity let out a quiet, defeated breath. Not a lot of people would know but Mel could be incredibly stubborn when she wanted to be.
“…You’re annoying,” She finally mumbled, though there was no real heat in it as she stood up with a small sigh.
Mel’s grin came back instantly. “Yeah, I know.”
***
It wasn’t a long journey to her apartment. Only twenty or so minutes, thirty if there was traffic. Even so, it had taken everything in her to keep her eyes open. Something about the warm car and rhythmic hum of the engine was lulling her to sleep, or maybe it was just the day’s exhaustion catching up with her.
Either way, Mel had to gently nudge her awake when they’d pulled into her building’s parking lot. She grabbed both of their bags before opening the passenger side door, offering out her hand as Trinity mumbled something about being able to carry her own stuff but she took the doctor’s hand nonetheless.
Her grip was loose, fingers barely curling as Mel helped her out of the car. The cool evening air should’ve woken her, but it didn’t do much more than make her shiver faintly. She swayed once she was standing, pressing closer to Mel without really meaning to, her balance just slightly off.
The walk upstairs was slow.
Trinity tried to keep up, she really did, but her steps dragged, her head dipping forward more than once. By the time they reached the apartment, she was leaning heavily against Mel’s side, her body practically folding into her with quiet, unconscious trust.
Inside, Mel guided her to the couch, intending to let sit her down for a minute.
Trinity meant to argue. She always did. But the moment her body dropped onto the cushions, she melted. She sank down onto the couch with a quiet exhale, her body folding in on itself as if it had been waiting for permission to stop.
Mel disappeared for only a moment to drop the bags, but when she came back, Trinity hadn’t moved much. Her head had tipped back against the cushion, eyes half-lidded, breathing slow and uneven. There was a faint crease between her brows, like even resting didn’t quite feel right.
“You’re burning up.” Mel muttered, brushing the back of her fingers against Trinity’s cheek. The doctor made a soft, noncommittal sound, too tired to respond properly.
“Come here,” The blonde coaxed, sitting down in the open spot next to her and gently guiding her sideways.
Trinity didn’t resist this time. She let herself be pulled closer, her movements sluggish, until she ended up curled slightly against Mel’s side. It was meant to be temporary, just to get her comfortable, but the second her head settled into Mel’s lap, something in her seemed to give out completely.
Her breathing evened out almost instantly, the tension in her face easing as sleep took her without so much as a fight.
Mel adjusted slightly, careful not to wake her, one hand resting lightly against her arm. She told herself she’d move her properly in a minute. Just let her rest for a second. Just until she was sure she was actually asleep.
But the quiet of the room settled in, and Mel found herself drifting, her thoughts wandering as she absently traced slow, soothing patterns against Trinity’s sleeve. The rise and fall of her breathing, the faint warmth radiating from her skin, the way she’d gone so still so quickly… it was hard not to stay like that for a while.
Mel wasn’t sure how long has passed when she was pulled from her daydreams by the sound of the front lock clicking open.
Whitaker must be home.
He’d stayed late after his shift to volunteer with the street team. Dennis yawned widely, kicking off his shoes and letting his bag fall to the floor. The doctor had been looking forward to collapsing on the couch to watch some shitty TV and order even shittier pizza.
“Are we going halves on pizza? Double meat feast is calling my name-“ He called out, expecting to see his roommate already settled in the living room. What he wasn’t expecting was a slightly sleeping-looking Mel King to be sat there instead.
She shushed him, as politely as one could. Dennis pulled a face, unsure what to say. Trinity hadn’t mentioned having anyone over tonight. Infact, he’d just about to ask where she was before Mel pointed down towards her lap.
Dennis couldn’t see her earlier from his position but after taking a step closer he could see the top of her slightly messy curls.
Trinity Santos was asleep.
With her head in Mel King’s lap.
Dennis’s eyes were wide and wearing an expression that was somewhere between shock and confusion, “I, uhh, are you..? I didn’t- You two are-?” He stammered over himself a little, nervously rubbing the back of his head as she tried to find the correct words.
Mel was oblivious to his confusion. Instead she gazed down at the sleeping woman in her lap with a sympathetic smile before looking up, “She’s not well.” She said matter-of-factly, her fingers gently running through the doctor’s hair.
Dennis nodded slowly, “I see.” His voice was noticeably quieter. He’d only seen her sick once before. It was only a month or so after they’d moved in together and she’d spent the majority of the time hiding in her room, refusing to be seen because she was “too gross to be witnessed right now”. He’d tried his best to look after her little but she was having none of it.
The doctor decided it was probably best to leave the two of them alone. If Trinity hadn’t opened up to him about their relationship yet, she must’ve had her reasons. He knew she had her boundaries, especially when it came to her private life and he wasn’t one to push. Dennis had just been about to enter his room when he had an idea.
Instead of opening his bedroom. The doctor decided to push the opposite door open - Trinity’s bedroom. He tried to as respectful as possible, keeping his eyes down as he tiptoed across the room. There was only one thing he needed. The red plush blanket that lay sprawled across her bed.
It was the same blanket she’d been huddled in when she’d forced him to binge Game of Thrones with her. The same blanket she’d hang over her shoulders trying to study late at night. He didn’t give it a second thought, grabbing the soft blanket before closing the bedroom door behind him. He made his way back to the living room, deliberately avoiding the creaky floorboard.
Mel’s head piped up, tilting to the left as she saw him reappear in the doorway.
“She’ll want this.” He said simply as he carefully handed her the blanket. A small smile crept up on the blonde’s lips, thanking him gratefully. Dennis returned the gesture before excusing himself as he went back to his room.
With her spare hand, Mel’s fingers gently stroked the soft fabric. It was a very nice blanket. She took a moment to look at the small, attached tag, wanting to remember the brand name. She would need to get one for her place too. Then, with a strange precision, she leaned forwards as she carefully draped it over the sleeping doctor, making a special effort to tuck it up to her chin without disturbing her.
At some point she’d need to move her to somewhere more comfortable. It was becoming increasingly clear that the doctor would not be making it into work tomorrow. But that was tomorrow’s problem. Right now, in this moment, all she needed to do was sleep, and Mel was content to hold her as long as she needed.