Vi felt the jolt. It was either that or the soft, pained exhalation that woke her, but it didn’t really matter. She snapped awake with the sudden alertness she’d been taught by Vander and had honed in Stillwater. Even though she came around in an instant, she still expected to feel a cold concrete floor beneath her aching side and smell the charnel stink of sweat, desperation, and blood. Waking up to soft linens and the clean, fresh smell of sheets washed in lavender water, and *Cait* felt fresh and new every time.
Vi hesitated, unsure whether to wake her. She’d seen plenty of people cry out in their sleep and knew that eight times in ten it was better to let them ride it out instead of waking them in the middle of something that might make them lash out or hurt themselves.
When Cait let out a blood-curdling scream, Vi lept wxross the bed and pressed a hand to her cheek, finding a cold sweat sheening her skin.
“Cait, wake up.”
Caitlyn’s eyes (*eye*, a bitter voice added) snapped open and she looked around, jerking up from the bed, her chest heaving as she drew in ragged, pained breaths.
Vi pulled her into an embrace, wrapping Caitlyn up in her arms and bending her body as much as she could to form a shield around her while Caitlyn desperately hugged her back and buried her face in Vi’s neck.
Sometimes they said more this way than they did by talking. Vi sat up and gently rubbed the back of Cait’s neck with her fingertips and pressed light kisses to the crown of her head, for no other reason than she loved her and she was free to show it.
Finally Cait said, “I had a nightmare.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Cait didn’t answer, instead resting her head on Vi’s shoulder while her finger aimlessly traced the tattoo on Vi’s arm, sort of half-humming on exhalation. Vi had learned that Cait wasn’t being rude when she didn’t answer her and that these little things she did to soothe herself were just as important. That Vi could savor Cait’s touches forever was incidental. Vi hadn’t touched her enough and would make up for it for the rest of her life.
“Do you remember the… the tea party.”
Vi swallowed hard. That night had been one of the most painful of her life, when all her sins had marched out of the darkness to revenge themselves on her tenfold. It was the terror she felt when she saw Cait’s eyes that shattered her, but the worst, the worst…
(I paid your girlfriend a visit…)
It hurt to even summon the thought, like touching the edges of a barely healed wound, feeling the scab lift and pull at the raw flesh beneath.
For a moment Vi knew that Jinx was going to lift that lid and Caitlyn’s severed rotting head would be sitting there staring at her with blank eyes and she cringed in horror and fear, a shiver ripping through her.
Cait knew; Vi didn’t have to say yes.
“Did you ever wonder how she knew you called me cupcake?”
Vi shook her head. “I thought she must have heard me. On the bridge maybe or…”
“She might have, but she delighted in making me tell her. I was helpless, terrified. She spent hours hurting me, but she kept saying she wouldn’t kill me because she was waiting for you. She said you’d do it.”
“Did you believe her?”
“No, never.”
Vi let out a long, slow sigh in relief.
“I hurt you. I hit you, but you would never hurt me.”
“We talked about that, Cait.”
“I know.”
There was a brief silence in the dark. First light was beginning to peek through the curtains and soon it would be time to get up. Most nights Vi hated waking now. She wanted nothing more than to spend then rest of her life in soft sunlit moments with Cait, making love under the warming sunlight as often as not.
Cait’s hand worked between them and traced over the scar on Vi’s belly, in the same spot where Cait’s rifle butt had smashed the air from her lungs and left her begging, sent her spiraling into a booze-fueled nightmare of longing where the pain of a fist to her face was the only thing that kept her awake long enough to keep looking for someone to kill her in the ring before the drinking did.
They held each other a little tighter.
“No one is going to get you now,” Vi promised.
“You’re not my keeper, Vi. You mean more to me than what you can do for me.”
“I meant you can hold your own. You took me out, remember? Do you know how many people can say that?”
“You let me win because I’m me.”
Vi shook her head. “Not until I was already face up on the ground. You took down Ambessa.”
“I had help.”
“You’ll have help if someone comes at you again. My help.”
“I told you, Vi, you…”
“No. It’s not because I owe you something, it’s because I love you.”
Vi hadn’t said the words yet, despite all this time, but it shocked neither of them.
“We protect each other, then.”
Vi nodded in agreement. She could see Cait’s eye growing lidded and the tension slit out of her body as Vi lay down with her. She was asleep in a few minutes, snoring lightly against Vi’s neck.
prompts: 3. "Yeah, that's a fever.", 13. "I don't like the sound of that cough."
summary: doctor!vi looking after a sick and feverish mel
wc: 3.1k
a/n: so this wasn't a request but I had to write something for my girl Mel! and I just love Vi being all protective of her. this is a sequel to the doctors au fic - read the first fic here.
prompts ❊ masterlist ❊ req's closed temporarily while I catch up
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Vi has never understood the point of a mandatory staff mixer. If the goal is to improve morale and make her like her coworkers, all dumb events like this manage to do is irritate her. She should be at home on the couch with a beer and the game on. Or pumping iron at the gym, or hell, even doing laundry would be better than being stuck at work after hours, pretending to be interested in making small talk while sipping on watery lemonade.
She glances at her watch again impatiently, wondering how much longer of this torture session she has to endure. The event is supposed to be ending in an hour, which still feels like a ridiculously long time from now.
Swinging by the sad refreshments table covered in a dollar-store plastic tablecloth, she grabs some more cheese and crackers and snorts to herself at the fact the admins couldn’t even manage to get some decent food for this “team-building event”. Typical.
“Pretty sure they just picked up a cheese platter from Costco,” Jayce Talis says, coming up to her and nodding at the plate in her hands. “At least it’s better than the old celery sticks that they had last time.”
“God, these things are the fucking worst,” Vi groans, biting into a stale cracker. “As if we don’t have enough work to do already, without them making us socialize.”
“You’re telling me,” Jayce snorts. “I’m hoping this is the last one they schedule this year.”
“Fingers crossed,” Vi mutters, but then gets distracted by a familiar voice.
She turns and spots Mel talking to another doctor nearby, and Vi frowns immediately when she gets a good look at her. It probably wouldn’t be obvious to anyone else who doesn’t know her as well as Vi, but she’s lacking some of her usual warm glow, and her cheeks are flushed. Her eyes look a little glassy too, and Vi doesn’t miss her politely muffling a cough into her elbow.
“Lanes? You with me?” Jayce asks, waving a hand in front of her face. Then he swivels to see who Vi is looking at. “Ah. Yeah, nevermind. Go be with your girl.”
Vi feels her cheeks redden. “She’s not my fucking girl, Jayce,” she retorts, rubbing the back of her neck. Jayce just gives her a pointed look with raised eyebrows.
Vi flips him off for good measure and wanders over to Mel, who’s finishing up her conversation.
“Having fun?” Vi smirks, bumping her shoulder lightly against Mel’s.
Mel sighs, then coughs again into her elbow. “So much. How could you tell?” she says sarcastically.
Vi frowns at the hoarse, congested sound of Mel’s voice. “You sick, Mel?”
“Getting over a cold,” Mel waves a hand dismissively. “It’s nothing.”
However, her claims are rendered somewhat ineffective when she has to turn away from Vi to sneeze, her nose pinched firmly between her thumb and index finger to keep them silent.
“Bless you,” Vi murmurs, rubbing Mel’s back gently as she sniffles. “Seems like you should be in bed, sweetness.”
“But then I would miss this lovely mixer,” Mel jokes with a deadpan look, and Vi laughs.
“Yeah, you definitely wouldn’t want to miss any excitement,” Vi smirks, but then her smile drops when Mel coughs again, harsher this time.
“I’m not loving the sound of that cough, Mel,” Vi frowns, resuming rubbing her back. “How long have you been sick?”
“A few days, but really, I’m fine, Vi,” Mel insists, sipping on her drink to calm the cough and clearing her throat. “It sounds worse than it is.”
Vi hums thoughtfully, studying her. “Can I give you a check-up real quick?”
“A ‘check-up’? I’m not five, Vi,” Mel chuckles, rolling her eyes slightly.
“Well, ‘exam’ sounds a little suggestive dontcha think?” Vi teases, gently wrapping a hand around Mel’s elbow and guiding her out of the room. “C’mon, let’s play hooky. No one will notice.”
“I’ll have you know I’m only agreeing because this mixer is painfully boring,” Mel says, as Vi guides her down the hall and to the elevator bay.
“Sure, sure, you know you just love getting me all to yourself.” Vi winks lasciviously, putting in the number for her floor once they’re in the elevator.
Mel just shakes her head at her and laughs quietly, before sneezing a few more times.
“Bless you, again,” Vi murmurs, her chest tightening a little with worry. For as much as she puts up a flirtatious act, she actually does care deeply for Mel, and she doesn’t like seeing her sick.
It’s late evening now, so the hospital corridors are fairly empty and quiet as they make their way to Vi’s office. She feels almost nervous, being alone with Mel like this, even if her main priority right now is making sure she’s alright. She’s been harboring a massive crush on her ever since they started working together, although she’s never acted on it beyond her shameless flirtatious jokes.
“Have a seat,” Vi says after she unlocks the office door, guiding Mel to the couch. “Alrighty, let’s see what we’re dealing with.”
Mel coughs into her elbow, then sighs. “It’s just a cold, like I said.”
“Then this will be very straightforward,” Vi says, grabbing her stethoscope and joining Mel on the couch. She puts the earpieces in her ears and warms the metal part with her hands before placing it on Mel’s chest. “Deep breath, sweetheart,” Vi orders, eyes narrowing as she listens in attentively.
Mel takes a few deep breaths, Vi moving the stethoscope to different spots, before she has to break away to cough again. Vi gets up to grab an unopened water bottle from her mini fridge and cracks it open for her.
“Thanks,” Mel says, a little breathless and hoarse after the coughing fit. She takes a few slow sips of water, then clears her throat.
“‘Course,” Vi hums, watching her catch her breath for a moment before reaching a hand to her forehead. “Do you have a fever?”
“Um, I don’t think so?” Mel shrugs. “I haven’t checked.”
Vi hums as she slides her hand down to her cheek, frowning again. “I think so. Let me get a thermometer.”
Mel looks a little put out, but Vi makes quick work of retrieving a thermometer and getting a quick read of her temperature.
“Yeah, that’s a fever, Mel,” Vi sighs, studying the thermometer after she pulls it from Mel’s mouth. “Your lungs sound tight, too. You definitely need to be in bed. Have you been resting, hydrating?”
“Yes, doctor,” Mel says with a playful roll of her eyes. “It just needs to run its course.”
“Mhm, well let’s have it run its course with you resting and actually taking care of yourself,” Vi raises an eyebrow. “C’mon, I’ll drive you home.”
“Oh you don’t need to –” Mel starts to protest, but then promptly breaks into another coughing fit.
Vi rubs her back lightly while she coughs, nudging the water bottle at her when she’s able to take some sips.
“Mel, you can barely go two seconds without coughing, and you’re running a temp. You definitely shouldn’t be behind the wheel right now,” Vi says seriously, holding Mel’s gaze. “It’s no problem, I promise.”
Mel wipes a few irritated tears from her eyes with a soft sigh, and it isn’t hard for Vi to read the exhaustion she’s clearly feeling. “Well, only if you’re sure…” she hesitates, searching Vi’s eyes with a hint of trepidation.
“Positive,” Vi says firmly, pushing up from the couch and offering a hand to help Mel up. “Let’s get you home.”
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It doesn’t take long for Vi to drive them both to Mel’s apartment. She’s been there before several times and she knows the route well.
Vi and Mel have been friends for a while now, although usually their time together is spent hanging out casually, often with other friends present. It feels new and somewhat intimate for Vi to be alone with Mel in her apartment, especially when the other woman is feeling so unwell. But Vi decides to put her awkwardness aside in favor of making sure Mel is taken care of.
“Why don’t you go change into something comfy and get in bed?” Vi suggests, once they’re inside and have taken off their shoes. “I’ll make you some tea, get you some medicine.”
“You really were serious about me staying in bed, weren’t you?” Mel sighs, with a slightly disgruntled look.
Vi smirks, giving her shoulder a squeeze. “Afraid so, sickie.”
“Since when were you so overprotective?” Mel huffs, but then devolves into yet another coughing fit.
“Since you started sounding like that. You - rest,” Vi orders, putting her hands on Mel’s shoulders to gently steer her in the direction of the bedroom. “I better see you in some PJs and under the covers when I get back, Medarda.”
“So bossy,” Mel complains with a roll of her eyes, but Vi can hear the fondness in her tone.
Vi smiles a little to herself as she heads to the kitchen to get the tea kettle going. She’s been friends with Mel long enough to know her favorite types of tea, so she makes quick work of preparing her a generously honeyed cup of chamomile.
Heading into Mel’s bedroom, she finds the curly-haired woman sitting up in bed with several pillows propped behind her, dressed in a silky, red pajama set.
“You actually listened to me,” Vi grins, coming over to the bed and carefully setting down the mug of tea on the bedside table. “Are pigs flying?”
“Oh, hush,” Mel chuckles, reaching for the tea. Her hands shake slightly on the mug, nearly sending the hot liquid spilling over the side.
“Careful,” Vi warns, putting a hand on Mel’s to steady hers. Vi’s heart flutters slightly at the feel of Mel’s soft, small hand underneath hers.
“Thank you,” Mel hums, taking a cautious sip of tea. “This is lovely.”
“It’s nothing,” Vi shrugs, hoping she sounds more nonchalant than she feels. She watches Mel take another sip of tea. “How’re you feeling?”
“About the same,” Mel says, giving Vi a wry smile. “I have survived a cold before, you know.”
“I know, I just –” Vi lets out a breath, raking her fingers through her messy hair. “I dunno. Don’t like seeing you like this.”
Mel studies her with her sharp, golden-green eyes. “You try so hard to hide it, but you’re quite sweet, Vi,” she observes, after drinking some more tea.
“Me? Sweet? Never,” Vi smirks, ignoring the sudden flush of heat to her cheeks. “I think you mean tough. Or cavalier. Or dastardly.”
“Mm, right,” Mel laughs softly, then her features shift into a familiar expression. Vi immediately reaches for the mug and takes it out Mel’s hands, just in time for Mel to twist into her elbow for a flurry of small, itchy-sounding sneezes.
“Bless you,” Vi murmurs, putting the mug back on the table. “Lemme get you some tissues, be right back.”
In Mel’s bathroom she finds a box of tissues easily, then also locates a bottle of ibuprofen in the medicine cabinet. After a moment’s consideration, she grabs the tub of Vick’s she finds there too, figuring it’s worth a try.
“Here you go,” Vi hands over the tissue box, sitting back down on the side of the bed. Mel takes a few and gives her nose a polite blow.
“Thank you,” Mel says after she finishes, leaning back against the pillows and looking exhausted. Vi frowns at the pallor to her usually warm brown skin, and the hint of flush over her cheeks. She rests the back of her hand against Mel’s forehead, trying to gauge whether she’s gotten any warmer.
“I’m alright,” Mel assures, her voice gone soft and hoarse now, looking up at Vi. “You don’t need to worry about me.”
“You’re pretty sick, Mel,” Vi frowns, dropping her hand and reaching for the bottle of ibuprofen. She shakes out a couple of pills into her palm and hands them over. “Take these, please.”
Mel swallows the pills dutifully, taking a few more long sips of tea. Then she has another small coughing fit, groaning quietly after. “Ugh. Sorry.”
“It’s fine,” Vi soothes, running her hand up and down Mel’s arm a few times. “You wanna try some Vick’s? It might help with the congestion. Or I could run out and get you some cough syrup, even though you probably know the research is mixed on the effectiveness of that.”
Mel shakes her head. “No, the Vicks will just make me sneeze, and I hate cough syrup.”
Vi nods, setting the tub aside, then gazing back at Mel. “What else can I get you, sweetness?”
“Nothing. You’ve done enough already, really,” Mel reaches for her hand and gives a soft squeeze. “Thank you, Vi.”
“Anytime,” Vi smiles, running her thumb over Mel’s knuckles. “You want some company? I’m up for a movie marathon if you are.”
“You might get sick if you hang around here,” Mel warns, raising an eyebrow. “You probably should keep your distance.”
Vi shrugs. “I’ll take my chances. C’mon, budge up.” She motions for Mel to make room on the bed, and the other doctor complies, scooting over for her.
Mel reaches for the remote and switches on the TV. Then she turns away to sneeze into a tissue, before pulling up Netflix. “What do you want to watch?”
“Bless. I don’t care – you’re sick, you choose.” Vi settles in on the bed, leaning back against the pillows with her hands laced behind her head. “I just draw the line at reality tv.”
“Oh, you’re no fun,” Mel chuckles, shaking her head. She hums as she scrolls through the movies, finally settling on one. “How about a classic – Casablanca?”
Vi agrees, and Mel starts the movie, scooting down in the bed to get more comfortable. Their shoulders brush together, and Vi tries not to be too distracted by the soft feeling of Mel’s body leaning against hers.
After a half-second mental debate, Vi lifts up her arm in a silent offering for Mel to cozy up to her.
Mel sniffles, rubbing her nose and giving Vi a curious look. “Are you sure? I’m pretty gross at the moment.”
“You’re not gross, c’mere,” Vi mutters, looping her arm over Mel’s delicate shoulders and shifting slightly so that Mel can curl up against her side. “You are like a mini furnace, though. Hopefully this fever of yours breaks soon.”
Mel hums noncommittally, letting her head dip to rest against Vi’s shoulder. Vi’s stomach does an unceremonious somersault, and she hopes that Mel can’t hear her heart pounding. She’s itching to duck her head and press her lips to Mel’s and take her fully in her arms.
But Vi gives herself a mental shake. This is about making sure Mel is taken care of, not trying to jump her bones.
“You comfy?” Vi asks, rubbing a few circles on Mel’s shoulder with her fingers.
“Mm, very,” Mel says, snuggling in even closer to her. “You make a great pillow.”
Vi chuckles quietly. “Glad to help.”
They stay tucked up close together for a while as the movie plays, Mel coughing occasionally, Vi reminding her to keep drinking the tea. Vi isn’t really paying attention to the movie, all her thoughts stuck on Mel.
Eventually, however, Vi is brought out of her daydreaming when Mel shivers slightly against her side. Vi tightens her hold on her, rubbing her arm briskly to warm her up. “You alright?”
“Fine,” Mel assures, but then she shakes with another shiver. Vi frowns, reaching down to tug the covers further over Mel, tucking the duvet around her shoulders.
“You gettin’ chills, Mel?” Vi asks, putting a hand to her forehead again. Mel definitely still feels too warm, maybe even more so than before.
“Just a little cold,” Mel murmurs, burrowing deeper under the covers. Vi grabs a blanket that’s folded on the end of the bed and shakes it out, covering Mel further.
“The ibuprofen should have brought your temp down by now.” Vi studies Mel with furrowed eyebrows. Mel’s cheeks are still unhealthily flushed, and her usually sparkling eyes look glassy. “I want to take it again, you have a thermometer?”
“In the bathroom,” Mel sighs with a cough. “Is it really necessary though, Vi?”
Vi nods, slipping out of bed. “It won’t take long, promise. I’m just gonna give you some acetaminophen too if that fever isn’t coming down yet, ‘kay?”
Mel mumbles something about Vi being overattentive but doesn’t protest, curling up further in bed. Vi smiles a little to herself as she heads to the bathroom to look for the thermometer.
It is true that her caretaking instincts seem to ratchet up several notches whenever it comes to Mel. Vi’s always been a caring person, it’s why she became a doctor after all, but she has to admit what she feels for Mel goes deeper than that. Somehow Mel manages to strike Vi as a study of contradictions, both strong and fragile – not naive by any stretch of the imagination, but also a little too good for this world. It makes Vi want to keep her safe, make sure she’s getting what she needs. Maybe it’s overprotective, but she also gets the sense that Mel kind of likes how attentive Vi is when it comes to her. Vi knows Mel hasn’t had a lot of softness in her life, having had a very strict upbringing, and Vi can’t help but want to give her that comfort now.
She quickly finds the thermometer in the bathroom and cleans it. She brings it out to Mel, who slips it under her tongue and shoots Vi an impatient look.
Vi laughs softly, giving Mel’s shoulder a fond squeeze. “Sorry, darlin’. This is what you get for being friends with a fellow doctor.”
The thermometer beeps and Mel plucks it out of her mouth, glancing at it before showing it to Vi. “I suppose that’s true,” Mel says with a small smile.
Vi takes the thermometer, frowning down at the number. “Ah, yeah it’s gone up, Mel. More meds for you, and maybe a cold cloth too, I want to get this temp down a little.”
“Lovely,” Mel mutters sarcastically, and Vi gives a low chuckle.
“I know, I know, I promise I’ll leave you alone in a sec,” she says sympathetically. “Be right back.”
Vi brings Mel the additional pills and gently lays a cool washcloth on her forehead, then climbs back in bed. Mel looks so adorable with the cloth on her forehead, bundled up under a mountain of blankets, and Vi smiles at her fondly. “You need anything else?”
Mel smiles faintly back at her. “No, I feel thoroughly taken care of, Vi. Thank you.”
“That’s what friends are for,” Vi grins, although her stomach sinks slightly at the word friends.
But Vi just curls up further on the bed next to Mel, wrapping her arm around her shoulders again. Even if she can’t have her the way she wants, at least she gets to have Mel in her life.
