So I may or may not be on my deathbed from being rained on and if I could have a last wish, I would LOVE if you could have my baby Cassie taking care of reader.
As always, you’re amazeballs ❤️
Bodies
A/N: My first one-shot where someone is sick!! I love the sick trope ngl...as someone who gets sick often and loves when people want to take care of them :) Sorry, this took so long @starryparchments, also it's a little short :( But I hope you like it!!
you can find my other works here!!
I would usually put a content warning, but I don't think there's anything that really constitutes one for this one-shot, really! Everything is safe :)
It’s the dead of winter.
And as a teacher, that means everyone is fighting for their lives, sick or not.
You had been really careful all week, as you had a date with your girlfriend on Friday that you absolutely weren’t going to miss. Her schedule barely aligns with yours as it is, and the day it’s supposed to happen, you were absolutely NOT getting sick if you could help it.
You had taken precautions every minute of every day. Sanitizing desks after each child sneezed, wiping down chairs with Lysol wipes whenever the kids were outside or participating in activities that had them away from their tables, you had hand sanitizer at the ready, etc.
All of that… to eventually end up getting sick anyway.
That morning, you knew something was wrong because when you swallowed, there was a tickle at the back of your throat. You tried to gargle warm salt water, but that was of no use. You tried the throat numbing spray, but all you managed to numb was your mouth, and so you downed a few cups of DayQuil and said fuck it, and went to work anyway.
You weren’t going to miss this date. That was that.
However, throughout the day, you just somehow kept getting worse. Your eyes had begun to water, and the right nostril of your nose was running every five seconds while the left nostril was completely dry, your throat still felt like barbed wire was wrapped around it, etc.
Everyone kept asking if you were okay, and by the time your third student asked if you were sick, you knew you weren’t fooling anyone.
Your head felt heavy, like it was packed with cotton, and every sound in the classroom landed loudly in your ears, making your head pound. The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, drilling straight into your skull. You tried to push through, just one more worksheet, just one more read-aloud, but when you stood up, the room tilted enough that you had to grab the edge of your desk.
“Okay,” your co-teacher said gently, already halfway across the room. “Nope. You’re done for today.”
“I’m fine,” you tried, but your voice came out rough, betraying you.
She gave you a look. “You’re not. Go home. I’ve got this.”
You huffed a faint, humorless laugh, but it dissolved into a cough that made your chest ache.
“Go home,” she said more gently this time. “You’re not doing yourself, or them, any favors by staying.”
There wasn’t much fight left in you anyway at that point. The drive home was a blur of red lights and sheer willpower. You kicked your shoes off somewhere near the entryway, dropping your bag without care. You made it to your bedroom on pure autopilot before collapsing onto the bed, still in your work clothes. The mattress dipped under you, soft and welcoming, and you let out a long, shaky breath.
Your phone buzzed in your hand as you stared at the ceiling, and it was a struggle to even pick it up. It was like your fingers were stiff to the point of no return. You blinked at the screen for a second before remembering to remembering to open your messages.
You: got sent home sick :( our date isn’t happening :(
The typing bubble appeared almost instantly.
Cassie: What? Cassie: Are you okay? Cassie: What happened?
You smiled faintly despite how awful you felt. That was your girlfriend- straight to concern, no hesitation. But she is a doctor after all, and that’s what she’s trained to do.
You: just feel like crap. dizzy. probably a fever idk
Cassie: Did you take your temperature? Cassie: Are you home? Cassie: Do you need anything?
You stared at the messages, thumbs hovering over the keyboard, but suddenly even typing felt like too much effort. Your phone slipped slightly in your grip as you sank deeper into the mattress, and your eyelids grew heavier. You’d answer her in a minute. Just a minute. You just needed to close your eyes for a second. Also, she’s probably working, so she won’t mind if you don’t reply right away…
————
You woke to knocking.
At first, you thought it was part of a dream as everything still felt distant and muffled to you. But then it came again, louder this time, pulling you up from the fog of sickness that you felt surrounded you.
Your head pounded as you sat up. The light in your room was dim now, and the sunlight outside shifted toward late afternoon. You had no idea how long you’d been out. For a moment, you didn’t even know where you were.
The knocking came again.
“Coming,” you croaked, though it barely made a sound.
You pushed yourself out of bed, immediately regretting it as a wave of dizziness hit you. The room tilted just enough to make your stomach turn. You took a moment to steady yourself before immediately beginning to shake because of the temperature change. You grabbed the blanket off your bed, wrapped it tightly around your shoulders like armor, and shuffled toward the door.
“I’m coming,” you muttered again. Each step felt heavier than it should, like you were wading through something like invisible molasses. You opened the door, sagging against it a little bit as you looked up at who decided to disturb your sleep.
Cassie stood there, slightly out of breath, concern written all over her face. “Oh, baby.”
You stared at her for a long moment, brain struggling to catch up. “…I think I might be dreaming,” you mumbled.
Her expression softened instantly. “I promise you’re not dreaming,” she said gently, stepping closer. Her hand came up to your forehead, brushing your hair back as the back of her hand pressed against your skin. Her brows knit together at the warmth radiating from you. “But you are burning up.”
You let out a weak grunt. “Mm, no. But you’re supposed to be working.”
“Obviously not,” she said softly, turning around to shut the front door. “Okay, let’s get you back in bed. See if we can get rid of this fever, okay?”
She begins directing you back to your bedroom, but your mind is going blank except for the fact that she’s here with you. “But how did you even- you didn’t have to come- you’re gonna be fired!” you say, turning around in her arms.
She slipped an arm around your waist before you could protest. “I won’t be fired. It’s called making up an excuse so I can take care of my girl. Come on.”
“I don’t believe you,” you murmured, leaning into her. “But I’m sorry about our date.”
“It’s okay, baby. Don’t worry,” she said, not arguing, just guiding you gently inside and kicking the door shut behind her. “We’ll figure out some other time to go, alright?”
Once she got you back in bed, Doctor Cassie had instantly taken over. She moved quietly, so as not to disturb you too much. Shoes off, sleeves pushed up, scanning your body like you were in the trauma bay or something. It would’ve been almost funny if you didn’t feel like death.
“Do you have a thermometer?” she asked, already opening drawers.
“…bathroom,” you mumbled.
She disappeared for all of thirty seconds before returning, crouching beside you. “Open.”
You obeyed without question, too tired to do anything else. You waited in silence, your eyes drooping closed before the thermometer made a noise. She took it out from under your tongue and looked at the number on the digital screen.
“102,” she confirmed.
“I feel it,” you muttered weakly.
That earned a small smile. “Still got some attitude. That’s a good sign.” She stood up from your bedside. “I’m getting you water. And meds. Do you have ibuprofen or acetaminophen?”
“…kitchen cabinet,” you said, eyes already drifting shut again.
“Hey, don’t fall asleep yet,” she called lightly as she headed out. “I need you to stay awake long enough to take your medicine.”
You just made a noise in reply. True to her word, however, she was back quickly with a glass of water in one hand and medicine in the other.
“Sit up for me,” she said, gentler now, helping you lift your head and shoulders.
You leaned heavily into her as she held the glass to your lips. “Slow,” she murmured.
You swallowed the pills, then took a few sips of water, though even that felt like such an effort to do.
“Good,” she said quietly. “That’s good.” Once you were settled back down, she adjusted your blanket to wrap entirely around you, but soon stopped. “Baby, you’re overheating,” she noted, already pulling the blanket back slightly. “We’re not doing the full cocoon thing right now.” You made a small protesting sound. “I know, I know,” she said softly, brushing your hair away from your face again. “But you’ll feel worse if you trap the heat.”
Her hand lingered at your temple, cool against your skin. You sighed, leaning into the touch without thinking. “Can you keep me warm then? Please? While you still have some time left?”
“Of course I can, sweetheart. I’ll do whatever you want.” And she’s instantly crawling into bed with you.
“Wait, you probably shouldn’t. You’ll get sick too.” You respond, but it’s too late as she’s already cuddled up against you, arms encircling your body.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.” She whispers against your temple, and you don’t have any energy left inside you to protest any further, so you just accept it.
“I can hear your heartbeat.” You tell her, which makes you smile a little bit.
“I can hear yours too,” is all you hear as you fall asleep
———-
At some point between constantly waking up and then drifting back to sleep, you realized she hadn’t left.
“Cassie,” you mumbled, eyes half-open. “You’re still here”
She glanced down at you from where she was sitting on the edge of your bed, one hand still resting lightly on your arm. “Yes, I am.”
“But you have work.”
“I left early.”
Your brow furrowed slightly. “You didn’t have to do that.”
Her expression softened, something warm and unwavering settling in her eyes. “I wanted to,” she said simply.
You didn’t have the energy to argue with that. Cassie brought you a cold cloth and laid it across your forehead, swapping it out when it warmed. She made sure you drank water every so often, even when you groaned about it. She also made sure you kept up with taking medicine every 3 hours.
You stirred when the bed dipped slightly beside you once more. “Hey,” Cassie said softly. “Can you sit up a little? I made you something.”
You groaned quietly but didn’t argue as she helped you up again. A bowl of soup appeared in your line of vision.
“You don’t have to eat a lot,” she said. “Just a few bites.”
“I’m not hungry,” you mumbled.
“I know,” she said gently. “But your body needs something.”
She waited patiently as you sighed faintly, then opened your mouth just enough for the first spoonful.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
You managed a few more before shaking your head weakly. “Can’t.”
“That’s okay,” she said immediately. “I’m just glad you ate something.”
———-
You woke again, and the room had gone fully dark; your fever had dulled just enough to make your vision not seem as though you were spinning anymore.
You shifted slightly under the blanket, your hand brushing against something warm.
Or rather, someone warm. Cassie.
You turned your head, squinting slightly in the low light. She was sitting beside you, one leg tucked under her, her phone resting loosely in her hand, but the second you moved, even slightly, her attention was off the device and on your face.
“Hey,” she said quietly. “How you feeling?”
“…you’re still here?” you murmured.
She gave you a small smile. “Yeah,” she said. “Of course I am.”
“You didn’t have to stay,” you said, though your voice lacked any real insistence.
She studied you for a moment, then reached out, her fingers brushing lightly along your cheek. They felt so cold against your still burning forehead.
“I wanted to,” she said simply. “You’re sick. I’m not leaving you alone like this. Harrison is with Chad, so think of this as our date.”
You swallowed. “…okay.”
A small, reassuring smile touched her lips. “Okay.”
She adjusted the blanket around you again before she shifted slightly closer. “Try to get some more sleep,” she murmured.
You also moved closer, but your hand found hers. Her fingers laced gently with yours, her thumb tracing slow, absent circles against your skin. The motion was a sort of reassuring action, some consistent pattern that has your body relaxing.
Your breathing evened out, and the ache in your head began to dull. The heat under your skin still lingered, but it didn’t feel as overwhelming because Cassie was here. Taking care of you. Staying exactly where she said she would.
Your grip on her hand loosened as sleep pulled you under again, but she didn’t let go. She wouldn’t let go. Not while you needed her.
