| Flu
Season |
Chapter 1
Beka groaned miserably as she came down from another coughing fit that racked her body. She fell back against the pillows and reached for a Kleenex while reminding herself that this was all Dylan's fault.
She had started to get sick after another of Dylan’s little visits to some small remote planet with absolutely nothing to add to the Commonwealth. Beka sneezed three more times and cursed Dylan for his charity. It was his fault for leading them into a situation where she would get sneezed on by someone who gave her their cold.
She hated planets. Planets and their diseases.
She sniffled and closed her eyes hoping that this was all a bad dream. Her head hurt, her sinuses ached, she was slightly dizzy, cold, and the coughing and sneezing just wouldn’t quit.
There was nothing in the universe that could make her feel
better now.
She moaned helplessly as her door slid open. She really didn’t want
to put up with Trance again. The resident medic had wanted to keep her in
Med. Bay but Beka was firmly set on living out her illness on the Maru.
Her stubbornness had won out and Trance had relented, only to keep stopping by the Maru with shots, water, and pleas to get her back into Medical.
“I’m not leaving this bed Trance.”
“The you should be happy that I’m not Trance.”
Beka’s eyes shot open before she groaned and pulled the blankets over her head.
Rhade.
Great.
She really did not need him seeing her like this. Bloodshot eyes, runny nose, really messed up hair...real attractive Valentine...
She fixed Rhade with a glare after he yanked the blanket away from her head and sat on the side of her bed.
“Here.”
She looked at him in confusion before she saw the steaming bowl he held out for her.
“It’s soup Beka.”
“You brought me soup?”
“From Trance.”
Beka made a face. All Trance would give her was soup, and maybe some toast if she was feeling generous.
“And I brought you a cookie," said Rhade flashing the chocolate chipped confectionary in front of her face. Beka smiled with glee as she reached for it but her face fell when he held it out of her grasp and stated, “Soup first.”
Party pooper.
“I’m tired of soup,” whined Beka, “give me my cookie...”
She watched in horror as he smirked and bit into the cookie, “Mmm you know it’s very good...”
“Give me the soup.”
Trust a Nietzschean to bring a cookie to a sick woman and then help himself to part of it in a blackmail attempt.
>>>
“Happy?”
Rhade watched in amusement as Beka finished the cookie, slowly savouring every bite as if Trance would pop up at any moment and grab it from her.
"Very...despite still being sick."
"You're starting to look a little better."
“I look horrible,” she sniffled.
“Not that bad.” He held out a kleenex for her.
"Liar." She took the kleenex and unceremoniously blew her nose before sneezing. It was gross and disgusting and Rhade was right there too. But Beka had to remind herself that as horrible as itwas, it would be much better to blow her nose now than leave it, sneeze, and have snot shoot out everywhere.
That would be even more embarrassing.
"Nietzscheans don't get sick do they?"
"Nope."
"Lucky bastards."
Rhade quirked an eyebrow, "I thought you were immunized against something like this?"
"Well apparently not this strain," she said, "So now I'm miserable, cold, stuffed up, sneezing, and why are you still here?"
"I can't check up on you?"
"You wanted to check up on me? What you want to be my snuggle buddy while I'm obviously so attractive?"
Beka's snapped her mouth shut. What did she just say that? Where the hell had that come from?
"Still beautiful."
Beka was too busy mentally questioning herself that she almost missed Rhade's quietly uttered comment.
"What?"
"Um, nothing."
Beka was just about to ask him to repeat his comment when his sudden movement caught her attention.
"Come here."
"What are you doing?" she asked as he rearranged himself to lay down beside her, arm around her shoulders so her head could rest on his chest.
"I've decided to share your misery."
"Oh...okay..."
And who was she to argue? When an amazing Nietzschean who you're in denial with offers to be your body pillow you let him have his way.
He was so warm, it felt good to cuddle up to something that could ease her coldness, which she was so busy doing that she didn't notice her hand sneaking beneath his shirt. Once she became aware of her travelling limb she stammered out an apology.
"Um...sorry." Her retreating hand was caught by his and pressed back to his skin underneath his shirt.
"Don't be."
Well if it didn't bother him...
Beka cleared her throat and inched closer to him. With the blush creeping up her face, she didn't feel cold anymore. Closing her eyes she concentrated instead on the muscle beneath her. A beautifully sculpted torso that rose and fell with his steady breathing. She could count out his heartbeats if she tried. His stomach beneath her hand was strong and firm, amazing, like the rest of him.
Maybe being sick wasn't so bad after all.
Chapter 2
Rhade walked leisurely down Andromeda's corridors to the hangar bay in which the Maru was located in. His sole reason for going to the clapped out old cargo ship was to see Beka. After their brief visit to Taeron 5, she had started to develop a cold that had built up into a flu.
Having never been sick in his life, Rhade was quite curious to see how humans dealt with their illnesses. He also wanted to make sure that Beka was doing okay, she had been sneezing pretty badly on Command deck yesterday when Dylan had relieved her of duty.
The first stop he had made was to Med. Bay, the obvious place to find a sick person, but instead found only an irrate Trance who had given him a bowl of soup to give to Beka.
Bringing Beka soup.
Now that was something he was more than willing to do, showing that one could be an effective provider often increased the chances of procurring a mate. And not only was he bringing her soup but he had also managed to snag her a cookie from the mess hall as well.
He smiled to himself.
Beka liked cookies, it was sure to cheer her up and put him in her good graces.
He entered the Maru and went straight to the Captain's quarters. He could hear her groaning to herself and sneezing. Poor girl.
As he sild the door open he couldn't help another smile from forming at her greeting.
“I’m not leaving this bed Trance.”
“Then you should be happy that I’m not Trance.”
Rhade watched her open her eyes and stare at him in horror. He fought back a laugh when she pulled the blankets over her head in an attempt to hide.
Sitting down beside her, he yanked the blankets away and offered her what he brought.
“Here, it's soup Beka.”
“You brought me soup?”
He couldn't help but notice that she sounded slightly shocked by the fact that he would actually do something like that for her.
“From Trance.” He observed Beka as she scrunched up her face like a child. He didn't know why she had tried to hide under the covers when he had come in, she looked beautiful.
A little pale, tired, red around the eyes, her hair was a complete disaster, and she kept sniffing, but she was beautiful nonetheless.
“And I brought you a cookie," he said. Just like he had predicted, her face lit up as she reached for it, “Soup first.”
“I’m tired of soup,” whined Beka, “give me my cookie...”
The sickness must really be getting to her, he thought. If she were in perfect health he wouldn't put it passed her to hit him for withholding her sugar fix. Yet here she was, completely giving in and abiding by his suggestions instead of fighting him. She was pouting even. Never in his life did Telemachus Rhade ever think that Beka Valentine would be pouting at him over a cookie.
A slow smirk spread across his face as an idea came to him, he knew just how to get her to eat her soup. Looking down at her, he bit into the cookie and watched her facial expressions. Shock, horror, and disbelief flashed across her face.
“Give me the soup.”
He handed her the soup and continued to chew on his mouthful.
Maybe he should have brought another cookie for himself. It was especially
good.
Had he been any other Nietzschean he might helped himself to the whole thing,
but no, he brought it for Beka and he would keep it safe (one bite not included)
until she was finished her soup.
>>>
After she was finished eating and he had given her her cookie, Rhade had decided to stay with her. She looked miserable and in need of some company. Maybe a little compassion on his part when she was sick would make her less cranky at him when she was healthier.
Though his compassion, as always, was met with suspicion.
"You wanted to check up on me? What you want to be my snuggle buddy while I'm obviously so attractive?"
Snuggle buddy?
Though crazy and diseased, Beka could still bring a smile to his face. And if she hadn't been looking so horrified she just might have caught his grin.
Snuggle buddy?
That sounded like an invitation to him. Though said with a fair bit of sarcasm she looked like she could use some snuggling.
Obviously so attractive?
"Still beautiful."
"What?"
Beka's voice caught his attention.
Did he say that out loud?
Thinking quick he came up with a brilliant answer, "Um, nothing."
Beka didn't look satisfied. She was going to push the issue, doing some more quick thinking he came up with an idea. She wanted a snuggle buddy did she not?
"What are you doing?"
Rhade felt her tense as he arranged himself on her bed, arm around her shoulders so her head could rest on his chest.
"I've decided to share your misery."
Well it was partly true, he was planning on staying with her
anyway.
"Oh...okay..."
He smiled to himself as she adjusted herself against his chest, her heart rate had picked up and his 'still beautiful' comment had apparently been forgotten. When she finally managed to relax, he was surprised to feel her hand sneaking beneath his shirt, whether or not she was aware of it.
"Um...sorry," she stammered, Rhade caught her retreating hand and kept it on his stomach.
"Don't be."
His body temperature was almost always constant, Beka was warm with fever yet she was shivering. Human diseases were odd but if she wanted to use him for warmth she was more than welcome to. Truth be told he was happy that she did. To feel her skin against his, even just her hand, was wonderful.
He looked down at her to see her eyes closed and her breathing evening out in the deepest rhythm of sleep.
Kissing her forehead lightly, Rhade was content to stay and watch over her.
Like he always did.
The End