GOLDEN | DANI ROJAS

XLV: Preparations and... other P's?

TW: Mentions of nausea and vomiting.

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A churning stomach and a burning sensation in your throat was not the greatest wakeup call, but it was something Connie had gotten used to the past few days. It did not get any less unpleasant, and Dani leaving early every morning for training meant that there was no one there to hold her hair back. The dogs did lick pitifully at her cheeks, but tongues and paws could only do so much.

However, this morning, Connie got lucky. Well, unlucky, because she was bent over a toilet barely able to hold herself up as she vomited, ribs aching and forcing her to wheeze for breath as she finished one round of emptying her stomach. But, this time, Dani did not have training, and as soon as he heard Connie vomiting, he was leaping out of bed as fast as humanly possible.

"Mi amor," panted Dani as he kneeled next to her, uncaring of the cold tiles digging into his bare knees as he pulled her hair back with one hand and rubbed her back soothingly with the other. "Let it out. It's okay, it's okay."

Connie tried to nod, but the slightest movement of her head had her heaving again. Dani, bless his beautiful heart, stuck there through it all. Even as Connie began to sob, he pulled her back, wiped her face with a wet wipe and held her close.

"Are you feeling okay?" asked Dani, pressing a kiss to Connie's forehead before pressing the back of his palm to it. "You're not burning up. That is good!"

Connie moaned lowly, both in pain and agreement, then buried her face in the crook of Dani's neck, wanting nothing more than to hide away from the world. But, she had agreed to meet with Keeley to discuss whatever crazy business venture the sweet lady had mustered up. Connie could never bail on Keeley.

"I'm okay," assured Connie when she had caught her breath fully. She pushed herself up, Dani's strong arms supporting her more than she'd care to admit. She wiped stray tears from her cheeks then sniffled. "I'm good. It's been happening for a few days. Must be a bug."

"Will we have to... dissect-"

"Not like that, beautiful," said Connie, chuckling halfheartedly. She dropped her head to Dani's shoulder. "Sickness bug. Think Beard said Jane was down with it last week, too."

"A sickness bug that only attacks in the morning," hummed Dani. He felt excitement bubbling in his chest, but stopped his thoughts before they went too far. "You should have said, mi amor. I could have stayed home and took care of you..."

"I know," replied Connie, tilting her head to kiss Dani's jawline. "Help me up?"

Dani stood, and then held Connie's hands and pulled her to her feet. She leant against the sink as she brushed her teeth, and Dani used a wipe to clean up any stray vomit before turning on the shower. He walked slowly to Connie, looping his arms around her waist as loosely as possible.

"I can take care of you today," suggested Dani, a frown tugging at his lips. "There is no training, so I'll stay with you."

Connie let her toothbrush hang out of her mouth as she spoke, making her words muffled in a way that Dani found more than a bit endearing. "I agreed to meet with Keeley," she said, sounding as exhausted as she now looked. "I'm looking forward to it, I don't wanna ditch her."

"You need to take care of yourself," frowned Dani.

No matter how much Dani loved Connie, he would be the first to admit that self-care was not her strong suit. She'd power through any illness to go to work or help a friend or commit to plans she had made. It was admirable, in a way, but it broke Dani's heart to see Connie suffer and simply power through it instead of stopping and looking after herself.