Faye's eyelids felt like they were on fire and she hurt as if she had been beaten. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at a ceiling that she didn't recognize, blinking, she licked her lips and realized that she was very thirsty. She turned her head and looked at the fireplace that was across from the couch, it looked familiar, she turned her head a little more and figured out that she was in the garden apartment.
Wondering how she got where she was, she tried to sit up which proved difficult.
"How do you feel?" Silas asked, as he joined her, sitting on the edge of the deep couch, which had been turned into a bed for her. He reached out and put an arm behind her shoulders, pulling her up and towards him before stacking a few extra pillows behind her.
"Like I've been hit by a truck," she said through parched lips. "How long have I been here?" She looked down at what she was wearing and didn't recognize it. It looked like a man's t-shirt and she plucked at the cotton.
"Mine I'm afraid, it was the most comfortable thing that I could find for you to wear," he explained, rising and moving towards the little mini-fridge in the kitchen.
Faye moved, trying to find a comfortable position and realized that she had no bottoms on, only the t-shirt and her underwear. "Did you change me?" she asked, embarrassed by the thought.
"I did, I didn't think you would be very comfortable in your scrubs, plus you were burning up and I had to get your temperature down." He walked back towards her with a glass of what looked like orange juice and a pill bottle.
"How long have I been here? How did I get here?" she asked as she reached for the juice and gulped it down.
He watched her with an amused smile and then took the glass and refilled it with water. "A little slower this time," he suggested as he looked at the clock. "It's about 3 A.M. now, and I found you at about 10 A.M this morning. Chloe called concerned that you hadn't made it into work and that you hadn't called, so she asked me to check on you. I found you passed out on your kitchen floor, with a very high fever. I didn't have a way of taking your temperature, so I can't be sure how high it was though. I moved you down here and made a bed for you, then did my best to cool you down."
"It's that late!" Faye exclaimed. "You must be exhausted, you didn't have to stay up, you could have gone to sleep."
He smiled. "I don't need much sleep, and I needed to give you one more dose of the medicine before I called it a night." He once again sat down on the couch next to her.
"What's the diagnoses?" she asked, sipping the water and leaning her head back as she tried not to imagine his undressing her.
He felt massive sitting next to her, his arm stretched across her and resting on the back of the couch as he looked down at her, his other hand laying in his lap holding the pill bottle. "My best diagnoses is the flu. I decided not to take you to the hospital for treatment since you didn't seem in any immediate danger."
Faye nodded and sipped her water again, enjoying the way it cooled her burning throat. He opened the pill bottle and shook out two capsules and gave them to her to take. She did so without complaint.
"Are you hungry?" he asked, as he stood and walked towards a bag in the corner.
She shook her head and winced at the headache that it caused.
When he turned toward her, he had a stethoscope in his hand. "Do you mind if I take a listen?" he asked, holding it up, it reminded Faye that he was a doctor.
"No," she shook her head.
He walked back toward her and she watched the way he moved, for such a large man he was very graceful. He placed his hand on her forehead and felt for her temperature, then he took his long fingers and ran them along her neck, checking her glands. It was all straight forward doctor stuff, but her heart had revved up at the contact. He had to have noticed the difference. He picked up her wrist and took her pulse, his face blank of any emotion as he did.
When he reached for his stethoscope, she swallowed hard.
"Does your throat hurt?" he asked.
"It's a little scratchy," she said as she took a quick sip of water.
He nodded as if that was to be expected and he held the stethoscope in his had to warm it up before he placed, it under her shirt collar to listen to her heart. The tip of his finger brushed her skin and she closed her eyes, feeling the heat of her lids against her eyeballs. Perhaps if she didn't look at him, she could pretend it was someone else reaching into her shirt.
Suddenly, the joke about playing doctor hit home and she gave a little giggle.
"That's nice to hear?" he said as he leaned her forward an rested her head on his shoulder, he was practically holding her. "Are you alright?" he asked.
She nodded, she was glad that he didn't ask what she had been giggling about, perhaps he thought she was only nervous, and he wouldn't be wrong.
He pulled her shirt up her back and Faye's heart went into double time again. He placed the stethoscope against her upper back and told her to breathe deeply. She did but it made her cough a little, he moved the stethoscope over and told her to breathe once more. He repeated the process a few more times before he lowered her shirt and help to set her back against the pillows once more.
"Everything seems fine so far, except for the temperature, which is to be expected. The medicine I just gave you should help. Are you tired?" he asked as he placed his stethoscope back into his bag.
She realized that she was and nodded then watched as he walked toward her and took the glass of water from her hand, setting it aside.
"Then let's go to bed," he said as he bent over and scooped her up, causing her to give a little squeak of surprise.
"I-I'm fine where I am!" she protested as she felt his massive arms curl around her, and his massive chest against her.
"I'm sure you are, but I don't want to keep getting out of bed to check on you all night, so you'll share mine, don't worry, I'm not in the habit of taking advantage of women in distress," he said drily.
"It's not that! What if I get you sick?" she asked, looking up at his handsome face that was so close to hers.
"I almost never get sick, but don't worry, if I do, I'll let you return the favor and play doctor with me." He gave her a wicked grin and Faye felt herself blush to the roots of her hair. He must have guessed what she had been thinking earlier, either that or he had had the same thought.
Faye could think of nothing to say so she let him take her to the bedroom and lay her down in his bed. The cool sheets felt like bliss against her skin and she rubbed her face against the pillow. This caused him to feel her heated skin once more with a frown.
He left her and returned shortly with a damp washcloth and a bowl of water. "Here, this might help you feel a little better," he said as he sat next to her and rested the washcloth against her forehead and Faye let out a sigh of relief.
"That's nice," she murmured, as she started to drift, when the washcloth worked its way down her neck, she started to wonder how far he was going to take it, maybe he was going to give her a complete sponge bath, but a few moments later the washcloth was gone, and he was tucking a thin sheet around her.
She closed her eyes and turned over on her side, facing away from him as she heard him start to get ready for bed. She snuck a little peek in the mirror that hung over the fireplace at the end of the bed and saw him taking off his shirt. She took a moment to admire the dusting of blond hair over his very broad chest and the way his waist narrowed, there was a hint of muscle definition, but he wasn't overly built, just enough to know that he took care of himself.
When he reached for his belt buckle Faye closed her eyes tight, suddenly shy. She had seen plenty of naked men as a nurse, but Silas was different. She listened as he continued to get ready for bed, she heard a drawer open and close, he left and there was running water, then he returned and settled into bed next to her, turning out the light.
Faye felt him turn towards her and when he gathered her close, Faye couldn't suppress the gasp that escaped her throat at the shock of his body next to hers. He had on pajama bottoms, but his torso was bare.
"I'll make you sick and I'm too hot, I'll make you hot," she objected, but she didn't pull away.
"Are those your only objections to me holding you?" he asked softly.
"Yes," Faye said just as softly.
"Then let me enjoy holding you, I've thought about it for to long to let the opportunity pass," he whispered in her ear, and she felt a shiver that wasn't due to the flu race up her spine.
"You have?" she whispered.
"I have," he confirmed. "Now let's get some rest. Hopefully, you'll feel better in the morning."
Faye nodded, thinking that there was no way she would sleep with his arms around her, she had never had a man hold her before, but in the end, the flu won and she fell asleep in Silas's arms.