Disclaimer: Uh, huh
Note: Still for those who are sick... you know, I'm starting to get the sniffles, I think CJ got me sick.
***
When he woke again, light was struggling to get in the closed shades. He fiddled with them a bit, making sure the room was as dark as possible. He wasn't sure what CJ's head would be feeling like when she woke up. The phone rang next to her head and he grabbed it before the first ring had finished. He hurried as quietly as possible out of the room with the cordless. Only when he was in the hallway did he whisper, "Yeah?"
"Who's this?"
Having reached the living room, he felt safe talking in an almost normal voice. "Who's this?"
"I asked you first."
"Oh, hey Toby. It's Danny." He smiled, imagining Toby's face on the other end of the phone.
"You're still there?" Toby asked, suddenly concerned. "Is she okay? I thought it was just a little cold."
He glanced at the closed bedroom door. "I think it's more. Maybe strep, I'm not sure. She's still sleeping. When she wakes up, I'll see if she should go to the doctor."
"She's still sleeping." Toby sighed. "But it's after ten now, she never sleeps this late."
"She had a rough night." Danny rubbed his face. "I don't think she'll be in to work today."
"I'll come over later."
"She's probably contagious." Danny warned.
"I don't care." Toby looked at his schedule and muttered, "I can cancel that. And that. I wanted to cancel that anyway."
Danny grinned, glad Toby couldn't see his amusement. "Why don't I have her call you when she gets up?"
"Okay." Toby paused, considering his words carefully. "Danny. Thanks."
Smiling, Danny told him, "No problem, don't mention it."
Toby hung up and Danny stared at the phone, amused at the protectiveness the strong woman in the next room provoked. He crept back to the door and looked in. When he saw she was still sleeping, he went to make her some breakfast. By the time the toast and tea were finished, Danny could hear her moving around. He carried the tray in to find her hanging onto furniture to make her way back to the bed. He hurriedly put the tray down and grabbed onto her waist.
"You should have called, you're too weak."
"I'm okay." CJ protested weakly. Despite her words, she draped her arm around his shoulder and leaned on him.
Danny laughed. "No you're not. Back to bed, I made you breakfast. And Toby called, you have to call him back."
She sighed. "He'll want to come over later, I need to wash my hair and look halfway presentable." She considered a moment. "Not that he's never seen me like this, but I'm sure my spin boys will be close behind him."
"I could help you take a shower." Danny suggested helpfully, then laughed at her glance and put his hands up in surrender. "I'm kidding! You can't stand for that long anyway. I'll see what we can come up with to do your hair. Now, you need to eat and take some more medicine."
She drank her tea as he fussed over her pills and went to get her a glass of water. "Okay, where does it hurt?"
She thought for a moment. "My head still hurts. You can hear my nose is stuffy."
He smiled. "You sound cute."
She glared at him, but continued. "And I'm just achy all over."
"Stomach? Throat?"
"Fine and fine."
He nodded. "I don't think you have strep. I'm guessing a cold, maybe the flu. Maybe you should go to the doctor."
She sighed loudly. "No thank you."
Deciding to not argue, he handed her the pills. "You're going tomorrow if you're still not feeling well. And I'm taking your temperature every few hours, if it spikes you're going."
"Taking charge, I see." She finished her toast and handed him her tray. "I'll forgive you because you're going to do the dishes for me."
He called over his shoulder as he went to the kitchen, "Call Toby." He took his time washing the dishes to give her a chance to talk to Toby. When he went back in, she had her eyes closed. He started to back out, but she opened them.
"I'm not sleeping. We should watch a movie or something. Since I didn't grab any work, I can't do anything productive."
"You can't see straight anyway, you're not doing any work."
"I could go into work right now." She challenged him.
"You can barely walk, CJ." He grinned. "You're stuck with me. No TV in here, huh? Let me get the couch set up for you."
"Throw me my comb first."
He snatched it off the dresser and walked over to her with it. "Oh, honey, you already look good."
She glared at him. "For every time you call me that, I'm going to kick you in the-"
"Here's your comb, sweetie. I'll be right back." He scooted out the door with a stack of pillows and blankets before she could reply. He made the couch comfortable for her, then went back to the bedroom.
"What's this?" He picked up a bottle of lotion from the middle of the floor.
"I threw it at you."
"Didn't make it very far."
"When I'm sick, I throw like a girl, apparently." She sighed, then sneered. "C'mon, let's go watch TV."
"Not a big TV fan, huh?" He helped her stand and steadied her as they walked to the living room.
"Vast wasteland."
"Maybe we can find some old shows."
"I love Mary Tyler Moore."
He stopped and glanced at her. "Yeah, you would."
"What's that mean?" She glared at him.
"Strong women stick together, in my observations."
Her look softened. "It was a good show."
He settled her on the couch, then sat at her feet. "Remote?"
She reached behind her and grabbed it. "You find a show, I'll close my eyes until you do."
Danny flipped, finally settling on an old sitcom channel. He settled back, only half watching the show. The rest of him was watching CJ fall back asleep.
***