A Fever
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Ghostly tendrils rose above the edge of a midnight blue mug as Patsy leaned forward, inhaling warm steam.
“That should help with that nasty tickle that’s making you cough…” Delia said, as her unstillable hands moved across the contents of the tray she had placed on the quilt covering her lover’s lap.
It was the second evening of Patsy’s battle with a pesky flu and the moment Delia had returned from work she set straight to tending to the feverish woman she loved so dearly.
From where she was perched on the edge of their bed beside Patsy’s long legs, the brunette’s fingers moved the glass full of freshly squeezed orange juice a bit to the left, and the bowl of vegetable broth with garlic, onion, celery, carrot, ginger, turmeric, lemon and a dash of cayenne pepper, a bit to the right.
“Deels…” Patsy began to scold the younger woman for fretting, when a sneeze suddenly burst forth without warning.
Delia, whose eyes had been cast down, jumped as the redhead’s body shook with the force of the uncontrollable eruption.
“Damn…” Patsy said, pulling a tissue from the box on the nightstand, and rolling her eyes as she saw the sloshed soup and spilled tea.
“Not to worry, love,” the brunette said, as she retrieved a towel and slowly mopped the tray around the dishes.
“I’m not an invalid Deels…” Patsy grumbled, already irritated by being forced to move slowly and let others help.
Delia smiled softly as their eyes met for the first time since she returned from the kitchen. “I know that Pats… and so do you… as a matter of fact I know neither of us believe anyone is an invalid… you know how I feel about that term…”
Patsy cringed away from Delia’s disappointed tone and internally chastised herself for using the word she now knew to be hated by the brunette after her accident and subsequent months of intensive recovery.
Delia could see the harsh thoughts crossing her lover’s mind and reached down, taking her hand and lightly brushing her thumb across Patsy’s knuckles, encouraging her to make eye contact once more.
“…but I can also see how plum worn you are after only being awake for an hour or so…”
“I’m not that tired Deels, I’m just…” a coughing fit overtook the redhead as soon as she raised her voice, and Delia shook her head and put her hands on her hips.
“You stubborn girl…” she leaned forward and placed the back of her hand on the older woman’s forehead, feeling an obvious warmth.
“Just as I thought, a fever. Those cheeks were a little too rosy for my liking…” Delia said as she gently rested her palm on Patsy’s hot cheek.
The older woman closed her eyes and sighed, leaning into the soft touch. “I’m sorry I used that word Deels…”
“Old habits… not to worry sweetheart,” Delia said as she leaned forward and placed a light kiss on her lover’s warm forehead. “We’ll change the language we use with our patients, but first it starts here, with us… right?” she said with a smile as she stood back up.
Patsy opened her eyes and looked up at the younger woman with admiration. “Right.”
“But before all that, we’re going to get you well again Patsy Mount.”
The redhead laughed as she felt a strange feeling in her stomach hearing Delia use her full name. It felt authoritative but intimate.
“Very well then,” Patsy agreed as she again picked up the mug to breathe in the warm steam. “But I really don’t know why you put up with me when I’m a grump like this.”
Delia smiled and leaned forward kissing red hair, then gently brushing crimson strands away from the bright blue eyes that still made her weak in the knees when they met her own.
“Pats, even on your lowest of days, being with you is as easy as breathing. It is a nourishment beyond words.”
Patsy felt her heart flutter as a soft thumb traced her cheek and Delia smiled seeing how her sentiment softened the guarded exterior of her tired lover.
“You must never repeat this love, but I will never stop being amazed by how brightly you shine and how much light you give even when gray clouds dance behind those beautiful eyes of yours.”
The older woman felt a resistance to the endearment, then a softening as she was enveloped in the safe haven of Delia’s loving gaze. She took the brunette’s hand and kissed her palm, closing her eyes. “I will never stop being grateful for the gift of being alive at precisely this moment in time, because, out of the whole of the universe, I have been brought here, with you, and I believe it is so that I may love you with all my heart.”
Delia felt a smile travel from her chest to her lips. “Sounds as though Phyllis and her books of poetry have had a bit of an impact on the both of us.”
Patsy laughed. “Sometimes it worries me how much that woman influences me.”
“I don’t think we could find a better influence if we spent a lifetime searching.”
The redhead gently pushed Delia back a step. “Now go wash those germs of mine off that hand, then come back and sit beside me while I finish this soup, that I simply can’t taste because I’m so congested, but imagine is quite delicious.”
Delia laughed, as Patsy blew her nose again. “Well, it’s about time. I was waiting for you to invite me into that bed with you. I’ve thought of nothing else since I arrived.”
Patsy rolled her eyes as Delia retrieved her pajamas and left the room.
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