Illness A Lesson in Resilience (F/F)

[Selkie]

ello ello :} Just dropping by to throw this out here. Written using my new fav wives. I 100% will take reqs for anything you wanna see with these guys so lmk if you have any ideas :0 Anyway! without further ado, enjoy and let me know what you think ;D

Quick summary of these guys: 

Dr Jessica Lewis - Professor of epidemiology, complete workaholic that will ignore her health for the sake of work

Rani Kapoor - sweetie pie, absolutely just the most adorable person around, works as a mechanic

。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

The dim, late afternoon sunlight filtered through her office window, casting a warm glow over her meticulously organized chaos. The stacks of papers, lab equipment, and open textbooks were a testament to her usually unwavering focus. But that focus didn’t quite seem to be so sharp again as Jessica re-read a paragraph for what must’ve been the fourth time now. She was halfway through her fifth attempt when a sharp twinge in her nose demanded her attention. 

She paused, squinting at the words on the page as if they held the secret to her sudden discomfort. A tickle danced at the back of her throat, prompting an almost imperceptible cough. Jessica sighed and massaged her temples, a sign of rare frustration before she turned the page and continued to attempt the sudden itchy and twitchy feeling creeping down the bridge of her freckled nose. 

Which worked... “Hhih’eeshiew!” for about 15 minutes. 

Her curly brown hair fell clumsily in front of her face as she her head bobbed forwards suddenly. That one sneeze seemed to have opened the floodgates for what came next. She found herself constantly rubbing at her nose as it dripped insistently. Great. Just what she needed, Jessica thought to herself as she reached forward to swipe a tissue from the desk perched on her desk. Luckily, she did so too because not even a minute later, her breath gave way to a telltale hitch. 

“Hih- hh-Hetshhiew! ‘ishhiew!”  

The sound echoed in the empty office, and she found herself grimacing at the droplets left behind on her sweater as she lowered her elbow, muttering a quiet “Excuse me.” out of habit despite no one being in the room with her. By the time she'd finished marking up the report her nose was positively dripping, making her scrunch up her nose and sniffle softly just to keep it from running into view. 

 Normally she would never be caught complaining at work, she did love her job, but in the privacy of her office she allowed herself a small pitiful whine, dropping her now-congested head onto the table in defeat as her shoulders sunk. At least with her head like this it provided a little relief from the throbbing that had settled in her temples. The little comfort she managed to steal soon twisted into a crashing surge of remembrance. Within her head shot up from the desk, sending the room around her spinning in the progress, as she snapped to look at the time. 

Shit! 

She was already 5 minutes late to the lecture she was meant to be presenting and her hall was at the other side of campus. Jessica scrambled to her feet, quickly rustling her papers and messily shoving them under her arm before making a beeline to the door. 

This was beyond embarrassing. She was usually so strict regarding tardiness, even going as far to locking the door when over half of her students didn’t turn up on time.  By the time she’d sped walked to the hall Jessica was out of breath and breathing heavily her healthy swimmers' lungs seemingly being replaced by a congested, chesty counterpart as she leant against the frame to recover.  

With a final clear of her throat, she pushed open the heavy door and slipped inside, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. However, the loud creak of the door drew the attention of the entire room. All eyes turned toward her, and she flushed with embarrassment, feeling the warmth rise in her cheeks. 

“Sorry! Sorry I just got caught up there,” She quickly made a dash to her desk, only she didn’t quite get halfway there before she stopped suddenly and bent forward with an unstifleable, “HE’eesSHhIEW! I am so sorr- HH'iiSHIEW!Hh..H.HH’TSHI!” She fumbled with her papers as she clumsily let them fall onto her desk, too preoccupied with keeping her nose under control in front of her students, Jessica sniffled wetly, pulling out a crumpled tissue from her pocket as she stammered to apologise. 

There was a hushed whisper spreading through the room as several students exchanged glances and concerned looks at the sight of their usually ever so put together professor fumbling to turn on the projector to begin her lecture. It really wasn’t going so well. 

Still, she continued, talking through the slides as they appeared on the large screen behind her. Her voice soon began to rasp on the edges of her words as the growing soreness at the back of her throat grew, marking each word with its grip, broadcasting her discomfort to the hall of students.  

Unfortunately, the humorous irony of the situation was lost of her. How fitting that their epidemiology professor, one of the most upcoming minds in their field, Dr Jessica Lewis was sick. She was definingly sick, as much as she was trying to convince herself she was fine, there was really no denying it. Especially not when she could almost feel the end of her nose physically twitch in warning. 

Trying to fight it just wasn’t worth it, but Jessica being Jessica. Of course, she tried anyway. The first two she managed to stifle relatively well against the back of her wrist, but the tickle persisted. Her eyes began to water as it teased her, refusing to give her the relief she so desperately craved yet no sooner had she began to talk through one of the key points on the board, she gave in to the overbearing sensation, turning away to in an awful attempt to muffle the following, “HEhh’TSSHHIEW!” in the crook of her sweater.  

She would be lying if she said that hadn’t sent her a little dizzy and the white-knuckle grip, she had on her desk proved it. As such, she elected to sit for the rest of the hour, hiding what she could from the overwatching eyes of the student body. She hated feeling like this, so gross, so visibly contagious. If the roles were reserved and she was to find herself sitting in the crowd watching the scenes unfold she was positively sure her skin would be crawling with the sound of every raspy cough punctuating her sentences. 

But as all things do, eventually the hands on the clock made their rounds and it was nearly time to finish. With her lecture almost over, Jessica decided she couldn't bear the discomfort any longer. She took a deep breath, hardly expecting it to catch in her throat sending her coughing into her elbow yet again before croaking out her dismissal, "I apdologise, everyone, for my... uh, coddition today. But I promise, I'll make it up to you. Please review the slides from today, and if you have any questiods, dod't hesitate to email me. I hope you all edjoy your weedked.” 

The Doctor could feel the room, herself included, cringe at the thick congestion drowning her words as she spoke and it seemed that no one wasted any time in getting out of there, some ready to begin their weekend fun but most just desperate to get out of the same room as the cold-ridden professor. She was ready to leave too, longing to be home curled up in bed but she had an hour-long journey ahead of her before she’d reach the comfort of home. 

Outside, the autumn air was crisp and cool, and Jessica's congested sinuses made every breath a struggle. She fumbled for her car keys, her fingers trembling slightly as she unlocked the door. As she settled into the driver's seat, she couldn't ignore the persistent tickle in her running nose. 

"Ugh, not now," she muttered to herself as she started the car's engine. She reached for a tissue from the box in the glove compartment, but her sneeze came faster than she could react. 

"Heh... HEH'cSHIEW!" Jessica sneezed forcefully into her hand, before hastily reaching for a tissue with her spare one – one which was promptly disintegrated into a crumpled mess as she cleaned herself up. She grimaced, tossing it aside with a disgusted grimace. She felt disgusting. Hell, she probably looked it too. If she was to pull down her car mirror, she was sure the red-nosed, pale reflection of herself wouldn’t be pretty to look at. She couldn't wait to get home, crawl into bed, and sleep off this illness. But in true fashion the traffic was unusually heavy, and every red light seemed to last an eternity. 

After a long drive she finally pulled into her driveway, she couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. She grabbed her bag, tissues, and the remnants of her dignity before stumbling out of the car. Her steps were sluggish, and her body felt like it had been hit by a truck. And as such the wash of relief that washed over her when she pulled down on the door handle and it easily clicked open, was something that could be be put into words. 

“I’b hode.” Her heavg congestion blurred her words as Jessica stepped into their coatroom, letting her heavy bag fall to the floor, not caring much for the saftey of the items inside. 

“In here!” A very much welcomed voice called, despite everything sounding a little muffled, the direction it came from was still obvious. The kitchen.  

“Hey love, you’re home pretty early.” Some soft was playing on her speaker as Rani swung her hips to the tune as she continued chopping up some vegetables, her short curly hair tied up out of her eyes, “I’m just making a start of dinner, I was thinking we could have- Oh baby, what’s wrong sweetheart?”  

Any other thoughts were lost as Rani laid eyes on her pale, miserable wife shuffling through the doorway, “Goodness sweetie, come here baby.” She pushed her cooking aside, wiping her hands on her apron before opening up her arms wide for the brunette to sink into. Despite the height difference meaning Rani’s head only really came up to the bottom of her chin, it was an action that was undoubtedly appreciative 

Her arms felt safe. Her arms were home. It was that sense of safety that finally allowed her exhausted body to give into itself, the weight of her cold crashing down on her truly as she was unable to do much other than weakly pull her girlfriend tighter to avoid misting her girlfriend’s back as she turned away with a miserable sounding, “Hih! Hh...HIH-hH’iishoo! Heh- Hh Hhh-H’etshhiEW!” 

"I'b so sorry, Radi," She rasped with a wet sniffle, her voice hoarse and congested as she buried her face in Rani's shoulder. She could feel her wife’s warm and steady heartbeat as she continued to hold her close. 

“You’re sick.” Rani spoke softly though even if Jessica wanted to deny it, her tone left no room for arguments, as she reached up with both hands to cup the older woman’s fever painted cheeks, “Bless you sweetheart.” 

“You don’t need to apologise for anything love.” Rani whispered, rising up onto her tip-toes to press a soft kiss to her wife’s lips. When she was finished, she placed a loving hand on Jess’ back guiding her to one of the stools tucked into their island counter, “Sit down love. When did you feel this coming on, hm? You didn’t seem unwell this morning. Oh, poor love, goodness, bless you.” Her eyes widened a little at sight of her exhausted wife ducking down into her elbow with another 3 rapid sneezes, looking back up at her through weary eyes. 

Rani turned on her feet and bent down to open the cupboard beneath the sink and pulled out a fresh tissue box, ripping off the seal as she handed it to her wife, “Here you go darling, blow your nose,” She instructed gently before giving some attention to the vegetables she’d neglected, “You been like this all day?” 

Jessica sniffled weakly as she accepted the tissue box, the cool touch of the tissue against her nose providing a small measure of relief. She blew her nose gently, sniffling afterwards. "Since about lunch," she croaked, her voice barely sounding a little less congested now, "It hit me when I was marking then it just came on really fast and-” She hadn’t finished her sentence but was cut short by her throat objecting and sending her into a chesty cough. 

“I had to give a lecture and it just so, so... so embarrassing. I’m meant to be so consistent, so put together and here I am, sniffling and Hih! mis- Hihh miseraHh’iiISHEEW! HIii'tSHHIEW! Heh’tshu!” 

Rani couldn’t help but sigh as she passed her a handful of tissues/ Sometimes her wife held herself to standards so high that even when something so simple as a cold came along it managed to rock her core foundations. “Well, it sounds to me like you need a little bit of TLC, how does that sound? I’ll make you some nice soup and we’ll just chill out a bit, okay?” 

Jessica wasn’t stupid. She knew she needed rest, but the ever-present pile of unmarked papers in the back of her mind nagged at her, “I just need to get some work done, then we can relax?” She mumbled behind a tissue, already knowing the reaction she was about to receive. 

“Absolutely not.” Her wife folded her arms sternly as she turned around to face her, “Jessi, you need to rest. Not work, not worry, rest.” 

The congested sigh that followed was a mixture of frustration and resignation. She knew Rani was right, but the thought of all the unfinished work gnawed at her. "I know, love, but I have deadlines and responsibilities. I can't just let everything pile up." 

Rani shook her head and came to her side, gently taking the used tissues from Jessica's hand and disposing of them before placing a hand on her wife's cheek. "I understand that, Jess, but you won't be able to do your best work if you're not feeling well. Not to mention that fact you look exhausted baby. You’re in no condition to rest and if you want to have some of this reaaally good soup I’m making you then you’ll go off and change into some pyjamas or something cosy and get snuggled beneath a blanket on the sofa. Okay?” 

Jessica looked into her caring eyes and knew she couldn't argue any longer. She nodded weakly, a grateful smile tugging at her lips, "Okay, fine, you win.” 

“Thank you.” Rani smiled warmly as she watched her wife shuffle away in the direction of her bedroom. She watched Jess muffle a small, defeated sounding sneeze into her elbow and she couldn’t help but shake her head, softly muttering to herself before tending back to the soup.

“You’re definitely taking a sick day tomorrow professor.” 

Edited September 28, 2023 by Selkie

[Chanel_no5]

Aww, this was really cute!   They remind me of my OCs Linda and Savannah.  There's something truly delicious with a workaholic Dr. getting sick and refusing to admit it, amirite???    

 

[Selkie]

3 hours ago, Chanel_no5 said:

Aww, this was really cute!   They remind me of my OCs Linda and Savannah.  There's something truly delicious with a workaholic Dr. getting sick and refusing to admit it, amirite???    

 

Ooh I love your Oc’s so much! You write them so well! So coming from you this is a huge compliment, thank you!! ;D And absolutely you’re right :))

Edited September 28, 2023 by Selkie
spelling :p

[poiub]

Very sweet ☺️

[jke1995]

Absolutely adorable 

please continue!

[Selkie]

4 hours ago, jke1995 said:

Absolutely adorable 

please continue!

Im really glad you enjoyed! ;D This was one of a one-shot kinda thing I think, but if there's any ideas you'd wanna see written with these two I'll try to write it  

[jke1995]

1 hour ago, Selkie said:

Im really glad you enjoyed! ;D This was one of a one-shot kinda thing I think, but if there's any ideas you'd wanna see written with these two I'll try to write it  

Ahhh well in any event it was a great story. I’ll leave the ideas to you but I would love to see these characters again! Thank you for sharing 

[MIN]

Ooohhhhhhhh much comfort, such love, very lesbian! Beautifully written, and reading this had made me go all warm and fuzzy and has now made me want to find a Dr. Alex Blake from Criminal minds with just a horrendous head cold whilst taking a lecture fic, I have a type okay, Professors and lesbians - I don't make the rules! 🤣

[noroomfordoubt]

These two are too sweet! what a lovely piece. 

[NoV]

On 9/28/2023 at 6:00 PM, Spooklie said:

Her curly brown hair fell clumsily in front of her face as she her head bobbed forwards suddenly. That one sneeze seemed to have opened the floodgates for what came next.

Descriptions of how a woman's hair reacts to her sneezing always gets my attention  These two sentences are killer! 

[JadeStone]

Oh noooo this is so cute!!! I love them and I love how Rani is gently fussing over her stubborn wife. This is lovely, thank you for sharing it. 

[MIN]

I skim read this week's ago when I was on the verge of sleep and forgotten about it til I've just read it again! This is definitely one I'll go back to, I am a sucker for caretaking fluff and married lesbian doctors 🤩