Room 209, Sunday evening

[can_be_more]

The trip to Washington started out well enough, but by the time she gets back, she's just happy to be home, with air conditioning. She doesn't even think about whether or not the door's closed, just goes straight to bed and lays down, waiting to start cooling down.

Comments

[whitedeathpod.livejournal.com]

John thinks it's late enough that Aeryn should be home so he walks down to her room and frowns at the partially opened door.

He knocks and sticks his head inside. "Aeryn? You home?"

[can_be_more]

"Yeah," Aeryn mumbles, and she hasn't moved.

[whitedeathpod.livejournal.com]

At that, he comes inside the room and smiles at her unmoving form on the bed. He closes the door.

"They wear you out, honey? See cool things?"

[can_be_more]

"Fine," she says, which has nothing to do with anything. She doesn't want the conversation that has to be had. At all.

[whitedeathpod.livejournal.com]

He stops and frowns at her.

"What?" He comes closer and sits on the edge of her bed. "What'd you do today?"

[can_be_more]

"Walked. Saw things."

[whitedeathpod.livejournal.com]

More frowning.

"You got a little sunburn," he says and reaches out to touch her red cheek.

[can_be_more]

"It's not sunburn," she mutters, not really looking at him.

[whitedeathpod.livejournal.com]

"What?" He touches her cheek and she's warm to the touch. There's sweat beading around her hairline too. He frowns again. "Are you hot?"

[can_be_more]

She backs away a tiny bit. "It's getting better."

[whitedeathpod.livejournal.com]

"You have a fever," he states. "And you're red cheeked and still sweating in the air conditioning. Are you sick?"

[can_be_more]

"I'm fine, it's nothing," she lies, and still hasn't really moved.

[whitedeathpod.livejournal.com]

"You're fine?" John is seriously starting to doubt that. "Fine, get up and let's go get something to eat," he says and stands up off the bed.

[can_be_more]

"I'm not hungry," she says, and that's the truth. The thought of food isn't a happy one right now.

[whitedeathpod.livejournal.com]

"Fine, then get up and let's go to my room," he says. "We can watch television."

[can_be_more]

"I'm fine here," she says, curling into the mattress a little.

[whitedeathpod.livejournal.com]

Now he's starting to get a little angry...and worried.

"Aeryn, what the hell is going on?" he grits out, coming to kneel beside the bed. He feels her arm and it's warm too.

[can_be_more]

She's looking up at the ceiling, and she knows she has to just go ahead and say it because he has to know. "Heat delirium," she says quietly.

[whitedeathpod.livejournal.com]

"Heat delirium?" His frown deepens and the anger ebbs away into worry now. "It's a sickness, right? You're sick."

[can_be_more]

She shakes her head. "Sebaceans can't handle heat," she says. "Our cells overheat and our nervous system shuts down. It's not exactly sick."

[whitedeathpod.livejournal.com]

"It sounds like heat stroke," he says quickly. "Clinic. You need the clinic, right?"

[can_be_more]

She shakes her head, having expected that. "I just need to cool down. I'm fine."

[whitedeathpod.livejournal.com]

"You need to cool down?" Standing up, he reaches for one of her hands and starts tugging. "Up then. Up. I know a better way."

[can_be_more]

She doesn't have the energy to cling to to the bed or anything, so she lets him pull her up. She'd really rather be laying down.

[whitedeathpod.livejournal.com]

He slings her arm over his shoulders and nearly drags her into the bathroom, kicking the door shut behind him.

He turns the water on cold and looks at her. "Hold you breath."