He's been sleeping hard lately, after falling into bed at increasingly later hours. It seems like everyday he's got to stay working longer, and the past few days have seen him come home, eat a small bit of whatever Kate's made, then drop into bed.
The alarm feels like it goes off too soon, and he knocks it from the nightstand turning it off.
Finding the bed beside him empty he expects the smell of coffee to be coming in from down the hallway, and is irritated when he realizes it isn't. Hearing water running he guesses Kate got back late from her run.
He heads for the kitchen to tell her he'll just grab something to eat on the way to the department, but she isn't there when he walks in. It isn't until he's rounding the table to turn off the sink that he sees her laying prone on the floor.
Heart leaping high into his throat he drops to his knees beside her.
He eases Kate onto a bed, glancing over her with worry. The other woman is talking to him and it takes a moment before he looks up at her.
Forcing himself to forget that it's Kate laying on the bed, he focuses on delivering the information he has, so they can help her.
"Yeah. I don't know how long she was out. She's got a real high fever, an' has come around some, but isn't really responsive. She's been hallucinatin' or dreamin'; confused 'bout things."
The faded Wheelsy Sheriff's department T-shirt he's wearing has sweat stains from Kate, and though his voice is steady, his eyes are wide and anxious.
Cuddy only allows herself a moment to assess the situation; she presses a hand to the woman's forehead, feeling the heat of her skin, and then sets to work on readying some ice packs.
There's some already cold, she finds, and places one against her forehead and another along the inside of her wrist.
"The most important thing is getting her temperature down," Cuddy tells him. "If a fever is all it is, she'll need to go on antibiotics and get lots of rest. And I'm going to set up an IV for her now, so she's able to retain some fluids."
She glances toward Bill, strapping on a pair of gloves and readying the IV.
"Once the fever breaks, we can try to get her to take something orally, but she's too delirious for it now."
He nods, watching her work. He keeps out of her way, but stays close to Kate.
"D'you know what's wrong with her? What if it ain't just a fever?"
Moving to the opposite side of Kate that Cuddy is working on, Bill wipes his sweating palm on the gym shorts he's wearing, then carefully takes Kate's hand.
Her breath hitches when she shivers; a line appears between her brows as she slogs through the twilight between sleep and consciousness, and her eyelids flutter.
"I'm Dr. Cuddy, yes," she answers - quickly, though not without sincerity. On the other hand, there are more important things to concern herself with.
"Talk to her," she says, murmuring over Kate, inclining her head in Bill's direction.
"Keeping her conscious is important until the meds kick in - which should be any minute now. Kate, my name is Dr. Cuddy, do you remember who I am? Do you know where you are?"
Cuddy reaches for a thermometer, the kind she can place in Kate's ear to take her temperature.
Five seconds later, it's beeping, and she takes it out to glance at the number that reads digitally on the screen.
"Her fever's breaking," she tells Bill. "I'm going to keep one ice pack on her, wrap it in a towel so she doesn't get chilled. The next couple hours, we're just going to need to attack this with rest and fluids."
The alarm feels like it goes off too soon, and he knocks it from the nightstand turning it off.
Finding the bed beside him empty he expects the smell of coffee to be coming in from down the hallway, and is irritated when he realizes it isn't. Hearing water running he guesses Kate got back late from her run.
He heads for the kitchen to tell her he'll just grab something to eat on the way to the department, but she isn't there when he walks in. It isn't until he's rounding the table to turn off the sink that he sees her laying prone on the floor.
Heart leaping high into his throat he drops to his knees beside her.
"Oh God, Kate-- "
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Turning around, he scans the room quickly.
"I need a doctor, please."
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"Oh, God," she mutters, and immediately leaves her chair, motioning for him to bring the woman in his arms to a bed.
"Was she conscious when you found her?"
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Forcing himself to forget that it's Kate laying on the bed, he focuses on delivering the information he has, so they can help her.
"Yeah. I don't know how long she was out. She's got a real high fever, an' has come around some, but isn't really responsive. She's been hallucinatin' or dreamin'; confused 'bout things."
The faded Wheelsy Sheriff's department T-shirt he's wearing has sweat stains from Kate, and though his voice is steady, his eyes are wide and anxious.
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There's some already cold, she finds, and places one against her forehead and another along the inside of her wrist.
"The most important thing is getting her temperature down," Cuddy tells him. "If a fever is all it is, she'll need to go on antibiotics and get lots of rest. And I'm going to set up an IV for her now, so she's able to retain some fluids."
She glances toward Bill, strapping on a pair of gloves and readying the IV.
"Once the fever breaks, we can try to get her to take something orally, but she's too delirious for it now."
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"D'you know what's wrong with her? What if it ain't just a fever?"
Moving to the opposite side of Kate that Cuddy is working on, Bill wipes his sweating palm on the gym shorts he's wearing, then carefully takes Kate's hand.
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"We'll just have to keep an eye on her over the next couple of hours."
The insertion of the IV needle is relatively quick and painless, and her gaze quickly darts from Kate's face to Bill's.
"You two - you're the ones Boo was staying with, aren't you?"
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Looking back at the doctor he nods, searching for her name through his worry now and from that night they brought Boo in.
"Yeah, we were lookin' after her. It's Dr. Cuddy, right?"
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Her fingers curl, then loosen, in Bill's grip.
"Gracie-Boo?"
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"Talk to her," she says, murmuring over Kate, inclining her head in Bill's direction.
"Keeping her conscious is important until the meds kick in - which should be any minute now. Kate, my name is Dr. Cuddy, do you remember who I am? Do you know where you are?"
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"Kate."
Nodding to the doctor's words, he keeps talking, assuring.
"S'okay, Kate. Boo's fine. We're just here gettin' you looked at. Looks like y'might've over done it a bit. How y'feelin'?"
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She's tethering herself, or trying to, while their voices wash over her, trickling inside her ears.
"Kate," she says, nodding against her pillow. "I'm Kate."
She sighs softly, opening her unfocused eyes with effort.
"Cold."
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Slowly, she removes a couple of them, keeping one along her arm until she steadies.
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He watches Cuddy remove some of the ice packs, then pats Kate's hand.
"Don't worry, Kate, s'gonna be fine. You're bein' looked after real good here."
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"M'fine."
She wants to concentrate, but their faces are blurring, and it's too easy to let her eyes slip shut.
"Just -- "
She licks her lips.
"Tired."
She frowns to herself; she's forgetting something, obscured in the fog of fatigue.
"Don't call Dad."
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Five seconds later, it's beeping, and she takes it out to glance at the number that reads digitally on the screen.
"Her fever's breaking," she tells Bill. "I'm going to keep one ice pack on her, wrap it in a towel so she doesn't get chilled. The next couple hours, we're just going to need to attack this with rest and fluids."
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