Actress/Character One-Shots (WLW)

Brave - D. Ocean

TW: Throwing up and Fear of doctor's office

Rue leaned over the toilet, body trembling and sweat trickling down her face and neck. It felt like she had been vomiting for hours; her throat burned, and her eyes were puffy from the tears she'd shed in the process. Her hair was being held back by her very concerned girlfriend who had been taking care of her the past three days as her symptoms only seemed to get worse.

When her stomach was finally empty, she slumped against the wall and took the cup from Debbie to rinse her mouth. The woman sighed heavily and let her head drop back to the wall with a light thud.

"Anything I can do, baby?" the brunette asked, her eyes sad and voice soft.

"Just hold me, please," Rue whimpered as her tears returned. She hated being sick, and Debbie knew that better than anyone. She took Rue's shivering form into her arms and held her close, rubbing her back and whispering in her ear. Debbie rose from her spot on the bathroom floor, her girlfriend still in her arms, and carried her back to their bedroom before gently laying her on the bed. "No, don't go..."

"I just need to check your temp, Rue, and then I promise you can have as many snuggles as you want." The young woman's whines died in her throat as Debbie grabbed the thermometer. Her lips pursed as she read the number lighting up the digital display, and she looked down at Rue worriedly.

"What is it, Deb?"

"102.8. It hasn't dropped below 101 in seventy-two hours, Rue. We really need to get you into the doctor," Debbie said firmly. Rue, however, shook her head as quickly as she could without making herself sick again.

"No doctors," she whined as she stuck her arms out and made grabby hands at the brunette. Debbie obliged, clambered into the bed, and laid on her back, allowing Rue to lay on top of her with her face buried in the crook of her neck. Debbie sighed and slid her hand beneath Rue's shirt to draw patterns on her skin with the tips of her fingers.

"I know you don't want to, but you need to. It's only going to get worse if you don't go," Debbie reasoned. As much as she hated to admit it, Rue knew her girlfriend was right, and that scared her. Tears slipped from her eyes as she attempted to cuddle even further into Debbie. The brunette's brows furrowed when she felt the tears drip onto her skin and the tug of Rue's grip on her shirt. "Baby, why are you crying? Does something hurt? Talk to me, please."

"I d-don't wanna g-go," she cried. "It s-scares me." Once she'd finally stuttered out her explanation, it all started to click for Debbie. How Rue always wanted to take care of any of the other ladies herself instead of driving them in, or her insistence on staying home all the times she'd been sick, even if everyone else thought it was best to go. She used to think it was just because of Rue's stubbornness, but now everything made sense.

"I know it can be scary, Rue, but I promise you I will be with you the whole time. I can even get Lou to drive us so we can sit together in the back. Can you do that for me? Please?" Debbie let out a sigh of relief when she felt the sickly woman nod into her neck and heard her shaky whisper of an 'okay'. Although they were both in sweatpants and tank tops, Debbie saw no point in putting Rue through the extra hassle of changing and simply picked her up. She wrapped both her arms around Rue's waist, who wrapped her legs around Debbie's in return while resting her head on her shoulder. The brunette made her way down the stairs and trekked into the kitchen where she knew she'd find the blonde making herself and the others lunch.

"Hey, Ruey. How ya feeling?" Lou asked when she saw the pair enter the kitchen. Her usually cool expression was soft and concern-filled at seeing the woman who had practically become her little sister so drained. Rue simply grumbled in response, not having enough energy to give a true reply.

"Can you drive us to urgent care, Lou? I would do it myself but it will just be easier to keep her close to me," the brunette explained, her eyes pleading with Lou.

"Of course, let's go." Lou wiped her hands, notified the women of their departure, and walked with Debbie and Rue to her truck, opening the back door first so Debbie could climb in with Rue. It was quite the feat trying to separate the ill woman from Debbie, but she managed to do so, sitting her in the seat beside her and buckling her in before allowing Rue to rest her head on her shoulder. Debbie wrapped her arm around Rue's shoulders and turned to kiss her temple before whispering to her.

"You're doing so good for me, baby. I'm so proud of you." Rue flashed her a weak smile, and the trio set off to the clinic.

When they arrived, Lou parked and opened the door for the pair once more.

"Thanks, Lou. I'll call you when we need you to come pick us up," Debbie said before turning back to Rue. "Come on, Rue. I can carry you in, too." With that, she scooped the woman up in her arms once more and hopped out of the truck. Lou stopped her before she could walk away.

"You're so brave, Ruey. Love you," the blonde cooed, kissing her head and giving her a warm smile.

"Love you too," Rue managed to mumble in reply before she laid her head on her girlfriend's shoulder again. Debbie talked to Lou shortly before she started her walk into the clinic. She was instantly aware of the way Rue's grip strengthened on her shirt when they entered and the way her breathing became more shallow.

"Keep breathing for me, Rue. I'm going to get us checked in." Once she finished with that, Debbie carried the woman to an open seat in the waiting area and sat down with her on her lap. Rue remained relatively calm until a nurse called her name, and Debbie got up to walk them back to an exam room.

"The doctor should be in with you soon," the nurse said before taking their leave. A whimper slipped past Rue's lips as the door clicked shut.

"Debbie, I c-can't- I w-wanna go home," she stuttered as she sobbed and shook. Debbie's chest ached at the sound of Rue's voice breaking and her quiet cries. She stood from the chair they were sat in and placed her on the exam table, standing between her legs and holding her face in her hands.

"Rue, baby, look at me. I know this is scary, but you're almost done, and I'm right here. The doctor's going to come in here, check you out really quick, give you some meds, then we'll go right back home, and we can cuddle up on the couch with the other ladies and watch whatever you want, okay? How does that sound?" Debbie asked as she wiped away her girlfriend's tears with the pads of her thumbs.

"Will Tammy be there too?" Debbie chuckled airily.

"I'll give her a call when we're done here, and I'm sure she'll be happy to come give her favorite little thief some Tammy love," she mused. The pair continued with their conversation about their impending movie night, distracting Rue so much that she had forgotten where they were until the doctor walked in. Debbie squeezed her hand gently and climbed up to sit beside her on the exam table while the woman in the white coat asked her questions. She had to move off of the table for a while so the doctor could do a physical exam of Rue, but she stood right beside her, holding her hand and whispering quiet reminders of how proud she was and how much she loved her. After twenty minutes, the doctor prescribed her medicine to help with the nausea and instructed her to rest, eat as much as she could, and stay hydrated.

Once the doctor was gone, Debbie jumped off the exam table once more and stood between Rue's legs as she had at the beginning of their visit.

"You did so well, baby. Now let's get you home so we can watch that movie like I promised," the brunette said, peppering little kisses all over Rue's face and pulling her back into her arms. She called Lou as they walked into the parking lot but didn't have to wait long as the blonde had decided to wait outside the clinic just in case. She helped them both into the truck and drove them home, listening to Debbie talk to Tammy and the other women on the phone and learning of their new plans for the rest of the day.

The three arrived at the loft the same time Tammy did and walked into the loft together after greeting one another. Debbie set Rue between herself and Tammy, permitting her to rest her head in her lap while her legs rested in the blonde's. Lou, Rose, Daphne, Constance, Amita, and Nine Ball all piled onto the couch and floor surrounding them, turning their attention to the screen after each sending Rue a little smile or quiet hello.

Although Rue still felt unwell, she felt better now that she was surrounded by her family. The anti-nausea meds helped a lot too, allowing her to drift into a peaceful sleep as Debbie stroked her hair lovingly.