And Then There Was You (Chris Evans AU)

Back to Reality

I wake to the sound of sobbing and quickly jump out of bed as I realize Daphne is no longer next to me. I jog down the hall to find Daphne sitting on the floor of the half bath holding her stomach.

"What's going on, Daph?"

"Cramping," she says quick and short, her face distorted in pain. "So much cramping."

  I kneel down in front of her. "When was your last cycle?"

  Daphne thinks back. "The week before the wedding."

  "Have you been regular recently?" I ask.

  "No. Not since the surgery," she tells me.

  "So you could already be having another cycle then. Does it feel like that kind of cramping or like sick to your stomach cramping?"

  "It feels like really horrific period cramps," she says as she lunges forward, another cramp barreling through her abdomen.

  I get up and go to the medicine cabinet. I easily locate her pain pills from her surgery and take one out, filling a glass with water. "Think you can get this down?" I ask her as I offer it to her.

  She tries to sit up a little straighter as she takes the items from my hands. "Are you bleeding?" She nods her head. "I started spotting a little bit when we landed. It's still just light."

I pick her up off of the bathroom floor and carry her back to bed. "Well, this is your first since stopping birth control too. Your body is trying to readjust itself. It may take time."

After placing Daphne back into the bed I grab the heating pad from the hall closet and plug it in. I hand it to her and grab the small pillow she likes to hold against her abdomen when she's hurting. With a glance at the clock I see it's three in the morning. "Can I get you anything?" I gently stroke Daphne's leg as I ask.

"I don't know what that would be," she replies with the tiniest of smiles.

I crawl back under the covers next to her and hand her the remote. "How about we find something mindless to watch while we wait for those meds to kick in?"

The tiny smile grows just a touch as she turns the television on. I know exactly what she's going to choose before she even gets to it. Before long Friends is keeping us company while we lay in bed.

Truthfully, I think with the help of the heating pad and the exhaustion from the long day of travel she could fall asleep again within minutes. But offering up this plan allows me to make myself stay awake and keep an eye on her.

Around the time Ross and Rachel take a break, Daphne turns off the heating pad. "You okay?" She sleepily hums a yes and moves closer to me. "Think I can sleep now," she says quietly as the meds take over.

I lift the remote, turn on the sleep timer, and snuggle in closer to her. I rub her scalp, just like I did on the plane, until her breathing evens out again. Only then do I let my own eyes close.

~~~~~
Daphne POV

  It's finally ten o'clock in the morning before I decide to roll out of bed. The pain in my stomach has changed to just a dull ache and it seems the nausea has subsided as well.

  I had noticed about two hours ago that Chris was no longer next to me but I was just too tired to go and look for him.

  Before leaving our bedroom I decide that it would be a great idea to shower and wash the nastiness of the day before away. Fifteen minutes, and two rounds of lather later, I emerge refreshed and ready to face the day.