Lifeline (Sebastian Vettel)

Chapter 59: Heated

Seb returned to the kitchen a few minutes later, now wearing socks. Tully didn't know why she found it so amusing that he made an entire trip upstairs just for socks, but she did.

"What are you smirking at?" he demanded as he picked up a mug from the breakfast table and took a sip.

Tully bit her lip to mask her amusement, "Nothing at all."

He narrowed his eyes at her and glanced at Britta, "What are you saying to her?"

"I didn't say a word!" Britta retorted indignantly.

Tully chuckled, "While you're up though, can I see your recent clinical history, X-rays, any treatment plans you're still on?"

"Oh, you want the fun stuff." he sighed warily, "I'll get it."

He disappeared again for a minute before returning with a stack of papers and a large X-ray envelope. He set them down at the breakfast table while Tully slid into one of the booths and began to pick each piece up, examining the contents of his records. He nudged her to move further over so he could sit down beside her.

Britta became distracted looking at the records too, occasionally peering up between their faces to try and get a read on Tully's reactions.

Tully studied the surgical summaries and clinical records, and the subsequent physician's treatment plans that Seb had been on up until that point. Next she moved to the X-rays, though skeletally, Seb had been largely unscathed if not for a lot of bone bruising. Next were the progress pictures of the wound site.

"Argh fuck." Tully whispered, holding her head in one hand as she looked over the earliest pictures. She felt suddenly very nauseous as her head throbbed painfully and visions crossed her mind's eye. She was sitting somewhere, it was dark, her mouth was full of the taste of metallic blood and grit. She looked down to her left. Seb sat beside her as a girl stitched a gaping open wound the full length of his thigh and at least half the width. The girl's hands were shimmering with a thick, sickly red sheen. She was soaked in his blood up to her elbows as she weaved a thick needle through his torn skin. He was screaming.

"You okay?"

Tully jerked back to the present at the sound of Seb's voice and nudged him urgently, indicating that she needed to get up. He quickly made room and she lurched toward the sink, vomiting painfully on an empty stomach.

She could hear Seb and Britta moving around behind her quickly. Someone applied a saturated washcloth to her forehead while another placed a glass of water next to her hand.

She waited until her body stopped convulsing, trying to control her breathing, before taking a small sip of the cool water.

Neither Seb nor Britta said anything, allowing Tully to gratefully recover in her own time. She groaned as she finally lifted her head from the sink, turning the faucet on to wash everything away.

"Thank you." she whispered, sensing Seb was standing at her side.

"Take your time." he replied softly, finally reaching out and pushing her ponytail back over her shoulder. She felt his fingers at her cheek, stroking her skin gently as she closed her eyes.

"I'm okay." she breathed, taking another few gulps of water and stepping back from the sink.

"Do you need to sit?" Britta asked.

"Yeah." The Finn responded, turning to the breakfast table and sliding gingerly back into her seat. She kept focussing on her breathing as Seb and Britta also returned to their places apprehensively. Britta passed Tully a fresh washcloth which she took and pressed against her forehead.