Fever

Never know how much I love you, never know how much I care

When you put your arms around me, I get a fever that's so hard to bear

You give me fever - when you kiss me, fever when you hold me tight

Fever - in the morning, fever all through the night.

CAINE'S MUTINY

Even through the thick pane of glass that separated the observation level of the Miami Dade Morgue from where she stood, Alexx Woods heard the cough. It wasn't the sort of cough that accompanied a tickle in the back of someone's throat, nor was it the type occasionally used to draw someone's attention. This was the type of cough that signaled the annual fattening of doctors' wallets, otherwise known as Flu Season.

Alexx wasn't about to let whoever it was get away with spewing fresh germs all over her observation room. Peering over her left shoulder, she saw the silhouetted figure upstairs and instantly knew to whom it belonged. With a sigh and subtle shake of her head she returned her attention to the body lying on the cold metal slab in front of her.

"Horatio Caine, do you recall last month when I was giving out free flu shots and you insisted that you would be fine, that you didn't need one?" Alexx shook her head again and muttered, "I should have stuck you when you weren't looking."

H chuckled quietly, a chuckle that sent him into a new fit of coughs that he desperately tried to muffle by burying his mouth in the crook of his elbow.

"If you really want to hide that cough, Lieutenant, I suggest moving away from the microphone next time." Removing her bloody, gloved hands from the chest cavity of the victim, she turned to face the observation room, prepared to continue scolding him. However, when she realized that not only had the coughing not subsided but that H was nearly doubled over, the frustration she had felt toward him only moments ago faded. "When did this start?"

H had every intention of changing the subject or even fibbing to the chief M.E., but his tongue had other plans. "Since last night." How he hated it when his body mutinied.

He was telling the truth; Alexx could easily hear it when he spoke. The deep rumble of H's voice had sunk to new subterranean depths.

Alexx carefully peeled back her gloves and, as soon as they were discarded, placed her balled fists on her slender hips. She narrowed her eyes, trying to see through the shadows of the observation room. The faint glow from the computer monitor next to him shone just enough light on H's face for Alexx to be able to see just how pale he was. She pointed a long, skinny finger in his direction. "Stay put."

H wasn't about to move, not that he could move fast enough to avoid the M.E. anyway. His body seemed to be in automatic shutdown mode. His back ached, his eyes burned, his chest felt like it was being sawed in half every time he coughed, and his head…H didn't know if words existed that could adequately describe his pain.

With a chilled shudder, he pulled his suit coat tighter around him, leaned his shoulder against the glass window and waited. After a few seconds he heard soft steps approaching the top of the stairs. Alexx had shed her white coat, a subconscious gesture H appreciated. With the coat gone he felt less like he was being scrutinized by a physician and more like he was being treated by a friend.

"That cough sounds like it hurts."

H grunted and shrugged. "I'm fine, Alexx. It's just a cold, I'll be over it in no time."

"Of course you will. Now open up," she said, suddenly beginning to flick her wrist. Unless Alexx had developed a nervous tick, H knew exactly what she was up to.

"I can assure you, there's no need to take my temperature."

One dark eyebrow slid up, the other moved lower, clearly indicating her displeasure. "Do you want me to treat you like a patient or a corpse? If you prefer, I can shove my thermometer into your liver and get your temperature that way. It's your choice."

H opened his mouth to protest, but before his tongue could move to speak, Alexx had slipped the thermometer in his mouth and pressed his tongue flat. H groaned in defeat and slumped his shoulders.

"Horatio, the more you fight me on this, the longer it's going to take. Now be still and keep your mouth shut." Under other circumstances, he might have given a playful salute, but this afternoon he hadn't the energy.

Within a matter of seconds the thermometer was pulled from his tongue. Alexx held it up to the light and scowled. 102.4 She glanced over in his direction, her expression changing to one of genuine concern. "You said you've been coughing since last night?" she asked, stepping closer to get a better look at him. It was then that she noticed just how bad he actually looked.

H nodded gently, afraid that more aggressive nodding would send his headache to unbearable levels.

"It's not often that I tell you what to do, Horatio," she said, earning her a weak but amused expression, "but I'm making an exception in this case. Go home."

"Alexx--" he began before a second, though mercifully brief, fit of coughing wracked his body. Alexx gently placed her hand on his shoulder. Once the coughing had ceased its assault on his lungs, ribs, and throat, H once again held himself upright. "And if I don't go?" he rumbled.

"I'll call Stetler and tell him you disobeyed a direct order from Miami's chief Medical Examiner."

"You wouldn't dare," he teased, knowing he had already lost the battle.

"Would you care to test that theory, Lieutenant?"

Holding his hands up in defeat, he gave her a weak smile. "I'll go." He moved toward the stairs and paused. "Does the good doctor have an other orders?"

"Sleep. That's the best thing you can do for yourself. I'll prescribe you something, but I don't want anything to keep you from getting home as soon as possible. I'll have someone drop it off a little bit later. Oh, and one more thing. Don't let me catch you around here, the PD or any crime scenes for at least a week."

"Alexx, I can't be out of the lab for a week."

Alexx slowly crossed her arms and shifted. "Oh, and why not?"

"Just because I take the week off doesn't mean the bad guys will."

"You don't think the team can handle them without you?"

"Of course they can. But…"

"But what?"

"There's more to it than just catching the bad guys. There's a lot of paperwork involved, too."

"So it's Calleigh you're having doubts about."

"No," he paused, "of course not."

"Then what's the problem?"

"It's a week, Alexx."

The M.E. nodded her head and crossed her arms. "Hm. Maybe you're right. You've never left her in charge for more than a couple days have you? Perhaps that is a lot of responsibility to ask her to take on at a moment's notice. Who else would you trust to run the lab?"

"There's no one I trust more than Calleigh." Alexx had hardly finished speaking before H had jumped in.

"Does Calleigh know that?" the doctor said with a tilt of her head.

H lowered his head and glanced over at the doctor, but said nothing. He hadn't intended for this to become about Calleigh. There was quiet for several moments as he pondered what Alexx had said. H sighed and lifted his head. "Can we make it five days?"

Alexx responded with a smile and a nod. "Sure." She looked him up and down once, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"What?" H asked cautiously.

"I'm just wondering if I should have someone drive you home," she said, thoughtfully.

"I appreciate your concern, Alexx, but I would like to make a graceful exit and not draw any unnecessary attention."

Alexx smiled sweetly, understanding his thinking. "Fair enough…if you think you can get home without putting yourself or anyone else at risk."

"You have my word on it," he replied, his voice showing no sign of hesitation.

"I'll check on you later."

With an appreciative nod, H descended the stairs gingerly, each step sending shockwaves up his body and reassuring him that Alexx had been right.