The surprisingly soft sounds of retching pulls her from sleep while simultaneously making her curse at not waking sooner as she climbs out of bed and pads over to the half-open bathroom door.

Toto greets her first his worried dark eyes pleading with the part wolf woman to make his owner better as the heaved-up content of Dorothy's stomach was flushed away.

"'o back t' bed."

It was hard to take girlfriends puppy like growl seriously with her head resting against the seat of the toilet bowl, but Ruby wasn't about to listen regardless of what was said. Red kind of wants her to keep talking. Although she hates herself for it considering Dorothy is still so sick, she's kind of getting a liking for the rougher edge the congestion has added to her girlfriend's voice.

Twisting Dorothy's hair into a short braid the werewolf kneels as best she could beside her true love one hand resting against Dorothy's back reminding her stubborn girlfriend was still there the other braced against the side of the bathtub to steady herself. "Baby just cause your all sweaty doesn't mean I love you less." She sighs pressing her lips to the back of Dorothy's neck. Her skin was like fire under Ruby's lips. Her fever spiking once again.

"I think its time for drastic measures."

They both start at Granny's voice

"You mean," Red asks meeting her grandmother's eyes over Dorothy's back as the elder woman nodes. "'Fraid so pup." Widow Lucas nodes. Had she been able to lift her head Dorothy would have been able to see the playful grin spreading across her girlfriend's lips and Granny's playful wink as she joins them in the bathroom.

"I'll fix the tub and Red you go get the TV."

Dorothy whined at the loss of Ruby's cool touch against her sweat dampened back when she moves to stand. "So cute." Red coos bending over to press a kiss against Dorothy's hairline as Granny moved to turn on the tap to start filling the tub with cold water. "I'll be right back sweetie. I'm just going to go get you some peppermint tea." Red promises at the clammy grip on her wrist and the weak tug to get her to stay.

"Come on you into the tub with you,"

"Don' wanna." The sickly woman complains despite the appeal of the cold against her feverish skin.

"It will cool your fever." Granny reasoned "Nuhu." Dorothy whined curling closer to the toilet when another wave of nausea hit.

"You two." Granny sighs taking her granddaughter's place beside the sickly woman remembering the times during the curse when Red had been just as stubborn. Mostly Ruby's sicknesses were closer to hangovers than real sickness but at the moment, Granny couldn't help but make the connection.

"Don' wanna." Dorothy growled the growing heat radiating off her worrying the elder wolf. They needed to get her cooler before a trip to the hospital was needed.

"Sweetie." Ruby coos at the grumpy growl her true love was giving her grandmother as she rolls the smaller of the two TVs in the apartment into the bathroom.

"No. Too cold." Dorothy argues her expression softening as soon as her eyes meet Ruby's.

"It's supposed to be you goofball so you can get better." Red explains exchanging a weak smile with Granny as she slipped out when the kettle Red had put on started whistling. "Now arms up so we can get you out of those sweaty clothes." She prompts kneeling again as Dorothy pushes herself up off the cool tiles of the floor and only after a little gentler prompting lifting her arms to let Red strip her of her tank top.

Thinking it would be better to leave her shorts on for the time being Red lifts her feverous patent into her arms earning a little giggle from Dorothy as she nuzzles her face against Ruby's shoulder. "Wolfie." She coos wrapping her arms around Ruby's neck to steady herself.

"I've got you Kansas." Red assures biting back a groan at the temperature of the water.

"Movie time for the patient." Granny says putting a pause on their conversation two DVD cases tucked under her arm while she carries the two cups of peppermint tea into the bathroom for them.

"No." Dorothy moaned knowing they were about to force her to watch that movie musical about what supposedly happened to her in Oz when she was younger.

"Relax baby it's not the Wizard of Oz." Ruby calms with a kiss against her shoulder making Dorothy breath out a grateful breath while Granny finished setting up the movie for them.

"It's Tom and Jerry & the Wizard of Oz."

Dorothy rolled her eyes but the combination of her cooling fever and the warm body behind her in the tub she was fast losing the fight to stay awake as the film started playing.

"That not Aun' Em." Dorothy argues her unfocused eyes glaring at the tv screen as if she could destroy it just by staring at it simultaneously snuggling against Ruby's chest welcoming her warmth in the chill of the tub. "That more like unc' Hen'." It was hardly more than a mumble of words against Red's shoulder as Dorothy's eyes closed letting the comforting beat of Ruby's heart under her ear and the soothing lyrics of the song from the movie lull her to sleep.

"Works every time." Granny whispers holding out a towel as Ruby stands taking care to keep from jostling the woman in her arms.

Rather than say anything Red carries her girlfriend back over to the bed.

"It's going to get worse again before it actually clears up." Widow Lucas whispers as Red joins her at the kitchen table looking worries and a little tired.

"I know." Her granddaughter sighs taking a few bites from the stew set in front of her.

"Red she needs to go to a hos…"

"No." Red's growl startles the elder wolf but Toto beside her doesn't seem to mind. If anything, he seems to agree is his own little bark of a growl is any clue. "We promised no hospitals."

Granny didn't dare ask why given the simmering anger in her young wolf's eyes as she turns her attention back to her food. The following silence is so strained and tension-filled Granny is surprised a dragon didn't manifest out of it the longer it lasted while they finished eating.

Dorothy's fever spiked close to three hours later higher then before this time making Ruby dig out the crystal keychain Elsa had gifted her as a kind of joke about cooling herself off during a hotter than normal day the previous summer. The enchantment summoning various amounts of ice according to the user's needs.

"Half a tub full half water half ice." She instructs resting the amulet against the side of the tub while the spell worked its magic while she goes back to the bed to get her struggling girlfriend.

"We need to take her in Rubs," Granny says cradling a whimpering Toto in her arms while the pair watching her heartbroken granddaughter wrestling Dorothy into the icy mix before climbing in with her herself instead.

Red shakes her head the muscles in her arms straining as she holds on while a fever crazed Dorothy kicks and thrashes in her arms as she stretches out in the length of the tub. "I promised her. No hospitals regardless of how bad it got."

There was something about her heartbroken expression that told her grandmother she was holding something back. It wasn't too big of a jump to connect the dots as to why after some thought, but Granny voiced her conclusion anyway just to be sure she was right. "They didn't just try, did they? That so-called family of hers? They really did send her to a place like that?"

Fresh tears spilled out as Red nodded "Glinda told me. Well to be fair I kind of persuaded her into telling me."

"It's not nice to pry like that." Granny scolds but Ruby doesn't answer other than pressing her lips to the back of Dorothy's neck "I had to know." She whispers after a pause while Dorothy continues to claw at her restraining arms.

Granny didn't expect to hear anything more but Red surprised her again by continuing her voice a little muffled as she pressed her lips to the side of Dorothy's head as she speaks while the other woman calms enough to sleep for a second time that night. "They had her locked up for a week before she could find a non-magical way to break her out so Dorothy could come back to Oz with her. She said they sent Toto to the pound to be put down, but the clever boy found a way to dig himself out and get away."

Things quieted after that Dorothy's fever seemed to have burned itself out after the last trip into the tub, but her breathing was still congested for the wolves liking.

"Get some sleep pup." Granny advises "I may be old but I'm more than capable of looking after you three while you rest." She adds with a teasing smile. Ruby sights pulling her grandmother in for a much-needed hug on both their parts before relenting and crawling into bed beside her true love.