WHO: Maia Amell & Pam Swynford de Beaufort WHAT: Pam's very ill WHERE: Pam's place, the basement WHEN: 9/13 RATING: PG13 for blood STATUS: Complete
It had been a few days now, and Pam knew she was in trouble. She hadn’t been able to get off the couch since Monday. And now she needed blood. And she couldn’t get blood. She might be able to reach her phone, though.
She strained to reach the table, hoping Maia was her *69 call. If it wasn’t, it was probably the cops anyway, so maybe it’d work out.
Maia had been by once or twice to check on her, and had in fact been phoning frequently, but she hated people hovering when she was sick, so she was giving Pam a bit of a wide berth. Just enough to know she cared, but not smothering. She didn’t want to smother. She wasn’t her mum!
“Pam?”
“Problem,” Pam managed. “Can’t fucking move. Too dizzy.” She closed her eyes. “Need to feed though.”
“Uh. Oh. How bad is it?” Maia was grabbing her purse and making her way to the door as quickly as she could. “I’ll be right there!”
“Not good.” Pam hated being needy, and hated admitting she was scared, but she didn’t se a choice. “Freaking me out, Maia.”
She hopped into her car, and promptly managed to stall it out. She cursed, and punched the steering wheel, then got it started again. “Just hold on okay? Your snack is on it’s way!”
“Thank you. ... Sorry. Don’t mean t’scare you.” She closed her eyes. Her accent got more pronounced when she was exhausted and in pain. And apparently scared. But she needed Maia, and not just for her blood.
“Okay, I’m speeding, don’t worry. I’ll be there soon. Everything will be fine.” Maia spoke calmly and with conviction. She was panicking inside, but she wanted Pam to relax.
“Mm.” Pam tried to be more coherent, but it was hard. She felt dizzy and just generally sick. Like she’d been hit by a truck. “Been feeling so shitty.”
Maia nearly hit Pam’s mailbox, and rushed up to the door. She fumbled with the handle, then stepped back, pulled out some lockpicks, and let herself in that way. She ran up to Pam. “I’m here, I’m here!”
If Pam had been the type, she’d have damn near cried in relief when she heard Maia. “Basement,” she rasped, as loud as she could. “Safest place.” In case she felt too weak to get up when the sun came up. There weren’t any windows down here.
Maia nodded and came down, closing the door behind her. She flicked on the light, and sat down next to Pam. “Hey..how are you feeling?” Her pulse was racing.
“Like ass.” Pam tried to sound a little less weak, a little less exhausted, for Maia’s benefit. “Feels like a flu, ‘cept I’m hungry.” She didn’t want to sound demanding, but still.
Maia smiled fondly, and brushed hair out of Pam’s face. “One second, love.” She pulled her shirt off, and then her bra, before moving her hair off of her neck. she suspected this might be messier than usual, but she still trusted her.
“M’sorry.” She felt like she had to say it. “You’re not just a snack.” It was as close as Pam got to saying I love you on most days, but well, Maia wasn’t just a snack. She managed to tilt her body until she was on her side, then her stomach. She reached over and with a bit of maneuvering, she sunk her fangs in.
She sucked at the puncture wound, and drank greedily. But it was too much, too soon. Pam coughed, spilling blood on the floor. “Shit.”
“Well, I am a full course meal,” Maia quipped, getting comfortable, and closing her eyes as Pam’s teeth sunk into her. She groaned, dizzily. “What…? Waz wrong?”
“Too quick,” Pam breathed, having to focus consciously to get away from the puncture wound. “Sorry ... sorry, should ... be okay.” But she hadn’t gotten much blood in her herself, and she still felt like shit. “Think something else still wrong.”
Maia swallowed, then tugged Pam’s head down against her neck. “Is okay. Lil’ more.”
“No.” Too much more and Maia would be in the hospital, and then where the fuck would she be?
“You can’t go without food,” Maia snapped, sitting up and clamping a hand over her neck. “Maker, it’s everywhere but your mouth!”
“Can’t put you in the fucking hospital.” Pam managed. She closed her eyes. “Blood bank, or Eli.” Eli might help. “Blood bank’s four blocks. Eli ... friend, teenager. She’s smart though.”
“Do I need to be jealous?” She couldn’t quite hide the anxiety in her voice.
“No.” Pam said crossly. “She’s seventeen. And boyfriend. Just ... blood bank. Maia, can’t hurt you more.” That was about as sappy as she was going to get.
She sighed. “Can you wait while I wash up and then go? I don’t think I’ll have much trouble.”
“Enough for now.” She still looked pissed or upset or whatever, and Pam sighed. “Can’t lose you, Maia.”
Maia looked at Pam, hesitating for a long moment, then running upstairs to shower without another word.
Pam lay back down, sighing softly, eyes closing. She could just stay here. Here was good.
It took Maia way longer than she’d wanted to get a thing of blood, but after a bit of flirting and a convenient power outage, she came back with two bags full of the stuff. “I hope you’re in the mood for A-positive, love!”
Pam was somewhere between asleep and unconscious when Maia came back.
“Shite.” She sat next to her and opened a bag, wafting it under her nose. “Come on love…”
Pam’s head jerked back at the smelling salts, and she cursed. “Fuck! M - ” She sighed. “Sorry.” Fuck. She felt stupid and weak. “Got it?”
“This is it.” She dribbled some blood into Pam’s mouth.
Pam tried to stay still and focus on drinking, and it seemed to help a little. She just laid on her back like a fucking invalid and imbibed. “Still weak,” she said after a while, “but less nauseous.”
Maia looked relieved, and she let some of her terror ebb out. “Oh thank Andraste.”
Pam could still see fear in her eyes, and felt like an ass. “M’sorry.”
“It’s not your fault you got sick.” Maia wondered if she should have had stocked up Pam’s fridge for her.
“Getting sick ... meant I couldn’t ... go out.” Pam felt better enough to talk more coherently, but still tired, still achy. “And not going out means no blood. So.” This fucking place.
“Still not your fault. I love you.” She stopped herself before she actually said the words. “I’m really worried about you, Pam…” She pushed hair out of her face.
“Have to be honest.” She forced out the words. “Little freaked out too.” Pam looked up at her with a grimace. “But can’t ... to hospital.”
“I know. I know.” She took Pam’s hands and squeezed them. “How about I stay with you tonight? I still need to go out but I can come back here until you’re better.”
“Don’t know when ... when that might be.” Pam didn’t want Maia putting her entire fucking life on hold. And besides, she didn’t want to look needy, dammit.
She kissed her forehead. “You sleep during the day usually, I doubt you need me hovering around while you look like you’re dead.”
“Fair.” Pam closed her eyes. “Looks like ... murder happened here.” Fuck, how would she ever clean up all the damn blood. “You okay?”
“I’ve been worse, trust me.” She leaned in and kissed her. “Should have seen me after the Archdemon.”
Pam smiled. “Yeah?” Maia talked about it a lot, but she just was happy that there wasn’t a fucking archdemon here.
“Yeah. I was pretty messed up!”
“Won’t ... be here.” Pam said. “No.” She closed her eyes. “Thanks for coming.” She wanted to sleep, but she wasn’t sure how to say so without coming off bitchy.
“I just wish I could have been more use. You rest, I’ll clean up..” She looked around, glad that the sight of blood didn’t really bother her. It had used to.
“Saved my ass.” Pam hesitated, but said it eventually. “I love you.”
“I know.” She kissed Pam on the lips gently, then got up to find some cleaning supplies.