Work Text:
Elliot knew that there was something wrong with Jet the minute she had walked into the office that morning. He could see it in the way she carried herself, the way she stumbled as she walked up the stairs, the way she slumped over at her desk as soon as she sat down.
He'd made her a coffee, placed his hand on the back of her neck as he put the drink down on her desk. "You're burning up, kid."
Elliot watched as her eyes flicked to him, then away, before returning to look at the black coffee in front of her. She didn't respond to the comment, just continued to stare down at the steaming mug. After a moment's hesitation, Elliot spoke again. "Jet, are you feeling alright?"
"Yeah, yeah, just tired is all. Late night." She'd brushed him off, like she did whenever anyone asked her about things that bothered her, but Elliot saw the slight tremble in her fingers, the way she gripped the edge of the table in an effort to stop herself from slouching any further into her chair.
"Let me know if you need anything, okay?" He gave her shoulder a squeeze as he walked away, leaving her to get whatever work she needed done.
He'd found her asleep at her desk by the time he got back from the lead he'd been chasing with Reyes, and his concerned tripled. Her face was flushed when he'd woken her up, the bags under her eyes a stark contrast with her pale complexion.
Even now he could feel the heat radiating from her forehead through her clothes, could hear her rapid breathing. "Are you feeling alright? You don't seem too good."
The girl looked up at him with wide, frightened eyes. "I... I'm fine, Elliot," she said, voice trembling slightly as she stood up. She swayed, gripping onto his arm as she blinked the dizziness out of her eyes.
"Alright, I'm taking you home. Try not to collapse on me, okay?" She nodded, letting him lead the way as he walked them to his car.
She could barely stand up as they made it to his apartment, but when she did she immediately sank down onto his couch. Elliot pulled her shoes off her feet, set them aside, and went to check his kitchen for any medicine he might need. There was a small stash of ibuprofen, some water, and a glass of orange juice waiting for him.
"Here, take these. They're gonna help with the fever." He sat beside her as she swallowed the pill, wrapping a blanket around her shoulders. She let out a soft sigh as she nestled against the arm rest. Elliot smiled sadly at her. "Go ahead and lie down until your temperature goes down." His voice was soft and gentle, a comforting, familiar sound. She nodded sleepily and snuggled deeper into the couch cushions.
"I'm sorry about this," She mumbled, reaching forward to wrap the blanket tighter around herself.
That caught Elliot off guard, making him pause mid hair-stroke. "What do you mean?"
Her mouth tightened briefly, then relaxed. "My parents would get mad at me when I was sick. Cause one of them would have to stay home." She paused for a second, then spoke quietly. "My dad got really mad once, when I puked on this new carpet. Hit me across the face. My mom always said I went flying into the wall. Kinda funny, actually."
Elliot blinked the tears out of his eyes, surprised at how easily Jet opened up to him. He had never heard about her life prior to today, never knew what kind of childhood or family she'd come from. He wondered briefly if all of this was just the fever-induced delirium speaking, then decided it wasn't important at the moment. "Did he hit you a lot?"
His question made her stiffen a bit. "Me? Nah. My sister protected me, always took the most of it," She paused, her face contorted in thought, then shrugged. "She had this plan for both of us to get out. It worked for me, and when it didn't work for her, she killed herself instead. I think I was 15 when that happened."
Elliot nodded slowly, absorbing the information. Then, after a moment of silence, he spoke. "That's horrible, Jet. I'm so sorry you had to go through that."
She shrugged, still curled up in the blankets. "It doesn't matter anymore. What matters is that I moved on. I have other people now." They lapse into silence again, his fingers threading through her hair as her eyelids started to droop.
"No one's ever done this for me before." Her voice was almost inaudible.
"I'm glad I get to do it for you then."
She hummed softly, nuzzling her face deeper into the pillow. "Me too. Thanks, dad."
His chest tightened at her words, the vulnerability in them more than evident. "You're welcome, kid." His hands stroked her head gently, a silent comfort to her feverish mind.