Male James Roday's Sick Day (Psych TV show) COMPLETE

[PetalPunk]

Hey y'all, remember when I mentioned that I'd be posting some Psych sneeze fics? Well Good news! I kept my word! I wrote a James Roday sneeze fic, that takes place on the set of Psych, but the story takes place entirely in the real world with the actor, James Roday, being sick, not the character, Shawn Spencer. BUT! Dule, Maggie, and Tim are featured in this story too, and I hope to MAYBE write an actual Psych sneeze fic soon too. I've had this plot brewing for months, and I'm fianlly getting is all down on paper and it's a lot lnger than I anticipated, but that's good news for you--more to read! 

Also, I haven't written anything for this forum in a few years, so I feel that my skills are a bit rusty, but I'm proud that I at least wrote something, and I'm excited to share it with you.

Thanks for all your support. See you in the next post!  

Edited June 26, 2021 by PetalPunk

[Wow Really?]

Awesome! James Roday is one of my favorite people ?

Cant wait!

[PetalPunk]

OK like I promised. I'm still not done writing, but I figured I could post the beginning. It's almost done! I had no idea this story would turn out to be over 10 pages! 

NOTES:
Sickfic revolving around the actors of Psych, not the characters.
Takes place during the taping of Season 6 Episode 8 “The Tao of Gus”
*I say this only because I used a scene, verbatim, from this episode, in this fic.
**And I know that in the ep James doesn’t sound anywhere near sick (he rarely sounds sick and I’ve seen every ep of Psych), but I had already wanted the “scene” to take place at the SBPD and I just went searching for a clip. This is just ficionary, OK? J
***Also vomit mention, but it’s very clean. I also hate vomit, so I use a little words as possible.
****Light profanity
*****Also I know that TV actors have brutal 12-14hr days and this is probably not an accurate representation of how a sick actor would be treated, but again, this is fictionary J

So without further ado, I give you JAMES RODAY'S SICK DAY (real creative with the title...) PART 1/?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Inside of his trailer, waiting for his call time, James was lounging on his couch, sitting upright with his legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles. A pillow was resting on his stomach and a script on top of the pillow, about to slide off. His head was slouched to the side, drooping into the corner where the couch meets the wall. He had regretted going in today, he knew he wasn’t feeling so hot when he woke up, but thought he could make it through the day. But it wasn’t even lunch and he had been feeling chilled and his throat had escalated from an annoying tickle to uncomfortable swallowing. He was half-asleep, knowing he would be called any moment, but his eye lids fell heavy and the next thing he knew, someone was calling his name.

              Maggie walked up to James’s trailer, knocked on the door, but no answer. She went on in because it was gray and drizzling. “James?” she called wiping the rain from her shoulders. He was asleep, the script flopped on the floor. “James?” she called again, gently rubbing his arm. She kept calling his name and rubbing his arm until his head turned and he inhaled deeply.

              James groaned and opened his eyes. Maggie’s blue eyes were the first thing he saw. “Maggs?” he croaked. James rubbed his eyes and ran his forearm over his damp forehead.

              “They need you on set, sweetie. Are you feeling alright?” Maggie asked, moving from rubbing his arm to holding his clammy hand.

              “I’m not feeling very well, but I’ll manage,” James said rubbing his thumb over Maggie’s soft hand. He leaned forward to get up, but sneezed into his opposite elbow first. James put his feet on the floor, his elbows supporting his weight on his thighs. He turned his head and sneezed again, half-covering with his elbow. The sneeze burned his throat and the intensity left him a tad light headed and made his arm shimmer with saliva.

              Maggie got up and ripped a paper towel off the roll and handed it to James. “Bless you.” James blew his nose generously, then finally stood up and went to the kitchenette and washed his hands. “Are you sure you can make it? I’m sure Steve will let you go home,” Maggie said.

              “I’m fine,” James said unconvincingly as he coughed away from Maggie, “I can make it,” he said drying his hands.

              “OK, if you insist,” Maggie said.

              The two of them left James’s trailer and headed to the SBPD set to do a few scenes with Tim and Dulé. The set was busy with crew prepping cameras and the lights were so bright that it made James squint at first. Extras were mumbling to each other in the background and Tim and Dulé were waiting at Lassiter’s desk for James and Maggie to return.

              “Hey man, you alright? Maggie told us you weren’t feeling so great,” Dulé said patting James on the back.

              James cleared his throat before answering, “I’m fine.”

              The cameras were ready and Steve Franks came over to go over a few minor things and the actors began getting their jitters and giggles out before Steve yelled “action!” James rolled his heavy aching head around taking a deep breath, thinking to himself that he could get through a few scenes, no matter what his queasy stomach was telling him. The camera was pointed at Tim and Maggie as their close-ups during this scene were going to be filmed first. James wished the crew would've started with his and Dulé’s close-up because he didn’t know how long he could keep his symptoms at bay.

              The crew gave the OK that they were ready and Steve yelled, “action!” And off they went.

JULIET:
Don’t go anywhere near this one.

GUS:
Why is that?

LASSITER:
Because Janis Joplin over there is crazier than Janis Dickinson. I mean, this girl's obviously been doing a little too much of this [mimics smoking a joint].

GUS:
Suffering from hemorrhoid pain?

SHAWN:
Doing an inaccurate impression of Dr. Evil in space?

JULIET:
She claims she witnessed a murder in an alley right off of Main Street at the height of lunch hour.

SHAWN:
That is crazy. No chance of getting a table after that.

LASSITER:
We checked with all the businesses in the area. The only weird thing anyone saw was a girl in a peach scarf dancing off a Greyhound bus.

GUS:
So? That doesn't mean it didn't happen.
 

LASSITER:
Look at the girl. All right? She's been living in the hills. She hasn't been down to the city in five years. She meditated during the interview. The only understandable thing in the witness statement was a doodle of three large circles.

SHAWN:
Maybe a snowman did it.

JULIET:
Okay. You've been warned.

GUS:
Okay…

SHAWN:
I don't know, man. As much as I like to zig when Lassiter zags, I'm feeling pretty zaggy.
So what do you say we hit the museum of lactose intolerance like you've been wanting to?

GUS:
No can do, Shawn. I feel a case coming on. And it's coming hard.

SHAWN:
That's the creepiest euphemism of all time.

 

(Season 6 The Tao of Gus clip 1 (start 1:37): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhM0si8bmhg )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Stay tuned for more. We've got a quite a narrative coming.

Edited June 26, 2021 by PetalPunk

[PetalPunk]

Part 2

James was feeling pretty out of it, he didn’t even smile when Tim did his comically horrible impression of smoking a joint like Dulé and Maggie did, making them break character. He was able to put on his acting face and that’s it. He was trying really hard not to cough or sneeze or even sniffle, but that wasn’t going too well. He’d been able to suppress the louder symptoms, but couldn’t help the sniffling and rubbing his nose. His stomach was more of an issue than his nose at this moment, and he was grateful to get through a few takes without ruining them with his own illness.

After about three or four takes with the camera pointed at Tim and Maggie, Steve was satisfied and the crew repositioned their cameras so they would be pointing at Dulé and James. James took this time to run to the bathroom, literally run. He made it just in time and removed his insides into a toilet. James sat on the linoleum floor, his head back against the plastic stall. He knew he was done and wasn’t going to do it again, but he needed to rest for a minute.              

He should have called in sick. His hands were shaking now and the bathroom was spinning, he closed his eyes and felt pain behind the sockets. His head throbbed and he just wanted to lay down. He mustered up enough energy to stand up and waddle to the sink to wash his face, hands, and mouth. He was a moist mess, and when he looked at his reflection, he saw how pale he looked, Steve would surely send him home now.        

Someone shoved open the bathroom door and James jumped a little. Dulé rushed over and offered assistance to the poor man leaning over the sink.             

“Dude, you OK?” Dulé asked resting a hand on James’s back, tensing up inside realizing how sweaty James’s back was. “You’ve been gone for a while. We’re ready to continue.”              

“N-no. I’m sick, man. My stomach just blew up; I feel like shit,” James admitted.              

“Thanks for telling me, I knew you didn’t look good. Come on, let’s go tell Steve so you can go home.” Dulé continued to let James lean on him for support and they made their way back to the SBPD set. Tim and Maggie were talking and when Maggie saw James limping back to set, she rushed over to help.              

“Oh my god, sweetie, are you alright?!” she panicked.              

“He’s really sick,” Dulé answered.              

They got James to sit down on the bench inside the SBPD set and Steve and Tim came over to see what was wrong with James. Dulé went to grab some juice and crackers for James and Maggie sat beside James, holding his hand and stroking his hair.              

“Give ‘em some space, please,” Maggie said.              

Steve squatted down in front of James, “You OK Roday?”              

James shook his head no. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” he whispered. He lifted his head from Maggie’s shoulder and cleared his throat, “I thought I could make it—” he broke off into a slight coughing spell.              

Dulé came back with a bottle of apple juice and some saltines. “I’ve got food if you’re up to it.” He held out the options and James took the bottle of juice, nodding his head thank you.              

“Do you think you could finish the scene we’re on? Then you can go right home,” Steve said.              

James exhaled, his whole body shivering as he did so, “Yeah,” he muttered.              

“Alright. Well, you take your time; drink and eat, and when you feel ready, we’ll shoot,” Steve instructed. James nodded as Steve got up and walked away.              

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Tim asked, still standing there, concerned for his friend.              

“Don’t fuck up your lines,” James bluntly stated. He was in no mood to be fucked with.              

“Got it. I’ll make sure to stutter and curse every other word,” Tim joked.              

“Not funny Tim,” Maggie growled.              

“I’m just kidding. But seriously, can I get you anything?” Tim asked.              

“Could you find a tissue box please?” James asked sniffling, about ready to sneeze.              

Tim shuffled off to fetch a box of tissues and Maggie continued to comfort James.              

“Will you drive me home?” James whimpered into Maggie’s neck.              

“Of course,” she said.              

James began sniffling, knowing he was going to sneeze. He sat up and itched his nose, pinching his nostrils a few times, but the sneeze came anyway. He lifted his collar over his nose and sneezed a wet double into his chest. Tim came back just in time. James pulled two from the box and blew his nose until he didn’t sound so congested.              

“Oh, my poor baby…” Maggie cooed.              

“OK,” James coughed, “Let’s do this.” He slapped his thighs and stood up, wobbled a tad from all the blood rushing out of his head. Maggie and Dulé grabbed at James’s shoulders to steady him. “I’m fine. Thanks.”              

The cast stood at their marks and ran through the scene again, this time the camera on James and Dulé for their close-ups. They all tried really hard to get it right on the first try for James’s sake. Steve was satisfied after two takes, and then he sent James home, quarantining him at home until he felt like he could run a mile in high heels.              

Tim, Dulé, and Steve all patted James on the back for sticking through it even though he was feverishly ill and had already gotten sick. They said their goodbyes and Maggie escorted James out to the car. She had him wait in the car as it warmed up and she went back to grab their stuff.

[PetalPunk]

PART 3

James took this alone time to rest his eyes, as exhausted as he was, he just couldn’t get comfortable in Maggie’s little green bug and the jeans and a shirt and two jackets were not helping the cause. Not only was he squirming around to get comfortable, his nose wouldn’t stop itching.

He scrubbed at it with the side of his thumb but he knew multiple sneezes were coming. One after another, every few seconds. The kinds that take a couple breaths to build, the kinds that itch in the back of the nose and it feels like you have to force the sneeze out. James was exhausted, he didn’t have the energy to have this stupid sneeze fit. But the germs were stronger than his white blood cells and the audible wet sneezes just kept coming.

 Maggie returned carrying a few bags and their coats. She threw them in the back and then hopped in the drivers spot and sped off. James was sitting up right sniffing profusely, breathing audible.

 “Do you have any tissues in here Maggs?” he asked in between breaths.

 “Dig around in the glove compartment sweets,” she said.

James found a bunch of napkins and unfolded a few and held them to his face. He tried to rhythm his breaths so the sneeze could build and it finally did. After a good 5-10 minutes of wet sneezes that were rooted in his chest, James’s nose finally stopped teasing him and he was able to blow his nose generously.

 “Sorry about that. That was the last sneeze of a big fit,” he said wiping his nose one last time. He laid back in the seat and closed his eyes.

“No need to apologize James. I’m sorry you don’t feel well,” Maggie said rubbing James’s thigh. “You can close your eyes; I’ll wake you when we get home.”

James nodded and he was out like a light. Maggie tuned up the heat for him and listened to his struggled breathing. Driving a straightaway with zero traffic, she looked at her boyfriend. James’s arms were crossed and his head was resting on his right shoulder. Maggie could hear faint congested snoring over the blasting heat, yet James still shivered. His nostrils were red, irritated from using paper towels and napkins. Maggie couldn’t help but feel second-hand guilt for how horrible James must feel. The bug pulled into their humble abode and Maggie had to yet again, wake a very ill James.

“James? Sweetie? We’re home,” she cooed rubbing his shoulder.

James inhaled sharply and turned his head, his eyes squinting open. Maggie unclicked his seatbelt and got out to help James out of the tiny car. James’s nose began tickling again from the fluctuation from a hot car to rain to a chilly house. He sneezed as he walked in the door.

 “Bless you,” Maggie said.

James went right for the box of tissues and sneezed a wet double before blowing his nose again. He took the box to the bedroom and immediately changed into his pajamas. Maggie was a few steps behind him carrying a handful of medicines and a glass of water.

“My poor baby.” She emptied her hands on the night stand on James’s side and then sat on the corner of the bed, watching James struggle to put on his flannel pants. “I suggest you at least take some Advil for that fever, then I’ll let you rest.”

“OK,” James muttered as he pulled on a gray tee shirt and sat next to his girlfriend.  

Maggie shook a couple pills out in James’s hand and he swallowed them down with a gulp of water. She helped him into bed and kissed his sweaty forehead.

“I hope you feel better after your nap. I’ll see you later.”

James mumbled a response but his eyes were already closed and his shivering dissipated after a few minutes under the comforter. Maggie closed the blinds and the room became dark. She left the door open a crack so she could hear if James needed anything. She went out to the car and retrieved the rest of their things and then called Steve to see if she needed to come back to set. As much as she would have liked to hang around the apartment, she was needed back on set. It was probably best since she would just sit around worrying about James.

Maggie went back in the bedroom, knowing she wouldn’t wake James because he was dead asleep. She used the hall light and the bathroom light for illumination though, just in case. She set a variety of meds on the night stand, refilled his water glass, brought him a bottle of juice and some crackers, and put a trash can by his side for used tissues or other things, and moved the tissue box from the floor to on the bed beside James’s head. She texted him saying where she was headed in case he woke up to an empty apartment. She didn’t want to leave him alone, but Detective O’Hara needed to solve a crime.

[PetalPunk]

PART 4

The cast and crew did as much as they could without James and wrapped early. Maggie was eager to get back home to James. She hadn’t checked her phone since returning to set and was worried that James might have woken up and needed something. When she looked at her messages and saw that James’s read receipt was still on the previous message they exchanged, she felt a little wave of relief knowing James must still be asleep. Still, she wanted to rush home and check on her love. But she also realized that their apartment didn’t have enough food to accommodate someone with a virus. She debated going to the store on her way home, knowing James would probably sleep until morning, but the little mothering voice inside kept nagging, “what if he wakes up and you’re not there?”

Maggie saw Dulé walking to his trailer and followed him, asking for a huge favor. “Hey Dulé, can I ask the biggest favor in the world?”

 “Sure,” Dulé said holding his trailer door open for Maggie.

“I have to go shopping—get some things for sick-James, but I’m also really worried about him and I want to go home and check on him…”

 “Maggie, please. Let me go shopping for you, and you can go check on Roday,” Dulé interrupted.

“Really?” Maggie said bashfully.

 “I insist,” Dulé said putting a hand over his chest. “It’s no problem at all.”

 “You’re the best friend ever! I do have a list though,” Maggie pulled out a scrap of paper with some things scribbled on it.

Maggie sped home and Dulé went to the store. She opened the front door to find the apartments dark and quiet. She turned on the hall light and peeked into the bedroom. The light revealed a motionless lump, and Maggie could hear James breathing. Relieved to find James still asleep after leaving him for the last 6 hours, Maggie went out into the living space and cleaned up a tad.

Clothes were thrown into a laundry basket and dropped next to the washing machine. Dishes were put in the dishwasher. Pillows and blankets were rearranged over the chairs and couches. And a kettle was put on the stove to brew some tea.

[PetalPunk]

PART 5
NOTES: I totally forgot that James and Maggie have pet dogs, but I had already written this entire story before I remembered, so sadly, no puppy love. I totally would have written in their dog, but I just wanted to finish this story. 

James woke up in a sweat several hours later. He was discombobulated and rolled his eyes around to get his bearings. He was in his bed, but didn’t exactly know how he ended up there. He had no idea what time it was; the room was completely dark, except for the light coming from the hallway. His phone was missing, thus he dug around the nightstand for his watch. From the dim illumination from the hall, he could see the hands of his watch pointing around the 9 or 10 area, so he knew it was late. He had slept all afternoon.

He turned on the lamp and immediately regretted his decision to illuminate the room. His head still pounded, but he noticed the glass of water and various items on the nightstand and his heart grew knowing Maggie put all that stuff there. He chugged the glass of water, spouting a few chesty coughs afterward. He grabbed a few tissues and caught a wet double, the white cloth muffling most of the sound. He gingerly put his feet on the ground and shuffled to the bathroom to refill his water and wash off his sweaty face.

After patting down his face and neck, he found a black zip up sweatshirt and pulled it on as he went toward the voices in the kitchen. He about slipped on his jeans that he left on the floor and then he remembered coming home and immediately stripping down and changing into what he was wearing now. He heard a thud as the jeans slid across the floor and found his phone in the back pocket.

[PetalPunk]

PART 6 

Maggie was ready to pour a cup of Chamomile tea when she heard a knock at the door. She met Dulé at the door and took a few bags from him as they walked back to the kitchen. Dulé had gone a little overboard. Maggie had only written a few things down.

Maggie started unbagging the groceries and was blown away at the things he bought. Cans of various soup, applesauce, ice cream, popsicles, crackers, bananas, flavored sports drinks, and various juices. Dulé also surprised her with dinner.              

“Dulé! You didn’t have to get all this! I only wrote down a few things!” Maggie said flabbergasted.              

“I know, but I bought stuff I would want if I were sick and then also thought of the kinds of foods Roday likes when he’s sick. And I figured we both had not had dinner so I got take out from our go-to Chinese place. Even got some Egg Drop Soup for the corpse on his death bed,” Dulé joked.              

“Who’re you calling a corpse?” James croaked shuffling into the kitchen from the hallway. “I’m alive,” he snuck in before sneezing a loud chesty sneeze into his elbow, “barely.”              

Dulé and Maggie responded simultaneously.              

“Hey good to see you up, man.”              

“James! You’re alive!”              

James took a seat at the breakfast bar, sneezing into his elbow as he did so. He grabbed the paper towels that were within reach and ripped one off to blow his nose.              

“Oh, here sweetie,” Maggie ducked into the pantry to grab a box of tissues, “there you go.”              

James plucked a few and sneezed wetly again, blowing his nose and coughing a few times after. “Excuse me.”             

“Bless you, sweetie,” Maggie said returning to her place by the counter.              

“How’re you feeling?” Dulé asked standing near James, but on the perpendicular side of the kitchen island.              

Inhaling sharply and pulling another tissue out, he sneezed in response.              

“I see. You hungry?” Dulé said.              

“I was making some Chamomile tea; do you want some?” Maggie suggested.               

“Tea sounds great,” James sniffled.              

Maggie got down two more mugs and poured them all some tea. “But Dulé’s right, you should probably eat something.”             

“I got Chinese and got you some Egg Drop Soup. You want a little of it?” Dulé asked.              

“Sure,” James coughed.              

Dulé retrieved two plates and a bowl to portion out the Chinese food. Maggie handed each of them a mug of tea.              

She rubbed James’s back as his cough became deep in the bronchi and sounded like it hurt his chest and throat. “Oh James, sweetie. What can I do to help?”             

“I’m just really tired. My head still hurts. Can you feel my forehead?” James moaned.              

“It’s just a little bit warm, but it feels cooler than earlier today. Just try to eat and drink a little bit and you can go back to bed, OK?” Maggie said.              

James nodded and Maggie kissed his forehead.              

“Yeah, Roday, I wasn’t planning on staying long. Just brought over a few groceries and dinner. Besides we have an early call tomorrow,” Dulé said.              

“Oh actually Steve sent out an email saying our call times have been pushed back an hour,” Maggie said whipping out her phone to pull the proof up, “And he said that you, James, aren’t allowed on set until you can stand on your feet without swaying back and forth.”             

That made James smirk.             

“Hey, a smile. At least we know the virus hasn’t eaten his soul,” Dulé joked.              

“Yeah, Steve says take care, and to keep him posted on your health,” Maggie said.              

“You look horrible, but the good thing is you can only improve now!” Dulé added.              

The three of them continued to eat. James managed to slurp down a few spoonfuls of soup and about half of the tea. He sneezed and/or coughed every few bites, making it hard to eat anyway. He propped his head up on his hand and stirred his soup around, zoning in and out of Maggie and Dulé’s conversation. He’d only been awake for about 30 minutes, but he was already fading. Maggie looked over when she heard James sneeze for probably the 20th time since arriving in the kitchen and went over to console him.

He had already made a nice dent in the newly opened tissue box, and finishing blowing his nose again, and adding the used tissue to the growing pile next to his soup bowl, his nose was red and chapped.              

“Are you done?” she asked.             

“Yeah, I’m not very hungry. I just want to go back to bed, but I think I should shower first,” James replied.              

“I’m getting ready to head out anyway. You get some rest, feel better, man,” Dulé patted James on the back before he went back to the bedroom.              

“OK, you go get cleaned up, and I’ll join you after I clean up the kitchen,” Maggie said to James.              

Maggie and Dulé rinsed all the dishes and put them in the dishwasher and turned it on. Dulé helped put the rest of the groceries away and then he showed himself out. Maggie shut down the kitchen and entered the bedroom. She heard James hacking up a lung in the shower and drew a hand to her chest, feeling sorry for him again. She changed into her pajamas and relaxed in bed while she waited for James to exit the bathroom.              

He came out looking rather tired, but some of the color had come back to his face. The steam had lifted most of the congestion and he was thankful to be able to breathe through his nose for a bit. He changed into fresh pajamas and crawled back in bed. Maggie took her turn in the bathroom, and James swallowed some more pills. When she came out, James was already laying down, on his side, facing her. She wondered if he had already fallen asleep, so she carefully lifted the covers and slipped inside.              

“Will you cuddle with me?” James whispered.              

“Hm?” Maggie said.             

“Cuddle,” James repeated.              

“Of course, I thought you were already asleep.”              

Maggie scooted closer to James, letting him be the big spoon. She wrapped James’s arm over her stomach and rubbed his hand. His whole body was still warm from the shower and she was thankful that it probably helped his fever. James was asleep within minutes, and when Maggie heard his breathing even out, she closed her eyes for the night.

Edited June 26, 2021 by PetalPunk

[Wow Really?]

This is sweet ??

Love me some James Roday!

[PetalPunk]

PART 7

The vibrations of her phone woke her up, and Maggie was quick to turn it off, afraid of waking James. She veered over her shoulder and saw James unaffected by the alarm. She carefully got out of bed and slipped into the bathroom to take a shower. James stretched in his sleep and when he felt an emptiness next to him, his eyes fluttered open. He lifted his head to look for Maggie, but when he saw the light coming from under the bathroom door, he laid back down.

On his back, he stared at the ceiling, assessing his illness. He took a deep breath, but the exhale came out in a stifled wet cough. He sat up to clear his airway. He was glad to not feel nauseated anymore, although his head and chest felt full of cement, he had trouble breathing in and out of his nose, sinuses completely blocked.

He sipped at his glass of water, almost choking, and checked his phone. He debated notifying Steve to see if he was needed on set. James knew that he was banished from set until he was feeling better, but in his mind, not being nauseated was feeling better. But at the same time, he still had a nasty cold, but on the production side, they needed to film today, probably scenes with him in them. I mean, this show does revolve around Shawn, when is he not in a scene? James figured he’d ask Maggie for her opinion when she came out of the bathroom.

James continued to sit up in bed, twiddling on his phone. The pressure in his sinuses kept shifting though, making him sniffle and sneeze every few minutes. They were audible wet sneezes, ones that took a sharp inhale and tapered off in the chest.

              Maggie came out as James was blowing his nose. “Hey what are you doing up? I didn’t wake you, did I?”

              “No, no,” James said though the tissues.

              “Aw, babe, you’re all congested,” she sighed coming over to James’s side of the bed. She sat down on the edge and ran her fingers through his hair.

              James turned his head and sneezed into the used tissues and then pulled out some fresh ones and continues blowing his nose.

              “Bless you.”

              “Thanks,” James said coughing a bit. “No, I, um, just woke up on my own. I’ve been debating whether I should go in today.”

              “Well, how do you feel?” Maggie asked holding his right hand and rubbing it.

              “I’m not nauseas anymore. But I just feel gross all up in here,” he said, circling his hand around his head and chest.

              Maggie shifted her eyes around James’s side of the bed. The trashcan was nearly full of used tissues, the juice and crackers had not been touched, but various medicines had been opened and the glass of water was half gone. She looked at her boyfriend in the dim light. His nose was all red from being touched with tissue and after tissue. And despite all the sleep, his eyes still looked tired.

              “I think you should stay home. You even sound really sick. I don’t think you’d be able to make it through a scene without your symptoms showing. But if you won’t take my word, you can call Steve and see what he says.”
              “No, I’ll take your word. I trust you. You even said, Steve doesn’t want me in unless ‘I can stand without swaying back and forth,’” James said, air quoting Steve’s instructions Maggie blurted out last night.

              “OK, well since you’re up; can I get you anything?” Maggie asked getting up from the bed.

              “Could you make me some tea, please?”

              “Sure. No problem,” Maggie kissed James’s cheek and went to the kitchen.

              James got out of bed and stepped into the bathroom to wash up a bit. He still had a little anxiety about missing another day of shooting, but just walking to the bathroom and standing for a few minutes made him light headed and he was a little relieved he didn’t have to go into set. He slipped on his black zip-up sweatshirt and headed for the kitchen, coughing up a storm on the way in.

              “Tea’s ready. And it sounds like you need it,” Maggie said setting it at the breakfast bar where James had plopped down.

              “Thanks.”

              “Where do you want to build your nest for the day? On the couch or back in bed?” Maggie asked sipping at her cup of coffee.

              “I think I’d like to spend the day on the couch, but you’ve done so much to help me. I can take care of myself,” James said.

              “Oh, it’s nothing sweetie, really. You’re so good at taking care of me when I’m sick. Let me do the same for you,” Maggie insisted.

              She went to the linen closet and pulled down a few blankets and shook them out and laid them over the couch. She pulled the coffee table closer and set the remote close to the edge. She went back to the bedroom and found the medicine bottles that James had opened and set them next to the remote. She fluttered around the house gathering supplies all while James was sitting at the breakfast bar sipping tea and sneezing his head off. Maggie grabbed the tissues just as James was reaching for them.

              “Hey, I need those--” James was cut off by his own sneeze.

              “Come to the couch babe,” Maggie said trailing the tissue box behind her.

              James lunged off the high chair and followed Maggie to the couch. He slouched down and set his feet on the coffee table. Sneezing again, on the way down, he bent forward and plucked several tissues from the box and blew his nose. Maggie came back over with his mug of tea and sat beside him. When she saw he was done, she handed him his mug back.

              “Are you hungry or anything?” Maggie asked, “You should probably have something with protein. Do you want some more Egg Drop Soup? Or Dulé brought over a bunch of stuff from the store,” Maggie started rambling.

              “Actually, the soup sounds good,” James said.

              “Yeah, of course. Be right back.”

              Maggie warmed up the rest of the soup and brought over the trashcan to James so he could dispose of his used tissues. She washed her hands before bringing the soup to him.

              “Here you go.”

              “Thanks. I really appreciate it,” James said before sneezing, and taking the bowl of soup. “I really do appreciate you taking care of me,” he said looking down at his soup, bashful for feeling vulnerable.

              “You’re welcome. And it’s no trouble at all. I love you,” Maggie said putting a hand on his shoulder. She then kissed his cheek.

              “I love you too,” James made the kissing noise, even though he was kissing air.

              “Well, I better get going, O’Hara’s gotta solve a crime,” Maggie joked.

              “Tell them, Shawn would totally be there if he wasn’t dying on this couch,” James retorted.

              Maggie gave him one last kiss on the cheek before leaving the apartment. James sighed and wondered what to do with his day off. The sun was barely in the sky. He turned the TV on to ESPN and filled his body with nourishment before snuggling up in the blankets and cushions and falling asleep for the next several hours.

[PetalPunk]

PART 8

 

James woke up to a faint vibration on the coffee table, but got to his phone too late. The sun was shining through the closed blinds, but the room was still much brighter than when he fell asleep. The TV was still on, murmuring sports statistics, but James was more concerned about what time it was. He grabbed his phone and saw that Maggie had just called. It was a little after noon, lunch time. He dialed her back.

              “Hello?” Maggie said, her opening sounding a bit muffled, due to food in her mouth.

              “Hey, it’s me, you called?” James said sitting up, yawning his last words.

              “Hey babe, I just called to check in, it’s lunchtime,” Maggie raised her voice over the crowd of people at the tables.

              Some of those people being Tim and Dulé, “Hey, Roday shame you’re stuck at home sick. They brought in a live elephant to set!” Tim yelled.

              “And they have tacos for lunch!” Dulé shouted.

              “Really?” James said.

              “Guys shut up, stop messing with him,” Maggie said loud enough that James could hear her, “No, sweetie, they’re messing with you.” Maggie gave up and put James on speaker, “You’re on speaker James.”

              “But they really do have tacos, so suck it!!” Dulé mocked.

              James smacked his lips together, “Man…”

              “How’re you feeling?” Tim asked. “You’re call proves that you made it through the night,” he smiled.

              “Oh, would you stop,” Maggie kicked Tim under the table. “Of course he’s alive…”

              James sneezed twice before replying, “I’m alive, but who’s to say that I haven’t risen from the dead?”

              “James…” Maggie grumbled.

              “I’m alright, OK? I’ve been asleep since you left, I just woke up. Just a stupid cold. I should be back tomorrow,” James tapered off into a cough.

              “That’s good to hear you’re getting lots of rest. Remember to stay hydrated,” Maggie said.

              “And start getting your nourishment back, there’s tons of stuff for you,” Dulé added, “I should know, I bought it all.”

              “I know, thanks, man, I appreciate it and I owe you one,” James sniffled.

              “Well, we’ll let you go. Just called to check in. I’ll see you when I get home. I love you,” Maggie said.

              “I love you too!” Tim budded in.

              “I love you more!” Dulé joked.

              “I love you guys too,” James said, they could tell they had made him smile.

              Maggie hung up the phone, “You two are unbelievable. You know that right?”

[PetalPunk]

PART 9, final part

The cast of Psych spent the latter half of the day shooting more of the episode. Although, it was hard to find scenes to do without James there. But they managed to shoot for another 4-5 hours.

              James spent his lunch break actually eating, which was a great stride of improvement for him. His appetite was coming back. He cracked open a can of chicken and rice soup and nibbled on a banana while he waited for the soup to heat up. He continued to listen to the newscasters ramble on about sports and dallied on his laptop for a while until he felt tired and laid back down on the couch, again drifting off to news about sports.

              He was woken again by a vibration, this time on his chest. His phone was clutched in his hand, which was resting on his chest and he looked at it and saw that it was Maggie telling him she was on her way home. He sat up and stretched, looking at the time, it was approaching dinner time. He figured he should get cleaned up so he went to the bathroom and turned on a hot shower.

              The water felt amazing and helped clear the last of his congestion—which meant many wet shower sneezes. Maggie came home with pizza and two men following her, chatting and laughing behind her.

              “Shh, let’s be quiet in case James is sleeping,” she whispered as she unlocked the door. She turned on the kitchen light and saw an empty couch. “I’m going to check the bedroom,” she said to the tall males. She set the pizza down on the kitchen island and creeped into the bedroom. “James?” she whispered, into a dimly lit room. One of the nightstand lights was on, but James was nowhere to be found. Maggie saw the bathroom light on and knocked on the door. “James?”

              James opened it, steam escaping, letting in a huge draft. He was dressed in his robe and he was drying his hair with a towel. “Hey Maggs.”

              “Hey, I was just looking for you,” Maggie said.

              “Well you found me,” James smiled. “Excuse me.”

              “Oh, of course,” Maggie said stepping aside. “I brought home pizza and Tim and Dulé followed me home.”

              “OK. Let me get changed and I’ll join you in a sec.”

              James changed into a white tee shirt and plaid pajama pants and threw a Titans sweatshirt over himself and made his way to the kitchen.

              “Hey Roday! Good to see you,” Tim said, “You look way better than yesterday.”

              “Come grab some pizza. We got your favorite. One’s ham and pineapple, and the other is BBQ chicken,” Dulé said.

              “Let’s go to the living room so we can all sit,” Maggie suggested.

              James took back the couch, wrapping up in a blanket, and Maggie curled up beside him. Tim and Dulé sat across from each other in big comfy chairs. They caught James up on where they are in terms of production, saying he’s gonna have a lot of scenes to catch up on. James tried not to interrupt, but couldn't help his frequent coughs and sneezes. He caught them either in tissues or his elbow. He couldn’t risk getting his costars sick. He’d never live than down. They spent about an hour just chatting and Tim and Dulé showed themselves out by 8pm so James could get some more rest.

              “Goodnight you two,” Tim said as he put on his coat.

              “See you tomorrow,” Dulé said opening the door.

              “Bye, thanks for stopping by,” James waved from the couch.

              Maggie got up to lock the door behind them. “So what do you want to do now?”

              “I don’t know. I’m not that tired yet. Do you want to watch a movie?” James asked.

              “Sure. Let me just change into my pjs and we can start. You pick the movie,” Maggie said escaping to the bedroom.

              James chose SHH! Top Secret, a Val Kilmer action parody. He had it ready to play when Maggie returned.

              “Can I get you anything while I’m up?” she asked.

              “Would it be too much to ask for a cup of tea?” James threw his head back to see Maggie behind the couch.

              “No of course not, I’ll make us both some.” She made two cups of Chamomile tea and brought them to the couch.

              She handed James his mug and curled up next to him under the blankets.

              “Thanks,” James said raising the mug to his nose, breathing in the steam.

              “What movie are we watching?”

              “SHH! Top Secret,” James said.

              “OK, I just wanted to know the title, but if you want to surprise me that’s fine,” Maggie said in all sincerity.

              James chuckled, “No, that’s the title. It’s a Val Kilmer movie. It’s an action parody.”

              “Oh,” Maggie said, the light bulb turning on, “OK. Cool.”

              The movie started and James and Maggie slouched together on the couch. Maggie’s head resting on James’s shoulder and his head resting on Maggie’s. After finishing their tea, they got more comfortable on the couch in terms of cuddling. James wrapped his arm around Maggie and she slumped further down making his chest her pillow. James tilted his head toward Maggie and they both drifted to sleep.

+++++++++++++END++++++

Afterward: The movie ended a while ago and Maggie wakes up first. She wakes James up, who is snoring a bit, and they both go to actual bed for the night.   

+++++++++++++++++++++
Hope you enjoyed. Maybe I can get another actual Psych fic up. New Year's goal, right? Thanks for the support! 

Edited January 1, 2017 by flowerpower67

[Hedgehog]

I have no idea about the chars / persons, but this was a nice care-taking story.

[Wow Really?]

Thanks for this sweet story!

They were such a great couple.. I am seriously bummed they aren't together anymore. 

[PetalPunk]

9 hours ago, hedgehog said:

I have no idea about the chars / persons, but this was a nice care-taking story.

Thanks. I wrote this bec I love Psych. I have an affinity for James Roday and for some reason fixated on him being ill instead of the character he plays. This this story was written. You don't really have to know anything about gen show to understand this story just that James and Maggie dated off screen while both playing lead characters on the show Psych. 

Thanks  glad you enjoyed  

 

[PetalPunk]

7 hours ago, Wow Really? said:

Thanks for this sweet story!

They were such a great couple.. I am seriously bummed they aren't together anymore. 

You're welcome! I'm kinda sad I missed the whole Psych fantrain. But as long as the actors are happy I'm happy. 

[Wow Really?]

17 hours ago, flowerpower67 said:

You're welcome! I'm kinda sad I missed the whole Psych fantrain. But as long as the actors are happy I'm happy. 

I stepped in at season 5 myself. I stil miss Psych, but thank goodness I found Supernatural. That has helped a TON.. and I'm with you.. I just hope both are happy. That's the main thing  

[PetalPunk]

6 hours ago, Wow Really? said:

I stepped in at season 5 myself. I stil miss Psych, but thank goodness I found Supernatural. That has helped a TON.. and I'm with you.. I just hope both are happy. That's the main thing  

I discovered the show after two years of my friend telling me to watch it, just this past summer. But I've now seen every episode and I can't get enough Psych 

 

[Wow Really?]

15 hours ago, flowerpower67 said:

I discovered the show after two years of my friend telling me to watch it, just this past summer. But I've now seen every episode and I can't get enough Psych 

 

My bro turned me onto Psych and then stopped watching lol. No taste.

Great show. I definitely miss it.