Bold and the Beautiful (Quinn/Ridge) (F)

[Xsneezelover3932]

Probably no one will be into this because it’s not a popular pairing and B&B isn’t a super popular show. But just a little something I threw together for my own enjoyment and thought I would share. Not a whole lot of sneezing but oh well. More caretaking aspect. And I might continue if I feel inspired again. Anyway, thanks for reading! Has not been proofread so sorry for any mistakes. 

 

“Ok everyone, we have a lot of work to do in order to top our last collection. Let’s make this our best release yet. You’re dismissed,” Ridge Forrester said with a final nod of his head. Everyone began filing out of the conference room buzzing with chatter and excitement. 

“I think that went pretty well, don’t you?” he asked, turning to Steffy. 

“Dad, you always know how to give a great motivational speech. Everyone at this company is behind you 100%. We’re going to do amazing things, you know that.”

“I hope so,” he smiled widely, obviously pleased with himself. “We do have the best designers,” he said, squeezing Steffy’s shoulder for emphasis. “Between you, Hope, some of the new designs from Sally, Quinn’s jewelry, I think we’re definitely on the path to more success.”

“You bet, Dad!” 

“Actually, speaking of Quinn, there were a few things I wanted to ask her about her new jewelry collection. I’ll catch up with you later, sweetheart?”

“Sure, Dad, see you later. I’ve got work to do,” she winked at him, smiled and waved goodbye as Ridge exited the room and made his way down the hall of Forrester Creations. 

 Quinn’s office was just down the hall on the right. He gave a quick rap on the solid wooden door. 

“Come in,” he heard her call.

“Hey, I just wanted to go over a few things on the collection, maybe you can show me some of the things you’re working on?”

“Sure, let me just grab a few of the pieces we’ve started on to show you.” She stood quickly from the stool she had been perched on, took a step and wobbled, nearly falling completely backwards, had it not been for Ridge catching her arm at just the right moment.

“Whoah, are you ok?”

She blinked and shook her head, “I’m…I’m fine. I think I just stood up too fast. Sorry.” She righted herself fully, smoothed out her skirt and plastered a confident smile on her face. 

“Are you sure?”

“I’m fine, Ridge. I swear,” she insisted, but he didn’t quite believe her.

She continued on to show him the sketches and jewelry designs they’d started on and Ridge was really intrigued with her work. 

“This is incredible,” he smiled approvingly. 

“I’m glad you like it. It’s not always easy to come up with original pieces.”

“Hey, I wanted to ask if you were ok. The other night at the family dinner, something seemed off with you. And then you took off so quickly saying you had to meet Wyatt at the office… it seemed… odd.”

“No. I mean I was just meeting Wyatt and wanted to do some work on my designs. You know, when creativity strikes,” she rambled and gave him a fake reassuring smile, but he wasn’t buying that either. 

“Quinn, I think I know you better than that,” he looked her in the eye and took her hands in his. “Are you bothered by Donna being back in town?”

She visibly flinched at the mention of Donna’s name but tried to hide it.

“It would be totally understandable if you were bothered, just so you know,” he tried to reassure her. “Donna and my Dad have quite a past, but just remember this – he’s with you now and he’s happy. And nothing Donna does will change that. OK?”

“Sure,” Quinn nodded her head in agreement, blinking back a few tears. 

Ridge gave her hand another squeeze before catching a glimpse of the clock on the wall behind them. 

“I have to run to a budget meeting – we’ll catch up later?”

“Ok, yeah.” 

Ridge breezed out the door as Quinn watched him go.

**************

As the day wore on and Quinn plowed through each design sketch, she could feel her energy level plummeting rapidly. She rolled her head and neck around in a circle trying to work out some of the kinks in her muscles. 

“Maybe I’m working too hard,” she muttered to herself. 

She intended to go get herself a bottle of water and maybe a snack. It was mid-morning and she was hoping she just needed a little food for an energy jump start, but as she stood up from her chair, she felt a wave of dizziness- the same feeling she’d felt earlier when Ridge was there. 

She steadied herself against the desk and it passed within a few seconds. She wasn’t feeling like herself and couldn’t shake the feeling that something was up with her body.  She was rarely sick and when she was she had somehow learned to just muscle through it. Single moms didn’t have time to be sick – something she had learned very quickly, long ago. 

She trudged slow and steady to the break room and grabbed a chilled bottle of water. She gulped down one sip, then two and three. Suddenly half the bottle was gone and she was beginning to realize just how dry her throat was, and a little scratchy too. Her head was also starting to ache and she felt a chill creeping deep into her bones. She pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger trying to massage away the ache that had taken residence there.

“Hey,” Ridge’s voice startled her and about made her jump out of her skin. 

“You scared me,” she exhaled shakily and rested her hand over her now racing heart. 

“Are you ok?” He had moved closer to her, placing his hand overtop of hers. “You aren’t acting like yourself today. Is something going on?”

 She cleared her scratchy throat and was about to go on the defensive, denying anything was wrong when suddenly she felt the urgent need to sneeze. 

“Huh-chiew,” she was barely able to turn to the side and catch the sneeze in her only free hand, Ridge having still had his hand on top of her other hand, which was still resting on her chest.

“Oh my God, Ridge, I’m so sorry,” her cheeks flamed red, though she usually wasn’t one to embarrass so easily. 

“You’re sick,” he surmised, looking her over and bringing his hand up to her forehead. “Mmhmm,” he hummed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Definitely sick. You’re burning up.”

“Am I?”

“Definitely. I was always the best at checking the kids for fevers when they were little.”

“I guess that’s why I’ve been feeling so odd all day,” she shivered and folded her arms in front of her chest. Goosebumps prickled up on her arms. 

Her nose tickled again and she tried to stifle a sneeze into the crook of her elbow, “Hhhchxxx!”

“Bless you! Don’t sneeze like that, you’ll hurt yourself!”

She chuckled and sniffed a little looking around for a kleenex box anywhere in the break room, when suddenly Ridge was taking his handkerchief from his jacket pocket and pressing it into her hand.

“Thank you,” she dabbed gingerly at her nose. “I think this has been coming on for a couple days. I’ve been feeling a bit run down I suppose,” she sighed.

“You need to take it easy, take the rest of the day off. Go home.”

“No, no, I have work to do. We have a lot to do for the new collection. I don’t want to fall behind,” she insisted.

“You’re not going to fall behind, but you need to take care of yourself, Quinn.”

She blushed and looked down at the ground, stammering, “Yeah, I’ve never been very good at that.”

“Please,” Ridge begged. “Please don’t overwork yourself.”

She tried to insist yet again that she really was fine and get back to work when suddenly the room was spinning around her. Without realizing what had happened, she now found herself in Ridge’s arms, pressed into his chest. Her knees felt weak and her shoulders began to shake as hot tears fell in fat droplets from her eyes pooling into Ridge’s jacket.

“Shhhh,” he whispered, gently stroking her hair. “It’s ok. Everything’s going to be fine.”

She nodded, sniffling into the handkerchief, and tried to compose herself.

“Let me call my dad to come pick you up.”

Quinn frowned. “You can’t. He flew out to Genoa City this morning. Remember he had that launch party at Fenmore’s Boutique?”

“Oh right. That’s today.”

“It’s fine. I can - chooo!” she caught the sudden sneeze in her handkerchief. “Sorry... I can drive myself,” she said, blowing her nose quietly. 

“No. No way. Come on let’s go get your things. I’ll drive you home and tuck you into bed.”

“You would really do that for me?” Fresh tears sprang to her eyes. It was so rare that a man offered to take care of her. She still wasn’t used to it, and it always made her heart turn to mush. 

“Thank you, Ridge Forrester. You’re a good man,” she smiled. 

“I’ll wash this before I give it back,” she said, chuckling as she tucked the hanky into the pocket of her sweater, and they walked side by side down the hallway.