[Mini-Plot] Dazed and kinda lonely. [Maddie]

It was a weird sort of days. Many people were going disappearing to Mungo's with weird flu symptoms and the weird fact that they cannot use magic. Torsten Trickett just pushed it aside and continued to work on his quidditch. Season was starting to pick up. It was his job to make sure he was prepared for the newest season even if that meant not spending more time with his girlfriend. The tabloids used that against him, telling him that his relationship was failing- but he hoped it wasn't. His job was quidditch. Sometimes he just needed to focus on that and he hoped the woman in his life understand that. His family usually was accepting with that but he knew Maddie was new to this whole quidditch star life. He just hoped the newspapers were nice to her and was not harassing her like they were doing for him.

Torsten was on the pitch practicing and he just was not feeling himself. He was tossing the ball back and forth with a chaser on the team, avoiding bludgers that were coming right at him. He was avoid them and hit any that got close to the chaser. He felt just weak and not himself. It was weird. Torsten was starting to feel very dizzy, which is not good. The chaser noticed something wrong and yelled at him. Torsten couldn't hear anything- his focus was on the pounding on his head. Next thing he knew he was falling out of the sky towards the ground down 12 feet. He blacked out after that.

Thankfully someone was able to slow his fall, which caused a broken arm. Torsten was sent straight to Mungo's. There they mended his arm the best he could but magic was not working on him. They managed to set the arm and cast it, the muggle way- when Torsten woke up he was shocked to see his arm broke. Part of the team that was practicing with him was there. They had face masks. Torsten was in his blue pajamas and flowers and some stuff animals and cards were there from fans. Instantly he wanted to know how long he was out and what was going on. He felt unbelievable weak and hot. He kept shivering every few minutes, but they only allowed him a sheet. What was going on?

Finally, a doctor came in and spoke to him about his fainting spell which caused his fall from his broom. He nodded then they mentioned a illness going around, which Torsten managed to acquire. This caused the magic that the mediwizards to use on him to be drained from them but he would not be able to preform magic either... so he was stuck with a cast and no quidditch til this illness was gone. Torsten was now stuck with no magic and sick- this was going to be hell. Someone managed to send an owl to Maddie to let him know for him. He was not sure who it was, probably his brother's or a teammate. He was hoping she would come to visit him. Obviously fans heard about the news already if they sent him flowers. Muggle medicine was not nice to him though, he was in pain. He just wanted to sleep it off but his shivering was preventing it. He just wanted to see Maddie now. Maybe she would be able to take care of him? He was a big baby when he was sick.

Well, that was a bit unfair.

Sat on her well worn sofa, Madeline flicked angrily through one of the gossip rags. Usually, she wouldn't even bother but she picked it up, simply because it had Torsten's face splashed on the front page. The more she read, the more enraged she felt herself becoming. Why were they saying that the relationship was in jeopardy? Had he said something about it? No. Of course he hadn't. If he wanted to break up, she was sure he'd come to her first and explain.

What was really irritating her was the use of the word girlfriend. Not once had she seen her name in the newspapers. Whether that was Torsten's doing or not, she wasn't really sure. Maybe he was protecting her. It just made her seem like this non-entity; a ghost. A faceless being that was sucking up his valuable time and causing a great deal of stress between the general female population of Britain.

There were echoes of her last relationship, too. Torsten was spending less time with her. She'd maybe seen him perhaps twice in the past three weeks. He was married to his job, she understood that. She didn't feel like she was being ignored, she was just a little…frustrated. Seeing him doing endorsement deals rather than snuggling up in bed with her was irksome. Still, she supposed it couldn't really be helped. She just hoped she wasn't becoming a Quidditch widow. Urgh.

Rolling her eyes, she scrunched up the newspaper and lobbed it into the bin with surprising accuracy, only to hear a tapping on the rain-soaked window. Confused, she opened the window and in came a small, very wet brown owl. "Hello," she greeted him or her, reaching out to stroke its fury little head before slipping a coin into its pouch and offering it some water before letting it fly away. Strange. She never got much mail. Maddie frowned as she flipped over the letter and opened it, her amber coloured eyes scanning the words before panic filled her.

"Shit."

Quick as a flash, the tall blonde sprung into action. Skidding into her bedroom, she hastily gathered some things together. She'd heard all about this illness. It was just flu and it wasn't anything major but losing one's magical ability was kind of a big deal. Into a bag went a thick blanket, a flask full of fresh chicken soup and a packet of painkillers. As a child, she was always taught not to rely on magic. Her mother was a sensible minded woman. Madeline was taught how to cook using electricity, how to change her money into Muggle currency, how to use public transport and how to generally function. The painkillers were used for her time of the month. For some reason, those potions just did not take the edge off the cramps.

She exploded into St. Mungo's in a cloud of coconut scent and muted hues. She was about to ask which room Torsten was in but then she remembered, she wasn't family. Staff would imagine that she was just a crazed fan, desperate to get close to him. She chewed on her lower lip when a bright coloured floral arrangement caught her eye. It was massive and she put two and two together. Teetering after the man holding the flowers, she stayed quiet and close, waiting outside in the corridor until the man wandered off. How much trouble would she get into for this? Uh-oh.

Poking her head around the door, she found herself grinning. What a little cutie! He looked so sad, bless him. Closing the door, she stepped in swiftly, elbowing her way through the sea of get well baskets and balloons. "It looks like a bloody jungle in here," she remarked, figuring that his fans might have been  here before she'd arrived. Madeline strode forward and perched on the edge of his bed, reaching out to stroke some of his hair out of his forehead. He was burning up. "Hey stranger," she said with a sunny smile. "Nice pyjamas."

Shifting, she opened her bag and threw the blanket over Torsten's legs. He had a fever he needed to sweat out. Swiftly, she popped two small white tablets out of the silver foil packet, poured him a glass of water and pressed them into his hands. "Swallow these," she told him, not in a forceful manner. "They should help a little."

Then she noticed his cast and she frowned. "Ouch," she said gently, trailing her fingers over the rough plaster, letting her touch continue down the length of his fingers softly-softly. "Well that's a bit rubbish," she said. She'd broken plenty of bones in her life but they'd always been fixed in a matter of moments. He must be in a lot of pain, not to mention extremely uncomfortable in his predicament. "How are you feeling?" She asked him as she adjusted his blanket, testing his temperature by pressing the back of her hand against his clammy forehead. "Would you like some soup? I have a feeling it may be contraband."

Torsten was in a daze but over the powerful scent of flowers he smelt coconut, he raised his head and seen his girlfriend pop in. This probably made his day, all he wanted now was to cuddle her and just feel better. He loved the smell of Maddie. Usually it was some sort of food smell, but made him feel like home. She was becoming his home now. The newspapers did not help it and either his job- but in his dire need of support she was there with a handful of items. It seriously was the best thing he could have right now. She was the most perfect person that ever entered his life. "Hey..." He smiled at her, his voice was rough. It hurt when he talked. Was a sore throat part of this horrible illness? Maybe it was fact that he just was not used to being sick. He was the healthy person. Always keeping up on eating right, working out, everything that he needed to keep himself better. He looked down at the pajamas she spoke about and shifted slightly in bed. Partly because it had to be one of his brother's ideas to put him in these pajamas or one of his teammates. They were his, but he rarely wore them. Most of the time he just slept with a lack of a shirt on or just in his boxers. You can do that in a hospital though. At least he wasn't in one of those horrible gowns.

When she threw the blanket over his legs he smiled at the warmth. His shivering started to disappear, but still was there in moments. Sometimes he would get super hot and other times he would be extremely cold. It was never a perfect temperature for him. She had some sort of thing in her hand that she popped white pills out of and handed it. What were this? He was used to potions, not pills. His family was part muggle, but he still really did not use muggle medicine. She mentioned they should help though so he did not hesitate. If anything could help him with the pain that would be amazing. It was hard to swallow anything. His throat scratched as he managed to choke down the pills and drank a little water. The pills felt as if they were still stuck in his throat, but he knew it was just the soreness.

He looked around. "You didn't grab a mask? I don't want you sick...." He looked at her concerned. He was not even sure how they even catch this sickness. He just did not want her getting it. She ran her fingers over his cast, asking how he was feeling. He frowned slightly, thinking- then smiled when he spoke... "Well, better that you are here- even though you are putting yourself at risk for getting sick. My arm- that is bloody pained. I know I am feeling rather ropey though." His smiled faded slightly as he winced at his arm. "Supposedly I broke it in four spots, I have 12 stitches. They mentioned it was close to being shattered, but no fret- as soon as this illness is over I should be able to mend it." He smiled at her. He was trying to be his happy go lucky self, but the pain was over-whelming.

Maddie thought of everything, soup!? They were feeding him some weird gunk. He adored this woman. "Soup would be amazing." He sat up more, pulling the blanket up a little more onto his legs to stop himself from shivering. He adjusted his right arm so it wouldn't be in the way. He wanted to cry when he moved it, but he held back. "So how did you sneak in here?" He raised an eyebrow at her. "They said family only, but won't even let them in there after I drained some mediwizard of their magic when they attempted to heal my arm."

Mask? "Oh no, it's fine," she replied with an easy smile. Flu was vile but it wasn't the end of the world. "I'm due holidays in work so if I do get sick, I can take time off. You'll just have to come and look after me," she said with a sunny smile, keen to try and keep his spirits up. It must be scary for him. This was a new and alien feeing and with no immediate cure, he must be feeling rough and confused.

On hearing about his arm, Madeline winced. "Yikes," she said, frowning as she looked at his cast as though she had X-Ray vision or something. "Oh sorry," she said hastily, withdrawing her arm swiftly as she saw the pain flash across Torsten's face. She did wonder why they weren't transferring people to Muggle hospitals. They wouldn't lose any magic and they'd have considerably better pain relief there. "At least it's not permanent," she said, visibly relaxing as she squeezed his knee affectionately, assuming that was the one place he wasn't sore.

The baker pulled a face as he detailed the extent of his injuries. "What happened? Did you get trampled by an elephant?" She asked, her honey coloured eyes wide. The letter she'd received was very brief. It simply said that Torsten was unwell and that he was in St. Mungo's. That was about the extent of the information she'd received.

As he struggled with his pillows, Madeline stood. Leaning over him, she quickly adjusted them, making sure he was as comfortable as he could be in the given circumstances. Poor little mite. She shifted a little so she could sit cross-legged on the Quidditch player's bed as she expertly poured out some soup and grabbed a spoon from his bedside table. She gave a snort of laughter at his comment. "I totally understand. Instant mashed potato," she remarked, pulling a face. It should be against the law to force someone to eat dehydrated potato and water mixed up together.

She'd had the foresight to heat the soup before she'd left home, unsure about whether or not she'd be able to use magic around him at all. She wasn't trying to heal him but she wasn't sure if the illness had a tendency to suck all magic from anyone and everything. Odd.

"C'mere," she said as she held out a spoonful of chicken soup for him to take. She knew that all men were babies. Growing up with a brother who tended to be a bit of a drama queen in his teenage years, Maddie thought she was well equipped to deal with it. She'd added sweet corn to the soup, too. There was just something hearty and warming about soup when one wasn't well. Plus, it was a shocker of a day outside, too. It was cold, grey, wet and windy.

She flashed him a grin. "Well," she began, shrugging. "I did toy with the idea of telling them that I was your fiancée," she joked as she offered another spoonful of soup towards him. "But then I figured that wouldn't work and the papers would do absolutely berserk if word got out. So naturally, I waited until the coast was clear and snuck in while no one was looking. You'd be surprised at how stealthy I could be." It probably came from countless nights when she snuck out of her common room to visit various boyfriends in different houses in the dead of night.

"If anyone catches me, we'll just say I'm a distant cousin who has already contracted it so therefore, are immune. Then they can't kick me out because I'm feeding you and it'd just be rude." Maddie concluded with a smile as she stirred the soup and looked around. "Wow," she mused, looking at all of the gift baskets. "I reckon you could open up a florist shop," she said, reaching out to gently touch the delicately veined and velvet petal of a nearby peony flower. The room was warm, heady with the scent of flowers and fruit. It was like a tropical oasis in the middle of London. "Plus if anyone does come in, I can just hide under your bed."

As she asked what happened to his arm, he felt a little embarrassed. Do you tell your girlfriend you fainted at practice or say you beat up some mugger? Torsten bit his lip. "I fainted at practice. Someone threw me a quaffle to hit and I blacked out. Supposedly I fell down off my broom, they slowed me but not enough and I broke my arm. They said the fainting was part of the illness. My teammate who slowed me lost their magic too by trying to help me." He felt bad for that happening to his teammate but he couldn't help he was sick. He was more concern for Maddie being there. 

As she spoke about the hospital food being dehydrated something, he chuckled. He didn't know how people could eat that food. Well, people don't and that's why they try to get them out of the hospital as fast as possible. They are poisoning people here. As she held out a spoon full of soup he managed to lean forward and eat it. The pain was over-whelming from leaning forward but he was so hungry from the sickness. The soup felt so nice on his throat and going down. he needed this. He needed Maddie. She was just the most perfect person around. She knew him. She cared for him. He loved her. He probably would never gain the balls to tell her, but he felt that way.

He chuckled at her saying that she was going to tell him that she was his fiancee. He wouldn't have an issue with that. But when he heard how she got in her cracked up at her. "You ninjaed your way in, if that is even a word.... sneaky Maddie." He smirked at her.

"If anybody catches you I will tell them the truth. You are the love of my life." He was not sure if it was the sickness or not, but he did not mean that to come out. He pushed it aside as she mentioned the flowers everywhere. "You can take them, all yours. I really am not a fan of the flowers. I do not mind the stuff animals though." He smirked nodded at the stuffed bear next to the flowers on his left. "Their from fans. I guess they heard before you did, which is pretty ridiculous."

Maddie frowned again. "I'm sure they're working on a cure right this very minute," she told Torsten with a nod of her head, sending glossy blonde curls bobbing merrily as she did so. If she was going to get sick, she was going to get sick. She didn't think that the masks did their work very well. "Can I sign your cast?" She asked quickly, trying to cheer him up as she fished a pen out of her handbag.

Carefully, she sat a little closer to him. She was very aware not to jostle him as he must be in considerable pain at the moment. She shuffled in, uncapping her pen as she began to gently draw on his cast. It was meant to cheer him up. If he was going to be wearing it for a while, she might as well make it pretty. Her handwriting was slanted to the left and came with neat, sloping letters and swooping motions of the pen as she curled her letters. Maddie had just written her name and drew a small heart next to it which she promptly coloured in. "It looks a little less clinical now," she said brightly.

She didn't mind feeding him. She spooned more soup and held it out of him. She knew the feeling of a broken bone. It was intense, burning pain that lessened to more of a dull, annoying ache. Maddie fussed around him absently. As Torsten leaned forward, she hastily fluffed his pillows so he was sitting a little more upright and there would be less stress on his already battered body.

He was laughing! Maddie grinned back and shrugged nonchalantly. "What can I say?" She said as she blew at a loose lock of her long blonde hair. "I'm a woman of many hidden talents. I'm relying on you to keep a look out for me. If I get busted, I suppose I can just escape out of the window." She was, of course, joking. If need be, she'd just tell it like it is. Was it a word? "Dunno but I like it," she said brightly. "It makes me sound like I should be dressed in black and doing backflips down the corridor," she snorted with laughter at the thought. She was easily the least flexible person in the entire world.

His next comment came totally out of the blue.

Maddie blinked three times in rapid succession and she fell silent for a second or two. She'd never been referred to as the love of someone's life. Not even by her dick of an ex-husband. This was new territory. It wasn't that she was unready to enter into a new relationship and let it blossom but it was more like she was a bit cautious about it. She wondered if he was all the drugs he'd had administered. Regardless, Maddie offered Torsten a slow and genuine smile. It wasn't an acceptance but it certainly was not a rejection.

Could she see herself falling in love with Torsten Trickett? Absolutely. He was smart and committed and he treated her like a princess. They hadn't really had an argument yet so she didn't know what his temper was like. But she liked him. She liked him a lot. He was clumsy and cute and thoughtful. She was happy with him and she was sure her parents would adore him. It was fun. She had butterflies. They were in the best part of the relationship. They were learning things about one another; what they liked and what they didn't, little things like favourite songs and colours. They were sharing and so far, he didn't seem to be bored or find her repulsive so that was good.

"Nah, they're yours," she said as she picked a large and beautiful bouquet. It was wrapped in electric blue paper and full of her favourite flowers. "These are my favourite," she said as she lifted them to her face so she could take a deep sniff of the blooms. They were a large, heavy bunch of freesias. They were of all colours, their fragrance glorious and strong. "Okay. Maybe I'll just steal these ones," she said with a dimpled grin.

She laughed, reaching out to stroke the bear's soft ears. "Does he have a name yet?" His confusion over the fans made her smile again. He really was super cute. "They adore you," she explained. "Word spreads fast. They just want to show you that they care about you and that's really lovely but yeah," she frowned, wrinkling her nose in distaste. "It might have been nice to know first but you're okay so that's really all that matters," she said brightly, deftly snapping off one of the full blown roses from a vase and weaving it into her hair behind her left ear. She struck a pose. "What do you think?" She asked, still determined to make him happier than he currently was. "I feel like a flamenco dancer."