Willingly: Her Version

Chapter Eight

It was that time of the year again. I got sick. The flu. I took a few days off work. My Catto, as always, kept me company. It's been a while since I played with him. He must be so happy I was at home during the day. On weekends, I just sleep in and watch tv, snuggling him on the couch, stroking his fur, bopping his nose, and petting his head. I thought he's too old for games. I was clearly wrong. He's still very much active. He just needs someone to play with him. I indulged him.

I might have come back to work too early, though. I even forgot my meds at home. Halfway through the morning, I was feeling cold again as my temperature rose. I went to the pantry to get myself some hot drink to warm me up. I was spacing out, staring at the steam rising from the cup, when I heard him talk.

"Are you okay?" He was standing across the table I was occupying. He still sounded bored.

"Yeah, I'm okay." I managed to say as I dared to stare at him. I like how he always seem unfazed by my blatant gawking.

I didn't expect him to reach out and touch my forehead. I swear I heard him sigh as he withdrew his hand.

"You should go home."

I shrugged. "I'm fine. I can last through the day. A pity I forgot my meds at home, but this drink should warm me up just fine." I rambled.

I saw him walking away without a word after that. I chuckled. How many words did he say to me?

At lunch time, he surprised me again when he passed a tiny package to me, just enough to fit my hand. He didn't say anything. When I looked inside, there are meds. I frowned. There are no pharmacies nearby and the nurse doesn't have them on stock. She only gave me a generic med for fever, to lower my temperature. I had no time to analyze the gesture while at work. When I got home, I might have cuddled the meds. In a weird way. It wasn't to the point of kissing the items, though. I'm still sane. They are precious to me. I've told him my thanks when I saw him once in the afternoon. He only grunted to acknowledge what I said.