Right Place, Wrong Time

7. In Sickness (and Health)

The streets were dark and quiet, too late for the after-class rush and too early for parties. The moon was full overhead and shone directly on Joey as he turned the key in the lock and opened the door, unsure if he was being too quiet or not quiet enough. Entering Lauren's house at night, he felt like an intruder, and had to remind himself he was supposed to be there.

It was pure fortune that he'd run into Julia earlier after getting Lauren's text that she wasn't going to be in class. He'd been debating whether it was too much to go over and see her, and Julia put the offering right into his hands.

He'd never been upstairs in her house before, but only one door was shut. He peeked inside the others first, seeing no sign of her. When he reached the closed door, he knocked gently and waited for an answer, pressing his ear to the door when none came. Nothing. Maybe it had been a bad idea to come when she wasn't expecting him. But he was here now. He knocked once more, and opened the door.

The room was dark, and he was about to back out when he saw Lauren in bed by the moonlight coming in through the window, curtains parted. She stirred, and sat up.

"Julia?" she said, squinting.

"No, it's Joey," he said, not stepping any further into the room. "Sorry, I can go if you were sleeping. I just came to drop off my notes," he said, holding the notepad up.

She reached out to flip a switch on her lamp and the room was flooded with dim light, leaving them both blinking to adjust. Her short blonde hair stuck out in places, and her permanently tan skin had lost a little of its lustre, but she was smiling.

"You didn't have to do this today," she said softly. "It could have waited until next time I saw you."

"It wasn't a big deal," he shrugged.

She patted the bed next to her, and he sat on the edge of it.

"So, did Julia put you up to this?" she asked immediately.

He looked at her, startled. "No."

"Then who gave you our key?"

He laughed nervously. "Okay, you got me. But I wanted to come by anyway. She just asked if I wouldn't mind staying a couple of hours."

Lauren gave him a wry smile. "She thinks I need babysitting."

He made himself more comfortable, trying not to be too obvious as he studied her to assess how sick she was. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I need five more blankets."

Her cheeks were flushed and the hair by her neck was damp with sweat, but he thought it might be overdoing it to check her temperature. He pulled a small box from his bag instead.

"Here, take these." He put two Tylenol into her palm. "My mom said two was fine."

"You asked your mom?" she asked after she swallowed them with a gulp of water, smiling affectionately.

"I had to make sure I wasn't going to kill you."

"I appreciate it."

Now he pulled a flask out of his bag, and she laughed.

"What?" he asked. "It's soup."

"It's sweet," she said, taking it from him and taking small sips. "You didn't have to do any of this."

"I promised Julia I'd look after you. I take my job very seriously."

She smiled again, and set the flask down carefully. "Come here."

"What?" he said, startled by the request.

"I want to hug you, but if I sit up too much then the room's gonna start spinning," she said.