Ronald's diner

chapter 7

I.

"AAACCCHO!" Ronald sneezed quite violently.

"Bless you."

"Thanks." The kowtow young man responded with a weak smile as he fiddled with the lock to his apartment.

The dim light cast by the overhead light of the apartment complex made Ronald's skin look quite pale and unhealthy in Bonnie's opinion.

"Are you feeling ok? You don't look so good, and that's the third time you've sneezed like that since we got in your car back at the diner."

"I'm just tired and hunger. Like you are, I bet." Ronald responded.

"Yeah, but at least I'm not soaked like you are, and you are looking rather pale."

"It was probably just because of the poor lighting here." Ronald said as he smiled towards Bonnie, "Thanks for worrying about me like you are. It's not something I would have ever expected from the "old" Bonnie. But I like this newer, friendlier Bonnie a lot more."

"Hey, that's what friends are for, but don't go reminding me about the 'old Bonnie' too much, or I might revert to form." Bonnie teased as she returned the smile even though she remained unconvinced by Ronald's attempt to reassure her about his health. Once they got inside the apartment, Bonnie was able to take a better look at her friend in the light, and she did not like what she saw. The dark circles under his eyes were more pronounced than before, and his face looked even paler than it had seemed earlier. But there was something else that was bothering her too, Ronald's speech. Since their reunion earlier that evening, Bonnie had noticed that Ronald seemed a bit slow on the uptake. He took a bit longer than normal to respond, and sometimes it sounded as though he was either mumbling or slurring his speech. At first, she thought that maybe Ronald had been drinking, but she didn't smell any alcohol on his breath. However, after seeing the bags under his eyes and his pale skin, Bonnie concluded that he was simply exhausted and needed a bit of food and sleep to make him right.

"Ronald, go grab a shower to warm up." Bonnie instructed Ronald as he began to make his way towards the small kitchen, a bit of her old bossiness coming out. In the past Bonnie's bossiness had served former cheerleader well in getting her what ever it was she wanted, but now she was more than willing to use it to help someone else, something she would have considered an unthinkable concept just a few short years ago.

Stopping in his tracks, Ronald stood there for a few seconds before turning to face Bonnie, "Yeah, that does sound like a good idea." Ronald finally responded, further reinforcing Bonnie's earlier observations.

"Of course it is, I thought of it after all." Bonnie teased, "By the time you're done, I'll have some dinner warmed up for us to eat."

"Thanks, Bonnie." Ronald smiled toward the brunette before disappearing into the bathroom.

Once Ronald was gone, Bonnie let out a sigh that nonverbally expressed her concern about Ronald. He looked not only quite tired and ran down but even a bit pale and unhealthy, and she was sure the time he spent in the cold rain looking for her had not helped any. Hopefully, a hot meal and a good night's sleep would be all the help he would need, but right now, she needed something to help her head ache. Popping a couple of aspirin, Bonnie began to dig around the small kitchette, looking for something to make for dinner.

Fifteen minutes later, Bonnie placed two plates of hot food on the table along with a small glass of brandy for each of them when she heard the sound of Ronald walking through the bedroom door wearing a bathrobe

"Hope you feel better because dinner is ready, and I'm not going to heat it up for you again if it gets cold, Hef." Bonnie announced.

"Geez, you're all heart." Ronald complained while completely missing Bonnie's joke as he plopped down into one of the chairs at the table, "But it does smell good, though."