a sacrifice for love

indisposed

It had been 3 days since Rj became absent from work. He normally still goes to work even when feeling under the weather. There was even a time when he actually fell asleep due to his illness and medication in between segments! He was still "fine" when she left him at his condo the evening before. He had a fever and a cold but seemed to be better than the day before. Somehow, though, Maine didn't feel right today. In her gut, she knew something was wrong. She just couldn't put her finger on it. She texted Rj. He didn't reply even after a dozen or more texts from her. He also didn't pick up her calls. Something was wrong.

Maine tried contacting Mama Ten, but she was out of town on vacation for a month. She also tried calling April but she too, was out of reach. Everyone else seemed to be busy with something else.

After her EB work, she begged her team for the day off to check on Rj. She just needed to attend one meeting then she was off to Rj's condo. She had spare keys which he gave her "just in case" so she made sure that it was in her bag's pocket as she told the driver to take her there after her meeting.

She unlocked the door and slowly and quietly entered the unit. It was a bit messy for someone who was known to be OC with his things. She walked into the living room and put down her bag. Putting her hands on her waist, she looked around. In the kitchen were some of the food containers and used utensils from last night. There were some clothes strewn on the couch in the living room. Even his shoes by the doorway were in disarray. She started picking up the clothes that were thrown around the couch when she heard sounds coming from the bedroom.

She peeked into the bedroom and found an unmade bed without Rj. She stepped inside and closed the door behind her, her eyes searching the room. It wasn't as messy as outside but things were a bit out of place. She was thinking about how to help clean up when her thoughts were disrupted by more sounds coming from the bathroom which door was just slightly closed. She rushed to the door and found Rj sitting on the floor, hugging the toilet bowl. She could tell that he was struggling from his ordeal because of his sweaty hair and shirt which was sticking to his back, and red ears. She knelt beside him and rubbed his back as he vomited into the toilet.

He looked at her. A combination of sweat, mucous and tears covered his face. She grabbed some toilet paper which was nearest her and wiped his face. He turned to face the toilet again and this time, a lot of vomit came out. She reached for a towel that was hanging by the sink and wiped the sweat from his head and back. When she thought that he had vomited everything he could, Maine pulled Rj's shoulders so he could rest on her chest. He was breathing heavily with his eyes closed as Maine gently wiped his face and kissed him on the head.

Tears started to roll down Rj's cheek. She rocked him, and shushed him.

"Shh...it's okay...you're okay..."

"uuggghhhhh!!!...." he groaned

"Shh....everything will be alright....ssshhhh....."

They sat on the bathroom floor for a while. Maine noticed that Rj's skin, although still a bit sweaty, was warm to the touch. She had managed to remove his shirt and was now she was wiping the sweat from his chest and arms. He groaned and became nauseous so she instinctively pushed him sit up again and vomit into the toilet. Due to the force of his vomiting, he unknowingly wet himself too. When he felt that it was all that he could vomit, he leaned back on to Maine's chest. They stayed on the bathroom floor for a while. Maine pulled the bath mat close to them so that it could absorb Rj's urine which had pooled underneath him.

"Can you stand up, hon?" she finally asked him when his breathing became steady.

He nodded and she slowly helped him up. "Let's wash up muna ha?" she told him as she held his hand and brought him to the shower. She turned on the shower and adjusted the water temperature. While the spray hit his body, she removed his boxers and gently washed his whole body. When she was done, she led him out of the shower stall and wiped him down. She sat him on the toilet, draped the towel over his back and fetched some fresh clothes for him. She helped him get dressed, fixed his hair then ushered him back to his bed. She tucked him under the covers. She went to the kitchen to get him some warm water to drink. The first few sips made him nauseous again so she scrambled for the trashcan nearby. He didn't vomit and he shook his head to say that he didn't need the trashcan. All the same, Maine laid the trashcan by his bedside. "Just in case..." she said. "Here are the tissues if you need them..." she reminded him as she tapped the tissue box on his bedside table.