The Repents

Chapter 11: The helpful neighbour

As safety precaution disobedience, I latched the screen door behind me, then tiptoed across the enclosed porch. Before entering the kitchen, I called out his name. My voice sounded unnaturally loud. It echoed through the empty house. He was probably out with a friend and this was a gross violation of his privacy which I'd have to explain him later.
But his being out with a friend didn't explain the dishes that scattered on the table and piled high in the sink. He hadn't let his kitchen get this messy for no reason.
Not knowing how the rooms of the house were laid out, I followed my nose towards the front door and called his name again. The living room was tastefully decorated. Nothing fancy, but contemporary arranged with style.
Encroaching dusk had made the dark day even darker. The rain I'd driven home with had caught up with me and was now beginning to patter against the windows. I hadn't turned on any lights. The large rooms looked gloomy. All this was getting spooky.
"Mr. Randolph? Chad?" I paused to listen.
Receiving no answer, I gladly turned and headed towards the kitchen. But no longer did I take a few steps I heard a low mourn. I froze, pausing to be sure I'd heard right. Yes! There it was again. Louder this time.
My heart began to bump crazily. Was it a mourn of pain? Agony?
Reversing my direction, I stared down the hallway. As I grew nearer to an open door, I could hear the whisper of cloth again cloth. Bed linens for sure. I took a deep breath and peeped around the door, jerking my head back quickly after registering what I had seen.
The room was unmistakably Chad's. Against the wall opposite the door was a king-sized bed. He was lying on it. In a split second I had allowed myself to see around the room, it became apparent that he was ill. His arms and legs were moving restlessly and his head was thrashing from side to side on his pillow.
I garnered my courage and entered the bachelor's bedroom with the trepidation of young solider going into battle for the first time. One did one's duty.
"Chad?"
I wasn't surprised that he didn't hear me. My voice was quaking and hushed. His moaning grew louder, easily drowsed it. He slung one arm out to his side and gave the sheet a vicious kick.
He was half naked.
He wore a blue-green boxers, and his chest was bare. I was spared from seeing everything by one corner of the baby-blue sheet, which fortuitously was twisted around his waist. One bare foot was poked over the edge of the bed. The other leg was covered, but clearly defined underneath the sheet, which was pulled taut. His concave stomach was heaving up and down with laboured breathing.
I tip-toed towards the bed as though a slumbering beast lay there not a harmless man. His eyelids were closed but they fluttered spasmodically. He mumbled something that I couldn't understand & let out another groan.
Move to pity, I raised a knee onto the bed and leaned over him, "Chad? Are you ok?"
My eyes were too dry to blink, I began painting through my parted lips. A ringing sound, as loud as Quasimodo's bells, filled my head.
I felt faint as his arm landed solidly on me causing me to lean flat next to him on his bed his face even to mine as I spasmodically breathe too loud. That must've stunned him out of his troubled dream, because his eyes popped open. He stared at me, as astonished to see me landing next to him as I was.
"What are you doing here?" He let me free as I stood up.
It took several attempts before I could speak. When I did, I could only stutter, " I---I--- the door---Jamie- Are you sick?"
He laid his forearm over his eyes, "I'll be alright."
His macho refusal to admit that he was ill infuriated me.
"Are you sick or not?"
"Yes, I'm sick," he muttered. " Flu, I guess. You'd better get out before you get it too, your mourning already got you too bad."
"Do you have fever?" I ignored his taunt cause now I was being nice actually a friend in need.
"I don't know. Do I?"
He lowered his arm. I hesitated for just a moment before laying a cool hand on his forehead. It was clammy, but still warm.
"I think you have some."
"It broke earlier. I started sweating, kicked the covers off."
Beyond the foot of the bed, a soggy bedspread & blanket lay on the floor.
"Thermometer?"
"Bathroom cabinet."
Grateful for an excuse to put distance between us, I left his bedroom to the adjoining bathroom. On the second shelf in the cabinet I found a thermometer, I carried it & a plastic bottle of aspirin into the bedroom.
I shook down the mercury and leaned forward, I waited for him to open his mouth, then laid the thermometer under his tongue.
"I'll be right back. Keep that under your tongue."
Jamie was dancing with impatience when I opened the door.
"You were right, he is sick," I began before the little munchkin had time to ask.
"And no you cant come inside cx its contagious." I answered his unasked question.
"But how come you can?"
"Cx I'm older. & older people catch diseases hard." I hoped he buys that.
He didn't.
"No arguments." My stern expression silenced him.
"I'm going to clean up & heat some soup for him. While I do that why don't you check on Peggy. Check if she had had clean water."
Having dispatched him, I filled a clean glass with cold water and returned to the bedroom. I caught Chad in the process of taking the thermometer out of his mouth. He passed it to me.
"What does it say? I never could read this damn thing."
"100.4," I told him as I shook the mercury down. "Take two aspirins."
He dutifully swallowed the tablets with the water I brought for him.
"Will you remember to take two more around ten?"
"I'll try."
As soon as he swallowed the aspirins, his head weakly dropped back onto the pillow. I noticed that it was hard & lumpy and the pillow cover was damp with sweat.
"Would you like me to change your bed?"
He looked down at his body, then back up at me.
"No, thanks."
"How about switching pillows then?"
He let me so that, raising his head high enough for me to replace the pillow with the one I found on the far side of the bed.
"Where are your extra blankets?"
"Linen closer in the hall, but I'm hot."
"If you don't stay covered, you'll get chilled."
I located the linen closets and found his sheets and towels neatly folded on the shelves. Bringing a blanket back with me, I whipped it high over the bed and let it float down to cover. I didn't pat into place.
"Rest while I heat some soup. I assume you have a can of soup in the house?"
He nodded but waved his hand in protest,"You've done enough, Mavis. I just need to sleep this off. Tomorrow, I'll be back at work."
"If you are, then the day next after that you'll end up at the hospital." I aimed a finger at him. "Stay put. I'll be right back."
While the chicken noodles & corn soup was simmering on the range, i rinsed the dirty dishes and loaded them in the dishwasher. I also sponged off the counter tops and table and replaced food items that had been left out. The soup was ready by the time I finished. I ladled some into the bowl and placed it on a tray along with a glass of orange juice, a spoon, and a napkin.
It was when I paused on the threshold of his bedroom, holding the laden tray, that my brain had and adrenaline rush I wasn't aware of why. But, it made me shiver.
I moved to his bedside, set the tray on the nightstand, and switched the lamp on. It was hardly like candlelight. The soft light fell on Ed's face. He was dozing. His eyelashes cast sweeping shadows on his cheekbone. His chest rose and fell faintly with each breath. The aspirin was working.
I spoke his name softly. His eyes fluttered open. They penetrated mine in a way that was almost unusual. A thrill of sensation spiralled up out of my belly like a rising Phoenix.
" Do you feel like eating something?"
"I guess so." I offered him the glass of cold orange juice. He drank it down in a single gulp.
"You should have been drinking more liquids." I chided gently as I passed him a napkin. He seemed at a loss as what to do with it, so he just held it in his hand.
"I didn't feel like getting up for anything."
"Jamie is seeing to Peggy."
"Thanks. I was worried about Peggy. I came down with this yesterday."
"Can you feed yourself?"
"Um... If you'll hold the tray. I think I can manage."
I gingerly lowered myself to the edge of the bed and lifted the tray onto my lap. He bent over it supporting himself with one elbow. Lifting the spoon awkwardly, he dipped it into the soup and slurped it into his mouth.
"It's good. Thank you, Mavis."
"You're welcome."
He ate most of the soup before setting the spoon down.
"That's all I want for now."
"Alright." I moved the tray off my lap and returned it to the nightstand.
Before I could lower my arms, I felt his hands on my waist. It moulded itself to my shape and drew around me.
"You feel so cool." He murmured.
I stared down at him in mute dismay as he rested his head on my thigh and buried his face in the fabric of my skirt. He ground the tousled crown of his head against my stomach.
I went very still and let every feminine, maternal, giving, loving fibre of mind being had its way. Easily, my caution was conquered. Then, acting instinctively, I laid my hand against his flushed cheek. He sighed and reached up to cover it with his own. My other hand smoothed his damp strands of thick brown hair off his forehead.
After several moments, he raised his head and looked up at me.
"Was I dreaming? Or did I actually kiss you?"
"When?"
"A few minutes ago. When you first came in." He stroked my cheek and toyed with the wisps of hair that had escaped my bun.
"You must've been dreaming." I went hot all over. "I'd better go. Jamie would be wondering....."
He lay back against the pillow. I picked up the tray and all but ran from the room. My hands were shaking, the adrenaline rush was the instinct that told me something was coming your way.
I quickly cleared off the tray and reloaded it with a pitcher of icy-water and a clean glass. I avoided looking at Chad directly as I set the tray at the nightstand.
"Don't forget to take the aspirin. And drink plenty of water. I wont bother you again unless you call for help. And please do it if you need to. Well," I said, clasping my hand together and nervously backing towards the door. "Bye."
I turned to flee, but he caught me by the hand.
"Mavis, I'm glad you came by. Thanks for everything." He ran his thumb over the inside of my wrist. "But in a way, I wish you hadn't woken me up when you did, I'd like to know how that dream ended."