Babysitting

ChapterThirteen

I peeled my eyes open, my mouth dry and my body aching. I groaned, sitting up, feeling that my body was on fire.
I tried sniffing but realized my nose was blocked.
I groaned again while getting out of bed and walked into the bathroom. I almost tripped while getting out of my pajamas then stumbled into the shower, turning on the cold water.
I wanted this fever gone.
The longer I stood under the cold water, the tighter my chest got. I coughed a few times after switching off the water, wrapping a towel around myself.
I got dressed into a pair of black leggings and one of my old varsity hoodies. I slipped on a pair of socks then proceeded to French braid my wet hair down my back.
I barely made my way downstairs and into the kitchen.
"Well someone looks like shit today," Alex said as I walked to the fridge.
I grunted a response, getting out a bottle of cold water and gulping half of it down.
"Are you feeling alright?" She asked as I sat at the dining table with her.
"No," I croaked.
I looked at the bacon, eggs, toast and cereal before me and felt like vomiting.
"You should go to the doctor, I think," she pushed the tub of butter towards me.
"I don't have health insurance," I picked up a boiled egg and broke it open.
"You've been getting worse these past few days. You can't just not go," she argued. "I'll go with you and you can go on my name."
I sighed, not wanting to fight, and nodded to what she said. I bit into my egg, not tasting its flavor.
I felt hands settle on my shoulders and my skin throbbed from the pressure.
"Get off," I shrugged Nathaniel away.
"What's up?" He sat next to me.
"I'm forcing her to go to the doctor today," Alex pushed her empty plate away.
"I'm fine actually," I argued, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Should I take her?" Nathaniel ignored me and spoke to Alex. "She might not drive there."
"Sure, it saves me a lot of trouble," Alex shrugged.
I groaned, my temple falling onto the table.
"You need to eat more than an egg as well," Nathaniel said, picking out the softest slice of toast and buttering it. "You girls are so dramatic when you're sick."
I glared at him as he set the slice of toast onto my plate.
"Eat, Lucy," he demanded. "Or else."
I lifted my head again while still glaring.
"Or else what? You're not going to take me to the doctor?" I shot at him.
"Or else you're not going to see what I have planned for us today," he shrugged, getting his own breakfast.
My shoulders sagged in defeat and I picked up the toast, forcing it down with my water.
We both finished eating as Alex chatted away about how Debbie had met some celebrity models.
"Can you believe it?" Alex asked. "She leaves her children in the hands of an incapable sick person to go party with some models. She's like a hundred!"
"She's only forty," Nathaniel shook his head.
Alex thought for a moment.
"That means she was only fifteen when she had you?" Alex furrowed her eyebrows. "What?"
Nathaniel stiffened next to me and suddenly the air was tense.
"Let's not get into age," I stood up.
"Mom told us she was already married when she had you," Alex said. "She couldn't have been married at fifteen. She married dad when she was twenty and dad was twenty four."
Nathaniel looked at me, sadness etched on his face.
"I think this is more of a thing to discuss when your parents are here, Alex," I murmured.
"No, this is confusing," Alex laughed. "When did they actually get married Nathaniel? Before or after you were born?"
"After," he muttered.
"So she wasn't married when she had you! Wow," Alex's eyes widened.
There was silence for a few minutes as Nathaniel typed away on his phone and then put it away. He then turned to Alex and gestured for me to sit.
"She was married," he started. "And I was four years old when I met them."
Confusion crossed Alex's features and Nathaniel's phone buzzed a few times. He didn't answer it.
"Your mom and dad adopted me right after they were married. I was four, Alex," he told her.
I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket and I got it out as Alex remained silent.
From Debbie?
Don't let him tell the kids!
I looked at Nathaniel then back at the message. Damage has already been done. I put my phone back in my pocket as Alex opened her mouth.
"Why would you and our parents lie to us about something like that?" She spat. "Well they're not even your parents! How could you have kept this from us for so long?"
"Ask your mom," Nathaniel stood up angrily. "I'm going to get dressed. Be ready for the doctor when I get back."
He stomped out of the kitchen.
"That wasn't very nice, Alex," I murmured. "She's just as much his mom as she is yours."
"No! She didn't give birth to him! He isn't even my real brother," she hissed.
"Family doesn't always mean the same blood," I stood up. "What you said to him was bitchy and uncalled for. He's so destroyed over the fact that he's adopted and you've gone and opened up a wound that's trying to heal. He only found out a few years ago."
Alex glared down at the table and I frowned, turning and going upstairs.
Nathaniel's door was slightly ajar as I knocked.
"What?" The door flew open. "Oh. It's you."
"Well don't be so happy to see me next time," I joked, stepping forward.
Nathaniel had black jeans on and was carrying a red sweater in his hands. His chest was bare.
"I didn't want her to find out like this," he murmured, turning away from me and walking to his bed. "I don't want them to be angry at me. It isn't even my fault."
I walked to him, placing my hand on the muscled small of his back.
"I know it's not your fault," I looked at his face. "She's just shocked, that's all."
He pulled the sweater over his head, staying silent.
"I'll just go brush my teeth," I said softly before turning and walking to my bedroom.
I finished brushing my teeth just as Nathaniel walked into my bedroom.
"Well let's go," he chirped and we got into the elevator.
The silence that surrounded us was almost awkward. I had no clue what to say to make him feel better. I was relieved when the doors finally pulled open.
"We're going now," I called to Alex who was still in the kitchen.
"I'm surprised he's doing this seeing as there's no reason for him to be nice!" Was her reply.
I reached for his hand as we walked, a detached look on his face.
"I'm sorry," I told him. "I'm here for you."
He nodded stiffly and we got into his car and he shot out of the property angrily.
There was silence for a few minutes.
"I think I'm going to go back to my apartment," he suddenly said and my head snapped to him.
"What? Why?" I asked.
"I've been here for a few months and we both know how this has turned out. It would be best if I go back home," he was calm.
"Where's that?" I swallowed.
"The other side of the city. About an hour or two from here," he pulled into a parking.
My heart dropped and I looked at my lap.
"If you would like to make this work, I'll visit often," he opened his door.
I got out as well.
"How do I know that you want to make this work?" I shrugged. "You could have Kerrie there without me knowing."
I saw him clench his jaw and he exhaled loudly.
"I'm not in the mood for this clingy ass bullshit today so get yourself into that fucking doctors room and let's go," he snapped.
I frowned before falling into step next to him. We went up to the reception desk.
"Hi there," Nathaniel spoke. "I'd like to see Dr. Reynolds."
"Who's the patient?" The woman asked.
"I am," I spoke up.
"She's going to go on my file. She's not registered here," Nathaniel added.
"It will be about $30 more, by the way," the woman raised her eyebrows, handing Nathaniel his file.
"That's fine," he shrugged, turning and walking down a passage.
I quickly scrambled after him, coughing a few times. We were the only people here so we could immediately go into the room.
"Hi there," a lady stood up from a desk.
"Hey Sue," Nathaniel said, sitting down.
I took the seat next to him and the lady sat down.
"What can I help you with today?" Sue asked, smiling at me.
"She's sick," Nathaniel then gestured for me to speak.
"Uh, I've, uhm, got a fever and a cough," I stammered then cleared my throat. "My body is sore."
She wrote it down in the file before looking up.
"Any sinus?" She asked and I nodded before she wrote again. "Please get onto the bed."
I got up and got onto the hospital bed before Sue came and stood in from of me.
"Tell me if this hurts," she said and I nodded.
She began pressing on my forehead and cheeks and then around my throat and the base of my neck.
"Everything hurts," I told her.
She then took her stethoscope from around her neck and put it in her ears.
"Breathe in whenever I place it," she said before putting it on my chest.
I breathed in as she moved it around my chest and then to my back. She then took an otoscope from her scrub's pocket and checked my ears. She put it away after and got out a tiny flashlight.
"Open up," she said.
I opened up my mouth and she shone the flashlight into it. She clicked it off afterwards and put it away.
"Alright now lay down," I obliged.
She pressed firmly around my abdomen before thinking for a bit and going back to her desk. I sat up.
"I presume you have some kind of virus, I'm not sure what. It could be something as simple as just the flu or something much worse like a lung infection. Have you travelled lately? Any overseas countries?" She asked after writing in the file.
Nathaniel looked at me as I nodded.
"I came back from Portugal a few weeks ago," I told her.
"Ah, there's our answer," she smiled. "You must've caught something there and it was only triggered now to cause symptoms. How long were you there for?"
"Almost a month," I said. "I lived there first then came to New York for a few months then went back there then came back here."
"The changes of climate and the positioning of the continents affect your body negatively. Your body must've felt weak and then the virus entered your immune system," she stood up and went to a cabinet. "I'm going to give you strong antibiotics and pain medication that will make you feel tired and weak. I'm also going to add in three months worth of vitamins to build up your immune system. Viruses like those can just break everything down. Also cough syrup and a fizzer that you mix with water that will bring the fever down."
I got off the bed and sat next to Nathaniel again.
"This all sounds very expensive," I murmured.
"As long as you get better," he shrugged.
I smiled at him before Sue sat down, placing the five bottles down and holding a sixth in her hand.
"This is a new medication that brings down how contagious the virus is. This stops you from spreading it," she placed the bottle down with the rest. "That means you can still have fun with him."
She wiggled her eyebrows and my eyes widened.
"Oh, he's not my-" I started.
"That's amazing," Nathaniel interrupted me. "I thought I would have to sleep on the couch for the next few days."
My mouth fell open and blood rushed to my cheeks as Sue laughed.
"The consultation plus the medicine plus the fee for not being registered will all add up to $87.50," she told us.
I sucked in a sharp breath.
"All good," Nathaniel smiled. "I'll be putting it on my account."
Nathaniel grabbed his file and gave the bag with medicine in it to me before we both stood up.
"Thank you," I told the doctor and she smiled, nodding.
We walked back to reception and Nathaniel swiped his credit card to pay before we left.
"Thank you for not making me pay," I clutched the medicine against my chest. "It means a lot."
He put his arm around my shoulders.
"Anything for you," he smiled and the blood rushed to my cheeks.
"So what did you have planned for us today?" I smiled up at him.
"Oh just lunch," he shrugged.
I scoffed, scowling at him.
"You made it sound like something extravagant," we climbed into the car.
"Food is beyond extravagant," he laughed, pulling into the road.
"The way to my heart," I sighed dreamily.
He laughed and we continued in a pleasant silence. Once he stopped, I looked out the window.
"Mannie's Roadhouse?" I asked.
"Best food in my life," Nathaniel smiled.
A waiter walked up to the car and handed Nathaniel menus. He passed one to me.
"Wow, these are so original," my eyes widened. "A Nutella milkshake? Waffle on a stick? Oh wow, this all sounds delicious."
Nathaniel handed his menu back to the waiter, reciting his order and I bit my lip.
"What do you want?" He turned to me.
"Uh," my eyes scanned over the menu once more. "A Russian wrap and chicken salad with a caramel soda."
I handed the menu back and the waiter walked off. I turned to Nathaniel while taking a deep breath.
"Are you really leaving?" I asked.
"Yeah," he said, looking at his lap. "It's time I got back home. My cleaner can't keep checking up on the place forever."
"When will you leave?" I frowned.
"Next week, maybe. Or two weeks," his hand made its way to my thigh. "I'll see."
I nodded, my frown deepening.
"Don't be sad or angry or hurt please," he pleaded as I placed my hand over his. "It might just do us good to be apart. I mean you were away for almost a month and when you came back we started making out."
"We kissed like twice only last week," I looked at him with a confused expression. "I came back how long ago."
"Yeah but still," he shrugged, smiling.
He leaned forward and placed his lips on mine. I shoved him away.
"I'm not letting you get sick," I scolded him. "You can kiss me in like two days."
He laughed and was still laughing when our food arrived.
"You wanted to kiss me so bad for how many months and when you have the chance, you push me away," he teased and I blushed. "Cute."
I turned away from him and dug into my food.
"I can't wait to see that blush under me," he murmured.
I choked slightly on my food and looked up at him. He smiled innocently.
"It will be wonderful," he cooed.