Dark as the Night

9

Odessa awoke from her nap to the sharp trill of the phone ringing in the office. The medical center was so quiet that she could hear it all the way in her room down the hall. She climbed out of bed, ran to the office, and grabbed the phone, hoping she got to it before the caller hung up. "Hello? Medical Center..." She cursed herself silently for sounding sleepy and out of breath.

The warm voice on the other end chuckled, and she relaxed. Tai. "Did I wake you?"

Odessa let out a relieved breath and tried to sound collected. "No, I was just practicing my 'voice to make men tremble.'" Good save, she thought. Hopefully.

He laughed again, this time with a flirty edge. "Well it worked."

She winced. Damnit. Backfired. "Good to know," she murmured in reply, glad he couldn't see her blushing. Another chuckle from the other end of the line.

"Sorry I woke you. How is your fever? James stopped by after dropping you off and told me you were worn out." She scowled. That gossip. Tai continued, "Actually, his words were 'we have to keep an eye on that idiot. She was so tired she gave herself a fever but didn't say anything.'" Odessa could practically hear him roll his eyes.

"He failed to mention to you that I took care of myself as soon as we got back and as you have noticed, I did sleep. I feel a lot better now." She was glad the grogginess of sleep had worn off and she could now speak normally. Her head wasn't hurting nearly as much, either.

Tai had a smile in his voice as he replied, "Well that's good. I can't get a hold of James so I thought he might be there and I was going to ask him to do me a favor, but since he's not, never mind. Go back to sleep."

Odessa sat up straighter. "No, since I'm awake and feeling better now, I'll help you. What do you need?"

Tai hesitated and it was clear by his voice that he was unsure. "Well, it's almost 1:00, and I'll have a lunch break then, but I'm really busy and not able to leave. I was going to ask him to pick it up for me."

"I can do that. Do I get it at the food hall?" Odessa had to keep the excitement at being given an errand out of her voice. She finally had a chance to do something on her own.

"No, at the bakery. If you really are feeling well enough, that would be great. I'll even treat you as a thank you. Do you remember where the bakery is?"

"I think so. But do I need to stop by the Woodshop first and get some money?"

He answered, "No, that's already been taken care of. I'll call them and let them know you're coming."

"Alright, I'll see you soon!" Odessa said brightly then hung up the phone before Tai could change his mind or nag her about being careful. She went back to her room, brushed the bed head out of her hair, and put her coat back on. Then she filled a tea ball with some dried feverfew, chamomile, and comfrey, put it in a small bag in her pocket, and left the Medical Center.

It took her about 15 minutes to reach the bakery, as she did not in fact remember exactly where it was and had to stop and ask someone for directions. When she finally arrived, she walked in and was hit with the delicious smell of soup and baking bread. She paused for a minute as the fragrance washed over her and brought up memories of the bakery in the city and the taste of flaky, buttery pastries.

A plump, middle-aged woman with rosy cheeks and a slight dusting of flour on her chin bustled out of the back, smiling broadly. "Hi there! You must be the girl Tai said was coming over. I'm Jeanette, the owner. I have his order right here, and he told me to let you pick out whatever you want as well."