Turning Tides

Chapter 4: Deadly

"Serious illness?"

"Well, it appears Mr. Ambrose has come down with a case of pertussis," the doctor carefully told me, nervously glancing down at his charts.

"Bless you."

"No, Mr. Linton-- pertussis, also known as "whooping cough" is a contagious respiratory illness. Symptoms include excessive coughing, muscle pains, violent headaches, delirium, etcetera. It is not uncommon, but could be deadly if not taken care of properly. Mr. Ambrose seems like a strong individual, and should be able to pull through. Under twenty four hours of care, he should be back in good health..." the man went on listing methods of treatment, but I wasn't paying attention. I glanced over at Mr. Ambrose, who was currently asleep.

Could be deadly... could be deadly...

Mr. Ambrose, dying? He would never die... right? He simply can't! He was my path to freedom!

He signs my paychecks, and lets me work, and scolds me when I fetch the wrong files, and takes me on adventures, and teaches me how to shoot guns... And sometime he holds you in his arms and kisses you. And does delicious things to your body that no gentleman would ever do.

The mental image of him laying in a coffin, cold and immobile, made me shift uneasily. Even though he was typically cold and immobile on a daily basis, it wouldn't suit him in death.

If he died, what would I do? We were supposed to achieve global domination and defeat Lord Dalgliesh! No other man would employ me, that's for sure. And you wouldn't want anyone other than Mr. Ambrose as your employer.

Sure, I may have threatened to strangle him and knock him in the head a good number of times, but I never actually meant it--

"Mr. Linton?"

"Huh?" I shook my head, dazed from my previous thoughts.

"Please do not worry yourself," the doctor said with a kind smile. "As I've said, as long as he rests and eats well, he'll be back on his feet in no time."

"Is there no cure for this illness?"

"Unfortunately, as of right now, we do not have any sort of vaccine that will completely prevent or eliminate this disease."

"Oh," I said, staring down at my shoes.

"Give him a spoonful of each these potions after a meal-- they will strengthen his immune system and help with the healing process."

I nodded numbly as he handed me a couple of bottles with strange-looking substances in them. Setting them aside on a small wooden table, I watched as the doctor packed up his equipment back into his leather briefcase.

"I shall come back tomorrow morning to see how Mr. Ambrose is faring," he said as he put on his tailcoat and reached for his top hat.

"Y-yes, of course. Thank you, doctor."

He sent me one last smile before putting on his hat and letting Karim show him out.

I turned back to my employer, who was still resting peacefully atop his bed. His chest and forehead glistened with a light sheen of sweat. His breathing was slightly uneven seeing as his nose was blocked with phlegm. The usual hard lines on his face during the day were now nonexistent, making him look much more relaxed.

"Listen here, you miser," I whispered sternly, leaning down near his ear. "I demand you get better right this instant, you hear me?"

He gave a grunt in his sleep, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like 'Yellow pigs'.