Forgive Me, My Love ~ ReddNook

Chapter 28

While the two were walking back, Redd said nothing and stared sadly at the ground. He held onto Tom's arm with one hand as he was still unsteady on his feet. The rain pattering on the umbrella was the only sound at the moment.

Until Redd finally broke the silence and, unlike before, sounded very calm. "I'm sorry I misbehaved. I am usually not like that." Tom knew that. That's why he was very surprised, when Redd lost his temper.

"It's okay. You don't have to apologize for that," Tom replied. After a few minutes - when there was complete silence again - Tom's house came into view. Concerned, the tanuki looked at Redd, who was moving slowly and breathing heavily.

The tremendous heat emanating from him worried him. His fever must have got worse. Oh Redd. Why did you have to be so stubborn and couldn't just listen to me?  Redd coughed and pressed his paw to his chest, his face contorted with pain.

"Everything okay?" Stupid question. Of course nothing was okay! A blind person would notice that. "Y-yes," the fox gasped and straightened up from his cramped position. "I am fine. That little fever doesn't knock me out!"

Then he began to stumble and the next moment he collapsed. He lay motionless on the grass. Tom shook his head. "He really is an idiot."

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Redd woke up with a hell of a headache that felt like a slap in the face. At first he had no idea where he was, but then a familiar smell rose to his nose. He was in Tom's bed. He laboriously opened his eyes and for several seconds his vision was blurred.

"Look who rose from the dead!" A brown, distorted stain, which turned out to be Tom, grinned at him mockingly. "Nooky," Redd croaked weakly. The tanuki sat next to him on the bed and watched him carefully.

"How long have I been gone?" He asked. "About an hour," Was the reply. Redd sat up groaning. He felt miserable. "I've changed your bandage," Tom informed him. "Your wound is healing well."

He managed only a nod. "You haven't eaten today, right?" The tanuki asked. Redd's stomach twisted just thinking about food. "Not hungry," he mumbled and lay down again.

He heard Tom sigh. "But you have to eat something. Then you will feel a little better."
"But I don't want anything."
"No back talk!" He got out of bed. "I'll make you a chicken soup. I always give that to the boys when they are sick."

Redd raised his head. "You don't have to cook for me!"
"Why not? You are sick and I will make sure that you get well again quickly." The fox looked shyly at his paws. "Am I really not a burden for you?"

Tom smiled fondly at him. And just that sweet smile made Redd weak. "Of course not. I like to take care of you." He turned away. "I'll be right back," he promised. "Won't be long." Redd's heart melted. He likes to take care of me! Was he really serious?

Later, Redd dozed in bed, bored, unsure what to do with the rest of the day. There wasn't much he could do when he was sick anyway. The soup Tom had made for him had been delicious and he actually felt a little better. He had seldom eaten such a tasty meal. Most of the time he ate only ready meals.

He didn't feel like just lying around anymore. So he got up and left the room. Downstairs in the living room he found Timmy and Tommy, sitting on the sofa and staring at the television. Tommy was the first to notice the fox.

"Uncle Redd!" He exclaimed happily. "How are you?"
"Do you need anything?" Timmy asked. "Everything's fine," Redd replied gently. "Where's Tom?"
"In his workroom," Timmy answered and pointed behind him to a door that he only noticed now.

Redd walked over to it, opened it and saw Tom, who was sitting at a desk. He was typing on his laptop concentrating. Since the tanuki had turned his back to him, he did not realize his presence.

Redd crept silently to Tom from behind and grabbed his shoulders. Tom gasped in shock. "Hey, Nooky!" He turned to the Redd with wide eyes. "Redd! Don't scare me like that!"

The fox giggled cheekily. "Why aren't you in bed?" Tom asked, sounding like a worried mother. Redd groaned. "I'm bored! I can't spend the whole day in bed." The tanuki blinked.

"Usually you do that when you're sick." He grumbled and peered at his screen. "What are you doing there?"
"Work."
"You work on the weekend?!"
"Yeah, sometimes. What's wrong with that?"

"You always work so hard, why don't you rest on your days off?" Tom seemed to think about it for a moment. "Well ... I just can't find peace if something is not done yet."

Redd sighed. "Man, you're crazy." The tanuki laughed lightly. "It's not the first time I've heard that." Redd smiled. It was nice to spend time with Tom. He wished, he could do this more often. He felt safe around him. But it probably won't stay as this forever.

After all, Redd couldn't live with Tom forever. A thought shot through his mind. "Say, Tom," he began hesitantly. "Since my boat has sunk - where should I live now?"