Forgive Me, My Love ~ ReddNook

Chapter 32

It was 7:57 p.m. - just before closing time. The sun had almost set behind the horizon, while the stars were gradually becoming visible in the sky. Tom was so absorbed in his work on the laptop that he barely noticed Isabelle getting up from her chair and leaving her desk.

"Tom, I'm done for today" she informed the tanuki and stretched extensively. It took a few seconds for him to get her attention and said, "All right. I'll stay a little longer."

Isabelle walked up to him and touched him lightly on the shoulder. "But don't overdo it." Her voice sounded concerned. "You always work so hard." Tom was finally able to tear his eyes away from the screen and turned to his co-worker.

"I'll take care of myself, don't worry," he assured her and smiled. Isabelle blinked uncertainly. "If you say so." She turned around, grabbed her jacket and said goodbye to him. "See you tomorrow, Tom."
"See you."

The doors opened with a squeak and then closed again when the dog left the resident services. Tom leaned back in his chair with a groan and cracked his stiff neck.

Then he got up, stretched his back and strolled into the break room to make himself a coffee. In the middle of this room was a small table with two chairs. A sofa when you want to relax. A vending machine for drinks and snacks was of course a must.

And a kitchen counter with a sink, microwave, and coffee maker. While Tom was waiting for his coffee, the thought occurred to him that he should call Redd. He should know that he would be home a little later.

With the hot cup in his paw, Tom walked back to his workstation and sat down. He pulled out his phone and dialed Redd's number. Redd answered almost immediatly. "Hey Tom! Didn't think you'd call me."

"Hey, Redd. How are you feeling?"
"Much better," he replied. "What's up? You definitely don't call without a reason!"
"I wanted to let you know that I will be working a little longer today," Tom explained.

"Aw, come on!", Redd whined. "You can't be serious." The tanuki twitched his ears. "It's really important that I get this thing done today." The fox just sighed. "Timmy and Tommy should come home any moment. Then you will have little company," Tom said encouragingly.

"Tom, I think you work too much." Redd suddenly sounded unusually serious. "That can't be good for you." The tanuki sighed. He already knew that himself and didn't like to be reminded of it. "Nonsense! I'm fine, really," he replied.

Redd went silent. "It won't be long," Tom promised. The fox was satisfied with that and they ended the conversation.

About two hours later everything was finally done and Tom was happy to shut down the laptop. He almost nodded off a couple of times. The coffee hadn't really helped him. He was completely exhausted.

On the way home, his eyes kept closing and he hardly could went further. Finally he had reached his house and entered it. "I'm back," Tom muttered. No reply. He listened. Soft noises came from the living room.

The tanuki moved towards it and opened the door. Redd, Timmy and Tommy were sitting on the sofa. All three were sound asleep and the twins had snuggled close to the fox.

Tom smiled at the sight. He switched off the television, which was still on and decided to bring the boys into their room. Carefully - so that he didn't wake them up - he picked up the two tanukis and carried them upstairs.

When Tom gently put them into their bed and covered them, Timmy fidgeted a bit, but did not woke up. He went back downstairs. His eyes burned with fatigue and his head throbbed. He urgently needed sleep.

But Redd was still sleeping on the sofa and he didn't want to wake him. After all, he also needed his rest when he had taken care of two energetic tanukis and was also still a little sick. Tom put his paws on his hips. "Looks like I'll have to carry you to your bed too, hm?"

He wrapped his paws around Redd's body and picked him up. He was significantly heavier than Timmy und Tommy, despite his thin stature.

Since Tom had little strength left from exhaustion, it was difficult to get him upstairs. When he got to the bedroom, he felt Redd cling to him.

"Tom ..." he muttered. His warm breath brushed Tom's ear. He shuddered. "Redd? Are you awake?" He asked softly, while putting him on the bed. The fox twitched his nose. "Hey you're back." A grin spread across his sleepy face.

"You look exhausted. Are you okay?" Tom nodded weakly. "I am alright. It was a long day."
"Wouldn't you prefer to sleep in your own bed again?" Redd suggested. "I don't think it's okay if you have to sleep on the sofa."

The tanuki snorted in amusement. "I don't mind. You can use my bed until you move into your house, yes, yes."  It was hard for Tom to keep his eyes open.

"Go to sleep, Nooky," Redd said, noticing his exhaustion. "Before you faint. Then I have to take care of you," he added mockingly. Tom laughed lightly. "I won't let it get that far."

After leaving the room, he went into the living room and threw himself on the couch without changing his clothes. In a few seconds he fell asleep.