"You up?" Harold appeared behind the cat. "I prepared your food and medications."
"Thanks." She murmured. "I can walk, but not as fast. I get tired so easily."
"Pneumonia does tend to do that. Take your time."
Rayne reached the dining room with Harold and Bubbles eyeing her in case something happened. She blinked at the sight of the food on the table: a bowl of instant chicken noodles, a plate of rice and fried chicken, and orange slices on a saucer.
She also saw a glass of water and her medications neatly organized on the table.
"Um, wow, you made a complete meal." She said.
"The doctor said you have no appetite problems, so…" He trailed off and shrugged helplessly.
Rayne smiled at him. "You're so sweet, don't you know that?" She said softly. Then in a louder voice, she continued. "Yup, no issues with my appetite. Don't mind if I do."
She sat down on the chair and looked up at him questioningly as she was about to eat.
"If you're going to ask if I ate, yes, I have."
"I don't want you to watch me eat; it's creepy."
"Fine, let me make a sandwich, and I'll keep you company."
"Okay, you can break into my fridge for your sandwich."
"This is the first time someone gave me consent to rob your food."
Rayne laughed, then coughed. Harold went to her side and began to pat her back. "Stop…*ack* making me laugh! It hurts!" She gasped.
"Sorry." He said quietly.
Rayne just nodded and tried to breathe normally. She still felt his hand on her back, and she relaxed considerably. His hand was warm and gentle, she thought. "I think I'm fine now." She said.
Harold stopped patting her back, suddenly feeling empty, but she brushed it aside. He was a good friend to her. She took a spoon and began eating the soup. He joined her later after making himself a ham and cheese sandwich. He did help himself to her fridge; she noted as she saw that his sandwich was huge enough for two people.
"You want some? I can split this into two."
Rayne immediately shook her head. "I'm good." She said and resumed eating.
They ate in silence, and when Rayne was finished eating, she began to take her medications. Harold asked if she wanted to watch TV or relax in her room. She chose to rest in her room, and he would check on her temperature in a few hours.
"I'm glad you're here to be my nurse, but don't you have work tomorrow?" She asked as she watched him organize her thermometer, cotton ball container, and a bottle of alcohol on her night table.
Rayne was already on her bed in a half-lying position, pillows supporting her back and shoulders.
"Not this time. I'm on leave for two weeks."
She stared at him. "What?! But didn't the semester start?!"
"Yeah, which is why I should be on leave since there aren't any major topics I have covered yet. Prelims are usually the longest period in the term, so I have all the time in the world."
"Wow, I never knew you could be such a slacker."
"For a sick woman, you never lost your sassiness."
"I'm sick, not dead."
"Good point, but pneumonia can be deadly if not managed. Not to mention recovery can take a month."
"You should have been a doctor."
"I almost did, but my handwriting's too pretty."
Rayne giggled, then let out a cough. Harold was about to pat her back again, but she raised her hand to stop him. "I'm not going to cough my guts out every time I laugh."
Harold grabbed the thick blankets and began to cover Rayne with them. "Get some rest. Holler if you need me."
She nodded and closed her eyes. Bubbles promptly climbed on the bed and began to groom himself by her side. The cat stopped briefly and stared at Harold as if saying, 'I got this, shoo.'
"Okay, okay, I'm leaving. Good night you two." Harold said.
Bubbles just stared at his departing figure, then resumed grooming. Rayne petted him on the spine and then lightly poked the cat on the pads of one of his paws. "He's a good man, Bubbles." She murmured.
Bubbles withdrew the affected paw and stared at his human as if she had gone insane. Rayne smiled at him and pinched his cheek. "Don't worry; you're still number one in my heart, my adorable void." She said.
"Meow." The cat said as he curled himself into a ball and fell asleep.
* * *
Days passed, and much to Harold's relief, Rayne gradually recovered. While her appetite never changed, her movements were limited, as she still had to stop from time to time to catch her breath.
"Once this is over and a vaccine has been developed, I'll be the first person to be in line to get it," Rayne said as she scowled at no one in particular.
"The vaccine has begun to be distributed amongst the citizens based on priority. Unless you're old or suffering from hypertension, you would have to wait for your turn." Harold said.
They had just breakfast, and Rayne was seated on her chair, watching him wash the dishes. She tried to help, but Harold told her to stay put and relax. He reassured her that he was housebroken and could do household chores.
"I'm B6, so it would be long before I get vaccinated. I didn't have the virus, but pneumonia is horrible."
"Any sickness is horrible." Harold's voice reverberated from the kitchen. "Your boss was very understanding about your situation."
Rayne made a face. "I swear Russell was probably relieved I got sick so I could go on break. Seriously, I'm lucky to have a great boss like him. Although, he doesn't like you that much."
From the kitchen, Harold winced. He felt like a jerk for being combative towards a man twenty to thirty years his senior. He had no idea Russel was Rayne's boss, for crying out loud! Boss was not the first thing that came to mind when he saw a handsome man with graying hair and a beard built like Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Harold had just finished organizing his semester lessons and speaking with Jasper, who had updated him on the classes he was substituting for him. He was surprised that Jasper and Agatha could agree on the lessons they would cover, especially the laboratory classes.
Usually, the department head and dean made it a point not to pair them in classes with separate laboratories and lectures, as they believed their personalities did not mesh well. Jasper was easygoing and approachable, while Agatha was an extremely serious woman to the point it made her intimidating. They did not know that the two got along well and were one of the better-suited pairs in Zoology, Botany, and higher Biology laboratory subjects. Sure it throws off the students to have such an odd pair of instructors in their Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy subject or their Taxonomy classes, but they get the job done.
Harold was closing his laptop when he heard Skype's ever-familiar incoming call ringtone from Rayne's bedroom. Rayne was having a warm bath, so her bedroom was empty. The most sensible thing for him was to bring the phone to the bathroom and let her handle it from there, but Harold decided to answer the call for some reason.
Harold and the man from the other line stared at each other in shock. Who's this man? He wondered.
"You're not Rayne." The man said his blue eyes seemed to pierce through Harold.
"Obviously," Harold said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Who the hell are you?"
"And who the fuck do you think you are to use that tone on me?"
"I asked first."
"I'm her boss."
Boss my ass. Harold thought. This man looks more like a bouncer than a boss. The man was also a foreigner, and based on his accent; it reminded him of how a Mafioso sounded in movies. The man, he surmised, was Italian-American.
"Don't tell me Rayne got herself a boyfriend I didn't know about."
His remark made Harold feel defensive. "What if she did?"
"Then she needs to raise her standards."
"What did you say?!" Did this man imply that he was not up to par regarding being Rayne's boyfriend? The nerve!
"You may be handsome, but you don't know how to handle a woman like Rayne."
"Oh, and you do? Are you sure you're even her boss? I doubt she prefers old men like yourself."
"You son of a bitch, what makes you think I don't appeal to anyone?"
"I mean, you hardly look spry for your age."
"I may be in my fifties, but I am stronger than I look, boy."
"Why you-!"
"Harold, who's on the phone?"
Harold turned and saw that Rayne was fully dressed in a loose-fitting shirt and jogging pants with a towel wrapped around her head like a turban.
"Your boss. Allegedly." He said darkly as he handed her phone to her.
She frowned at him but took the phone; then, he saw how her face lit up at the man's face on the other line. "Russell! I'm recovering, thank goodness." She said as she sat at the edge of her bed.
Harold watched her talk to her so-called boss and saw her close relationship with him. It was not the lovey-dovey kind but more of a boss-employee relationship with hints of friendship. For a second, Harold felt terrible for being rude to him and was planning to apologize. However, that faded when he heard the following few words from the older man.
"Who's that asshole with you?"
Rayne was genuinely confused. "What?"
Harold stomped towards Rayne, who still looked puzzled, but got briefly distracted when she saw him looking annoyed.
"That Neanderthal beside you," Russell said as he saw Harold standing beside her, and he was glaring daggers at him.
"Neanderthal…oh, you mean Harold? He's a neighbor of mine and a temporary nurse."
"You got that caveman taking care of you? Rayne, dear, get someone more competent."
"Hey!" Harold interjected.
Rayne snapped her head in his direction and gave him an icy look. Then she extended her arm and, with her index finger, pointed at the bedroom door.
Harold got the hint. He was to get out of the room. Based on her gaze, he also owed her an explanation.