16. Comforting Companion
Claire woke to a dark room and whispered voices. She moaned and shifted on her side, catching a whiff of a masculine scent. She pulled the pillow to her, taking in the security the smell gave her. She fought to recall what had happened and where she was, but her mind refused to coalesce around any meaningful thought. She felt the cool of a wet cloth against her brow. She sought to speak, but words refused to come forth. The coolness against her neck soothed her before falling into a feverish sleep.
Light streamed in the window as Claire blinked her eyes. A deep male voice caused her to twist her head to the sound. Pat sat in a chair, reading softly. She tried sitting up but gave up quickly. She maneuvered to see that she was in Pat’s bed.
What was she doing here?
The last thing she remembered was coming down the stairs from the Mirador. She’d felt ill and not herself. How long had she been here? She also wondered how she’d gotten into bed. She didn’t remember coming in here and even though Pat’s arm was healing; she doubted he could have managed to move her in here without help.
She rubbed her chest as pain engulfed her. A rattling in her chest as she coughed surprised her. Pat was up in a moment, at the bedside in an instant. He stacked more pillows behind her head. But she remained where she was.
“So good to see you awake. Your fever broke last night, and it was the first time you didn’t toss and turn.”
“Last night? How long—”
“A few days.”
“What?” She tried sitting up once more, only to be wracked with coughing again.
“Pneumonia. Thankfully, only viral versus bacterial, though still not fun. Most likely you had walking pneumonia and didn’t know it.”
That would explain why she hadn’t felt like herself for a while. She’d attributed the headache and muscle stiffness to common ailments.
Claire laid back against the pillows. “Pat, how did you get me here? I should be in the casita, not taking up your bed.”
He shook his head. “Absolutely not. There’s no way we could have gotten you down the stairs. Plus, it would be harder to keep an eye on you.”
“You said we? I’m sorry, but I can’t recall much. Did I faint?”
“Yes. I heard when you fell, and when I found you, you were burning up with fever. I called for help. A retired doctor lives down the block. He came over and checked your vitals. He also contacted medical personnel to come and take some blood.”
Claire glanced down at her arm. A band-aid covered a cotton ball. She didn’t remember any of this happening.
“I was to monitor you and if you got worse, to get you to the hospital. Luckily, I caught Janie at home and she came over right away.”
“Janie?”
He nodded. “She was an on-call nurse and still can help with things like this. We took turns staying with you all night, checking you to ensure your fever stayed under control. She also helped me wedge up the bed, so you weren’t lying flat.”
Claire’s heart was in her throat. Tears sprung to her eyes. “I don’t even know what to say other than thank you to you both.”
“You would have done the same for us. Community is always important, but as you get older, knowing that you can depend on others to be there for you through thick or thin is priceless.”
She nodded. “Now, I need to use your bathroom.” She slid to the edge of the bed before sitting upright. No dizziness, so that was good.
“Hold on. Don’t stand up yet.” Pat came around the bed, and propping her up on his good side, he helped Claire stand. “No wobbling. That’s a good sign. Now little by little. No hurry.”
They shuffled to the bathroom door where Claire held on to the vanity counter. Pat let go of her. “How do you feel? I can help you to—”
“No. I’m good. Looks like we’ve switched roles of helper and helpee.”
“That’s what couples do.”
The words flowed over Claire. Were they a couple?
“I’m fine.” She clung to the bathroom counter.
“Okay, but don’t let your pride get the better of you. I’ll be right outside. Janie told me to call when you woke.” He shut the door behind her.
Claire stared at her reflection. Her hair was a tangled mess, her face and lips pale, but her eyes looked clear. Though she still felt like a newborn foal trying to find its legs, she made her way to the toilet.
Head in hands, she sought to take in deep breaths. It ached but she didn’t hear any wheezing. Nor did she have a coughing attack. That was a good sign.
After a few moments, a knock came on the door. “All good in there?”
“Yes, thanks.”
“Janie’s coming over. She’s going to stop and get some fresh-squeezed orange juice. Anything else you’d like?”
“That sounds marvelous. I can’t think of anything else.”
Claire took her time rising from the toilet and shuffled back over to the sink. She rinsed her face, wishing she had a toothbrush. At least she hadn’t been sick with digestive issues. That was one blessing. She opened the door to find Pat outside, waiting for her. Worry was etched on his face.
He helped her back into the bed. Her strength vanished after the quick trip to the bathroom and her eyes closed. “I think you need to sleep some more. I can leave you alone for now.”
Claire took his hand. “You don’t have to leave. Please. Stay.”
“Okay.” He sat down in the chair, pulling the book from the table nearby.
“Will you read to me? I heard you before.”
He nodded. “When you were tossing and turning, I started reading and you seemed to settle.”
“Thank you.” Her words were soft as tiredness enveloped her again. “Here you are, saving me again.”
“You owe me one.”
“Fine. But tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay.”
The last thing she heard was his words skimming softly over her.
“I love thee from the depth, and breadth, and height.”
The next time Claire woke, hours had passed. Her head felt clearer, and she stretched in the bed. Pat had left at some point. She scooted up in the bed, taking a moment to take stock.
Definitely felt better than earlier.
She heard music, and she glanced at the door to see Janie standing there.
“Well, hello! Good to see you with more color in your cheeks. I had Pat go grab a nap over at your place. He wouldn’t leave your side. Hold on. Be back in a jiff.”
Claire’s heart clenched at Pat’s devotion. Didn’t actions speak louder than words? She had to admit that he’d probably been right about her not helping him if she’d known he was an author. She would probably be back home.
Home!
Claire yelled out, “Janie! Oh no. My flight.”
Janie appeared in the room holding a tall glass of bright orange juice. She came over to the bed and handed it to Claire.
Claire accepted the drink, the liquid sweet and cold against her parched lips. “Oh, this is so good. Thank you.”
Janie perched on the bed, “You’re welcome. Now, what were you yelling about?”
“ I was supposed to have left, I think, um, yesterday?”
“Took care of it. No way you’re going anywhere for a while. So I got your information from your computer and called them to reschedule.”
“Oh, okay. When did you set it to?” She took another swig of the tart orange juice.
“Next month.”
“What? I can’t do that. I have to get home.”
“Settle down. I didn’t know how long you’d be ill. We didn’t even know for sure if you wouldn’t end up in the hospital. You can always change the date. But better safe than sorry.”
“Yes, I guess that makes sense.” She laid back against the pillows. “I can’t thank you enough. I must have been out of it for a while.”
Janie nodded. “You were. That’s why we took turns with you. That way, if we needed to get you to the hospital, we’d be on hand. Thankfully, you have a good immune system.”
“I’m not sure about that. I didn’t even realize how sick I was until I fainted.” Something nagged at her about that moment. Had it also been when something else had happened? She struggled to think about it, but nothing came to her.
“Now, if you’re anything like me, you’re ready for a shower.”
“Oh, yes. That would be wonderful.” Claire set the drink down on the bedside table.
“Great. That will also give me time to change the sheets while you’re in the bathroom.” Janie stood and made her way over to a bag that sat on the floor nearby. “I hope I got what you needed. I pulled a dress, some undies, and some lotions.”
“Toothbrush?”
Janie held up a brand new one. “I figured it would be better if you didn’t use the old one.”
Claire chuckled, “You’ve thought of everything. Wait, you weren’t feeling so hot either. What happened with that?”
“Just a cold, I guess. Maybe the sauna opened my lungs, and I got rid of whatever wanted to take hold. I knocked it out quickly. Good thing, since you weren’t so lucky.”
“Janie, I’ve missed having you around. I wish we wouldn’t have gone our separate ways.”
“Water under the bridge. Now we have time to make up for it. That is if you won’t keep trying to rush away. You belong here.”
There was that word again. Belong. Yes, she’d had a distinguished career and enjoyed making acquaintances. But she hadn’t even felt that sense of belonging until she’d met the book club ladies. Which was strange as each of them was so different from each other. Yet, she’d felt a kinship that had been lacking in her life.
Claire pushed back the covers and sat on the edge of the bed. Janie brought over the bag and set it in the bathroom.
“Oh, I also got some eucalyptus for the shower. So stay in there as long as you like.”
“Wonderful.” Claire took her time rising from the bed and making her way into the bathroom. Closing the door behind her, she heard Janie humming a tune as she turned on the water.
As she shucked out of her clothes, the heady earth smell of the eucalyptus met her nostrils. She inhaled it into her lungs. Thankfully, she was only met with a small bit of coughing in response. She stepped into the shower, allowing the hot water to massage her head and neck before allowing it to tap out a pattern on her back. Her muscles responded to the warmth, loosening against the heat and pressure from the water.
Seeing the various soaps and shampoo, she lifted the soap to her nose, inhaling the musky scent Pat used. Janie had brought Claire’s bath wash. She took her time bathing and shampooing her hair. Finally, she wrapped a thick terrycloth towel around herself. The bathroom filled with the steam of the shower and fragrance.
Cracking open the packaging of the toothbrush, she brushed her teeth with a spearmint paste.
She sighed with contentment. Why were simple things like brushing your teeth so enjoyable? She ran her tongue over the top row of clean teeth. “That feels so much better.”
Now that she had bathed, her thoughts coalesced. Something had upset her right before everything happened. She recalled confronting Pat about him by not telling her about his pen name.
She shook her head. No. That wasn’t it. She’d barely even touched the champagne, so it certainly wasn’t anything there. She took a comb from the bag and ran it through her thick gray curls.
What had happened?
Plot twist.
She halted as the words came into her mind. Those words. She remembered thinking about them just before she must have fainted.
Piling her dirty clothes into a laundry bag, she dressed in another set of leggings and a top. Opening the door to the bathroom, she saw the bed fitted with crisp white sheets.
Well, at least Pat could have his bed back now.
“Hello.”
She turned to see Pat in the doorway, his face bearing a look of relief.
“Pat, I don’t know what to say except thank you. Again. I feel so bad taking your bed from you. But Janie’s put on clean sheets, so it’s all yours again.”
He shook his head. “No, you stay here. I don’t want you to have a relapse. You need to rest. In a day or two, then we’ll talk about changing places.”
“I couldn’t. This isn’t right.”
“Are you always so against a man doing the right thing by you?”
His question startled her. Had she been so determined to be independent that she’d pushed other men away over the years?
A chill passed over her and she slumped down onto the bed. Pat was next to her in a flash, worry on his face.
“Sorry, I guess I’m still not used to standing up for too long.”
“It’s fine. Give me that and you get into bed.” He took the bag from her and dropped it over in the corner.
“Thanks.” She buried herself in the cool luxurious sheets.
“Maybe the orange juice may have spiked your blood sugar, but it wore off. You haven’t eaten anything. I think that may be what you need now.”
Claire shook her head. “I’m not hungry.”
“I still think it would be good if you tried to eat something. Let me go fix you some eggs and toast. You don’t have to eat them, but it would be good if you tried.”
“Can I take you up on that later? As crazy as it sounds, I just want to close my eyes for a bit. Taking that shower wore me out more than I expected.”
“Fine. You sleep now. You can eat later.”
Claire fought to stay awake. “Pat?”
“Yes?”
Her words were barely audible. “Did you serve in Vietnam?”
He started at her question. “Why do you ask?”
Claire didn’t answer as she’d fallen back to sleep.