Advertisement
FluffandCrunch

Sick Day

Mar 12th, 2014
2,272
0
Never
Not a member of Pastebin yet? Sign Up, it unlocks many cool features!
text 9.40 KB | None | 0 0
  1. The day had already begun for Lilly, removing the pot from the stove to cool, a small breakfast prepared before she and Hisao began their routine. He had work downstairs at the tea shop, his classes for once not interfering with his job schedule and Lilly was prepared to enjoy a long day of rest for herself, having the day off from both her own classes as well as work. It was going to be a very well deserved break, if she thought so herself. Since she and Hisao had moved out of his parents home and moved into the tiny one bedroom above the Nanjing Tea House, they had both been stretched thin between their studies and keeping up with their meager income to provide for the two of them. It was difficult, but they lived well within their means with some help now and then from Hisao's parents and their employer with his easy work schedule.
  2.  
  3. While Hisao paid for his schooling through his own work and the money saved by his parents for his education, as well as a few generous scholarships from Yamaku, Lilly had an altogether easier time of it. With the exception of living costs, her own parents had handled everything involving her tuition, a great burden off her mind but one she tried not to bring up to Hisao too often. She knew for a fact all she would have to do is give a single phone call to her father and he would wire them whatever it was they needed and more, but she had only brought that up once or twice to simply remind Hisao of the presence of that safety net. Still, he would never accept it. The animosity between her father and Hisao was still fresh and the mention of asking for help would often send Hisao into a temper. She knew what injured pride was and respected that, she herself dealt with it often. To Hisao, mentioning her father giving him help would be the same as insinuating Lilly needed to be assisted because of her blindness; it was a sore spot they both held and she made no mention of it unless it was necessary and was willing to bear an argument between them.
  4.  
  5. Still, sometimes she worried that Hisao was pushing himself just so he wouldn't have to admit he needed the help every now and then.
  6.  
  7. Lilly knew the feeling.
  8.  
  9. She was usually a late riser, which was why she was so surprised to find the late hour and Hisao had still not risen from bed. Checking the clock, the little beeps chiming out the time, Lilly sets her tea cup on the table and follows the wall to their bedroom. “Hisao, it's getting rather late. If you don't start now, you won't have time for breakfast before you have to go to work.“
  10.  
  11. Their place of employment might just be down the stairs, but Hisao took advantage of that far too often, sometimes throwing his uniform on just as he walked in the door.
  12.  
  13. A light knock at their bedroom elicits no response, so Lilly gingerly opens the door, imagining the poor dear had fallen back asleep. The room is small, just enough for her to maneuver around the mattress and avoid the night stand where she kneels on her side of the bed, still warm from when she got up. Finding Hisao's arm, she gives him a tender pat, lightly moving him to wake. “Hisao? Wake up, dear. It's time to get up.”
  14.  
  15. She smirks, keeping the comment, “I am not your mother,” to herself.
  16.  
  17. Hisao stirs only slightly, groaning in discomfort.
  18.  
  19. Lilly notices the warmth of his arm, far hotter than it should be and the faint pungent smell of night sweat. Running her hand up his arm, over his sleeve, she places it on Hisao's head. Her sensitive fingers almost become scalded with the heat radiating off his his forehead.
  20.  
  21. “Hisao, are you all right? You're burning up.”
  22.  
  23. Another groan and Hisao shuffles in bed again. “I feel horrible.”
  24. A momentary stab of worry strikes Lilly, a passing thought of his heart troubling her. “What is it? What's wrong?”
  25. “My stomach. It feels like... like it's turned upside down and everything is going in the wrong direction.“
  26.  
  27. The graphic description leaves little to the imagination. “Are you going to be fine?”
  28. “No. No, I am not fine.”
  29. Lilly makes a sympathetic coo before patting him on the chest. “Stay, here, I'll get you something.”
  30.  
  31. She returns to the kitchen, finding the cupboard they use as a medicine cabinet. With a delicate touch, she maneuvers her fingers from bottle to bottle, each marked with a strip of braille for identification. The majority of the shelf is taken up by Hisao's medication, though numerous, less than what he took when he first came to Yamaku. The medication for his heart, the medication to alleviate the symptoms from the medication for his heart, all lined up in neat, orderly rows for ease of search and use. Hisao had become very strict about his regimen of pills in recent years and it had influenced a neatness that went well with Lilly's lack of sight, making their lifestyle an orderly and precise series of housekeeping tasks. The pot was always where it should be, the towels were always folded the same way and the pills always went on the same shelf in the same order after every use.
  32.  
  33. Passing the pills for Hisao's condition, Lilly finds a few bottles marked for other purposes, the braille strips stuck to them reading such things as 'Fever', 'Stomach' and 'Pain'. She takes them as well as a glass of water back to Hisao, but stops in the hallways when she hears sounds from the bathroom. “Hisao?”
  34.  
  35. The toilet flushes and the door opens, another groan of discomfort from Hisao as he slumps against the door frame. “Are you all right?”
  36. It takes a while for him to answer. “Remember when I said everything was going the wrong direction?“
  37. “Y-yes?”
  38. “I was right.”
  39.  
  40. Lilly grimaces. “Poor thing.” She holds the pills and water out. “Do you think you can hold these down?”
  41.  
  42. Without a word he takes them and slowly consumes the pills with the glass of water. “What time is it?” he asks once finished.
  43. Lilly tells him and he stirs. “I have to get to work.”
  44.  
  45. “You most certainly do not,” Lilly says, taking him by the arm and maneuvering Hisao back towards the bedroom. “You must rest. You are too ill to work.”
  46. “I have my shift,” he feebly protests.
  47. “I will speak to Mr. Arata, I am certain he will understand. He won't want you being sick with customers around and no one wants to be served by a waiter who could pass out at any moment.“
  48.  
  49. Hisao is silent as Lilly gently persuades him into bed. “Okay,” he finally agrees, settling back into the pillows and sighing.
  50.  
  51. Lilly makes sure Hisao is comfortable before going back to the kitchen and picking up the phone from the charger, the large buttons marked with braille, though she simply memorizes all her important numbers. A few rings later and the voice of an older man comes over the line. “Hello, Nanjing Tea House. We're just about to open.“
  52. “Good morning, Mr. Arata. It's Lilly Satou.”
  53. “Of course it is! How are you, Lilly?”
  54. “I am well. I wanted to call about Hisao, I'm afraid he is not.“
  55. “Is he okay? It isn't the old ticker, is it?“
  56. “No, sir, not at all. I'm certain he has a touch of the flu."
  57. “Sick, is he?”
  58. “Very much so, I'm afraid.”
  59. “Aw, poor guy. Well, that's all right, you let him get his rest, I can handle things down here today. My knee hasn't been acting up, so we won't be busy.“
  60. “Mr. Arata, if you don't mind, I would be happy to come downstairs and fill Hisao's shift for him if you need the assistance.“
  61. “Don't be silly, Lilly! You take care of your boy, you hear? I'm sure he needs you more than I do right now. You make sure he gets back on his feet.“
  62. “Yes, sir, Mr. Arata. I'm sure Hisao will be very grateful.“
  63. “You have a good day and give Hisao my best.”
  64. “You as well, sir. Thank you.”
  65.  
  66. Lilly hangs the phone up, grateful Mr. Arata hadn't taken her up on her offer to fill in for the day. She'd prefer to keep an eye on Hisao while he was in bed, but she would also like to keep some semblance of her day off, even if it was likely going to be spent tending to a sick Hisao.
  67.  
  68. She returns to their room, settling down on the bed again. “How are you doing?”
  69. “Awful.”
  70. “Did the medicine help at all?”
  71. “I'm keeping it down, I consider that a victory.”
  72. “Are you going to take your heart medication?”
  73. A hesitant pause. “I normally would, but it's too expensive to risk it. Besides, one of my side effects is nausea and I can't handle any more than I already have.“
  74.  
  75. She pats Hisao on the arm. “It's all right. Can I get you anything? Are you hungry at all?“
  76. “No, I'm okay. You can go, I don't want you getting sick as well.“
  77. Lilly smiles, stroking the side of his face, his cheeks burning red. “It's all right, I took care of Akira enough times to know what to expect.“
  78.  
  79. What she doesn't say is that every time she did, Akira passed whatever she had to her. Lilly admits she has a weaker constitution than most and she knows everything Hisao is going through was what she would be experiencing in a short time, more than likely worse than Hisao was. Still, she knew where she was needed right now and who needed her.
  80.  
  81. Lilly moves a chair from the corner of the room and sets it next to Hisao's side of the bed. Retrieving a book from her nightstand, she sits down, one hand reading, the other resting on Hisao's head, her fingers gently petting and running through his hair.
  82.  
  83. “It's your day off,” Hisao mumbles.
  84. She smiles, lightly pinching his ear. “I know.”
  85. She lightly hums to him as Hisao slowly falls asleep, Lilly sitting next to him in a caring watch.
Advertisement
Add Comment
Please, Sign In to add comment
Advertisement