Logan glared at Alex. How could someone sick be so irresponsible? He thought since her aunt worked a lot, Alex learned how to look after herself.
Yet, here she was, only caring for herself halfway. What if he didn’t come? What would have happened to her?
Shaking his head, he left her room, “Wait, right here.”
Alex sighed in relief. She pulled her legs and hugged her knees, resting her chin on them. She didn’t know if Logan did it on purpose but he ignored her sudden change in attitude. For that, she was thankful.
A noise came from downstairs, the sound of metal crashing onto the floor.
Alex straightened her back. The image of yesterday’s laundry incident came to mind. She quickly got off the bed and ran for it.
Logan had been halfway up the stairs when something warm bumped into him.
“Woah, Alex” Logan said as he put her upright. He could tell by her footsteps that she put extra effort to move. She really shouldn’t walk around.
“Don’t tire yourself out” he added for good measure. For stubborn patients like Alex, they needed to be told specifically.
Alex began to feel lightheaded but she merely shook her head.
“What did you do to my kitchen?!” She demanded.
Logan snorted and rolled his eyes.
“I made you this” he lifted up the bowl he held in one hand. It had been filled up with warm oatmeal, “Don’t worry. I only added hot milk.”
He figured it would be the safest thing to eat for a sick person. Anyway, he didn’t really get permission to check around the kitchen. He only opened one cupboard and saw the oatmeal. The rest became history.
“I was only being cautious” Alex muttered under her breath. That crash sounded serious but maybe this time, it really was her paranoia.
“What was that?”
“Nothing. I said I should get back to bed” she turned on her heel and climbed back up the stairs. She went straight to her bed and sat down, pulling the blue covers over her legs.
Logan sat on the edge of the bed, his feet on the floor. He mixed the oatmeal one more time.
When Alex reached for the bowl, he slapped her hand away.
“What was that for?” She rubbed the sore spot to soothe the pain.
In reply, Logan merely lifted a spoon full of oatmeal near her mouth.
Alex placed her hands on her hips, “I can feed myself.”
Logan rolled his eyes at her childish behavior, “Let me take care of you, will you?”
Any comeback Alex had got stuck in her throat. She found it strange to let someone look after her. Well, her parents and her aunt did on occasion but it had mostly been herself once she learned how to do it. If it was mild, she didn’t even speak a word of it.
Slowly, Alex opened her mouth and let Logan spoon feed her.
“That’s a good girl” he smiled.
Alex looked away, chewing softly. Both of them stayed silent as Logan fed her. Alex always thought oatmeal had a weird texture in her mouth. Safe to say, she didn’t really eat it much—but she didn’t want to be rude and reject it. Someone had made it for her after all. She also didn’t like to waste food either.
“Just one more, Alex” Logan said as he moved the spoon closer to her mouth. Alex took the final bite real quick and swallowed. She held her breath to keep the food down her throat, making sure not to throw up.
“I’ll be right back” Logan stood up and left the room.
Alex leaned on the headboard and closed her eyes for a bit. She felt tired all of a sudden. When Logan came back, the bowl was gone. In its place was a glass of water and a medicine bottle.
He sat on the same spot.
“Time for the medicine” he said, handing her the right amount of tablets and the glass of water.
“Where did you get this?” Alex asked, inspecting the tablets in her hand.
Logan shrugged, “I bought it on my way here. I asked the pharmacy for the best one so you could get back on your feet quickly.”
Alex put them in her mouth and drained the whole glass, “Thank you. I’ll pay you back later.”
“There’s no need for that. You should go rest” Logan said, patting her head. He took back the empty glass and stood up. He pulled up the blankets to tuck Alex in.
“But—”
Logan rolled his eyes, “If it bothers you that much, I can take the medicine bottle home.”
Alex didn’t have the energy to argue so she lied back down and snuggled into her sheets.
When she looked up, Logan stood by the doorway. Her eyes felt heavy but she could still see a faint smile on his lips.
“Sleep tight, Alex.”
===
Alex thought she must have slept for hours.
When she woke up, she felt something cold on her forehead. She opened her eyes and took it off. It turned out to be a damp towel. She glanced at the side table and saw a plastic bowl sitting on top of it. She sat up and placed the towel next to the bowl.
She stretched her arms behind her back. She felt so much better than she did that morning. Looking around the room, she saw no sign of Logan.
Alex frowned.
Did he leave?
She shrugged. Maybe he had something to do. Ah well, she’d eventually see him again.
She lied back down and turned over to her side.
“Ah!” she gasped, sitting up again.
Sleeping soundly next to her was Logan Parker. He was laying on his side, facing her. He slept over Alex’s blankets with his shoes off and his lips parted slightly. His chest rose and fell rhythmically. His head nestled onto her pillow as if his nose could almost touch the fabric.
Alex scrunched her eyebrows. Just how could a young adult suddenly fall asleep in someone else’s bed? She certainly found it hard the first time she slept over at Emily’s.
She noticed a book on the bed. He still held it in his hand, using his thumb as a page marker. He seemed to have read about 1/3 of it based on the pages. Either she slept for a long time or he read fast.
Alex poked his cheek. It made Logan whimper.
She chuckled and pushed his bangs off of his face, her fingertips brushing his skin.
She stopped. Her smile slowly turned into a frown. She pressed the back of her hand on his forehead.
She definitely didn’t imagine it. It felt hot.
She quickly stood up, grabbing the bowl. She headed downstairs and into the kitchen. It looked spotless compared to the mess she imagined earlier. She placed the bowl next to the electric kettle and heated some water. On a nearby shelf, she looked for a First-Aid kit and took out the rubbing alcohol.
She emptied the bowl and filled half of it with tap water. Then, she added some rubbing alcohol into it.
The kettle switched itself off once it finished boiling the water.
Alex lifted it off its plate and poured it little by little into the bowl. She used her fingertip to test the temperature until it felt just right.
Placing back the kettle, she took the bowl and went back to her room.
She put it on the side table near Logan then, walked around to get the towel. She drenched it inside the bowl and squeezed the excess water.
“Logan?” she started to shake him awake. It took both of her arms to do it. He was that heavy. Logan groaned a little, turning to lie on his back.
Alex sighed in relief. At least, she didn’t have to turn him over herself. She wiped the sweat off his face and grabbed the towel. Then, she placed it on his forehead.
She went downstairs to get a glass of water. She took quick and light steps as she went up the stairs. She put the glass next to the bowl. Then, grabbed the medicine bottle Logan had bought and moved it there as well.
“Logan?” Alex shook him in the arm again—with both of her arms, of course—but he didn’t stir.
She tried again, “Logan? Come on, you’re burning up. You need to take some medicine”
He eventually got him to lift his head, still half-asleep. Alex supported his head—which weighed like a brick—and forced the medicine into his mouth. Then, she brought the glass of water to his lips. After a few sips, she placed his head back down gently onto the pillow.
Alex noticed that he shivered from the chilly air. She went to get extra blankets to cover him up.
Once he had been fully tucked in, she sat on her usual side of the bed and kept watch.
Questions began to pop up in her head. How long has Logan been sick? Did he already have a fever before he got here? Was it because of what happened last Saturday too? Or did he get it while he looked after her? Maybe it was when they had a wrestling match because of her embarrassment.
As the minutes went by, her eyes eventually drooped and she fell asleep again.
