Loving You Too Long

Nathan returned from his business trip after three days. His throat felt sore, and his head throbbed, blurring his vision. He asked the office driver to take him back home, leaving his car at the central office.

The house was quiet when he unlocked the door. Aunt Jody was probably out shopping, he thought. Nathan chose to enter his room, too tired to bother changing his clothes, and fell onto the bed, instantly drifting off to sleep.

Haisley had just come back from campus when she noticed the front door slightly ajar, with Nathan’s keys still hanging from the lock. It was unmistakably Nathan’s, yet she didn’t see his car in the garage. With a soft shake of her head, Haisley pulled the keys and locked the door from inside, as she usually did. All of them-she, Nathan, Gilbert, and Aunt Jody-had copies of the keys, making it convenient for everyone to come and go.

Speaking of Aunt Jody, the middle-aged woman had called her earlier, asking for permission to return home because one of her grandchildren was sick and wanted to meet her. Since the grandchild lived in a different city, Aunt Jody intended to take leave and planned to return at the beginning of next week. Meanwhile, Gilbert had plans with his college friends and wouldn’t be back until Friday night, if his friends didn’t extend their research project into a vacation.

Haisley made her way to the kitchen. As usual, she looked for a glass and filled it with cold water, taking long sips until it was empty. But when she went to put the glass down, something caught her eye. Nathan’s room, which was usually tightly closed, appeared to be open. With hesitation, Haisley approached. She listened for a moment, just in case Nathan wasn’t alone.

There were no other sounds from inside the room except for vague murmurs, barely audible. Finally, Haisley mustered the courage to peek inside. She saw Nathan lying on the bed, facing upward. However, what made her furrow her brows was his slightly odd position. One of his legs dangled down and he was still wearing his shoes.

Haisley approached, and the unclear murmurs became louder. “Nath,” her hand reached out, attempting to wake Nathan. “Nathan,” she repeated, but there was no response. “Nathaniel, wake up!” she said with a higher pitch. But the man remained motionless.

Haisley stared at Nathan’s flushed face. Her hand touched his forehead, feeling the heat. “Nath, are you sick?” she asked, but there was no answer. Haisley grabbed her bag and searched for her phone, contacting Gilbert and asking him to call the doctor.

“Dr. Willy will be here in about ten minutes. Is he okay?” Gilbert inquired.

“I don’t know, G. He’s feverish and mumbling incoherently,” she replied.

“Usually, there’s paracetamol in the first aid kit in the storage closet. Try giving him one tablet,” Gilbert suggested.

“I’m afraid, G. What if he has already taken it before going to sleep?” she replied in a panic.

“Alright, Princess. Stay calm. Just find a small towel and a large bowl in the kitchen. You know how to do a compress, right? If not, you can find instructions online,” Gilbert said, intending to tease her. But there was no laughter in response from Haisley. She was too worried to even respond to Gilbert’s teasing. “Call me again when the doctor arrives, H. I have to go,” he said before ending the call.

Following Gilbert’s instructions, Haisley went to the kitchen. She had found a large bowl and was looking for a small towel when the doorbell rang. Haisley walked to the door and saw a short man with thinning hair looking at her. “Ms. Haisley?” the man asked with a deep and authoritative voice. Haisley had misjudged him; she had thought his voice would be small, matching his below-average height.

“Are you Dr. Willy?” Haisley asked hopefully, to which the man nodded. “Thank goodness, you came early.”

“I just added the predicted time to the time I spend if there’s traffic. But it seems there was no traffic like I anticipated, so yes, I arrived earlier,” the man replied as he followed Haisley into Nathan’s room.

“I just got back; I don’t know since when he has had a fever,” she said as the doctor opened his bag and started examining Nathan.

His hands moved swiftly, touching Nathan’s body until he finally sighed in relief. “No need to worry. He just caught the flu. Probably too tired, a lot on his mind, it seems,” the man said again. “Just apply cold compress, let his body stay warm. If he sweats, change his clothes immediately. And give him soup so his throat can feel more comfortable.” The man provided Haisley with several medications and wrote down instructions on them. “I think he also has some issues with his stomach. Make sure he eats on time. Take this before meals, and this after meals. And for this one, it contains a sleeping aid, so give it to him only at night.” Five kinds of medicine were now stored on the nightstand. “Always be prepared for any possibility,” the man said when he noticed Haisley’s bewilderment at the readily available medications.

“T-Thank you, Doctor,” Haisley replied, feeling nervous and embarrassed. The middle-aged man only responded with a smile.

“Take good care of him. People who rarely get sick tend to be more delicate,” he said with a comforting smile. “And take off all these clothes; he must be feeling overheated. Use a thin blanket, unless he starts shivering, then add a thicker one. And dress him in clothes that are easy to remove. His body is too large; it might be difficult for you to change his clothes.” Haisley simply nodded, although for some reason, her face suddenly felt hot.

After escorting the doctor outside, Haisley returned to the kitchen and brought a bowl along with the towel he had prepared earlier. He also grabbed a glass and a bottle of mineral water, placing the tray on the nightstand. He began to take off Nathan’s shoes and placed them on the bed. He loosened the man’s belt before turning his attention to the suit he was wearing. “Nathan, please. Your body is really big. Be kind enough to move,” he said. But instead, Haisley found Nathan sweating profusely after the suit and tie were removed.

Haisley filled the large bowl with cold water from the bathroom and started wetting his small towel. He placed the towel on Nathan’s forehead and left the room again. The doctor had said Nathan needed to have soup. So, Haisley thought about making chicken soup and porridge for him.

While cooking the porridge for an hour, Haisley changed the compress several times. Nathan’s fever still hadn’t gone down. He brought a bowl of porridge and the soup back to the room, attempting to wake Nathan up. The man’s clothes were soaked with sweat.

Haisley opened Nathan’s closet. For the first time since he had known Nathan, it was the first time Haisley had entered the man’s private area. Confused? Certainly. Throughout his life, the only man who had been so intimately close to him was his father, the only man in his house. Ignore Gilbert because he had no feelings for him beyond affection for a friend.

Haisley pulled out the topmost shirt he could find and went back to the bed. “Nath, wake up. Let’s change your clothes, big guy,” he said softly. His small hands continued to shake Nathan’s body to wake him up. Nathan squinted his eyes and looked at Haisley with a furrowed brow.

“Haisley?”

“Yeah, it’s me. Come on, get up. Change your clothes and eat. After that, you’re free to go back to sleep or do whatever you want.” Haisley helped Nathan sit up and placed several pillows behind him so he could be comfortable in his semi-upright position. “Are you feverish? Do you have a headache?” she asked as Nathan closed his eyes, wincing. His head nodded slowly. “Your clothes are wet, let’s change them.” Haisley helped unbutton Nathan’s shirt one by one and took it off. The man winced, although Haisley’s movements were gentle. Maybe it was because his body was sore due to the fever, or perhaps, as Dr. Willy had said, people who rarely got sick tended to be more delicate.

Haisley wiped Nathan’s body with a warm towel she had wrung out, removing the remaining sweat before putting a fresh shirt on him. Then, she gave him the medicine that, according to the doctor’s instructions, Nathan had to take before eating. The man complied silently. Afterward, she placed the tray on his lap and told Nathan to eat.

“Porridge?” he whispered.

“The doctor said you have acid reflux. So, I thought porridge would be better. Come on, eat, and finish it. The soup too. While it’s still warm,” she said.

Nathan just nodded. He started spooning the porridge into his mouth. The aroma of green onions from the chicken soup in front of him increased his appetite. While he ate, he occasionally watched the girl bustling around in her room. She put away her shoes, placed the dirty shirt in the laundry basket, filled a large bowl with cold water, and ended by refilling the thermos with hot water for drinking.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Without realizing it, the bowls of porridge and chicken soup in front of her were already empty. Haisley picked up the tray from her lap and offered a few pills along with a glass of warm water. “Eat, and go back to sleep,” was the only sentence she heard until Nathan drifted back into his slumber.

Haisley glanced at her watch. It had been over two hours since Nathan last fell asleep. His body was still warm, although not as hot as before. It seemed the doctor’s medication was working. She felt hungry herself. Haisley reached for the towel on Nathan’s forehead and placed it on the small bowl. She covered him before heading to the kitchen to prepare something for herself. Half an hour later, she was back in Nathan’s room, checking on him. She chose to sit on the floor, which was covered in thick carpet, resting her head on her folded arms beside the bed. And when drowsiness overcame her, she didn’t resist taking a brief nap, she thought, before fully succumbing to sleep.