Sadists Plans
"Hello?" Fitz called out from the front door of Olivia's house. He had just arrived, late from work, covering a shift at the bakery for one of the high school kids so she could go on her first date. "I'm home!" It didn't even seem weird to him to call her place home anymore. He still had his house, but Fitz spent most of his off time at Olivia's house. And happily so. He wondered where she was?
He dropped his keys into the same bowl she put hers and went to search for her. She wasn't in the living room so he kept walking to her bedroom. Maybe she had a sexy surprise for him and was waiting for him to come and get it? That would be a great way to end this day, Fitz thought to himself. His footsteps quickened and he turned the doorknob on her bedroom door. He tiptoed inside the dark room and shut the door behind him. He couldn't see a thing. He was beyond excited. He unbuttoned his shirt and threw it on the floor.
He stumbled toward her bed and heard a moan coming from her mouth. Fitz froze in place. What the hell was that? His breathing became quieter and he strained to hear any more noises. Olivia moaned from the direction of the bed and moved around on it. There is no way. No way in hell this cliché is happening to him. She loudly called out, "Daddy" and thrashed on the bed some more.
Who the hell is she calling daddy? Someone was about to be in serious pain! He kept tiptoeing to her bed and finally reached the side of it. Now what? Fitz didn't have a plan. Who would in this situation? The idea hit him in an instant.
He walked to the bathroom and pulled the door until it was only opened a crack. He reached his arm in a flipped the light switch on that was against the wall. He turned around expecting to see stunned faces staring back at him, caught in the act. Instead Fitz let out the breath he had been holding and felt more guilt than he ever had before.
Olivia was laying in her bed. Alone. There were crumbled up tissues on the floor and nightstand. There was a half empty glass of water on the nightstand as well. She suddenly moved on the bed and Fitz almost fell on his ass from the shock of it. Olivia was sick. He watched her for a few more minutes and witnessed her calling out "daddy" again. He'd have to ask her about that later. It was weird.
He walked around to the other side of the bed and crawled in. He wrapped his arms around her and immediately knew she was running a fever. She was burning up with it. He tried to wake her. "Babe? Can you wake up?"
Olivia stirred in the bed, and after coaxing her out of her fog a few more times, Fitz saw her eyes flutter open. He held her close to his bare chest and pushed her hair out of her face with a finger. She blinked a few times and in a very weak voice said, "Fitz? I don't feel very good."
It broke his heart to see her like this. "I know babe. How long have you been in bed?" She started crying and Fitz just held her and made shushing sounds.
"I need some water." She croaked out. Instead of getting out of bed, Fitz crawled over her and grabbed the glass from the nightstand. He helped her sit up and watched as she took a small sip. The act alone seemed to take all of her energy. He put the glass back and got back under the blankets with her. "I left work before lunch. I don't know how I made it home. I made a glass of water in the kitchen and just kept walking until I ended up in bed. What time is it?"
"It's almost eight o'clock. Have you taken any medicine? You most definitely have a fever, babe." Fitz wondered why she hadn't let him know she had come home early from work? Or wasn't feeling well? Those questions could wait though. Now he needed to get her better. He waited for her answer.
"I took a couple Tylenol when I got here, but I've been in bed ever since I got home." Olivia said, feeling tired again. His body was warm to her. It felt good. She clung to him and started drifting to sleep again.
She was about to hate him. He hated that he had to do this to her, but he didn't know what else to do. Her fever had to break. "Babe, I'm going to get you some more Tylenol to help you feel a little better. And you need to soak in a tub. It will help with the fever as well." He hoped he knew what he was talking about. It's what his sister in law did with her kids sometimes. If it worked on kids, it should work on adults too, right? And while she was in there, he would change the sheets. She had been laying on them for hours. They were probably full of germs.
Olivia whined in his arms and shook her head. "I don't wanna take a bath. I'm too tired. Just hold me."
Fitz held her for exactly four minutes. And then she was fast asleep again. He pried himself from her arms and got out of the bed. He noticed for the first time that she was still wearing work clothes. He didn't feel any shoes earlier, but he now saw a silk shirt haphazardly hanging off her body as she haphazardly laid across the bed. She wasn't going to like his plan, but it was for her own good. He stopped in his tracks and felt like his mother for a moment. How many times did she tell him and his brother that same thing before she did something horrible to them? Like make them take a bath? Or clean their room? Or whoop their ass? He shook off the feeling, threw his shirt back on, and walked into the bathroom.
Fitz looked in her medicine cabinet and located the Tylenol. There were only a few pills left. That wasn't good. What was he going to do? He didn't want to leave her to get more. He paced for a moment and then sprang into action. He left the bathroom door cracked open and quietly walked back into the kitchen. He picked up his cell phone and scrolled through his contacts, realizing he didn't have Abby's number. He crept back into the bedroom and searched for Olivia's phone. It was under a mountain of tissues, but he picked it up by his thumb and index finger, held it out away from his body, held his breath, and almost ran to the kitchen again.
He scrolled through her phone until he found Abby's name and touched the phone icon. The phone started ringing and Fitz started begging her to answer. Finally he heard, "Hello? Liv?"
"Hey Abby. It's Fitz. I need a really big favor from you right now."
"Why are you calling me from..."
"Abby! Oivia is sick. She's in bed and has a pretty high fever. There's only a few pills left in her Tylenol bottle and I don't want to leave her to go get more. Can you please bring some over here?" Fitz was talking really fast.
"Fitz! Calm down. All I heard is Liv is sick followed by a bunch of rambling. What's the matter with her?" Abby was already putting on shoes and looking for her keys.
Fitz took a deep breath and calmly said, "She has a fever. I had to work late tonight and just got home about a half hour ago. I found her asleep in bed. When I woke her up she said she has been there since she got home. Can you please bring a bottle of Tylenol over here? I really don't want to leave her. Please, Abby?"
"I'm already walking out the door. Do you have any soup there? She needs to eat something light. What about Gatorade? She needs to keep drinking a lot too." She heard him slamming cabinet doors open and uttering profanities. It made her smile. He was worried about her and wanted to take care of her.
"There's nothing in these cabinets that resembles food in any way. But there's so much popcorn that Orville Redenbacher would be proud! Whatever you think she needs, get it. I'll give you the money when you get here."
"Shut up, Fitz. Keep it together. Make some coffee. It's gonna be a long night. I'll be there in thirty minutes." Abby hung up and headed to the closest grocery store.
Fitz put the phone down on the counter and made a pot of coffee. He doubted he'd need any though. He was so wired and worried, he didn't think he'd ever sleep until her fever had broken. He went in search for the extra sheets for her bed. He wanted to change the bedding while she was in the tub so she could climb back into bed quickly when she was done.
He went into her dresser, as quietly as possible, looking for a thin long sleeved shirt and some kind of pajama pants. He found both thanks to her organized ways and laid them on the bathroom counter. He put a huge towel beside them. Once that was done he didn't know what else to do? He went into the kitchen and waited for Abby.
He called Charlotte and asked her to open the bakery for him in the morning and explained the situation. She was understanding and offered to help if he needed anything. Fitz appreciated her thoughtfulness and told her as much.
He had just poured a cup of coffee and was walking to the table to drink it when Abby walked in carrying five or six plastic bags full of stuff. She set them on the table and grabbed the cup of coffee out of his hand, taking a huge drink. "That's good stuff. Ok, here's the plan. We need to heat her up some soup and force her to eat some of it. She will refuse to, but we are in charge, not her. We are also going to take her temperature to see what we are dealing with. And so we can see if it goes up or down. And then..."
"No." Fitz interrupted. "First we are going to give her some Tylenol. We are going to run her a lukewarm bath to help break her fever. While you are doing that, I am going to change the disgusting germ infested sheets on her bed. She still has on work clothes! We are going to put her in something warm and comfy and then we can force food and drink down her throat. Ok?"
Abby was impressed. Fitz was on his game here and had put a lot of thought into it. He had a plan of his own and it was a better one than hers. "Ok. We need to get her sheets and clothes together first because when she gets out of the tub..."
"The clothes are already in the bathroom with her towel. I pulled the sheets out already and they are ready to go on the bed." He grinned at her despite the situation.
"Look at you. A man with a plan. Let me drink this coffee, because Liv rarely gets sick. But when she does, she's a whiney bitch. She is worse than a five year old. I'm guessing. It's gonna get ugly. Don't hold it against her."
Fitz poured a second cup of coffee and sat down with Abby to enjoy the last few moments of quiet. "I already told her she had to take a bath. She got whiney with me about it. It was kinda cute. If I get sucked into that cuteness and start giving in to what she doesn't want, I'm counting on you to bring me back to my senses. OK? I'm a complete pushover when it comes to her."
"Really?" Abby grinned at him. "I never noticed."
"Smartass," Fitz replied. They drank their coffee in silence and set their mugs on the counter when they were finished. Abby grabbed the Tylenol while Fitz opened and dumped a can of Chicken Noodle Soup in a pan on the stove. He grabbed a bottle of Gatorade and they headed into the bedroom.
Abby continued into the bathroom and started running water in the tub. She could hear murmured conversation and didn't pity Fitz at all. She knew Olivia was not going to like this. She shook the feeling off and felt the water for the tenth time. It wasn't too hot or too cold. She turned it off and went into the bedroom to help Fitz get her into the tub. What she saw instead made her put her hand on her hip and scowl.
Fitz looked up at Abby from inside the bed where he was holding Olivia, who was sleeping peacefully with her head on his chest. When Abby held her arms out in question, he whispered, "She's not quite ready for a bath. She promised to take one later."
Abby pulled the blankets off both of them and whispered, "You're doing it! You are giving in to her. Get your ass up! NOW!"
"Have you lost your damn mind? Put the blankets back on her. She's freezing!" Fitz demanded in a whispered voice.
"No! She's freezing because she has a fever. And the longer she lays in that bed without a bath and medicine and food the longer she is going to keep it. Did you at least take her temperature? Or do I have to do everything?" Fitz looked everywhere but at Abby. She huffed and said in a much gentler tone, "Liv,
honey. I'm going to put a thermometer in your mouth to take your temperature. Just put it under your tongue, ok? There ya go." Abby shot Fitz a triumphant smirk.
When it beeped, Abby pulled it out of her friend's mouth and looked at the read out in the bathroom. She walked back in and gave Fitz a worried look. "How high is it?" He asked. Abby called off 102.1 and Fitz jumped up off the bed. "Olivia, you need to come take a bath, ok? It's going to make you feel better, baby."
Olivia didn't want a bath. She just wanted to sleep. Why did the two of them think they were going to get her to do anything other than that? It wasn't happening. "I promise I'll take one later. I just want to sleep right now. Please."
Fitz scooped her up in his arms and sat her on his lap on the edge of the bed. "No ma'am. That's not happening right now." Abby unbuttoned her blouse and pulled it off her hot skin.
Olivia shuddered from the cold air and turned into Fitz's side. "Noooo," she cried weakly. Abby pulled off Olivia's skirt as her friend continued crying and Fitz continued to hold her close, whispering 'it'll be alright' over and over.
She was down to her panties and bra and Abby looked to Fitz. He shrugged his shoulders not knowing how to handle it. "I've seen her naked more than you have. Yet" She stripped her friend and Fitz carried her into the bathroom.
"Baby, you've got to get into the tub. It'll help you feel so much better." But when he tried to set her into the water, she clung to his body. "How about if I get in the bath with you? Kind of like last time. Remember when we took a bath together? Except this time you can lean back onto my chest, ok?"
Without giving her the opportunity to agree or disagree, Fitz stepped into the tub with her. "She cried even harder now. "It's so cold, Fitz. Turn on the hot water. It's too cold."
"Babe, it's not too cold. I'm in here too and I'm not shivering at all. It feels cold because your skin is hot with a fever. This will help, I promise. But we have to get you all wet first." Abby handed him a cup and he began the task of filling it up and pouring it on her arms and shoulders and eventually her head. Olivia cried loudly and it broke Fitz's heart. Meanwhile, Abby changed the sheets on Liv's bed and tried not to cry too.
After they had been in the tub for about fifteen minutes, Fitz pulled the plug and let the water drain out. When most of it was gone, he nodded to Abby and she got the towel from the counter. He stood up with Olivia still in his arms and stepped out of the tub. In a loving gentle voice he explained that he was going to set her on the floor so they could dry her off and get her dressed as fast as they could. She nodded and reached for the towel. Abby wrapped her up tight and held her in a close hug while Olivia shivered from head to toe.
Fitz dried himself off as best he could and went into the bedroom to get dressed. He threw on his jogging pants and a bakery t-shirt. He rejoined Abby and Olivia in the bathroom where the job of dressing Olivia was made very hard due to her uncontrollable shaking. Abby had her shirt on and was pulling up her panties when he walked in. Fitz scooped her up once again and walked with her into the bedroom. He sat down with her on his lap again as Abby pulled socks onto her feet followed by a pair of fuzzy pajama bottoms. The minute she was fully dressed, she clung to Fitz again.
Abby patted her friend's hair as dry as she could with another towel and left her in his arms. She went into the kitchen and heated up the soup, trusting that Fitz was making her take the medicine and drink the Gatorade. When the soup was steaming Abby poured half of it into a bowl, grabbed a spoon, and went back to the bedroom.
Olivia was sitting up in bed with pillows behind her back and Fitz was sitting beside her. She was drinking the orange drink and Fitz was smiling. Abby took that as a signal that she had taken the medicine without argument. She sat down on the edge of the bed and said, "Liv. I know you're not hungry at all, but you need to eat a few spoonful's of soup. For me?"
Olivia looked at the soup and really didn't want to even smell it. But she nodded, knowing she had been defeated and took a bite. It felt good going down her raw throat. But she was never going to tell them that. Not after they tortured her in that frozen bath water. Still, her throat felt some much needed relief, and the soup wasn't so bad. She realized she was kind of hungry as she ate.
She was exhausted but didn't plan on sleep happening until these two sadists had explained what the next form of torture was going to be. She gave Abby the empty bowl and thought she saw a smirk on her friend's face. Her eyelids started to droop. Were these fresh sheets? She had the best boyfriend and friend anyone could ever hope to have. She was never telling them that either. She drifted off to sleep.
Fitz and Abby laid her lifeless body down and pulled the blankets up to her neck. Abby put her hand on Olivia's forehead, but it didn't feel quite as hot as before. That was a good sign. That could also change during the night. They walked out of the bedroom and drank another cup of coffee, enjoying the silence again.
"I really appreciate all your help tonight. I couldn't have done it without you, Red." Fitz pulled her close for a hug and Abby was partially sad that no one was here to witness it. But the other side was too tired to care.
"Why are you hugging me? I mean, I know you're glad I helped, but you are acting like I'm leaving?" Abby asked.
"Well, I just figured that now she's eaten, been in the tub, and settled in bed that you would want to take off? I can watch her through the night and give her meds if her fever spikes, or make her drink something every so often. Did you want to stay?" Fitz felt like he had just hurt her feelings. He didn't mean to.
"Hell yes I'm staying. No disrespect, but you admitted to being a pushover when it comes to her. Don't worry, I won't take over. I'd just be here as back up."
"Of course you can stay. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. I wouldn't do that to you." She smiled at him and he returned it. "Do you want to sleep with her? I can make up the couch and sleep there?"
"Uhhh no thanks. I'm not going to intentionally lay in a bed with her and catch that shit! I'll take the couch. But you can still make it up while I finish off my coffee." Abby grinned as he got up to get sheets and a blanket.
Some time around four a.m. Abby was being shaken awake by Fitz. She slapped his arms away but his strong ones kept shaking her. She opened her bleary eyes and exclaimed, "What the hell, Fitz?"
"I think we need to take her to the hospital or something. She won't drink anything, she hasn't gotten up to pee at all. Her breathing is pretty shallow. And her fever is back up. I just checked and it's 102.9. What do we do, Abby?" Fitz was frantic.
Abby blinked her eyes a few times and shook the sleepiness from her body. She thought for a minute and got up off the couch. She walked into the kitchen and grabbed her phone out of her purse. She fiddled with the buttons and held it up to her ear. She hated calling her this early in the morning, but it had to be done. Abby and Fitz were out of their realm. And she would know what to do. She chanted, "Come on, come on, come on," over and over until she heard a sleepy greeting on the phone.
"Hello? Mrs. Pope? This is Abby. I'm very sorry to call you so early in the morning, but...What? No! Liv hasn't been in a car accident. She's fine. I mean, she's not fine. She is sick. She is running a high fever and you are the only one I thought to call. Yes ma'am. We've tried Tylenol, a bath, food, drink. She's not peeing, Mrs. Pope. I'm really worried. Tell me what to do please." Abby made eye contact with Fitz and listened to Olivia's mother talk. "Yes ma'am. I'll wait. Thank you. Goodbye."
"So?" Fitz asked.
"Liv's parents are on their way over here now. They'll know what to do." Abby explained. "We'd better brew some more coffee."
To be continued...