Ethan was sick again. He'd had a cold all week and now it seemed he might have developed a mild case of food poisoning, but that didn't explain the headache or the fever. It wasn't as bad as the last time, but still enough that he was staying home from work today. The doctor said it would probably pass in a couple of days, and so far, the worst symptom had been his sore throat—though his head felt like someone was trying to rip it off.

At least Alicia was there for him. She taken care of everything for him since Monday when he first came down with something: food shopping, laundry, cleaning and taking out the rubbish. She had even set up a makeshift bed on the couch, which he currently lay sprawled across in an attempt to get some rest. Suddenly he whimpered faintly.

She sat down next to him and stared at him in alarm. "What's wrong?" she asked, looking concerned.

He shook his head. "I don't know," he replied, feeling exhausted. He closed his eyes and tried to think back.

"Are you sure, Ethan?" she asked. She put her hand on his forehead, which was burning hot. "You're burning up."

He nodded. "Yeah… I'm not sure."

Alicia took his temperature. Then she called in sick for him, made him eat a bowl of chicken soup, and tucked him into bed.

For the rest of the day, he slept. When he woke up, he felt slightly better, and when he ate breakfast, the food stayed down this time. But as the hours passed, his headache only worsened and his fever returned.

"Maybe you should see your GP," she said, her voice quavering.

He nodded slowly. "Can you come with me?"

She smiled. "Of course!"

They drove to the surgery and were ushered into the waiting room by the receptionist. Ethan tried to sit up but he found himself too weak, so he just lay across two chairs, staring at the ceiling.

"How are you doing?" Alicia asked.

"I feel worse," he replied.

After a while, Ethan heard footsteps and turned his head. A few seconds later, the door opened and his GP, Dr Michaelson, peered into the waiting room. She looked young—probably younger than Alicia.

The doctor called Ethan's name and they walked into her room at the surgery, "I understand you've been feeling unwell lately?" she asked.

Ethan nodded. He sat down in a chair and rested his head on his knees. "Yes. I think I have the flu or something."

Her expression darkened. "Well, let's take a look, shall we?"

She pulled out a stethoscope and began listening to his chest, she then moved down to check his stomach, and finally, she took his blood pressure. After each test, she took notes on her computer and gave him a quizzical look.

"Okay, well your body is fighting off an infection, that's why you're running a high fever," she explained, her tone serious. "But according to these tests, your blood pressure has dropped significantly… I'm not sure how long you've been feeling unwell, but if it's been more than three days, I'll need to prescribe some medication to help you recover."

Ethan nodded. "And can you tell me what's causing my headache?"

Her face softened. "It could be a variety of things, depending on what symptoms you've experienced. Have you been experiencing any other symptoms besides this?"

Ethan wasn't sure.

"Sort of… I mean, it's hard to explain…" He leaned forward.

"Then let's try to find out what's caused the fever," she said. "I'd like to run a few more tests."

"Okay," he agreed.

She took his temperature again, then had him drink a glass of water and lay still for fifteen minutes. When she checked his pulse again, it was much faster than before.

"Okay, it appears your temperature is returning to normal," she announced. "That's good news! Now we can get to work diagnosing what's wrong with you." She wrote something down on her computer. "In the meantime, I'd like you to take two paracetamol tablets every four hours. Please make sure you drink plenty of fluids as well. Do you have any questions for me?"

Ethan shook his head. The doctor gave him a sympathetic smile and then left the room, closing the door behind her.

Ethan walked back to the waiting room and sat down beside Alicia.

"So… what did the doctor say?" Alicia inquired.

Ethan hesitated. "She thinks I might have the flu."

Alicia frowned. "You don't sound convinced."

Ethan shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe I'm overthinking it."

Alicia sighed. "Don't worry, Ethan… I'm sure it's nothing serious."

Ethan stared at the wall. "What would happen if I am seriously ill?"

Alicia winced. "Well, I guess we would deal with it together."

Ethan nodded. "Yeah, I suppose." He closed his eyes. "I wish I could remember what happened yesterday."

"Me too, I really hope it doesn't take you forever to figure out what's been going on, okay?" Alicia said.

He nodded. "Sure."

The two of them returned to Ethan's house.