Chapter 7.
Author's note: My apologies for not proofing my work more carefully last chapter. I was writing it with a bit too much haste and made some errors. I will be more vigilant not to make the same errors in the future. In any case, this is the last chapter of this story but I will continue with other stories in the future.
So on to Jimmy's house call…
It was the next day, school had ended, and all the students were getting ready for the dance in one way or another. All the students except for Jimmy of course, he spent the afternoon getting his hair cut and gathering items for a very special visit. Cindy got home late last night from the hospital and had probably spent most of the day sleeping off the whole ordeal. He was sure that she was now awake but unable to talk, call, or even go outside to see her friends. There was no avoiding the fact that Cindy was going to miss out on the dance, but Jimmy had not planned to go without her. In fact, he had pretty much set out to make sure that Cindy would be properly entertained any way he could, sick or not.
Carl, Sheen, and Libby arrived to find Jimmy on his front porch stuffing various candies and chocolate treats in the inner pockets of his lab coat. Libby could easily see that Jimmy had taken particular care to get Cindy's favorites, at least the ones he knew of. Libby could also see that Cindy would indeed like Jimmy's new look. The lady at the haircut store actually did a nice job with Jimmy's hair. She had left the front layers just a little long and had parted them to one side. He defiantly had a more natural look with his bangs coming down near his eyes. It actually made his head look smaller and his blue eyes brighter and more alive. Libby couldn't help but think for a moment that Jimmy really was pretty cute for being a science geek. She could only imagine Cindy's reaction since she could hardly take her eyes off him before. It was pretty obvious that Jimmy had no intention to attend the dance, but was preparing to visit his infirmed dance date who was basically housebound for the next couple of days.
"You don't look like you're getting ready for the dance!" Remarked Libby with a smile. "Looks like you've made other plans!"
Jimmy looked up from his candy stuffing and gave Libby a smirk. He knew that Libby had the inside scoop on Cindy's rather aggressive courtship as of late, but he also knew that she wouldn't spill any info either. Carl and Sheen, though listening at first, were quickly distracted with yet another Llama and Ultra Lord discussion.
"I thought I would bring a little cheering up to someone who could really use it!" Said Jimmy turning back to his work.
"Ahhhh, that's so sweet!" Chimed Libby.
Jimmy paused for a moment, then looked back to Libby with an expression of genuine empathy for Cindy's situation.
"Well she can't go outside and if she can talk at all, it's probably barely above a whisper.." Pondered Jimmy. "Also, her mother doesn't really strike me as being an angle of mercy. I figured she could use some cheering up from a friend."
Libby sighed and wore a slight grin on her face. She looked at Jimmy while slowly shaking her head.
"I just hope you're ready!" Smiled Libby.
"Ready for what?" Wondered Jimmy.
"Let's just say that you'll probably get more than you bargained for!"
"Uh, what do you mean?"
"Well, let me put it this way. Of all the people she'd want to have visit her at this time, you're probably number one on her list Jimmy Neutron!"
Libby turned to Carl and Sheen who were still engaged in some meaningless argument about Ultra Lord.
"Come on guys!" Called Libby. "Lets get ready for the dance! Oh, and have fun Jimmy!"
Libby gave him a coy smile, then turned back to Sheen determined to get him cleaned up for the evening's event.
Jimmy watched as they walked off to their houses. He still needed a few items for his visit, but that would have to wait until after dinner. He could hear his mom called him to the table.
After dinner Jimmy went to gather the remaining things for his visit. He needed to get the CD he burned with the Rocket Simulation software and Cindy's current rocket design. He had also stopped by the Candy Bar earlier and got two scoops in a cup of Pecan Ripple that he temporarily kept in the freezer. He gathered all the remaining items, slipped on the candy packed lab coat, and headed across the street to Cindy's house. He could see Cindy looking out her bedroom window. Jimmy gave her a wave as he got closer to her front door. Cindy's eyes got wider and a smile opened up on her face. She could hardly hide the joy she felt seeing Jimmy coming over for a visit and she quickly rushed back to her bed to wait for him.
Soon Jimmy was at Cindy's front door. He rang the doorbell and could soon hear someone coming in between Humphrey's frantic barking. The door opened to reveal a half surprised Mrs. Vortex who seemed strangely relieved that it was Jimmy.
"Helloooo Jimmy." Greeted Mrs. Vortex. She was polite, but didn't smile. Of course, in all his encounters Jimmy could never really remember Mrs. Vortex having anything beyond a smirk on her face.
"Hello Mrs. Vortex!" Said Jimmy cheerfully. "I'm just here to visit with Cindy for a little bit and see how she's doing!"
"Yesss, she was hoping you would come by." Said Mrs. Vortex in her usual slightly snooty tone. "Go ahead upstairs, she's awake now and feeling better already."
"Thanks!"
"Ohh and keep the bedroom door open, that's a house rule!"
"No problem Mrs. Vortex!" Assured Jimmy knowing full well what that kind of house rule really meant. Not that it mattered as this was intended to be just a normal friendly visit and that's all.
Jimmy made his way up to Cindy's room and could see that the door was already blocked open. It was as if she was expecting him, and knew what rules were applied. Jimmy got to the doorway and saw Cindy in her pajamas painting her toenails on her bed. Her room was defiantly very girly with pink curtains, stuffed animals, and lots of lacy trimmed decorations. Strangely her pajamas were just a simple off-white color with a long sleeve button down top and matching long pants and looked more like her Karate outfit.
Cindy's eyes widened with surprise when she saw Jimmy up close. She quickly took a small ink board and a black marker and started to write something.
"I like your hair!" It read.
"Oh thanks!" Said Jimmy reaching up to feel his hair. "It was part of a deal I made with Sheen and Carl!"
Cindy used a rag to erase the previous words then scribbled again on her board, "Deal?"
"Yeah, I get a real hair cut and they wouldn't shave my head or something possibly more embarrassing."
Cindy smiled, gave him a wink, and wrote again, "I like it!"
"Thanks!"
Jimmy paused for a moment then look back at the smiling Cindy. He started blushing slightly. He had hoped that Cindy would like the new look, but he was still a little bit shy about it.
"Soooo!" Jimmy started to ask cautiously, "Did they pluck 'em, your tonsils that is?"
Cindy nodded in a 'yes' fashion. She looked him over some more then scribbled again on her ink board, "Lab Coat?"
"Oh yeah!" Replied Jimmy. "If Cindy Vortex can't go to the party, then the party will come to Cindy Vortex!" He opened his lab coat to reveal the various treats he had hidden away for her.
"As you can see." Continued Jimmy, "I am loaded with contraband!"
Cindy smiled and wanted to laugh, but couldn't due to her surgery. Jimmy pulled out a CD from one of his pockets.
"This is my rocket simulation software along with your updated rocket design file." Said Jimmy. "You can load it on your computer and make all the changes you want. Also!"
Jimmy seemed more enthusiastic now. He quickly shuffled over to place the CD on her computer desk and scrambled back to the foot of her bed.
"I brought just the thing for a recent tonsillectomy and basic sore throat!" Jimmy reached into another pocket and pulled out the sealed cup of Pecan Ripple ice cream he had stopped to get earlier at the Candy Bar. He also came prepared with a plastic spoon and napkin.
Cindy's eyes widened with excitement. Ice cream really did sound good at the moment and was eager to get a taste. She also wanted to get some genuine pampering from Jimmy and she had a perfect opportunity to get just that. When Jimmy walked up to her bedside to hand her the cup and spoon, Cindy simply just opened her mouth. Jimmy backed the cup away a bit and gave her a curious look. He attempted again to hand the cup over, and again Cindy simply just opened her mouth making her desire obvious. Jimmy pursed his lips and gave Cindy a curious glare.
"You want me to spoon feed this to you?" Asked Jimmy in a cautious fashion.
Cindy smiled and leaned back on her pillow. She placed the back of her hand up on her forehead and pretended to be too sick and weak to lift the spoon, all the while trying hard not to laugh or smile too much.
Jimmy rolled his eyes and shook his head and sat on the side of the bed near Cindy. He couldn't believe what he was about to do, but he was here for Cindy's benefit after all. He just hoped that something like this wouldn't get loose in the gossip circuit at school. He popped the lid and scooped up a generous lump of Pecan Ripple on the spoon and held it up for Cindy to gobble up. The whole time Cindy wore a big grin and gazed at Jimmy longingly. Jimmy could see that there was a spark behind her big green eyes, the same spark she had in the Astro Car after the Mars trip. He repeatedly gave her spoonfuls of ice cream giving her plenty of time to get the current one past her still tender throat. Jimmy paused for a moment noticing the prescription drug bottles on Cindy's nightstand. He could see that one was Ampacillin, which was an antibiotic. He expected that she would get something along those lines. He could also see what was in the other bottle; it read "Acetaminophen w/codeine."
"Wow!" Blurted Jimmy. "You have legal access to narcotics, you would've been the life of the party! You know you can get this stuff over the counter in Canada?"
Jimmy picked up the bottle to have a closer look.
"Tylenol with Codeine baby! Let the good times roll!" Laughed Jimmy. He looked back at Cindy who had scratched another request on her ink board that read, "Back to the Ice Cream!"
Jimmy rolled his eyes again, put the bottle back and returned to his spoon-feeding. Cindy couldn't help but think that this was better than any party or dance. She actually thought it would be nice to get sick more often, especially if Jimmy was going to visit.
Soon the ice cream was all gone and Jimmy emptied his pockets containing all the various candy. Cindy promptly stashed it all under her bed sheets so her mom would find any when she came to check on her. Jimmy retrieved her desk chair and placed it where he could sit a Cindy's bedside. Jimmy sat down and looked up to see Cindy looked at him and wearing a big grin. She squeaked out another message on the ink board that read, "I REALLY like you hair!"
"Oh, Thanks!" Jimmy said shyly. He looked at her with more concerned, "So how are you feeling?"
Cindy smiled and looked down and wrote on her ink board, "Headache!" It read.
Jimmy smiled and grabbed her Tylenol w/codeine bottle, "Well, have you hooked yourself up with a blast?" Joked Jimmy shaking the bottle like a rattle.
Cindy tried not to laugh since it was still painful to do so. She wrote another message on her board, "Knocks me out!"
Jimmy put the bottle back on her nightstand. He gave her a slight grin and then looked down at her feet, which had just received a fresh coat of toenail polish.
"Hmmm, have you heard of Reflexology?" Inquired Jimmy scooting his chair back a bit to where Cindy's feet were. Cindy shook her head no.
"Physical therapist use it at times to help patients with chronic pain." Explained Jimmy. "You see, areas on the bottom of the feet correspond with parts of your body. The head and brain are here along the tips of your toes!"
Cindy quickly put two and two together and was eager for Jimmy to give Reflexology a try, but she didn't want to see too eager so she maintained a curious look.
Jimmy continued, "You see if I apply gentle pressure on the areas that correspond to your head, it can bring some relief."
Cindy wrote again on her board, "Try it on me?" It read this time and Jimmy could see her smiling behind the board.
Jimmy looked at the blocked open door and couldn't help but think that something like this wouldn't look good if a wandering Mrs. Vortex were to check on them.
"What if your mom comes up?" Wondered Jimmy.
Cindy again scratched a response on her ink board reading, "Red Wine + TVO, couch potato!"
Jimmy pursed his lips again thinking for a moment, then looked at Cindy who was smiling and batting her eyes at him.
"Ok, but I'll have to touch your feet so no karate kicks Ok!" Cautioned Jimmy who really didn't want to get a face full of freshly painted toenails. "This is an experiment of course, I don't even know if it will help."
Cindy gave him the Ok sign with her hand ensuring Jimmy that no karate kicks would result. She laid back on her pillow as Jimmy began to apply gentle pressure on her big toes. It was strange at first, but after a little while it felt really good to her. She didn't know if it was actually helping her headache but at this point, she didn't really care. After about ten minutes of Jimmy's Reflexology experiment he stopped.
"How do you feel now? Is it working?" Jimmy eagerly inquired.
Cindy sat up wearing a noticeable grin. She opened the drawer on her nightstand and pulled out a tube of lotion tossing it towards Jimmy. Jimmy looked confused but he could hear that familiar black marker squeaking on her board again.
"Foot rub?" It read this time. Cindy again was smiling and batting her eyes at him.
"WWWWHAT?" Said a surprised Jimmy. "I don't even rub my own feet let alone girl feet."
Jimmy could see Cindy mouth the word "PPPPLEASE!" while continuing the smiling and eye batting. She wrote again on her board. "Would make me feel SOOOO much better!"
Jimmy slightly squinted his eyes at her, then gently blew aside some of the soft strands of his hair that began to fall around his eyes. He grabbed the tube of lotion and held it up for her to see.
"Ok! I'll do it, but this doesn't leave this room…EVER!" Instructed Jimmy.
Cindy nodded and gave a 'cross my heart' motion with her hand.
Jimmy squeezed out some lotion into his hands and began rubbing Cindy's feet. Cindy lay back on her pillow again. To her this was better than any dance or movie date Jimmy could take her on. Jimmy continued to talk to her during the foot rub, telling her about how they got Butch to woo Linda, and what they were really getting at the mall. Cindy didn't seem to care much about all that, she couldn't think of anything else other than how good the foot rub felt. The fact that Jimmy was doing the rubbing made all that more gratifying. No so much that she played the sick card to get him to do it. It was the feeling that all of Jimmy's attention was focused on her, and that was the best feeling of all.
After some time went by Mrs. Vortex hollered up the stairs, "Visiting time is about over you two!"
Jimmy looked over at Cindy who sat back up on the bed. "Well, I guess that's my cue to leave." He said.
A cloud of sadness came over Cindy's face. Jimmy's visit was definitely the highlight of the day and she was sad that it was over already.
Jimmy gathered himself up and returned the chair to Cindy's computer desk. "You should take your medication and get some rest I suppose."
Cindy mouthed the words, "Thank you!"
Jimmy walked over and sat on the mattress by her to give her a hug. Cindy jumped at the opportunity and planted a gentle kiss on Jimmy's lips. Dazed at the last event, Jimmy got up and straightened himself up trying to keep his composure.
Cindy wrote on her board again, "Visit tomorrow?" It read.
"Sure!" Said Jimmy, "Would you like more ice cream?"
Cindy just smiled and gave him a wink. She wrote one last message on her board to him that read, "Good Night Jimmy!"
"Good Night Cindy!"
The End!
