Sitting behind the front desk of museum lobby, sorting through the pile of papers the curator refused to take care of himself, I stifled a couch into the elbow of my sweater. The last few days I had been feeling pretty sick but it was presumably just a change of season cold. The fact that I had been refusing to button up my jacket, convinced that the cold was good for me probably hadn't helped. It wasn't anything I hadn't fended off before, or anyone else didn't contract every once in a while.
The mess of papers slowly became neat stacks as I fell into a dazed sorting pattern. Soon I only had a few papers left and I held them between my fingers as I glanced at the aged clock on the brown wall. Time to leave, well it would be after I separated the last of the documents.
I got up from the desk, stretching my cramped legs a bit, the day had gone so slow, and went to grab my jacket and purse from the back room with the faded 'Employees Only' sign hanging on it. I re-entered the lobby pulling my jacket over my shoulders as I dropped my purse while trying to do to many things at once. I bent down to pick it up and heard the front door open and close.
"I'm sorry, we're closing up right now." I said, the night guard said he would follow me out so he could lock up while I had grabbed my jacket.
"That's too bad, but I'm not here to see some ancient spoons." A familiar voice joked, I stood up straight to find Grizzly leaning against the lobby desk.
"For your information, those aren't spoons, they're mummification tools." I threw back smiling as I pulled my scarf out of my jacket pocket and made my across the lobby to him.
"A spoon is a spoon to me," He said. "I just wanted to pop in and see you like I said I would, and maybe, I can walk you home."
"I suppose that's okay but they're still not spoons." I replied, smirking.
We walked out onto the chilly streets of Boston as he tried to convince me that I was wrong about the 'spoons'. After an extended argument over the issue, we arrived at my building and I fiddled around in my purse looking for my keys which I could never find.
"Are you busy tonight?" I asked as I continued my search, I didn't want to wait another week to catch up, I had been so secluded since moving to Boston and having someone I knew was refreshing.
"For once I'm not, actually. What are you thinking?" He enquired as I finally pulled my keys out of my bag and unlocked the main door to the building.
"I don't know yet, why don't we figure it out upstairs so I can change, I smell like ancient spoons." I joked as I yanked the door open due to the sticky hinge which always gave me trouble.
We climbed the old creaky stairs to my apartment and I struggled once more with another old lock and pushed my way into the seemingly empty room. I had failed to unpack all of my things, trying to avoid the inevitable clutter of my books, all I had pulled out of my luggage were my necessities and my clothes which for once I had hung neatly in my bedroom closet.
I threw my purse onto the only table I had and felt another cough trying to escape my lungs and pulled a handkerchief out of my pocket to try to stop it. I coughed a little bit and upon looking up I felt slightly light-headed, shaking it off as a case of head rush.
"Are you sick?" Grizzly asked as I pulled of my jacket and threw it over with my purse after shoving my kerchief back in the pocket.
"I'm fine," I shrugged, "You know, it's that time of the year. I'll be back in a minute and then we can think of somewhere to go."
"Alright, I'll be out here, racking my brains." He said as he sat down in the only chair and I found my way to my bedroom.
I made my way over to my closet and pulled it open, pushing aside the empty hangers to find something other than my work clothes to wear, not that there was much difference. I pulled out some black pants with a thick silver ribbon as a belt and the dark violet blouse my mother had bought me after I returned from France.
I threw the garments across my bed as sat down to take off my shoes. After unlacing the tiny strings I stood up and found myself dizzy once again but this time my body began to shake with coughs that I couldn't suppress. I continued to cough and rushed to my adjoining washroom I coughed up into the sink. I looked down to find green phlegm and turned on the tap to wash it away. It was good to cough it out, I thought, better have it out of your system.
I pushed myself up from my bent position over the sink and went back to bedroom but with every step I felt a sort of faintness and stumbled over the shoes I had left beside the bed. I managed to land on the bed and sat up, grabbing a handkerchief I had out of my nightstand as I felt another fit coming on, at the same time becoming frustrated with the damned cold that just wouldn't quit.
I heard a knock on my door as I coughed again and from the other side I heard Grizzly, "Are you sure you're okay in there?" he asked. "I'm fi-*cough*" I went back into the fit and as I tried to stand up and go back to washroom, I fell back but missed the bed this time and let myself cough.
The door opened and Grizzly poked his head in and upon seeing me he rushed over, picking me up under my arms and putting me on the bed. He let go and I continued to cough, finally stopping I looked up at his confused face.
"You sure you're not sick?" He said sarcastically. I tried to laugh but felt like I might cough up a lung so I only smiled. At that he only looked more worried as he grabbed my hand and held it up, looking at the dirty kerchief. I looked at it too, it was spotted with dark red and I pulled away dropping it on the floor.
"You need to see a doctor, and you can't stay here, it's freezing." He said as he looked around the room, grabbing a suitcase out of the corner, which he opened to find filled with old books.
"It's just the radiator, it's on the fritz again." I said, pulling myself up with help from my nightstand.
"You should just relax," He said, "Sit back down, do you have a suitcase that's not filled with books?"
"Under the bed, why?" He bent down pulling out said suit case and set it down next to me, opening it, he went over to my open closet and grabbed as many clothes as possible and said, "Well' we're going to somewhere warmer and then we're going to call a doctor." He shoved the clothes into the suitcase and snapped it shut, locking it.
"You can call a doctor, but I'm fine here." I said, but he only ignored me as he asked, "Is there anything else you need? I can always come back."
"I said, I'm not going." Once again I was ignored as he carried the suitcase out of the room and when he didn't return right away I pushed myself of the bed and dragged myself out to the living room. I found him with the phone to his ear, "Just call the doctor, I'll explain when I get there okay? Alright, bye."
"Where are we going?" I asked, knowing he wouldn't let me stay here, he was right it was cold.
"You're coming home with me," He said grabbing my jacket, turning to me and adding, "Don't worry, it won't be a problem." I took my jacket and pulled it on as he watched, no doubt waiting for me to fall down again.
"I think that was the worst of it." I said. "Really, you're overreacting."
"Lets go." He said grabbing the suitcase he had put down beside him and ushered me towards the door, and turned back to grab my keys. He pulled the door shut and locked it behind him, and then to me, "Are you sure you can walk on your own?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." I said and nodded, he steered me towards the stairs and I walked slowly beside him as we descended and out of the doors to the now busy streets.