COMMANDER FERAL'S PRIVATE LIFE II
A collection of little vignettes about Feral's off time. Hope you enjoy them.
#3 Afternoon Tea
She was shopping in her favorite herbal store. There was a special blend of soothing tea she always bought here. As she browsed through the comfortable little shop, she stopped to admire some new tea pots. The shop had a small conversation area with warm colors, comfy sofas and small tables where one could sample some of the brews the owner would have steeping for that day. There was an aisle of books on natural healing techniques, herbal guides, and inspirational stories. Other aisles showed off various types of herbal remedies and, of course, shelves full of tea blends and tea making supplies.
As she moved toward the tea area, she heard someone with a bad cold on the other side of the book aisle. The poor soul was snorting, sniffing and coughing as they apparently searched the herbal remedy area. Shaking her head in sympathy with the miserable kat, she arrived at the tea shelves and began searching for her favorite. A moment later, the suffering kat came around the aisle toward her.
She was shocked to see it was Commander Feral. He had a large handkerchief to his face and his eyes were bleary as he searched the shelves near him.
"Commander?" Calico Briggs asked tentatively.
Jerking his head around, he blinked at her but before he could speak a tremendous sneeze exploded from him. He groaned as he blew his nose and coughed again. Concerned, she moved toward him as he wheezed trying to catch his breath.
"Commander, you sound awful! You should be in bed." She admonished him.
"Would be!" He wheezed hoarsely. "But this darn cough is keeping me from resting. Was looking for something to ease it. I hate the over the counter stuff. It makes me wonky."
"Oh, well I know of one or two teas that will help calm that and another that can ease your other symptoms. I come here often for a tea that helps soothe me after a stressful day. Here let me see...ah...here we are. This one will help your cough and let's see...here we go...this one will help get you over that nasty cold quicker." Callie said as she pulled two types of tea from the shelf.
"Thank you, Ms. Briggs, I appreciate your help." Feral said huskily, then he shivered suddenly. He pulled his civilian coat tighter around him.
She really didn't like the way he looked or sounded. "Commander, it seems to me you require a little TLC. Let me find my tea. You live nearby don't you?" She asked as she found her tea and led the way toward the cash register.
"Uh, yes I do." He said confused by her question as he followed her. They both paid for their teas and headed for the door.
"Good, then I'm going to walk you home and get you settled. Do you have some chicken soup on hand?" She asked as she took his arm and began walking down the sidewalk with him.
"Really Ms. Briggs you don't have to do this. I'll be fine. Uh...I don't remember if I have soup or not." He answered, a little put out that she thought he needed a nursemaid. The next moment he had to pause to sneeze and cough again. Callie waited patiently for the fit to pass then took his arm again.
"It's no problem and I would feel bad if I didn't make sure you were well taken care of. You are so miserable I'm afraid you wouldn't have the strength to get the tea made much less eat something too so no more arguing, it makes you cough anyway." She said stubbornly.
He sighed in defeat. He just felt too bad to argue. A few minutes later, they reached his apartment complex. Staying firmly by his side they took the elevator to the sixth floor. She took his keys and opened his door for him. He headed tirededly toward the kitchen. She took off her coat and laid it on the couch then followed him.
He was pawing around his cupboards for tea making things. "Commander, sit down. Here let me take your coat off." She said pushing him gently away from the cupboards and toward a kitchen chair. She undid his coat and helped him pull it off. Laying it over another chair, she turned to the cupboards and found what she needed. She filled the kettle and set it on the stove to heat then searched the pantry for soup. She lucked out and found a can of beef broth. Chicken would have been better but this would at least warm his stomach.
He watched her bleary eyed as she puttered around his kitchen preparing him a light meal. Soon the kettle was whistling and she quickly poured the steaming water into a good sized mug and put in two tea bags to let them steep. She placed another mug full of beef broth before him.
"Now you drink that, it will fill your stomach with something and allow you to rest. Here's your tea, be careful its very hot." She said quietly then sat across from him.
He felt a little odd having her sitting there while he ate. It was strange to have her sitting here in his kitchen in the first place. He hated to admit that it felt nice to have someone care enough to take care of him even if it was the rather prickly Ms. Briggs. The beef broth did make his stomach feel better, he hadn't realized he'd been hungry. He finished it quickly. The tea was hot and felt wonderful to his raw throat. They sat quietly together while he finished his tea then she helped him stand.
He was feeling very tired and swayed on his feet. She held him tightly against her and led him toward his bedroom. She helped remove his shoes, straightened his rumpled bed then eased him into it. "Thank you, Ms. Briggs. I appreciate your care. I'll be alright now." He said thickly, sleep already pulling him down.
"You're welcome, Commander. Just get plenty of rest." Callie said warmly tucking him in.
She watched him fall asleep then tidied up the kitchen, hung his coat up and left his apartment remembering to lock the door on her way out.
A week later, Callie was surprised to see a beautiful bouquet of flowers on her desk when she arrived for work. Checking the card she read 'Thank you for your TLC, signed Ulysses Feral'. She smiled with pleasure as she smelled the flowers. 'You are very welcome, Commander.' She murmured to herself.