Nurse Maurecia
Author's Note: Attention Readers, the dramatic portion of the story is over. From this point on it'll be less about sympathizing for the characters and a little more on romance and bringing them together as close as possible. Will I do a good job at that? You get to be the judge of that. But let's get into it.
Tuesday
Maurecia's POV
It was a very comfortable and cozy night. Todd and I have never actually spent a night together in the past, yet that was only one night. I shouldn't have to go home today either. I'll have a whole another day at least to be with the boy I love.
I wake up next to Todd and my arms are still completely around his body. I notice he feels kind of warm but that could just be because we've been hugging all night. Frankly my body feels kind of hot myself. Maybe because we were being over bundled for eight hours? Seeing Todd only a couple inches from my face is kind of arousing. He's actually pretty damn cute while he's asleep and it's not hard to see. I don't want to wake him up but it's too tempting! I lean forward and kiss him on the nose. He immediately rolls over. I guess that's his way of getting comfortable but now he's facing away from me. The temptation is still afoot. I wrap my arms around him one more time and I squeeze him really hard. He wakes up rather quickly but he doesn't react the way I expected him to.
"Ach!" He coughs. "Auha, auc, oke." Todd begins coughing uncontrollably. I gasp as he punches himself on the chest and the coughing stops.
"Are you okay sweetie?" I ask him. He faces me with what looks like a drowsy face.
"Yeah, I'm okay." He says in a weaker voice than usual. "You must've just squeezed me a little too hard." I smile casually.
"Oh, well that's a relief." I say before he reacts.
"Achoo!" Todd sneezes into his arm. I know something isn't right.
"Todd, do you feel well?" I ask concerned. He nods.
"I think so, just a little stuffed up and tired." He sits upward. I stand up, place my right hand on his forehead and he feels really warm.
"Todd, I think you're sick." I tell him, he looks up at me.
"How is that possible?" He asks. "I washed my hands, my face, and I have a naturally strong immune system. I don't randomly pick up a sickness on my own." I face palm.
"Oh dammit!" I shout. Todd stares at me.
"What did you do?" He asks. I speak up.
"I forgot to tell you that two of my brothers had the flu this weekend." He yawns. "A few days ago Jonas got sick and my mom spent the entire day taking care of him before leaving for the night shift. When we thought it was over, Eli and Caleb got the ailment." He sighs. "I hid in my room so I couldn't catch the sickness but it looks like I brought it with me."
"That's okay." Todd says under a pressured voice. "It wasn't your fault." I disagree.
"I should've showered before I came here!" I say in a panicky tone. "I didn't get sick myself but I didn't think I could bring the ailment here!" Todd grabs and squeezes my left shoulder to calm me down.
"Maurecia, it's okay. This kind of thing happens all the time." Even when he's under the weather, Todd always sounds so wise. "You were a carrier who had germs on you, but not in your system. Sicknesses often spread through the air." He says.
"But if the germs weren't in this house or inside me, how'd you catch the sickness?" His eyes face behind him for a second then he looks back at me.
"Perhaps the germs were on your face and I kissed you multiple times. Or maybe they didn't infect your system, but they were hiding under your breath." That makes sense. "We do breathe in the same environment."
"I guess." I look down. "I just feel kinda sad that I made you sick." I say nervously. Todd coughs and then smiles.
"That's okay Maurecia. I'm a tough boy, enduring this won't be difficult for me." He says. "But considering I've now caught this ailment, I think you should go home." I flinch and stare at him.
"Why Todd? You don't want to spend the rest of the week with me?" I ask. He shakes his head.
"I don't think we'll have any fun if I'm sick, because right now my muscles are kinda sore, my throat is a little sore, breathing is a little harder, and I have a bit of a headache." I cuddle up to him and squeeze him gently.
"Awe, poor baby." I whisper as I massage his shoulders. "Would a kiss make it better?" I say flirtatiously and move closer to his cheek. He quickly holds his hand up and blocks my lips.
"Maurecia, no kissing today please. I don't want to make you sick." He says before coughing a couple more times. I feel pretty sorry for him. "I think you should go home before you get catch my sickness anyways." He lays back on his bed and stretches his arms.
"What happens in the future?" I ask.
"What do you mean?" He responds.
"What happens when we're living in the same house?" He frowns rather fast. "Where am I going to go then?"
"Maurecia, usually I'm okay with you planning a future where we're together, but you're not even fifteen yet. We're two freshmen in high school who haven't even made any critical life decisions yet such as; where we'll live, what jobs we'll have, whether or not we'll have kids, or even if we get married to each other." He says before he sneezes again.
"Well Todd, I have made plans for our future together." He looks a little frustrated.
"That's another thing, you want us to get married and spend our lives together but you're only looking too far ahead." I sigh. "This is another example of you rushing a decision. What if we break up?" I immediately stare at him nervously.
"You'd actually break up with me?" I ask. He rolls his eyes.
"Not now, but what if something changes our lives and we end up growing apart? What if Dana's brother Goon shows up at our junior prom and you abandon me?" I'm honestly a little surprised and offended he thinks that.
"Todd, for a while I thought Goon was super handsome. But he's about eight years older than me, and he's not as much of a hard worker as you are." Todd shrugs.
"How do we know? He spent a long time perfecting a paper for Mrs. Jewls before he turned it in."
"My heart doesn't belong to Goon. It belongs to you." He sighs.
"That could easily change sometime in the next four years, or if we don't go to the same college, or if I grind and complete college at the same speed I completed the rest of the homework assignments the rest of Wayside has yet to complete." He begins coughing again a little louder and more frequently than before. "Ow." He mumbles after the coughing stops. He lies down and gets under the covers. I sit next to him. "I'm sorry for being dramatic, I'm just not feeling like myself today."
"Todd, I know right now a life with both of us living together is farfetched. But that's why I want to strengthen our bond. I wanted to spend this Christmas break with you because you're family to me." He turns on his back and looks up at me.
"I am?" I nod.
"Mm hm. I'm not sure if you think the same of me, but I know you'll make the perfect husband. And right now, I don't want to risk losing you to someone else. The best way of avoiding that is by spending time together." He smiles. "Do you love me Todd? Or do you just say you do?"
"I do love you. Once you're sure you love someone, their soul rests within your heart eternally. But the strength within that love can be minimized or overpowered by love for someone else." I speak up.
"I already told you, my love for you is infinite. It will never subside for as long as either of us are alive." I smile down on him. "But sometimes I do worry that you're becoming too independent. Sometimes I worry that you won't need me in the future and someone else may have something that I don't that puts her above me." He looks confused.
"Why do you think that?" He asks.
"Sometimes I'm worried you'll leave me for a far more reliable girl who's smarter and a harder worker."
"Oh." He responds. I look back to him.
"But now you're sick and tired instead of up and ready today." We make eye contact and I give him puppy eyes. "Will you let me take care of you?" Todd readjusts his position.
"Like, my nurse?" I nod. "You want to take care of me?"
"Of course Todd. My mom is a physician who works in a hospital every night. The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree." He raises an eyebrow.
"Funny you say that after all the times you hurt me last year." We both chuckle. "But you might be onto something." He pauses for a second. "Okay you can." I smile.
"Thanks cutie pie." I pat his cheek a couple of times. "Let's get started." I stand up and put on my skates. I know they'll help me get around his house much quicker. I then tap Fluffy a couple of times. "Hey Fluffy." He opens his eyes lightly. "Todd's sick. Do you want to help me take care of him?" He yawns.
"Not now." He mouths out before rewrapping himself into a blanket. I shrug.
"Easy come, easy go." I skate out of the bedroom and make my way towards the bathroom. I open each drawer looking for a thermometer but I don't find it. I skate back into Todd's room.
"What happened?" He asks.
"Do you guys not own a thermometer?"
"It's on a shelf in a small closet next to the bathroom."
"Okay, thanks sweetie." I say as I rev out of the room and to the closet. I reach for the top box where I spot some cough medicine, some aspirins and claritins, a battery operated thermometer, and some Vaseline and lotions. But before I begin I might as well look professional. Professionals don't wear their pajamas on duty.
I make my way to the bottom of the stairs and take off my skates and helmet then my sleepwear. I put on another pinkish long-sleeved shirt and a pair of sweatpants. I also spot that stethoscope I brought with me. I didn't think I'd need to use it again but now it could come in handy. I place it around my neck and redress my skates and helmet. Then I roll back up to Todd's room.
"Okay I'm back!" I say cheerfully as I enter the room. Fluffy wakes up pretty quickly and frowns at me. "Oops. Sorry I disturbed you Fluffy." Fluffy yawns, stands up, and stretches. "Do you want to help Todd now that you're up?"
"Okay." He shrugs then jumps onto Todd's bed. Todd looks up at me.
"You changed?" He asks in a tired voice.
"Well duh, you ever saw a nurse wear their sleepwear? It's unprofessional." He chuckles and then coughs again. "You need to stop coughing." I say as I pick up a small spoon and pour some Robitussin cough syrup into it. Todd shivers a little. "What's wrong?"
"That stuff has a horrible aftertaste." He says weakly. I roll my eyes.
"I thought I saw you eat Mrs. Mush's mushroom surprise and that uncooked expired bologna." He gags and catches his mouth with his fist and swallows before he pukes. "Please try not to throw up." I say and he nods.
"Okay Maurecia." He opens his mouth and I feed him the liquid. He gulps a couple of times before successfully swallowing the medicine. I pat his chest a couple of times.
"Just be strong and keep that down." I set the spoon back in the box and withdraw the thermometer. "Now say 'ah'." Todd grabs my wrist lightly and takes the thermometer.
"This is an ear thermometer." He says.
"Actually it's a multi-functional thermometer." I say. Todd rolls his eyes.
"It's more painful to clean it if used orally." He states as he places the thermometer in his ear. About twenty seconds later it beeps and he removes it and hands it to me. I read the number.
"One hundred and three point four." I place it back into the box. "That's a little high." Fluffy reaches into the box and withdraws the jar of aspirins. "Would you like an aspirin for your headache?" I ask.
"Yes please." He says as I unscrew the top and pour one into my hand.
"Here you go." I drop it into his hand and he swallows it. "Feel better now?"
"Not quite, an aspirin takes a while to take effect." I nod and adjust my stethoscope into my ears; I take my helmet off to make it easier to fit the nubs into my ears. "I have to ask. Where'd you get a stethoscope?" I roll my eyes.
"If you have a parent in the medical field, whenever they get better quality equipment, they tend to give you their old ones. I used this on Fluffy every morning to ensure his vitals were normal."
"That makes sense." Todd says.
"Just know." I wink at him. "I've wanted to hear you heart for a long time." He chuckles as I place the chest piece on the left side of his skin. I close my eyes and concentrate only on my sense of sound. After all this time I can finally hear Todd's very source of living. His heartbeat is so fast, so clear, and so loud. But why is the frequency so elevated? I'm cut off by Todd coughing a couple of times.
"Sorry." He says upon regaining his breath.
"It's fine." I assure him as I take the instrument out of my ears. "Your heart is just a little faster than I predicted it would be." Todd chuckles.
"My heart's never any slower while you're around me." I smile. "But that's just a signal that my body is fighting the germs to the best of its ability."
"Well I wish your body good luck with that. If I could punch the life out of those germ cells I'd do it. I wouldn't let them touch my precious Todd." Todd and I both laugh at that sentence. Then I pop a Claritin pill out of its wrapping. "Here, have one of these. It'll clear the flem out of your nasal system and ease your breathing." Todd swallows the pill.
"Thank you very much." He says. Fluffy hops onto my shoulder.
"Well, is there anything else you need from us for now?"
"I could use a glass of water." He says and I skate towards the door.
"Coming right up cutie pie." I rev into the kitchen and fill a glass of water pretty full. I almost spill it on the way back. But I manage to keep every drop in the glass contained. I roll back into Todd's room and hand him the glass. "Here you go." He takes the glass.
"Thanks Maurecia." He says before taking a large sip of the water. "Very refreshing." I giggle at that. He then sets it on the ground next to his bed. I immediately pick it up.
"Would you like a refill?" He nods.
"Yes please." He says as I eagerly leave the room. A minute later I've returned with a full glass of water and Todd takes another sip. "Thank you very much." He's so polite sometimes.
"No problem sweetheart." I respond. "Is there anything I can do for you now?"
"Hm." He pauses for a second. "I don't believe so. I don't have any chores I forgot to do myself." I sit on his bed and an idea comes to my mind.
"Take off your shirt please." Todd's smile goes away for a second, then he blushes deeply.
"What for?" He asks. Fluffy winks at him and withdraws a bottle of lotion from the box.
"I just thought you'd like a nice massage on your sore muscles." I say in a sorrowful innocent voice as I begin rubbing the lotion on my hands. Todd can't resist that tone I use.
"You're too sweet." He says as he removes his shirt and lays on his back. I finish moisturizing and grip his shoulders gently. I begin pressing my thumbs against his skin and slowly rotate them in circles opposite of each other. He moans contently a couple of times.
"Does that feel nice?" I ask.
"It sure does." He says in a content drowsy voice. I move on and gently rub his chest. I notice he has a couple small chest hairs growing for him. I continue to focus my attention on his abs that look to be in real good shape for a guy of his body size. Touching his bare skin is actually kind of a turn on. But I put my romantic intentions aside and remain professional.
I can't help but remember the time I was in the hospital and Todd was there for me when I woke up. It feels the exact same way right now only, this time Todd's the one in bed. But it's still an adorable thought either way. After about two minutes he puts his hand on my shoulder and I stop.
"You're pretty good at this you know?" He says with a seductive grin.
"Thank you cutie pie." Todd flips over on his stomach. "Do you want me to massage your back now?" He opens his eyes and winks at me.
"If you want to." I'm delighted. I slowly apply pressure to his back. My pointer finger still hurts slightly from Fluffy biting me, but I ignore it to the best of my ability. I slowly press my fingers on his scapular muscles and separate them in an inverted pinching kind of way. My two fingers are together and I slowly move them apart over his skin. Todd can't help but moan in a very relaxed tone. After that I use my palms a little more and stroke his back from the top to bottom. Todd looks kind of sleepy, but he's so cute! After a few more minutes of me pushing into his muscles he yawns and sits up.
"Do you want me to stop now or-" I'm cut off by Todd hugging me very warmly. I blush a little and then hug him back.
"That felt so amazing. You'd make a good masseuse." I giggle.
"I'm glad you think so." I say as I continue to massage his neck. After he's done hugging me he lays back down on his back. "Is there anything else you need?" He smiles.
"I need a nice long nap." He says sounding very relaxed. "As for you, you've been a great nurse for me today." He just made my day. "If I'm ever sick or hurt, I'll make sure I'm with you Maurecia." He's really tugging my heartstrings right now.
"Awe, you're too kind." Then I regain my concerned conscience. "But is there anything I can do for you while you're asleep?" I ask. He opens his eyes and shrugs a little.
"Well, there's one task you could do if you wanted." I grimace eagerly.
"Whatever you need, I'm here for you." I say.
"Could you go downstairs and check on my magnets." My smile vanishes. I'm not familiar with those.
"Well, okay. But how do I check a magnet?"
"I need you to take them out of the box and connect them to a magnetic monitor. If the frequencies are high then the magnetic force is strong." I guess I could do that.
"Okay, but where did you put them?" I ask.
"They're next to an electron ran generator I've been building." I raise an eyebrow.
"I thought generators ran on fossil fuels." He chuckles.
"I'm inventing one that can run purely on battery power. That way if the power ever goes out we won't have to worry about an endothermic freezing of a fuel now will we?"
"I guess not." I respond. "Okay then it's settled. Let's go Fluffy." I pick him up and begin skating towards the door. Todd catches my attention.
"Wait Maurecia, one more thing!" I turn around.
"What?"
"Please take your skates off on the basement stairs. I won't be there to catch you this time." I giggle.
"You're still my hero for doing that you know?" He nods.
"But I am serious." I smile and remove my skates. Then I walk out of the room.
In the basement there is a large furnace, a washing machine and dryer, and a few other basic common household items. I spot the box and remove the two shiny pieces of metal, holding them opposite of each other to avoid causing them to attract.
"Well Fluffy, what do you think of these little things?" Fluffy has a fascinated look on his face.
"I don't know." He mouths.
"Me neither, sometimes I wish I had Todd's level of intellect." We both chuckle before I drop one of them on accident. The magnet bounces of a table and sticks to the generator Todd told me about.
"Ooh." Fluffy says. I laugh a few times.
"That's magnetism for you." I place the other magnet back into the box and bend downward to the generator. "Okay, let's put this one back." I say as Fluffy jumps onto the generator and attempts to remove the magnet. He groans kind of painfully, failing to make any progress.
"It's stuck!" He says with a scared look. I put my hand on the magnet.
"Come on, how bad can it be?" I say as I pull on the metal object, but it doesn't move. "Wow." I begin pulling harder and harder and use both hands. "You weren't kidding about that were you?" Fluffy shakes his head as my fingers slip and I fall on my back. "Ow." I say softly. Fluffy jumps onto my stomach.
"Are you okay?" He asks.
"I'm fine." I say to reassure him. "But that magnet doesn't want to budge."
"What do we do?" I roll my eyes at Fluffy.
"We'll just leave it for a while. Eventually its magnetic force will weaken as it's stuck together for a long time. We'll just take it off tomorrow morning before Todd finds out." I close the box containing one magnet, pick Fluffy up, and walk back upstairs. As soon as he feels better, I've got a lot of romantic fun waiting for him.
Author's Note: Well that's the end of that chapter. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much, if not more than the other chapter's I've written previously. I myself had a lot of fun writing this one. Next chapter coming soon. Goodnight.