I had to use the bathroom a few times, and he helped me out of bed. I kicked him out of the bathroom the first couple of times, because I was self-conscious about peeing in front of him. The fact that I didn’t feel extremely clean, thanks to sweating, staying in bed all day, and not having a shower or bath, didn’t help. As I grew weaker, I eventually had to rely on him in the bathroom and out.
The next time that I woke up, not only had the sun gone down, but it felt like nighttime. I felt his presence more than I heard him. My eyes fluttered open. My body still ached, and I was drenched in sweat.
“Hey, you’re awake.” He pushed up out of the armchair on the other side of the room.
“What time is it?” I asked, coughing. I pressed a hand against my chest to alleviate the pain that occurred whenever I coughed.
“A little after seven. I’ve got something really good for you.”
“You’ve been here all day?”
“Yep, and you must be tuned in to everything that I’m doing. I just stepped in your room not even five minutes ago, and you’re awake after sleeping for a few hours.”
I watched as he moved across the room and grabbed the serving tray that he had been using all day whenever he fed me.
“You don’t have to stay in here with me, you know. I’m sure there are other things you’d rather be doing than attending to me on my sickbed.”
He chuckled. “There’s nothing I’d rather be doing than making sure my favorite supermodel gets nursed back to health.”
“Don’t feel so super right now, and definitely not looking like model material.”
“To me, you’re always model worthy, beautiful,” he countered, setting the tray on the bed over me.
Immediately, I detected there was a difference in the food I’d been eating all day versus what he placed before me now. “What’s this?” I asked, removing the cover from the bowl.
“It’s my mother’s vegetable soup. It’s got a bit of a spicy kick, but she says that this is good for you. It’ll help clear your nasal passages, and while you don’t have much of an appetite, she says it’s a good sensory experience.”
“You told your mama about me?”
“Hell yeah. She adores you. She’s always been a fan.”
I eyed the soup carefully and then looked back at him.
He chuckled. “Don’t do my mama like that. She ain’t about to do shit to harm nobody.”
I sipped the soup, and my eyes widened. I took another sip from the spoon and eagerly began consuming more. It felt like the soup was giving my appetite back to me. “This is good.”
“Told you. She’s the real deal; she ain’t no joke.”
Halfway through the meal, I started coughing again.
“Here, drink this. She made this for you too.” He handed me a glass jar of brownish-orange liquid.
“What’s this?”
“Her homemade cough syrup. It’s got red onions, cloves, lemon, cinnamon, turmeric, honey, and a few other ingredients.”
I wrinkled my nose, but when another coughing fit assaulted me, I quickly unscrewed the top off the jar and drank some of the potion. It was an acquired taste, but it did wonders for my cough, immediately stopping it and soothing my throat.
I finished eating and drinking the power drink he provided for me.
“I’m going to take a bath. I can’t take this funky feeling anymore.”
“How about a shower instead? It won’t take as long, and the steam will be good for clearing your nasal passages. Besides, it’ll help you sweat some more and get that sickness out of you.”
“You’re right,” I stated, sitting up and easing out of the bed. As usual, Navy was right there helping me. He lifted me and carried me into the bathroom, and I was pleasantly surprised to see a fresh washcloth, towel, and my robe were already laid out for me.
“Sit right here,” he instructed, setting me on a bench beside the shower.
