Patience Pt. 04

She gave me a shy grin before saying, "Thanks."

Once we got the flowerbeds looking good again, I decided the Denali needed a good washing, so I grabbed the necessary equipment from the garage while Belle ran pulled the garden hose across to the driveway. After I had gotten the roof soaped up good, I grabbed the hose and began to spray it off. I was on one side of the truck and stepped partially up the ladder and began to spray. Several back-and-forth motions of the hose with multiple jet formations cleared the soap off the roof of the truck.

Seconds later as I stepped off the ladder Belle appeared soaking wet and looking furious. Apparently, she had crept over to that side of the Denali and got caught in the stream of water I rinsed the roof with. In spite of, or maybe because of, the fact that she was dripping wet and looking howling mad all I could do is bust out laughing.

"That was not funny!" she said angrily.

As I was trying not to double over from laugher I said, "I swear I didn't do it on purpose. I didn't know you were there."

"Bull shit you didn't!" she said while I continued to laugh.

"Ok buster two can play at this." she said still sounding mad. She then picked up the bucket of soapy water and before I could even half react, or panic doused me with it. As I wiped the suds off my face, it was her turn to bust out laughing. Still laughing myself I took my hand and slicked it back across the top of my head and flung it forward flicking globs of suds on her.

"Well, that's one way to cool off." she said still giggling. "I look like a wet dog."

That stray strand of hair had escaped from behind her ear during the water fight, so I reached out and tucked the now wet strand of hair behind her ear again. The wet clothes clung more tightly against her body and again I had to force myself not to stare.

***

A few hours later after we got the Denali washed and went inside and took showers I was working in the lab when I started sneezing. After a sneezing fit, I realized that the being wet and coming into the AC must have triggered a bit of a summer cold. Suddenly feeling chilled I grabbed a blanket off the sofa and wrapped it around myself. I continued to work as my nose and chest got more congested. Finally, when the cold was starting to bother me, I called for Belle. She appeared and seeing me wrapped in a blanket her face morphed into a look of concern.

"Robbie what's wrong, are you ok?"

"I feel a summer cold coming on. I guess coming into the air-conditioned house drenched wasn't good for me. Can you make me some coffee and grab one of my sweatshirts?" I told her.

She re appeared a few minutes later with a cup of coffee and my navy hoodie. I pulled the hoodie on and took a long draw on the coffee. Warmth and relief flooded through my system. I looked up to find Belle watching me with concern.

"Why don't you lay down for a while? I'm sure whatever you're working on can wait. You're supposed to be on vacation anyway." she said.

"I'll probably take a break after I've finished with this packet. I don't like to start one and not finish it, makes it harder. Shouldn't take more than about 30 minutes." I told her.

She nodded and ducked out. About 30 minutes later I was wrapping up the section I wanted to get done when she re-appeared at the door holding a box of Thera Flu tablets, she had clearly found in my medicine drawer. She broke off one of the pill sets and set it down on the desk near me and said, "Why don't you take these and lay down for a while? You'll feel better."

I popped open the tablets and knocked them back with the coffee she had given me earlier. I thought about making some flippant remark but decided against it since her advice was actually pretty good. I got up out of my chair and moved towards the sofa in the lab when she grabbed my wrist.

"No not there, go get in bed. You'll be more comfortable." she told me. I opened my mouth to argue but she pleaded her case. "Oh, come on I know your bed is more comfortable than that sofa. Please, you'll make me feel better too. I feel bad that you're sick because of me."

Of course, her pleading combined with her patented sad face melted my resistance and I let her lead me to bed. I cut the tv on as she tucked me in and said she'd check on me in a bit. I found a WWII documentary on that I had seen before. I listened for a bit before dropping off to sleep.

I woke up a few hours later and found Belle curled up next to me on top of the blankets watching the tv. My movement got her attention, and she looked over at me.

"Oh, you're awake. How do you feel?" she asked.

"A bit better thank you." I told her.

She hopped off the bed and said, "Stay there I'll get you some more medicine." A minute or so later she re-appeared with another packet of Thera Flu tablets and a glass of water. I sat up as she approached my side of the bed and handed me the meds and water. I took a few swallows of the water and looked over to find her watching me intently. Knowing what she was waiting for I popped the pills out of their seals and swallowed them.

"Are you hungry?" she asked.

"Now that you mention it yeah I am." I replied.

"You stay here and rest. I'll make you something." she told me as she dropped the remote beside me on the blanket. I flipped through a few channels and found something to watch laying back flat and it wasn't long before I dozed off again. I awoke sometime later to a hand rubbing the side of my face. I looked up to see Belle smiling down at me.

"Hi sleepy head. If you're still hungry I've got some dinner for you." she said sweetly. I sat up as she brought in a plate on a tray table and set it across my lap. I quickly dug into spread she had laid before me. She had made me a hamburger steak with potatoes and broccoli and rice. As with any of Belle's it was delicious, and I dove in with enthusiasm.

"I've got to say, you make a great nurse." I told her as I continued to eat.

She smiled at me before saying, "It's the least I can do since it's probably my fault you're sick."

I waved her off assertion with the dinner roll I had in my hand before saying, "It's not your fault. Even the stoutest people get sick every now and then. I'm just glad you're here to help me. I wish you had been here last year when I had covid. I had to go through that alone."

"Aww that's terrible." she said giving me a sad look.

I finished eating and she took the tray from me saying, "You get comfy while I clean up. Then we can find a move."

After taking my dinner tray she was gone a bit before re-appeared wearing the pink night shirt she had worn the night before and crawled into bed with me. Being sick didn't dampen my attraction and her crawling into bed with me wearing the night shirt that had turned me on the night before had the same effect as it did then.

She grabbed the remote and began surfing through the movie channels as I said to her, "You're liable to catch my cold being so close to me."

"I know but I want to make sure you're ok." she said.

Though feeling better than I did earlier I was still weak and wasn't up for arguing with her and also was enjoying being near her, so I just went with it at that point. Soon she found a good movie and we settled in and watched it.

After the move got up and took a leak and brushed my teeth. Coming back into the bedroom I saw Belle had already fell asleep. I thought for a moment about moving back to my sofa in the lab but then decided to get back into bed with Belle. She was right, my bed was much more comfortable, and I had already spent most of the afternoon and half the night there. Plus, she would probably let me have it if I had moved out on her.

When I got back into bed and up to the point where I fell asleep Belle and I were on separate sides of the bed with a decent gap between us. Deeper into the night I woke up and found she was right beside me with her head on my shoulder and one of her arms draped over me on top of the blankets. I wondered whether she had done this in her sleep or had done it on purpose after I had fallen asleep. Either way it was a nice spot to be in in my book. I shut my eyes and soon drifted back off to sleep.