Waiting for the Night [Dalan]

Chapter 25

It was the worst possible time for Alan to fall sick. The launch of his album was next Friday, Paris had a school project due this week and the housekeeper Mrs Cheung had taken a few days off to go visit her sister in Manchester. When Alan had first started sniffling and sneezing, Martin - who had been with him in the studio at the time - had offered him a tissue and a sympathetic glance. "I'm fine," Alan assured him, wiping his nose as they continued listening to the final mixes.

Those few sneezes yesterday had now turned into a full blown cough today, coupled with a very nasty cold that made Alan feel like his head was entirely stuffed with wool. He was barely able to scrape himself out of bed, and even then he didn't trust himself to drive, calling for a taxi so he could send Paris to school. Once he got home, he randomly took some medicine and collapsed on the sofa, feeling like death warmed over.

Thankfully the alarm he'd set just in case had beeped on his phone, reminding him that Paris was getting out of school in half an hour. Alan really hated to call in favours, but he was in no state to pick Paris up from school and he didn't want to pass what felt like the flu to his daughter. 

So he forced himself to ring up Flood, whose daughter Sarah went to the same school, and ask him to pick Paris up at the same time. Thankfully, good old Flood was more than happy to agree, even offering to look after Paris for the evening and have her stay for dinner while Alan sourced for alternative arrangements. "You sound like death, Charlie," Flood said, sounding a little worried. "You been to the doctor's yet?"

"I'll go later," Alan lied, coughing and wheezing into his elbow. "I'm really so sorry, mate."

"Ah come on, you'd do the same for my kids. Now off with you, me and the missus will look after Paris for the evening," Flood told him. "Let me know if you need anything else."

Relieved that someone he trusted was looking after Paris, Alan set his alarm for two hours of rest before taking more meds. These were stronger but made him particularly drowsy, so Alan set a string of even more alarms in case he slept through the first one.

***

"Al? Alan?"

A groggy Alan forced himself to open his eyes, groaning at the headache splitting his skull. "Huh?"

"Charlie, you alright?" It sounded like Dave. A very worried, slightly panicky Dave, but still Dave. Alan instantly felt safe and assured.

"Sick," Alan mumbled, before letting his eyes drift close again.

Dave wouldn't leave him alone. "Where's Paris?" he asked.

"Flood's place," Alan scraped out. "S'pposed to pick her up at seven."

"Charlie," Dave said. "It's almost nine."

That made Alan jerk awake, wincing as his headache returned with a vengeance, making his temples throb. "What?" he croaked, staring at Dave in shock. "Paris!"

Dave placed a calming hand on his shoulder. It was only now that Alan realised Dave had come over with the final colour proofs for the cover of Unsound Methods. "Relax, mate, relax. You said she's at Flood's, yeah?"

Alan nodded frantically, picking up his phone. "Fuck, I slept through all my alarms!"

"Okay look," Dave said in a firm voice. "Just stay here and rest, you're in no condition to drive. I'm going to go fetch her for you, alright? Give me Flood's address."

The rest of what happened was a blur for Alan, and he pretty much passed out again until he heard Dave returning with Paris, the two of them cheerfully discussing something about the movie 'Moana'. Now Dave's voice dropped to a softer register: "Okay luv, your poor old dad's a bit ill and I don't think he wants you to catch what he has, so why don't you head upstairs and get ready for bed while I take care of him a bit. You can do it by yourself, yeah?"

"I'm not five," Paris said disdainfully.

"There you go, you're a big girl. Go on, then," Dave said, which was followed by the thumps of Paris' footsteps disappearing up the stairs. Then it was Dave's own as he stepped closer to Alan, still sprawled across the sofa and dead to the world.

"Alright Charlie, your daughter's sorting herself out for bed," Dave told him, calmly rubbing his shoulder. It really felt so nice, so calming. "I'm going to make you some tea and soup, yeah?"

"Okay." Alan told himself that he could relax, he could rest because Dave was here, and therefore he was safe. Things were going to be okay.