Indigo Blues 🪼✔

3 - Serves You Right

I wasn't really worried about Tannus since he was like a cockroach, living when he shouldn't have. Not that I wanted him to die, but he sure did grate on my nerves. Plus, he was snooping around my project and eating my stuff! He was so inconsiderate of the things I did and always tried to make my life hell. Why couldn't he be more like Oliver, who was cute in a way that was normal.
It wasn't until about two weeks went by in total uninterrupted lab work that I began to realize that something might be up. Also the fact that when my check was handed to me, it was given to me promptly without games and without me taking my eyes off my work. I had the check in my hand and looked up, looking at Rose, who was looking weirdly at her envelope.
"Rose, who was that?" I asked, pointing.
"Um... the mail guy..."
"The mail guy? Where's Tannus?"
"Don't you know? Dr. Bracken is still on sick leave."
"Oh jeez! He didn't hit his head that hard on the floor!"
"Mr. Crash said that Dr. Bracken became disoriented at the hospital and they held him overnight. Then when he was well enough to go home, Mr. Crash took him in until he recovered since he seemed to not be able to drive on his own. Then he said that he's been having some really weird symptoms, as if he has the flu or something."
I blinked, wondering why I felt a small lurch in my stomach when I heard that Tannus was bedridden. Then again, that cockroach had never been taken down so I guess the biological breakthrough of the flu seemed fair. I smiled a little and Rose gave me a look.
"Why are you smiling? Mr. Crash says he's really bad."
"Oh... He's at Oliver's house?"
"Yes."
"Rose, I do believe I'm going to take one of those many sick days that I have saved up to pay a visit to someone."
Rose's eyes widened and she waved goodbye to me as I headed to Oliver's office. Wouldn't it also be fate's way of driving the nail in deeper into my brain by having Oliver be the director of the delivery division of the company? I told my supervisor that I wasn't feeling too well and that I was taking the rest of the day off and headed to the delivery section.
I could hear Oliver yelling as he looked at his clipboard and pointed the end of a pen at someone who must have getting out of line of something.
"Hey, Oliver!" I yelled just as a diesel engine revved up.
Oliver must have heard me before it turned on because he turned and I waved at him. He waved back and pointed beside me. I looked at the phone on the wall and he pointed to his headset. I nodded and looked on the directory where it told me the number to his headset.
"Yeah?" he answered.
"Hey, my assistant just told me that Tannus is bedridden?"
"Yeah, he got a weird bout of something and has been in bed for the past two weeks. He has enough strength to get to the bathroom to pee and puke but other than that... he's not well."
"Is it because of the fall?"
"No, the doctor said he should be fine but he said he ate something. He said it could be food poisoning."
I cringed at the use of the word, considering what he had eaten and all, and braced myself (literally) for what I was about to say.
"Is he... Is he accepting visitors?"
There was silence over the phone and I looked at Oliver, who was gaping at me with his mouth open like a cod fish.
"Hello?"
"Um... yeah... I guess..."
"Can I go see him?"
"In other words, can you use my keys?" he said with a smile as he put the clipboard under his arm. "I guess so. It's a good thing we are on great terms or this would be awkward."
"It's already getting there." I said with a grit in my teeth and caught the keys he threw. "Thanks chief."
"Any time."

I pulled up to Oliver's house and frown at it. I really didn't really want to visit Tannus but I mean, I didn't know if it was my stuff that was making him act the way he was or if he was just milking the pain. Either way, I had to find out so that I could clear my (for some reason) bothered conscience.
I pulled out Oliver's keys and opened the door, looking around at the little bungalow, taking in the really nice décor and I had a feeling that Madeline, Oliver's girlfriend, had a hand in designing the place or it would still look like crap. I heard a small moan from the back bedroom and headed back there. I knocked a little on the closed door that was on the left side of the hallway and opened it a crack.
Tannus was lying in bed with an arm flung over his face, his breathing shallow and quick. I could see the shining of sweat from the door and immediately felt guilty for thinking that he did it on purpose. Though he deserved it though because he was known to fake sick to get out of work and hit up the bar. He turned his head a little and lifted up his elbow to peek at me.
"What the hell? Why are you here? Like you couldn't make this anymore worse..." he moaned, turning away from me.
I put my hand on my hip and walked in, staring at him.
"I'm sorry that my presence makes you sick."
"I was already sick when you came in, you stupid."
"Well you seem well enough to sass..."
He just replied with a moan and I walked over to him, picking up the thermometer beside him. I shook the old fashioned mercury tube and then grabbed hold of Tannus' shoulder. Well, no fooling anyone on this aspect because I could feel the heat through the sheets that he was down with fever.
"What the-"
I stuck the thermometer in quickly before he could speak and he glared at me.
"Just shut up a minute. Jeez... and I didn't come here to see if you were okay. I just wanted to make sure that you weren't trying to get out of work."
I took the thermometer out of his mouth and made a face. 101.6º
"What other symptoms have you been having?"
"Dizziness, vomiting, fatigue, cold spells, migraines, aches, fever... why do you care anyway? You hate me."
"By the way you look, it looks like you should be dying. I might hate you but I don't want you to die."
"You just don't want to be responsible for whatever your jelly bean might have done if it's done anything... I also have loss of appetite and weight gain."
"Weight gain? How is that possible with not eating?"
"I don't know...Leave me alone, evil lady..." he moaned, turning over away from me.
I huffed and if he didn't look like Death, I would have left his sorry ass to suffer but he really looked like he needed some medical attention.
"You need to go to the doctor, Tannus."
"Oliver is working."
"I have the rest of the day off, so I'll take you."
He gave me a skeptical look that was full of pain as well but frowned.
"You never take the day off. I don't need your help."
"Stop being a baby." I said, putting my hands on my hips. "Now get up and I'll get you to a doctor."
He turned to me but looked away. "I'm too weak to stand..." he said tautly.
I could tell that it was getting harder to combat me in his state and so I just sighed and grabbed hold of his arm.
"I can help you walk, stupid."
"No."
"Tannus, stop being a douche! I'm trying to be nice, here!"
He shivered violently and I sighed, knowing that he couldn't really help being cranky, considering the way we treat each other and being sick, but he could at least cooperate. I gathered myself together for what I was about to do and I sat next to him.
"Tannus, please get up. I'm doing this because I can't just let you die there. I want to know, yes, if it is my fault and if it is, I want to be able to take full responsibility over it. Do it to see if it gets me in trouble, huh? Old time's sake?"
Tannus cut me another glance but sat up as best as he could, keeping the blanket around him. We sat next to each other for what seemed ours, when Tannus' head leaned on my shoulder slightly. I was going to snatch my shoulder away when I saw he was trying to keep himself of vomiting, his face white as a sheet. I grabbed the small trashcan beside the bed and held it up to him. He grabbed it and began to barf into it.
When he was done, he groaned, laying his head against the little trashcan. I pat his back a little and he turned, sending daggers at me.
"I hate you, Delilah..."
"I know."
"What did you do to me?" he moaned again, turning away.
"Well, it's what you get for snooping into other people's stuff if this is even because of the jelly bean."
"Speaking of, those purple ones were disgusting."
I blinked at him. "What?"
"Those purple jelly beans were nasty."
"Y-you ate the purple ones? For sure?"
"Yeah... Grape is my favorite flavor... well, it was..."
I thought for a moment about when he was in my lab. I remembered the jelly beans missing and I had a feeling that he ate them, but I wasn't so sure. Were these symptoms from the special drug in the jelly bean or was it something the jelly bean did that was really scientifically impossible?
"You've got clothes on, yes?"
"Just boxers and a shirt."
"That's fine."
I let him stay wrapped up in the blanket as I led him out of the car. He wasn't kidding when he was talking about how weak he was because it seemed like walking was a big feat for him. When we finally got to the car, he almost crumbled out of my hands into the passenger seat. I closed the door and he put his head on the glass.
I rolled my eyes at him and climbed into the driver's seat, heading to the doctor's office.