Indigo Blues 🪼✔

21 - Ding, Fries Are Done

"I think we need to look for Delilah ourselves." I said to Rose.
She looked at me with a confused expression.
"Huh?"
"It's not a hard statement to follow. You said you have an idea of where she is, right?"
"Uh, yeah but saying that and actually finding her is pretty slim chances."
"Anything is better than watching him get even sicker."
We looked at Tannus' door and sighed.
"Is he doing any better?"
"No... I got him to eat some of the soup that Maddy made but other than that, he's been held up in there. I have to coax him out for him to bathe. He'll get up to use the bathroom but other than that, his personal hygiene has taken a downward spiral. He's pretty weak and so I think it's just hard for him to stand for a long period of time like to shower and stuff. I was planning on doing it myself if he doesn't snap out of it."
"Wow..."
"He won't talk to me either. I've tried to get him to tell me hats going on but he refuses."
Rose looked down at her hands for a moment. "I'll see if I can find out where Delilah has gone. She needs to be here."
I nodded and she got up, kissing me on the cheek softly. I looked at her in confusion.
"W-what was that?"
"For luck and a thank you." she said with a small smirk as she left the house.
I touched my cheek and went to check on Tannus.
I opened the door a little and saw him curled up in a ball on the bed. He was skinny and I could see the sweat from here. I walked in, grabbing the thermometer that was laying on the dresser beside the door. I sat next to him and shook him softly.
"Wake up a minute, Tan."
He mumbled something but rolled over a little to look at me. His eyes were almost lifeless with misery and I put the thermometer in his mouth.
"How you feeling?" I asked softly.
He moaned softly, closing his eyes. He touched my arm and squeezed a little. I took the thermometer out of his mouth and read the numbers. 102.7...
"What's it say?" I heard him ask softly.
"You've got a fever. I'll go get you a cool rag to put over your eyes."
Tannus' face suddenly paled and he turned over reaching for something. I looked to where his arm was going and saw the waste basket. I gave it to him and he immediately vomited into it. It was mostly bile and it stank bad. I put my hand over my nose and Tannus laid there limply, his strength exhausted from throwing up. I touched his face and his eyes moved to me.
"Will you tell me now?" I asked softly.
"It hurts too bad to say..." he whispered hoarsely.
"But if you say nothing then you will get worse."
A small excuse of a smile ghosted his lips.
"Yeah... It's my punishment."
I furrowed my brows. "For what?"
His eyes began to close. "Everything... Johnsie?"
"Yeah?"
"I think I need to go to the hospital..."
I felt the blood leave my face at his words as he passed out. If he -the nosecomephobic king himself- was telling me he needed to go to the hospital then things had gotten far worse than expected.
I called an ambulance and then Oliver.

*****************

*TANNUS*
I felt horrible. Weak... Hot... I opened my eyes and found white blurry walls. I felt something in my hands and looked down. I found an IV in my hand and a heart monitor clip on my opposite finger. I got scared and started shaking. I pulled off the heart monitor and then untapped the IV, pulling it out of the vein. The machine beeped and I sat up shakily, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. I stood on wobbly legs and held onto the bed to leave. I almost fell but someone caught me.
"Uh uh, you can't leave. Let's get you back into bed."
"No..."
"Yes."
"Hospital..." I said, fear gripping me as I gripped the person who had caught me. "Lemme go..."
"Sorry, bud, but you're too weak to get anywhere."
"Please." I begged, tears forming. "Please don't keep me here."
"Shhh, shhh... There ya go. Here take a hit of that for me."
I was crying like a child again but I was too weak to do any antics or fight the person who was hooking me back up. I just couldn't figure out who it was for the life of me. I suddenly felt a rush of calm come over me and I sank into my pillows, the fear disappearing.

***********************

*OLIVER*
The morphine went into Tannus' system and he relaxed a little in my arms. The idiot didn't take out the line to the morphine. I called a nurse to come put the IV back in and Tannus smiled a little.
"That tickles..."
I made a face and Johnsie ran in.
"Hey! We found her!"
"Delilah?"
"Yeah. Wanna come with? Rose will stay with Tannus."
"Yes because I have a few choice words to tell her."

****************

We got to the older looking house and knocked on the door. I was rehearsing my speech that was going to tell Delilah as soon as she opened the door but instead, a little old lady opened the door instead.
"Can I help you?" she asked sweetly.
"Uh... Is Delilah here?"
Her smile disappeared. "Yeah the little tramp's in here."
"You're mean, Grandma! I told you what happened ya old bat!"
I looked at Johnsie who shrugged.
"What do you boys want?"
"Who is it, Grandma?"
"Some young looking kid and his dad."
"Dad?!" me and Johnsie yelled.
"Delilah, your grandma is mean!" Johnsie yelled inside.
"Ugh, for Christ's sake, Grandma, why do you have to be so... Rude..."
Delilah had come to the door and we all just kind of stared at one another in shock and confusion. Delilah was the first to break the staring match and crossed her arms, leaning on the door jam.
"What can I do for you boys?"
"EXPLAIN THAT!!!" we both yelled, pointing at Delilah's very obviously pregnant belly.