The bright sunshine woke Claudia out of a restless sleep. She stirred and stretched out her limbs before falling limp against the mattress. She looked beside her and found Jacob sleeping soundly, his breathing still deep and rhythmic. Looking at the clock she found that it was only seven thirty. It was Saturday morning, and she didn’t have to work, but she got out of bed anyway.

        Quietly digging through Jacob’s dresser, she found an old tee shirt and slipped it over her head. She picked her dress up off the floor and put it on a hanger in Jacob’s closet, frowning at the wrinkles that had formed.

        She went out into the kitchen where she started making coffee. She wasn’t hungry for breakfast yet. She was about to return to the living room when something caught her eye. Jacob’s briefcase was lying open on the counter.

        Curiously, she went over to it and peeked inside. His personal palm pilot was lying there, just beckoning her to pick it up. Looking around to make sure Jacob was still in the bedroom, she pulled it out of the briefcase.

        She found nothing interesting. Mostly memo’s about business meetings and boring work-related things. Honestly, she hadn’t known what she’d expected to find.

        Before returning it to the briefcase, she noticed that his address book was inside. She opened it up and began skimming the list of names. As she read, she began to notice a few things that seemed odd.

        First of all, there were no last names. All the people were listed in alphabetical order by first name. And second, every person on the list was female.

         Adrienne…...Boston

        Alexis…….Chicago

        Candice……Atlantic City

        Christina……LA

        Chloe……Miami

        Daisy……Toronto

         The address book was filled with women’s names all across the country; from Dallas to Cincinnati. From the East coast to the West and everywhere in between

        Claudia’s mind was flooded with memories of Jacob’s constant business trips; Chicago, San Francisco, Toronto… “It’s an emergency…my plane leaves tonight. I promise I’ll make it up to you…just the usual business stuff…”

        Nicole’s voice echoed in her head “Where is it this time? Orlando? L.A? Phoenix?…Don’t you get sick of it?…I don’t know if I would trust a guy who did that to me all the time…”

        Claudia shook her head to shake the thoughts away and threw the palm pilot back into the briefcase, slamming it shut.

        Jacob woke an hour later and found Claudia sitting in front of the large window. She had dragged a chair over and was slouched in it, holding a coffee mug in her hands.

        “Good morning sweetie,” he said kissing her forehead. He went into the kitchen to get himself a cup of coffee. “How long have you been up?”

        She shrugged. “An hour.”

        “Why so early?”

        “Couldn’t sleep,” she answered simply.

        “Do you want some breakfast?” He asked, coming up behind her and leaning on the back of the chair. “I could make some pancakes and eggs…” he said into her ear.

        “I’m not too hungry but knock yourself out.”

        “You’ll be hungry once the smell of my light, fluffy pancakes tickles your nose.”

        Somehow, she didn’t think so.

        But a while later, she found herself eating pancakes anyway and listening to Jacob talk about himself as he usually did.

        “…So this afternoon they’re having a going away party for him at the country club. Would you like to go?”

        She looked up at him, and searched her head for an excuse. “I uh, promised Nicole I’d go to uh…a thing with her.”

        “A thing? What thing?”

        “Just a um…a party for her aunt…Gladys.

        “Well, John’s going away party will be over at four o’ clock. You can meet her there in plenty of time. Come on it will be fun.”

        “Sure, how could I pass it up?” she said faking a smile.

 ******
        That night, Claudia walked into her apartment feeling exhausted. She went to the living room and laid down on the couch without even taking off her shoes. She could hear Nicole on the phone in the kitchen.

        “I know! Can you believe it?…He was such a hunk. He asked me out again for tonight. He’s going to be here in a little while!” Nicole noticed her friend and called out to her. “Hey Claude, you okay?”

        “Fine,” she called back, her voice muffled by pillows.

        “Don’t worry, I’ll give you all the details,” she said into the phone. “Okay I’ll call you tomorrow. Bye.”

        Nicole clicked off the phone and went into the living room. “How was the opera last night?”

        “It was good,” Claudia answered without opening her eyes.

        “Did you have a nice time?”

        “Yeah,” she sighed.

        “Where were you today?”

        “The country club.”

        “Ooh, that sounds like fun,” she said sarcastically. “Are you tired or something?”

        “To say the least.”

        “You look kind of pale, are you feeling all right?” Nicole wanted to know.

        Claudia shook her head and closed her eyes tighter. “Ugh, I wish the room would stop spinning!”

        “Oh, did you have a little too much to drink at the country club?” Nicole asked sympathetically, having been in the situation a few times herself.

        “I only had one glass of champagne and I feel like I’m going to throw up.”

        “Don’t worry girl, I know the feeling.” They were both quiet for a minute. “You know, Josh called for you today.”

        That caused Claudia to sit up which only made her more dizzy, so she laid back down. “What did he say?”

        “He said you left something at the studio yesterday. He was going to come by and drop it off.”

        Claudia nodded and didn’t say anything for a long time. “Who’s this guy you were talking about?” she asked.

        Nicole smiled at the question. “He is so great. My friend Katherine hooked me up with him. You know, I’ve always been a little skeptical about blind dates, but we really hit it off!”

        “That’s good,” Claudia said half-heartedly.

        Nicole studied her friend for a minute. “Girl, you really don’t look so good.”

        “Yeah? I don’t feel so good.”

        “How long have you been feeling like this?” she questioned.

        “Since late this morning.”

        “So why did you stay at the country club so long if you didn’t feel good?”

        “I asked Jacob to take me home but he kept saying ‘In a few minutes. Let me just talk to so and so.’ And then half an hour later he would be talking to somebody else and told me that I’d have to wait.”

        Nicole frowned and shook her head.

        “And then in the car he had the nerve to tell me that I was rude to his friends. I wasn’t trying to be rude I just didn’t want to throw up on any of them. If I did that he would probably tell me that I humiliated him.”

        Nicole reached over and put a hand against her friend’s forehead. “You’re a little warm,” she noted.

        Just then, the doorbell rang and Nicole’s eyes widened at the sound. “That better not be my date! He’s an hour early!”

        Nicole hurried to the door and sighed with relief when she saw Josh on the doorstep. “Whew, it’s only you.”

        “Thanks, it’s nice to see you too,” he chuckled.

        “Oh! I’m sorry I didn’t mean it like that. Come on in.”

        “I just came to drop this off for Claudia,” he said, showing her the manila folder in his hand.

        “Hi Josh,” Claudia said, forcing herself to sit up.

        “You left this at the studio, Jack asked me to bring it to you,” he said handing her the folder.

        She gave him a strange look as she took it from him. “This isn’t mine.”

        “Jack told me that it was yours.”

        Claudia opened it up to make sure that it didn’t belong to her and smiled when she saw what was inside. Nothing but a piece of paper with Jack’s handwriting scrawled across it which said: “Have fun Claude! P.S. Don’t forget about that fifty bucks you’re going to owe me!”

        “That little weasel,” she muttered, shaking her head.

        “Are you feeling okay?” he asked with concern in his voice. “You look a little…green.”

        She stretched back out on the couch. “I’m okay,” she insisted.

        Nicole interrupted. “Are you sure you’re okay, Claude? If you need me I can cancel my date and stay here with you,” she offered.

        “No, no. I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

        “You’re not asking, I’m offering.”

        “No, go have fun on your date.”

        “Claude, I won’t have fun if I leave you here knowing you’re sick,” Nicole said sitting next to her and holding on to her hand.

        “I could stay with her if you want,” Josh spoke up.

        They both turned to look at him. “Oh would you really? I hate to be selfish but you haven’t seen the eyes on this guy!”

        “I don’t need a babysitter! Both of you go and do what it is that you want to do,” Claudia persisted.

        “It’s no problem, I don’t have any plans anyway,” Josh continued.

        “I’ll feel so much better knowing that someone’s here with you. And since Jacob is too much of a jerk…” she decided not to finish that sentence. “Josh, thank you so much, you are a life saver! I’d kiss you but well…yeah. I’m going to get ready for my date.”

        “Josh, you don’t have to do this,” Claudia began.

        “No it’s okay. I don’t mind, really,” he insisted. Without her even asking him to, he took off her shoes for her and grabbed a blanket. “Are you cold?”

        “Actually no, I’m dying of heat,” she said, shifting to get more comfortable.

        “Well, I’ll leave this here in case you need it later,” he said, setting it on the armrest. “Jeez, you’re sweating. We should probably take your temperature.”

        A few minutes later, Nicole came down the stairs, dressed in a light blue sleeveless top and taut, dark jeans, her hair pulled back in a ponytail.

        “I thought I should tell you a few things before I leave for the night,” she said to Josh. “The barf bowl is under the kitchen sink if she needs it, the thermometer is in the medicine cabinet upstairs along with aspirin and stomach medicine which you may be looking for later. I’ll write down my cell phone number, you can call me if you need anything.”

        “I feel like I’m five years old again,” Claudia groaned. “I told you guys I don’t need a babysitter.”

        “Do you have any crackers and ginger ale? They help to settle the stomach.”

        “Crackers are in that cupboard,” she said pointing. “We have some chicken soup too.”

        “I’m going to grab the thermometer and check her temperature,” Josh said as he went up the stairs.

        “One hundred and one,” he said a few minutes later, taking the thermometer out of her mouth.

        “I feel fine, really,” she tried in a tired voice, but they wouldn’t listen.

        “Here, let me take that necklace off of you,” Josh said.

        “I’m afraid I’ll throw up if I sit up too fast,” she told him frowning.

        “Just lean up against me,” he said, slowly lifting her up.

        When she was into and upright position, Josh rested her limp body against his so that he could reach around to the back of her neck and undo the clasp on her necklace. Goosebumps rose on his skin as he felt her breath against his neck. His heart raced at the feel of her entire upper body pressed against his as he fumbled with the clasp. Finally, he got the necklace off of her.

        “You must be so uncomfortable in that dress, honey,” Nicole said from the mirror where she was putting in a pair of earrings. “Let me take her upstairs and change her into something more comfortable,” Nicole insisted. “Help me stand her up.”

        “I’m fine guys, I can walk on my own.”

        But when she stood up she got so dizzy, she lost her balance and almost fell. Luckily, Josh caught her before she hit her head on the table. Carefully, they brought her up to her bedroom where Nicole changed her into a loose tee shirt and shorts.

        “Feel a little better now that you’re out of those stockings?” Nicole asked her.

        Claudia could only nod in response.

        Nicole pulled her hair back into loose ponytail to keep it off her neck and out of her face. When they returned downstairs, Josh was positioning a fan to face the couch where Claudia had been laying.

        “I saw this fan in your bedroom, I hope you don’t mind.”

        “No it’s not a problem,” Nicole assured him as she led Claudia back to the couch.

        “Can you feel that?” he asked her, referring to the fan that was blowing on her.

        “Yes, thank you it feels nice.”

        A few minutes later, Nicole’s date had arrived.

        “I’d introduce you to my roommate but she’s feeling a little under the weather,” Nicole explained to the blond, blue eyed hunk at the door.

        “I bought these for you,” he said, handing her a bouquet of flowers.

        “Oh thank you,” she cried. “Step inside for a minute while I put these in water.”

        “Claudia?”

        Claudia looked up, surprised that Nicole’s date knew her name. “Jack? You’re Nicole’s date?” she exclaimed.

        “You two know each other?” Nicole asked.

        “We work together at Jive, I’m her supervisor,” Jack explained. “Hey, Josh. Funny seeing you here,” he said giving Claudia a wink.

        “Yeah, what a coincidence,” Claudia muttered.

        “That is so strange! What a small world!” Nicole said. “Anyway, we’ll see you later. Are you sure you’ll be okay without me, Claude?”

        “Don’t worry Nicole,” Jack said to her. “She’s in good hands.” He winked at Claudia again before closing the door behind them.

        “Why did he keep winking at you?” Josh wanted to know.

        “Oh, it’s a long story.”

        “Do you need some more pillows?” he asked. “Let me fluff them for you.”

        “Jeez,  I should keep you around more often. You’ve learned a lot from that butler of yours,” she teased.

        “Yeah, that Alfred. He’s great.”

        She sighed loudly. “I hate being sick. It’s the worst.”

        “Why? Because for once you can’t actually do everything all by yourself and you need people to help you?”

        “I’m not dignifying that with a response,” she said. “Hopefully this will be a twenty-four hour thing.” Suddenly, a wave of nausea went through her. “Josh do you think you could grab that barf bowl from under the sink? I don’t know if I’ll make it up the stairs and I’d really hate to throw up on this new beige carpet.”

        In a flash, Josh was off of the loveseat and in the kitchen searching the cabinet. He returned with it only a second later and set it next to the couch.

        “Thanks. If I have to throw up could you just…turn your head? I would be really embarrassed knowing that you’d seen me do that.”

        “Sure. Whatever it takes for you to blow chunks in peace,” he teased.

        She took a deep breath to try to ease the nausea but it didn’t help. It only got worse. She propped herself up on her elbows and leaned over the side of the couch, her head hanging over the large plastic bowl on the floor. Now it was only a matter of time.

        Josh felt helpless. He knew she felt terrible and that she was going to get sick at any moment, and he didn’t know what to do. With uncertainty, he moved to the couch and sat next to her, rubbing her back. When she began to get sick, he held her hair back for her and turned his head like he had promised.

        Once she was done, Josh disappeared into the kitchen to get her a glass of ice water. He offered her the water, but she shook her head and continued leaning over the bowl, knowing she wasn’t done.

        Josh waited patiently and gave her the water when she was finished. Quickly she gulped most of it down and laid back gasping for breath.

        “How do you feel?” he asked.

        “Better,” she answered. “You know how you always feel better once you get it out of your system.”

        He nodded. He took the bowl from the floor and brought it to the bathroom where he emptied it and cleaned it out before returning it to her.

        “I’m so embarrassed,” she said when he returned.

        “What? I turned my head!”

        “I know but you didn’t have to go do that for me,” she said referring to what he’s just done. “That’s gross.”

        “Sure it’s gross but somebody’s gotta do it.”

        “I owe you big time for this.”

        “Don’t worry about it,” he said, ruffling her hair. “So what now? Do you want to watch a movie? I promise I won’t make you watch Star Wars this time.”

         “Put in something funny. I feel like laughing.”

        A few minutes later, they had picked out a comedy from Claudia’s selection of DVDs. The lights had been dimmed and they began to get comfortable.

        About an hour later, the phone rang. Claudia had fallen asleep a few minutes ago and he wasn’t sure if he should answer the phone or not.

        He did anyway.

        “Josh? Hi, it’s Nicole,” she yelled over the voices in the background. “How’s Claudia?”

        He spoke as quietly as he could not wanting to wake her. “Well, she’s asleep now. I think it might be the flu. She’s thrown up a few times now.”

        “Poor thing. Should I come home? You don’t have to stay with her all night.”

        “No it’s okay, you have fun. I’ll stay here as long as she needs me.”

        Nicole smiled at the concern in his voice.

        “Is Jack treating you well?” he wanted to know.

        “He’s a doll, we’re having a great time. When Claudia wakes up, tell her I hope she feels better and that I’ll be home soon.”

        “Okay, no problem. Bye Nicole.”

        For the rest of the night, Josh was by her side. He rubbed her back, supplied her with all the crackers and ginger ale she needed and adjusted the fan and pillows to fit her needs. Claudia hated asking him for all the help, but he insisted. Not once did he get annoyed by her requests.

        Several hours later, Josh woke to the sound of Claudia getting sick again. He hadn’t realized that he’d fallen asleep. The lights and the TV were off and a blanket had been draped over him. He figured Nicole was responsible for all of that. When his eyes adjusted to the darkness he saw that it was two a.m.

        He clicked on the lamp and hurried to Claudia’s side. Putting a hand to her forehead, he realized that she was burning up. He went into the kitchen and got a cool damp cloth to place against her forehead once she had laid back down.

        “Josh, you’re still here,” she said groggily.

        “Yeah, I fell asleep,” he told her dabbing the cool cloth against her skin. He grabbed the thermometer off the table and placed it under her tongue to check her temperature again. This time it read one hundred and two point five. “Are you hot? Do you want the fan on you again?

        “Yes, please,” she said, kicking the blanket off of her. Her stomach growled loudly. “I’m so hungry, I never ate dinner. Josh I hate to ask but do you think-”

        “Chicken noodle?” he interrupted.

        She smiled and nodded. “You know just how to treat a sick person in need.”

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