Brown Eyes, Blue Smile Ch. 06

Monique was shaking his arm frantically, asking him what was wrong. When that didn't work, she jumped down from the bed and rushed for the door, screaming aloud for her mom. Lincoln fell to his knees and from the rolled himself into a ball by the side of the bed still clutching his stomach and groaning from the terrible pain that was wracking him. He could hear the sound of voices approaching him but for the moment his eyes were watery with tears he could barely make out the forms that spilled through the room's door and came to kneel beside him. He heard his name being called over and over again. It wasn't until a hand wiped the film of tears from his face that he was then able to make out the worried features of Michelle who was crouched beside him. Behind her stood Shanice who was holding onto Monique who was already starting to cry. Still all he could do was remain there where he was, clutching his stomach and muttering groaning sounds. He as well was shivering all over like a fish that had been brought out of water.

"Linc ... Linc, speak to me." Michelle felt the back of her hand against his neck, feeling for a temperature. "Oh my God, Linc, you're starting to burn up."

And indeed he was. Large beads of sweat were popping all over the hurt features of his face as if he'd just been placed on a burning stove. He kept trying to speak, but it all sounded hitched and guttural.

"Get ... git ... get me ... th ... there ..." he managed to pull a hand from his stomach region and pointed a shaking finger towards the bathroom door.

Michelle saw where his finger was pointing to and told Shanice to come over and help her lift him up to his feet. Monique stood where she was by the doorway, her arms wrapped around herself like an Egyptian doll, and bawling her eyes out. Michelle was too distracted at the moment to tell her to keep quiet.

Shanice forgot about her heartache problem for the time being and took one of Lincoln's arms and draped it over her shoulder while Michelle helped pull him up to his feet and together they dragged him past the door of Monique's bathroom and went inside.

Lincoln was still struggling to articulate his words. "Toil ... toi ... UGHRRR ..."

Both Michelle and Shanice realised what he meant and led him to the toilet facility. Michelle kicked up the seat and they left Lincoln hanging there on his knees as it wasn't long before they heard him convulse and make harsh guttural sounds deep in his throat as suddenly he heaved out his bowel discharge into the toilet bowl. He did it a couple more times, all the while holding onto the toilet seat as if for dear life. Michelle led her friend out and back into the bedroom, closing the door behind her. It was then she went to comfort her crying daughter.

"It's alright, little pumpkin," she soothed and kissed her forehead. "He's alright. Everything's going to be alright."

Monique made dry hip-cupping sounds, trying to stem down her crying fit. "Is he ... is daddy going to be okay?"

"Yes, sweetie. He's going to be just fine."

"He told me ... he told me that he was sick ... that he ran away because he was sick. He was afraid you wouldn't have him back. I told him that you would."

Michelle pulled her daughter to her chest. "He's here to stay, sweetie," she murmured. "He's here to stay."

It took an even longer time for Lincoln's bowel vomiting to quell to a stop. By the time he was done he was mortally exhausted. He slid along the floor and managed to give the door a couple of kicks indicating that he was just about done. When Michelle and Shanice stepped inside, holding their noses from the fetid smell that was now in the room, he was lying on the linoleum floor gasping like one who'd gone up Mt. Everest and forgot to take his oxygen mask. Trails of vomit were on his lower chin and shirt collar. Michelle undressed him and put him in her daughter's bath tub and gave him a thorough wash and clean. An hour later, long after she'd dried him up and dressed him up in a pair of thick clothes, she led him to her bedroom and laid him on her bed. His shivering hadn't stopped but it had gone down much and same with his fever. Shanice was in the kitchen preparing him a sup of herbal tea. She brought it for Michelle who then gave it to him to drink up, soothing his pain. She sat down by the side of the bed feeling his temperature, glad to observe that it had gone down for now ... but what about next time?

Monique stood by the doorway alongside Shanice, holding her favourite doll to her chest, watching.

"How're you feeling, Linc?" Michelle asked him.

"You've saved me time and time again," Lincoln murmured. His voice sounded ragged from the bout of vomiting he'd done. "I don't know how to start thanking you."

"It's what I was meant to you," she replied, holding his hand.

"Funny, I haven't had it come onto me this strong in a while. I must be regressing."

"Is that good or bad?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Not good."

"How about your drugs? I thought you had some of those?"

"I lost my bid for those sometime ago when I ran out of money. There wasn't any means with which I could ... raise anything."

"You stupid man, you could have called me. Why in God's name didn't you ever think of doing that?"

"What? And then risk your wrath? I broke your heart before, Mich. You think it's ... it's something I'm happy to live with?" he brought his hand to her cheek and wiped off the single strand of tear that was running down the side of her eye. "You're so beautiful, Mich. Please forgive me for ever leaving you."

"I told you, there's nothing to forgive. You're home, and that's all that matters." She sniffled and wiped her face then turned to Monique and indicated for her to come over. Monique did.

"I'm sorry, daddy," she murmured.

"Nothing to be sorry, pretty pumpkin. Daddy will be up on his feet in no time." He cut her a smile.

"Monique, sweetie, mommy has to go run now and do some stuff. I want you to take care of daddy here while I'm gone. Can you do that for me, sweetie?"

She nodded. "I'll look after daddy," she said.

"I know you will, honey." Michelle kissed her daughter's cheek, and then turned to Lincoln. "About those drugs of yours, do you have like a list of them so maybe I can see what I can get?"

"They aren't going to help much," he said feebly. "They just stem the pain down a bit but that's all they do."

"I don't care. Do you still recall their names or do you have anything like a list of them?"

"Yeah ... yeah, just look in my shirt pocket. I think I've still got a list there somewhere."

Michelle got up from the bed and went out of the room to an alcove by the side of the kitchen in a basket where she'd dumped his vomit-stained clothes. She searched through them till she found a folded piece of paper which contained names of various pharmaceutical drugs and their dosage level. She brought the list to the bedroom and showed it to him.

"Yeah, that's it. Though I don't think you'll have much luck buying them over the counter. Much of them are expensive."

"I'll see to the ones that I can. After that we're going to get you to the hospital, but just rest for now. I'll be back later." She lowered her face and kissed his forehead. "Don't you die on me yet, you hear," she whispered to him. "Don't you dare die on me."

"I won't," he whispered back.

Michelle and Shanice returned to the living room, gathered up their stuff and then they left the apartment.

They got themselves a taxi and gave the driver Shanice's apartment address. As they sat in the backseat, Michelle exploded into fresh tears. Shanice wrapped an arm around her friend's shoulder.

"It's going to be okay," she said.

Michelle shook her head and spoke with emphatic pain and despair in her voice. "No, it's not going to be okay, Sha. My Linc is dying, and there's nothing I can do about it. Absolutely nothing."

It was the bitter truth and even Shanice couldn't think of a comeback to that. And to think that her problems were more important that her friend's. They rode in silence after that. Michelle managed to put a clamp down on her tears, but it wasn't enough to stop the clamouring raging in her heart that her man was fighting the battle of his life ... and losing.