Southern Comfort Ch. 04

Early in our relationship, I took Ed swimming at night. Skinny-dipping was another activity he had never experienced as a romantic encounter. Not having a pool conveniently at our disposal, I decided to borrow the one at the apartments where Jon lived. If we were caught, I was certain Jon would vouch for me as being his guest.

The pool officially closed at ten p.m. when the lights were extinguished. The odds were, if you sneaked in, no one would see you. Apartment security paid little attention to the steady stream of late night visitors, so long as there were no complaints by residents. After all, it was an all-adult community. Some hanky-panky was naturally expected.

A short time passed when Ed's pager went off and Ed announced he had to go to the hospital. Knowing most of his hospital calls required little time, I elected to wait at the pool until he returned. Earlier in the evening, I complained I wasn't feeling well. I had no specific complaint at that time. I simply did not feel up to par.

I watched while Ed reluctantly dressed. I informed him should I become bored in his absence, I would go to the Club for a drink. We agreed to meet there as a secondary plan. He gave me a kiss and departed with a promise to return as soon as possible.

I paddled around the pool to amuse myself for a time. I had always enjoyed swimming, especially at night. Growing up on beaches in general had made me an avid swimmer, and a strong one. I took advantage of the opportunity to enjoy a leisurely swim alone.

After a time, I sensed movement in the darkness. A shadowy figure taking a shortcut past the pool appeared. As he approached, I recognized Bob. I hailed him in a whisper, and he stopped to say hello. "What are you doing here?" I asked as I propped my arms on the edge of the pool and gazed up at him.

"I had business in the area and thought I'd drop by the Club to grab a quick drink," he explained. "I'd ask what you are doing, but I can see that for myself. It seems like every time I run across you somewhere, you're naked," he observed. "Do you ever wear clothes?" he shook his head and smiled slightly at my unclothed state.

"My date abandoned me to make a hospital call," I explained. "I told him that if I wasn't here when he got back, I'd be in the Club having a drink. If you're alone, would you like to have one together?" I asked.

"Why not?" Bob said extending his hand to assist me from the water.

I wrapped myself in a towel while I sorted my clothes in the dark and began dressing. Bob gallantly lent a hand in pulling my shirt over my head in order to hurry the process. His hand touched my torso, and he recoiled with a curse. "Damn! Is the water that warm tonight?"

"Not really. It seemed a little cool to me. I'm shivering. Can't you tell?" I asked as I trembled erratically from the chill I felt. I ran my fingers through my wet hair and swung it back out of my face.

Bob reached to feel my forehead and his hand was like ice on my skin. All I heard him say before the world began spinning was, "My God!" Everything went dark.

What began as a not so innocent moonlight swim quickly became an unpleasant incident; it was an incident of which I have few vivid recollections except what was repeated to me later. It would seem that I collapsed rather unexpectedly and Bob, unsure what to do about it, took me immediately to Jon's residence.

There, I was given the benefit of doubt and taken in while they pondered the situation. Once Bob convinced Jon that I was sick rather than simply inebriated they shifted their focus to deciding what to do next about me.

Wisdom prevailed when Bob decided to go through my address book and locate Ed's phone number. He decided that Ed would surely be looking for me by that point. Jon was opposed to the idea, but despite that, Bob called Ed anyway.

Ed responded to the page immediately and was given a synopsis of the situation by Bob. Within the hour, Ed paid a house call to Jon's apartment, one of many to come over the course of three days. What he found was I, in a state of fever that raged dangerously out of control for some time.

Ed's first suspicion as to the cause of the fever was based on limited information that Jon and Bob provided. Jon gave him information about my having lived in Central America for a time as a child, and few details about an undiagnosed fever I reportedly contracted while there. Bob's contribution was to simply relate the details of what happened at the pool after Ed left me there alone.

Ed made use of his hospital privileges to run tests to rule out his first three dreaded diagnostic suspicions, which were malaria, meningitis, and encephalitis. All of these were potentially deadly and possibly contagious. He had a valid concern about having to report to the health department and possibly the CDC had any of those diseases been confirmed. Thankfully, they were not confirmed. He began a standard course of treatment in hopes I would respond and recover quickly.

Quickly is a relative term. Three days and nights of worry and inconvenience for the three of them must have seemed like an eternity. Being in a state of near unconsciousness for the duration, I was oblivious. What took place was the result of three rather stubborn personalities, all determined to see to it I didn't inconvenience them further by dying in their care.

Arguments naturally ensued. Bob demanded that Jon notify my family. Jon insisted that he could do as much for me as any family member since they were all unavailable to lend any immediate support. Ed sided with neither Bob nor Jon, and went about trying to act strictly in the capacity of a medical adviser and practitioner. Ed not only prescribed but also procured the necessary drugs to treat me. He made, at minimum, two to three house calls each day to oversee my care.

Bob seemed impressed by Ed's diligence, but Jon took the liberty of pointing out that it was part of my agreement with Ed that he would provide medical care as part of my fringe benefits package. I think he took some sadistic pleasure in using my arrangement with Doc to dissuade Bob from any further interest in me.

Jon was unable to tend me around the clock, but he made the effort to the point that he was himself on the verge of collapse from exhaustion by the end of the first twenty-four hours. Bob, for reasons unknown to any of us at the time, stayed with me. He was my self-appointed nurse during the crisis.

Jon related to me later that Bob changed sheets, did laundry, bathed me, kept my hair reasonably groomed, packed me in ice at Doc's suggestion whenever the fever spiked, and spoon-fed me liquids a few drops at a time. With his bad back, even carrying me to the toilet was out of the question for Jon. Bob took the liberty instead, the same way he took the liberty of bathing me to keep me comfortable and clean.

While I don't recall much about it, I do know that the few occasions when I opened my eyes, Bob, Jon, or both, were constantly sitting at my bedside, sometimes dozing in a chair when opportunity afforded them the chance to sleep at all.

With Bob's contributions to my upkeep, Jon was able to continue working during daylight hours, leaving me entirely in Bob's custody while he was away. Jon saved my job by reporting me ill to my boss. Bob enlisted Christina's help in persuading my usual babysitter to care for my children while I was sick. Jon maintained his position of authority in being the final decision maker, while Bob carried out his orders, but not without argument when he felt it was warranted.

Ed related later how he had witnessed several heated disputes between Bob and Jon. During one in particular, Jon accused Bob of being too personally involved with me. In turn, Bob accused Jon of not being in love with me as he claimed. And, Ed accused them both of being self-serving pompous asses, and having a common hidden agenda where I was concerned. At the end of the first day of my illness, they seemed to have all settled their differences and pulled together in a team effort to make the best of a bad, if unusual, situation.

I opened my eyes on the afternoon of the third day to find Bob bending over me with his usual concern. Grey-blue eyes. "Bob," I rather sighed in recognition of him. His face lit up when I said his name.

"Yes, it's me. I'm glad to see you recognize me, princess," he smiled down at me. He felt my head for any sign of fever. "How do you feel?" He looked tired but relieved.

"What happened? Why are you here?" I asked. I was disoriented by his presence in the familiar surroundings of Jon's apartment.

"You've been sick. You're at Jon's," he explained.

I rolled my eyes at him. "I know where I am, Bob, but what are you doing here?" I asked again.

He shrugged back at me. "I just stopped by to visit and thought I'd hang out awhile."

"Where is Jon? What time is it?" I asked as I tried to push myself up in the bed and regain my senses.

"Jon's at work. He'll be home soon," he replied.

I frowned at him. "Jon's not at work. It's his day off." I kicked at the comforter and tried to untangle myself. Bob pulled the covers back and straightened the hem of an unfamiliar nightgown I was wearing.

"Take it easy, princess," he said gently as he plumped my pillow and helped me sit up a bit. "Like I said, Jon's at work. Do you know what day it is?" he asked.

I thought again for a moment. "It's Sunday, isn't it?"

He shook his head and sat down on the edge of the bed. He took my hand between his own and explained gently, "No, princess. It's Wednesday evening." While I was trying to comprehend that bit of news, the phone rang. He answered it, which further surprised me.

"Yeah," he snapped sharply into the receiver and waited for a response. "Yes, she just woke up a minute ago. She's a little confused, but she seems to be much better." There was another pause as he listened. "No, I'm expecting him to drop by any time now, though," he said as he looked at his watch. "Alright, see you when you get here." He hung up.

"That was Jon. He's on his way home now." He was studying my face.

"Did you say it'sWednesday?" I asked still confused.

He nodded. "Yeah. You've been asleep for the past three days," he informed me.

"My kids!" I nearly shouted as I bolted upright in the bed.

He grasped me firmly by the shoulders and raised his voice slightly. "Whoa! Calm down! It's under control. Your kids are fine. They're with your sitter," he said sharply. He softened his voice when I seemed to be listening. "Your job is fine. The kids are fine. Everything is under control," he reassured me again.

Now, I was more baffled than before. "What the hell happened? Why didn't someone wake me up?"

"We tried to wake you up, Cindy. Believe me, we all tried. Your fever was so high you were out of your head," he tried to explain. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"Sunday night. I had a date with..." I paused and looked away.

"Ed," he said as finished my thought. "Ed got a call to go to the hospital." His familiarity in regard to Ed was a puzzle in itself. He must have sensed that. "We've met, Cindy. I'm the one who called him when I realized you were sick."

"I remember you helping me out of the pool and we were supposed to go have a drink together," I finished my recollection of Sunday evening.

"Yes, that's right. Only we never made it to the bar. You went down on me, and I brought you here. You were burning up with fever. I found Ed's number in your address book and called him. He's been here several times a day since then," he explained.

I groaned with apprehension and planted my face in my palms. "Oh, god! Jon must be fucking furious with me now."

Bob shook his head. "Jon has been worried out of his mind about you," he admitted. "He's hardly slept. He doesn't eat right, and he hasn't had a drink in three days."

"You don't understand, Bob. I'm not supposed to be here. His wife..." I began.

"You let Jon worry about his ex-wife. He's a big boy," he said scowling at me. "There's something I think you should know. Jon and I had some words over you Sunday night. I tried to get him to call your mother, but he wouldn't do it. I said some things I shouldn't have said."

"Like what, Bob?" I asked narrowing my eyes at him.

Bob let out a long breath. "I said he didn't really love you. You had a fever of a hundred and six and Doc and I both thought you needed to be in a hospital. Jon point-blank refused. I told him he was going to be responsible for letting you die if you got any worse."

"Jesus, Bob! Did you kick him in the chest while you were being such an ass?" I hissed at him.

"Yeah, I know," he said with a sigh. "But, I was worried about you, too, princess. Doc wasn't sure what was wrong with you and you were so sick!" He looked remorseful as he tried to explain.

"After we got into it, Jon wouldn't talk to me at all. He just pulled up a chair and sat by the bed holding your hand until he had to go to work. I had to promise to sit with you all day before he would even agree to go to work. I figured it was the least I could do after what I said to him. Besides, somebody had to be here with you," he shrugged.

Jon arrived home on schedule and Ed arrived shortly thereafter. After talking with me a while, he pronounced me well enough to go home the following morning. When I complained I was hungry, Bob ordered Chinese food delivered as dinner for all of us.

I decided to shower and get cleaned up while we waited for the food to arrive. I joined the three of them at the table in the kitchen when I heard the deliveryman at the door. I had to smile to myself as I watched them reaching across one another while they talked and piled an assortment of food on their plates. I do believe Bob ordered at least some of everything on the menu. Mongolian beef seemed to be the hit among them. I turned my nose up at it and stuck to my shrimp in lobster sauce and egg rolls.

I listened as the conversation moved from topic to topic. Discussions regarding cars, sports, amusing anecdotes about people and jobs ensued. While one man spoke, I took turns poking forks full of food from my plate at the other two. None of them seemed to notice or mind.

I was simply fascinated by their male bonding. The stress of the past few days lifted and they were enjoying a few minutes reprieve, I think. Their mutual respect for one another was apparent in the way they related.

Around eight, I left them still sitting at the table and retired to Jon's bed. I was weak and feeling tired. When I announced my intention to retire, they all stood up and took turns kissing me goodnight. I heard them clearing the table, doing dishes and then settling down again for after dinner drinks before I dozed off for the night.

**********

After my recovery, my relationship with Jon continued, but it was extremely low key. I seldom stayed all night anymore. I was more cooperative with his need for discretion. We made sure I was never there when his children came to visit. We met places instead of going together in one car. Ivan was probably the only one who knew for a fact we were actually continuing to see one another. I guess Bob must have assumed it. I hadn't seen him after I left Jon's to return to my own home.

Bob just seemed to disappear, as he was prone to doing from time to time. Then, after a few weeks, out of the clear blue, he reappeared. I was having a drink at the bar after pulling an early shift. Bob walked in, spotted me at the bar, and sauntered over. "Hi, honey! Can I join you?" he asked cheerfully.

I was happy to see him and eager for company, so I nodded to the chair next to me. We chatted over several drinks together. Bob repeatedly glanced at his watch throughout our conversation. "Do you have somewhere to go?" I teased him.

He appeared slightly annoyed when he answered, "As a matter of fact, I do. I was putting it off because I was enjoying the company." He leaned back in his chair with an odd expression. "I don't usually do this, but I have some business I need to handle. You wouldn't by any chance be interested in taking a ride with me, would you? It won't take long and we could continue this afterwards if you like."

I shrugged at him. "Sure. I have no other plans. I'd like that."

Bob tossed money on the bar to pay the tab, and together, we made a quick exit. He walked me to his car. "Do you mind if I smoke?" I asked when we were on the road.

"Only if I can light a joint," he countered with grin. I readily agreed to his compromise.

I paid little attention to where we were heading, focusing instead on our conversation. We kept up small talk as he entered the city. Soon, he pulled into the parking lot of a motel. "Wait for me," he ordered. I nodded and settled back on the seat for the duration of his absence.

A short time passed before he returned, followed by a man. They went straight to the rear of the vehicle and Bob popped the trunk of his car open. They talked for a moment, and then made an exchange. I observed in the side-view mirror as the man removed a large canvas bag from the vehicle, and Bob returned to me carrying a security briefcase.

He climbed in the car and set the briefcase between us. Using a key, he opened the lock, and reached inside his coat. He withdrew a rather large gun and laid it inside the briefcase on a stack of cash. He closed the lid, locked the case, and tossed it on the back seat. I made no comment and asked no questions.

We resumed our conversation, continuing to casually laugh and talk during the return trip. Bob teased me mercilessly. "You forget! I've seen that little address book of yours, princess!" he said patting my knee.

"And? Your point?" I asked in an attempt to flirt with him.

"It's a fucking catalog of numbers, minus the price list," he laughed.

"A girl's got to make a living somehow," I shrugged indifferently. Bob rolled his eyes at me and snorted.

"That's not a living, honey. It's a fucking retirement fund," he chuckled.

"What aboutyou? What was that little business deal you made earlier? A living or a retirement fund?" I teased. I didn't actually expect a serious answer from him. It was merely a means of returning his mockery. What Bob didn't know or understand was that the numbers in my address book were personal friends, not clients. Doc was the only exception to that rule.

"A little of both. I'd explain it, but then, we wouldn't be having another drink together," he retorted. He stole a glance at me before focusing his gaze back on the traffic ahead. I interpreted his flippant response as an invitation to goad him further.

"Why not?" I demanded, eager to keep the light banter between us going. I had no reservations in regard to the direction our jousting was headed. To me, it was nothing more than a mild flirtation.

"Because your pretty little ass might be floating face down somewhere," he said without missing a beat. "We aren'tthat degree of friends yet." I was undisturbed by his veiled threat. Bob was both entertaining and charming. There was an air of mystique about him that provoked my curiosity.

I sniffed at him. "For us not to have that level of friendship, you certainly have a lot of intimate knowledge about me."

"Due strictly to circumstances beyond my control. Besides, it wasn't all that intimate," he argued with a satisfied grin.

"Don't you call taking a bath with me being intimate?" I asked feigning insult. Jon had told me Bob had gotten in the tub with me numerous times while I was ill. It was the only way he could manage to bathe me and keep me from drowning at the same time.

"You were sick, and I didn't enjoy it," he stated his denial. "I didn't even get a hard-on."

"You enjoyed the shower, though, even if you wouldn't get in with me," I countered, laughing at the recollection. "And, don't tell me you didn't get a hard-on that time. I know better."