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Frank never did meet Claire that Monday. He couldn’t. He woke up feeling so horrible he had to call in sick to work. Since he didn’t have Claire’s phone number, he couldn’t call her. He wondered what she would think of him. He feared she would think he had forgotten and hold it against him, but there was nothing he could do now. He would just have to hope she believed his very real excuse for not showing up and try to make it up to her later.
Claire arrived at class early that day to meet Frank. She was excited to have a new friend to go with, but where was he? There was no sign of Frank at the studio or in the park. She watched and waited and finally gave up. He seemed so nice. How could he have stood her up like this? She wanted an explanation and regretted not asking for a phone number.
But after her meditation session, Claire was no longer angry. Her thoughts turned to concern for Frank. Maybe something had come up at work or there was some kind of emergency. She hoped nothing bad had happened to him. She assumed there must be a good explanation. Frank seemed so reliable, not the sort to ditch someone.
Back at the office, Gina was left to fend for herself. Frank was unable to make it again on Tuesday, and by then Wallace was driving her crazy. He kept finding excuses to hang around her even though he had a project of his own to work on.
“You look frazzled, beautiful,” Tim commented. He took a seat in Frank’s chair and spun around to face her.
“There’s just more work here than one person can possibly handle,” Gina said, revealing the stress she was under. She was drowning in a sea of case files and reports to write.
“Maybe the captain will let me help you if Frank’s going to be gone for any length of time.”
“I just might have to take you up on that,” Gina said reluctantly. She was desperate and eager for some help.
“Frank tries hard not to miss a day of work for anything. He’s got the best attendance of anyone here. He must be really sick. Missing even one day would be weird for him, but missing two days, and the guy is probably near death.”
Tim’s comments began to mess with her head. Gina found herself wondering what was wrong with Frank and imagining increasingly worse possibilities. She decided to stop by after work just to make sure he was alright. The work day passed quickly, but her worry intensified when she found out the captain had not heard from him at all that day.
Gina listened for a moment at Frank’s door before knocking, but she couldn’t hear anything. It was so quiet she wondered if he was even there. What if Frank didn’t appreciate her surprise visit? She summoned her courage and knocked on the door anyway. A minute passed, and no one answered. She knocked again, more insistently this time.
Two more minutes passed before the door opened. Frank was quite shocked to see Gina standing there.
“Frank! You look terrible,” she said, noticing he was still in his bathrobe. It was obvious he had been in bed all day. She had grown accustomed to his neat, clean-cut appearance, but today his hair was a mess and stubble covered his face. He looked pale and sickly.
“Thanks. You know you really shouldn’t be here.”
“I’m not afraid of a few germs,” she replied, letting herself in.
“Maybe you should be. I haven’t been this sick in years. I must have gotten the flu or something. Whatever it is, you don’t want it. Trust me.”
“Do you have a fever?”
“I’m feeling pretty warm,” he responded.
“’Warm’ is not a temperature, Frank. Where’s your thermometer?” He just stared back at her. “Never mind. I’ll find it myself. You should be in bed.”
“I’ve been in bed all day, and I don’t know what to do with myself anymore. I’m still not sure I’m done throwing up, and my body aches all over.”
“Sure sounds like the flu. I’m not worried. I got my shot a month ago.”
“Suit yourself, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Gina ignored his advice and went to find a thermometer. She remained empty-handed after searching the bathroom and kitchen, so she checked his bedroom.
Frank followed and found her rummaging through drawers. “What are you doing?”
“Finally!” she exclaimed as she pulled out a thermometer that was hiding in his nightstand, somewhere behind his badge, gun, and an assortment of unrelated items. “Sit down,” she ordered. “Put this under your arm.”
Frank loosened his robe and rolled his eyes as he inserted the thermometer, convinced all this fuss was entirely unnecessary. When it beeped, he handed it to her.
“102.4. That’s starting to get a little high. You should get in bed. I’ll get you some water and whatever else I can find.”
Frank didn’t argue with her. He no longer had the strength to, so he did what she asked. He wasn’t used to having someone around to take care of him but decided he liked it.
Gina quickly produced a pitcher of water. “Here. Drink up. I’m going to the store to get a few things. I’ll be back soon.”
When Gina returned, she warmed up some chicken noodle soup, got out some crackers, and headed to Frank’s bedroom. His eyes were closed, and his forehead was covered in sweat, so she rushed to the bathroom to get a cold washcloth.
“Frank? Are you alright?”
“Gina?” he responded weakly.
She told him to drink more water, but he just lay there, looking dazed. Gina put her hand on his forehead, which was alarmingly hot. “Maybe you’ve got too many blankets.” She removed a couple, only to find him shivering a moment later. “Let’s take your temperature again.” He made no attempt to assist her, so she sat down on the bed next to him. She felt a little uncomfortable reaching under his shirt to put the thermometer in place. After the beep, she read the number aloud. “103.6. That’s really high, Frank. If it reaches 104, I think we should call a doctor.”
Frank could hear the worry in her voice, and he became worried too. He wasn’t sure he’d ever been this sick, at least not as an adult. Thank goodness he had an angel looking after him. He took comfort in the sight of her pretty face while she placed an ice cold washcloth on his forehead. He noticed her hair was swept up in a way that made her look very sophisticated. This was his last thought before he briefly lost consciousness. He awoke to find her still there. This time she had a couple pills in her hand.
“Take these,” she requested. “Hopefully this will help bring that fever down.” Again, he didn’t argue. He needed her help. He could feel himself taking a turn for the worse. She continued to lean over him, gently wiping away the sweat from his forehead, face, and neck.
An hour later, his temperature was down only slightly to 103. Gina looked at the time. It was starting to get late, but she didn’t feel right about leaving him alone. She debated what she should do and ultimately decided she would stay.
All night she checked on Frank and did her best to make him comfortable. She was exhausted and found herself nodding off several times. Toward morning, Gina gave in to sleep and lay down next to him. She woke up in a panic, only to find his temperature had dropped down to 102. She lay back down. How would she be able to function at work? Oh, no! Work! She realized she still had on her clothes from yesterday. She would have to stop by her apartment and change. As she gathered her things to leave, Frank woke up.
“You’re still here?” he asked. “You stayed all night?”
“Of course,” she replied, “but I have to leave now, or I’ll be late for work. I’ll come back to check on you around lunch.” She handed him more pills, gave him some brief instructions, and rushed out the door.
Tim noticed Gina looking even more disheveled that morning, her appearance not at all up to her usual standard. “Late night?” he inquired.
“Something like that. Is there any coffee?”
“You look like you could use some sleep, not coffee,” Tim replied.
“Well, coffee will have to do.”
At lunchtime, Gina returned to Frank’s apartment to find him sitting up in bed and looking a bit better. “How are you feeling?”
“I think I’ll live,” he replied, although he was far from energetic.
Gina left for a moment and came back with two bowls of soup and some crackers for each of them. She reached for his empty bowl when he was done, but he took her hand instead.
“You’re amazing,” he said with admiration and gratitude.
“Thanks,” she said shyly. “You would have done the same for me. Now, let’s check your temp again.”
“100.9” Frank said, handing the thermometer back to her.
“That’s better, but you’ve still got a little way to go. Just get some rest. I’ve got to get back to work. I’ll stop by again tonight on my way home.”
“Gina, you don’t have to do that. You look worn out.”
“I want to, and you can’t stop me. Who else is going to look after you?” Before he could answer, Gina left the room.
When Gina got back to the office, Tim was sitting in her chair. “Hey, what’s going on?” she asked.
“I’m at your service,” he replied. “The captain said I could give you a hand. Besides, you probably shouldn’t go knocking on doors in these sketchy neighborhoods all by yourself.”
“I used to live in these sketchy neighborhoods, Tim. I’m pretty sure I know how to take care of myself. Besides, I carry a gun and know how to use it. I didn’t choose this career because it was a safe profession.”
“Yeah, but why risk it when you can have me as your handsome bodyguard?” Tim asked with a smile, but he wasn’t joking.
“Now, what girl could turn down an offer like that?” she replied sarcastically. Tim was so full of himself. Gina hated the fact that she needed him, but she did.
“Come on, Gina! It’ll be fun working together.”
“Oh, alright. Let’s go.”
Tim actually proved to be more helpful than she imagined, but his motives were not entirely noble. It seemed like he was showing off when he tackled a suspect and later tried to impress her with his interrogation skills. He was working hard to get her attention, but he was no gentleman. Tim had his own agenda, and it was obvious to Gina what he was after. He didn’t really care about her, only what he could get from her, and he never mentioned Frank’s name once. Tim even asked her out for a drink that night, but she turned him down. He was nothing but trouble, and she knew better than to go anywhere with him. Unfortunately, this seemed to make him want her all the more.
Gina eventually showed up at Frank’s door, but she was ready to drop and could hardly keep her eyes open anymore. She found Frank sleeping peacefully on the sofa. He must have felt well enough to get up and move around a little. “Frank?” she whispered, placing a hand on his forehead.
“Yeah,” he replied groggily. “Try not to worry. I was just under 100 an hour ago.”
“That’s great. It looks like you’ll be back to work soon.”
“I hope so. I’m losing my mind lying around doing nothing all day.”
“And I miss my partner. Besides, Tim’s harassing me constantly without you around for a buffer. Anyway, I brought you some soup from that café on Main Street. It’s on the table.”
“Thanks, Gina. Now go home, and get some rest. I’m not trying to chase you out, but you look exhausted.”
“Alright. You have my number. Call me if you need anything.”
When Gina got home, her boyfriend was there waiting for her.
“Where have you been?” he demanded.
She felt insulted by his accusatory tone. “Work.”
“And you’re too busy working to answer any of my calls for two days? Since when?”
“Look, Carlos, I’m beat. If you must know, I was also looking after a sick friend.”
“Which friend?”
“Frank.”
“Your new partner?”
“Yes. He has the flu.”
“I’m sure he’s got someone else who can help him.”
“Not really. Besides, partners take care of each other,” Gina said defensively, but Carlos only gave her a look. “I don’t expect you to understand.”
“Well, I thought we could spend some time together tonight.”
“I need sleep, Carlos! I feel terrible right now.”
“I can make you feel better, baby,” he said and began to rub her shoulders.
She knew what he had in mind. “No, I meant alone.”
“Fine! Goodnight then!” Carlos ended the conversation and left abruptly.
Gina could tell he was agitated, but she was too tired to care.
In the morning, Frank called Gina to tell her his fever was gone. He promised her he would be back to work the following day. That meant only one more day working with Tim. It would be good to have Frank back.
