「 The Professor & I 」VOLUME II

(278) Strangely Normal

Charles' POV

Fatigue had infiltrated Lynn's veins severely, knocking her out time and again. My heart jolted when she concussed for brief moments but thankfully, the second was not just as intimidating.

She dozed off midway through the massage I was giving her in the bath, maintaining that cute and intermittent hibernating state until I scooped her into my arms again. Her speech was mumbled and mostly inaudible as I dried her off, but gratefully, her semi-conscious form was still capable of swallowing the pills I meticulously fed into her mouth.

As I rested Lynn onto her pillow, she spontaneously drifted off into dreamland and it was not much longer before I was, too, lured by the sandman into the same harmonious sanctuary.

Before I knew it, dawn creeped in, like the stray beams of orange. Wondrously glorious sunlight seeped through the gaps of our elegant velvety curtains, painting our room in the vivid shades of summer.

Carefully, I rolled onto my side, actively intertwining my legs amongst Lynn's. Apart from the alarming heat radiating from her lean body, there was something odd about her that I failed to quite determine.

Gently caressing her face, I skimmed the moist surface glistened by tiny droplets of what seemed to be cold sweat. Residing atop her pale forehead were similar beads, unveiled as I delicately gathered her fringe cluttered in an untidy manner. Innately, I aimed to tuck the blonde locks away but as my fingers combed behind her ear, they were greeted by an unexpectedly cool sensation.

The area just above the back of her neck was slightly clammy, and the surrounding hairs fairly wettish. Except for the fact that her head still discernibly exuded that alluring citrus aroma, the rest of her skull appeared strangely normal and unaffected by her peculiar perspiration.

Nevertheless, it was the unyielding fever that dearly warranted my concerns. Cautiously, I shifted myself into a sitting position and stretched over to my nightstand where bottles of Lynn's medications littered copiously atop the small chest of drawers, but in a fashion that did not occur as familiar.

It was, however, not definitive that they had been moved whatsoever, for I never actually memorised their precise locations from the night prior. Skipping over the redundant thought, I quickly snagged the bottle of ibuprofen together with Lynn's tumbler onto my lap and flipped myself back only to notice her face scrunched up under the glaring rays.

Whipping off the covers, I strutted briskly to the windows, shutting off the jarring illumination that was irritating my poor girl. With our room reduced to moderate darkness, I hurried back to the bed and tenderly cupped her face.

"Are you feeling any better, love?" I probed softly and she frowned, shaking her head in a minute yet agonizing motion, as if every infinitesimal movement tormented her with an endless torture.

"I'm sorry," I murmured faintly, pecking her forehead daintily.

"It's time for your meds. Let me help you up, alright?" I appealed quietly but a confounded expression rapidly developed on her face.

"I just fell asleep," she slurred in a sluggish tone with her eyes still lazily sealed.

"It's morning, Lynn. And you're still burning. You really need another dose, please," I persuaded keenly.

Lynn's face was just a display of utter reluctance, and I was certainly no more willing to upset her, but I could not concede. Not this time.

Discreetly lifting her flushed frame from the mattress, I supported Lynn as comfortably as I could in my embrace but painful whimpers still spilled in a continuous heartbreaking resonance off her tongue.

"C'mon, love. Open up. I promise, I'll let you sleep once you finish this," I coaxed in a convincing tone and her lips parted listlessly.

Warily, I dished out two tablets pigmented in distinct terracotta into her narrow cavity and conscientiously eased some water into her throat to rinse the pills into her system. She gulped them down strenuously, albeit luckily not choking, and plopped her head weakly onto my torso, as if completely surrendering to her lethargy.

Yet, a miserable expression paraded upon her face, blatantly exposing all the suffering plaguing her from within. There was, unmistakably, no shame to the twinges that bothered her arm, but Lynn remained stubbornly mum, apparently refusing to resign to external help.

It was only as she tossed uneasily that I finally noticed the marginal misalignment of the straps buckling together the acrylic pieces of her wrist brace. Given that I had refrained from touching it yesterday, there might have only been one culprit.

Surely, it was no major blunder but to the same extent, it was very unlike Jean to have left her work this unkempt. Jean was famous for her attention to details, especially to the one she treated more than just a mentor or mother, and the insignificant oversight after her own injuries and depletion definitely did not justify any blame. Instead, I hurriedly fetched the container of painkillers.

"Lynn, just another two and you can go back to sleep, alright?" I whispered, slowly sending another couple of pills her way.

Immediately, she shunned her face from my approaching palm, shaking her head furiously against my chest with a grimaced expression. Her eyes were shut but water obviously seeped through her lids, trickling down her temples as transparent spherical droplets.

"Are you sure? You're not going to get any rest if you don't numb it, Lynn," I advised cordially but she shoved my hand away in a frenzied overreaction.

I stared blankly as the set of tablets were flung off onto the parquet, but just as they bounced several times on the varnished planks to dissipate the large momentum accompanying their great speed, my heart was wrenched.

Before the fast spinning tiny discs could settle onto the floor, crisp sniffles pierced the air between us. Lynn's stifled gags instantly garnered my attention and my eyes darted back to her, watching fluids ruthlessly draining down her face.

Sparkles twinkled from the corners of her eyes but the beauty of their glitter was readily outshone by her guilt and jitters. Pure remorse and unadulterated anxiety danced upon those alluring hazel irises now flooded beneath salty water.

Her chest rose deeply and erratically as her neck muscles strained to the core. Muffled wheezes splintered through her lips, signifying her worsened asthma on the verge of being triggered.

"Alright, alright, no meds," I soothed amiably, kindly stroking the top of her hair.

"Just calm down, love. I'll let you go back to sleep, alright?" I blurted in a hurry and she nodded feebly, but eagerly.

"Do you need the bath?" I prodded conscientiously but she shook her head weakly, simply uninterested.

Perhaps, I was stunned by her weirdly nonchalant response, imagining she would be more keen with her body's essential needs, but all that disgruntlement sashayed on that pale face had me conceding anyway. Elegantly, I lowered her back to the mattress and her head sank into the pillow heavily, like the weight of the earth had gravitated her onto the plush cushion.

She faced away, clenching tightly to the quilt I draped over her. I laid by her side, patting her lightly on her torso, wishing it would aid to lull her to bed again. Sobbing sheepishly, her body trembled terribly but eventually, her vitals stabilized and the shivering ceased as she slipped into what hopefully was serenity.

XXXXX

Hi guys! It's my country's 52nd birthday today and I'm proud to call this amazing island the little red dot my home ❤️🇸🇬

Today also marks the one year anniversary of launching
「 THE PROFESSOR AND I 」
and I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has made it with me through this journey, especially those who are still here supporting me on a daily basis. I really love you guys and I hope I'm doing a good enough job to satisfy your Charles-Lynn imaginations. Thank you thank you thank you!
😘