himself off the couch, he ambled out to the kitchen to replenish his glass of water. He remembered how his mother used to stress the importance of staying hydrated when a person had a cold or the flu. Joel felt like he had both, because, in addition to coughing and sneezing, his body had begun to ache. “I probably have a fever, too,” he mumbled, going to the sink and filling his glass with cold water. He would have taken his temperature, but he’d misplaced the thermometer.
Joel set the glass on the counter and pulled a tissue from his pocket as he felt another sneeze coming on.
Ah-choo! Ah-choo! Ah-choo!
As the final sneeze hit, a muscle in Joel’s back spasmed, and he fell to his knees from the pain.
Oh, great! How much worse can it get?
He gritted his teeth, pulled himself up, and tried to straighten, but the pain was too intense. Walking bent over while holding his back, he shuffled across the room to the refrigerator. He grabbed an ice pack from the freezer compartment and wrapped it in a dishtowel. Since the living room was closer than Joel’s bedroom, he headed in that direction, grimacing as he inched his way along. When he reached the couch, he somehow managed to lie down and stuff the ice pack behind his back. This was one time Joel was glad he didn’t have any work lined up for a few days. It would give him time to recover from the pain surging up and down his back. But it would be a long weekend, being alone and feeling so miserable.
Joel wished he could lie back on the sofa and relax while someone tended to his every need—making sure he was fed and being there to keep him company. He would have had the help he needed if he hadn’t lost the special woman in his life.
Pouting, Joel glanced at his cell phone lying on the coffee table. He thought about calling his friend Tom, but Tom had gone out of town to spend Thanksgiving with his family and wouldn’t be back until Sunday evening.
Maybe I should call Kristi. If she knows I’m not feeling well, and that my back’s acting up, she might feel sorry for me and come over. It would give me the chance to tell her once again that I’m sorry for messing things up.
Another jolt of pain shot through Joel’s back as he reached for the phone. It would be worth the agony if Kristi responded to his call. In desperation, he punched in her number and held his breath. Several rings later, her voice mail picked up. “Kristi, it’s Joel,” he said, groaning. “I have a bad cold, and during a sneezing attack, my back went out. I’m really miserable and barely able to function. Would you please come over to my place and put your nursing skills to work so I’ll feel better?” He paused, searching for the right words. “Please call me or drop by. I really need you, Kristi.”
When Joel hung up, he kept the cell phone by his side so he wouldn’t have to reach for it if she called.
“Was that your cell phone I heard buzzing?” Kristi’s dad asked as they sat at the dining-room table eating pumpkin pie and drinking hot chocolate.
“It may have been.” She scooped a dollop of Mom’s homemade whipped cream off her pie and dropped it into her cup. “I turned the ringer off before I put the phone in my purse so I wouldn’t be bothered with any calls while I’m here.” Truthfully, Kristi half expected Joel to call, and he was the last person she wanted to talk to today. Even though he hadn’t called her for several days, she had a hunch, with this being a holiday they’d previously spent together, he might get nostalgic and decide to call.
“Why don’t we play a card game after we finish our dessert?” Kristi’s mother suggested. “All the food we ate today has made me sleepy, and a rousing game is what I need to keep awake.”
Dad yawned and leaned back in his chair. “I’m with you, Jo Ann. There’s something about eating turkey. Even if I don’t stuff myself, it causes me to feel like I need a nap.”
“It’s the tryptophan,”
Joel set the glass on the counter and pulled a tissue from his pocket as he felt another sneeze coming on.
Ah-choo! Ah-choo! Ah-choo!
As the final sneeze hit, a muscle in Joel’s back spasmed, and he fell to his knees from the pain.
Oh, great! How much worse can it get?
He gritted his teeth, pulled himself up, and tried to straighten, but the pain was too intense. Walking bent over while holding his back, he shuffled across the room to the refrigerator. He grabbed an ice pack from the freezer compartment and wrapped it in a dishtowel. Since the living room was closer than Joel’s bedroom, he headed in that direction, grimacing as he inched his way along. When he reached the couch, he somehow managed to lie down and stuff the ice pack behind his back. This was one time Joel was glad he didn’t have any work lined up for a few days. It would give him time to recover from the pain surging up and down his back. But it would be a long weekend, being alone and feeling so miserable.
Joel wished he could lie back on the sofa and relax while someone tended to his every need—making sure he was fed and being there to keep him company. He would have had the help he needed if he hadn’t lost the special woman in his life.
Pouting, Joel glanced at his cell phone lying on the coffee table. He thought about calling his friend Tom, but Tom had gone out of town to spend Thanksgiving with his family and wouldn’t be back until Sunday evening.
Maybe I should call Kristi. If she knows I’m not feeling well, and that my back’s acting up, she might feel sorry for me and come over. It would give me the chance to tell her once again that I’m sorry for messing things up.
Another jolt of pain shot through Joel’s back as he reached for the phone. It would be worth the agony if Kristi responded to his call. In desperation, he punched in her number and held his breath. Several rings later, her voice mail picked up. “Kristi, it’s Joel,” he said, groaning. “I have a bad cold, and during a sneezing attack, my back went out. I’m really miserable and barely able to function. Would you please come over to my place and put your nursing skills to work so I’ll feel better?” He paused, searching for the right words. “Please call me or drop by. I really need you, Kristi.”
When Joel hung up, he kept the cell phone by his side so he wouldn’t have to reach for it if she called.
“Was that your cell phone I heard buzzing?” Kristi’s dad asked as they sat at the dining-room table eating pumpkin pie and drinking hot chocolate.
“It may have been.” She scooped a dollop of Mom’s homemade whipped cream off her pie and dropped it into her cup. “I turned the ringer off before I put the phone in my purse so I wouldn’t be bothered with any calls while I’m here.” Truthfully, Kristi half expected Joel to call, and he was the last person she wanted to talk to today. Even though he hadn’t called her for several days, she had a hunch, with this being a holiday they’d previously spent together, he might get nostalgic and decide to call.
“Why don’t we play a card game after we finish our dessert?” Kristi’s mother suggested. “All the food we ate today has made me sleepy, and a rousing game is what I need to keep awake.”
Dad yawned and leaned back in his chair. “I’m with you, Jo Ann. There’s something about eating turkey. Even if I don’t stuff myself, it causes me to feel like I need a nap.”
“It’s the tryptophan,”
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