Chapter 21

"Okay, now that barbarian is gone, how are you?" Russell asked, his voice becoming more fatherly and less acidic.

"Feeling much, much better, thank goodness," Rayne said as she took off the towel from her head and began to dry her hair while her other hand was holding her phone. "And barbarian? Aren't you too harsh on Harold?"

"Harsh? That man is like a jealous husband, and he's only your boyfriend. Are you sure you knew what you were doing when he became your boyfriend?"

Rayne stopped drying her hair and frowned at him. "Boyfriend? Harold?"

"I mean, if he isn't your boyfriend, why is he in your place?"

"Because he isn't. As I've said earlier, he's my next-door neighbor and volunteered to care for me while I'm sick."

Russell raised a silver eyebrow. "I know you're quite naïve; I didn't realize you were also dense. No neighbor would go that far with anyone, even if they're good people."

"I know. Shocker, but we are also friends, and while I told him he didn't have to care for me, he insisted. Hell, he even took a leave from his work so he could keep an eye on me."

"Wow, he's some amazing friend to sacrifice his career for you. Are you sure you two are just friends?"

Rayne narrowed her eyes at her boss. "Of course! Come on, chief, who would look at me?"

"I would, but there's Victor."

"Well, you can always identify as bisexual."

Russell narrowed his eyes at her. "You suck at flirting, kid."

"No? Anyway, I'll recover soon and return to work in no time."

Russell shook his head. "No, keep resting. The other VAs are doing well covering for you. Come back after two weeks; if you're worried about this month's salary, you'll still get paid. Your sick leave has been unused for almost a year, so you're covered."

"Thanks."

The call ended, and Rayne was frowning at her phone. What possessed Russell to assume that Harold was her boyfriend? She scoffed. That would be the day. She thought. Rolling her eyes at no one in particular, she got up from the bed and put her phone or, more accurately, threw it on the bed.

She was relieved that her stamina was almost back to normal. She still gets tired, but it is not as bad as a week ago. Walking to the kitchen, she saw Harold sitting on one of the bar stools staring into space.

"Hey," she called out to him. She swore he jumped a little at the sound of her voice. "You okay?"

Harold nodded, looked down for a second, and then looked up at her. "I got some explaining to do regarding your boss…."

A few minutes later, Rayne was staring at him in horror. "YOU SAID WHAT?!" She was shouting. Now she understood why Russell was so annoyed at Harold.

"I know it was rude of me. I'm sorry."

"You should be! Good grief, the man is in his fifties and is my boss, superior, and supervisor! Besides, I'm not his type."

"Why not? You're a beautiful woman, Rayne."

"Dafuq?" She stared at him as if he had grown another head, but her face was flaming hot.

"You are! No man could resist you."

"Except Russell."

"C'mon…"

"Believe me; he wouldn't find me hot unless I'm a man."

"A man…?" Harold looked confused for a second then realization dawned on him. "Oh." He exhaled the word.

Rayne gave him a crooked smile. "Yup, and he's happily married to his husband." She had to smother her laughter when she saw her friend slumping down from his seat with his hands covering his face. "Although I am surprised at how he didn't try to hit on you."

Harold looked up at her. "You think he could after I've been a complete ass on him?"

Rayne shrugged.

"Besides, he was being hostile when he first saw me. I'll apologize to the guy one of these days."

"Okay."

In the present, Harold mentally shook his head at the memory of their previous conversation about his not-so-good first meeting with Russell. He has yet to apologize to the older man, and he wondered if he could bother not to. After all, he was insulted.

He had just finished washing the dishes and was sitting beside Rayne, staring at him expectantly.

"When will you be seeing your results?" He asked.

That caught her off guard. "Let's see, what's today, Thursday? It's my fifth day now, and no sign of an ambulance, so I'm in the clear. However, there are still nine days to go, so…about Saturday. Why'd you ask?"

"I was wondering if you want me to go with you to get your results."

Rayne shook her head. "Don't bother; remember that you're returning to work tomorrow. I don't want to impose on you any further."

"I told you I don't mind taking care of you. I could use the break."

"What do you take me for a vacation spot?" She scowled at him.

Harold winked at her. "Well, we can go to one. How does El Nido sound?"

Rayne stuck out her tongue at him. "I want to remain cold and pale, not burned to a crisp."

"You know a little sun won't kill you." Also, seeing her in her swimsuit again was very appealing to him. The things he wants to do to her…

Okay, down, boy, you're beginning to sound like a creepy pervert and a psycho. Harold reprimanded himself.

To his relief, Bubbles let out a loud meow and climbed on the counter, where he blocked Harold's view of his human and was trying to get her attention by swishing his tail near her mouth. He heard Rayne making spitting sounds while she was scolding the cat. Seconds later, Bubbles was being held into her arms like a baby and cooing to him.

It was an adorable sight. She eventually released the cat as he was beginning to struggle. She turned to him. "Um, I'd like to thank you for being here." She said and briefly looked away. "I don't know how I would manage if it's just me."

Harold smiled. "No problem. What are friends for?" He said, and he swore that sounded wrong in his ears.

* * *

Rayne stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, panting and scowling at the concrete ground. She was on her way to the swabbing station to claim the result of her PCR test, and since the restrictions were still around, taxis were not allowed to enter the hospital grounds except in the new building where the new ER was. That meant she had to walk to the psychiatry building where the PCR testing area was.

She did not mind walking and even thought she could manage, given that her stamina improved throughout her recovery. She could move around her place with no problems. She had seriously underestimated how massive the hospital grounds were as well as overestimated her capability as a human. Pneumonia wrecked her breathing.

Rayne sat on a stone bench and began her breathing exercise Harold had taught her. She felt her face grow hot at the memory. He called it diaphragmatic breathing and said it could help her breathe better, strengthen her diaphragm, and reduce oxygen demand in her body. The exercise involved lying on a flat surface with pillows under the knees and putting a hand on the middle of her upper chest while her other hand was on her stomach. Her hand was on her chest while Harold placed his on her abdomen.

While he was teaching her, she understood why students like him. He was a patient and persistent educator, making sure students would learn something from him. What she could never forget was his hand on her stomach. She admired his hand, seeing how large and long his fingers were. It felt warm against her shirt, and she absently wondered how it would feel if he was touching her bare skin.

At that thought, she instantly looked away and focused on Bubbles, who was playing with a catnip mouse. What was she thinking?! Why was she considering Harold touching her? He had handled her in a friendly manner, but the images dancing in her head were hardly on the brotherly side.

Thanks to this exercise, Rayne was breathing better. She had also rested from walking to the hospital's main building entrance. She got up from the bench and continued walking to the psychiatry building.

She arrived, and a medical staff greeted her. She smiled through her mask and face shield, then realized that the team could not see the lower half of her face. She told her last name, and the staff proceeded to print out the results of her swab test.

SARS-CoV-2 VIRAL RNA NOT DETECTED

(NEGATIVE FOR SARS-CoV-2 VIRAL RIBONUCLEIC ACID)

Rayne sighed in relief. It reinforced what she felt when she was quarantined in her unit. She had an idea she was negative for the virus when after three days, no ambulance came for her. Five days passed, and still no ambulance, but physically seeing the results were reassuring.