Impress Me Not: The Handyman

Chapter 94

Solomon woke up to the smell of food. It confused him for a second. Usually, he woke everyone else up that way. He never had someone else cook for him other than Maya a few times.

After a few blinks, he finally realized he was in his room. For a second, he thought he was back at the hospital. But hospitals never had dark rooms like his. It was a pain in the ass just trying to get back home, and he had to have Maya drive, but he was so happy to be out of that hospital. His bed seemed so much more comfortable. Just the thought of finally being home was relieving in and of itself.

Until he looked at the mail.

He had forgotten to call the landlord during the time that he was in the hospital. He could have bought himself more time if he did. But he was so tired and in so much pain over the past week that he just didn't have the energy to do anything.

And now he had an overdue rent to pay.

And not enough money in his account to pay for it.

As if his life needed more stress.

Before he could think of what to do next, he heard the door open. The smell of food hit him harder than before, making him realize just how hungry he was.

Ah, groceries. That was another thing he needed to do.

"Okay," he heard a familiar voice whisper, "You have to be very careful, alright?"

"Okay," a boy's voice said. Solomon couldn't help but smile as he felt the little boy crawl onto the bed. As soon as he was on the mattress, he carefully hugged him. "Wake up sleepy head."

"I'm awake, Jay," he chuckled. He put an arm around the kid. Jay was too much like his father in just how much he liked to cuddle. He always wanted to be on someone's lap. It was the best way that Solomon had found to get him to fall asleep.

"We thought we'd bring you some dinner," Niko sat next to him on the bed. He was on the opposite side that Jay was on. "Mind if I turn on a light?"

"Sure," he was happy that they were here. He had missed the both of them during the time he was in the hospital. If it weren't for Ira being able to spend his days with him, he would have been bored out of his mind.

Niko turned on a light and helped him sit up a bit. It was a good thing that he had a lot of pillows to prop himself up on. He liked the feeling of Niko lifting him up a bit. When the nurses did it, it just seemed embarrassing. But Niko showed so much care about it that Solomon couldn't help but enjoy it.

Maya came in next. She had a tray with food on it. It was the same tray that Solomon had used for her whenever she was sick. He always let her eat in her bed when she was sick.

"You could have just ordered something," Solomon looked at Maya. She already had a bunch of homework from her online school to do. She didn't need to worry about cooking for him on top of that.

"Fast food isn't good for someone who isn't feeling well," she set down the tray in front of him. "A certain someone told me that a long time ago."

Solomon chuckled. He remembered looking up all these recipes to help her when she was sick. Whether it be soups for an upset stomach, or just food that was easy to eat when you weren't feeling well, he really went all out when she was sick.

"This is an exception," he told her.

"Too late," she teased him. "Besides, now I get to boss you around. Now eat."

"You always try and boss me around, brat," he teased right back. He was still having a tough time waking up after the nap that he had.

The food was really good. Niko actually brought chairs and trays of food for themselves so that they could all eat with him. He told Solomon that he bought them a while ago and had been meaning to use them. They were those small foldable tables that people used when eating and watching TV.