The next day, at seven forty eight in the morning, Dylan's phone rang.
Him: "Hello"
Her: "Dylan, I can't come today." (stuffy nose)
Him: "Why? Are you sick?"
Her: "Yeah" (low voice)
Him: "I knew it." (slightly upset)
Her: "I just need some rest. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye."
Him: "Wait... Rose?"
Dylan was restless the whole day. Guilt kept bugging him. He knew he was responsible for what had happened to her. He tried to call her back in the afternoon, but she was not answering.
☆••••○○●○○••••☆
The next day, Rose didn't show up until late in the morning. Dylan called her several times, but she was still not answering her phone. He was bothered knowing she was alone in her apartment. In the afternoon, he called Max for help. He came in just less than half an hour.
"She's not answering my calls since yesterday." Dylan told him as they were heading to Horde street.
"Why did you let her go out in the rain?" he asked in an upset tone.
"I warned her, but she insisted." Dylan reasoned regretfully.
When they arrived at the apartment building, Max assisted Dylan on the stairs until they reached Rose's room door.
Max knocked gently. "Rose? It's Max. I'm with Dylan." he called, but she did not answer. "Are you sure this is the right room?" he asked his friend.
"Yeah, I've been here before." he told him.
Max furrowed his forehead thinking why would he go to his helper's apartment.
"I'll try to call her again." Dylan said.
When it rang, they also heard a ring inside the room. They were both certain it was Rose's phone ringing. As they were knocking and calling her name anxiously outside her room, the door behind them opened.
"Oh, I remember you. You're Rose's boss, aren't you? Are you here to visit her again?" an old woman asked.
Dylan remembered her voice. It was Sonia. "Did she go somewhere?"
"It was last night the last time I saw her. She's very sick. I'm actually about to check on her now." she answered.
Max knocked again. That time, he did it a bit louder. "Rose! Rose!"
"Oh, dear" Sonia murmured in a worried tone.
"She can't go anywhere if she's very sick. I bet something happened to her inside. We need to bust this door to open. Do you have anything we can use, grandma?" Max asked the old lady.
"Wait here" she said, then she went back to her apartment. When she returned, she was holding an axe. "How about this?"
Without answering, Max quickly took it and used it to smash the doorknob. After several blows, the door finally opened. When he looked inside, he froze up. He found Rose in her bed unmoving. She was facing down and half of her head and right arm were hanging down on the edge of the bed. Her naked back was fully exposed, while her lower body was covered with blanket.
Max quickly ran to her. He carefully wrapped her with the blanket and gently turned her around. Her face was very pale.
"Rose... Hey Rose, wake up." he called, shaking her head, but she was not responding. "She's not waking up." he said in a worried tone.
"Call an ambulance" Dylan suggested in a frantic tone.
Max did. He took his phone out and called for help.
☆••••○○●○○••••☆
In the hospital, Max and Dylan waited outside the emergency room. The medical staff took more than an hour working on Rose before the doctor finally came out. Max quickly approached him.
"She caught a flu virus infection and she's also mildly dehydrated. We gave her antibiotics and a dextrose to replace her lost fluids. We'll run a few more tests when she wakes up. We'll transfer her to a recovery room in a few minutes." the doctor told him.
Max felt relieved. "Okay, thanks doc" he replied, nodding.
When Rose was taken to a private room, she was still in a deep sleep.
"She lives by herself. No one will come here to see her." Dylan said.
"Someone must stay here with her. I can skip school for a while. I'll accompany her until she fully recovered." Max volunteered.
"I'll stay too. This is all my fault anyway." Dylan replied in a contrite tone.
After almost an hour, Rose finally woke up. When she opened her eyes, she quickly noticed she was not in her apartment room.
"Hey" Max called softly.
"Max? ...Are we in a hospital? " she asked in a confused and weak voice.
"Yeah... Dylan and I broke into your room. We found you unconscious in your bed." he told her.
She tried to recall what had happened, but she couldn't remember how and when she passed out. "Where is Dylan?"
Max pointed at the settee behind him. Dylan was soundly sleeping on it.
"You were not answering his calls, so he called me to help him check on you." he told her.
"This is the first time I became very sick like this." she replied.
"You should take better care of yourself. Don't overwork your body. The doctor said you're underweight and dehydrated." he chided, but in a concerned tone.
"Speaking of which, I'm thirsty." she said in a dry voice.
Max gave her a glass of water. "There're also food here if you're hungry. Dylan told me to get all the things you would need. He actually blames himself for what happened to you."
"Nah... Maybe I was only caught at a bad time. I used to walk in the rain before and don't get sick." she replied.
"All right, you should eat now. I bet your stomach is empty. You haven't eaten since yesterday." he told her. He took the take-out food he bought on the table and served it to her.
While she was eating, Dylan woke up and heard her voice. "Is she awake?"
"Yeah, wanna come here?" Max asked.
"Yes" he answered, nodding.
Max took him to the side of the bed.
"Hey Rose, how do you feel? Are you okay now?" he asked in a concerned tone.
"I feel better." she answered.
"Okay... I'm ready." he said, hardening his face.
"Ready for what?" she asked in a confused tone.
"For a slap" he answered.
Max laughed.
"I don't blame you, so stop thinking that this is your fault, and besides, I feel better now. I'll go back home once I finished my food." she told him.
"The doctor said you need to stay here for two more days. They still need to monitor you." Max said.
"I can't afford to stay here longer." she replied.
"I will pay all your bills, and I will not deduct it from your salary." Dylan told her.
Max noticed the bothered look on her face. "He's your boss. It's just right he shoulder your hospital bills."
She sighed. "Okay"
☆••••○○●○○••••☆
For another two days, Rose stayed under the care of the hospital. Fortunately, her condition continued to improve. Dylan and Max kept her company thoughout her recovery.
On the third day, while Max wasn't in the room, Dylan thought of an idea. "Live in our house, Rose."
She stopped packing her stuff and looked at him. "I told you, stop blaming yourself."
"It's not about it. I'm just thinking, what if this happened to you again? ...Maybe it's really fun to live alone, but admit it, it's also risky... Think about it. My idea is actually more convenient. You won't have to worry about your rental fees and travel expenses. Just think of it as a stay-in job." he explained.
She thought of it and realized he was actually right, but she was still uncomfortable with the idea of living with someone. "Give me more time to think about it."
"No, decide now, and I insist you should." he urged.
"Don't rush me. This is a big decision for me. It's not easy to live in someone else's house. It'll take away my freedom." she reasoned.
"Rose, it's just you and me at the house... well, and a few house workers. No one will restrict you to do whatever you want to do in your free time. My mom and dad don't come home often, remember?" he reminded her.
She thought of it again. "Give me until tomorrow to think. I'll call you when I came up with a decision." she replied.
"All right, fine. Until tomorrow then, and I expect for a yes." he bossed.
☆••••○○●○○••••☆
In the afternoon, Max gave Rose a ride back to her apartment. "Are you sure you'll be all right by yourself now?"
"Yes. Thanks for all the help, and sorry I made you ditch school." she said in an embarrassed tone.
"You're a friend, so that's fine with me." he replied with a smile.
She smiled back.
"Okay, I'll go now. Take care of yourself." he told her, then he left.
When he's gone, Rose went back to her apartment. She sat on her bed and looked around. Then, she recalled what Dylan had told her. "Live in one roof with my boss, huh? ...Is that normal?" she mused.
☆••••○○●○○••••☆
The next day, Rose was given a day off because she just got out of the hospital. Dylan waited for her call the whole day. When night came, and he still hadn't received any reply from her, he grabbed his phone and called her. She answered it.
Him: "You said you would call me." (a bit upset)
Her: "Yes"
Him: "What?" (confused)
Her: "I said yes."
Him: "Yes? ...Wait, is that your answer to my offer?" (surprised)
Her: "Yeah, I gave it a lot of thought, and I realized you're right. I can save more if I'll stay at your house instead."
Him: "Okay, um... When will you move here?" (excited)
Her: "Tomorrow morning"
Him: "All right. I'll tell the maids to prepare your room."
Her: "Okay, I have to hang up now. I still need to pack my stuff."
Him: "Sure"
Her: "K-bye"
After the call, Dylan felt very excited. Finally, he wouldn't be alone in their house anymore.
*
*
*
To be continued....
Please don't forget to tap the STAR/VOTE icon after you read, might as well leave a COMMENT of your reactions, questions, suggestions, corrections, or compliments about this part of the story.
Thank you for reading!