Chapter 29

It was a bit more than a week later when the weather had turned really bad. It was cold, wet and miserable, but that did not stop me from cycling. Two more weeks and the other shower room should be available again. To tell the truth, the occasional flashing did not bother me much. Add into that, the fact that me getting semi-hard did not seem to bother the girls either.

Today there was no flashing, but suddenly that half-familiar redheaded girl collapsed as I was passing her with a towel round my waist. I managed to grab a hold of her before she hit the floor; but, oh boy, she was hot. Really hot. Feverishly hot. She was sobbing something while I held her.

"No, this cannot happen now, no..."

"Shh, relax. I'll take care of you."

"But I have to win..."

Shit, what did I get myself into now? But I just could not leave her like that as she was not in a fit state to take care of herself. I did a quick mental scan about the courses I was having today, nothing I could not miss. She was sitting and looking at me whilst I quickly dressed but the expression on her face was abnormally blank. When I was ready I looked at her just dressed in her college shirt.

"Hmm, where is your jacket? You didn't come here in just that college shirt, did you?"

It took her a moment to understand the question, but then she pointed in the direction of the girl's locker room. Of course. I got a few calls to come inside when I knocked, then they gave me the requested jacket. Once I got it, I picked up my mobile and called the only doctor I knew. Maybe she could at least give me some pointers of what to do or where to go.

It turned out that she could do more. She actually agreed to see the girl between two other patients, if we could get there soon. It seemed to me that being a gentleman was going to turn costly. What the hell? I could pay for a couple of taxi rides. We made it to the doctor's in half an hour.

It turned out that she had the beginnings of pneumonia, and visiting the doctor quickly was exactly the right idea.

While she got her first pills, the lady doctor turned to me and asked,

"Do you and Miss Mayes want to get tested now, too?"

Get tested together? I had only just found out Erin's name from her student's card! Then why did I nod when she asked me that question? Erin rested in the doctor's lobby while I quickly visited the next door pharmacy, before taking her out again. At that point the medication had already started to help, and she was somewhat responsive to my questions. She reluctantly told me where she lived. Once we got to her rundown house, I gave the cabbie two twenties and asked him to wait. After all, I had no intention of walking back to the campus in this weather.

When she unsteadily guided us downstairs to the basement apartment, I stopped by the door. The air at the apartment was humid and it felt colder than outside. When I looked at her she shrugged tiredly.

"The heat isn't working. The landlord says that the rent is so cheap that he cannot afford to fix it during the high season."

I looked around and the combined small room and kitchen which looked really Spartan, and it felt cold. No wonder she had become sick.

"You can't stay here. Pack up the things you need. You're going to come and live with me until you're ok again, or 'till this hell hole is fixed."

"But..."

"Erin, you're sick! You'll die if you stay here."

She didn't have much, and with my help, the necessary items were quickly packed. In minutes, we were heading to my place.

I must give credit to Mrs. Fraser, as she barely blinked when I came home with a sick young woman, who we put in my guest room. Instead, she did not leave immediately, but went and prepared a hot drink for the girl ... and, of course, she also gave me instructions. Like I had not ever taken care of anybody while they were sick? But, she was a sweet old lady who worked extremely well with Lily, so I just smiled and promised to follow her orders.

Erin drank a hot drink along with a second set of her medications, and fell asleep. I could tell that Lily was a bit disappointed that the new girl was not able to play with her, but once I agreed to play her favorite games, she was happy again. It was during our third or fourth game when I heard a voice by the door.

"I didn't know you had children ... or, a child, I mean. I guess nobody does. She is cute."

I looked at Erin who was standing by the door. Her clothes were wrinkled and her red hair was all messed up, but now there was some light in those green eyes. Not much, but some.

"I guess you two have not been properly introduced to each other. Erin, this little terror here, who cheats in games, is Lily. Lily, that lady by the door is Erin. She's feeling a bit poorly, so she can't stay at her home alone."

"Daddy, I do not cheat!"

"Not even when I'm looking away?"

Lily actually giggled at that, as we both knew that she had tried to cheat in the previous game. But then her attention turned to Erin.

"Will you play with me when you're all better? Denise and Deidre played with me. They also let me play with their dolls, when Daddy was playing with their mother."

I made a note to all men. If you ever have a little girl, you do not have a private life. I guess Mrs. Fraser also knew just about everything I had done and with whom. On the other hand if she still agreed to watch Lily, it could not be that bad. There was a hint of a smile on Erin's face when she saw the look on my face before answering to Lily.

"Nice to meet you, Lily ... and yes, I'd be happy to play with you once I start feeling a little better. But right now I feel all sweaty and filthy, and I need a shower. I guess I'd also need to wash some of my clothes as I have not been able to do my laundry for a few days."

"Maybe daddy could wash your hair. He washes my hair so nice that no soap gets in my eyes!"

At that point I decided to interrupt before things got too far.

"Lily, maybe Erin likes to wash her hair herself."

"Oh, I wouldn't mind someone washing my hair."

However, we finally settled that Erin would take a shower by herself, while I did some of her laundry. Lily shuttled between us, and kept the two of us informed as to what we were doing. I ended up washing all Erin's clothes, and when I went to give her a warm robe and slippers that she could use after shower, Lily was there again.

"Daddy, do you know that Erin has all red hair? Just like you have all brown. And like Denise and Deidre had all black like mummy. But they were dark all over just like Aunt Beth while mummy was not."

Didn't I just say that she had just no modesty at all? But reminding me about Marie must have brought a frown to my face, as Erin sounded a bit sad.

"It must be hard to be single father. Is her mother around at all?"

I took a deep breath before answering.

"On the contrary, Lily is the one that keeps me sane, most of the time. And no."

I guess that was a bit blunt, but I really did not want to talk about Marie and what had happened. She got the hint and did not press me.

A little later we were all in the kitchen drinking hot chocolate and eating a light dinner, after which it was time for Lily to go to sleep. Erin was also tired but I asked about her classes for the following day and I promised to inform her teachers about her sickness. Then I forced her to go to sleep. Which did not require much forcing. While I worked by myself for a few hours, I wondered if I had put my foot into something messy. Oh, well; what's done is done, and can't be helped.

Following morning I apologized Mrs. Fraser since I had to take the car to get my bike, but she just pushed me on my way while the two girls were still sleeping. I rushed through the day and managed to inform almost all of Erin's teachers about her being sick while I also excused my own absence for the day before. Mostly it seemed that they were surprised that someone took their studies seriously enough to inform them about an absence. Whatever. I was assured that there would be no trouble about it, for either of us.

When I returned home, all the three girls were talking and laughing like old friends, and there was some dinner ready and waiting for me. Once I got settled, Mrs. Fraser left, but not before sending a curious look in my direction. After dinner we played a bit with Lily and it soon was obvious that even if Erin was better, she was by no means totally recovered yet. So, it wasn't very late when both girls went to bed. Again, I worked for a few hours.