Non-challenge: A Policeman's Tale (Day 35)
Title: A Policeman's Tale (Day 35)
Author: ytak
Word count: 1183
Rating (chapter): K (G)
Rating (whole story): T (PG-13)
Comments: I didn't realize that it was Friday night and time for my weekly post. So, I hurried to finish off this chapter. There might be errors.
Other chapters can be read through here or here.
Day 35
A shrill ring cut riped through Takagi's slumber and caused him to wake up and break into a cold sweat. He looked around the room in a panic until he realized that it was the cell phone sitting on the dresser next to his bed.
He reached for it and frowned when his hand fell short. Trying again, he managed to pick up the phone. “'Ello?” he said, feeling like his mouth was full of dry socks. He frowned again and saw that the cup on the dresser was empty.
“Takagi-kun, you're late,” said a very familiar, stern voice on the end. A moment later, his mind identified the caller as Inspector Megure.
His eyes felt like they were being pulled towards his clock. He blinked once. Then he blinked again. It was nine a.m. A small part of him panicked for sleeping through his alarm clock (or did he turn it off when it went off?). The rest of him was too tired to care that he was late for work.
“In-Inspector Megure...,” he said trailing off. His mind tried to catch up with what he was feeling. “I don't think I am coming in today... I feel terrible...”
Takagi wondered if he imagined the sound of something hitting something hard. “Sir...?”
“Okay, I understand, you're sick.” Takagi heard a loud sigh come from the inspector. In the background, he swore he heard someone say “Pay up!” but he thought that might be his imagination.
“Do you think you'll feel better tomorrow?” Megure asked. Takagi thought he could hear a note of pleading saying he would be in tomorrow.
Takagi pulled himself out of bed and found he had to lay back down. When he did not answer, Megure said, “Takagi-kun,” with more than a little worry in his voice.
“Sorry, Inspector Megure,” Takagi said. “Maybe.” He thought about how he felt a moment later. “Afternoon, I think.”
Megure sighed (whether from relief or exasperation, Takagi was not sure), “I'll assume you aren't coming in tomorrow but if you feel well enough, please come in. We need everyone we can get. Even if it is just for office work.” Then Megure bid Takagi to get better and hung up.
Takagi lay back down. I really could use something to drink. And wasn't that glass full last night? A frown formed on his face, “What a minute... didn't I go to bed in the afternoon?”
A flash of panic provided the energy he needed to get out of bed. Though he was unsteady, he made it to the bathroom and fumbled around until he found the thermometer.
He stuck it in his mouth and nearly spat it right back out. It was covered in dust. Chagrin coloring his thoughts, he cleaned it off in the sink again. A few seconds later, it beeped indicating that it was done. Taking it out, he squinted to read the temperature. 100.6 F, he read to himself. That is a bit high. I wonder what it had been last night. No wonder I don't feel well.
He cleaned off the the thermometer before he wobbled back to his night table. He grabbed the cup off the table and proceeded to the kitchen. A minute was spent paused, staring blankly, in front of the TV he had forgotten to turn off the day before. Figuring he could take care of that later, he continued to the kitchen and got himself a fresh glass of water and some (stale) cereal.
Absently, he chewed and tried to figure out what he needed to do to get well.
“It's rather embarrassing,” he muttered at one point. “Everyone else gets sick and I'm fine and then I get sick and forget to call in.” He could already imagine the teasing remarks Chiba or Yumi (or possibly both) would make when he came back in. “After all, Inspector Megure's desk sits in the bullpen, by now, someone will have learned what happened and will tell someone else.”
The little voice in the back of his head reminded him that Sato's desk was right by the inspector's. It's too much to hope she's heard that I'm sick. I bet everyone else is vying for her attention. His vivid imagination had every available officer make smooth remarks to Sato. Still, he had a hard time imagining her falling for them despite the ease of doing so in the past.
With a grimace, he finished off the unexciting bowl of cereal (he would have made something but he did not have the energy and he knew he needed to eat something). After he refilled his glass, he walked back into the small living room and sat back down on the couch. A quick round through the channels showed that most of the shows would put him to sleep. He picked one anyway, figuring sleep was what his body needed. During lucid moments, he remembered that he would get up to eat, drink, and answer the call of nature before going back to sleep with the TV droning on (quietly as he turned it down).
It was late in the evening when he woke feeling better than he had since the morning the day before. He blinked in surprise at the blanket that was stretched over him. “When did I put this one?” he asked. A delightful smell from the kitchen caught his attention.
The sound of the cabinets opening and closing (along with some muffled cursing caught his attention). Mentally cursing, Takagi eased off the couch as best he could and tried to sneak to the kitchen.
“Wataru-kun?” said a familiar voice quietly not to wake him if he had been asleep. He stumbled a little as he stopped.
“Mi-Miwako-san?” he said quietly, not quite believing that he heard correctly. But the person that stepped out of the kitchen was undeniably her.
She grinned at him. “Feeling any better?” she asked. He nodded. “Then come and sit down. I picked up this really good soup mix. Guaranteed to be foolproof for that cooking challenged.”
With more energy, Takagi moved into the kitchen and sat down at the table as Sato filled two bowls with a hearty looking soup.
She put the pot back on the small burner and sat down. “Sorry for barging in like this,” she said, taking a spoon and blowing on the soup to cool it a little. “I did knock and call when I came in. I knew you were sick and was a little worried when you didn't respond. The inspector said you didn't sound good at all.”
She tasted the soup and made a pleased face. More to herself, she said, “This is better than I thought it would be.”
“Ah, it's okay, I mean, I don't mind that you came in. You're welcome here anytime,” Takagi stuttered as clarify what he meant without blushing too much.
She gave him a fox-like grin and told him to enjoy his soup before it cooled too much. Takagi agreed and enjoyed the quiet meal with Sato.