Chapter 28

The weekdays pass quickly as Derek and Anna long to spend the weekends with each other. They talk, see and even spend at least one night a week with each other, but both of them are feeling the pull to be with each other all the time. As it were several things are about to happen that makes those very wishes come true.

Every Friday Anna either walks up to Derek’s work and waits for him to get done, while always learning more of the personal assistant’s job or Derek picks her up at her work if she worked the dinner shift. Derek had almost always worked late at work. It wasn’t until Anna showed up in his life that he rearranged his time.

Either way, for the next couple of Fridays Derek has her favorite Rainbow Orchid as a gift. On Friday the sixteenth Anna comes up to Derek’s work. On Friday the twenty-third Derek picks Anna up at her restaurant. Each time the uniquely beautiful Orchid, just like Anna.

“Oh, it is so pretty!”

“Yeah!” says Derek, smiling at the pretty Anna.

Through out the week Derek was looking forward to the next Friday. Come that Wednesday Anna calls him from home, instead of work. “Hi,” she is definitely sick. She coughs a few times before continuing. “Baby, I’m sick!”

“Oh, my poor babygirl. I will come over tonight after work and get you. I will bring you home and take care of you.”

She coughs again and in a raspy voice says, “No, you’ll get sick! I don’t want you to get this. We’ll see each other when I’m better.”

“Nope! I’ll be there after I get off, and so you don’t have to worry about them, why don’t you get your plants ready and we’ll bring them, too!”

“Really?” She coughs again and feels horrible, but she is happier than ever before.

“Absolutely! I will take off a couple hours early and be there by four. Do you need any medicine?”

“I could use some cough syrup and cough drops.”

“Done! Let me know if you think you need to go to a doctor.”

“Oh, I can’t afford a doctor.”

“Anna!”

“Oh, right, okay.”

“I’ll see you around four.”

“Derek?”

“Yeah, babe.”

“I love you!”

“I love you, too, babygirl! See you at four.”

Derek does his tasks as quickly as possible and is at Anna’s by three.

“How are you feeling, my babygirl?”

“Lousy!” Derek hugs her anyway.

In one trip both of them carry down Anna’s clothes and her half-dozen plants. When they get to the car Anna sees her dozen long-stemmed red roses on the seat and smiles despite her condition. She tries to smell them, but can’t. Even her pout is adorable.

By the time they get to Derek’s home in the surrounding hills a little outside of the city, Anna is asleep from the cold and the cough syrup that may not cure anything, but sure clouds things up nicely.

“You get right to bed and I will make you some hot tea with honey in it.”

“Wow! Thank you.”

“Get your cute little butt upstairs and in bed now, young lady!”

“Yes sir!”

Derek takes Anna up to the bedroom and holds the covers up for her to crawl in. By the time Derek makes it back with the tea, she is again fast asleep.

Over the next few days Derek spoils Anna as best as he can. With fresh flowers every morning and breakfast in bed, then off to work. With a phone call at lunch, “If you need anything, my precious girl, I can be there in a half.” Just the offer to come home to her makes her feel better. Finally, Derek cuts his day short to get back to his sick girl.

Come the next Sunday, Anna is feeling much better, but Derek is sick off his ass.

Come Monday as Anna is taking Derek’s Aston Martin to work, Derek is in bed wishing that this plague would kill him and put him out of his misery.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay with you?”

“No, babygirl, you need to get back to work. I’ll be fine.” He coughs. Besides I’ll probably just be asleep most of the time.”

“Oh, okay, but call me if you need anything!”