"Good morning, darling. Did you sleep well?" said Sara who was sitting on a chair next to the bed.
"I feel better than I have, I missed having you with me," I said.
Sara picked up a thin object and held it over my mouth. "Let's check your temperature," said Sara.
I took the thermometer and put it under my tongue and waited for it to beep. I looked at the display and my temperature was below one hundred. Sara and I moved back into the master suite and I promptly caught the flu and Sara decided to sleep in the tower suite, while I was sick. That left me in our bedroom being tended to by Sara and Mrs. Kelly. I was grateful that both women were great care givers.
I started to get out of bed and Sara got next to me as I stood up. She led me to my bathroom and opened the valve to start the shower. She pulled my t-shirt over my head and I dropped my underwear. I gently stepped into the shower and let the full force of the water hit me. Sara sat in the room and waited. She heard the water shut off and met me with a large towel.
"Got to keep you warm Paul I don't need you to relapse."
Sara found my plush robe and assisted getting it on me. There was a temporary table with two chairs in one corner of the bedroom, I moved to the table and sat on one of the chairs. There was a knock on the door and Mrs. Kelly walked in carrying a tray with our breakfast.
"How do you feel, Mr. Rogers," asked Paula, our house manager.
"Thanks to you and Sara I am feeling a lot better."
Sara took the second seat and we waited for Paula to serve our breakfast. It was good to be sitting on a chair and not eating in bed. The aches in my body were beginning to fade. Sara's phone began to buzz and beep she hit the answer button and held it to her ear.
"Yes Bret, His Majesty is up and sitting at a table, and we are feeding him solid food."
She handed her phone to me and I listened to Bret berate me for getting sick.
"Do you know how much I worried about you. If you ever do that again I don't know what I will do," Bret said.
"What get the flu?"
"No collapse on the set, you fool,"
I sort of remembered that we were wrapping the episode when I passed out. I went to the hospital I was told that I had a temperature of 101. After a day in the hospital I was stabilized. I was released to Sara If she promised that I would be put to bed. The fever broke several times; each time Paula changed the bed. Yesterday I turned the corner and the fever broke for what I hopped for the last time. The sheets were dry and then the sheets were soaked with my sweat.
"Will you pass me back to Sara, the only intelligent person over there?"
"You forgot to include Paula," I said as I handed the phone back to Sara.
There were yeses and no's and I agree's coming from Sara as she and Bret were planning my next torture."
"Bret says that you are an idiot," said Sara.
"Yes, Countess I got that message," I said as I began to eat.
"Paul we all love you and were afraid when the flu hit you so hard," said Sara.
Paula was busy changing the bed for what must be fifteenth time over the last few days. I was so glad that she was working for us as Sara had meetings downtown leaving her to tend to me.
"Paula, do you want us to hire you some help since we have the whole house back?" I asked.
Sara looked at me like I had lost my mind and I probably had.
"No sir the weekly cleaning crew is all I need. I don't mind changing beds and I enjoy working for you. You both are nice and respectful to me."
I finished my breakfast and was beginning to feel tired, so I moved to the bed. The women moved out leaving me alone. It was about three hours later when I woke up. Using my phone, I called Paula,
"Sorry Mrs. Kelly but you will need to change the bed again as I broke another fever, the sheets are soaked."
"I will be right up, Ms. Solsbery left for a meeting sir. She asked me to tell you."
I was in my robe sitting at the temporary table when Paula came up and started to change the bed.
"You need to put some clothes on William is here to take you to the doctor, and no excuses, sir."
I walked back to my dressing area and closed the door. I came out in khaki pants and a polo shirt. I had on canvas shoes. William was standing in the room ready to accompany me to the car.
"We will pick up Her Ladyship on the way sir," said William. We crossed over the bridge that connected the two wings and took the elevator down to the first floor. William held the door for me, and I climbed in the back seat.
"I wouldn't get too close to me William," I said.
"Mrs. Kelly is using a lot of bleach sir," he replied.
He pulled up to a building where Sara was waiting for us and she sat next to William in the front.
"Darling are you feeling better?"
"I broke another fever as Paula had to change the sheets again, I hope it is the last one, but I am feeling better."
The doctor had a light schedule, so I was put in a room quickly, also I don't think his staff wanted me around anyone. After collecting the usual vital signs, the nurse left me and Sara in the room to wait on the doctor.
"You gave us a scare Mr. Rogers said the Doctor as he walked in. He sat down and checked the notes the nurse left and looked at my medical records.
"I don't think that you like me much," said the doctor.
"Please don't take this personally but I don't like members of your fraternity," I said.
"I get that a lot. Look you had a bad case of the flu that was complicated by stress either at home or work or both. Though why you would have stress at home with a woman as beautiful as your wife I can't say."
