Page 32 of Sweeter Than Fiction

Me: Do you need anything?

Abby: I think I’ll be okay. I’ll dig through the cabinets and see what I can find.

I highly doubt that she will find much. I was there last night, and she was talking about how she needed to go shopping.

Me: You sure?

Abby: Yeah, I’ll be alright.

I have no doubt about that, but I know that maybe there’s something I can do to help.

After work, I make a run to the small grocery store by my apartment. Tiny little shops like this have been hard to get used to. Yes, we have one of these back in my hometown. But we also had things like Walmart and Costco, which I usually opted for. Fewer trips was always a win-win for me.

It’s a whole different routine to have to hit the smaller stores multiple times a week for just a few things here and there. Usually groceries for a single meal or other necessities like toilet paper.

Tonight, though, I stop merely to shop for Abby. I get a couple types of cold medicine, some vapor rub, soup, and Gatorade. Anything I see that I think could help Abby feel better, I toss into the basket. It doesn’t seem like she has a lot of people around to help her out, so I’ll step up to the plate.

Once I’ve got everything paid for, I head straight to Abby’s. I knock softly, hoping I’m not waking her up. It takes a moment, but I hear a bit of movement coming from inside.

When Abby opens the door, she looks completely confused by my presence. “Don?”

“Hey, Sunshine.” I hold up the bags. “I brought you a full get-better kit.”

She lets me in and heads back to the couch. “That’s so nice of you. Thank you.”

“Have you taken any medicine?”

“I took some Ibuprofen earlier. It was all I had.”

That’s what I was afraid of.

Quickly, I empty the bags and get things put away before pouring her some liquid cold medicine. When I walk over to hand her the tiny cup, she scrunches up her nose.

“It’s going to be gross.”

“Yes, it is,” I agree. “But it will make you feel better.”

She thinks for a moment as if weighing her options.

“Take it, Abby,” I say in a stern voice.

She gives me an eye roll but does it anyway. By the faces she makes, you’d think I’d just given her the most vile thing on Earth.

“Was that so bad?” I ask.

“Yes,” she replies in a stuffy voice.

“Abs, I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, but you don’t look great.”

“Mr. McDowell, are you trying to seduce me? If so, you suck at it.”

“Sorry. I just meant you look sicker than just having a cold.”

“Eh, I’m fine.”

As much as I want to believe that, Abby looks like death warmed over.

“Have you eaten?” I ask.

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