Chương 122: B2 Chapter 29 - Sick Days

Veyra:" My address? Sorry, I thought you were getting a hotel >. > I live in a studio apartment lol" Veyra:" I'll try to meet you at the airport. Here's the address in case I can't come." Those were the messages that loaded in when the plane landed and I could use the internet again. She sent her address, but her tone from the texts seemed surprised for some reason. To me, the size of her apartment really didn't matter. I was already used to living in an attic.

Still, I let her know I'd arrived and followed the crowd of sleepy, stretching passengers out of the plane, straight to the airport. Unfortunately, Veyra wasn't the first thing I saw outside, since I had to go through all the immigration arrivals. The walk there took me almost ten minutes, and the queues were another fifteen, until the guys there checked all of my paperwork. My dad had indeed been right in saying that the lack of a return flight could cause suspicion.

I was interrogated for a bit and asked for my intentions in the country. The immigration officers chatted for a bit, but they thankfully did let me into the country without issues, though they reminded me that I was permitted to stay for only up to sixty days. Baggage and customs passed quickly enough, and I was finally let into the arrival halls, the first public space of the airport. I could feel my heartbeat increase already as I glanced around, trying to spot Veyra.

I wasn't even sure if I was in the right place. Traffic passed all around with people queued up for stores. She should have been easy enough to recognize. I began awkwardly walking forward, glancing around like a lost idiot, when I paused. My face lit up. There she was, at the edge of the waiting area with her wheelchair between two rows of seats. Her eyes pointed low, holding a hand on her forehead as if fighting a headache. Her hair was done nicely, just like in Worlds, and she wore a new gorgeous white sweater.

She did mention crowds make her dizzy, I thought. Aree didn't seem to be with her. Instead, a tan-skinned man sat next to her, close enough to maybe be her assistant. My luggage dragged behind as I walked up to her. Only when I was less than five steps away did she lift her head, spotting me. She blinked at me a few times, as if waking up from a dream. She shook her head awake.

"Oh. Hey!" I chuckled and moved to the side of her wheelchair, where it was easier to give her a quick hug. Well, it was more like a head rub with kisses on her hair. Oh my god, her hair smelled just as good as I remembered. We were in a public space though, so I left it short. I faced her again with a grin, while she awkwardly smiled back.

"I've waited for way too long," I said.

"Welcome," she said.

"I'll, uh, warn you right away that I'm not really feeling well right now…"

"Oh. Is it the airport? Should we head out?"

"Yeah, it's not helping, at least. Let's talk outside." She turned to the tan-skinned man next to her—about the same height as me but much more muscular, with a friendly face. Veyra began speaking Thai to him, of which I understood nothing. I was caught off guard for a moment. I'd caught her speaking Thai to Aree at Worlds once, but that was the only reminder of her being bilingual. Her English would easily pass for a native in America, enough to make me forget most Thai people didn't know English.

They spoke for a few exchanges before Veyra turned back to me.

"That's my assistant. He doesn't speak English. I told him to take us out somewhere quiet." He stood and took the handles of the wheelchair. I felt something resembling jealousy for a moment with someone else pushing her, but with this arrangement, I could walk next to her. Not to mention, I would have had no idea where we were supposed to be going.

A starless night sky waited outside, being almost eleven PM—though, the pick-off area was anything but dark with all the headlights from taxis and lights from the airport. Veyra's assistant led us to the side, where we could talk without traffic. Veyra's head remained low, supported by her hand.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Mm," she said. I couldn't tell whether she intended that to be a positive answer or not, but her expression got worse by the second. She looked like she'd want to see the bathroom. Her assistant asked her something in Thai. Her responses were short as both of us watched her in concern. Stolen novel; please report. She took a slow breath, then said, "Aiden, is it fine if you take a hotel for tonight? Just like… postpone our meetup for a bit? I'll probably be in the bathroom tonight…" I blinked.

"Sure, I guess. I don't mind helping if you're sick, though. It's not a contagious disease, right?"

"It's not that…" Her next breath came out stressed, as if she was really at her limit.

"Please, just can we talk tomorrow? I'm sorry about this…" She avoided my eyes. I glanced at her assistant, who looked just as sympathetic as I did.

"Alright… Sure. I'll go buy a VR headset tomorrow morning."

"Mm," she said.

"See you. I'm so sorry."

"No, it's fine," I said.

"Rest well. I'm happy you came."

"Mm," she said again, clearly holding something in her stomach. I stood awkwardly for a bit. As much as I wanted to say something dumb in hopes of making her feel better, now wasn't the time. I took my luggage and picked one of the taxis. Well. How unfortunate. I doubted that was the meetup either of us wanted. There wasn't much to do other than let her rest. I picked a taxi, and the awkward task of communicating with the taxi driver followed.

I tried to ask him for advice on which hotels could still have a room at this hour without a reservation, but he hardly understood English. He looked troubled when I said, "Hotel, no reservation, this area?" showing the map on my phone, but eventually he began driving to a place. On the drive there, my phone buzzed from a message. Veyra:" Sorry about that D:" Veyra:" I'm not trying to avoid you or anything. I just really don't feel good. Hope you understand." Assassin:" Of course.

I guess I should have asked about accommodation beforehand lol." Veyra:" No, my fault." After that, the chat read Veyra is typing… for what felt like five minutes. Veyra:" I'm sorry if this is too much to ask, but I was kind of hoping you'd have a hotel for most nights. That way, I can invite you over on the days I'm feeling fine and rest when I'm not. I can pay for the hotels and the transport if money is the problem." I read the message three times, while thinking of my response.

We really should have talked about this beforehand… Assassin:" I wouldn't mind taking care of you if you need support. But I can grab a hotel as well." Veyra:" Please do for now >. >" Veyra:" Sorry again, and good night" Assassin:" Sweet dreams, feel better soon <3" Well… Not exactly an exciting first night. I felt a little bad that I wasn't invited, but I guess I couldn't blame her. Hopefully she felt better tomorrow. The cab arrived at the closest decent hotel some time later.

With some luck, the hotel allowed me in, probably for a scam price, but I really didn't mind. I took a quick shower and crashed into bed.

"Should I extend my shift for a bit?" Mitch, her assistant, asked at her apartment.

"Yeah, if possible…" Veyra said reluctantly. She sat on her shower seat with her puke bucket on her lap, while her insides twisted as if a knot had been tied shut somewhere. Her throat burned as if she was puking pure lava, even though only stomach acid was left. Of course, today of all days, her stomach had to throw the worst tantrum it had in weeks.

"Don't just watch me!" she blurted out.

"Just wait outside, please…"

"Yes, call me if you need me." Mitch slid the door ajar as he left her alone in her bathroom. He didn't put on any football, being nearly midnight, but the silence just made it worse. Veyra tried not to moan in pain for her assistant to hear, or worse, her neighbors in the apartment, but she couldn't help it. It really felt like something was being ripped apart inside. Praise these new fucking meds, she thought. How many times had the doctors prescribed her different stuff now? They hardly had any effects.

Nobody seemed to know what was wrong with her, and nobody seemed to have a disorder that matched her exactly. It sucked. It really fucking sucked. A vomiting disorder was just misery. Utter torture inflicted by her own body. If she'd had a choice between curing paralysis or her vomiting disorder, she would have chosen the latter any day. There really wasn't any worse hell. The worst of it usually lasted for an hour or two. She really hoped it wouldn't last longer today. There wasn't much to do other than endure.

She felt like she was about to faint from the dizziness or cry from the pain. But this was far from the first time this had happened. She'd lived through the same pain before, and she did so now. Hellish though it was, an hour later, her body slowly allowed to exist normally. The dizziness finally calmed. Ten minutes after that, she said, "I'm fine now. I think I can go to sleep." Mitch came back, looking as sympathetic as always. This wasn't his first time sitting through her bad days either.

He took the puke bucket from her, then cleaned her mouth.

"Shower?" he asked.

"Just take me to bed…" she said. Not because she didn't need to shower, but because lying down had the smallest risk of resparking the fit in her stomach. Sometimes if she moved too much afterward, the pain could continue. Mitch did as asked, carrying her to her bed. Lastly, he cleaned the bucket.

"Anything else?" he asked.

"No. Thank you." He nodded.

"I'll be back at eight in the morning. Rest well. I hope you'll feel better then."

"Feel free to sleep longer," Veyra said.

"Show up at nine. No need to change the shift. I'll pay for both hours."

"Are you sure?"

"I'll be asleep at eight anyway," she said.

"Alright," Mitch said.

"See you at nine, then. Good night."

"Night…" He left quietly, and her apartment became dead silent. Veyra was left staring at her ceiling. Why can't I just be paralyzed? she thought through a lump in her throat. This time not from puking. Why do I also need to have this shit? Today was supposed to be a good day. Any other girl would be showing their boyfriend the city's night life now. Or maybe just snuggling up in bed after not seeing each other in months. Even a regular paralyzed girl could have at least done the latter.

How do I even have a boyfriend at all? I can't even reach for my phone to send him a message… She sniffled, trying to hold back her tears. That didn't help. Veyra pushed herself to her side and cried into her pillow, like she used to on Mom's shoulder. Mom really was the only person who was always there, no matter how sick Veyra got. If Mom didn't recover… what were the chances she'd ever have a person like that again?