Episode 12

Ethan's POV

Upon waking up the next day, my entire body felt strange. My body burned, I felt feverish, and I felt an uncomfortable dampness in my groin. Every part and fiber of my being seemed to vibrate due to an exaggerated sensitivity to each touch on my body, this caused a wave of disconcerting emotions and sensations. My belly seemed to burn too, I felt a strange tingling, all the tumultuous sensations made me feel like I was in a wet dream without being asleep.

I tried to stand up, but my legs trembled under the weight of my own body. I felt weak, vulnerable, as if I were at the mercy of strange forces in my body that I could not understand or control.

With an effort, I took my phone and sent a message to Stone, informing him that I couldn't work due to my fever. His response was quick and somewhat cold, but he seemed understanding about it, or so I wanted to believe. Stone probably had too much work to worry about me.

Then I called Jacob, asking him if he could come over and asking him to bring me some fever medicine on the way. He sounded worried, and promised to come over as soon as he got off work.

As the day progressed, my discomfort seemed to worsen. It was increasingly difficult to ignore the feeling of scorching heat inside me, and my mind was clouded with confused thoughts and desires, I could discern the fleeting image of Alexander in my head, like a longing I didn't know I had.

Close to 4 in the afternoon, Jacob showed up at my house, of course, he had the keys so he went straight to my room, where he found me curled up in my blankets and sheets despite the heat I was feeling, because I wanted to feel protected.

"Damn Ethan, what happened to you? I asked to leave a little early so I could come see you." He approached me and put his hand on my forehead, sitting next to me on the bed.

"I don't know… maybe I caught something on public transport…"

"You're burning up, here." From a bag he took out the medicine and a hydrating drink so I could take it. "Let's go to the doctor, I'll take you."

I nodded and took what Jacob gave me, I didn't feel like going out, but I wasn't going to argue at the time, because I knew it was the most logical thing to do.

I didn't understand what was happening to me. My body had never been sick like this before, it was strange and disconcerting, and I couldn't find the reason, I just knew I needed help and hoped the doctor could give me answers.

As I got ready to go out to the doctor's appointment with Jacob's help, I clung to the hope that I would soon find an explanation for my ailments, I hoped it was just a fleeting illness, but deep down, a voice whispered a latent fear, as if warning me that what I was experiencing was not an illness or something that could be easily cured with medicine, it seemed that everything had a much deeper background.