After patiently waiting for some time, the day had finally arrived where Mariana would get her test results back. Dr. Evans had called her in the morning saying she would like her to come into her office.

Mariana started getting ready just after she had received the call. She was nervous about the news she was going to get but she was hoping it wasn't going to be anything too serious. 

She wore a light purple pencil skirt, with a white shirt and her hair was out as she had on a bit of mascara. She was still experiencing abdominal pain, some cramping and she had vomited in the morning.

Nevertheless, she still kept a cheerful spirit and kept her painful head high as she left her house. She had her keys jiggling around in one hand, while the other shaded her head from the sun, as its burning rays messed around with her headache.

When she had arrived at the hospital, Dr. Evans took her to her office and they sat down comfortably, well at least the doctor but Mariana still had some pressure around her ass.

There was a nearby breeze flowing freely from a window. It cooled down Mariana's cheeks, like drizzles of water, as well as the tense atmosphere in the room.

"So doctor, do you know what's wrong with me?" She said, trying to keep a calm face on.

"Yes Miss Jones, I have your test results right here and it seems like you have a salmonella infection."

"What..." At that moment, the pain that wreaked havoc on all parts of her body seemed to have vanished out of her mind as she couldn't believe what she had heard.

"I have salmonella?" She repeated quietly, unable to believe it even from her own mouth. Her legs began to shake as she looked down with tears building up. She felt like she had just gotten the news of a life-threatening disease.

"Yes I'm afraid, but fortunately, in your case, it's not that serious and your symptoms should clear up after a week. But until then, you need to stay well hydrated as long as the diarrhea continues."

"Alright," Mariana nodded. She tried to keep a smile up but she was unable to hold it as it soon fell into a sullen sigh. Her eyes were half-closed as glazed up towards the window, she was so fed up and tired of this mess.

"Until the diarrhea settles, I will prescribe you this liquid called Pedialyte to restore all the water loss and minerals." She scribbled down the name on paper and handed it over to Mariana.

"Thank you so much doctor," Mariana said, taking it and standing up. She was grateful for the advice but couldn't bring herself to smile now that she had gotten help.

"You're welcome and remember, if your symptoms don't improve, then you can always phone me again for another appointment," she said, smiling at her desk.

"Okay thank you."

"See you later Miss Jones," Dr. Evans said with a friendly smile.

"Bye," Mariana said and walked out of her office. She went back to her car and drove off to collect her prescription before she got home. Even though she wasn't happy she had salmonella, at least it wasn't too serious in her case. She just hoped it wouldn't develop into something more severe.

When she got home, she placed her stuff down and sighed. She was happy to be home so that she could get rest and maybe sleep for the rest of the day.

Her belly suddenly rumbled and she felt slightly nauseous, but not enough to make her want to go to the toilet soon.

She picked up her phone and hiked up to her room. Her muscles ached with every step and her head burned. She wanted to find out where she got the Salmonella from and wondered if it was from the dish that Micah gave her.

When she got to her room, she tucked herself inside her bed and began texting Micah while stroking Rio who jumped beside her. She leaned back into her pillow, which helped the headache a little, and pulled the covers up to her chest.

Mariana: Hey❤️.

Bubba❤️❤️❤️: Hey baby, how are you feeling?

Mariana: I'm alright, I just been to the doctor's today.

Bubba ❤️❤️❤️: Oh how did it go? Are you alright?

Mariana: Not really, it turns out I have Salmonella.

Bubba❤️❤️❤️: Oh I'm sorry about that, is it serious?

Mariana: No, it should clear up in a few days.

Bubba❤️❤️❤️: Oh that's good to hear, I'll come round to check up on you though.

Mariana: Thanks❤️, by the way, can I ask you a question?

Bubba❤️❤️❤️: Sure.

Mariana: How did you make the chicken from the party?

Bubba❤️❤️❤️: Well first I washed it, then I seasoned it, and then I placed it in the oven to cook.

Mariana: Oh alright.

Bubba❤️❤️❤️: Do you think that's where you got it from?

Mariana: Maybe, I don't know.

Bubba❤️❤️❤️: Oh I'm so sorry😞I don't know what went wrong.

Mariana: It's fine, I'll talk to you later since I want to sleep now.

Bubba❤️❤️❤️: Okay bye, I love you❤️.

Mariana: I love you too❤️.

Mariana put her phone on her bedside table. She snuggled into the covers with Rio's fur and whiskers tickling her face. With her temples heating up, she closed her reddish eyes that released a teardrop.

****

While Micah was slicing into some fish, his mind wasn't in the dish but on Mariana. His eyes wandered lazily around the kitchen as he couldn't stop thinking about her. He had no idea how she managed to get that disease because he made sure everything was clean as he always did.

He then rubbed the fish in cornstarch after sprinkling it with oregano, garlic, pepper, and salt. His hands seemed to move mindlessly  because his head was in the clouds. His guilt was like thousands of weight had been dropped on his shoulders, draining his energy and pushing him down as he could barely keep it up. He felt responsible for the pain that Mariana is currently going through, but he was very confused about what went wrong. He just wanted to surprise her with something nice.

He placed it in oil to deep-fry and the sizzling seemed to have brought him back to the present. He sighed as he didn't feel like working today, he was just too distracted and wasn't in the right state of mind.

"How are you getting on Micah?" Carlos said as he walked up to him.

"Yeah, good."

"The fish is looking really good, keep up the good work," Carlos said, trying to cheer him up as he could see Micah was sad.

"Thanks."

"Your really hard-working, just like your father." He patted him on the back before walking away.

"Thanks, I guess," he said quietly. He didn't like being compared to his father but it was still a nice compliment.

Once he was finished with his shift, he got picked up by Anthony as they started making their way home. His head leaned on the cold, slippery glass window, letting his thoughts run deep through his mind as he finally had time to think. How could a simple kind gesture go so wrong? He just wanted to share what he loved doing with Mariana, his only love.

"How was work for you, Micah?" Anthony asked out of the blue.

Micah jerked a bit as the question came as a shock. His eyes blinked rapidly until he was able to register the question in his head.

"Er, it was alright."

"What did you cook today?"

"Fried fish called Pescado Frito."

"Oh, it sounds nice."

"Yeah."

Chatting with Anthony made cheered him up quite a bit, as always. It made him less stressed about going home and possibly getting another argument with his father. So he always made sure to make the most out of these car rides as they were like a reset.

When he got home, he went straight to his room, not wanting to socialize at this particular moment, but what he found sitting on his bed shocked him as he started to shout:

"What are you doing here?"

A/N: Hey I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Thank you for 900 reads!❤️❤️❤️