Quarantine
It had been a few months since Cari had left town and Eddie was still adjusting to his new normal. He felt like his sex life had hit a roadblock. His only action as of late was coming from the erotic video chats he would have with Beth. While it was nice to watch her perform in front of the camera for him, he wanted more than just getting a release from jerking off in front of a computer.
Eddie had made himself scarce from the bar scene since Cari's departure. It was a gradual process as he would go from being a nightly regular to being there three nights a week. Those three nights turned into two times a week and that became once a week. Eventually, he became a no-show. Mia and Leah would text him everyday to check on him. He would respond if he felt like it, but he wasn't very talkative when he did. It wasn't long before he stopped answering their text messages altogether.
There was news about a new strain of virus that had developed in China and was finding its way around the world. It wasn't long before Eddie was keeping up with the progress of this new illness and keeping himself isolated at home. When the first cases started popping up in California and New York, Eddie collected supplies just in case things got bad.
He didn't have long to wait.
It was nearly three weeks later that the virus found a foothold in his home town. He saw the news where people were panic buying cleaning supplies, food and toilet paper from the stores. Shelves became bare and it seemed like forever for those same shelves to be restocked. Fortunately, he didn't have to worry about that as he had everything he needed. Furthermore, the local food delivery services were still in business.
It was Friday night and Eddie had returned home from work. He had a pizza delivery on the way and a video chat with Beth scheduled for later. The doorbell rang. It was the pizza guy dropping off Eddie's order. The guy looked pale and not very well at all. "Are you alright?" Eddie asked as he received his food. The driver nodded and said it was just a cold. "Maybe you shouldn't be delivering food if you're sick," Eddie suggested. He handed the driver his tip and closed the door.
Standing there in the living room, Eddie looked at his pizza. He was having second thoughts about eating it but damn he was hungry. "Fuck it," he thought to himself. "I'll wash my hands, place the pizza on a pan and everything will be alright." He felt his logic was sound and proceeded to carry out his plan of action.
After he finished eating, he cracked open a beer got on his computer waiting for Beth. She logged in about five minutes later wearing sheer nightgown and nothing else. They exchanged pleasantries and talked for several minutes before Beth began fondling herself which got Eddie aroused. He watched as Beth took a vibrator and began playing with it. She seductively licked it with her tongue. Eddie stood up and stripped as he watched Beth continue with her show. She began to back away from the camera and prop her legs up when the camera and their connection unexpectedly went out.
"Well shit," Eddie muttered under his breath. "This night beats all."
He tried reconnecting with her but to no avail. Defeated, he sent her a text and apologized about what had happened. Beth was cool about it. She would be up for a while so if he managed to get back online, she would be waiting for him. However, the internet would remain down the rest of the night and Eddie would not be getting a show.
A couple of days later, Eddie felt under the weather. Despite taking caution, he found himself extremely ill. His doctor advised him to stay home and get some rest with the virus creating multiple cases across the state. Eddie was burning up with a fever and found himself unable to get out of bed. He would sleep for hours and wake up feeling like hell worn over.
While he was suffering in silence, the apartment door opened up and Mia stepped inside. She looked around the quiet dwelling for her friend but everything was still. She closed the door behind her and began looking around. The room was dark with the exception of a table lamp illuminating next to the couch. She checked the bedroom and saw Eddie laying on the bed unconscious. She went over to check on him. She placed her hand on his head. He was burning up. She went to the kitchen and made him an ice pack. She returned to his room and placed it on his head. Afterwards, she settled in and prepared herself for the role of nurse for the next couple of days.
Eddie spent the next couple of days drifting in and out of consciousness. He thought Mia was there but he was unable to tell what was real and what was his imagination. When he saw Mia, he was receiving sips of water and getting a cold towel placed on his head. He was unable to talk coherently and kept passing out.
On the third day, Eddie awoke to an extremely wet bed. He had sweated profusely as his fever broke. "I feel so funky," he thought to himself. He sat up in the bed and pulled off his tank top which was drenched as well. Eddie slowly stood up. He was a bit disorientated at first, but he was able to maintain his balance and keep upright. He stepped out of the bedroom into the living room.
Mia was sitting on the couch watching a movie and drinking coffee. "Hey," Eddie said as he entered the room. Mia turned to look in his direction. "You're finally awake," she replied. "I was beginning to worry about you." Eddie looked around his apartment. From the look of it, Mia had kept it up while he was incapacitated.
"I spent the last couple of days cleaning up the place," she said.
Eddie nodded his head in acknowledgment. He was appreciative of her help and knew he would have to return the favor. "I think I've got it from here. You don't need to stay here any longer," Eddie said.
"Actually, I do," was her reply. Eddie looked at her quizzically.
"You see, that virus you were battling is the same one that has become a global pandemic. Anyone that has been infected or been in direct contact with someone that has, needs to stay isolated for two weeks. You had the virus and I was here nursing you back to health. Therefore, you and me are stuck here for the next 11 days," Mia explained.
Eddie stood there in silence. This was unprecedented. Normally, he would slowly get back into his routine after being sick. Now, he was going to have to continue being stuck in his apartment for another week and a half.
"Well shit," was the only response he could muster.
He looked at his friend and apologized. "I'm sorry this happened to you." Mia just waved her hand. "It's fine," she said. "I made the choice to come in and help you. I made the decision to stay here until you were better."
