#ear ache

Waking up for the third day your ear aches worse than it did the previous day, as if you’re high in the sky in an airplane and you can’t pop your ear properly. Ignoring the dull aching you get out of bed and get into the shower. It’s nearly six thirty in the morning but you have to be at work by eight and still need a good shower. 

Through out your shower you’re careful to keep your ear dry. The one time water managed to slip into the small canal you winced with pain. One for a very slim number of things could be happening. Something crawled into your ear and is not making it’s home there, you irritated your ear in your sleep, or you have the beginnings of an ear ache, if not an ear infection.

Unfortunately you can’t take any time off to go to doctor’s office to have it checked out but more than that you haven’t had a ear ache or infection since you were a small child. Drying your hair as you rush around to finish your morning routine you find yourself in your small kitchen waiting for your Toaster Strudel to pop up. They are a bit childish, but still so delicious and easy enough to make and take with your busy schedule.

Combing and styling your hair hastily you hustle out the door, nearly forgetting to lock the door before rushing to catch the bus. Thankfully you only live a few stops away from your work. On the ride to your destination you keep telling yourself that you’re just psyching yourself out. Everything is fine and you’re ear will feel better in a few.

Your ear doesn’t feel any better, in fact it’s just the opposite. Leaning your head against the wall of the break room you try to block out all the loud noises of your CPR course and the people around you. Your head is pounding, you feel overly sleepy to the point you have to keep shaking your head and blink but each time you blinked you’d find yourself dozing off.

When you finally fear you’ll actually fall asleep you stand up and go to the bathroom to slash water on your face and to get the blood flowing to your legs. Looking through your bag you look for some acetaminophen or ibuprofen you are greeted to disappointment. You still have two more hours before the course is done and you can go home, but the physical part of the class has yet to come.

Whining to yourself you grab a paper towel, dowse it with water, ring it out, and wrap it around the back of your neck for a little bit of relief from the migraine you’ve gotten from the pain in your ear. The whole right side of your face aches and throbs. Breathing through the pain for another minute or two you wash your hands and exit the bathroom.

Taking a few extra minutes you stand outside the break room door and walk back and forth. You have to finish this class and pass the test at the end in order to be in complacence. Opening the door you walk back into the room and sit down for the last part of the class. 

Dragging your feet up the steps you fall into your door, keys barley being held in your hand as you unlock your door and fumble into your apartment. Leaning on the wall just inside you kick your foot out shutting the door with a loud bang. Wincing at the sound it makes you drop all your things, remove your shoes, and trudge to your bedroom. 

Forgoing the light you remove your extra clothing falling face first into your bed, crawling up to your pillow only to pass out almost instantly. Dead to the world you sleep for three hours, only stirring from your slumber and peace from the pain in your ear when your roommate A calls out to you.

Groaning you silently curse your roommate and close friend, actually hissing when they flicks on the light to your room. “A! Turn off the light. I can’t... my head is killing me.” You manage to say and within seconds the light is off again.

“Whoa, got a migraine again?” A asks sitting on the edge of your bed. You nod keeping your eyes closed. “Anything else wrong? You’re pulling at your ear.” A says noticing your hand grabbing at your ear.

Groaning you look at A through tiny slits. “Yeah. My ear’s been killing me.” A nods and stands up and leaves the room. You want to ask A what they’re thinking but refrain and fall back asleep.

“Thank you Doc.”  You hear A says outside your bedroom. You don’t know how long you’d fall asleep for this time, but to hear her say Doc you fear you’ve been sleeping for days. “In the room. Says the right ear hurts.” A adds opening your door to let Dr. Shneeplstein in.

“Henrik!” You gasp instantly regretting it. Cringing at the pain in your head you slowly turn on your side and clutch your head.

“Oh my, you are bad.” Henrik says surprised at your reaction. “Come, let me zee vhat is going on.” He adds getting into his travel bag and pulls out a few objects you can’t name at in this moment but pray doesn’t hurt you.

At his urging again you roll over and look up at Henrik. “You didn’t have to come Henrik.” You say sitting up with Henrik’s assistance. He hushes you and looks you over. He looks in your ear and you hear him intake swiftly.

“You ‘ave a very bad infection in ‘our ear.” Henrik says shocked you’d been wondering around with such a bad infection. Helping you lay back down he tells you he’ll be back and heads out telling A he’d be back and leaves the house.

“You didn’t have to call him.” You say when you think A enters your room. “He’s so busy already.” You add lifting your arm to over your eyes. Your ear throbs again and your brows pinch together as you ride out the pain. “He doesn’t need to bother with me.”

“On the contrary, ‘ou are very important to me.” Henrik responds in place of A. Your heart thunders at the implication that you were never really talking to A at all.

“B--But you just left.” You mumble letting Henrik help you sit up again. If you didn’t feel bad already you do now. 

“I had left quite zome time ago.” Henrik corrects you taking your head into his hand carefully and tilts your head to the left. “Now, hold ztill vhile I apply zis medication.” Henrik orders placing a few liquid drops into your ear. 

Gripping Henrik’s arm at the discomfort but it slowly subsides. Henrik talks to you about how to care for your ear in his absence and lays you down again. Even laying down the world spins around you as the pain dies away. 

Falling a sleep you finally have a bit of relief. Henrik smiles, leads down to sweep your hair from your forehead, and kissed your exposed skin. Humming you open your eyes to look at Henrik.

“Thank you for coming.” You whisper softly. Henrik nods his head before looking at his phone and sighed. “Everything okay?”

Nodding his head Henrik says he has an emergency with Jameson and must leave. “I vill coom back to zee ‘ou zoon. Rezt vell.” Henrik adds before gathering his things and takes his leave.

A stands in your door way gloating. “You should just ask him out already. It’s so obvious.”

If you could roll your eyes you would, but instead you simply hum and go back to sleep. Your ear is feeling somewhat better, you can rest without a lot of pain, and the biggest part? Henrik came to care for you despite his busy schedule. Maybe you should finally just confess.