Prompt 21: Reaction 1,210 words

The van is moving slowing through the traffic and heading to the airport. Jaejoong is silently looking at his cellphone and contemplating on doing a video call. 'I wish, we don't have to go, and I could be with her right now. Just the timing...' He frowns and starts to scratch his forehead. 'It is going to be awhile before I can talk to her again.' He has not seen her for few weeks now, because he is so busy, and just found out through their cellphone talk yesterday that she has a bad case of the flu. Her sore throat is so bad, that he could hardly hear and understand her voice. He does not want to disturb her if she is sleeping, but he wants to know how she is doing.

Yesterday when he found out that she was sick, his reaction, he wanted to rush to her place to know exactly how she was doing and if she needed to go to the hospital. But she did not want him to come over, she said she had been to the hospital for a check-up, and said that he might catch whatever she has and that he has a concert to go to. He was not thinking of the concert, he was just thinking of his girlfriend being sick.

He just makes up his mind to call her, puts on his earphone, opens his cell, and tries to video call her. Even after a few minutes, no one is answering. 'Is she sleeping?' He is pondering if he will stop the call altogether or call again.

When suddenly a deep rumbling grating whisper came through, "hello.".

He can't see anything on the screen. "Baby, its me. This is a video call."

There is movement on the screen, and a drowsy, half closed eyes, and his yawning girlfriend Butter came through, and with her husky voice whisper, "Oh, sorry, I am not awake." She is on her right side and her head on two pillows, she moves and pulls one of the pillows and puts it across her pillow and set the cellphone against it. Covering with her left hand, she suddenly has a bouts of coughs.

Looking at her covered up to her neck with a blanket and hearing her voice and cough, he can't help but be concerned, "Babe, are you alright?"

With her eyes now completely closed, she half smiles with a rough almost inaudible whisper, "Hmm, Don't be silly, I'm doing fabulous."

"Baby, have you taken your medicine? Have you eaten?" He quietly asks.

She is silent for a moment, "hmm" She sniffles and coughs for a minute. She gets a tissue paper from the box beside her and blows her nose, she gets another tissue and wipes her nose. As she sniffles, she answers with a croaking voice, "I don't feel like getting up, and I don't have the appetite."

Looking at her being so sick, he wants to take care of her, "Do you want me to order some porridge or congee for you?" Actually, he wants to make it for her, but right now he is on his way to the airport.

Sniffling, she half open her eyes, pouts, and with a rasping voice whispers, "But you are not here to feed me."

He feels guilty, "Honey, if only I could cancel this trip, I would."

She puffs air to her cheeks, blinks, and then smiles with a rough voice whispers, "I am just whining, don't worry about me." She is silent for a minute, and then says, "It's crazy. But do you know what I really want?"

He is curious, asks, "What? Maybe I can have someone send it to you."

She laughs throatily, and ends up coughing.

With alarm concern, he asks her, "Heart, are you alright?"

She sits up with eyes tightly shut, she can no longer be seen fully on the screen, half opens her eyes and she waves her hand to him, gives the thumbs up, but continues to cough.

Straightening on his seat, focuses on the screen, he asks again, "Heart?!" She keeps coughing, and by the sound of her breath in his ear she seems to have a hard time breathing, he calls her name with concern, "Butter! Are you alright?"

She places her left hand to to cover it, while she coughs, and places her other hand to her chest, while she tries to breathe, gutturally whispers, "I'm alright."

Eyes glued to the screen with a smouldering eyes, he clenches his jaw, and whispers, "No, you are not. You should be in the hospital."

She takes in long inhale and exhale, trying to catch her breath. After a while, she whispers with a gravelly voice, "Babe, its the flu, I will be alright, don't worry. I just need to rest."

Deep in thought, trying to reorganize the whole plans of schedules on their flight, meetings, and concert, but still wanting to stay with his girlfriend. He decides, and says, "I'm coming over, I'm taking you to the hospital."

She croaks, "No! Don't you dare!"

He can't help voice his concern, "There is no one there to look after you. If something happens to you, I can't forgive myself."

Slightly coughing, breathing a little rapidly, she takes the cellphone from the pillow and holds it, looks on the screen, and with a grating voice slowly whispers, "Heart, you know you must not do that. I promise. " She raises her right hand, "I promise to take my medicine, have long rest, and even eat something. How about that? Hmm?"

He thinks it over, "No! I know you. You probably will just sleep, and not remember to eat or drink water and may not even take your medicine. And because you don't want to get up, you'll probably end up with pneumonia. "

She frowns, pouts, almost without any voice whispers, " I already promised."

After pondering it over, he decides with a very determined voice, "If I can't be there with you, I am sending someone to look after you. That is the only way we can do this. Otherwise, I am coming over."

Seeing the look of pure determination on his face, a will that will not bend, she is chastising him in her mind, 'Did this fool forgot I'm sick and keeps arguing with me instead of comforting me.' With a sigh, 'Oh, I'm dizzy, and my head is starting to throb.' She whispers huskily, "I'd agree, but only if I like her."

He half smiles then, " I trust her, and you will like her."

She can feel her throbbing head getting worse by the second, she quietly whispers, " I'm going to bed. Bye."

He hurries and asks, "Wait, I'll give your phone number to her, she'll contact you. And what is it that you wanted to have? I'll make sure she'll bring it with her."

She lays down on the bed, arranges the blanket on herself, and hoarsely whispers, "A shaved ice with lots of toppings and a delicious mouth watering ice cream." She ends the call.

As if it did not sink in, a delayed reaction, "What?!" He ends up laughing with her crazy antics.