I am really enjoying this series. I keep on checking everyday for another chapter. It is like an addiction! xD
I love the update! They will be so great together. 
Thank you so much--I am glad you are enjoying it!
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Chapter 5 – Someone to Watch Over MeMorgana had come to three conclusions after spending the last two days in bed. One of them was that the ceiling needed to be repainted and there was a coffee stain on the carpet. The second was that she absolutely hated being sick.
The third and by far most grudging conclusion was that maybe...just
maybe...her boss was right: she needed to learn how to rest for a change.
Things had been exceedingly stressful over the last few months. While for the most part Morgana enjoyed being part of the paramedic program, it was far more intense than anything she had dealt with as a nurse. Life and death emergencies were all part of the job. Some days were easier than others, but when things were rough...
...they were
very rough. Thankfully she and her partner had so far managed to save everyone under their care, though that particular incident was rather touch-and-go for a while.
On top of all of that her classes had started back up again, and it was only a matter of time before her internship began in earnest. She spent most days after work either in the labs or at the library studying, only barely pausing for meals. A full night's sleep was a luxury that she just could not afford on most nights.
If it weren't for Leighton, Morgana swore she would lose her mind.
There was just something about him. The way that he looked at her, the way that he always seemed to know the right thing to say. In the weeks since that first lunch date they had spent nearly every Wednesday evening together. Sometimes they would go see a movie, sometimes go out for a bite to eat, sometimes just hang around at home.
Morgana loved spending time with Leighton and the feeling was clearly mutual, but there was one person who, it seemed, was not quite so enthusiastic: Leighton's mother. Every time Morgana would drop by their house Yumi would hardly say two words to her, then disappear elsewhere for the duration of the visit. For the most part Morgana tried not to let it bother her, but if things ever got more serious between her and Leighton...
...well, they would cross that bridge
when if they came to it.
Her relationship with Leighton
did lead Morgana to rethink her housing situation. It was far easier to be flexible if she was just renting a house instead of buying one, and who knew what the future would bring? About two weeks back she resumed her online search for a place and got incredibly lucky when she found a small house for rent not too far from where Leighton lived. Seeing it as a sign she called the landlord right away and set up an appointment to tour the property.
Less than twenty-four hours later she had the keys in her possession, and the very next day she was packed and ready to go. Gobias met her at the door on the way out to say goodbye to his now-former housemate.
That was one conversation that Morgana wasn't likely to forget anytime soon.
“I can't possibly thank you enough for everything,” she sighed. “You are without a doubt the best friend that I have ever had...and I
absolutely mean that.”
“You are still welcome over here any time,” Gobias answered. “It's going to feel strange without you around, if you want to know the truth. It was...kind of nice to have a roommate.”
Morgana couldn't help but smirk. “I get the feeling that you won't be alone for much longer. Not with the way things are going with you and Zelda.”
Gobias blushed. “Come on...you know that we're only friends.”
“You don't have to hide it from me, Gobi. I think it's wonderful that you're seeing someone.”
“B-But I'm
not,” he insisted. “At least not officially...a-and it's not that I wouldn't want to." Gobias heaved an uneasy sigh. "She's perfect. She's gorgeous, she can sing, she loves to play games...it's like we're a match made in heaven. I...think I am in love with her, but I...I'm just...I don't know.”
“Nervous?”
“Scared out of my
mind.” Gobias sat down on the couch and rested his chin on his hand. “
Look at me, Morgana. I'm a balding middle-aged man with a mediocre job living a mediocre life with nothing to offer. And then Zelda shows up. Someone so amazing. Something
wonderful in my life for a change. It almost seems too good to be true...like if I reach out and grab her she'll disappear, just like everything else.”
“I'm not about to disappear.”
Gobias sat up sharply as Zelda entered the room, his face a mask of sheer terror. “Z...Zelda?! What are you d-doing here?”
“It's noon, silly! You asked me over for lunch,” Zelda replied as she sat down beside him. The fear melted from Gobias's features as she wrapped an arm around his shoulders.
Morgana took that as her cue to leave. With a smile and a quick wave she grabbed the last of her belongings and headed outside to her car. Later that afternoon as she was unpacking her clothes she received a quick message from her dear friend:
I have a girlfriend!A slight giggle escaped Morgana's throat as she read the message. Gobias had finally found what he had been looking for, and from the sounds of it...Zelda was in it for the long haul.
The next several days were absolutely hectic. In addition to her normal duties at work she now had the unenviable job of making her new home livable. Not the easiest task in the world given that the place hadn't been lived in for several months. Nearly every free moment that wasn't spent with her nose in a textbook was occupied by scrubbing floors and cleaning out the nests of dust bunnies.
Then, late Sunday afternoon, it all started going downhill.
It started out as what Morgana could have sworn was just a simple little cold. A few sneezes, a case of the sniffles, nothing more. But several weeks of little sleep were beginning to catch up with her, and before long the “simple little cold” had grown into something much, much worse.
Morgana awakened that next morning feeling like her head weighed about eighty pounds and her eyes were glued shut. Almost as soon as she sat up she broke into a violent coughing fit.
Stubbornly Morgana dragged herself out of bed and put on her uniform. She could stick this out. She had classes to attend and work to do. There was no way she was going to let a simple little chest cold bother her.
Her boss had other ideas.
“You wanted to see me?” Morgana hoarsely croaked out.
Geoffrey quirked an eyebrow. “Well I
was going to ask if you were feeling all right, but the sound of your voice answered my question.”
“It's just a simple cold.”
“Is it really? I can tell just by looking at you that you have a fever. You're flushed and your forehead is sweating, and given the unsteady way that you walked in here I would also venture to guess that you are feeling rather light-headed.”
Morgana swallowed hard. “I will manage. It's not like it's something that--” She was interrupted by another fit of coughing.
“Case in point.” Geoffrey shook his head. Morgana saw him pull a med scanner out of his desk and turn it on. After a few moments of humming and studying the readout panel he set the scanner back down. “So which would you prefer, going home and sleeping in your own bed, or spending a few nights here as a patient?”
Morgana couldn't hide her shock. Was it really
that serious?
“You have a 102° fever and your lungs look horrible. If you don't take the time to rest and let your body heal, you're headed straight for pneumonia, which means you are my patient for at least four days here at the hospital. I really don't think you want that.” He sat back down at his desk and wrote something down on his prescription pad. “Get this filled and go home. I'm imposing mandatory sick leave on you for three days. Drink plenty of fluids and rest—and I mean
bed rest.”
“Three
days?” Morgana gasped, the action of which caused her to burst into another coughing fit. Three days? How in the world was she going to be able to keep up with her work? And with exams next week!
“The last thing you want to do is expose already ill patients to whatever germ you are carrying,” Geoffrey continued. His expression softened. “Listen...you have been working very hard. Almost
too hard. Being a doctor can be stressful business and you need to know how to relax if you're going to manage it. Your body is telling you that it is burned out and needs a break.”
Morgana sighed. “I guess I have no choice, then.”
Geoffrey chuckled slightly. “You and Nancy must be cut from the same cloth. I remember having a similar conversation with her about this time last year, only she went about her business...and wound up in the emergency room the next day after she collapsed at a shareholder meeting. It's one thing to be devoted to your job, but there are perils to being a workaholic.” He handed her the slip of paper. “I'll see you in my office on Thursday at noon.
If I see enough of an improvement you can come back to work on Friday morning.”
Morgana grudgingly did as she was told and headed back home. Determined not to allow illness to get the best of her she dragged her laptop into the bedroom and logged in to the hospital's server. At the very least she could download the lecture notes and study while she was in bed. That lasted for about two hours, until she received an e-mail from her boss:
I had the IT department lock your account. You were, last I checked, ordered to rest.
You'll thank me later.
Dr. L“
Darn it,” Morgana cursed out loud. Now she was really starting to worry. How was she going to be able to pass her upcoming exams without the study materials?
That was when her body decided that enough was enough. A sudden dizzy spell practically glued her head to the pillow and would not allow her to move. She fell asleep a short time later and did not awaken until her alarm clock unexpectedly went off—at seven o' clock the
next morning.
All right...so
maybe Geoffrey had a point.
She spent most of Tuesday morning sipping hot soup and reading old magazines, and that afternoon treated herself to a long, steaming bubble bath—a luxury which she had not allowed herself in several months. Morgana had to admit...it felt good to relax and not have to deal with work.
By that next morning she was starting to feel a little bit better. She was no longer hacking up a lung, which was a big plus. With her pillow and blanket in tow Morgana left the bedroom and set up shop on the couch. Just out of curiosity she opened her laptop and tried to log in to her work account. Nope, still locked.
Darn you, Geoffrey... At the very least she could amuse herself by watching television. Even reruns of
Strangetown Mysteries were better than being bored.
At just shy of noon she heard a soft knocking at her front door. Her first instinct was to ignore it, but something told her that it wasn't just some random person. Slowly Morgana pulled herself off of the couch and made her way to the front door. Right on the other side stood none other than Leighton Sekemoto, in one arm carrying a grocery bag, and in the other what looked to be a soup crock. “Care for some company?”
Morgana smiled. “Aww, Leighton. I didn't expect to see you today.”
“Well...we couldn't go out like we had planned, so I figured I'd bring the date to you. Mom made some soup, and I've got tea and a couple of DVDs. That is, if you don't mind.”
“Are you sure? You might catch what I've got.”
“That is the least of my concerns,” he replied with a grin. “Besides, you looked after me and Sam when he was in the hospital. Now it's my turn to look after you.”
Morgana was in no position to complain and eagerly let him inside. Leighton set the bag and the soup pot down on the kitchen counter. “I mentioned that you weren't feeling well and Mom got straight to cooking. She's of the idea that good home cooking is the best way to beat any illness.”
“Mmm...from what little I can smell it smells
amazing.”
“It's got a bit of a kick, just to warn you,” Leighton explained as he set the pot on the stove to simmer. “She adds hawk's claw peppers. Claims that they clear out the sinuses.”
“In that case I could definitely use it.” Morgana paused for a moment. “I...have to admit I'm a little bit surprised. I didn't think your mother liked me.”
“Wherever did you get
that impression?”
“Back at the hospital when Sam was sick. She...sort of gave me this withering look. It didn't exactly give me the warmest feeling, and then later she said something to you that I didn't understand. And now, whenever I'm over at your place, she leaves the room entirely.”
Leighton shook his head, smiling. “That's just Mom. I assure you, what she said was far from disparaging.” He took a deep breath. “Her exact words were
“Onna wa bijin desu. Dokushin desu ka?” which...translates to “The woman is lovely. Is she single?” In other words, well...”
Morgana blushed. “She was matchmaking.”
“More or less,” Leighton answered, “which would also be why she makes herself scarce when you're around. Mom...doesn't want to get in the way.”
“She's
that eager to see you attached?”
“That would be a drastic understatement,” Leighton guffawed. “She's my mother and I love her dearly, but she can be meddlesome at times. Though...she
was right about one thing.” He looked Morgana directly in the eyes, a playful grin on his face. “You
are beautiful.”
Morgana felt her heartbeat quicken as she gazed into his deep brown eyes, those eyes that she swore could peer into her very soul. In that singular moment in time everything suddenly became crystal clear. She was undeniably in love with Leighton Sekemoto.
Throwing caution to the wind, she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.
“Morgana...”
For a fleeting moment she thought she had done something foolish, that she had misread his intentions. Morgana was about to apologize when she felt his strong arms wrapping around her, pulling her close. Looking up she saw the smile on Leighton's face, the look of longing in his eyes.
“You have no idea how long I have been wanting you to do that,” he whispered in her ear before responding with a kiss of his own.
“You were waiting for me?”
“After all that you've been going through, the last thing I wanted to do was push. I love you far too much for that," Leighton gently replied.
Her breath caught in her throat as he cradled her in his embrace. Nothing could have possibly felt more perfect than it did at that moment. Every insecurity, every gnawing anxiety had suddenly faded, eclipsed in their entirety by an overwhelming giddiness. She felt like a teenager at her first prom, fresh from that first kiss and so very much in love.
Their lips met for a second time, this time for longer.
They parted a few moments later, both of them breathless. A slight twinge in her chest reminded Morgana that she was indeed still sick. “Now you really
are going to catch what I've got.”
Leighton smiled. “I think it was worth the risk.”
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Author's Notes: My deepest apologies for any inaccuracies in my Japanese grammar. I took three semesters of the language back in college, but that was thereabouts ten years ago and I don't remember all that much. 
Thank you all so mach again for reading, and I wish you all a fantastic weekend!
