by Diana Jean
Kathleen declined to mention that she had lost nearly an entire day after the nomikai. First there was the hangover and the overwhelming embarrassment that she’d sat around in Yuriko’s bathtub, naked, crying in self-pity. Then forced herself on Yuriko. Well, she thought she had. She remembered there was some kissing and touching. It was honestly something of a blur. She remembered feeling so pathetic, and then Yuriko was in her arms. Or on her lap? Then Yuriko was standing and Kathleen realized just how low she had fallen.
Kathleen hadn’t the energy the next day to do anything but try to absorb Fukusawa’s many emails. She hadn’t seen Yuriko since, nor had she tried to contact her. It was probably for the best. Yuriko already thought Kathleen was pathetic. Well, now she had the proof.
Dave paused. “Are you okay?”
Kathleen quickly checked her cheeks for mortifying tears. She was not broken up over a drunken night of bad decisions. She was an adult who could calmly hide away from all her problems. “I’m fine. Why?”
“You just sound … well, your voice sounds a little awful.”
Kathleen rolled her eyes. “Thanks.”
“No, I mean it. Are you getting sick?”
Kathleen’s throat did hurt a little and she suddenly remembered getting up in the night to vomit. But she had been so tired and stressed … “I’m fine. How is Juliet?”
“Making dinner. Delicious homemade pizza! Be honest, can Japan do pizza?”
Kathleen snorted and ended up coughing. She could hear Dave frowning over the phone. It was just a tickle, probably. “Japan doesn’t even know what real cheese is. They do have some good-looking pizza. But half the time it’s got a mound of mayo on it.”
They both laughed, but Kathleen quickly degraded into another coughing fit.
“Kathleen? You should probably get that checked out.”
“It’s just a tickle, I was fine yesterday.”
“Were you?”
Kathleen didn’t remember much of yesterday besides going into work and attempting not to sleep at her desk. “I’m just tired.”
“Well, get some rest! Juliet and I will dine to your good health.”
“I’m not that sick.”
“If you say so. But if you get some infection over there, Mother will throw a fit. Might even book herself a flight just to baby you.”
“Go eat your dinner.”
“Get some sleep.”
Dave hung up and Kathleen sat up in her bed. She was pretty thirsty, but when she tried to stand, she found all the blood rushing from her head. Her vision blacked, and she fell back to the bed. “Well, shit,” she moaned. She hadn’t been sick in years and now she had gotten some stupid cold.
A light shone in from the doorway and Kathleen looked up to see Ai. “Want some coffee?”
Kathleen rubbed her head. “No.”
“Hey, are you all right?”
Kathleen looked up. “I’m just stressed, that’s it. I’m not dying.”
Ai folded her arms. “Well, can I come in and take your temperature?”
“No.”
“What about a cup of water?”
“Sure, fine.” Kathleen just wanted to lie back down, but she had to get to the office or at least her computer.
Ai came to stand at her door again. “Can I come in?”
Kathleen was still holding her head in her hands. “Yeah, okay.”
Ai stepped over to her, putting the water on her bedside table. Then she took her hand, pressing it against Kathleen’s forehead. Kathleen reared back.
“Hey! I thought I said you couldn’t take my temp.”
“Health risks override user protocol.”
“I am not at a health risk!” Kathleen protested, but Ai’s eyes were already going vacant as she processed the data.
She looked down to Kathleen, like a stern parent. “You have a fever.”
Kathleen tried to push her away. “Yeah, because the freaking humidity in Tokyo is out of control. Now go away.”
“You should go back to bed.”
“I have to get more work done today.” Kathleen lifted her wrist and Ai put her hand over it. Kathleen could feel a text being sent. “Hey! What did you do?”
“You will not be going into to work today.
“You can’t—!”
“Health risks override—”
“Shut up!”
Ai was standing over her, arms folded. “Kathleen, you should lie down and try to get back to sleep. If you don’t, I will call the paramedics.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“I would. You programmed me to be always attentive to my user, with health and safety as my priority. If you will not take the medical advice that was programmed into me by you, then I will call someone else to intervene.”
Kathleen glared. “Fine. I’ll sleep in today. But I’ll need to get my computer by the afternoon. I’m on a deadline, you know!”
Ai smiled, just a little too sweetly. “Sleep well.”
chapter FIFTEEN
Yuriko stepped off the train, glaring into the sunset. People around her pushed her out of the way as they exited the platform. It was horribly humid and even the slightest touch from a stranger felt stifling. Her back ached, having to travel all the way from Yokohama this afternoon through heavy crowds. She was used to being on her feet for work, but being on her feet for a two-hour train ride was something close to torture. It hadn’t helped that the situation in Yokohama wasn’t that serious. The supervisor there could have simply vid called her instead of having her trek out there. She might have bitten his head off for that. Of course, she might have bitten the heads off of everyone in her department in the past few days.
Yuriko was in a bad mood and she knew there was no good reason for it. Granted, there was a reason for it, but it wasn’t even close to good. It was stupid and irritable and it made Yuriko feel stupid and irritable.
She checked her wrist, finding several apologetic texts from Yokohama and one from her own director, probably berating her for being a little harsh for a stupid mistake. She ignored them all. She wasn’t in the office and she wasn’t about to pander to anyone now. Or at least until she got off her feet.
She looked up to the apartments, feeling slightly better. Just a few more steps and she would be up the stairs and into her own space. Maybe she would tinker or watch TV or maybe have a bath. Even in this humidity a bath sounded fantastic. Nice warm water on her aching muscles, sinking down to her chin …
Am I really your type?
Yuriko hesitated outside her door, hand half raised to open it. Instead, she pressed her forehead against the cold metal door.
“Baka,” she whispered.
Kathleen hadn’t contacted her since the night of the nomikai. Not that Yuriko could blame her; she had also kept her distance. She couldn’t help it; every time she thought about Kathleen it was a weird swirl of excitement and embarrassment and lust. To say that she had thought about what happened was an understatement. She had dreamed about it, fantasized about it. She could find herself phasing out during work, remembering how soft and moist Kathleen’s skin had looked in her bathroom. How curious and oddly bold her hands had been. Her mouth, open and yearning. Kathleen against her fingers. Kathleen open and arching and …
Yuriko hit her head against the door a couple times. Not very hard, but hard enough that maybe this time she would forget the memory. Kathleen wasn’t … she wasn’t interested. She had been drunk. They both had been drunk. Yuriko knew Kathleen had been lonely; she had just confessed it. She was vulnerable. Yuriko probably should have been the responsible one. She should have left the bathroom as soon as Kathleen got undressed. She shouldn’t have climbed into the tub next to her. She shouldn’t have kissed her. She shouldn’t have touched her.
But, Yuriko supposed, she had been vulnerable too.
Maybe it had been seeing Michiko recently and bringing all that drama up again. Maybe it had just been a long time since Yuriko had hung out with anyone who wasn’t
hopelessly straight. Well, Kathleen said she was only into men, but Yuriko seriously doubted it. That report about the “malfunction” in the cortex scan that caused Ai to be female had yet to show up, despite Kathleen’s insistence that one of her subordinates was looking into it.
Did any of that matter? They had both been compromised, emotional and physically. It shouldn’t have happened.
At least, it shouldn’t have happened like that.
Maybe it would be different if they had talked like that before, without being drunk. Maybe it would be different if Kathleen weren’t so adamant that she wasn’t attracted to women.
If Kathleen didn’t want to talk to her, Yuriko would have to accept that. She would have to keep her distance and not make her any more uncomfortable.
“Just get back from work?”
Yuriko looked over to see Kathleen’s door open, but it wasn’t Kathleen looking out at her. It was Ai. Yuriko paused. “Are you allowed to open the door?”
Ai laughed. “You and Kathleen always think so highly of me. No, but I have a medical crisis.”
Yuriko stepped over. “What is it? Is Kathleen hurt?”
Ai moved aside so Yuriko could enter. “Not hurt, but I do require your assistance.”
Yuriko wasn’t sure if she should enter the apartment. What if it was serious? She couldn’t let her own insecurities and awkwardness get in the way if there was an emergency. She knew PLCs were programmed to keep the health of their user a priority. Ai would not break the rules Kathleen ordered her to follow unless something was seriously wrong.
Kathleen was sitting at her table, head down, her computer display up. Yuriko looked at Ai, wondering what was wrong. Ai raised her eyebrows and stepped over to Kathleen, touching her shoulder. “Come on, dear, you need to go back to bed.”
Kathleen moaned, rolling her head to look at Ai. “Shaddup,” she mumbled and waved a hand, making the documents on her display whirl around. “I need to do work.” Then she coughed violently, shuddering and holding her sides.
Ai looked up at Yuriko. “She’s been like this all day,” she sighed.
Yuriko came to stand next to Ai, but Kathleen didn’t even notice her, moaning into the surface of her table. “Does she have a fever?”
Ai nodded. “It doesn’t require hospitalization, but it is persistent.”
“Any other symptoms?”
“She has vomited a couple times. She can keep water down, barely.” Ai hesitated, turning to Kathleen, eyes low. “She has been overworking herself. She knows it. So she thinks she is just tired and stressed.”
Kathleen moaned louder. “Quiet, robot! Some of us are concentrating!” Her eyes were closed and she was rubbing her cheek into the table.
Yuriko looked back to Ai. “I’m not sure what you think I can do.”
Ai grinned. “Obviously, together you and I can lift her back into bed.”
Yuriko sighed. “All right, I’ll take the legs, you take the head.”
Ai knelt down next to Kathleen. “Dear, we are going to carry you now, okay? Just try to stay still.”
Kathleen blinked at her, unfocused. “Wha—?”
Ai, almost too easily, put her hands under Kathleen’s arms and lifted her enough that Yuriko could grab her legs. Kathleen put up a weak fight. Yuriko could tell now that her face was flushed hot and lips pale. Her eyes seemed sunken, marked by dark circles.
Kathleen looked to Yuriko. “How did you get in?”
They had made it to the bedroom and Ai plopped Kathleen into her pillows as Yuriko pushed her legs up. “Ai said you were in danger.”
Kathleen glared at Ai. “You are not allowed to safe my life.”
Ai grinned, adjusting the pillows underneath Kathleen. “Unable to accept direct order. In violation of sub-routine—”
“Shut up!” Kathleen rolled over, clutching her head. “You’ve been using that excuse all morning.”
Ai pulled the covers over her. “I just love to spoil you.”
Kathleen shrugged her off. “Go away. Both of you.”
Ai stepped back, pulling Yuriko into the main room. “She’s been in a lovely mood all day. Now, I need another favor.”
Yuriko crossed her arms. “I probably shouldn’t be here. Obviously she is not dying and you have more medical knowledge than me.”
Ai reached out, taking Yuriko’s wrist and squeezing gently. “I can’t do everything. And once her fever has broken and she isn’t totally out of her mind, Kathleen will appreciate that you came too.”
Yuriko seriously doubted it.
Ai gave her an encouraging smile. “I just need you to grab me some first aid necessities, and I can’t leave the apartment.”
“Since you’ve started breaking all your rules, can’t you break this one?”
“Unfortunately, Kathleen would be too upset about me going to the convenience store by myself, for it to outweigh the benefits.” She shook her head. “No, she would be much happier to have you coming and going. Whatever drunken fumbling you two had doesn’t matter. I need some medicine and food.”
Yuriko froze. “Wait, do you know—?”
Ai raised an eyebrow. “My basic programming is to observe and form conclusions based on those observations. Why do you two always forget that? Didn’t you build me?”
Yuriko forced herself to breathe. She almost desperately wanted to ask Ai what Kathleen thought of it. If she had forgiven Yuriko. If she had forgotten all about it. “Is that why she is annoyed with you?”
“You think I would bluntly confront her about her confused sexuality? I am programmed to please her, you know. Not coax her into a personal crisis.” Ai sighed, a little dramatic. “Right now, Kathleen just needs to recover. Can you do her this favor and run to the convenience store for me?” She tapped on Yuriko’s wrist phone and Yuriko could feel it vibrate with a new message. “I’ve sent you a list. Can you believe she doesn’t even have a spare cold pack lying around?”
Yuriko browsed through the list. She looked up at Ai. “I’d believe it. Until a few days ago, she used to not even know how to turn on the bathtub.”
Ai tilted her head, her grin just a little too wide. “Oh really? Bathtub, huh? Is that what happened after your drinking party?”
Yuriko flushed. “It had nothing to do with that!” She quickly turned around and shoved on her shoes. She did have enough sense not to slam the door shut, but it was a near thing.
She was used to teasing people, especially Kathleen. Having her own teasing turned on her was, frankly, unnerving. She walked quickly to the konbini, sort of wanting to get it all over with. She picked up the cold packs and cold medicine that Ai recommended.
Yuriko hesitated in the drink aisle. Ai had asked her to grab some broth and other ingredients to make soup or porridge. Yuriko wondered if she shouldn’t grab something else? Whenever work was in a crunch period, and she barely had enough time between work and home to sleep, let alone cook, she would grab some energy bottles. They were small and full of nutrients. Yuriko knew some coworkers who attributed their good health to having them at least once a day.
Yuriko grabbed a couple of the bottles that were mostly filled with some sort of fruit mush or gelatin. Then she lingered by the snacks, wondering if Kathleen would like something salty, like crackers. Or maybe some bread with red bean paste? Or maybe she would like some onigiri with kelp or pickled plum? Yuriko’s mother was had always been of the opinion that umeboshi could cure any sickness.
Yuriko ended up buying a little too much, her bags bulging and hitting her legs as she walked back to the apartment. Ai was waiting at the door when she walked up the stairs. She smiled at Yuriko’s bags and, luckily, she did not comment that Yuriko had probably bought enough to cure a dozen people of the common cold.
Ai took the bags into the apartment, quickly unpacking them. Yuriko took off her shoes and rubbed her hands. Her entire body ached from the day and the walk. Ai didn’t seem to notice, holding out a couple pills and a bottle of water to Yuriko.
“Can you make Kathleen take these?”
“You can’t?”
Ai chuckled. “If I couldn’t drag her back into bed myself, I don’t think I can convince her to take some medicine. Besides, she won’t be expecting you. The element of surprise can be very powerful.” She said this all rather seriously.
Yuriko took the medicine and water, trying to not feel like a kid being asked to do a chore by her mother. Kathleen was her friend, awkward drunken fumbling and all. She wanted to keep Kathleen as a friend. She also grabbed one of the health boosting jelly drinks, just in case Kathleen was hungry.
Yuriko stepped into the room, knocking on the partially opened door. Kathleen moaned and Yuriko took it as an invitation to enter. The sun was setting now, sending bright orange rays to light up the room. It was plain, no decoration or personal objects. There were some clothes on the floor, but it wasn’t very messy. Kathleen had a fan blowing on her, which helped to keep the place from feeling too stifling.
Kathleen looked over as Yuriko stepped closer. “Did Ai force you here?”
Yuriko gave a shrug and a small smile. “Desperate times, I suppose.”
Kathleen attempted to sit up, but even Yuriko could see that the motion made her turn a little green. She set aside the water and pills, picking up a trashcan that had obviously been changed recently. She moved it into reaching distance. Kathleen closed her eyes, settling against the pillows. “Sorry.”
Yuriko sat on the edge of her bed, handing her the bottle of water. “For what?”
Kathleen waved a hand. “Being pathetic.”
“You don’t need to be sick to be pathetic.”
Kathleen glared, but it was halfhearted. At least she seemed a little better now, after the nap. She took the water and quickly swallowed the pills. “I’m … I’m talking about the other night … ”
Yuriko felt her stomach twist. “You don't need to apologize. In fact, I should be apologizing.”
Kathleen frowned, rubbing her damp brow. “No, no, please don’t. Look, we were both drunk. And I … well, honestly I don't remember much.”
“You don’t?”
“I’d really like not to remember how embarrassing I was. Okay?” She winced, lips tightening. Yuriko reached for the trash bin, but Kathleen waved her off. “Just a headache.” She peered up at Yuriko, as if it hurt to open her eyes too wide. “Can we just mutually apologize and forget about it? Please?”