The Warm Patient

I threw both arms around the squishy, warm hot water bottle resting on the floorboards! Wheee, a sleeping bean bear! Hahaha! I dug my chin deep into its ribbed knit cover, soaking in all that cozy heat. But then a dreadful panic settled in. Oh no. What if it isn't sleeping, but burning with a terrible fever? And I climbed right on top of its aching stomach like a thoughtless monster. The guilt is heavy. Sigh. I rolled off onto the chilly wood, murmuring soft apologies, and nudged a clean paper napkin over its shoulders so it wouldn't catch a draft.