PBUY Chapter 08

Nellie grabbed Chester's arm, who was crouched down and trembling.

"Mr. Coleman! You have to get out! Okay?"

But Chester, his mind gone blank and ears covered, trembling all over, didn't seem to hear her.

Nellie forcibly pulled him to his feet, grabbed his shoulders, and tugged hard.

"Snap out of it, Mr. Coleman!"

However, Chester was already in a state of panic. Nellie had no choice but to hoist him onto her back and drag him along.

Though Chester was thin and light, he was still a grown man and heavy. But, strangely enough, Nellie didn't find him all that heavy.

In fact, Mrs. Hudson, with her larger build, had felt much heavier. Who would have thought that nursing Mrs. Hudson would come in handy like this?

Grunting with effort, Nellie stepped outside, where the evacuated audience had already gathered, murmuring among themselves.

No matter how she looked, there didn't seem to be any actual fire.

She set the still-dazed Chester down on the ground and asked a man who seemed to be a staff member.

"Where's the fire?"

"They say a mafia gang member set fire to the theater. But it's already been put out."

"Really? Oh dear…"

The staffer quickly disappeared back into the crowd, apparently intending to resume the film screening.

Chester's face was pale as a sheet, cold sweat dripping down.

Nellie wiped his face with her handkerchief and rubbed his back.

"Mr. Coleman. Breathe, okay?"

But his face remained deathly pale, his body shaking uncontrollably.

"The fire's already out. You're safely outside now, Mr. Coleman!"

"You must have been quite shaken. Here, drink this."

An elderly gentleman, who appeared to have evacuated from the theater along with them, handed something to Chester, a hip flask from inside his coat pocket.

"It's brandy. It'll help clear your head."

"Thank you, sir."

Nellie took it and poured some into Chester's mouth.

The trembling in his hands ceased. Nellie then took his stiff, cold hands and gently rubbed them to warm them up.

"Were you in the war, too?"

The old man's tone carried sympathy.

He took back the flask and had a sip himself.

In a subdued voice, Chester replied.

"Yes, sir."

"I thought so. The way you reacted so sharply to the sound of sirens…"

"But how did you know that?"

Nellie asked, and the old man answered with a wistful smile.

"My son was a veteran, too. Until two years ago."

"Then…"

"He set off on a journey from which he could never return."

Not knowing what to say, Nellie pressed her lips together.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

Chester said in her place.

"My wife and I ignored his suffering. We'd say things like, 'How long are you going to just lie there? You're not the only one who's been through that. Look, everyone else is living just fine.'"

The old gentleman took another sip of brandy.

"But now I see… not everyone is living well. You, too, are in pain… just like my son was."

His unfinished words were heavy with emptiness.

"I realized far too late that we shouldn't have spoken like that. If he had still been alive, perhaps things could have been different… though now it's nothing but a meaningless thought."

"…"

"I wish you the mercy and peace of God."

With that, the old man turned and walked away. His back looked painfully sorrowful.

Chester and Nellie stood silently, watching until his figure shrank to a tiny dot.

"…I want to go home, Miss McKay."

"Yes, Mr. Coleman. Let's get you home."

***

"Miss McKay, it's too late now. You should go home for the night."

"What?"

"It's already past eight."

When Nellie glanced at the wall clock, she saw it was indeed well past eight.

Her usual quitting time was long gone, but still, this wasn't right.

She couldn't leave Chester sitting there, looking as if his very soul had drained away.

"Are you going to just sit here all night in this state? How will you even change clothes or have dinner?"

"I can manage that on my own…"

"In your condition, I doubt you can even make it to your bedroom, Mr. Coleman."

If she left him like this, it was obvious he'd just sit on the sofa, sinking into deep depression. She regretted agreeing to the movie outing; she should have refused.

She didn't want to see him like this. She'd rather have him snapping irritably at her, at least then he'd make sarcastic remarks or smirk.

"Stop being stubborn and accept the help of a caregiver. I'll let Mrs. James know about my overtime pay for today, so you don't need to worry about it."

Nellie said it lightly, and Chester gave a faint, weary smile.

"You're as thorough as ever, Miss McKay."

"Did you think I'd do this for free? That's quite the dream you've got. First, let's get you out of those dirty clothes. I'll help you to your room."

Nellie supported Chester and guided him to the bedroom.

"Shall I help you change? You must be tired."

Nellie said with a smile.

Chester looked at her as if she were something unpleasant he'd found crawling on the floor.

"Don't even dream of it."

"But we share a house key, don't we?"

"Ha! I can manage on my own. Please leave."

"Alright then. I'll have dinner ready for you when you come out. Take your time."

Nellie nodded agreeably. She'd never actually intended to help him change, she'd only been joking to lift his spirits.

She headed straight to the kitchen. She hadn't prepared dinner at all, expecting they would eat out before coming home.

But a capable Nellie McKay could handle this.

She used leftover vegetables from lunch, along with white beans and bacon, to make a hot soup.

As she ladled the soup into bowls, Chester slowly emerged from his room. Nellie quickly moved to support him.

"Have some dinner."

"Before that… I'd like to wash up."

He said, looking awkward. His ears were flushed red.

If she teased him about that, he'd really get angry. Pretending not to notice, Nellie moved toward the bathroom.

"Sit here a moment. I'll run the bath for you."

She quickly filled the tub and then helped him to the bathroom.

Up close, she noticed small scratches on his wrists, with dried blood clinging to the skin.

"What happened here…?"

"When I panic, I have a habit of scratching myself all over without realizing it."

"I see…"

"That's enough. Would you mind stepping out now?"

"Of course. Call me when you're done, Mr. Coleman."

Seeing his wrists covered in wounds, Nellie felt a pang of sympathy.

She knew of war only in a superficial sense, few in her hometown had ever served. It was a place left mostly to the elderly and women.

To her, war had always been just a story about strangers far away.

But it wasn't like that at all.

Today, Chester had suffered a fit triggered by the sound of the fire alarm.

And she had also heard the old man speak of his son, who in the end had taken his own life.

Was there truly no way to heal from it?

While Nellie was lost in such troubled thoughts, Chester emerged from the bathroom, steam still clinging to him.

She rose to help him, but he said.

"I'm fine now. I can walk on my own."

He limped to the chair and sat down slowly, just as he usually did.

"I'll reheat the soup for you."

"That's alright. Please, eat with me, Miss McKay."

She couldn't refuse, her own stomach was growling.

"In that case, I won't hold back."

"I thought as much."

"What's that supposed to mean? Ah, right, shouldn't we also prepare some food for George?"

Chester shook his head.

"No need to trouble yourself. I prepare George's food early in the morning."

"Wouldn't it be tiring to keep going up to the second floor every time? Especially on a day like this… wouldn't it be better to get a good night's sleep?"

"That may be so, but I don't sleep much anyway, so it's not really an issue."

Then Chester cut the conversation short.

"If you've finished your meal, you should head home, Miss McKay. I'll call a taxi for you."

It was a distance she could easily walk, yet Chester kept trying to send her away.

A strong intuition gripped the back of Nellie's neck and wouldn't let go.

No way… could it be…?

"Don't tell me you can't sleep? Is that why you're always awake in the early hours? Just how long has it been since you last slept properly…?"

Chester gave a faint, weary smile and ran a hand through his fine golden hair.

"That, too, is not something you need to concern yourself with…"

Nellie bit her lip at his evasive answer.

"As you said, I am very tired today. So, I would appreciate it if you could simply leave without another word. Please."

His tone was earnest, but Nellie wasn't ready to back down.