Page 50 of Angel's Whisper

“Sure,” Massimo smiled. “Hold on.”

“What?” Isotta said, obediently clinging to his neck.

Massimo scooted to the front of the couch and then stood up, taking Isotta with him.

“Oh,” she flushed as he scooped up her legs. She held on tight as Massimo made his way through the house and up the stairs to the bedroom. Massimo crossed the room and gently placed her feet on the floor. He then returned to the door of the bedroom and closed it. They undressed and dressed for bed cordially and quietly. When they rejoined each other, they climbed into bed together. Ordinarily, Massimo would be inclined to bed his wife. He’d had such a productive day. Yet, when she curled up under him and closed her eyes, the inclination went away.

A Week Later

Rosa was doing her morning chores when she realized she hadn’t seen Isotta. She hadn’t walked her husband to the door to see him leave with a kiss and a promise to return home safely. Initially, Rosa dismissed it, but the later it got, the more concerned she got.

Rosa knocked at the primary bedroom door. She just wanted to check to make sure everything was okay. If Isotta was sleeping late, that was fine, but she wanted to make sure. When she got no response, Rosa knocked again, this time a little bit more insistently. Then, when she still didn’t get a response of any kind, Rosa pushed the door open, still announcing herself as she entered.

“Mmm,” Isotta moaned as she curled up even tighter in bed.

“Ms. Isotta?” Rosa quickly made her way to the side of the bed. “What’s the matter?”

Isotta wanted to respond but couldn’t formulate the words as a new round of pain struck her. She moaned again. Rosa saw hurt lines etched on Isotta’s face.

“What the matter, Isotta? Please let me know so I can help you.”

A single tear slipped from her eyes as she opened them.

“I’m hurting,” she breathed. “I’m hurting bad.”

“Let me get you something,” Rosa stood up from the bed.

Isotta had no protest in her. She wanted to feel better. Her cycle had been bad before. It’d always been bad, but this time it was much worse. The pain was unbearable. She hugged herself as tightly as she could to try and stop the pain, but her efforts seemed futile. She was grateful when Rosa returned.

“Sit up now,” Rosa encouraged. “Let me give you something to help you.”

It took her a moment, but Isotta positioned herself to sit up. Then, she was struck with a sharp pain that stabbed her inner core. She doubled over again, wincing in pain. Rosa’s eyes widened, and she leaned in in response.

“Ms. Isotta?”

Isotta breathed through the sharp pain and finally pushed herself up to a semi-sitting position. Rosa responded immediately, grabbing the pain pills and then giving Isotta some water to drink. Isotta’s eyes widened as she pulled her legs up to her.

“What’s the matter?” Rosa asked, still worried about her.

She flushed embarrassedly. “I think I soiled myself.”

“Oh, dear. Let me help you,” Rosa said. She eased the covers back and helped Isotta lower her legs until they reached the floor. Rosa repositioned herself to Isotta’s side and wrapped her arm around her waist, taking the brunt of Isotta’s weight on her shoulders. Slowly, she escorted her to the bathroom, pausing their steps when pain overtook Isotta. They made their way inside the en suite. Rosa turned on the bath water and helped Isotta remove her clothes, even her soiled underwear. Isotta was so embarrassed she couldn’t even look Rosa in the eyes.

“Don’t worry about it,” Rosa said reassuringly. “Let’s just get you feeling better.”

Rosa helped Isotta into the bath. She winced as she lowered into the water, but she hoped after a while, she would start to feel better. Rosa went about the business of cleaning up the mess. When she returned to the bathroom a while later, she checked in with Isotta.

“Is the medicine working?”

“Some,” Isotta admitted, “but not much. I don’t expect it to work much, though.”

“Why is that?” Rosa asked, sitting on the edge of the tub.

“Because the pain is too intense. Nothing really helps. I just have to hold out until my cycle is over.”

“And how long will that be?” Rosa asked.

“Sometimes, one week. Sometimes more.”

---