stevieLUVSalex..Here's the December instalment for you...

Part One...

Kilarney...Daybreak...

Alex Ryan hurries back from the creek with his hands full of wet strips of cloth.

Under the makeshift shelter, his swag is opened out and Stevie is lying feverish and delirious.

Guilt wraps itself around his heart as he thinks back over the last twenty four hours.

...

Stevie was sick, really sick.

She'd been in bed for the last couple of days with a bad case of the flu.

Alex had goaded her into helping him as he'd had a huge fight with Harry and Sandra and didn't want them to know he'd stuffed up.

Stevie had agreed to help him.

He knew she would.

...

They'd gone out in his Ute and worked for hours in the blistering heat draughting the herd that Sandra pointed out as being wrong.

As the day progressed Stevie's cough had gotten worse.

She'd had several coughing fits and her breathing was laboured.

Realizing his mistake he'd offered to take her home.

She'd reassured him she'd be fine and as they only had an hour or so to go they should finish.

...

Finally they'd climbed into the car and she'd passed out from exhaustion on the way back to the house.

He didn't need the flat tyre.

Grumpily he'd climbed out to change it but realized he hadn't fixed the last one.

They were stranded.

He didn't even have a phone with him.

In a rage from arguing with Harry he'd left his phone on the table back at the house.

...

Gently waking her he'd told her of the dilemma.

She was really ill now and getting worse by the hour.

He could see it in her eyes and could tell by the fact she didn't yell at him for his incompetence.

"It's ok Alex we'll walk out; it should only take us an hour or so." She'd offered.

...

"No Stevie you aren't well, we should wait for help.' He'd suggested.

"No one knows we're here Alex. They won't come." She answered.

Gathering the water bottles and their jumpers they'd started out.

The further from the car they got the more she coughed.

...

He chatted away and she listened.

A kilometre from the car she'd collapsed.

It took a little while for him to realize she'd slowed down.

As he turned to see why she wasn't laughing at his last joke he watched as in slow motion she slumped to the ground.

In a rush he was beside her.

...

Placing his hand on her face he instantly knew she was in serious trouble.

She was burning up.

Sweat beading all over her.

Scooping her up he walked as fast as he could back to the car.

...

...

It was almost daybreak and she was still delirious.

If he wasn't so frightened he'd be laughing at the funny things she'd said and done.

She'd swiped at imaginary flies in the middle of the night.

In a tiny voice she'd chattered like a little child and she'd growled at him for leaving the milk on the table.

...

He'd tried to stop her from stripping her clothes off but she'd insisted she was hot.

Surprised by how he felt seeing her like that he'd chastised himself.

Her breasts were so full and perfect and it took all of his strength not to just sit and stare at them.

He'd stolen a few glances and the urge to touch her was so strong he'd actually had to walk away.

...

Returning ten minutes later she was asleep and bare chested.

Removing his own shirt he'd covered her.

Then he set about placing the strips of wetted cloth over her to try and cool her down.

In the early hours the chills had set in and she'd shivered, her teeth actually chattering loudly enough for him to hear them.

He'd wrapped her up and held her.

His mind straying to the image of her bare chested in his swag arousing him to the point he'd had to set her down and walk away again.

...

Sitting back down she'd snuggled into him again and he'd wrapped her up as best he could.

Dragging her onto his lap as he leant against the car she'd slept fitfully.

She smelt nice.

She always smelt nice.

Resting his face on her head he inhales her.

She moves.

...

"I want a baby." She'd whispered.

"Hey?" He'd questioned.

With his finger he lifts her face to look at her.

"I want to have a child and actually rear it myself, I want to be a wife and a Mother but no one wants me." She'd said tearfully.

...

He'd kissed her.

Couldn't help himself, she was so sweet and so innocent and vulnerable.

He had to kiss her, his body, mind and soul screamed for him to do it.

She cried when he did and then she'd slept.

...

As the sun peeped over the horizon Alex Ryan is confused.

Confused by what he feels, what he did and by what she said.

Was she speaking the truth or was it the delirium?

As he sits and begins to replace the cloths on her skin he hears a car.

...

Alex stands on the back of the Ute waving his hands frantically.

With relief the Ute turns towards him.

He runs up to it.

...

"Oh thank god your here. Stevie's crook, really crook and we had a flat tire." He gushes.

Jodi and Kate jump from the Ute and follow him to his car.

"She's naked Alex."Kate exclaims.

"She took all her clothes off, I didn't."He defends.

...

"She's burning up Kate." Jodi offers.

"We'll put her in the creek." Kate suggests.

"Is that wise? Won't that do more damage than good?" Alex asks.

'No! Come on let's get her into the water."Kate pushes.

Alex slides his hands under her and lifts her into his arms.

...

"Jodes take my wallet out of my pocket please."Alex says.

"Where's your phone?" She asks.

"I left it at home." He replies.

"Clever." Jodi remarks.

"Not now Jodes ok." He asks.

...

Slowly he walks into the creek.

Stevie hardly moves in his arms.

His shirt that was covering her begins to float away.

"Jodes the shirt." He calls.

She quickly drapes it back across her friend.

...

Kate cups her hands with water and gently wets Stevie's hair.

Jodi uses one of Alex's scraps of cloth to wet Stevie's face.

After a few minutes she rouses.

"Alex!" She whispers.

He smiles at her and says. "It's ok Stevie, Kate and Jodi are here to help. Everything's going to be alright.'

...

Slowly her eyes blink.

She nods and whispers. " Will you?"

"What?" He asks.

"Baby?" She smiles.

He smiles back at her and is tempted to kiss her again.

She closes her eyes.

...

"What was that all about?" Jodi asks.

He lies. "I don't know Jodi she's been delirious all night. She growled at me for leaving the milk on the table before."

"Let's get her to the hospital." Kate suggests.

"Are you right Alex?" Jodi asks.

He nods and replies. "Yeah I am . Let's do this."