As the World Falls Down

Chapter 4

Family?

It was quiet, barely any light in front of me. I didn't really know where I was at. I wasn't even sure if anyone else was even here. As I stood there, I felt a cold chill run through me. The air around me seemed to freeze, the hair on my arms standing on end, my breath coming out in clouds of icy mist. It was freezing.

"Why is it so damn cold?"

Looking down, I realized that my jacket was missing, the length of my arms bare. Slowly, my eyes trailed to the rest of me, the flat of my stomach staring back at me, along with a pair of creamy white legs. My entire body was bare, not a shred of clothing to protect me from the chill in the air. It was as if I'd been submerged in a sea of ice, colors swirling around me. Shapes were slow to form and sound melded with blotchy figures.

"You shouldn't be here."

The statement that met my ears seemed to echo around me, the effect almost haunting in nature. It was a voice that I found familiar, but I couldn't quite manage to place for some reason. It wasn't like I hadn't heard it before. It was a voice that I'd grown accustomed to in fact. It was also one that was normally full of strength and wit. This one though seemed cold, unforgiving in a way.

"Where are you?" I called out, walking forward into a rain of colors, the shapes that had previously formed bursting into particles of glimmering bits.

After a moment, they solidified behind me in solid form, confusing me. Slowly, I turned my head, my voice becoming caught in my throat as I turned myself around. Needless to say, the blue eyes that I found staring back at me had caught me off guard, but they were also filled with confusion.

"What…" I started, confusion forming on my own face as I got an eye full of the person in front of me.

I was about to call out their name, the sound on the tip of my tongue, until I felt the air around me burst into an explosion of warmth.

"Wake up," he told me, before disappearing into nothingness. "You don't belong here."

T

I found myself gasping for air as I bolted up, eyes wide in shock as I felt sweat at the back of my neck. My front was soaked, chest heaving up and down, merely adding to the confusion that I was feeling.

"Ugh."

Moments later, I found myself rushing to the bathroom as I emptied my stomach into the toilet with a sickening sound. My insides screamed as I gagged, coughing from the putrid taste in the back of my mouth. I'd never woken up like that before. It was like my body rebelled in a state of shock.

"Honey?" I heard my mom call out, footsteps reverberating off the wooden stairs below my room. "Are you okay up there?" she called up, no doubt standing below the ladder that led up to my room.

"Fine, Mom!" I managed to choke out, hanging my head.

I drew in a breath as I made a clumsy reach for the handle, flushing what was in the porcelain bowl. The smell made my nose scrunch up as I pulled myself up by the rim of the sink, a wave of nausea flooding me. A head of disheveled hair and pale skin stared back at me as I looked in the mirror. Narrowing my eyes, I splashed a hand full of freezing water into my face. The water bit at my skin for a moment, fighting back the heat that licked beneath my flesh. Despite the sting, it was a welcomed relief.

Running a hand through my hair, I walked back into my room. I was shocked when I realized how late it was. It was about quarter after one and I hadn't even stayed out last night. Normally, if I felt like sleeping in that late, then it was because of David and his brothers or some shit with my mom.

"David…" I breathed out, thinking back to my dream.

It'd been about a week since I'd seen any of them and a month since they'd initially showed me their 'home'. I still remember how surprised I'd been when they'd pulled me inside. I didn't have any clue what the place truly was until they'd showed me. In fact, I'd found myself doing a little research on the place afterward, going to the library and reading through various articles from back at the start of the century.

As David had said, it'd been a thriving resort, drawing tourists in from all over the place. It had been Santa Carla's biggest money maker. In fact, back then, it was the main reason that people came to Santa Carla and the surrounding area. The entire area had been bustling with people, more so than it was now. Back then, it was definitely a lot safer. All that was changed though when the earthquake hit. The articles said that it was a 7.8, the force of it destroying nearly everything in its wake due to the architecture at the time. If the quake hadn't been enough destruction, then the fires that followed had finished the job.

Thanks to David, I now knew more than I ever wanted to. The pictures I'd found had been disturbing and out right unsettling from the casualties. Pictures of women and children had filled the pages, bodies crushed by concrete and steel beams from where the buildings had been torn apart. It made me feel bad for anyone that had been in the area back then.

"You're going to be late!" my mom yelled from downstairs.

"I'm working on it!"

God, she could be frustrating some times. Heck, I was surprised that she was even home. I figured she'd still be out somewhere, likely flying higher than a kite.

T

As the day went on, I began to realize more and more just how badly my body felt. I'd gone from a disconcerting hot chill this morning to a nauseating headache. A headache I could have dealt with, but this was borderline migraine in my books, the muscles in the back of my neck constricting painfully. At first, I'd thought that maybe it had been something that I had eaten the previous night, food poisoning perhaps. Problem was, I likely would have felt it shortly after eating, so that kicking that idea out. At the moment, the strain in the back of my neck made swallowing difficult and any attempt to eat or drink even worse. As a result, I went all day without any sort of food at all, and only minimal fluids due to the near inability to swallow. So, long story short, I was miserable.

"Hey, Allegra, why don't you sit down for a bit?" Aaron, one of my co-workers suggested.

We'd actually gone to school together, only really getting to know one another after the last two years of working side by side. He was decent company and actually took his job seriously. It was something that I could appreciate, same with our employer, Rick. In the past, I had found myself wondering why we never dated, Aaron and I. Especially, seeing how well that we got along. Then, I was reminded that he had a girlfriend. I'll admit Becky's a pretty little thing, with her light brown hair and bright green eyes. She even had a decent personality and would occasionally pop in while we were working to say hi and check in.

One time, she even brought in some milk for me, knowing that I'd been out, saying that she had plenty at the house. I had to admit, she really was a keeper and Aaron was a lucky man. On that note, I turned to him, a tired smile on my face.

"So, when are you and Becky going to get married?" I asked attempting to make conversation as a means to take my mind off of things.

Aaron laughed at the question, running a hand through his hair.

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" he questioned, tossing an empty bottle in the trash behind me.

"Maybe because the two of you seem to be so perfect for one another?" I offered, leaning back in my seat a bit.

Aaron gave me a skeptical look, pulling a glass out and filling it with water.

"What about you?" he countered, taking a swig before handing it over.

"What about me?" I asked, raising a brow in question.

"Well, you seem to be hanging around those guys a lot," he said.

"Your point?"

I wasn't really sure what it was that he was trying to get at.

"I don't know," he shrugged. "Just thought that maybe you'd finally found someone that was actually worth your time."

After a moment, we both burst into laughter. Tears eventually set into the corners of my eyes as I clutched my side, a stab of pain going through me from the laughter.

"I…" I started, attempting to get my breath back. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Aaron eyed me carefully, a smirk on his face. I knew that he was trying to analyze me, the cheeky bastard.

"Bull shit," he called out, leaning forward slightly. "You can't possibly tell me that after all the time you've been spending around those punks, that something hasn't sparked in that tiny head of yours," he laughed, flicking my forehead lightly.

I groaned, blinking for a moment. For a second, I thought that I'd seen stars, colors swirling around me.

"Don't make me kick your ass, Aaron," I warned, swatting at him for flicking me in the forehead, already having enough problems seeing straight as is.

"Come on, Allegra, don't think I haven't noticed."

I narrowed my eyes at him in annoyance. Was he seriously going to try and push this? I didn't even get hassled like this by my own mother. Then again, Mom didn't seem to care that much, but still.

"What does it matter anyway?" I sighed, leaning back in my seat, while keeping one eye open to stare at him.

"Oh, I don't know," he started, drawing his words out. "Maybe the fact that at least all four of them seemed to have more of a personality than Mark.

There it was, that shit eating grin of his. I swear, sometimes guys could be worse than girls.

"Sure you're not secretly batting for the other team?" I asked, watching as he bulked in mortification. Seeing him like that made me want to laugh. I mean, the look on his face was priceless, the unsettling disgust at the mere suggestion enough to know that he was anything but that. Not that any of us had problems with those who were like that or anything. It was just fun to mess with each other every now and then.

"Now that's just mean," Aaron whined.

"Then stop pushing," I told him, finally closing my eyes the rest of the way.

He was starting to get irritating and my stomach was starting to act up again, a dull ache pushing through.

"You know, Allegra," he started after a moment, pausing no doubt to put the right words together in his head.

I didn't like where this pause was going though as things went silent, minus the sound of his foot scraping the ground.

"What ever it is you're going to say, just say it, Aaron," I sighed, pressing the tips of my middle and forefingers to the side of my head.

If I was lucky, I might be able to massage part of the pain out. That was only if I was lucky though.

"You do realize that not everyone is going to run off like your dad, right?" he finally said.

Aaron's words made me flinch and I found myself pursing my lips slightly, before biting down. Why did he have to bring that up!? Seriously? Why? I knew that not everyone was going to just up and leave, but at the same time, what was really stopping them? What did I have to offer them? What did I have to offer anyone actually?

"Aaron, don't."

"Allegra, its true, and you know it."

"I said, don't, Aaron!" I hissed, a salty wetness beading at the corners of my eyes as I pushed myself up out of my seat.

The moment I was up though, I felt myself stumble, vision going cloudy.

"Allegra?"

His voice was full of worry as he moved to steady me, hand gripping my arm.

"I…" I stopped as I swayed, voice failing me as the rest of my vision fogged over.

I couldn't see, my eyes failing me as the world around me began to fall apart, disappearing from my gaze. I could no longer see Aaron's face, his arms wrapping around me suddenly for some unknown reason. I realized a moment later that I was no longer standing, legs buckling beneath my own weight. My head felt warm as it fell against something firm, a faint thumping pressing against my ear.

"Allegra!"

I couldn't move. I couldn't speak, my mouth opening slightly only to remain silent in its attempt. Everything was gone save for the pulsating warmth roaring through me.

T

He'd nearly been counting the days in his head since he'd seen her. He'd even been counting the days since he'd offered her the 'wine'. It was an odd feeling, having to wait, but at the same time, he almost didn't seem to mind.

For the last month and a half, Allegra had spent time with him and the others every few days, a tired smile on her face whenever they met. Seeing this, it had left him wondering how much work she truly did during the sun ridden hours of the day. David found his self trying to remember the last time that he'd seen the sun, able to feel the warmth of its rays on his skin. For him, being the oldest, it'd been nearly 100 years. He could barely believe how long it'd been, being in the same body and never knowing the feeling of change. Yes, his hair would grow, just as his nails did, but his body remained stagnant with nowhere to go. He felt like has was merely existing in this world, just like his brothers were. That was why he almost didn't want to give Allegra the wine, nearly unwilling to take that life from her-the freedom. He didn't want her to feel that same hollowness that he did, 20 to 50 years after being turned.

At the same time, all those years made him realize just how alone and empty he truly felt. Yes, he had his brothers, but it wasn't the same. In his immortal state, he'd never been able to truly be with a woman. It'd been years since he'd had anything close to it, feeling the same longing as he did for the sun. He yearned for the touch of another, not just a one night eat and sleep as he would put it. He wanted something that would hold some shred of semblance to it, something that would actually hold meaning, but at what price.

Every time he saw her, he felt something stir inside of him, pushing him. He'd felt it the first time he'd seen her, a small spark igniting inside of him. He'd been above on the board walk when he'd seen her walking along the shore, her 'boyfriend' whining as he trailed behind her. Even from his place above in the dark, he could make out her features, her long hair flying up around her as a breeze rolled through. She was honestly the prettiest thing that he'd seen in years.

David was pulled from his thoughts as they made to stand outside Rick's Bar and Grill. It was one of several places that Allegra worked at. He was confused though when he found that he couldn't catch her immediate scent, striding inside and looking around. She was supposed to be working today, leaving him to wonder if perhaps she was out on an errand of something.

Spotting one of her co-workers, Aaron was his name, he made his way over. Aaron's eyes widened slightly when they made contact with David, quickly making his way around the counter.

"Where's Allegra?" David asked, Dwayne and Marko following behind him as Paul went to flirt with a couple of blonde girls sitting off in the corner.

"I'm glad you're here," Aaron breathed out. "Her mom isn't picking up the stupid and I didn't know who else to reach out to," he stated, running a hand through his hair.

"Whoa now," David said, hands up in a gesture for him to slow down. "What's going on?"

"They took her to the hospital."

The air around him seemed to freeze, David's back going ridged. It had even given Dwayne pause and Paul pulled away from the two girls he'd been trying to chat up when those words met his ears. Even Marko was quiet.

"What happened?" David asked, trying not to let his mind run wild.

"I don't know, man," Aaron sighed. "She came in this afternoon looking a bit out of sorts. Kind of pale, you know?" he said, shifting his feet a bit.

David listened attentively as he spoke, taking in his words.

"She wasn't so bad earlier in the afternoon, but she kind of got worse as the day ran on. I made her sit down at one point," he told them, hesitating for a moment. "I pissed her off by accident at one point and that's when she passed out."

"She just passed out?" Marko asked skeptically raising an eyebrow in question.

Sighing, Aaron rolled his eyes.

"She went to get up and got dizzy," he told them. "I had to catch her to keep her from cracking her head on the floor," he said defensively. "I think she's been working herself too much lately."

"Where did they take her?" Dwayne asked, finally deciding to speak up as David tried to process everything.

"Saint John's," Aaron said. "They took her to Saint John's Hospital, over off of Everett Street."

T

It was strange walking into that hospital. The white walls seemed even colder than he remembered. Granted, medicine had come a long way since he was human, but it still seemed just as cold and unfeeling as ever. Maneuvering his way to the reception desk, he leaned forward on his hands, putting on his best smile.

"Can I help you?" the girl asked, pressing back a lock of curly and unnatural bleach blonde hair.

"Yes," David nodded. "I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of Allegra Edmunds?" he asked.

"And your association?" she asked, popping the gum in her mouth that she'd been chewing on for nearly an hour, much to David's irritation.

"Family," David replied. "Mom was out, so we got the call a little late."

Nodding, she turned to her clipboard, running a well manicured nail down and across the paper.

"Ah, yes," she nodded. "Ms. Edmunds. She's in room 14B."

Getting up, she pushed her chair back, walking out around the desk with clipboard in hand.

"If you'll follow me this way, I'll take you to her," she instructed.

Looking between themselves for a moment, they followed, each of them stuffing their hands in their pockets.

"Now, I must warn you, there's a limit on how many people are allowed in at a time and her boyfriend is in there with her at the moment," she said, not bothering to look back at them as she spoke.

In fact, it was a good thing that she didn't, David's eyes flashing a fiery orange momentarily after she'd spoken.

"That little shit!" he hissed, marching straight down after the woman and passed her as he found the room.

Just as she said, Mark was inside, his chair pulled over beside her bed. Placing a hand on his shoulder, Dwayne shook his head, knowing the course of action that David wanted to take. It was better to stay on the defense when it came to things at times and they all knew that. Allegra had made David slightly unpredictable lately though, leaving Dwayne to keep an eye on him.

"Slowly," Dwayne breathed out, giving the woman a nod that she could leave them to their own devices.

Marko had moved passed them before either could say anything, opening the door and closing it behind him.

"I told you, I don't…" Mark stopped mid sentence when he realized who had walked in, rolling his tongue between his teeth.

"I thought she dumped you," Marko practically sang, walking around on the tips of his toes, skirting across the room with ease.

"I don't recall it being finalized," Mark said hotly, turning his nose up slightly in a childish manner.

"I seem to recall otherwise," Marko laughed, stepping up to him and squaring off his shoulders.

Even for such an innocent looking guy, he still knew how to make himself look intimidating. He knew that it would be easy the moment that he walked into the room already smelling it on him. He was high and off of a bit of coke by the smell of it.

Marko could feel the sides of his mouth pulling up into a smirk. Over the years, he'd learned how to play with his prey. Addicts were the most fun, leaving them to believe almost anything since they were already under the influence and didn't take much persuasion.

Narrowing his eyes, Marko let his eyes flicker to orange momentarily, a hint of satisfaction on his face when Mark jumped back.

"What's wrong?" Marko asked innocently, his features sharpening as his face changed.

This time, Mark let out a yelp, moving as far away from Marko as he could.

"S-stay back!" Mark cried out, stumbling as Marko moved toward him.

"Huh?" Marko blinked, his face returning to normal. "What's wrong? Something on my face?"

Outside the door, David and the others listened, watching through the little window. Marko was doing their job for them, easily taking advantage of the situation and sending the little flea's heart rate sky rocketing.

Smirking, Marko decided to push things, letting his face transform again as he drew closer. He could see Mark watching him out of the corner of his eye, slowly leaning over Allegra's still form.

Mark went ridged when he saw this, his back going straighter and his eyes growing wide.

"G-get away from her!" Mark stammered, taking a step forward.

He retracted that step though when Marko turned around, swallowing the lump in his throat. His Adam's apple bobbed nervously, sweat beading at his forehead.

Again, Marko grinned, leaving forward again. He merely pressed his lips to the girl's forehead, pulling back and inhaling her scent, the sweetness of her wafting through his nose. It was no wonder David liked her so much.

Clearing those thoughts from his head, he watched as Mark quickly exited the room. The moment he was out, Marko placed a chair under the handle, make sure that he couldn't get back in.

T

Everything had gone by in a haze to me, voices fading in and out along with my sight. I knew that there was a couple of times where light had returned to me, but I didn't really know how. My muscles never moved, so I was sure that it wasn't my doing. Were they shining lights in my eyes? What was the point of that? Why would they do something that hurt. Where was I for that matter? Better yet, why did my head feel like lead?

T

I could feel the lights overhead shining down on me, the intensity shining through the hot glass making me wince.

"God, this sucks…" I groaned, sluggishly pealing my eyes open.

I had to blink as the light accosted my vision, blinding me. For a moment, all I saw was a large blur of spots. The colors slowly faded though, leaving me to focus on the back of the room. To say that I was confused was an understatement.

Sat over in the corner was a mop of curly blonde hair. Their head was hung in what I assumed to be sleep given how limp he looked. Why was Marko here though? From where I laid, I could see movement outside of the room. Another mop of blonde caught my eye and my heart stilled.

I nearly jumped when he was shoved roughly against the door, his back being crushed against the frame. Other than the noise of that, the voices that followed were momentarily muffled. It left me confused, my brow furrowing together as I slowly pushed myself up. My eyes narrowed at the IV bag that was hooked up to my arm, wincing as I ripped it from my skin. I hated needles.

"You guys are monsters!"

I winced again at the volume as David was shoved against the door once more, my hearing finally picking up with the throbbing of my skull.

"Marko?" I called out, stumbling forward.

I was surprised when he stirred at the sound of my voice and not from the scuffle outside. As a result, I realized that he must have been faking it, which irritated me a bit.

"I know you weren't really sleeping," I said evenly, the muscles in my arm straining a bit.

"Hehe… You caught me," he said nervously, mouth pulled back into a slightly humorous manner.

I merely rolled my eyes at him, before turning my gaze back to the door.

"Mind telling me what's going on?" I asked, pointing a finger toward the noise outside.

"Depends on if you really wanna know," he said, the grin on his face never leaving him.

"Marko…" I started, narrowing my eyes in frustration. "I'm really not in the mood for this shit."

At my response he laughed, leaning back in his seat as he crossed his legs at the ankles, hands behind his head.

"All you had to do was drop the 'o'," he said with a shrug.

Drop the 'o'? What the hell was that supposed to mean? Was this his demented way of joking with me? What was wrong with men anyway? I was about ready to berate him, his name on the tip of my tongue when I realized what his comment meant, a whole new wave of irritation washing over me.

"Wait... Mark!?" I exclaimed.

"See, you didn't really wanna know."

I brushed him comment off, pushing back the wave of nausea that was trying to consume me. I was going to strangle that man. Making my way over to the door, I slammed my fist against it. As a result, the guys moved out of the way, a look of slight hesitation forming on their faces. A hint of surprise was also present, making me wonder how aware they were of anything outside of themselves at the moment.

Mark stood outside, irritation obvious on his face as I wrenched the door open, the chair that had been pressed against it falling to the ground with a clatter. Once his eyes met mine though, he pushed forward, shoving Paul out of the way and into the wall.

"Hey!" I snapped, glaring as I let my eyes trail over Paul.

He didn't seem any worse for wear, oddly enough, as he let his back slide down against the wall of the hallway. Mark on the other hand seemed to brush off my outburst and made his way straight toward me.

"I was so worried!" he exclaimed, crushing my body against him in an embrace. "I was afraid that these guys were going to eat you!"

I felt my eyes sting as I was assaulted by the smell of alcohol and something else that I couldn't quite place. It was something not quite medicinal. Unfortunately, I found myself finding similarities between his smell and the unfortunate normalcy of my mother's.

"Get off of me," I ground out, the muscles in my back going ridged from the contact.

The smell was enough to make me gag. Worse yet was the mere feeling of his hands on me. I found that the front of his shirt was wrinkled as though he'd fallen asleep in it more than a couple of times. His hair was a mess, resembling that of a rats nest, pieces sticking out all over the place. It looked oily too, leaving me to wonder the last time that he'd showered, grimy strands about his face. Hearing him start ranting again about David and the others, my patience finally gave way. What was this talk about monsters and demons? Was he really that far gone at the moment?

Giving up on patience entirely at this point, I stamped down on his foot, hearing the sound echo down the hallway as he squealed. Backing up, I found myself standing just short of being on top of David. He didn't seem to mind, his leather clad hand coming to rest on my shoulder. I allowed myself to lean back, my skin pressing further into his hand. My back pressed against his covered chest, eyes closing as I drew in a breath of air. I shuddered as a feeling of weakness rolled over me. For a moment, my mind clouded over as my thought melded together in an unorganized mass.

"Hey," David breathed out, the strength of his hands bracing me against him.

"I'm okay," I told him, trying to wave him off.

I didn't like having to depend on people. It just wasn't me. Growing up, I had to fend for myself, realizing that I couldn't rely on everyone else to get by. If I wanted something I had to work for it. Nothing was handed to me. The same could be said with concern.

"Why are you so mean?" Mark asked, clutching his foot. "Don't you see what they're trying to do to you?"

At this point, Paul had moved away from the wall, straightening out his jacket.

"Why are you such an idiot?" I countered, straightening up as best I could in my current state.

It ended up being a rather feeble attempt, but its what it is. I couldn't help it if I was still exhausted.

"Come on, do we really have to do this right now?" he asked, looking between the guys awkwardly.

There was also a sense of fear and nervousness in the planes of his face. It was like he was a bit on edge around them, like something had happened.

"Does it really matter?" I sighed.

I was starting to feel shaky again, skin becoming flushed. Maybe standing wasn't such a good idea after all.

"Easy now, Princess," David said, arms wrapping around me as I faultered.

Mark didn't like this very much, his eyes glaring daggers at David's head. Seeing what could possibly turn into a problem, Dwayne stepped in between us. The Native's hands pushed against Mark's taut chest, shoving him back a few steps.

"Don't touch me!" Mark snapped, shoving Dwayne roughly, before moving away from him.

The taller of the two barely budged. It was like an immovable statue of stone, a mountain even. This only seemed to anger Mark further. Dwayne's expression never changed though, remaining neutral at Mark's misguided rage. It was something that he was obviously used to, deflecting it with practiced ease. Being with in ear shot of the commotion, one of the male nurses marched toward us, a look of frustration evident on his face.

"What's going on here?" he asked, hands on his hips.

"And you," he pointed a finger my way, making me cringe slightly. "You're supposed to be in bed young lady."

I felt like I was around four years old again, my father scolding me for doing something that I shouldn't have been doing. Seeing this, Paul came toward me and David, momentarily pulling me from David's arms. The latter didn't seem too pleased, but he didn't say anything on the matter.

"We're cool, man," Paul told the man, hugging me close to his chest. "We just came to check on our sister."

I had to choke down a laugh. Sister? Really? That'd be one hell of a strange family, what with David's somewhat brooding and mischievous nature, Paul's quirky attitude, Marko's sneakiness, and Dwayne's quiet, but subtle presence. You couldn't have a more different group than them.

"Sister, huh?" the man asked.

Taking stock, I noticed that his nametag read 'Steve'.

"And you two?" he asked, glancing between Dwayne and mark.

No doubt, Steve had taken in the blonde hair of David, Marko, and Paul, leaving the answer and explanation for Dwayne's obvious misconnection.

"Cousin," Dwayne replied simply, placing a hand on top of my head.

"We got worried when she didn't come home from work," David said, leaning his back against the door to my room.

"Mother dearest was still at work, so we came instead when we got the message on the landline," Marko piped up.

"And you?" Steve asked, pointing a finger toward Mark in question.

Mark went to open his mouth in response, but I spoke up first, surprising all of them.

"And annoying and unwanted guest," I said flatly, drawing in a breath of air. "Also, you might want to have someone check his levels," I pointed out. "I think he's been hallucinating."

Behind me, I could hear Marko snickered, glancing back to find David smirking with pride. What was with everyone today? Hell, what was with me?

Pushing that from my mind, I turned back to the nurse, drawing in another shaky breath of air.

"I believe I'll have my brothers help me back to my bed," I said, leaning against Paul.

I was starting to feel nausea again, the need to sit down become more prominent than ever.

"Paul, can you…" I started, pointing toward the door.

I didn't even have time to say anything else as he swept me off of my feet, my arms wrapping tightly around his neck in shock. He merely laughed, holding me against him as he pushed the door open and made his way to the bed. He was careful in setting me down, my body sinking into the cushion. The muscles in my back and legs cried out happily at the ease in stain and I found myself leaning back into one of the pillows, Steve taking Mark by the arm and escorting him else where.

Once everyone was in the room, the door closed behind them with the small shade being drawn. For just a moment, there was nothing, but silence, the guys looking back and forth between one another. I laughed then, the muscles in my back pinching, but I couldn't help it. The look on Mark's face, the hysteria of the situation, and the bull shit lie about family. It was all too much for me.

"Is she broken?" Paul asked curiously as he poked me lightly in the shoulder.

They watched as I fell back against the pillow behind me, tears in myh eyes. The look of confusion on David's face was priceless, making me laugh even harder. God, I felt slap happy at the moment.

"I'm confused," Marko said, coming forward and leaning toward me.

Quickly, he placed a hand over my mouth, stifling my laughter. I tried to shake him off, but he merely grinned, keeping his hand in place. Narrowing my eyes, the corner of my lips turned up and I bit down, Marko yelping and pulling his hand back.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, shaking his hand out.

Paul laughed, Marko tackling him a moment later.

"You guys really are nuts," I laughed, shaking my head as I leaned back, eyes closing as I let out a sigh.

Opening my eyes a few moments later, I glanced around. Paul and Marko were wrestling around on the floor, Dwayne making sure to stand to the side so as not to get knocked over and mauled. David, David was standing off to the side, his back resting against the wall. His eyes were unfocused, almost like he was lost in thought. His hair was a bit messy in spots from Mark, some sections having gone flat. It didn't take away from how handsome he was though, making him look slightly rougher if nothing else.

"David…" I breathed out, watching as he blinked, looking over at me.

I held my hand out toward him, letting him take hold of it as he walked to my side. I felt his thumb graze the tip of my knuckles, a shiver running down my spine.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?" I asked, tugging him lightly to sit beside me.

I watched as his tongue darted out, wetting his lips, before swallowing.

"Nothing I can't deal with," he told me, letting out a breath of air.

"Take your coat off," I told him, watching his face bunch up in confusion. "Just take it off?" I sighed.

After a moment, he did as I asked, laying his coat down on the edge of the bed.

"Happy now?" he asked, raising a brow in question.

I snorted lightly, pulling him lightly to turn to the side. He seemed to humor me, turning while rolling his eyes. I took this time to sit up, pulling him to scoot back a bit until his lower back was touch the outer thigh of my right leg. I let my hands trail across his back, my fingers working against the muscles of his back. I had imagined them being tight after Mark's rough shoving against the door, the muscles along his spine and shoulders tensing slightly.

"I wouldn't be surprised if you end up with a bruise from that," I said, letting my fingers dig lightly into the muscles.

I could feel them twitch, almost rejecting my touch after having been brutalized. I could tell that the area around his spin was sore, the spot below his ribs on the right side becoming slightly strained. I still couldn't believe that Mark had actually gone out of his way and done that to him. I was reminded just then that the guy was also high off of something, making me wonder what his brother had managed to drag him into.

After a moment, David's hand reached back, gripping my wrist in his hand.

"Stop," he said quietly, drawing in a breath of air. "You should be resting. Not taking care of me."

"Don't be an idiot," I said plainly, moving to pull my wrist from his grip.

He wouldn't let go though, turning in his spot so that he could face me. His eyes were intense as he looked as me, his grip finally easing up a bit, until he moved it to my fingers. He gripped the tapered digits in his palm, thumb running along the length of them. At this point, Paul had Marko in a headlock on the floor, the two still struggling for dominance.

"You should be resting," David told me, glancing over at the clock on the wall.

It was around one in the morning from what I could tell.

"I don't want to," I told him. "I just want to go home."

He looked at me for a moment, his eyes moving toward Dwayne. The Native nodded his head, a secret conversation seeming to pass between the two.

Alright, that was chapter 4. I hope you all liked it. I myself enjoyed writing it. Please, let me know what you think? I'd love to hear your feedback on this chapter and my story in general. I'd like to know if there is anything in particular that you'd like to see happen? Thanks again everyone!