Author's Note:

I want to thank everyone who has been reading this fanfic~ I am grateful for your support, though there are few of you~ I hope this fanfic will continue to please you~

~Hmfan5535~

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"You know, Kyle…this is all very kind of you." Natalie smiled at me as I shrugged as nonchalantly as I could. I handed over the medicine with another shrug.

"I don't know why, but I have a knack for medicine. This is for infection, this is for fever, and this is to make the bruise less noticeable."

Natalie took the medicine with another smile, carefully setting it on the counter next to the uncomfortable-looking cot that held a sleeping Dorothy. Natalie had insisted Dorothy stay overnight, as her knee had been ripped open enough to expose bone, and Natalie wanted to monitor her in case she had any kind of response to the trauma.

"It was nice of you to bring this to me, despite the fact that it's eleven at night." Natalie's eyes scrutinized my face as I quickly ducked my head to stare modestly at my shoes. To tell the truth, I had left soon after Ray had accused me of caring for Dorothy, but I hadn't been able to concentrate on anything. I had tried to go to sleep at seven, earlier than normal, and, after another hour of tossing and turning, I had finally given in, mixed up some medicine, and brought it to the Clinic. Luckily, Natalie had been awake, as she hadn't wanted to leave Dorothy, and had let me in with minor surprise.

"Well…the knee thing was mostly my fault. I knocked her down, which created the wound. When she tripped, she made it worse."

"Mmmm…so much responsibility for such a young man, especially to a stranger." Natalie's smile was knowing as she turned away from me to put the medicine in a nearby cabinet.

I felt my cheeks go warm, and I was grateful she had her back to me. "Ah, well…" I didn't know what else to say to defend myself. Because I couldn't deny Ray's earlier words anymore. All of the time I had spent, trying to work or sleep, and unable to, had made me realize I did care for Dorothy. Maybe even in a romantic way. But I definitely cared about her as a friend, even though we had just met. Seeing her triggered my instinct to protect, as any would. The instinct to protect the weaker was never something I could ignore, though it was hardly fair to call Dorothy weak. She was probably anything but that; after all, she had taken care of herself before I had arrived at the village. She was just shy.

Natalie turned back to me, and her eyes twinkled. "Did you just come to deliver the medicine, then?"

I rubbed the back of my burning neck. I didn't want to go back home; it would be useless, anyways. I would just lay awake in bed, staring at the ceiling and worrying. "Well…I haven't been able to sleep…have some case of insomnia; it's been happening since I came here…so I could…watch Dorothy for you while you sleep…if you would like?"

The words kind of just came out without my conscience command. I hadn't actually thought of speaking them aloud, but when I realized I had, I waited in tense silence, holding my breath.

Natalie beamed. "Why, that's a kind offer, Kyle! As a matter of fact, I am quite tired. I would appreciate it if you took over my shift for awhile."

I exhaled in a sigh of relief; my hands, which had been clenched into fists, relaxed. I smiled, and nodded. "I would be happy to."

Natalie nodded briskly. "Well, then. If there is any dramatic changes in her pulse, her condition seems to change in any way, or if she just stops breathing."

I stared at her in an aggravated disbelief. Well, thanks. That's comforting.

Natalie didn't even seem to notice my frustration. "Well, I'll just have a quick bite of pumpkin pudding before I head off to bed." She smiled, and winked. "It's my favorite."

With that, she tottered off towards the stairs.

I waited until she was out of sight, and safely upstairs, before I dragged one of the hard, wooden chairs over to the side of Dorothy's cot. I winced at the screech of the chair legs against tile, but there was no sound in response besides the quiet swish of a closing refrigerator door.

I relaxed into the chair after I was sure no one was coming down. After a moment, I began to study Dorothy's face. She looked very peaceful, even though I couldn't see her face. What did her face look like? I imagined it was quite beautiful, but I might have been biased.

At that moment, I was tempted. I could peek right now. All I would have to do was push her hair out of the way. I would finally solve the mystery. I had always been curious about the way she looked, and the glance would satisfy that curiosity.

But as I stared down at her, I noted how fragile she looked. Just like the porcelain doll she had earlier looked like, she could easily be broken. Her mouth, still in its permanent frown, was soft and vulnerable. And I knew I wouldn't look at her face. I wasn't about to invade her privacy. If Dorothy wanted me to see, she would show me.

It was hard to look at, now that I knew my true feelings. Dorothy certainly did not return them. I knew that Barrett had a crush on her, and I was sure she returned that affection. After all, she had probably known Barrett her whole life. I was just some stranger that had wandered in.

And that was all I ever would be.

~*~

When I woke next, I wasn't sure where I was. It took me a moment of blinking and shifting on the lumpy, uncomfortable bed I was to remember I was in the Clinic.

I sat up slowly, blinking against the weak sunlight that was spilling in the window. Fern was lying on the bedside table next to the cot, along with a glass of water. I drank it, and was surprised to find it fresh, instead of stale, as I had expected.

I turned to slide off the cot, and froze.

Slumped in a wooden chair next to the bed was Kyle, his eyes closed. His breathing was even, so I knew he was sleeping. I stared at him for a long moment with wide eyes; had he stayed all night?

I was suddenly overcome with an unexpected tenderness. Kyle…he was very sweet and kind to stay. He had cleaned and bandaged my wounds, carried me when I could barely walk, and then stayed when I needed help. I blinked back unexpected tears.

Carefully, I slid from the cot to the floor. My knee protested as soon as I put weight on it, but I ignored it. Quickly retrieving Fern from the table, I limped over to stand over Kyle.

Funny. He looked troubled as he slept. I wondered what he was dreaming about. His forehead was creased with concern, and he twitched occasionally. I reached with one, trembling, tentative hand, and lightly touched his cheek.

Under my shaking fingers, he relaxed into a more natural looking position. The lines smoothed out, and he fell still, besides the rise and fall of his chest. I stared at his peaceful expression for a long time, until I heard someone coming down the hall.

I snatched my hand. Limping as fast as my screaming knee would allow, I rushed to the cot, and practically threw myself on to it.

I felt a mild shock when Barrett stepped hesitantly into the room, glancing around the room. His eyes fell on the sleeping Kyle, and they narrowed for a moment, but when they came to rest on me, quivering on the cot, they softened.

"Hey, Dorothy. I came to see how you were doing." He walked, a little quickly, to stand over by my cot. I felt my breathing go uneven; for so long, I had harbored this secret crush on Barrett, never having the courage to tell him…to tell anyone.

"Well…I…ah…I'm…fine…"

He smiled crookedly. "Well, that's good…I…ah… wanted to tell you something…" He was suddenly nervous; he shifted his weight from foot to foot, and he, unexpectedly, blushed.

"Um…what…what is it?" I asked softly. I wasn't quite sure I wanted to hear; I toyed nervously with Fern.

"Well…I…ah…I…" He ducked his head, cheeks going crimson, to stare at his hands, which he had set on either side of my legs, which were hanging over the edge of the cot. "I wanted to tell you…that…I…I…like you…"

My heart stopped, and so did my lungs. They wouldn't work anymore. I tried to breathe, and couldn't. Then, with a jump, my heart broke into a sprint, and I was suddenly breathing hard. I could tell him…we could be happy together.

"I…um…I…l-like…you…t-t-too…"

I only caught a glance of the happiness in his eyes before he leaned forward, and kissed me gently. It felt kind of strange. It was something I had dreamed of for so long, but it felt so wrong. All I could think of was Kyle, who had devotedly stayed all night to ensure my health. My confusion was so high I couldn't respond to Barrett, not that I even knew how to.

As Barrett pulled away, I thought I saw Kyle's eyelids flutter.