It was hard to concentrate with Nell's head in her lap, but Angie managed to keep a calm soothing tone as she stroked the girl's hair back from her sweaty brow. Iris sat next to them, frantically dialing the Sweetzers' home number, to no luck.
"They're not answering," The woman declared. She scowled down at her phone. "I can barely even get a signal."
Cotton paid her no mind. No one did, really. Daniel was trying to focus his attention on the preacher. "I've seen them react, but never ten hours after the fact in my hotel room."
Angie ran her fingers through Nell's damp hair. "Nell, sweetheart? Can you hear me, baby?"
Glossy brown eyes stared blankly up at her face. The farmgirl barely shifted under her blankets; just enough to reach out and grasp the blonde's hand. Angie cringed at her strong grip, but squeezed back regardless.
"Is that a yes?" The elder girl asked, smiling faintly. When she got no response, it dwindled down to a thin frown.
"Their farm is five miles away from the hotel," Cotton went on up front. "And how did she even know where I was staying?"
Iris glanced down at the brunette in Angie's lap. "Nell? Are you feeling any better?"
"And that is why I don't work with kids." The Reverend finished. He even smacked the steering wheel for emphasis.
"Because they stalk you in the dead of night?" Angie asked, attempting to break the tension. "How passé."
Her giggles were borderline hysteric, but silenced instantly as Nell smirked up at her. Oh, that was unsettling, the blonde girl thought to herself. She looked up at Cotton helplessly. "Are we almost there yet?"
"Pulling into the parking lot now, kiddo."
It took a few seconds of coaxing, but eventually the two women were able to help Nell up. Her pale hand latched on to Angela's tanned arm and refused to let go, even as they entered the hospital doors.
"It'll be okay."
Nell's gaze remained hollow as she looked at the older girl. Her smile was neither comforting nor genuine. In fact, Angie seemed to be on the verge of tears. The brunette tightened her grip and leaned into the blonde's side as Daniel and a nurse began to squabble over his right to document inside the hospital.
Gently, as so not to startle her, Iris proposed the two of them sit down whilst she try the Sweetzers' again(this time from a landline). Angie watched her go with a quiet feeling of dread in her stomach. Bad signal or not, the woman should've been able to get through by now. Absently, she rubbed Nell's arm.
The nurse, a heavy set black woman in her forties with serious features approached the girls. The younger didn't bother to look up as she spoke.
"Miss Sweetzer?" Her tone was surprisingly soft as she placed a hand on Nell's shoulder. "You're going to have to come with me now; it's time to see the doctor."
"Come on, Nell," Angie stood with the girl still attached to her arm. "Let's go."
With a cocked brow and a hand on her hip, the nurse asked, "And where do you think you're going, young lady?"
"With my cousin," The blonde lied.
"Cousin?" The woman repeated doubtfully. Besides both being fairly short, the pair looked nothing alike. With a maliciously sweet smile, the nurse asked, "Than you won't mind filling out these forms then?"
"I said cousin, not sister." Angie pulled Nell a little closer. "I'm not leaving her."
Cotton put a hand on the cameraperson's shoulder. "Angela…"
"She's been through enough for one day." The blonde snapped at him. "How would you like to be treated like a lab rat? A lone lab rat?"
The nurse, who had been losing patience with the strange man and his little band of misfits, reached out to take hold of the sickly girl's shoulder. She only meant to guide her in the right direction, but the moment her hand made contact, Nell opened her mouth and let out a high pitch keen. A keen that slowly became a scream as the woman tried to pull her away from her friend.
In a desperate attempt, the farmer's daughter clamped down on Angie's arm and went completely limp. A surprised squeak escaped the blonde's throat as she struggled to keep the two of them standing.
With a disgruntled sigh, the nurse rolled her eyes. Reluctantly, she allowed the older girl to escort Nell into the examination room, warning, "But you best behave yourself, you hear me?"
Angie nodded and eased the small farm girl in to the bed. Her tired brown eyes stayed locked on Nell as the she asked just what kind of tests they were going to run. As the nurse went about taking the girl's temperature, she explained that the doctors would have to examine her before she could say.
Nell let out a whine as the woman reached forward to check her heart beat. Her nails dug into Angie's forearm as the cool metal touched her clammy skin. The blonde winced and patted the girl's hair in an attempt to calm her. It didn't work. Instead, Nell leaned forward and buried her head in her cleavage.
Blushing, Angie smiled tightly at the nurse who frowned with disapproval. "Cousins, huh?"
"We're…we're very close," The girl answered stiffly. Her flush only darkened as Nell let out a sigh of contentment. Angie cleared her throat and asked when the doctor would be in.
"Soon. I'll be back in just a moment… Try not to cross any boundaries while I'm gone." With that, the nurse turned on her heel and let them, muttering under her breathe about kids today.
"Miss Angela…" Nell sniffed. She buried her head in the blonde's shoulder.
"Yeah?"
"I'm tired…"
Angie swallowed. This was insane. She was just supposed to be filming a documentary! Not playing babysitter to a Satan infested farm girl! She rested her head against the brunette's sweaty brow and sighed. With a wary smile, she wrapped her arms around Nell's shoulders.
Of course, this is when the doctor decided to make an appearance.
He and the nurse shared a disapproving look. The doctor is a balding, white man in his late forties. He inspected the chart in front of him and frowned at the petite brunette. "So, Nell, how are you feeling?"
"Tired," The girl croaked in response.
"Well, how about we take some blood and let you get some sleep then?" The man smiled warmly at her and reached into his front pocket for a needle. The nurse wiped down the farm girl's arm with disinfectant as the doctor unwrapped the hypodermic needle.
Apparently Nell had no fear of needles; she watched calmly as it slipped in to her skin. Angie, on the other hand, felt a little nauseous. The younger girl rubbed the blonde's arm. This did little to help. The Vegas native licked her lips and asked just how long it would take to run the sample.
The doctor shrugged, "Could take anywhere from an hour to all night."
"Oh." Angie murmured. "Fantastic."
Nell's brows furrowed. "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault." It's Cotton's, her mind supplied. And your father's for not noticing his little girl slipping out into the darkness.
The nurse patted Nell's shoulder as the doctor explained that she should get some rest. His eyes slipped over to Angie and he frowned. "I suppose you should as well."
The blonde nodded and took a seat on the couch across from the bed. Nell followed her example and laid back in the bed as the nurse jotted a few things down in her file. The doctor left the three of them alone, and the woman shut the door behind him. She looked at the girls. "You two ain't really cousins, are ya?"
"No." Nell confessed quietly, her eyelids already starting to droop. "She's my friend."
"Friend," The nurse repeated. "Is that right?"
"Uh-huh."
Angie smiled softly at this and leaned back in her seat. Absently, she asked what time it was.
"Nearly two…you two ought'a try and get some sleep."
The pair did as they were told; with Nell settling in the bed and her 'friend' getting comfortable on a couch across the room.
The next time Angie woke up, the room was dim. Not pitch black, but only the light from the hallway shone in. This would've been fine, if she had woken up alone. A silhouette in the darkness froze her as a cool touch brushed the top of her tank top. Her lips parted in a scream, but her throat closed up as thin fingers trailed up her chest, up her neck.
"Don't let him catch you." The figure warned.
Angie's eyes widened at the familiar voice. "Nell?"
The blonde shot up in the bed, trying to get a hold of herself as the brunette's almost black eyes peered down at her. She swallowed and winced as the girl's hand cupped her cheek. This was just too fucked up.
Blaming it on the fever, Angie stood. She pulled away from Nell's touch and offered her a weak smile. "Come on, let's get you back to-"
"Don't let him catch you," Nell repeated. Her tone was firm. Almost demanding…and completely void of her natural warmth.
Angie's heart skipped a beat and she nodded eagerly. "I won't, I promise. Just, please, get back in the bed, okay, sweetie?"
Brown eyes stayed on her face a long moment before the girl complied. The blonde guided her over to the hospital bed and tucked her in. Tightly. Nell watched her do so in silence. Neither said a word as Angie slipped back on to the couch.
The farm girl was asleep in minutes. The blonde spent the rest of the night staring at the bed and wondering just what the fuck she had gotten herself in to.
A/N: sorry for the long wait! Good news, Caleb is actually in the next one! Good for him
