36. Just Another Part of the Human Condition

The next two days performances went just as well as the first. My family divided their ranks half attending each of the performances to ensure that I had support every time. I went out with my friends after the Sunday afternoon performance for a celebratory dinner. It was such a relief to have it all behind me. For the first time in six weeks I felt free and relaxed and excited for all of the free time I would have now to spend with my family and talking to Seth. There were a few more play related obligations. Everyone involved was required to attend a mandatory wrap meeting Monday evening and help tear down the set after school Tuesday and Wednesday. After that we would finally be totally free.

Another week passed and it was now the first week of November and the air was beginning to get a bit chillier every day. At school all anyone could talk about was the fun they had over the weekend for Halloween. They had gone to a really awesome haunted house in a neighboring town and some were even crazy enough to go on some midnight graveyard tours. I never really got into Halloween. Why would I when half of the creatures portrayed on this holiday were a part of my life on a daily basis and were not very like their stereotypes? The only thing I liked about that week was that it had meant that I only had three weeks left to wait for Seth to come visit instead of four. I couldn't wait and now we were down to two weeks!

Seth had been so excited to be awarded two of the three projects that he went to Hollywood to vie for. He was really starting to make a name for himself in some pretty important circles and it also meant a much larger paycheck for each project as well he should. The second it hit midnight on November first I was sitting in front of my computer checking out his big project to which I had supposedly inspired and it was amazing. I had never seen such amazing and imaginative transitions between screens. The man was incredibly gifted. Unfortunately these two new projects were even more involved than the last and he had to work so hard to get everything done before Thanksgiving that we didn't get much time to talk. On the plus side, he had negotiated approval for me to consult with him on the projects, so after I signed a non-disclosure agreement too, I was able to see what he was doing and provide input as he progressed. We made a good team, but most of our time talking together was work related due to the rushed deadlines, which was hard. I kept trying to remind myself that it would all be worth when I get to have him all to myself when he makes the trip in two short weeks.

Things were on a roll and I was in a good mood most of the time, constantly looking forward to Seth's impending arrival. I went about the business of being a teenager in the meantime, focusing on school and doing my best to keep engaging in a social life with my friends. It was bound to happen sooner or later though; things never go smoothly for long.

It was a Monday and I hadn't been feeling quite myself all day long. I was tired and felt kind of warm. I walked into the house dropping my book bag by the back door. I didn't have the energy to haul it all the way upstairs. My mother was the first one to run into me as I made my way through the kitchen on my way to the stairs leading to my bedroom.

"Oh Goodness. Angelina dear, are you feeling alright?"

I must have looked worse than I had thought. "I'm not feeling quite right Mom, I think I'm going to go up and just lay down for a while."

She placed her hand on my forehead. Her cool touch felt wonderful against my clammy skin. A panicked look passed over her face as she calculated my body temperature with only the accuracy a vampire could manage by a mere touch. "Lina! Your temperature is hovering around 102! You go lay down, I'm calling your father."

She was already over reacting. Anytime I got sick my whole family went into panic mode. I always hated how all life stopped in the Cullen household when I got the slightest bug. I guess it was to be expected, the only other human type people in their lives were a werewolf and a vampire hybrid, both of which never got sick. I on the other hand was a full-blooded run of the mill human who tended to catch every major bug to ever make its way into my path. I groaned in anticipation of the hovering which was sure to ensue immediately and weakly pulled myself up the stairs to my room.

No sooner than my feet touched the hardwood flooring of my room than Bella was standing behind me offering to go get me something to eat or drink. I politely refused kicking off my shoes and letting myself fall onto my bed. The next hour was an endless procession of concerned family members who took turns sitting on my bed using their own bodies as cold compresses to fight off the rising fever and offering to bring me anything I needed. After a while I realized that the rest I desired probably wasn't going to come anytime soon and I had left my cell phone in my book bag still sitting by the back door. At the next vampire compress shift change, I asked Rose to go get me my one link to a saner outside world. I asked for a few minutes of privacy…at least I could pretend I had some privacy while alone in the room.

My first task after getting my phone was to text my friends telling them that I had a fever and didn't know if I would make it to school tomorrow or not. The second and more important text was to Seth. More than anything, I knew that hearing his voice would help me feel better, but I didn't want to call because I was pretty sure I remembered him mentioning he had a big meeting today. It took less than 30 seconds for my phone to ring after sending the message and I smiled knowing it was my Seth.

"Hello?" I croaked. I sounded worse than I had realized.

"Hey honey, are you okay?" His voice sounded very concerned.

"Pretty much, I just have a fever and I'm pretty weak. If feeling like a semi has just hit you is okay then I'm right as rain." I tried to joke.

"Are you achy? Do you feel nauseas?"

"Achy yes, nauseas, not so much."

"Has your father checked you out yet?"

"No, but mom's first instinct was to call him. I'm sure he'll be here as soon as he can get away from the hospital. Thankfully he's the ONE person around here who doesn't freak out when I get sick. He knows that it's part of the human condition."

"Well, just do me a favor okay? Can you please call me and let me know what he says after he checks you out? Or if you're not up to talking then you can just have him call me directly."

"I'm never too sick to talk to you." I sighed weakly with a smile spreading across my face to spite feeling like death walking.

I could almost hear the warm smile that I knew had spread across his face. I had seen it many times during our web chats. Thank God for web cams and the internet!

"You know I really don't want to go, but I'm in Vancouver right now for that business meeting and I really need to get back in there."

"You left a major meeting to check on me?" I couldn't help but laugh. "You're as bad as THEY are…maybe worse!"

"I was worried. You get to feeling better and I'll call again as soon as I can. Don't forget to let me know what Carlisle says, okay?"

"I promise…good luck in there."

"Thanks"

I closed the phone with a sigh. It really did make me feel better to hear his voice. The only thing that would make our phone conversations better would be if they were private. Everyone in the house could always hear my side of the conversation no matter how quietly I whispered and Edward could hear both sides thanks to his abilities. I'll probably never get over the embarrassment of knowing that he can hear every ooey gooey thought that passes through my mind when I'm on the phone with Seth. Poor Edward.

I closed my eyes and thought of Seth. The next thing I knew I was waking up to find my father sitting on the edge of the bed with his hand on my forehead. I glanced over at the clock; I had been asleep for 3 hours. I was shivering and my bed was completely soaked with sweat.

"Her temperature is up to 103.6. Emmett and Rose, go and fill the bathtub with cold water and ice, Esme, bring some ice water right away, she needs hydration to replace what she's lost. Alice, what do you see?"

"We need to move out of her way…now!"

At that instant I felt a lead ball tighten in my stomach right under my sternum. I jumped off the bed and ran to the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet. My throat burned as the contents of my stomach came back to haunt me. It never seemed to end, my body heaving with every new spasm from the ball in the core of my body. Finally after what seemed like an eternity the heaving stopped and I grabbed some toilet paper to wipe my face and laid down on the cool tile exhausted.

I looked up to see Edward looking like he'd seen a ghost. I knew exactly why he looked so frightened. Just over a hundred years ago he and his family were victims of the Spanish Influenza epidemic which claimed the lives of both of his parents and was about to claim his own. At the pleas of Edward's mother for my father to save him no matter what it took, Dad chose to transform him, making him his first companion.

I looked into his panicked eyes and attempted to calm him, "Edward" all I could manage was a whisper. "It's going to be okay. I'll be fine. It's not the same as it was back then. Please calm down…please."

It wasn't helping so I decided to try to distract him with a task. "Water" I croaked, "I need to rinse my mouth."

He walked mechanically to the sink and filled the glass on the ledge with water and then gingerly bent down and helped me sit up to take a sip. I swished and spit into the toilet and then took another sip. The water traveling down my throat felt like it was full of razor blades.

Edward sucked in air in a low hiss, obviously so focused on my thoughts that he practically felt the pain himself. Sensing my thoughts he stood back up going over to the medicine cabinet and returned with a bottle of throat spray. I held my mouth open as he sprayed the soothing mist into my mouth. Immediately the sting in the back of my throat mellowed to a dull tickle.

Not wanting to talk out loud I locked gazes with him sending him a telepathic Thank you. He nodded and then looked up at the doorway stepping out of the way and out into the hall so that my sisters and mother could come in and take over. I could hear a murmured conversation between my father, Bella and Edward, but I was too weak to concentrate hard enough to hear what they were saying. I couldn't see them, but I was pretty sure that Bella was hugging Edward in an effort to comfort him.

Rose and Alice were very careful as they undressed me down to my undergarments and lowered me into the bath. The water was so cold…too cold. I screamed as the cold shot into my muscles with the feeling of a thousand knives stabbing me all at once. My sisters grimaced and let out a low sympathetic hiss in reaction to my scream. They didn't like this any better than I did. It seemed as cruel to them as it did to me, but it was a necessity. If the ice did its job, it would bring my core temperature back down to a safer level. After a few seconds the stinging slowly faded and was replaced by a strange numbness as I began to shiver. I could almost feel the heat radiate away from my body into the icy water surrounding me.

It was then that I remembered my promise to Seth. "Sssssss" I tried to speak but the words wouldn't come out. I switched tactics mentally screaming for Edward to listen. EDWARD! Someone needs to call Seth, he's worried and I promised.

"Don't worry about Seth, Lina. We've been talking on and off for the last couple of hours. You slept through his first two calls and he called again just a few minutes ago. Now rest." He replied through the door that he had cracked open in order to respond. He must have known that I wasn't hearing as well as usual.

Can I talk to him? Well…I guess I'm not really able to talk so much right now, but can you bring me a phone so I can hear him? I want to hear his voice.

I heard him mumble outside the door…I assumed he was contemplating with my father. After a few moments he called back, "Later Lina, let's get past this part first. Soon though, we promise. I'll tell him you want to talk to him though, that will make him feel better."

I sat in the cold water missing the sound of the one voice that I desperately wanted to hear. I closed my eyes picturing his warm smile and kind twinkling eyes. I could feel a small smile play across the corner of my lips as I slowly drifted into darkness, all I could see was the face of my Seth.

I could feel a hand that felt warm to the touch. My eyes snapped open in panic knowing that the only individuals in our family with a warm touch were not in town as my body jumped in reflexive defense. To my shock I found my father sitting on the edge of the tub holding my wrist in his hand.

"It's okay Lina, it's just me." He spoke soothingly to me as he continued to examine me.

I still couldn't seem to make my voice audible, but Edward quickly stepped in to interpret for me from behind the door. "She's surprised by how warm you feel to her."

"He feels warm to her? What does that mean?" My heart slowed at the relief of hearing Seth's voice on the speaker phone.

"She's happy to hear your voice Seth." Edward chimed in on my behalf. I sent him a telepathic thank you for letting Seth know that.

My father answered his question half a beat later. "Her skin is currently much colder than the room temperature that our skin is at the moment due to the ice bath, so I feel warm to her. But she had to stay in until her core temperature dropped enough to be safe. I think she's out of the woods fever wise now. I'm going to leave you girls to help her get out of there and get dressed. Let me know when you're done an I'll come back up."

He bent down to kiss me on the cheek and then made his way out of the room leaving me alone with my female family members. My mother was still holding the phone with Seth on speakerphone. Edward once again stepped in on my behalf, "Seth, she wants to call you back once she's settled. I'll take the phone for now though." He said to my mother reaching in through the door to take it from her.

I could still faintly hear their conversation in the hall….

"Why are you interpreting Edward? Is she really okay?"

"She's having a hard time talking right now between the cold making her shiver and her throat being sore from the vomiting. It's just easier on her, but I think she'll be able to talk again once we get her settled. Don't worry my friend, I think the worst is past us."

If there was more to the conversation, I didn't get to hear it. I was busy letting my sisters and mother help me get out of the tub and over to the toilet where they made me sit while they dried my body and hair. They helped me dress in dry clothes and combed and dried my hair for me before leading me back to my bed now fitted with fresh linens.

I smiled weakly up to them managing a rough "Thank You."

They all smiled back and quietly, my mom gently tucking the covers in around me and then they all exited the room with promises of chicken noodle soup and milkshakes to soothe my throat. I looked over at my clock that read 7:30 pm. I had been in that icy tub for nearly an hour. I tried to stay awake to talk to Seth again as Edward had promised, but my eyelids refused to cooperate as I drifted unwillingly back to sleep.