Love from jealousy – part 36

By Fishiexy

Kyle's thoughts in italics

There was split-second pause before Declan felt the rush of air signalling the onset of the energy pulse he knew was going to come now that Kyle was unable to contain it any longer. He felt his hair stand up on end and then there was an almighty shattering sound as all the glass in the vicinity blew out. He covered his head with his hands to protect himself from the raining shards and after a few seconds when he hadn't felt any pain he thought that it was all over but then Lori was crying and his first thought was that she had been hurt by the falling glass but the reality of the situation was much, much worse…

Kyle was having some sort of epileptic seizure. His unconscious form was no longer lying limply on the floor, but twitching and jerking spasmodically, his limbs thrashing around, muscles alternatively contracting and relaxing, his back arching, shuddering and shaking, his head slamming repeatedly into the ground with blood tinted saliva dribbling down gray, mottled skin and bubbling up from between blue tinged lips…

Oh God! If he had to look at Kyle for one more second then Declan knew he was going to pass out! He couldn't bear the sight of blood and even the thought of it was enough to make him feel dizzy and sick! But then doors to the classrooms were being thrown open and people were rushing out into the corridor to see what was had caused the noise and then they were surrounded and suddenly Kyle wasn't visible and he was able to swallow down the bitter tasting bile, to gather himself together and to respond to the small hand that had appeared on his arm.

'Amanda?'

What was she doing here and was she going to be cross and upset that he hadn't done anything to help Kyle; that he hadn't protected Kyle like he promised her he would?

'What happened?' Amanda asked him.

'Kyle…'

Declan wanted to tell her, but he couldn't even bring himself to think let alone speak about the sight of Kyle spasming and twitching on the floor like something possessed. And to his shame he felt his eyes well up with tears.

Amanda gasped in horror.

'Oh God! Is he alright?' She asked, her voice trembling in fear.

Declan shook his head, unable to speak, swallowing and blinking furiously to prevent himself from crying. And then Amanda was off, pushing through the crowd of people in her haste to get to Kyle.

Nicole was sitting at her desk in the small room of the house that served both as an office and as a place of consultation for her clients going over the notes she had made on Jessie Hollander. From a purely academic point of view, Nicole could appreciate what a complex and fascinating case she was, however, there was also something about the awkward, emotionally disturbed young woman that made her very uneasy, reminding her, and not for the first time either, of another troubled teen she had worked with; a boy with a horrific past who had taken months of therapy to regain his memory and to be able to function anywhere near normally.

Of course that was where the similarity between the Jessie and Kyle ended. Jessie was dark and dangerous; she lied, kept secrets, manipulated people, had her own agenda and couldn't be trusted for a second. Whereas Kyle was good and kind and honest almost to a fault and Nicole had so much faith in him that she would have trusted him with her life. He had overcome his difficulties and had matured both physically and emotionally into a bright and beautiful young man with extraordinary abilities whom Nicole loved as one of her own.

But were they really that different? Was Kyle actually as pure and wholesome, unadulterated and 'light' as she'd always imagined he was? Nicole frowned as a fragment of doubt pushed its way into her conscious mind. She had always felt that Kyle was incapable of lying after the time that Lori lost her job and Josh cheated on his tests and Kyle covered for both of them because even the idea of not telling the truth seemed to cause him physical pain. Besides which, his poker face was just so awful that even if he had wanted to lie to her she could have seen through him in a minute: first he stared at her like a deer caught in the headlights and then he blinked several times before lowering his eyes in a guilty fashion after which he wasn't able to look at her at all.

But the doubt was there again because recently she had noticed that Kyle had changed. Now he didn't smile and catch her eye any more. Now he no longer sought out her company just to talk about how he felt. Now when he looked at her and spoke to her it was so that he could lie straight to her face. Nicole sighed and slumped back in her chair, all attempts at working abandoned, all beliefs concerning Jessie now forgotten as Kyle once more took center stage in her thoughts.

Nicole had grown increasingly worried about Kyle over the last couple of weeks. The normally happy and smiling young man with his highly social nature and love of company and frequent, often bizarre questions feeding his insatiable curiosity had become quiet and withdrawn often choosing to spend time in his room alone or going out straight after school and not returning home until late into the evening. And he was withholding things from her, keeping secrets, lying to her, like he didn't trust her any more, like he didn't need her any more, not to mention the whole other thing with Lori…

She had always felt a kind of connection with Kyle. Right from the first moment she had set eyes on him in the juvenile detention center she had known that he was special, known that she was going to take him home with her, to help him, to look after him. But she hadn't known just how quickly she would come to care so deeply for him, because after those first few days of seeing him so lost and alone, so confused, helpless and hurting, so eager to please and keen to gain her approval, so emotionally vulnerable, so physically needy, tactile and desperate for affection she couldn't help but put her arms around him and hold him tightly against her promising all the while that she would always be there for him and that she would never let him go. And it was at that moment, with tears in her eyes, cradling the dark head of a lost and broken child against her body that she knew she loved him and that her life would never be the same again.

And so she had worked with him to recover his memory and looked after his basic needs by feeding him and providing him with a place to sleep where he felt safe, by buying him clothes to make him fit in with his peers and art supplies to allow him to better express himself and trying to make him feel included and accepted by stopping her family from teasing him and calling him names… But Kyle also needed love and physical affection to heal his psychological wounds. In fact it was more than a need; he seemed to crave it. It was as if no one had ever touched him before. As if no one had just hugged him or told him how beautiful, special and perfect he was.

So she held him when he cried and soothed and calmed him when he got angry and frustrated, reassured him when he was anxious and uncertain and sometimes just sat with him when he was upset or down, his head resting on her shoulder, her fingers gently stroking through his hair, softly massaging his scalp, caressing his face and he would sigh in pleasure while wriggling closer as if he couldn't get enough of her touch before slowly sitting back to look at her, a shy smile on his face, his eyes shining with wonder, gratitude and love.

Then came the moment that she had been dreading, the moment that Stephen had repeatedly warned her about; Kyle's parents had finally made an appearance and now she had to face up to the fact that she was going to lose him. And it had all happened so quickly; one minute she was there in the hospital with him thanking God that he was alright after having had a fit and the next, he was getting into the car and driving away, after mysteriously recovering all his memories and with them becoming almost a different person all within the space of a day.

She had managed to keep her emotions in check in front of her family and to persuade Stephen that she was fine because after all, this was the outcome that they'd been hoping for from the beginning, the scenario that was ultimately best for Kyle. But deep in her heart it just didn't feel right. And then when she had finally excused herself and gone upstairs for some much needed solitude she just totally lost it and broke down and all the grief, anguish and despair that had been building over the last 48 hours suddenly overwhelmed her and then she was sobbing her heart out, weeping uncontrollably at the devastating sense of loss she felt now that Kyle was no longer hers to love. She cried until she had nothing left to give and then, emotionally and physically drained, she drifted into an uneasy and troubled sleep.

For the first few weeks she had tried to carry on as though nothing had happened and continued with her work, but her heart wasn't in it and she had enough insight to know that she wasn't giving her clients her best and at times was hardly listening to their problems at all, so wrapped up was she in her own grief. Once she had admitted that to herself she decided to give up her job and concentrate on being there for her own family, even though it was doubtful that they really needed her at home full time as they seemed to be coping much better than she was at the loss of Kyle from their lives.

But as the months progressed her mood didn't improve and if anything it became worse with her feeling so depressed that she started seeing a therapist herself. And then the dreams started; dreams of Kyle asleep in his tub, safe and secure as she watched over him, smiling, so thankful to have him back with her, not wanting to let him out of her sight again. But then the tub would fill with water and he was sinking and then his head was slipping beneath the surface and she would run over and reach in and grab hold of him pulling him out and then she would wake up, drenched in sweat, first shouting for help then weeping uncontrollably as she realized he wasn't there, he wasn't coming back and maybe also because she never knew in her dream whether he had drowned or not.

Nicole shivered as though someone had just walked over her grave. That feeling in itself was not an unusual occurrence especially after the morbid memories she had just been reliving but this felt like something more. She was instantly alert before she shivered again, this time because she suddenly felt cold. Icy water was flowing through her veins, seeping into her bones, freezing her very core. A sense of dread was settling over her, fear and panic were bubbling up and she was scared beyond belief because she'd experienced these sensations before; an awareness, an omen that something was horribly wrong and it had happened during those last few months that Kyle was away. She was getting a terrible feeling that something awful was about to happen again, something involving Kyle…

'Nicole!'

And then Kyle's voice was in her head reverberating around her startled mind like a faint echo and he sounded upset, hysterical even. Was it really him or was she just hearing things? Was she so beside herself with worry about him that she was imagining him speaking to her now? Was she finally loosing her mind? Because as far as she knew Kyle didn't have the ability to project his thoughts although she wouldn't rule it out completely. After all she didn't know that he could walk through a burning building and come out unscathed until she had witnessed it with her own eyes. The feeling of doom intensified and suddenly it didn't matter whether she was hearing things or not she just knew that Kyle was in trouble and was somehow calling out to her.

The shrill ring of her mobile made her jump and she froze momentarily before digging the phone out of her bag with shaking hands. Her heart was thumping frantically as she looked at the caller id but she'd known all along whose name would be listed there…

'Kyle?'

There was silence on the end of the phone. She tried again.

'Kyle, are you ok?'

Silence again before she heard someone sniffing and then a familiar voice answered her, just not the one she had been expecting.

'Mom? Is that you?'

Both desperation and relief was evident in Lori's voice but somehow that just served to make Nicole even more fearful.

'Lori! Where's Kyle? Why isn't he answering his phone?'

She cringed as she realized just how harsh and uncaring that had sounded. It was obvious that Lori was upset yet she couldn't stop to apologize or to question her gently and carefully. There would be time enough to say she was sorry later but right now she just needed to know that Kyle was ok.

'He tried to ring you, like you told him to do but then he just collapsed…'

Nicole didn't wait to hear any more. She picked up her bag and keys and was out of the house in less than 20 seconds, the phone still pressed to her ear. But all she could hear was the sound of Lori crying.

'Lori? Lori! Are you still there?'

'Yeah…' She said, hiccupping and sniffing trying to get herself back under control.

'Honey… What's going on?'

'It's…It's Kyle… He's having another seizure and there's blood on his face and his lips are turning blue…'

Nicole felt she was choking as her throat closed up and she struggled to breathe. Memories of Kyle after he had had his last fit flashed into her mind; the dark circles under his eyes, the unusually pale, almost translucent skin stretched tight over his high cheekbones, the drips and tubes attached to his thin body, the way he just lay there on the hospital bed, silent and deathly still…

With a superhuman burst of will that Kyle would have been proud of she pushed the distressing memories out of her mind and concentrated on trying to help him now which meant helping Lori first. She could hear the hysteria building up in her voice and could only imagine how scared her daughter must be at the moment having as she was to witness someone that she loved behaving in such a distressing manner. Time then for some facts; something concrete for Lori to think about, to focus on rather than just allowing her emotions to overwhelm her which was no use to anyone, least of all, Kyle.

'Listen now,' she said climbing into the car and fastening her seatbelt.

'You've got to get Kyle onto his side because that will allow his tongue to fall forward and open up his airway and then at least he'll be able to get some oxygen into his lungs and he won't look so blue. Can you do that for me, Lori? Can you do that for Kyle?'

'Yes, yes, I think so…'

'Good girl. Now, how long's he been fitting for?'

'I don't know. It seems like ages but probably less than a minute or two.'

'Ok Lori, is there someone who can help you turn him?'

'Yes, Declan's here.'

'Good, that's good. Be careful now. Don't put anything near his mouth as he might swallow it or bite you and be careful of his arms and legs. He can't control the spasms and he could hurt you both.'

'Mom? I'm scared.' Lori said in a small voice.

'I know Honey, but you've got to brave and strong for Kyle.'

Nicole tried to keep her voice calm in order to reassure her daughter but it was difficult when she was feeling almost as frantic as Lori sounded. God! Why wasn't she there yet? The journey to school had never taken so long before. She put her foot down on the gas pedal. Fuck the speed limits she thought belligerently.

'Oh God, now his whole face is blue and he's frothing at the mouth…'

Nicole could sense the hysteria building again, could see in her mind's eye the horror on Lori's face as she stood watching Kyle, paralyzed with fear at the bizarre movements of his body, the unnatural, unhealthy color of his skin and the fact that he was so out of it that he couldn't even swallow his own saliva.

'Lori!' She said sharply. 'Where are you?'

It was an easy question designed to give Lori time to get herself together before doing what had to be done to save Kyle's life.

'At school!'

Nicole smiled wryly at Lori's misunderstanding. And from the indignant tone used it sounded a lot like someone had a rather a guilty conscience. Had she been cutting classes or perhaps not even bothering with school at all?

'I know that Honey, I meant where in the building are you and Kyle?'

'Oh, right!' Lori said sheepishly and realizing that she was probably going to have to have a chat with her mother very soon.

'In a corridor on the first floor in the main building. Can you…'

'I'm on my way, Sweetheart, just get Kyle over onto his side and try and protect his head.'

'Ok Mom, thanks and hurry, please!'

But in the end Nicole needn't have been worried that Lori was just too scared to help Kyle because when she arrived a few minutes later it was next door neighbor Amanda Bloom who was kneeling on the floor supporting Kyle who was now lying on his side, her sweater scrunched up as a makeshift pillow protecting his head. But before she could gather any further information or even get to Kyle to see that he was ok Lori was running towards her and then was suddenly in her arms, hugging her tightly, holding her closer than she could ever remember her doing so before and she felt tears of relief forming in her eyes at the thought that at least her daughter was unharmed, physically anyway.

'Mom, it was so awful. Kyle was thrashing all around hurting himself and I didn't know what to do to help him…' Lori sobbed and hiccupped into her neck.

'I know Honey.' Nicole said soothingly rubbing circles on Lori's back. 'But you did know what to do. You phoned me and then got him onto his side so that at least he could breathe…'

'No Amanda did that. She was awesome. She just took charge and she was so calm…'

'But you let me know Lori. And I'm proud of you for that and grateful…'

Reassuring and comforting Lori allowed her a few moments to get her own thoughts together before going over to see Kyle; a task she was both desperate to do in order to reassure herself that he was ok but at the same time was dreading because the last time it happened she thought he was dead and he might have well been because soon after he was gone leaving her grieving…

She kissed Lori on the top of her head and then quickly walked towards Kyle lying on the floor taking in her surroundings as she did so: Declan was standing off to the side looking green and shaky, trying very hard not to look at Kyle. Was that guilt or fear on his face? There was a lady in a white dress, probably the school nurse, who was talking quietly to the Mr. Hooper, the vice-principal but who would glance over frequently at Kyle being tended to by Amanda, making sure he was still stable. A janitor in the background sweeping the floor which was crunchy as she walked on it and all around she could see shards of glass. She looked up to see every window and sky-light in the corridor had been shattered. What the hell had happened?

'Ah Mrs. Trager.' The vice-principal said approaching her. 'We tried phoning you at home as soon as we knew what was happening but there was no answer.'

'Lori called me and I came straight away.' She replied woodenly as she bent down in front of Kyle. Her eyes filled with tears as she finally got a good look at him.

'I know he looks bad, but he's much better now.' Amanda's soft voice told her gently.

His pale skin had a sickly grayish tinge to it and was covered in sweat. He'd lost all the color he normally had in his cheeks and there were dark circles underneath his eyes that reminded her of the bruises he'd had on his jaw last week. His hair was wet, now almost black in color and plastered to his head. While he had been fitting and not in control of his actions he had bitten his tongue and there was blood around his lips and chin and at some point during the proceedings Kyle had been sick over himself; there was a pool of vomit on the floor and the rest of it covered the top of his shirt, his neck, the side of his face he was lying on, his chin and some of it was still dribbling out of the corner of his mouth.

She carefully picked a piece of glass out of his hair before smoothing the dark, wet strands off of his face and feeling his forehead. His skin was cold and clammy. She checked the pulse in his neck which was faster than normal but strong and regular before gently calling his name. He didn't respond so she tried again in a louder voice, this time giving him a command.

'Kyle, open your eyes for me!'

When that too failed to elicit a response from him she squeezed the muscle between his neck and shoulder to see if a painful stimulus would rouse him. It didn't so she lifted his eyelids to check his pupils; they were uneven in size and were 'wandering' from side to side as though trying to find something to focus on but failing.

'What's wrong with his eyes?' Amanda whispered fearfully.

'It's ok, Honey.' Nicole said, smiling at her reassuringly.

'He's post-ictal. It's a neurological state that people often go into after they've had an epileptic fit. It's like a coma and it's the brain's way of giving itself time to heal. Everything's going to be alright.'

Amanda wasn't convinced if the anxious and worried expression on her face was anything to go by.

'Amanda, Kyle's going to be fine.'

Nicole watched as the young girl in front of her nodded several times, her blonde hair falling forward and partially covering her face as she looked down, unable to meet Nicole's eyes, blinking repeatedly to try and hold off the tears that were threatening to spill over any moment.

'It's just that…it brought back such a lot of horrible memories from last time…' She whispered, stroking Kyle's arm continually back and forth, the touch obviously comforting as she subconsciously tried to reassure herself that he really was ok.

Nicole remembered how frightened and worried she had been when she saw Kyle in the hospital bed looking so pale, small and vulnerable and then realized how much worse it must have been for Amanda, who was herself only a child and was with Kyle when he collapsed before on the carousel and witnessed, probably for the first time, someone having a grand-mal seizure, someone she cared about and looking at her now, possibly even loved.

'I know...' She agreed but unable to say anything further as her throat closed up, threatening to choke her, the memories of losing Kyle still so fresh and painful in her mind.

She touched the hand that Amanda was stroking Kyle's arm with effectively stopping the movement and gaining her full attention.

'Thank you for helping him, for being here with him.' She said sincerely. 'He means a lot to us, doesn't he?'

'Yes, he does.' Amanda said, smiling shyly, both with embarrassment and pleasure that Nicole had correctly guessed and was prepared to acknowledge that she cared for Kyle a great deal.

Now that Nicole could see that Kyle was no longer in immediate danger as he had stopped fitting, his pulse was steady and strong he was breathing slowly and rhythmically she felt able to talk to the vice-principal.

'What happened?' She asked, glancing first at Kyle and then the gaping holes where the windows used to be.

'We don't know.' The vice-principal told her his voice sounding apologetic on the surface but at the same time there was a slight accusatory undertone that Nicole picked up on as though the man was suspicious as to why she was asking the question when perhaps she already knew the answer but for some reason was pretending otherwise. Nicole immediately felt her defensive hackles rise.

'The only people who could have been witnesses to what occurred here today were those who were not present for the start of afternoon classes, namely Kyle, Lori and Mr. McDonough here and the latter two were both unable or unwilling to tell us anything. Of course we couldn't question Kyle which we will need to do as soon as he is well enough as the damage to school property is extensive. And I regret to say that if no explanation is forth coming or no one is prepared to come forward and admit responsibility for this serious act of vandalism then I would of course have to involve the authorities, namely the board of governors and the police.'

Nicole gasped. Was the vice-principal really trying to indicate that he thought this wasn't an accident? That Kyle was somehow responsible and Lori and Declan were involved in a cover-up? And on top of everything how dare he think he could speak to Kyle at all? Kyle was going to need some very careful handling, psychologically speaking to get him through this latest crisis due to the obvious stress he was suffering from and questioning him without understanding his background and unique set of circumstances could cause him untold harm. Kyle was extremely sensitive both at picking up on other peoples' emotions and about his own sense of self, his feelings and the need he had for love and acceptance which meant that he could be easily hurt by the conscious or unconscious manipulation of others.

Nicole hadn't forgotten how unsympathetic, unsupportive and downright unprofessional Mr. Hooper had been when she had tried to get Kyle enrolled at the school last year. She knew he had never liked Kyle and if it hadn't been for Mr. Miller, the math teacher insisting that he be admitted because of his gift with numbers and problem solving ability, Hooper would probably have denied him a place at all and now it seemed he was trying to pin a deliberate act of wanton destruction on him! Nicole was incensed because she knew that Kyle would never intentionally hurt anyone.

And as for threat of involving the police…That would just remind Kyle of Detective Breen and of being interrogated about Professor Kern's murder which in turn would bring back all the horrors of the kidnap by Adam Baylin possibly causing him to regress to the mute, child-like persona he had inhabited after waking up in the woods last year. Nicole had sworn a vow to both Kyle and herself that she would protect him to the best of her ability so there was no way that she was going to let him suffer any more emotional trauma than he'd already been through in his short life by allowing anyone who wasn't her to go anywhere near him whatsoever.

'My son has just had a seizure that could have killed him or at the very least left him permanently brain damaged not to mention the traumatic effect that witnessing such a horrific event could have had on Lori and Declan and you're trying to implicate them in some sort of prank?' Nicole said incredulously.

'I understand that you're upset about Kyle, Mrs. Trager and let me assure you I called 911 as soon as had ascertained the severity of his condition and an ambulance is on its way.'

'Well thank you, but that won't be necessary. Kyle is out of danger now…'

'Kyle's in a coma Mrs Trager…' The nurse interrupted.

'He's post-ictal. There's a difference. And I know my son and this has happened to us before. He just needs some time to sleep it off in a familiar environment where he feels safe and secure. What he doesn't need are strangers in white coats poking and prodding him, sticking needles in him and asking him questions that will only make him more anxious and afraid. He's my son and I'm making the decision to take him home. I'll sign any disclaimer forms the school wants but he's coming with me.'

The vice-principal paused for a moment before nodding.

'I'll go get the forms.'

'You do that.' Nicole called out to his retreating form before turning to the nurse.

'And if it's not too much to ask I would also like a basin of warm, soapy water and a cloth so that I can clean up my son!'

Nicole had then been left alone with four teenagers, three of whom were suffering from various degrees of post-traumatic stress after witnessing the fourth, currently unconscious one, having a full blown grand-mal seizure. She desperately wanted to know what had happened to set Kyle off and what had caused the windows to shatter but she wasn't going to interrogate the kids now even though judging by the looks on Lori and Declan's faces that's what they were expecting.

'Mrs. Trager…'

Declan's voice was hoarse as it trailed off and he sounded uncertain, scared even to continue. Nicole turned to see him frowning and swallowing repeatedly before he seemed to reach some kind of internal decision then he took a deep breath in and gathered himself up to his full height. His eyes had a look of determination about them as they sought contact with hers and she knew he was going to come clean with her because Kyle's health was now an issue.

She was suddenly so grateful to Declan for being such a good friend to Kyle in that he was willing to tell her what had happened here today despite the look on his face and his initial body language which showed just how uneasy he was at betraying a confidence, of betraying Kyle.

But although Nicole was desperate to know what had happened to Kyle, she realized it wasn't important to his immediate well-being whether Declan told her now or an hour from now so why make him spill the beans at this present moment in time causing him to feel guilty for revealing Kyle's secrets?

And while Nicole was honestly concerned for Declan's psychological welfare in that she didn't want him to have to relive the horror he had witnessed by making him tell the whole story all over again, she also had an ulterior motive in not wanting him to talk as it was possible that the things that Declan had seen were things that Kyle would not want disclosed, like that time she had seen him come out of the burning building on the beach and his whole body was on fire yet when she had seen him bare-chested in his room less than an hour later he was unharmed and he had told her that she had to promise to keep it a secret because he didn't want to be taken away from her.

And Nicole had kept it a secret, even from her own husband and although she knew that Kyle was close with both Lori and Amanda she wasn't sure just how much they knew about his special abilities and she wasn't going to be the one to break the pact she had made with Kyle, the promise she had made to herself to protect him and keep him safe. So, hearing the story could wait. The important thing was getting Kyle home and allowing him time and space to recover.

'It's ok Declan. You can tell me later.'

Declan however, seemed desperate to talk now that he'd finally persuaded himself to do so and for a moment Nicole was worried that Kyle's whole history was going to come tumbling out of his mouth and anyone who happened to be walking by would then know the full extent of what Kyle was capable of.

'Let's get Kyle home first and make sure he's safe, yes?' She said quickly, her eyes never leaving his, willing him to understand and keep quiet.

And he did because his gaze suddenly jumped to Amanda kneeling at Kyle's side before re-focusing on her and nodding with a look of comprehension at what she was asking of him. Nicole smiled grimly at him acknowledging that they both now shared a secret and wondered whether she was going to need to counsel Declan as well as her own children as it seemed glaringly obvious that the poor boy needed to talk about what had happened yet had no one apart from Kyle with whom he felt he could do so. And that option was no longer available to him at this moment in time for obvious reasons.

But before she could ponder any further over Declan's psychological state and support network Mr. Hooper returned with his forms allowing Kyle to be released into her care which she duly signed although with extremely bad grace. He told her that he had notified the authorities that the ambulance was no longer needed and was quite happy for Lori to go home with her and Kyle. However, Declan and Amanda were to stay to afternoon classes. When all four of them immediately protested, the vice-principal stood firm maintaining that he was legally responsible for the other two children while they were on school premises and he would only allow them home if their parents were notified and they came and picked them up personally.

Nicole knew full well that that wasn't going to happen as Carol Bloom for one had never liked Kyle, being suspicious of his intentions towards her daughter and because there was obviously something wrong with him seeing as how Nicole had fetched him home from a juvenile detention center, despite the fact that it had not been his fault that he had been placed there. So there was no way that she would be sympathetic and give Amanda permission to miss school on his behalf.

But although she didn't approve of Mrs. Bloom's overbearing and oppressive kind of parenting especially the way she constantly tried to prevent Amanda from growing up and asserting her independence, at least she loved her daughter and had her best interests at heart. Whereas Declan's father didn't seem to care about his son at all so much so in fact, that the young man could be said to be suffering from neglect and possibly also emotional abuse. So there was no way Declan would tell his parents that he was feeling upset even if it was due to his friend almost dying as that would be showing a weakness thus proving all his father had always said to him leaving him in an even more vulnerable position than he was already in.

Nicole had no choice but to agree with Mr. Hooper and a tearful Amanda was led away. Declan, however, argued successfully that someone had to stay to help carry Kyle to the car and so was allowed to remain on the understanding that he would return to class afterwards. Declan agreed solemnly before flashing Lori a triumphant yet devious grin at which point Nicole knew he had no intention of keeping his promise and that she would be seeing him sooner rather than later back at the house.

The nurse, once she came back was surprisingly helpful and brought not only soap, warm water and a sponge with which to clean Kyle with but also towels to dry his face and hair, a plastic bag in which to put his soiled clothes in, a blanket to cover him afterwards and a wheelchair in order to help get him out to the car. Nicole thanked her for her thoughtfulness and generosity and then set about the task of removing Kyle's shirt and gently washing his chest, face and hair to get rid of the vomit that was stuck to him before covering him with the blanket.

It was only as she reached down to pull the blanket across his hips did she notice that the front of Kyle's jeans were soaking wet and then she realized that the seizure had obviously caused him to lose control of all of his voluntary muscles including those necessary to maintain his bladder function. There was no way she was going to strip and wash him here in front of his sister and best friend even though the urine on his clothes would now be cold and uncomfortable against his skin and would soon start to smell. She made sure the blanket was tucked around him securely so that nobody could see what had happened and then she picked up the towel and started drying his hair.

The slight rocking motion of his head must have stimulated Kyle in some way as his body twitched causing Nicole to stop what she was doing and roll him gently onto his back.

'Kyle? Can you hear me?' She asked him softly smoothing his hair off his face.

His body twitched again before he slowly opened his eyes. The muscles of his face were lax and his gaze seemed to wander around the room not stopping long enough to focus on anything causing Nicole to wonder for one awful moment whether the fit really had left him brain-damaged. But then he seemed somehow to become aware of her proximity and his eyes were actively searching for hers and she could see the recognition in them and then he smiled at her and she knew that he was still the same old Kyle; her Kyle and she couldn't stop the joyous and thankful grin from appearing on her face…

'Kyle? Oh thank God, he's awake! Kyle, are you ok?'

Lori's frantic and concerned voice appeared from the side as she knelt down next him and touched his arm.

Kyle turned his head to look at her, the relaxed and slightly sleepy smile he had given Nicole fading as he took in her worried appearance.

'Kyle, man, you really freaked us out there for a second.' Declan joined in apprehensively, coming to stand just behind Lori.

'How do you feel now? Are you alright? You gave us such a fright!' Lori babbled away anxiously not giving him time to reply to anything she said.

I looked alternately at Lori and Declan as they hurled questions at me. They both appeared so scared and worried and were hovering over me like something awful had happened. I tried to think what it was that I could have done to make them behave in this way but my mind was curiously blank. I knew I was in school, but why then was Nicole here and why was I lying on the floor. What could have happened to me and why couldn't I remember?

Nicole saw Kyle's smile fade and a worried frown took its place as Lori and Declan repeatedly questioned him about how he was and how he felt. He turned back to her, an anxious and pleading look on his face.

'It's ok Kyle, you're safe now. Do you remember what happened?' Nicole asked him gently.

He shook his head slowly, his eyes never leaving hers.

'You had a fit. Lori and Declan were with you and all the windows are broken…'

Nicole's voice trailed off as she watched Kyle still shaking his head but more intensely now and with a horrified expression on his face as if he couldn't believe what she was saying and if he got her to stop talking none of it would be true.

'Kyle, it's ok…' Lori told him tearfully, but whether she was trying to persuade Kyle of that fact or herself, Nicole wasn't entirely sure.

And it was so obviously not ok to Kyle either as a strangled sob wrenched itself from his throat and he turned back onto his side away from everyone, his shoulders shaking with unrepressed emotion and his face hidden by his hands.

Nicole watched in sorrow and pity for a few moments as Kyle wept silently curled up in a protective ball. He suddenly seemed so small and broken and mute exactly like he was when he first came home with her. And just like she had done a year ago when he had been scared and lost and hurting she tried to give him comfort by touching him, by making him feel he wasn't alone, by talking to him quietly, reassuring him and being there for him.

Kyle jumped slightly when she first put her hand on his shoulder, but soon the soothing caresses and softly spoken words of comfort calmed him so that his shoulders no longer shook and his breathing settled out into a relaxed and even rhythm.

'Kyle…'

His body stiffened under her hand. She knew what he was thinking. And sooner or later they would have to talk about what had happened but not now. He was too traumatized. There was time enough for that later.

'Let's go home now.'

He sighed in relief at his temporary reprieve then nodded in agreement before Nicole and Declan gently helped him to his feet.