A/N: This is my longest fic, anywhere, any category. Whoosh. Sorry this took so long. I had a lot of stuff to do over the weekend. I am leaving for summer camp for 3 and a half weeks on July twenty something and I don't get back until sometime in August, so I'll have a lot of fics coming out around the end of August. I am taking notebooks to write in and I plan to write while I'm there. Just so you know, okay?
Okay, this fic is the collaboration of a million ideas well it's a week and a half and some days have 2 or more chapters and sometimes I run out of ideas. This chapter contains the idea of a short story I was thinking of, the first 2 chapters were the original idea, the whole accident thing is a whole other story, and there are more ideas to come, I'm sure.
Also, what is with Val's last name? Is it Linear or Lanier because I've seen both in fics but they never spell it on TV? I'm just going with Linear because that's how it sounds on "And The Winner Is…" when the teacher asks Caitie why Val L______ dropped out of the contest. OOKAY now I'll just write the chapter.
The doorbell of the Linear household rang, shaking Val out of her stupor in front of the TV.
Val got up and hurried to the door. She opened the door and she was pleasantly surprised that Tyler Connell was at the door. A gust of wind blew through the open door. Val shivered and said, "Come in," through chattering teeth.
Val had been discharged from the hospital earlier that day, and her mother had made her stay home, even though her EMT squad had a shift that day. In fact, Tyler was still wearing his EMT uniform.
My knight in shining EMT jacket, Val thought. Oh, gosh, you're hopeless! Thought another voice in her head that Val thought sounded suspiciously like Caitie.
"Hey, Val." Tyler said. She doesn't look so good. I hope she's okay, thought Tyler.
"Hi, Tyler." Val replied. He looks worried. I wonder what's up? Val thought.
"How are you?" Tyler asked. 'If you want to know, ask,' an echo of Linda Ellerbee on Nick News, years ago, rang through his mind.
"I have a cold and I'm still sort of shaken up, but I'm pretty okay. How are you?" Val asked. Is that what he's worried about? Me? Of course! He's head over heels too! Argued Val with herself.
"Fine. I'd be better if you felt better, but okay. " Oh, my gosh. Did I just say *that*? I really
hope I *didn't* say that! Did I just *say* that? Yes, you did. A
second voice chimed in as Tyler turned frantic. Maybe she'll think it's
sweet, not dumb. Riiight.
"Anyway, I was just thinking that if you want tomorrow, I'd walk with you over to the station." He continued. Their shift at the station was 7am to noon.
"Okay, Tyler that would be great." That is *so* sweet, Val thought.
"Okay. See you around 10 to 7?" Tyler asked.
"Yeah. Bye!" Val said.
"Bye." Tyler kissed Val on the cheek and left.
*******
Val lay on the hospital bed, sneezing wildly. Tyler stood in the doorway of the hospital room, holding up a little bottle of something marked with "VAL'S ALLERGY" in big, bold, bright, capital letters.
"That's right, Val. I poisoned you. You will die a slow, painful death. Because you sneeze so much, you will eventually die from lack of oxygen. It will be as if you suffocated."
Val sneezed and sneezed, and tried to control it, and it didn't work.
I thought you loved me! And, and now THIS! Why, Tyler, why? I thought you loved me! Or at least we were friends! I thought you loved me! Val thought and tried to say, but no words could come out.
Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?
*******
Val woke up sneezing. After blowing her nose, sipping some orange juice and trying not to have a panic attack, Val looked at the clock. It was 1am, and there was no way she'd get back to sleep right away.
She decided to take a walk. After scribbling a note to her parents explaining about having a nightmare and not being able to sleep. She changed into jeans, a long-sleeved shirt, a sweater, and her big, huge, fluffy, puffy, warm purple winter coat, and quietly slipped out the door.
As snow crunched beneath her feet, Val savored the memory of
every sweet moment with Tyler since the kiss 2 days ago until the kiss last
night, and his sweetness, and wondered about their date. Where is it? What
do I wear? Is it something I'll like? Of course I'll like it, I'll be with
Tyler. Sheesh! You're hopeless! I know. I wonder what's happening with
Caitie and Jamie? Is she still hyper? Wow, it's snowing again… is that some
sort of sign or something? Tyler and I kissed when it was snowing… nah probably
not. Oh, you're totally completely head over heels hopelessly falling for
him! I've already fallen. Val thought and argued with herself.
She was so busy arguing with herself that she didn't notice that she was in the park, and she didn't notice the lone figure sitting on a park bench not too far away. But the lone figure noticed her, and called out to her.
"Val? Is that you?" Tyler (the lone figure) yelled. Val looked around, confused.
"Tyler?" She asked the air, looking in the wrong direction.
"Over here, silly," said a voice right behind her and she turned around to face Tyler, and he kissed her on the cheek, and led her over to the park bench. She shivered. "Cold?" Tyler asked. Val nodded, and he put his arm around her shoulders. She leaned her head on his arm, suddenly tired.
They sat down on the bench. Is she okay? She seems… upset, different somehow. I can't put my finger on it. It's probably just the cold but… maybe she's sick? No, No, NO, *NO* NO there is NO WAY that she can be sick for our date. No. She wouldn't be out here if she were sick… unless she just has a cold and she's going to get sick, but there is NO WAY that she can miss our date. It's going to be so fun, a romantic dinner at a fairly casual restaurant, then a movie… she'll be okay. She'll be okay. She'll be okay. She'll be okay. She'll be… Tyler worried.
"What's the matter?" asked a worried Tyler.
"I just… I had a nightmare, and I couldn't sleep. It scared me. It hurt me. " Said Val.
"What happened?" asked Tyler.
"Well, I was dying of sneezing…or something. And you poisoned me to make me sneeze. " Val said, near tears. She got out a tissue and blew her nose. Is it tears or a cold or the flu or what? Or am I just being paranoid? Or is it being a caring boyfriend? Tyler wondered.
"Sneezing?" Tyler asked.
"I was sneezing in my sleep. My subconscious has issues. I read a book on dream interpreting; my subconscious is just sorting through random stuff from real life. Like the fact that I keep having these sneezing fits. This cold is so annoying! But that isn't the point. " Val said.
"What is the point?" Tyler asked.
"It ultimately conveyed one thing I am afraid of in this relationship: betrayal. Lies. The fact that maybe you're lying, and maybe you don't really like me. It's just stupid insecurities, paranoia, and illegitimate fears. In relationships, everyone is afraid of something. My fears are rejection, betrayal, and generally things associated with not being liked. So, do you honestly like me?" Val asked.
Tyler was shell-shocked and stunned. This was a side of Val that he had never seen. He suspected that hardly anyone else, for that matter, had seen Val's insecure side, with fears as real as everyone else's. He pulled Val into a tight bear hug for a minute, then pulled away and looked her in the eye.
"Valerie Linear, if I didn't love you with all my heart and soul and every fiber of my being, would I ever possibly do this?" Tyler asked and pulled her into a long, hard kiss on the lips. After a few moments, they pulled away. Tyler helped Val off the bench and they headed home.
*******
Author's note: Okay, I'd have to go all the way through Tuesday if I wanted to continue this and my time is limited so off we go. I hope you liked it. Tomorrow coming… well, probably tomorrow! I'm suffering sap overload, anyone know any humor fics that are good? Review please!!!!!
