(A/N: PHEW! I was afraid I'd get angry reveiwers b/c of the jump I made with letting a heroine addiction be in Wonka's past. Glad it worked out. Oh, I talked with Terry Trueman (who is a 'he', for whoever was wondering) and let him read 'Demon of the Well', which is on this site. He loved it! He said I had a gift and that I was the first student to talk to him that day and tell him that I was going to be a writter, that there was no other option for me. He thought that was cool. He's a very funny, awesome guy. It was so cool to be critiqued by a professional. Oh, on with the story!)

She hadn't gotten far when she collided into someone, nearly sending them both to the ground. But the person caught her before she could fall, and once she was up, she fought to tear loose from the grip that had her. "Let me go!" she shouted.
"Easy! Easy!" shouted the voice over cars and a screeching ambulence. "Reya, calm down!" She knew that voice. Somewhere in the darkness she knew that voice, and she looked up to meet with a familiar face. "Reya!" he called, and she stopped fighting.
"Wonka," she panted. "He's going to die! They've got him on life support and it's only a matter of time before that bitch tells them to unplug it!" She was going into hysterics, and he placed his hands on her shoulders, trying to calm her down.
"Calm down," he said softly. "And do watch your language, it's very unattractive to have a sick mouth"
"He's going to die!" she half screamed. Wonka grabbed her by the arm and took her into a coffee house before she could catch a chilliwomper. When they were inside, he got her to sit down and helped her take deep breaths. "Now," he said, once she had calmed down. "Tell me what happened. Slowly though, or I won't be able to understand you"
"They put him on life support a few minutes ago," she said, shaking and rocking back and forth. "And they said they don't know how long they can keep him alive." She started sobbing and he put his arms around her, hugging her tightly.
"Oh dear," he said softly. "Too much pain at too young an age. Mercy me, this isn't right"
"What am I going to do?" she wept. "When I get back they'll have already pulled the plug. He'll be gone. I don't want to see him dead"
"But you cannot stay here either, dear girl. Your mother's probably scared half to death for you. And she'll need you now more than ever"
"You think I don't know that?" she cried, looking up at him. "I'm second oldest. They'll all be looking up to me to fill in Dad's spot! I can't do that! They think I'm all together, but I'm not. I'm crumbling apart! I can't take all this on at once"
"Losing someone close to you like that is harder than anything you'll ever face," he said softly. "You'll feel like you're bleeding to death on the inside, and that there's nothing but darkness around you. Like you were just walking down the tunnel of life, and someone dropped a thick brick wall in front of you that you had to chip away with your fingernails. But it's all pain, it's a wound too deep to fully heal. But most of it will over time. And you won't have to face the pain alone. You've got friends to help pull you through." She reached over to the napkin despencer and pulled two out, drying her eyes with them and wiping her runny nose. "Now," said Willy, placing a hand on her leg and squeezing softly. "Would you rather go back to the hospital alone? Or would you preffer it if I came with you"
"I can't go alone," she said, shuddering. "It's too cold out there"
"Yes," he said, pulling out another napkin and drying her eyes. "It's very cold"
-
Reya said nothing as they walked down the sidewalk, his arm around her, comforting her. She felt numb now, partial from the winter weather, and partially from the pain which had dulled down a bit.
When they got to the hospital he went with her into the waiting room and sat down with her, waiting. Her mother was there, almost as if she had known she'd come back. She sat down on Reya's other side.
"What's happened?" asked Reya, looking at her mother.
"They're about to pull the plug," said her mother softly. She looked at the funny man sitting next to Reya.
"William Wonka," he said, reaching over and shaking hands with her. "Pleasure to meet you, madam"
"He's a friend, Mom," said Reya, looking at her mother.
"Wonka?" asked her mother. "As in the Wonka"
"None other," he answered. The beeping on the heart monitor could be heard as it went faster and faster, and Reya gripped bother her mother's hand, and Wonka's, rocking back and forth, trembling and tears falling down her face. She gripped them tightly and listened as the beeping went faster and faster until it was just one long beep. Her head dropped, tears fell rapidly from her face, and she felt her mother's arm go over her shoulders as she started to pray.
"Heavenly Father, we come before you tonight"
Reya didn't listen. She was too angry to even want to pray to God, if there was a God. How could he allow this to happen if he really cared? In the wink of an eye her father had been taken away from her. He was gone, and not coming back. He hadn't gone to the store, or gone to work. He'd just gone.
"...Amen"
Reya looked up to see the nurse coming, and watched as her mother walked off with the nurse to talk. "I didn't know your family was religious," said Willy.
"We're Christians," she said, shaking her head. "I'm the only one who's going to Hell. Everyone else, just watch, will be hurting for about a month at the most, and then I'll be the only who's still having a hard time dealing with it, as usual." She had been wringing her hands and scraping her fingernails over the top of her hands, causing blood to flow. He notice, and took hold of both her hands and held them tight.
"It's going to be alright, Reya," he said softly. Reya was unable to cry. She had no more tears left, and she was beyond drained. The day before had been nothing compared to this. Willy stroked her cheek with a gloved hand, his thumb brushing away her last tear. "When I find myself in times of trouble," he sang softly, catching her by surprise. "Mother Mary comes to me. Speaking words of wisdom, Let it be." He put an arm around her, and rested his chin on her head. "And in my hour of darkness, She is standing right in front of me. Speaking words of wisdom, Let it be." Reya closed her eyes and listened. "Let it be, Let it be, Let it be, Oh, Let it be. Simple words of wisdom, Let it be. And though there may be clouded people living in a world of greed, There will be an answer, Let it be. And though it may be cloudy, There is still a chance that they will see, There will be an answer, Let it be. Let it be, Let it be, Let it be, Oh, Let it be. There will be an answer, Let it be"
She fell asleep after a minute, her head resting on his shoulder, and he waited for the mother to come back. When she did come, she sat down next to Reya and stroked her arm gently. "She's been so tired lately," she said softly. "Poor thing. She doesn't know we know, but her best friend committed suicide, I don't remember when exactly it was. Throwing this on will be the last thing she needs"
"How are you holding up, Mrs. Carmen?" he asked, looking at her in concern.
"Not too well," she answered, shaking her head, tears staining her eyes. "But I have to be strong for my babies. If I can't be there for them then who will"
"Don't you worry about any of the hospital bills," he said softly. "I'm going to pay them for you"
"Oh, you don't have to"
"Nonesense, my dear woman. I have seen how expensive a good funeral is. You'll need to be more concerned with that than hospital bills. I have more than enough money to take care of it." She sighed and nodded.
"You're far too kind," she said, smiling. Wonka smiled, and left quietly, managing not to wake Reya when he repositioned her.
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(A/N: I had a hard time making this chapter work, but still tell me what you think. Just be gentle!)