CHAPTER EIGHT- FLYING ANGELS
 It was, to say the least, a tiring night. Megan and Sebastien went to bed late, too tired to talk about their phone conversation with Top Gun back at Cascadia. This time, Sebastien woke up early. He gently lifted Megan's arm off from around his waist, and lovingly tucked her in. He gazed at her face, emotions stirring inside. Sebastien was so happy that she was with him. Then again, he'd just spilled her secret to Coach Gunnerson and been hurt by her father. Plus, there were her mysterious stomach pains. As Sebastien puttered around the kitchen, his only consolation was that, "at least, she didn't pass out last night."
Sebastien found a lot of food in the fridge- courtesy of the Hamstead Tournament Committee. He cracked open some eggs and created the richest tasting omelettes for them both- and still relatively healthy. Still steaming, he carried the plates of food to their bedroom. Megan rolled over when she heard him come in.
Sebastien smiled at her and settled in beside her. "I hope you like eggs."
Megan took her plate and sleepily attacked the omelette. She took one bite and grinned at Seb. "These are so…good!"
"It's true about the French- we CAN cook, you know," said Sebastien.
"Awww Seb!" She dropped her fork and stopped Sebastien from swallowing his piece. "These ARE good to eat during a tournament- aren't they?"
He loosened her grip and smiled at her again. "Of course! I haven't just forgotten about the Hamstead, you know."
"Well…ohkay. It's just, we had hot chocolate our first night too," said Megan.
"Don't worry…it won't mess up your game." Sebastien chuckled when he saw the worried look on her face. "Like anything could!"
"I just hope your wound doesn't touch your game," said Megan. "Although, the doctor said it'd be ohkay by today."
"It's just a little sore, Megs. I'm probably fine to play right now!" he replied.
"Well…just in case."
Megan and Sebastien stayed in their room talking about safe topics- Cascadia, the tournament, favourite foods, and weird stories from when they were little. As soon as the clock hit noon, Sebastien jumped up and disappeared. He showed up a few seconds later with both their rackets and a huge grin on his face.
"Let's play!"
Megan laughed and followed him down to the tennis club down the road. They practised for a few hours, before a quick dinner, shower, and nighttime struck again.
Tonight, they spoke in random moments, all professions of their love for each other. They'd never felt so comfortable with each other before! Slowly, the night waned and they fell asleep together. Sebastien woke up in the middle of the night to check on Megan- no stomach pains tonight. He turned around and they snuggled closer together. Then he heard a knock on the door.
"Seb…go get the door," said Megan tiredly.
"Mphmmm…" he replied.
"Sebastien…go answer the door!" she said.

"Okay, okay. I'll go…" he drifted off and fell back asleep. Megan was about to poke him, until a new wave of exhaustion washed across her and she fell asleep too, deep in each other's arms. The knocker went away- until a few minutes later. The two sleepers were oblivious to the newcomer in their room, who prowled around before stopping in the doorway to their bedroom.
"Ahem." The intruder coughed. "Ahem!" No answer. "Ms. O'Connor, Mr. Dubé!"
They both opened their eyes slowly and turned towards the person. "Coach Gunnerson!" Then they were reminded of the precarious situation and let go of each other.
Neither of them could make eye contact with their coach, so he started talking. "I got one of the committee members to clear me into your room. I hope I," he coughed again, and looked a little anxious, "didn't interrupt anything."
Megan's eyes rose to meet Coach Gunnerson's. Then she realized- she and Sebastien hadn't done anything THAT wrong at all- short of sharing a bed. "No sir, you didn't interrupt anything."
Sebastien felt a need to clarify. "We were just sleeping. It is night, and all."
The coach nodded and sat down on the other bed. "Sorry to wake you- this was the only flight I could get, and it landed at night."
The couple were still mystified. Megan asked first, "No disrespect sir, but what are you doing here?"
He sighed and adjusted the ever-present white cap. "I got a call from your father, O'Connor." Megan looked down and Sebastien put his arm around her again. "He said you were not going to be staying with us at Cascadia. When Mr. Dubé here mentioned he was here, I got a feeling your exit was not voluntary."
Sebastien struggled for words. "Why…why did you come all the way here though? Don't you have to be at Cascadia?"

"I got a day off. President Bates will be taking over for me tomorrow. Besides, I took a special interest in your situation, Megan."
Megan seemed to be coming back to life. "Me, sir?"
The coach hesitated for a moment. "Yes, you. Seeing as you two are," he motioned to the shared bed and Sebastien's arm around Megan, "quite close, does this mean you are both fully aware of each other's stories?"
The way he had used the same word that they'd use was striking- if he's said votre histoires it couldn't have been more real. They both nodded, and Megan's hand came up to meet Sebastien's. They knew some difficult explanations were coming.
"Then I'll start. A coach has to know more than a player's physical background, you know. O'Connor, I've seen your raw fingers the day of a match. Dubé- I've seen you sneaking back on campus late at night, with your father standing on the other side of the fence."
Sebastien looked up at Gunnerson. "You…knew?" He nodded. "For how long?"
"For a long time. Since you had decided to keep this a little secret, I thought I should keep it to myself, until you were ready to let people know." Sebastien thought about this and was amazing at Gunnerson's foresight- he realized that keeping Seb's secret was the best and most respecting thing to do.
Megan spoke up next, "How much do you know about me?"
"I know that you've been having problems with your nerves and your parents. Apart from that…" he seemed to wake up a little bit. "What happened when your father came here?"
Megan shifted her position and squeezed Sebastien's hand a little tighter. He held her close and let her start talking.
"I saw him in the stands after my match. I didn't know he was going to be there, so I ran off the court when I saw him coming. He met me in the Player's Area, and…" she swallowed and leaned into Sebastien.
He started talking for Megan when he saw she couldn't go on. "I tried to follow Megs out, but I lost her once I got off the court. Then I ran around a corner and she was there, and so was Mr. O'Connor. He WAS angry…and then…" Sebastien couldn't keep talking either.
"And then…?" Coach Gunnerson was using the softest voice they'd ever heard coming from him.
Seb cleared his throat and began again. "Then he said…"
Megan interrupted. "He said that I almost lost the game, and he wasn't going to pay for Cascadia or anything related to tennis. He said I was abandoning the family…and I wasn't- wasn't part of it anymore. I have to pay him back for all the money he spent on Cascadia."
Coach Gunnerson had a pained look on his face. "He said you weren't part of the family?"
Megan nodded. The coach asked them to continue. Sebastien took on the rest of the story. "I tried to keep him from leaving- to reconsider. He said I was the reason Megan kept on playing tennis and- he believed- she was abandoning the family. Then he…" Sebastien thought better of what he was going to say and gently untangled his fingers from Megan's. He unwrapped the bandage binding his wound and bowed his head. Gunnerson looked to Megan, whose eyes were locked with Sebastien's.
Gunnerson looked to Megan. "Your father…did this?" He said it gently, so Megan would know he wasn't passing any judgement on her. She nodded again.
Sebastien re-wrapped his head and kissed the top of Megan's head. She wrapped her arms around his waist and slipped deeper under the covers. Then she caught a glance at the clock- it was 2AM. "Coach, I can't believe you came all the way here. It just seems so…far-fetched an idea. And don't get me wrong; I'm so grateful you came! I just have a game tomorrow. I need to sleep."
Coach Gunnerson looked surprised. "Oh! Oh yea…the Hamstead. Yes, get your sleep. That's important. I'll just…I'll just bunk over here." He gestured to the other bed. "Right next to you guys."
Sebastien yawned and said, "Ohkay coach."
Megan turned over and slipped back down into bed. They could both hear the coach puttering around in the bathroom, and silently get into the bed next to them. The minutes ticked by, both of them thinking the other was sleeping, both of them lying there with their eyes wide open. The coach wasn't sleeping either- he could barely comprehend what had taken place in the few days his player's had been away. The clock struck 3AM, and one by one, they all dozed off.
Megan's eyes flew open in the middle of the night. Sharp pains in her stomach had interrupted her dreamless sleep and were tearing at her insides. Her nails dug into Sebastien's skin as the pain increased. "Seb! Seb! Please…help."
Sebastien woke up and turned on the bedside lamp. "Megan!" He sat up and leaned over her, trying to keep her body down on the bed. He smoothed back her hair and yelled for Coach Gunnerson. "Coach! Megan's in pain! COACH!"
Coach Gunnerson jumped out of bed and stood by the bed. He spoke to Megan quietly, calmly. "Megan, you have to breathe. Try to stay calm, Megan. Just breathe!"
Megan was starting to cry in pain. She tried her best to stay aware, but she could feel her consciousness slipping away. Sebastien looked at Megan's pain-stricken face and was reminded once-again of his mother's last days. He took in a breath and paused for a second. The coach looked at him for a second, "Sebastien?" He shook his head and swallowed deeply.
Sebastien looked back at Megan. She hadn't had such a bad spasm in a few days, and he could see her slipping away. He joined Coach Gunnerson in the chant, "Come on Megan! You need to keep awake! Please!"
Megan couldn't even hear them above her heartbeat. It was pounding in her ears, clamouring for space in her mind over the pain ripping through her stomach. She could see both men hovering over her bed, and she didn't understand why they couldn't stop the pain. Then her vision darkened, and she let out a moan. Megan knew she had to hold on, but soon enough, she was floating in a dark sea of clouds.
Sebastien cried out when Megan flew away from them. Coach Gunnerson didn't know what to do- he couldn't tell the authorities, as much as he wanted to. Megan needed her family back, and to do that, she needed to play the Hamstead. Sebastien was clearly dealing with a few demons of his own, demons that seemed to haunt him more whenever Megan had a spasm. The coach was at a loss to help his players, for the first time in his career.
Sebastien saw Megan lying there, too still. This time, he gently climbed back onto the bed. He pulled Megan's head into his lap and lovingly ran his hand along her arm. He gazed at her face, mumbling quietly about how much he loved her and needed her to wake up.
"Look, Sebastien, I'm not sure that's going to work. She won't…" Coach Gunnerson stopped talking and Megan moved.
Her eyes fluttered open and she said, "Love is like magic, Coach." She could already feel the pain ebbing away, until it was finally gone. She sighed in relief, and turned to Sebastien. His face was pale and he was deathly silent. "What's in your head, Seb?"
He looked at Megan and smoothed out her hair. "My mother."