Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it's not mine.

Chapter 7

Tap, tap.

Neo slowly pulled himself out of his slumber.

Tap, tap, tap.

There was someone knocking on his bedroom door, little fists emitting tiny taps. Trinity seldom woke when Nysa knocked, it was after all barely audible and Trinity always had been a deep sleeper. Neo was the opposite. Over the years he had developed the ability to wake himself quickly from upsetting dreams, a sort of defense mechanism. He had also taught himself to wake at the slightest sound, practicing due vigilance. One defense had been developed for himself, to free him from the awful dreams; the other was for his family, so he would be able to protect them from whatever may be quietly lurking in the night.

He moved slowly and carefully so as not to wake Trinity, tiptoed over to the door and pulled it open. It creaked as it moved and he turned back to see Trinity stir slightly before settling back into sleep. He looked down at his daughter who was standing in front of him in the dark, staring down at her feet.

He had endured the silent treatment all night after the announcement that he and Trinity would be leaving tomorrow on the Neb. Nysa normally cries or screams when something happens that she doesn't approve of. Speaking her mind had never been a problem for the little girl. But not speaking was unlike her. She only refrained from communication when she was truly upset, and clearly being told, on her birthday no less, that mommy and daddy were going away again disturbed her.

They had tried to explain that it was not their choice, they didn't want to go. They tried to convince her that she would have a ton of fun with Zee and Olivia and baby Lysander. They tried to get her to understand, to at least say she understood. But she said nothing. When they went to tuck her in she averted their gazes, turned her back, and dodged their kisses. She was, Neo knew, furious with them.

Seeing her at his door made him hopeful. Maybe she had come to say it was okay, that she understood, was sorry for the way she had behaved. Then again, maybe she came to give him a piece of her mind. "Nysa?" She didn't answer, just continued to stare down at her feet. Neo kneeled down before her so they were nearly eye to eye. It was then that he noticed how wet she was. Her hair and clothes were soaked with sweat. "What is it, baby?" he asked worriedly.

She still did not answer. He ran his hand over her forehead, pushing aside the moist strands of dark hair. She was warm, but didn't feel particularly feverish. "Nysa?" he inquired again, pulling her face up so her eyes would meet his. They were red and tearstained.

"Don't feel good," she finally choked out.

"You feel sick?" She nodded her head yes. "Feel like you're gonna throw up?" Nysa had only been sick once before, a couple of years prior after she caught a bug from Olivia who, Zee claimed, got it from one of the kids in the daycare facility Link took her to when he was supposed to be watching her. Sickness wasn't all too common in Zion, why no one really knew. Perhaps the machines had somehow boosted their immune systems in the Matrix. Or maybe they just maintained an excellent level of sanitation.

"Already did," she answered sadly, guiltily.

"That's okay, baby," Neo said picking her up and carrying her back into her room. He turned on the light and saw the vomit in her bed. She clung to him, shielding her eyes from the white light and whimpering softly. He set her down in a chair, a miniature one crafted by the Kid for her second birthday, and pulled the sheets and blankets off the bed. It took him a few minutes to find some fresh bedclothes, and a few more to fit them on the bed since they were far too big. All the while Nysa sat quietly off to the side. He pulled a new nightshirt out of her small bureau and beckoned her over.

"Arms up," he said pulling off the wet shirt and quickly replacing it with the clean one. "All right, let's get you back into bed." She climbed under the fresh covers weakly and lied down.

"Too hot," she protested as Neo went to pull up the sheets.

"Okay." He sat down on the floor beside her bed and stroked his daughter's forehead with his thumb. She looked up at him somberly, her brown eyes brimming with sadness and pain. "You feel any better?" She shook her head no.

Her eyes remained locked with his, almost as though she was trying to relate something to him, say something without using words. "Don't go," she said softly.

"I won't. I'll stay right here 'til you're all better."

"Tomorrow?"

Of course she had meant don't leave tomorrow, not don't leave my bedside. What could he say though? He had to go tomorrow, it was his duty.

But she was his daughter.

"Daddy," she managed before vomiting all over the clean bed. Neo jumped away instinctively, hoping it had all missed him. Nysa began to cry hysterically. He pulled her out of the soiled covers and cradled her on the edge of the bed, rocking her slowly, telling her it was all okay, would all be okay.

"What happened?" Nysa's cries had woken Trinity and now she stood just inside the doorway surveying the situation. "Neo?"

"She's sick," he said turning his attention away from his crying daughter only briefly.

"I can see that," Trinity spat, coming over and reaching for the crumpled mass in his arms. Nysa too reached out and wrapped her arms around her mother's neck, her legs still curled up on Neo's lap.

"I don't think she has a fever."

Trinity pressed her cheek to the girl's forehead. "She feels warm."

"Maybe she had too much cake."

"She only had half a piece when we dropped the bomb. I'm pretty sure she didn't go back for seconds after that." She pulled away from the child a bit and held her head in her hands so she could see her face. "Did you eat something else today?" she asked Nysa.

Nysa only shrugged and let her head drop back to her mother's shoulder. By now she had stopped crying save for the occasional sniffle and whimper. She seemed weak, not simply sick as children often are, but truly ill. She slumped against Trinity and closed her eyes.

"Nysa," Neo tried, "did you do anything today, eat anything, talk to somebody who looked sick?" No response.

"Neo."

"Nysa, look at me," he said bringing her face up to where he could see. She was clearly unconscious and he shook her slightly in an attempt to wake her.

"Neo?" Trinity continued to cradle and rock her child as though she was still crying and all that was needed was a little comfort. But her face was stricken with worry, mostly due to seeing a similar expression on his.

He looked at Trinity and back at his unconscious daughter before leaning over and sweeping her up, leaving the childless mother with arms spread as though she were still holding her little girl. "I think we should go to the infirmary," he said abruptly. "I'm taking her to the infirmary."

He turned and moved swiftly through the door while Trinity sat in a state of shock. It took her only a moment to gather her senses and she jumped up, grabbed the clean blanket at the foot of the bed and chased after the two.

Once in the elevator she moved to cover Nysa with the blanket, stealing her from Neo's embrace, and swaddled her in it holding her close. The infirmary was five floors below and the elevator had never moved as slowly, it seemed, as it did that night. When the doors finally opened they rushed through the corridor and into the lab. Cates, one of the medical technicians led them to a side room that served as either an exam room or an admitting one, depending on what was needed.

"She was fine earlier," Trinity said, laying the girl down on the small bed. "She was sick to her stomach."

"Vomiting," Neo interjected. "Twice. I think just twice."

"She just seemed…"

"Something's wrong."

"Really sick. Too sick."

"It's not just the flu. I don't think, I mean."

"Yeah, she doesn't even have a fever, or maybe a slight one…"

"But she hasn't been around anyone who was sick."

"No, no one."

"All right," Cates interrupted, "just let me take a look."

He began his exam, listened to her heart, breathing. He took her pulse and respiration, temperature too. He called out to her gently, encouraging her to open her eyes, talk to him, tell him how she felt, where it hurt. She stirred slightly and made some attempt to speak, a mumbled mass of incoherent syllables. Then she began to choke.

"What's happening?" Trinity pleaded, watching her daughter fight for air.

"She's aspirating," Cates responded as he turned the girl on her side and swept out her mouth with his finger. She continued to choke and gasp between heaves, but never woke, never opened her eyes.

Neo turned his back, head in hands, unable to watch the awful events unfolding before him. There was clearly nothing left inside the child, but she continued to expel, what now looked like blood.

"Do something!" Trinity moved towards Nysa, put her hands on her shoulders and tried to steady her as though keeping her still would somehow make it all stop.

"Here," Cates said, leaning over and administering a shot of a thick yellowish liquid. "That should help. Antinausea." The girl did slowly settle and after a few minutes was quiet and still once again. Cates leaned over to Trinity. "You can stay with her. I'll send someone in to clean up, change the sheets."

She nodded and looked back at Neo who was standing with his back plastered to the wall, as far away as he could be while still remaining in the room. Unshed tears shone in his eyes.

"Come on," Cates said, grabbing hold of Neo's arm. "Let's talk outside."

He followed him out glancing once more at Trinity who gave him a look that said not to worry, go on, we'll be fine.

"She was fine," he managed once out in the hall. "Upset, but… healthy."

"I'm going to give her a full work up. It could be nothing, really. Some people respond more adversely to certain viruses than others. She might just be having a bad reaction."

"She's really sick."

"Kids are hard nuts to crack. They can be unconscious, unresponsive for hours, then suddenly sit up and ask for something to eat. They're resilient. Don't worry," he finished, patting Neo on the shoulder, "We'll figure it out."