Please remember the not owning part.

Quote at end comes from the book "Alice in Wonderland." You probably already knew that, but I wanted to give kudos to the author. Keep reading what you enjoy folks.

Peace out!

Part 4

The night terror had hit me hard. Too hard. I couldn't escape the smell of the poison. That sickening sweet smell of death. I hated it! I threw up what little was left in my aching stomach into the toilet that I was leaning against. I had barely made it in time after the nightmare. I felt like I was dying. I had vomited too many times to count and now I was retching up stomach acid. I laid back down on the cold bathroom floor. I didn't have the strength to get back to bed and the room was spinning too heavily to attempt to crawl.

"Oh God," I murmured softly to myself, "Sick. I feel so sick. Mom? Where's Mom?"

Vaguely, I remembered that my mom was working tonight and wouldn't be here to help. I was so worn and tired that I was barely aware of my surroundings as my exhaustion began taking over my senses.

"Warren?" I heard a voice call from far away, "Oh God! Warren!"

"Sick," I croaked out feebly before having to lean over the toilet again to vomit more stomach acid.

"It's okay Baby," the soothing voice said as whoever it was held my hair back from my face and rubbed my back gently, "Your okay now. It's all over now. It's okay."

I thought the voice sounded familiar, but I was too out of it to really care that someone was in my home and calling me endearments that I would have killed someone for. The person lifted me from the bathroom floor when I was finished and laid me back in my bed. Warm bed. Good, warm bed. I thought I saw a flash of blue eyes as I felt someone stroke back my hair.

"Ren? Baby can you hear me?"

Will? Was my savior Will? No it couldn't be. Will was at home sleeping in his own bed. Another wave of nausea washed though me.

"Sick. Hurts," I moaned feebly as my abused stomach cramped.

I felt my upper body being lifted as I was cradled against another person.

"Go to sleep Ren. I'm here. Your okay now," the voice soothed as I was rocked gently back and forth.

"I'm not a girl," I slurred sleepily into the person's neck.

A familiar chuckle followed me back into sleep as I snuggled contentedly against the warm person holding me. The next morning I snapped awake at the sound of my alarm clock. I looked quickly around and saw no signs of anyone being here last night. Had it all been a dream? When I stood from the bed a cool breeze brushed against me. Looking over, I noticed my window open.

"What is that doing open?" I thought confused as I closed the window, "I didn't open the window last night. Did Mom?"

I checked the house and confirmed that I was alone and all the doors were locked. I then gathered some clothes and went to the bathroom to take a shower. There were no signs in the bathroom that I had been sick last night. Maybe I had dreamed the whole thing. I set the water at the highest setting it would give me. I love scolding hot showers and it felt good against my muscles that were a little achy for some reason.

As I showered, I went over everything that I thought happened the night before. In my dream a strange, but familiar person had comforted me and I had felt absolutely at ease with him. I know it was a he because the voice had sounded undeniably male. I would never allow myself to be held like that. What a weird dream! I was shocked back into reality by a familiar voice outside of the shower curtain.

"Hey Warren! How are you doing?"

"Will!" I hissed as I stuck my head out of the shower to glare at him, "Get out of here! I'm in the shower naked! You're lucky that I'm too wet to roast you alive. How did you get in here?"

"Warren I have on a blindfold. I don't think I have x-ray vision," Will laughed as he sat on the closed commode and pointed to a kitchen towel tied across his eyes, "Your Mom called me this morning to come here earlier than usual. She was worried that you would overdo yourself and it looks like she was right. It doesn't look like you have been using your wheelchair to get around because it is in your room."

"I only need the chair for extended periods," I snapped as I waved around in Will's face to make sure he was completely blinded, "You better not peek at me or I'll fry you where you sit, wet or not! You never told me how you got in here. I checked this morning and all the doors were locked."

"Your mom told me where the emergency key was hidden when she called, so I let myself in," Will said as way of explanation, "Why did you check the doors this morning anyway?"

"I don't know," I said as I turned off the water and pondered my dream again, "I guess I was just making sure nobody was home."

As I stepped out of the shower to reach for my robe and towel my foot stepped on a slippery spot on the floor. With a cry of surprise, I felt myself slip and begin a free fall to the tile floor. Before I knew it, arms shot out and pulled me against a warm body to prevent my fall.

"It's okay," Will said into my ear, "I'm here. I've got you. You're okay now."

I froze in shock. Not only was my naked body pressed against Will Stronghold, but also his words eerily echoed the person in my dream. Will must have suddenly realized the embarrassment of the situation because with flaming cheeks he deposited me on his abandoned seat and left mumbling that he was getting my wheelchair.

I finished cleaning up and got dressed for the day. When I opened the bathroom door my wheelchair was waiting for me. As I rolled into the kitchen, Will sat eating a bowl of cereal sans kitchen towel.

"I thought you couldn't see," I accused hotly as I helped myself to some cereal, "How did you know that I was falling?"

"I wasn't peeking. I swear," Will said earnestly as he blushed some more, "I heard you cry out and just reacted. I'll never mention it again if you don't."

"Agreed," I said as I scrutinized how tired Will looked which was making me a little suspicious that my dream was not just a dream, "Doesn't look like you got much sleep."

"I stayed up late watching a movie," Will said lightly before cleaning our breakfast mess and helping me out to the bus for another routine day of school

What he didn't know was that I knew he was lying to me. It's all in Will's eyes like an open book. All you have to do is look and see if he is sad, happy, angry, or lying. He had not stayed up late watching a movie, but something kept him from getting the right amount of sleep. I have the funniest feeling that someone had been there for me again. Could Will have been the one who comforted me last night? And if he was, how did he know that he was needed? And why wasn't I enraged that he would do such a thing and had seen me in such a vulnerable moment? I think a line from a child's book sums it up, "Curiouser and curiouser."

To be continued.

Review. I think some of my reviewers have gone back to school because I haven't heard from you in awhile. Let me know where you want this story to go.