FULL CIRCLE
Chapter 43
It was 2:00am when Natalie pushed open the door and looked in. She spotted Frank reclining on his bed and Miles' bed empty. Unless he'd slipped out without Frank's knowledge she had a pretty good idea where he could be found. Looking over at the bathroom door, she asked, "Is he still in there?"
"Yeah. I checked on him about an hour ago and he told me in no uncertain terms to just leave him the Hell alone," Frank replied and unsuccessfully tried to stifle a yawn. "I think he's probably fallen
asleep in there."
Natalie sighed and said, "Let's get him back to bed. He can't be all that comfortable on the floor." She pushed open the door.
Miles was sitting on the floor resting his head on his knees and shivering slightly from the chilly air conditioning. Hearing footsteps approaching he didn't raise his head as he spoke, "I said I
wanted to be left alone."
Natalie knelt beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Miles, do you think you can go back to bed now?" she asked gently.
"I think so," he replied. Slowly getting to his feet, he gripped the sink to steady himself.
Frank had followed Natalie into the bathroom. Looking at Miles, he said, "Come on, I'll help you back to bed." He reached out to place a steadying hand on the younger man's arm.
Natalie took time to locate the small wastebasket and carried it over to the bed just in case it might be needed. "Are you still feeling dizzy and nauseated?" she asked.
Miles slumped back against the pillows and threw an arm across his eyes. "A little but not as bad as it was before," he answered.
Natalie nodded and went to get the bottle of anti-nausea meds off the dresser. "Think you can keep these down now?" she asked, handing him a couple of the meds and a glass of water.
Yeah," Miles replied. He sat up to take the medicine and handed her back the empty glass.
"It'll make you feel better," she said. "Now try and get some sleep, okay?" She covered him with the blanket.
"How is he?" Frank asked.
"His pulse and respiration are a little rapid. And he's starting to show signs of dehydration. But nothing to be concerned about," Natalie was quick to reassure Frank. "Go get some sleep. We'll be
fine."
"You sure?" Frank asked.
"I'm sure. He's probably going to sleep through the rest of the night. But if he wakes up I'll try and get him to drink some water. Go get some sleep, Frank," she said again. Frank nodded and went to
lay back down.
Natalie sat down in the chair by the bed and gently reached to brush the damp hair off the young man's forehead. "Why did you do this to yourself, Miles?" she asked softly as she settled back to wait for morning.