CHAPTER 6: TAKE CARE OF THEM

The next day, Cody had surprised everyone by emphatically not wanting to go to school. It took a long time for him to be coaxed downstairs to wait at the front door while Carey and Zack got their car. Angela stayed with Cody, standing behind him with her arms wrapped around him.

"Why didn't you want to go to school today, Sweet Pea?"

"Because I didn't want to come back and find out something had happened to you." Angela looked down at him with a question in her eyes. Cody explained how he had noticed her heart skipping beats the night before. Angela let out a long sigh.

"I should have warned you about that I guess. It does that when I get really upset like last night but it isn't dangerous." She put her hand under Cody's chin and turned his face toward hers.

"I'm not going anywhere." she said.

"Promise?" Cody asked.

"Promise." Angela replied as Carey and Zack pulled up to the curb. She kissed Cody on the forehead and watched as he got into the car and it drove away. With another sigh she went back inside the Tipton and back upstairs to the family's suite. After an hour, Carey returned.

"Did you find out what was wrong with Cody?" she asked.

"Yeah. He found out one of the more annoying facets of my life." Angela explained the occasional arythmia brought on by stress. Carey looked at her in shock.

"Is it serious?" she asked

"Nah," Angela replied brushing it off casually. "just one of the side effects of being on the wrong end of a nine iron." Carey visibly started at that description.

- - -

Cody was finally able to settle in at school after a fairly shaky start. Twice in Algebra, the teacher had tapped on his desk with her pointer to get his attention. He finally decided that everything would be all right and by the end of the day was back to true form. After Chess Club, he was waiting outside whistling when he was grabbed and shoved hard against the wall. His attacker was wearing a parochial school uniform from the same school as Maddie's.

"I'm only going to tell you this once punk!" the older boy snarled, "Stay away from my girlfriend!" Cody looked at the boy in terror. He was just about to respond that he didn't even know who his girlfriend was when an angry, familiar voice made them both freeze.

"Put...my...little...brother...DOWN!" both boys looked around to see Maddie standing there in her work uniform glaring at the older boy.

"Maddie." he said with a plastered on smile.

"Don't even think about sweet-talking your way out of this, Jerry. You don't impress girls by picking on their little brothers. Now let him go." Jerry did so and raised his hands in surrender. Cody ran around the bully and put his arms around Maddie's waist as she pulled him close. With one final glare Maddie turned and guided Cody toward the street.

"Your mom said that she and Angela were running behind so I told her that I would walk with you back to the hotel." Maddie told him. Cody nodded his head silently. He was still shaken from what had just happened.

"Hey," she said leaning down so that she and Cody were at eye level. Cody was trembling and had tears forming in his eyes, "you're ok, Cody. I won't let anything happen to you." Maddie brushed the tears that had escaped with her fingertips. Cody was quickly soothed and finally gave Maddie a grateful smile which she returned before standing back up and hailing a cab. After they finally got to the Tipton, Cody quickly hugged Angela who was standing by the candy counter.

"Hi, Sweet Pea," she said giving Cody a kiss on top of the head. "how was school?"

"Ok for the most part." he answered. After he went upstairs Maddie told Angela about the excitement of the afternoon.

"See," Angela said, "I knew you were cut out for this 'big sister' routine."

"Well, I have already had some practice." Maddie replied. They both grinned at each other. Angela bought a candy bar and walked over to where Estaban was standing. Maddie was just about to set up the counter for the rest of the day when she heard a loud click behind her.

"Now I'll finish this." a rough voice said behind her. She turned to see the man from the other night and in his hand was a gun which he pointed right at her. Maddie felt something slam into her, flinging her behind the counter just before she heard a loud bang. As the security people of the hotel had descended on the gunman, she turned in horror to look at her own face grimacing in pain. She scrambled over to Angela as the woman rolled on to her back and laid her head in Maddie's lap. The middle of her blouse was stained red.

"CALL 911!" Maddie screamed. Angela merely shook her head sadly.

"They won't make it." she said gasping.

"No." Maddie whispered, tears streaming down her face. "Don't give up Ang. The boys need you." Maddie was determine to say anything to keep her friend alive.

"Tell them I love them and I'm sorry." Angela's voice became distant and she closed her eyes. Then they snapped open and focused on Maddie's face. Angela grabbed something around her neck and pulled it off.

"They're the only thing I can give you." she said placing the object in Maddie's hand. "Promise you'll take good care of them." Angela grimaced again as she had moved herself to look directly into Maddie's eyes. Tears flowed from Maddie's face falling on to Angela's.

"I promise." Maddie whimpered. Angela smiled weakly as the light left her eyes. They closed again and this time, didn't open.

- - -

The funeral had been a small affair with the Martins and Maddie sitting in front. The only other people who attended were various staff of the hotel who had come to know Angela. At the gravesite Maddie stood behind Cody with her arms folded around him while Carey stood behind Zack in a similar pose. A hastily made will specified that the cemetary that she was to be at would be as close to the Tipton as possible. She left all her worldly possesions to Carey, with the exception of the gold shaped pendant which hung on a matching chain around Maddie's neck. After the funeral they returned to the hotel and changed out of their formal wear. Maddie told her parents that she was going to stay with the Martins for an indefinite period of time, promising that she would get to school on time. The rest of the day was spent in silence as they all gathered together on the couch to remember their loved one. Late that night Zack, Maddie and Carey went to bed leaving Cody the only one still awake. He had gone through so many crying spells that he didn't think he had tears left in him. This left him with a blank look on his face as he walked out the door of the suite.

EPILOUGE

The next day, everyone at the hotel was frantically searching for Cody who had apparently disappeared last night. Carey had called to talk to the police and Mr. Moseby had assembled the staff to have them search the hotel. Maddie stood at the candy counter praying that he would come home soon and toying with the heart shaped pendant around her neck. She had looked at it more closely after the funeral. On the surface of the heart were two words written in fancy script.

"Big Sister"

Inside there was a picture of Angela and the boys when they were very small and Angela was Maddie's age. She kept toying with the heart as if the spirit of her friend would help her locate Cody. A voice which sounded almost, but not quite, like her own whispered in her brain.

"The cemetary." her face registered shock as she quickly threw the "ON BREAK" sign on the counter and ran out the door without saying a word to anyone. She hailed a cab and told him "Hilltop Cemetary". A few feet from the front gate, Maddie had the driver stop, paid him, and entered the cemetary. Her heart beat quickly as she made her way to Angela's grave. There she saw Cody's small form curled up in a ball at the foot of the grave. She let out the breath she had not even realized she had been holding in a gasp. Quietly, she knelt down beside Cody and gently shook him awake.

"Maddie..." he said in a dazed voice.

"Come on, Cody, let's go home." Maddie said softly to him. She help him to his feet and as he turned away she breathed a silent 'thank you' toward the grave. During the cab ride to the hotel, Cody rested his head on Maddie's shoulder and fell back to sleep. When they got there. Maddie carefully picked him up and carried through the hotel to his room.

"I'm sorry I scared everyone." Cody said quietly as Maddie tucked him into his bed.

"It's ok." Maddie replied sitting down on the edge of his bed.

"Thanks for everything Maddie. I love you." he said sleepily. Maddie grinned at the boy fondly.

"This much?" she asked opening her arms wide." Cody grinned back at her.

"This much." he replied copying her than giving and getting a tight hug.

A/N Well, that's it. Tell me what you thought. See ya.