Disclaimer, the usual.

The storm did eventually die down rather early the next morning. As dorothy found herself waking up in the chair she had occupied, she found she had a blanket wrapped around her. getting up and stretching she picked up the flashlight and shined it around the room. Zeb was still asleep on the couch, but toto and pockets had moved from the corner to be closer to dorothy. Switching off the flashlight and placing it in her pocket, she sighed and left the room quietly as she could. Walking to the kitchen she got herself another glass of water. She sighed and looked out the back window.

The back yard seemed to be made into a muddy mess with puddles reflecting in the dim lights of the outside. Pulling on her boots, which she left by the door, she quietly slipped out the backdoor and trudged to the barn, it was still drizzling outside but it wasn't the torrential downpour it had been the previous night. When she got there, she found Jim, standing up and asleep. Sighing she took the flashlight from her pocket and clicked it on. Shining it around the barn she found that it seemed to be undamaged. Climbing up the hayloft she found that some of the hay had been upset, she assumed from an extra strong gust of wind. Looking around the rest of the barn, she found it needed some tidying up again but other than that, it was fine. Quietly walking out of the barn and shutting the door behind she walked back to the house and into the kitchen where her aunt was waiting there at the table.

"What were you doing outside?" Melinda asked.

"taking a look at the barn." Dorothy said

"why?" she asked curiously.

Dorothy thought about this for a moment. After a large storm, it was normal to make sure nothing was damaged, at least at home it was.

"not sure, force of habit I guess." Dorothy said coming to the final conclusion.

"well, thank you for showing concern, but what if you had gotten hurt out there, your aunt would have my head." Melinda said.

"I would have screamed loud enough for the neighborhood to hear, so, um, we doing cereal for breakfast? I didn't make myself anything for dinner last night." Dorothy said.

"we're out, I checked, perhaps I'll take you to the diner, they make the best ham and egg breakfast sandwiches." Melinda said.

At that moment, Dorothy's stomach let out a loud growl. She giggled and pulled off her boots, leaving them next to the backdoor. She then sat down at the kitchen table. Looking at it, she found the note that aunt Melinda had left herself. picking it up she handed it to her.

"ah yes, the doctor, scratch the breakfast plans, I ran into him at the pharmacy last night, he's coming at around eight, they should be ready to start therapy, luckily Ned already has a cane, but I'll to get one for bill, I wonder, nah I doubt it." she said walking out of the kitchen

Dorothy sighed and drummed her fingers on the table, she began to wonder how her friends were doing.

Meanwhile in emerald city.

Glinda had made a wonderful pot of soup, which she served to the girls, jack, Morris, and Wendell first, before serving herself and going to her room. now she was sitting in her bedroom going over an old book she had dug up. Pushing her reading glasses up her nose she sighed. It was rather dull in the city, even just sitting there and reading or doing paper work had lost its appeal to her. she eventually got up, removed her shoes, and trekked down the hall, going quietly passed Ozma's bedroom, which was open. She could see Ozma sleeping peacefully in one of the large arm chairs. She smiled and continued her way down the hall. When she got to the chambers she walked over to the crystal ball and waved her hand over it. immediately it began fading images in and out. Aislynn was asleep in her bed, she had grown rather pale. Then it changed to ellie, who was sitting on the floor, back against the foot of her bed, and tossing her little red ball against the wall, if ellie had been sick Glinda would have felt it. it then switched to Betsy and trot who appeared to be having a slumber party, they still had their color, so she knew that hadn't been sick. Switching to Alex, she saw that he was in bed, looking incredibly pale, but he was awake and mumbling some inaudible gibberish to himself.

"hmm, a little more than half the gang is sick, the rest are perfectly healthy." Glinda said to herself

The image then switched to dorothy, she was sitting at a table, drumming her fingers against it.

"auntie Melinda?" she called.

"yes dorothy?" Melinda asked coming into view.

"should we try to move zeb from the couch?" dorothy asked.

"no, leave him be, he gets rather irritable when moved while he's asleep, its better just to leave him be." Melinda said.

"Melinda!" came a shouting voice

"oh, bill is awake." Melinda said.

"hope he doesn't want a hot meal, powers' still out." Dorothy said.

"probably just wanting to ask when the doctor is getting here, still need to find a walking stick if the doctor doesn't bring one." Melinda said

"if this was Kansas you could ask Mr. Teak, but since it isn't, we can't" dorothy said sighing

"your grandfather, on your father's side, used to have a collection of canes and walking sticks, that came from the teak family, wonder if your uncle inherited them." Melinda said leaving the room.

"given that I've never seen them anywhere, odds seem higher that they either went back to the Teaks, or my father inherited them." Dorothy mumbled to herself.

A moment later Glinda saw the lights in the kitchen dorothy was in flick on. Glinda sighed as dorothy grumbled. Slipping her shoes back on she waved her hand over the crystal ball. Immediately the crystal went dark.