Hola! Enjoy this chapter! And a extra special thanks to ConColor44, you my friend have been the best reviewer I have ever had. Thank you so much, your reviews alone are enough to make me want to continue this story. It makes me happy thinking that just one person like this story. And to anyone else reading Review! Please?

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Chapter 9

I was walking down the corridor in Syndrome's liar with my mop and bucket on wheels by my side. Stop, mop, go on, stop, mop, go. This pattern drove me insane. But I was already over half way done, and thank god that the guards have done a good job of not tracking so much volcanic ash into the hallway, since our little 'talk' that is. But since then they've been doing a better job. Geesh, I was starting to sound a little bit like .

This job can get awfully quiet so I was very glad at those times that I have my mp3 to listen to, thanks to the Ginger that is. Apparently I was the only person he was ever nice to, and the only one he had ever given anything to as a gift. Besides Mirage of course. But they were supposed to be in love or something.

The song I was listening to ended and was then replaced by 'Roxanne' the one from that musical, the one that made it sound like you needed to dance to it. So I did. I used my mop as a fake dance partner and danced up and down the hallway. The song came to an end but I decided that it wouldn't hurt if I listened to it again. I pulled out my mp3 and pressed the little pause button. Just when I was about to press the two little triangle buttons I sensed a disturbance coming from behind the door I was standing next to.

I pulled one of my ear buds out and looked curiously at the door. The door shook slightly and I narrowed my eyes at it. I took a step closer leaving my mop and bucket behind. The door that the noises were coming from had a big S on it, I noticed. But then that means this was the door to Syndromes private room. The only people allowed in it were Syndrome, and Mirage. But that was only when they were 'intimate' and to me it didn't seem like they were being intimate, more like violent. Unless what I knew about intimacy was different from what they thought.

I put my ear up to the door but didn't have much luck hearing what was going on. I flinched my head away when I felt the door shake as if something had been thrown against it. I put my ear back against the door just in time to hear a couple of words ring out of the incessant mumbling. "Get out, you heartless…"

Right after that was sound of angry stomping footsteps. I quickly jumped away from the door, stuffed my other ear bud in and continued mopping as if I wasn't just eavesdropping. My music still hadn't been turned on so I was still able to hear if anything was said. Just when I had busied myself with looking busy I heard the door being slammed open behind me and angry high-heeled footsteps coming closer. Must be Mirage. She passed by my field of vision.

She walked right in to the section of the hallway that was still wet. I was about to yell out and warn her but I was too late. Déjà vu? It seemed as if her legs just slid out from under her and she landed flat on her gray pencil skirt cover butt onto the floor. I tried as best as I could to restrain myself from letting out a laugh. I did. For the most part. I let out a strangled sound that went kind like 'ka-mh-hm'.

And as soon as that sound reached my ears I knew I shouldn't have made a noise at all, because now Mirage was looking at me with a look on her face that seemed to say 'I hate you… and one of these days someone will discover your body in the river and I will be there to laugh.' She quickly got right back up, dusted herself off and adjusted her skirt/suit thingy. And she did all this with that glare still in place. She walked right up to me. And she stared straight into my eyes. Deep, deep, down I felt as if my inner child had just been kicked in the shins.

"Why don't you put up a goddamn wet floor sign you good for nothing maid!" she practically screamed at me. My eyes widened. Ouch. I hadn't even done anything to her and she was here extremely pissed at me. That argument, at least I think it was an argument, between her and Ginger must have been really intense if it ended badly enough for her to be so pissed off.

She turned quickly and stalked off. I watched her go. As soon as she had turned the corner I abandoned my mop and bucket in the hallway and stuffed my mp3 into my pants pocket and walked towards Ginger's door cautiously. The door was still hanging open since Mirage hadn't bothered to slam it shut, just to slam it open hard enough to make a mark in the wall with the doorknob.

I stopped just before the opening of the door and peeked my head around the corner to take a look around. I was shocked at what I saw. I took a step through the door and had to maneuver myself around what appeared to be an alarm clock. Maybe that's what hit the door when I was listening in. I took another step and boy, the place looked a lot different from the last time I snuck in here to annoy the Ginger.

Everything in the room that was made of glass seemed shattered. And everything seemed to be in a state of general disorder. The bed that was probably usually made was messed up, pillows were split open and feathers covered everything with a thin layer. Then I saw him. He looked horrible. Broken. I walked up until I stood right in front of where he sat at the edge of the bed.

His head was resting on a clenched fist, the knuckles white. His eyes stared off into nothing, looking vacant. He looked all scratched up. His face was slightly bleeding. But that not the part I was most concerned about. His white dress shirt was stained red with, what I assumed was blood. It was mostly staining his side. My eyes opened wide as I took this all in. Double déjà vu?

"Holy crap! Ginger?! What the hell happened here?" I yelled. He only slowly raised his eyes to look at me and then he settled them back to where he was staring. I rushed and grabbed him by his wrist and pulled him up. His face remained blank.

"Where is your 1st aid kit? I need to fix you up! This looks serious." Again his face remained the same. This was really frustrating me. I didn't have time for this! He was probably seriously hurt! I needed for him to be alright.

"Gah! Come on with me, I'll make you all better" I gripped his wrist a little tighter and pulled him closely behind me as I rushed us into the hallway and to my door. I looked behind me to him. He still had that blank look on his face. He was like a zombie, a shell of his former self. The non-zombie Ginger would have snatched his arm away by now and told me that he was fin then walk off. But then he would call me back minutes later saying he needed a little help. But I guess not this time, this time he did nothing. Said nothing.

We came to my door; thank god it was only a couple doors down and across the hall! I realized that on our little journey across the hall my hand had slipped down from his wrist and was not I his hand. His hand which now full encased mine. I gave a small blush at that then punched in the access code to my room. It gave a little ding signaling that I could go in and I pushed through the door and into my room.

I practically sprinted through the room and into the bathroom with Ginger still lagging behind me. I pushed him down so that he sat down on the toilet lid. What the hell happened back there? Even with him sitting and me standing, I was only taller than him by maybe an inch and a half. He was a very tall man. Taller than me by a little more than a foot, while standing, even without the hair. The ridiculous 'flock o seagulls' hair.

I turned my back to him as I searched the little area under the sink for my little box of nursing supplies. I turned back around and there was no change in Ginger's behavior. I emptied a little bit of rubbing alclohal onto a cotton ball and was prepared to clean off the cuts on his face.

"Okay, this is probably going to sting a little" I said and went on to clean his cuts. His jaw clenched under my hand. I looked up into his eyes, they had narrowed slightly and I could tell he was trying to stop himself from making it seem like he was in any pain.

"Now, there's the Ginger we've all come to know and love. For a second there I thought you had gone forever." He raised his eyebrow at me in curious, kinda what the hell are you talking about look that he so often gave me. I gave him a wide smile and continued on. I placed band aids where they were needed and then took a deep breath, next I would need to have him take off his…uh, shirt so I could take a look at what was wrong there. I bit my lip and could feel my face get hot, at just the thought of seeing him shirtless.

Now I have to admit that I might, and I stress might, have developed a little, teensy weensy barely even real school girl crush on my evil boss man. But I was a grown woman dammit! I'm allowed to feel that way right? But he is my boss. That alone isn't…uh…what's that one word I learned forever ago?....oh! Unethical. And he has Mirage. And that's…well kinda hoar-ish. And I vowed to never by the other woman. So either way, it just wasn't right!

I was brought out of my inner tirade by a small cough. I looked over to see Ginger looking at me expectantly. I gulped. What if he knew what I was thinking? That would really freak me out. Bring up 'Where the Red Fern Grows' in a sentence if you can read my thoughts. I stared at him. He stared back. Huh. Guess not. He gave me a look that told me 'well?'

"Um, I'm gunna need you to…uh…take off your, um…shirt" I whispered the last word. Hoping maybe he wouldn't hear me. but I guess he did because on his face was a small little smirk. He was enjoying how worked up I was getting over this. He stood slowly and started to unbutton his bloodstained shirt. Barely a couple buttons were undone when he hissed in pain. I did not like to see him hurt.

"Stop, you're hurt, let me" His arms dropped to his side. And I could feel my face get that much hotter. I took a step closer to him and ended up closing the gap that had gotten between us. I then continued to do the drop he had just abandoned. I couldn't help but gape at him shirtless. After what felt like a long time I looked up at his face, and there I saw spread upon his face was that oh so common knowing egotistical smirk.

Yep, Ginger was definitely back, drunk, but back. I lowered my eyes to focus on where it was the blood was coming from. I slowly and silently slipped the shirt from his massive shoulders and placed it on the counter near the sink. Now that I was finally able to get a good look at his side, all color and heat quickly drained from my face. iit was bloody, and still slightly bleeding. And right in the middle of the bloody chaos jutted out a fairly large piece of glass.

"Uh, Ginger? Maybe I should call the doctor, I don't think I can deal with this all on my own" I said and looked up at his face, with a worried look spread across my own.

"No" he growled. "You need to do this. No Doctor." My eyes widened, why was he making me work on him? I'm not a doctor! And this might actually be serious!

"But this is pretty bad, I mean your gunna need some pretty strong pain killers, because this one is a lot worse then what was done to your face" I said, trying to reason with him.

"I don't care, you're the one who needs to do this"

"okay, I'll try. But I need to give you something to take the edge off" I said. He shouldn't have to feel unnecessary pain.

"Then get it" he said lips barely moving. I could tell he was getting a little impatient with me for defieing him.

"Stay here. I'll be right back" I turned away from him and walked out of the bathroom and into my room. I leaned down and reached under my bed until I felt my fingers touch the box that I was searching for. I grabbed it and pulled it towards me. I held the box close to me and rushed back into the bath room. I set it on the counter moving away Ginger's shirt.

Inside of the box was a couple of things. My book Where the Red Fern Grows, the two slips of paper I received the last time I was on the mainland, and a bottle of very cheap, yet very strong vodka and a little shot glass to go with it. I filled the shot glass to the brim and held it out to Ginger. He looked at me, at my hand, then back to me.

"You know that this is a dry island right? As in no Alcoholic beverages of any kind" he said wording his sentence as if he was talking to a child.

"Of I know that, why do you think it's hidden?" I said stating the obvious. "Do you want it or not? 'cuz if you don't I could just continue on without any-" he quickly reached out his hand and snathed the little glass away. He brought it up to his nose and gave it a sniff. He then opened his mouth and downed it with one gulp. He then reached out for the still open bottle on the counter. He then proceded to turn the bottle upside down and downed it until there was just a little less than half of what was originally in the bottle left.

I sighed, great, I thought now I'm probably going to have to deal with a drunken Ginger along with a hurt one. I grabbed a pair of tweezers from my kit and positioned myself so that I had easy acsess to the wound and to the rest of my supplies.

"Okay, on 3. 1…2…3" I paused. "4" I pulled the piece of glass out Ginger Flinched, and as soon as the glass was free the blood started flowing. I grabbed a towel ad quickly used it to apply pressure on the wound hoping that it stopped quickly.

"Ow! What the hell!" Ginger yelled. "You said on three and you went on 4, you never said anything about 4" he said. Slurring his words every now and then. I shook my head and ignored him

"Hold this right there" I told him, gesturing to the towel that was still in place. "Keep pressure on it." A couple minutes later, after I was sure that the bleeding had stopped, I grabbed another towel and ran it under hot water from the sink.

"Okay you can let go now" I said. I grabbed the bloody towel and let it soak in the sink. I used the other towel to wipe off the blood and clean the wound. It looked a lot better now that I had stopped the bleeding. I grabbed a gauze pad and placed it over the injured area. I started to wrap the gauze strips around his torso to keep the pad in place. I tightened it to keep it secure. He was all bandaged up and it felt late. I looked up at him. He was still standing so I had quite a ways to look up.

"All better now" I said and gave him small smile. He looked down at me, his eyes half open and little red. Before I knew what happened he had pulled me into a very tight hug. My face had collided with im and I was now standing cheek to chest with Ginger. Cheek to shirtless chest. No! I mentally screamed, calm down! He's with Mirage, you need to stop thinking about him like that.

"Thank you" he whispered in my ear. Which sent shivers all the way up and downmy spine. Ginger himself certainly wasn't helping either. He let me go and I took a clumsy step backwards. I looked up and saw a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"You know what Lily? My side still hurts, I think you need to kiss it better" he said. Pouring as much childish innocence into his voice. My eyes widened.

"Wha? No way am I going to-" I argued. He could not be serious.

"Please Lily, I'm asking nicely" he whined. Great. There was no way to get his mind off this since once he set his mind to something he got it, most of the time.

"Fine. But you better not be up to something" I said sternly, acting as if I was speaking to a child.

"Cross my heart" he looked so sincere, I decided to trust him on this one. I leaned over and gave his side a small peck. I was about to walk away when I felt his large hand on my shoulder.

"Ah-Ah-Ah, what about my face? It got hurt to, you should kiss those cuts better too" he said. I rolled my eyes, sighed and stood on my tip toes to reach each one of those too. But when I was about to give the last little cut on his cheek a peck he turned his head so instead I caught him in the lips. My eyes widened in shock. I knew he was up to something. but right now I was enjoying it.

Butterflies had started to cause a mess in my stomach. This isn't right! My mind screamed. This isn't supposed to happen!

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Well hi there. This was originally on big chapter but well it's about six pages long and not done yet. So I decided to end here and continue this chapter next time. How do you like it? Oh! And wish me luck because I just got my application to go to one of those smart kids schools and I still need to get my letter of recommendation and send the app in by Wednesday! I'm excited! I havnt ever gone to a school like that before!