Eight

Sharyn awoke several hours later to find herself on Cody's bed. She was embarassed that she had fallen asleep against Cody as he had rubbed the tension out of her. Sitting up, she realized she was alone on the bed. She was surprised; she hadn't even felt Cody move. Looking over to what would have been her bed, she found Cody asleep, his breathing slow and even, sleeping under a sheet. He had given her the blanket from his bed to make sure she wasn't cold. He hadn't wanted to wake her by moving her, so he had just given her his blanket and had settled into the other bed. She smiled softly; it was too sweet of him. She gathered the blanket and slowly got out of bed, staring at Cody's sleeping form silhouetted by the moonlight that shone through the window. Moving swiftly, quietly, she spread the blanket over him. He stirred, but didn't wake up, only brought the blanket closer to him. She made sure his feet were covered before going into the bathroom, closing the door. Turning on the light, she gazed at her reflection in the mirror. Why can't I sleep? Sharyn thought to herself. She turned on the water and splashed her face to take down the sudden burning in her eyes. She gazed at her reflection again, watching the beads of water cascade down her face.

She could still feel Snitsky's presence. She wondered if she was suffering from paranoid delusions, but she definitely had the feeling he was close; that he wasn't staying at home with her mother. Sharyn knew that she probably should call her mother, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. They knew where she was heading anyways, she was sure of it.

She thought about Cody. Was it really fair that she was dragging him into all this? He was such a good guy; he didn't deserve her baggage. He was just trying to make a career for himself, to help launch his friend out of the indies into the big leagues, to eventually join him. She felt like she was bringing him down, dragging him into an unknown, potentially dangerous situation.

Turning off the light and exiting the bathroom, she decided to step outside for some fresh air. The alarm clock on the nightstand said it was four in the morning; the sun would be rising within the next few hours. Moving as quietly as she could, she stepped outside in her bare feet, reveling in the cold air that greeted her. It was still raining; only softer than it had been the night before. She could smell the heavy scent of rain in the air, a smell that she loved.

Sharyn never complained about the life she led; she always felt that the obstacles made people who they were and determined what strength they possessed. But as she sat on the wooden walkway, feet dangling over to the ground and feeling the wet grass between her toes, she wondered just why she couldn't have been blessed with a normal life; why mothers who weren't prepared were allowed to have children.

She thought about her father. What made her think he was going to take her in? And then what? She was going to go back where she came from somehow and go back to life with her mother and Gene. The thought made her shudder. Sharyn silently vowed to herself at that moment that she would never go back to life with Gene. If she had to leave the continent, she would never go back. It was only going to be a matter of time before he made a pass at her, and she knew it.

The sky was a steely blue, growing lighter steadily by the minute. She couldn't wait until the pink snuck its way into the solid backdrop, before blending with a soft orange as the sun made its presence known to the world. It had been so long since she had been awake in time to see a sunrise; with all the stress in her life, she realized just how much of the simple things she had missed out on in life. But the bigger problems always seemed to override the simple joys in life.

She leaned her head against the wooden rail, the damp wood against her head. She was exhausted, but she knew she wasn't going to get back to sleep. She thought about Cody; she knew his father probably wasn't happy that he had picked up a runaway; he probably thought she was some kind of groupie or something. The idea of that made Sharyn twitch in hurt.

Cody's eyes came open at about five thirty and noticed immediately Sharyn wasn't in her bed. He sighed; she had put the blanket over him. He smiled at her thoughtfulness and got out of bed. She wasn't in the room; he knew that. He grabbed his jacket and made his way outside. It was still raining. Sharyn was seated against the wooden rail, not even acknowledging his presence. He smiled. She had fallen back asleep waiting for the sun to rise.

Sitting down beside her, he draped his jacket over her shoulders, maneuvering awkwardly, trying not to wake her up. But she stirred, her emerald eyes coming alive as they focused on Cody. She blushed in embarassment. "It's dangerous falling asleep outside in the middle of nowhere, you know," he told her, but a soft smile crossed his face.

"I..." Her shoulders slumped in defeat. "I don't even remember falling asleep. The sun...I was waiting for it."

He smiled. "Well, it's not quite out yet. Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all," she said, straightening up and pulling the jacket around her shoulders. "It's been years since I've watched a sunrise." She stared down at her feet resting in the grass. "You're up early."

"Life of a wrestler. My body clock is so screwed." She smiled. "What's your excuse?"

"Just couldn't sleep," she answered. "So I thought I'd watch the sunrise. I needed some air anyways."

"Did you sleep all right?"

"You didn't have to leave me sleeping, Cody," she said with a shake of her head. "I can't believe I fell asleep on you like that." Cody laughed.

"I wouldn't worry about it. You obviously needed the rest," he told her. She was silently grateful that he hadn't tried anything with her; most men she knew would have done it in a second and not felt a twinge of remorse. "How do you figure the sun is going to rise with this rain?" he asked.

"The news said that the sun would rise this morning and the rain would stop." Cody remembered hearing that on the radio. But staring out at the light rain that drizzled in the empty parking lot, Cody was sure that the newscast was wrong.

"I don't think it's happening, Sharyn," he told her softly. She leaned her head back against the rail. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah. I'm fine," she told him, but he knew she was lying to him. And he knew better than to try and drag it out of her. So he just made himself comfortable on the walkway and watched as the rainfall finally stopped a half hour later, followed a short time later by the sun slowly beginning to rise.