A/N: Just wanted to shoutout Emilie2601 for being the one and only reviewer! For all of you who are still reading, review please! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own PLL. Marlene King and Sara Shepard do.
Pain.
It dug itself into her skull, a thousand tiny needles pressing themselves into her skin, poking her one by one. Her stomach was all knives, stabbing, crushing her heart until it crumbled into nothing.
Spencer sat up in bed breathing hard. One look at the clock said it was 2:21 in the morning. She hadn't even slept three hours, max, due to the headache that had turned into a nightmare. Spencer had wanted to tell the others about her head, but she didn't, which she realized had been a big mistake.
Her body shook, a bone-chilling spasm running down her spine. She gritted her teeth to keep from crying out. The pain, oh, the pain, was growing closer and closer to unbearable, and Spencer didn't know if she could withstand it much longer.
Then she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Spence?" She must've woken Aria up. "Why are you awake? Did you have a nightmare about A?"
Spencer had to smile at that, but then doubled over, clutching her side. She felt as if her whole body was on fire.
"Spencer!" Aria went over to her friend's side, immediately pressing the back of her hand to Spencer's forehead. "You have a fever."
"I-I do?" Immediately Spencer regretted speaking those words, her body shaking like a leaf just from opening her mouth. Her vocal cords felt like they were going to explode.
She couldn't help but think that it wouldn't be good with a bunch of blood stuck in her throat.
Aria ran to the closest bathroom, running a washcloth under cold water and rushing back, pressing the dripping fabric to Spencer's forehead.
Relief flooded her body, a river rushing through her veins. The fire was no longer there for a second, smoke rising from her lungs and leaving from her nostrils.
It provided such comfort, and Spencer wanted it to stay like that forever.
"More," she begged. "More, please."
Aria nodded, grabbing more wet washcloths and placing them on numerous places; the back of Spencer's neck, her forearms, and her ankles. She repeated this process again and again, constantly moving back and forth between places.
"Aria." Spencer spoke, looking better than she had forty five minutes ago. The color was slowly returning to her face. "The pain's almost gone."
"Then let's kick it to the curb for good." Aria replied, handing her a cup of water and some pain-reducing pills. "Take these, Spence. It'll make you feel better."
It took a lot of effort to keep the capsules down, Spencer trying her best to make her stomach stay under control, while Aria sat by her side the entire time, whispering comforting words in her ear.
"Everything's going to be okay, Spencer. We're team Sparia. I won't let anything happen to you."
"A's already happened to me, Aria." Spencer said, touching the bandage on her leg and wincing. "I don't need anything else."
"You're right." Aria nodded. "We don't." She felt Spencer's forehead a second time. "Your fever's gone down quite a bit. Do you want to try to go to sleep again?"
Spencer nodded weakly, which was a yes. The two crawled into bed, and before even a minute had passed, they were both out like lights.
xxxxx
If it wasn't for Emily setting the alarm to seven thirty in the morning, Hanna probably would have slept in until eleven.
Beep. Beep. Beep Beep. Beep Beep.
"Ugh..." Hanna groaned, sitting up in bed, practically slapping her hand down on the snooze button. "Em, what happened to you and sleeping in?"n
Her friend giggled, throwing the covers off the bed. "Nothing, Han. I just wanted to get an early start, you know, the early bird gets the worm."
"But I don't even like worms."
"It's an expression, Hanna."
"Whatever." Hanna yawned, stretching her arms outward. "I'm gonna go get dressed."
"Okay. Do you want to go on a run with me after?"
"What?"
"Oh, come on. It'll be fun! Plus I need to keep a strict regimen for exercise, especially since I'm still swimming."
"Oh, fine."
Ten minutes later, the blonde and the dark brown haired girl were jogging up the dirt road, their tennis shoes crunching against the gravel.
"How long are we going for?" Hanna asked, breathing hard.
"Not long." Emily replied, keeping a steady pace. "We'll probably be able to reach the shops from here. I was going to order sub sandwiches for lunch-"
Thunder rang overhead, making both girls look up towards the sky. Almost on cue, rain began to fall, first a light sprinkle then in sheets. It was absolutely pouring.
"You know what? Forget what I just said." Emily exclaimed loudly, the sound of the weather practically drowning out her voice. "I'll have to order something online."
"Let's just head back. We're close to drowning up here!" Hanna shouted back.
So they ran, their shoes splattering against puddles, getting muddier every second. Emily slipped, her shoe catching in a crack and she went flying, landing hard on her side.
"Em!" Hanna turned around and ran back, hoisting her friend up with both arms. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Emily forced a smile. "Let's hurry. Just be careful the rest of the way."
Hanna nodded, and they both hurried to the cabin, jogging quickly. The door was locked, and Emily fumbled with the slippery key before unlocking it.
The door finally clicked open and the two rain in, slamming it behind them. There was still no sign of Aria and Spencer.
"Ugh, I'm covered in mud." Emily said, complaining.
Hanna looked her over, then gasped. "Em, you're bleeding!"
"I am?" Emily glanced down. Dark red crimson liquid dripped down her legs, her knees already mixing with the dirt and raw skin. "Oh."
"Stay there and don't move." Hanna motioned towards a wooden bench in the middle of the hallway. "I'm gonna get the first aid kit. Do you know where it is?"
"Downstairs in the storage room. Beware, it's a little cluttered in there." Emily looked a little weak.
"Gotcha." Hanna winked at her, then went downstairs, taking two steps at a time.
She found it quickly, a shoebox filled with a bunch of medical supplies; a roll of bandages, some antiseptic fluid, suture string and a needle to provide stitches, a splint kit for broken bones of all shapes and sizes, scissors, and a pair of tweezers.
A low groan came from upstairs. Hanna had forgotten that Emily hated the sight of blood.
"Hang on, Em!" Hanna stuffed the bandages and some surgical tape under one arm and bounded upstairs.
Emily was slumped on her side, her eyelids tired and fluttering aimlessly, like she was staring into space. She seemed only half conscious.
"Emily!"
Hanna poured some rubbing alcohol she had found on a paper towel and dabbed furiously at the wounds, then grabbed some ointment by the counter and squeezed it on so there would be less risk of infection. She ripped off a strip of bandaging and wrapped it around her kneecap, securing it with a piece of surgical tape. The blonde then repeated the process with the other leg.
By now. Emily had begun to stir. She moaned again, opening her eyes.
"H...Hanna."
"Hey, Em." Hanna smiled, holding her hand with both of hers. "Do you remember what happened?"
"I smelled blood."
"That's right, you fainted. Sorry about that, it was my fault for not cleaning you up quicker."
"No, don't worry about it." Emily propped herself up using one elbow. "It's.. really just the storm's fault."
As if to respond, thunder rumbled overhead, lightning flashing every other second.
Hanna and Emily jumped, then laughed at themselves for being scared of something they knew wouldn't hurt them.
Or would it?
A/N: Read and Review please! Hope you're enjoying the story so far!
