OUT OF THE STORM

By Towairaito

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CHAPTER SIX - Nightmares

Suddenly, Rabbit gasped for air, body rigid and drenched in sweat. The nightmare flashed in her mind and jolted her up from bed in a panic as the door flew open to reveal Heero charging to her side, hair askew and chest bare. Grabbing her by the shoulders, he looked strait into her eyes, his own urgent, "What's wrong? You were screaming like a banshee just now!" Waiting for no answer, he looked her over once, "You're drenched!" He went over to the chest, going through it until he found a large white sweatshirt. "I"ll be right back. Go back into bed."

Complying, Rabbit struggled to catch her breath, forcing herself to calm down.. Her teeth clicked against each other and she clentched her jow tightly to stop the chatter. Heero returned with a warm, dry towel, which be draped over her shoulders as he checked her wrist.

"I had a-nightmare." Rabbit managed to jerk out.

"I figured much. Calm down." Already down to business, the doctor checked his watch, pressing two fingers to her radial and counting. "Hm, slightly rapid, but nothing to worry about even in your condition." He smiled as he let go of her wrist.

Eyes wide, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're fine. Giving the condition you are in. be glad that you didn't thrash about and hit your head. Another major concussion may leave you at a permanent state of amnesia. Now take that shirt off, I have a dry sweatshirt here for you."

Rabbit's mouth was set firm, cheeks flaming. "No."

"Did you hear me?" He said impatiently. "Take off the damn thing."

"Turn around."

Heero gave her an exasperated look. "Rabbit, I'm a doctor-"

"I don't care. Turn around. Please!"

Taking a deep breath, Heero threw up his arms, "You know what? I'll do better than that. I'll go get you something to drink." With that, he disappeared through the open door.

Rabbit shuddered at the lingering memory of her dream as she slowly peeled off the shirt over her throbbing head. Her task of getting into Heero's thick sweatshirt was quite challenging and left her to struggle herself into it. She rolled the long sleeves back to her elbows, then began to straitening her bed which was disarrayed from her thrashing body.

"Don't bother." Heero was back with an armful of new sheets and tossed a blanket at her. "Cover yourself in this while I change the sheets."

She could only watch, feeling numb as Heero, who now donned a green tank, made the bed swiftly. For the second time that day, Rabbit couldn't help but wonder if Dr. Yuy was ever a soldier. When the bed was ready, she got up, handing him the blanket as he slide once again underneath the cool covers. Heero propped up the pilloes behind her and pulled out a small medical flashlight from a bag he carried in with him. I didn't see that before.

"Hold still and look strait ahead." Sitting strait as she can Rabbit looked on ahead as the doctor flashed light into each of her eyes in turn. Heero held up his forefinger in front of her. "Look here. Satified, he nodded, "Pupils' reaction are normal. How does your head feel?"

"Throbbing. Again." She admitted. "No surprise there."

"Just stay there for a while, then. I'll be right back." With that, Heero grabbed the soiled sheets and before he exited the room, he paused. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Yes." As a matter of fact, Rabbit did started to feel better. Her frantic state was quieted as soon as Heero hurled himself through the door. She smiled at the thought, wondering how he interacted with his patients. Because of his quick temper, they probably got better quick to avoid feeling his wrath.

Heero, walked in with a tray at hand as Rabbit coughed dryly, "I must have screamed myself hoarse! I sound like a frog."

He nodded. "As expected. What happened?"

Always to the point...Rabbit tried to avoid the issue. "What's in the milk?"

"Sugar and a pinch of cinnamon."

Rabbit took a few more sips savoring in the unusual taste and met his eyes. "This was more than a dream. It didn't feel like one."

He grunted and motioned her to continue. Rabbit inhaled deeply, "I think I might have known what happened to me."

"And?" He leaned forward slightly grasping her cup and settled it on the tray. Capturing her hand in his, his demeanor changed to a more professional state. "Go slow. Anyone else in your dream?"

Rabbit looked down at the hands. "No. Just me." She swallowed. "I was in a small dinghy."

He only nodded.

Her breath quickened, eyes dialating as she suddenly looked up into his. "The sea was thrashing the boat around. I was soaked to the skin and my hand were so cold that I couldn't hold onto the steering wheel. The wind started to blow harder and the boat rocked like mad, then-then-"

Rabbit felt a small squeeze of encouragement from Heero. She went on, "The engine stopped. The boat was being pushed around like it was spinning. A huge wave came at me knocking me overboard and-and then I woke up." She choked down a sob or terror at the memory. Heero awkwardly sat on the edge of the bed and took her into his arms, holding her close, his tall warm frame comforting her.

"I'm sorry." She wiped are her eyes as she pulled away, embarressed at soaking his top.

Needing to do something, Heero fluffed the pillows behind her. "It's alright. Drink up." He passed the mug of milk back to her and returned to the chair. "I don't think that's a dream. It's too detailed." He snapped his fingers, eyes focused elsewhere, "Your mind is telling you how you were washed up on Wing island. If the engine died while you were farther out as sea, you would have never survived."

Shivering, Rabbit nodded. "I highly doubt I was aiming to come here." She pulled the covers higher, drained but oddly relaxed as though she were finally putting some of the pieces together in her brain. "I don't think it's a dream. It must be a memory!" She said excitedly, "It's a hint on how I got here!"

He nodded again, agreeing

He seems to do that a lot. Not much of a talker, is he? "Do you think this will occur again?"

"I hope not. Just don't think about it." He ordered, then he added, quite curious, "Can you swim, Rabbit?"

"Yes." She answered without thinking, then she stared at him, shaking her head. "I know, I just know I do."

"Right. It probably saved your life. Can you sleep now?"

"Yes, thank you." In her mind, it was highly doubtful. "Sorry about all this."

Heero smiled wryly in return. "So much for privacy. Don't worry though, I'm sure everything's alright." He paused in the doorway, "By the way, was it daylight in your dream?"

"Yeah, why?" Rabbit looked at him questioningly.

"It means that you barely arrived at Wing before I found you. If you had been there through the night, it's most unlikely that you'd be alive." He gave one last nod. "Now get some sleep-and let me do the same!"

Rabbit stared at the closed door sadly, certain enough that she'd lie awake the rest of the night. After what seemed like hours, Rabbit flicked out the lamp and slept till daylight.

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CHAPTER 7: COOKING PRACTICE IS NEXT!

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Author's Notes: Did you like this one? I hope so; this one is slightly longer than the last one to make up for its shortness. Maybe by the next chapter, I'll make it even longer. How's that sound? Like always, please read and review; all critiques are welcome. I may have written a few grammar and punctuation errors, but what can I say? I haven't done this in a while. So please, I'd love to hear what you have to say!

Towairaito