I sat bolt upright as a clap of thunder hit. My heart hammered and I scrambled out of bed, stumbling around until I'd managed to get my boots on. "The cows..." I muttered to myself. "Get the cows..."

I stumbled down the dark hallway, my balance still not fully functional. A door opened next to me, scaring the hell out of me. "Holy f-"

"Nani?" said Sam, staring hard at me in the darkness. "What the hell are you doing?"

"The cows." I said. "Need to get the cows out of the storm. Thunder..."

He looked at me like I was an idiot. "Nani, we don't have any cows. Are you sleepwalking?"

Obviously not, now out of my way, I need to get the cows...

"Sam?" said Emily, walking to the doorway and pulling her robe around her. "What's going on?"

"Emily, go back to sleep. I'll get the cows." I said, beginning to move forward again.

"Cows?" she asked.

"I have no idea." Sam said tiredly, rubbing his temple.

Emily gave me an odd look, then felt my forehead with her hand. "Quit, I need to get the cows." I said, pushing her hand away.

"Sweetie, you've got a fever." she said plainly. "Go back to bed."

I looked at her, confusion taking over. "Fever?"

"Okay, I think I know what's going on." said Sam, stepping forward. "Come on, back to bed." He lifted me into his arms and carried me back to my room.

"Cows..." I mumbled, already drifting off in his arms.

"I'll take care of the cows. You stay in bed."

I didn't answer. I was out.

. . .

"You thought we owned cows." Sam said, crossing his arms as he looked at me. He leaned against the door frame of my room, looking amused.

"Did not." I mumbled from the bed, eyes closed against my headache. Actually, in my fevered state, I'd thought I was back on my ranch. During thunderstorms, we always had to get any cows in the pen into the barn so they wouldn't get struck by lightning or something.

"Did so. You even put some pants on for a minute and told Emily to go back to bed while you took care of it." he told me. "I couldn't figure out what the hell you were talking about."

I groaned. "Go away. Who asked you?"

"Having a fever of a hundred and three must make you pretty loopy."

We both heard a knock at the door. "Don't get up, I'll get it." he said sarcastically, leaving the room. I heard the door open.

"Hey, Sam."

"You here for Nani?"

"Uh... yeah." Seth said as though he hadn't expected the question, therefore not expecting to answer. "Is she here?"

"Yeah. She's out of commission, but she's here." Sam answered.

"What? What's wrong with her?" Seth asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

"She's sick. Probably from being soaking wet in the cold the other day. Nothing to worry about though, just a fever." Something in his tone was implying something, but I couldn't tell what. His voice dropped half an octave, almost like he was speaking in code and trying to make it obvious.

Shortly thereafter, Seth was standing in my doorway. "No, go away..." I groaned, putting my hands over my face. "I'm hideous!" (Just so everyone knows, I was being melodramatic on purpose.)

He laughed and took my hands away. "Jeez, Nani, you're almost as warm as I am."

"That's what a fever tends to do to you, yes." I told him.

He snorted. "You know what I mean. You feeling okay?"

I gave him a flat look. He accepted this. "Is there anything I can do?"

I thought for a moment. "Water would be nice."

"Water it is." he said, getting up and heading to the kitchen. Suddenly, my phone started to ring, so I picked it up. "Hello?"

"Hey, Nani."

"David?" I asked incredulously. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just wondering how you're doing."

"Hiki no. Stayed out in the rain yesterday like the brilliant girl I am, and now I'm sick."

"Ah, that's too bad." he said, and I could hear his grin in his words. "See, if you were here, I'd be able to kick you around for it."

"Yeah, yeah. You just wait till I get back there, lolohi, I'll stuff your head down a-"

"Nani?" said Seth, reentering the room. "Who are you talking to?"

"David." I said, moving the speaker away from my mouth. "From back home."

His brow furrowed as though confused, but he just shrugged and set the glass of water down on my bedside table.

"Who's that?" asked David.

"Seth. He's one of the guys that hangs around my aunt's house. Kind of like some ranch hands I could mention."

"The difference is that we're paid to be here. I'm sure they're not as fun as us, anyway."

"They could give you a run for your money, lolohi, I wouldn't be saying anything so soon."

"Well, I would be hurt by that, but the others want to say aloha."

"Others?"

"Yeah, all the guys are here. It's lunchtime in Hawaii, so I figured it was a good time to check in."

That brought a smile to my face despite the fact that I felt like crap. "They're all there?"

"Have a listen."

There was silence for a moment, then a chorus of, "ALOHA, NANI!" came through the speaker and I had to hold the phone away from my face. "Aloha, boys!" I said back. "I wish I was with you."

"We wish you were here, too, Nani!" one of them laughed. It sounded like Kai, the oldest.

"I have to go now, okay? I love you all! A hui hou!"

"A hui hou!" they chorused back.

I shut the phone and leaned back on my pillows, the feeling of being sick returning. I sighed, closing my eyes.

"You really miss them, don't you?" Seth asked.

I opened my eyes and looked at him. "Well... yeah. They're my family. And I haven't seen them in a really long time."

He nodded. "Yeah, I get it."

I closed my eyes again, and I was almost asleep when he spoke again. "Are we part of your family?"

I opened my eyes and thought about that. "You all remind me so much of the boys back home that I suppose you'd have to be."

He smiled then, as thought satisfied, and stood. "I have to go. Try not to get some disease while I'm gone."

I grinned. "Bye."