A/N: Thanks everyone for all the reviews. Sorry the last chapter was so upsetting, but it can't alway be puppies and rainbows right? Gotta have some conflict! But the good thing about conflict is that there's usually resolution...or does it just get worse? Hmm, hard to tell with Wheeler and Linka! Ok, I'll stop teasing and let you get to reading!

Chapter 20: Day 10, Afternoon

I don't know how I fell asleep that night. Probably just the exhaustion from the day catching up with me. I ended up sleeping for 12 hours. And then I spent an additional hour in the shower; just standing there, letting the water beat down on me, turning up the heat as much as I could handle. I wanted it to hurt. I wanted something else to hurt more than the pain I was feeling over Linka's betrayal. I thought I could smell her. Just from holding her for that short amount of time, her scent was there. On my arms, on my chest…I scrubbed. But no matter how much, I couldn't escape it. When I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, she was still there…still a part of me. Maybe I did wash away her scent physically, but my brain had committed that smell to memory. It'll always be there. No matter how much I scrubbed, she wasn't going away. And I couldn't make her go away. What she did last night was wrong. She should have woken me up. I would have taken care of her headache. She doesn't need drugs when she has me! Why can't she see that? Maybe I haven't done a good enough job of making her see that.

I get out of the shower, intent on seeing her and making everything clear to her. She's not leaving my sight. I'm not letting go of her. Whether she wants me to or not, I'm going to be there. I'll be like her shadow. I'll have to treat her like a child and ask her every five minutes if she's ok, does she need anything, force her to eat right. It's exactly what she doesn't want…but it's what she deserves. I tried letting her have some freedom, obviously that didn't work. Now I'm forced to treat her like an addict. It's what we should've done with James. I'm not gonna lose her like I lost him. She'll probably end up hating me, but at least she'll still be alive.

I throw on a pair of pants, not bothering with a shirt and throw open my door.

"MOTHER F-!"

I tripped over something! Who would put a bag of garbage outside my door! I stand up and kick the bag…only, it's not garbage. It's my hoodies and sweatpants that I gave to Linka. Great. She's shutting me out. She doesn't want anything to do with me, not even wearing my clothes.

This is ridiculous. She can be mad at me all she wants, but if she needs these to keep warm, she should have them! I pick up the bag and head for her cabin. I'll give them back to her and tell her how things are going to be from now on. If she can't listen to reason, she's gonna have to be forced; even if it means sending her back to that facility in DC where all the other addicts are getting treated. I know I promised that I wouldn't send her back there…but she also promised me that wouldn't take anything…that included aspirin. She broke her promise; I'm free to break mine.

I storm over to her cabin and pound on the door.

"LINKA OPEN UP!"

No answer. More pounding.

"DAMN IT LINKA! OPEN THE DAMN DOOR!"

Still nothing.

"I BROKE IT DOWN BEFORE, I'LL DO IT AGAIN!"

I decide to look through the window, just to make sure she's really just sitting in there, avoiding opening the door. I don't see her anywhere though. I go back to the door and turn the knob…it opens right up. Hmm. Good thing I didn't break it down! It wasn't even locked!

"Linka?"

I walk around the room, checking in the bathroom as well. She's not here. Maybe she's in the kitchen or commons area. I check the kitchen first, dumb idea because I doubt she's eating, but it was the closest. I found Kwame instead.

"Hey! Where's Linka?"

"Well good morning to you too Wheeler. Or should I say good afternoon?"

"Not now man! Where's Linka?"

"How should I know? I thought you were her keeper."

"She's not on her room, and she took all of my clothes that were in her room and left them outside of my room."

"You were keeping your clothes in her room? Do you not think you are moving a little fast?" Kwame says condescendingly.

"It's not like that! I gave her some of my old hoodies and sweat pants to keep her warm. She gave them all back."

"Maybe she does not need them anymore…a sign that she is getting better perhaps?"

"No…she's not. We had a fight last night. I woke up and she wasn't there. I found her looking through my drawers. She stormed out of my room and…"

"Your room? You woke up and she was not there? You two have been sleeping together?"

"Yeah…no…well, kinda…I've been staying in the same room as her. Last night was the first time we were in the same bed."

"THE SAME BED? Wheeler!"

"Nothing happened, Kwame! She just didn't want to be alone."

"So you've got her relying on you, thinking that she needs you…you've replaced the Bliss. Congratulations. Now she's dependent on you…just what you've always wanted."

"What the hell man?"

I don't know where this is all coming from. It's almost like he's jealous.

"Nothing. I just think your behavior is inappropriate. We are supposed to be role models and one of our team members is a drug addict and two of our teammates are sleeping together."

"GI AND MA-TI ARE SLEEPING TOGETHER?"

I knew Kwame was referring to me and Linka, but since it wasn't at all like he was suggesting, I thought I'd make him feel like an idiot.

"No! Not Gi and Ma-Ti! You and Linka."

"How many times do I have to tell you? Nothing happened last night. Nothing has ever happened between us. And will you stop calling her a drug addict? She needs our help."

For as mad as I was with Linka, no one else had the right to speak badly about her. She hasn't hurt them…she hurt me. He can't be mad at her…I'm the only one with that right.

"Forget you Kwame!" I say angrily; "forget" being a substitute for another word I'd like to use. I head for the commons area, looking for Linka, Gi, or Ma-Ti. Maybe he'd be more helpful than Kwame.

None of them were there.

I try the beach, even though I know there's no way Linka would be in a swimming suit around the others. She was still too self conscious. No one is at the beach either…maybe she went to the hot springs. While I'm running there, I find Ma-Ti. He and Suchi were gathering fruit in the jungle.

"Ma-Ti! Thank God I found you!"

"What is it Wheeler? Is something wrong?"

"Yeah, I can't find Linka!"

"Oh. She is with Gi. They went to the mainland, to go shopping."

"What?"

"Yes, is that not great news? Linka seems to be getting back to normal, and it is all because of you," he says.

"No! That's not great. She's not ok. We had a fight last night. She ran off. She's not in a good frame of mind right now."

"She seemed fine."

"You talked to her then?"

"Briefly. She asked me to deliver your shirts and sweats back to you. She said she would not be needing them anymore. That is good right? The chills are gone?"

"No. She's still going through withdrawal. She gave me my shirts back because she's done with me. We had a fight. I…I caught her looking for pills last night."

"Oh."

"Yeah…so she's not better…she could very easily relapse. She needs to get off the mainland and back here right away. Can you contact Gi and tell her that?"

"I will try."

Ma-Ti closes his eyes and concentrates.

"Gi, you and Linka must return."

I can only hear Ma-Ti's side of the conversation.

"No, it is not an Eco Emergency. Wheeler is concerned about Linka."

Concerned is putting it mildly.

"I really think you should listen. He has spent more time with her recently, he knows…"

She's arguing with him? Come on Gi! Now is not the time to be stubborn!

"Gi…Gi, just listen. Last night…"

Ma-Ti stops and sighs.

"No, that is not what happened. Yes, she was in his room, but nothing happened…well not what you are thinking. Wheeler woke up and Linka…Gi…Gi, just listen. Gi! Are you there?"

Ma-Ti opens his eyes and looks sadly at me.

"She broke the connection."

"Well get it back! And what does she think happened with Linka and me?"

"I tried! She has blocked me out! And she thinks that Linka is upset with you because…something…happened. Because you tried…and Linka didn't…well, uhh…she said that Kwame was right. That Linka is vulnerable and…"

"THAT'S ENOUGH! Is that what my friends think of me? I'd never take advantage of the situation, and I'd never do anything to hurt her! You guys…never mind. You don't know what this means to me, so you wouldn't understand," I say in defeat.

"I believe you Wheeler. I do not need my ring to sense that there is more to this than what you are sharing. I will try to contact Linka."

"Thanks little buddy."

I resist the urge to hug him, but having his support and knowing that he believes me means so much to me. The others…it hurts…but I'm used to people I care about hurting me. So when it happens, I'm not surprised…doesn't make it hurt any less though.

"Linka? Linka, can you hear me?"

Ma-Ti shakes his head.

"I am sorry Wheeler. I cannot reach her clearly. It is as if her body and mind are still polluted."

"No, no…it can't be. It's been almost two weeks since she's had anything," I insist.

"Are you sure?"

"OF COURSE I'M SURE!" I yell as I angrily turn to leave and head back to my room.

I'm not mad at Ma-Ti. I'll be sure to tell him that later…I'm mad at myself. It should have never come to this. I should have never let her leave my room last night. I should have followed her.

There's nothing left for me to do now but wait for her to get back. I go back to my room and try to compose my thoughts. I know we're going to argue…that's a given. And normally, she's a better arguer than me. But I'm going to be prepared. I'm going to win this fight. She's going back to DC, and she's getting treatment. I can't do it by myself. I tried. This is bigger than me. It's not about healing myself or making up for what happened to James. I see that now. This is Linka. Not James. Two completely different circumstances. James didn't want to get better. Linka does…or at least, she did…

To Be Continued…Don't forget, in order to get the full affect of the story, you HAVE TO read Linka's side of the story in Chapter 20 of LouiseX's Codependence.