A/N: As always, thank you to everyone that reads and reviews.
Chapter Twenty Seven - Day Twelve
Wheeler is watching me when I wake the next morning. "Hey there sleeping beauty." He says with a grin.
"Good morning." I sigh contentedly and close my eyes again. "What time is it?"
"A little after nine." He replies, and as I suddenly sit up in surprise, "Whoa, calm down."
I look down at him. "We have to get up, why did you not wake me?"
"Because you need the rest and we don't need to do anything." He replies, gently pulling me down again.
I frown at him but comply. "The others…"
"Are not going to bother us. Babe, you really need to learn how to sleep in." He closes his eyes and cuddles into me.
"I am awake." I protest. "What is the point of staying in bed once you are awake?"
"Cuz it's comfy." He gives me a squeeze.
Well he is right, but still. "Wheeler I…"
"Shhh Babe." He rubs my back with his thumb and tenderly nuzzles me, placing the odd kiss on my forehead.
It is a very convincing argument and I find myself pressing closer to him, which he accommodates by slightly tightening his grip to hold me in place.
I think I should be worried, or outraged, or… something. Instead I am completely relaxed and far happier than I have any right to be. There is a little voice at the back of my mind telling me that having a boy in my bed is shocking, even if it is perfectly innocent. But here and now, curled up in Wheeler's arms, that voice sounds ridiculous and I wonder what I used to worry about. Not that I would be doing this with anyone else, but it feels so right with my Yankee.
When I wake again it is approaching lunchtime and even my stomach is complaining. I stretch as best I can around my companion and then lovingly stroke his hair from his face. "Time to get up Yankee, and I mean it this time." I add in a teasing tone. "Your stomach is keeping me awake."
He chuckles, I guess he was not asleep after all. "Whatever you say Babe. But how about I go and get our breakfast and you wait for me here?"
"Trying to keep me in bed Wheeler? You will have to do better than that!" I blush as I say the words, not realising until I speak, how it would sound.
Wheeler grins down at me and winks. "I'll keep that in mind. For now though, maybe we should just get up."
He gets out of bed and retrieves his clothes, leaving me slightly speechless. I know he was just teasing but it says a lot about how relaxed he is feeling, he has not acted like that since this all began. Perhaps he just needed a good nights sleep too.
"Meet you in the kitchen." He calls over his shoulder, and he is gone.
And I am still laying comfortably in my bed. I sigh as I get up, maybe I should have taken him up on his offer to fetch breakfast, I did not really want him to let go… at least we can do this again tonight.
We are just finishing washing up the breakfast things when we hear Gaia's call.
"Well, I guess it'll have to wait until we get back from the mission," Wheeler says, and I nod, secretly relieved. When he broached the subject of speaking to Gaia about my nightmares again, I had agreed that we should not put it off any longer, but to be honest I am still afraid of hearing the answer.
"You mean until YOU get back from the mission." I remind him. "No doubt I will be kept at home again."
"We'll see about that," He replies.
Surprised, I ask, "What is that supposed to mean?"
"I'll suggest you come along." He says simply.
I look down, ashamed of my own insecurity. "Wheeler…after the other night…even I do not know if I am ready."
"The other night is EXACTLY why you need to get back out there." He assures me. "You're a part of this team. We need you. How are you going to convince the others of that if you don't believe it yourself?"
"I do not know." I reply, turning away.
He comes to stand behind me, wrapping his arms about me and whispering in my ear. "I believe in you."
My heart swells at his words and I cover his hands with mine, holding him in place. "Spasiba."
"We better get going. They'll wonder where we are." He says as he releases me.
"They will wonder where you are. They will not care if I am there or not. They will not be as willing to let me come along as you are, I am sure." He does not answer, instead he puts his arm around my waist and leads me to the door. He seems pretty determined, I hope it works.
When we get to the Crystal Chamber, Gaia has already started briefing the others on the mission. She stops when we arrive. "Hello Linka, how are you feeling?"
"Fine, thank you." I reply politely but I can feel resentment bubbling up in my chest. Does she even care? She does not bother about what is happening to me unless I come in here!
"Nice of you to finally join us Wheeler," Kwame says, practically glaring at us both. I do not know what his problem is, he should be pleased that Wheeler took on the burden of looking after me so that none of them have to worry.
"Sorry. We were eating breakfast and didn't want to leave a mess in the kitchen," Wheeler replies.
Kwame actually checks his watch, I cannot believe this! "Breakfast? It is nearly 12:30 in the afternoon,"
"Thanks for the update Big Ben. I slept in." I know that tone, Wheeler is losing patience with him, this could go badly.
"Did you not get enough sleep?" Kwame asks and even I cannot miss the undertone.
Unfortunately, Wheeler does not miss it either and instead of just answering, he does his best to give our team mates the wrong idea. "Rough few nights. Eventful… I was up pretty late… had my hands full."
Normally I would be mad at him but considering Kwame's attitude, I have no intention of convincing him otherwise, he should know us both better than that by now, especially Wheeler.
Bless Ma-Ti, it all goes over his head. "Is everything ok back home?"
"Yeah buddy, everything is fine now. Thanks for asking." He has improved Wheelers mood too, which earns him a grateful smile from me.
"You are welcome." Our young friend replies.
Gi then calls our attention back to the view screen and the problem at hand. She will not make eye contact with me but I cannot blame her. She has a right to be annoyed with me.
"Gaia was just telling us about a typhoon that has hit the Philippines. It's caused much damage and our help is needed to help find survivors and rebuild."
"No Eco-Villains?" Wheeler asks
"No," Gaia confirms.
Here it comes… "Great! Then Linka can come!"
"What? No!" Kwame is the first to respond. There is a surprise!
Wheeler is immediately on the defensive and while I want him to prevail I wish I could calm him, I am sure Kwame is just going to fight him just for the sake of it. "Why the hell not?"
"Because, she is too weak. We need stamina, people who can work all day, carry victims, lift and clear debris." Ouch! Kwame there are nicer ways to tell someone they are useless.
"AND WHOSE POWER DO YOU THINK WILL HELP THE MOST IN DOING THAT?" Wheeler yells.
Kwame is the calmer of the two but he is treating me as if I am not in the room! "Can she even fully use her ring yet?"
"YEAH, SHE CAN!" And now Wheeler is doing it too! I have had enough.
"STOP IT! BOTH OF YOU!" I yell. "STOP ACTING LIKE I AM NOT EVEN HERE! Yes, my ring works, and yes, I think I can be a valuable asset in helping to clear and clean up, and even if you do not think I have the stamina, I can help the victims, I can help treat their wounds, or comfort the scared ones…"
"Uh, Linka… this is where I must interject," Ma-Ti says carefully. "Even something seemingly as simple as taking care of the wounded could be very emotionally trying and tiring. It could be too much for you to deal with."
"Since I myself am a victim?" I challenge him, wishing they would just say what they mean. "This is different!"
"No, that is not what I mean. I just do not think that someone who has been through as much as you have recently can handle seeing any more tragedy," Ma-Ti explains.
"Ma-Ti is right Linka," Gaia says.
Wheeler is not giving up, when he says he will do something, he sticks by it. "She'll be fine. I'll…we'll be with her to comfort her, or if she needs to talk about anything. And if we need Captain Planet…"
"We will do what we planned on doing last time… Ma-Ti will contact Linka and…"
"MA-TI COULDN'T CONTACT LINKA THE OTHER DAY, WHAT IF HE CAN'T CONTACT HER WHEN WE'RE GONE?" Wheeler's temper is worse than mine but I can hear something else in his voice… fear. He does not want me to stay here alone and he cannot tell them why.
"He couldn't? Why not?" Kwame asks Ma-Ti.
Ma-Ti looks nervous at suddenly being put on the spot but he manages to answer anyway. "Uh, I do not know. I just assumed that since she is still dealing with the withdrawal, her mind and body are still polluted."
"My point exactly," Kwame gloats. "She is still recovering."
"No, Linka staying behind is NOT an option!" Wheeler sounds like he is just being stubborn but knowing it is more than that, I am deeply embarrassed.
"Wheeler…" I begin.
"No Babe, I mean it." His attitude towards me is quiet and sincere but is markedly different when he turns back to the others. "Even if you don't let her do anything on the mission, we can't leave her here by herself for God only knows how long! She needs to get off this damn island!"
"Perhaps she can go home while we are gone?" Ma-Ti suggests. I know he means well but…
"NO!" Wheeler says it with me at exactly the same time making the others give us startled looks. It must seem very odd to them.
"She's coming with us, and that's final!" Wheeler insists, but it is no good.
"You are outnumbered Wheeler. Ma-Ti, Gi, Gaia, and I…none of us think she is ready, and we all know that it will be impossible to keep her from wanting to help if she is there."
"He is right Wheeler. I would want to help, but apparently I am not capable." I cannot keep a bitter twinge from my voice. Kwame treated me like a sister when we first met, I guess my relationship with Wheeler is not the only one that has changed.
Wheeler's response surprises me as much as it does the others. "Then I'm not going either."
"WHAT?" They all exclaim.
"D-d-d-did I stutter? I'm. NOT. Going." He is going into cocky street kid mode, this is not good, it is not just my relationships that are suffering and it is all my fault.
"Wheeler, are you abandoning your team-mates?" Gaia asks in that infuriatingly calm voice of hers. Emotional blackmail Gaia? That is just not fair to Wheeler, whose fault is it if he does not think I am safe here with you?
"I guess I am. But how is it any different than what they're doing to Linka? So no, I'm not abandoning my team-mates. I'm staying behind so I DON'T abandon a teammate… especially at a time when she needs me most. I'd rather help her than a bunch of strangers!"
I do not want to hear him say that! He is one of the most caring people I know and he should not have to make that sort of choice. I take his hand and pull him away so that the others will not hear me.
"Wheeler, do not say that. You have a job to do. You are a Planeteer, not my babysitter. Those people need you more than I do right now. People are trapped. They are dying. They need to be saved. You have already saved me. Now go save them." I give his hand a squeeze trying to let him know it will be alright.
"Are you sure?" He does not sound happy and to be honest, neither am I.
"Da. I will have Suchi to keep me company," I say cheerfully and move forward to give him a hug.
"What about that discussion we were gonna have with Gaia?" He asks. "Are you gonna do that while you're here?"
I do not want to talk to Gaia at all right now! Let alone on my own. "Nyet, I want you there… in case I get bad news."
"Ok. Good thinkin'. I was kinda hopin' you'd say that, because I need to know the answer to that question almost as badly as you do… and I wanna be here with you, to celebrate the good news!" He hugs me tightly before letting go completely and turning back to the others.
I know he is just worried for me but at the back of my mind I start to worry again. What if it is not good news? It is easy for him to say it is all going to be okay, but how will he react if it is not? I do not think I would be able to deal with it, without him… I am not even sure I would be able to cope with that, if he is with me!
"Fine. I'll go, but only because Linka says she'll be ok…but I don't feel right leaving her behind…AGAIN." He is still annoyed with them, I hope it does not cause problems, they need each other… something else to worry about.
"Good, now that that's settled, you must get going. The sooner you get there, the sooner you can come home." Does Gaia have to be so dismissive? Do our feelings not matter to her at all? Maybe I should not ask her to help, at least a doctor would not say, 'oh well, never mind, you have a job to do.' which is what I imagine she would say right now.
Kwame whispers something to Wheeler and for a moment I think my Yankee is going to hit him but then he seems to get himself under control and answers quietly. I will have to ask him what he said later.
Gi moves towards the door and I fall in beside her, taking the opportunity to speak to her while I can. "Gi, I am sorry, I know you have a right to be angry with me but I want you to know it will not happen again."
"It's fine Linka." She replies stiffly. "It's a part of the withdrawal, we should have expected it."
I shake my head. "Nyet, you should not. Gi," I put my hand on her arm, causing her to turn her head to look at me. "I was angry with Wheeler and trying to get back at him, I should never have dragged you into it but I was not thinking clearly."
She thaws a little but still says. "It is a part of the withdrawal Linka, Wheeler recognised that and I didn't. You need to as well."
We stop as we reach her cabin and she continues looking embarrassed. "I wanted to believe you. I wanted to think I could help you better than Wheeler could. I'm sorry too."
I breathe a sigh of relief. "Then I guess we will have to forgive each other?"
She smiles and suddenly gives me a quick hug. "We do want to help Linka, we just don't know how."
"I know." I tell her, a little choked because I did not believe that at all before now, and I still have my doubts about the others. "Wheeler just… he seems to know what to do."
Gi grins at me. "I bet."
My cheeks turn red. "Nyet, Gi it really is not like that! I know what I told you but he has not tried anything."
"That's not what he said." She replies and when she sees my surprise. "When I told him what you accused him of he thought at first it was because he'd been 'enjoying your company too much' but had thought you were asleep and hadn't noticed." She is trying not to laugh. "I gather it was perfectly innocent… well unintentional anyway. Boys can't really help it you know."
My cheeks are really burning now. "If he... if that happened, I was asleep!"
She is laughing now and says saucily. "Never mind, it probably won't be the last time."
"Gi!" I protest, but she has already disappeared inside her cabin.
Wheeler has left his door open but I knock anyway and stand in the doorway waiting for him to respond.
He turns around and smiles, though it does not reach his eyes. "Hey Babe."
"Hey." I enter and stand beside him.
"I'm sorry we're leaving you again… are you sure you're going to be ok?" He asks.
"Nyet, I am not sure… but I will try." I tell him honestly. "And thank you for sticking up for me. It really means a lot."
"Well, I meant it. You should be with us… think you can fit into my suitcase?" He jokes.
I turn my gaze on his bag and regard it appraisingly. "Looks uncomfortable… but I wish I could."
"Here," He is holding out the bag of clothes that I had Ma-Ti return to him. "Hopefully this will make a good enough substitute."
Not even close! But I am glad to get them back. "Maybe I can stuff them with pillows to make them lifelike!"
"Pillows? You'll need rocks if you're trying to replicate this rock hard bod!" He teases.
"I am trying to replicate your body… not your head!" I reply in the same teasing tone, and reach up to run my fingers through his hair.
He puts his hands on my hips and looks down at me. He is in one of his unusually serious moods. "I'll call you whenever I can. As soon as I figure out the time difference, I'll call every night before your bed time."
He rests his forehead against mine as if he is trying to comfort me. "And what about you?" I ask. "How will you sleep? What about your nightmares? It is not just about me."
"To me, everything is about you," He says and then to my amazement, slowly unzips my sweatshirt and slides it off my arms. I make no move to stop him of course, I do not mind… and I do not need it anymore now anyway, Wheeler undressing me has caused more than my face to flush hot.
"And since I gave you my hoodies," He continues, throwing my top towards his bag. "It's only fair that you give me one of yours."
"I do not think it will fit you," I tease, trying to regain my composure.
He is not phased by it though, instead he is being incredibly sweet, more so because I know it is genuine. "I'm not gonna wear it, just sleep with it… hug it, use it as a pillow… whatever. As long as it smells like you, maybe my brain will think you're there."
"Call me before you go to bed too? I would guess that there is a 12 hour time difference." I say.
"I will," He promises.
I check we understand each other, I really need to hear from him. "So two calls a day, once before I go to bed, and once before you go to bed."
"Sounds good Babe." He looks a little happier I think.
"Ok… until then, Suchi will keep your side of the bed warm," I tell him but then I realise what I just said, "I uh… did not mean… not that you have an official side… but when you have stayed with me… you have always been on the same side…"
"Babe… slow down… I know what you mean… and make sure that monkey knows that when I'm back, he's out!" He plays along.
"Ok… and you do not honestly believe that I would let a dirty animal in my bed do you?" I wish I had not said that! I know Wheeler will not think anything of it but my mind immediately jumps to Skumm and I feel sick…. What if I did?
"Hey! I bathe on a regular basis!" Is Wheeler's come back and it breaks the tension, at least the tension I was feeling.
Glad of a reason to laugh, I slap his arm, but not too hard. "I meant Suchi!"
"Oh good and if you'd feel better… you can stay in my room… since it looks like I won't get around to fixing your door so that it shuts." He offers.
I had forgotten about my door but even if it were not broken I would be tempted to sleep in here. "Thank you."
"I guess I should be going." He sounds as miserable about this as I feel.
I have a sudden inspiration. "Wheeler wait… I want you to have something."
I quickly take off my ring and hold it out to him, but it does not have the effect I am expecting.
Now he sounds frightened! "What is this? You're gonna be here when I get back right?"
"Da! I will still be here." I hasten to assure him. "Sorry, I did not mean to alarm you. I am not turning it in. I want you to have it… in case you can use it during the mission… or in case you need to call Captain Planet. We cannot chance that Ma-Ti will not be able to reach me."
I am not entirely sure that it will work for him but I will feel better if he has it.
"Ok," He replies and slides my ring onto his little finger. "As long as you know this is only temporary… and I'll be putting this ring back on your finger when I come back."
I like the sound of that and for a moment I imagine how it will feel… though in my head it becomes a different ring on a different finger. "Da, it is only temporary. Take care of it."
He gives me a hug and says, "I will. So I guess this is goodbye?"
I swallow. "For now. Be careful Yankee… and hurry home. I will miss you."
"I'll miss you too Babe," He kisses me softly on the cheek.
"Walk you to the Geo Cruiser?" I suggest, not sure what else to say.
He holds the door open for me. "After you."
He takes my hand but then as we approach the others, releases it again. Nyet, I will not have him worrying about what they think! I reach out and reclaim his hand, making him look over at me in surprise. He smiles though, and does not let go again.
"Suchi, you stay here with Linka," Ma-Ti says, as he arrives at the geo-cruiser just behind us.
Our furry friend immediately jumps onto my shoulder and hugs my neck.
"You take care of her, Fur Ball," Wheeler says, stroking the small monkey's head and Suchi agrees, he really is a very intelligent primate.
"Bye Babe," This is it, he is really going!
He leans forward to kiss my cheek again and… I cannot help it, it is pure instinct, I turn my head to catch his mouth with my own. It is only brief, but it is electric and leaves my lips tingling and my heart pounding.
He is grinning like an idiot. "Be safe Yankee."
"I will." He promises in return and winks as he enters the geo-cruiser.
Somehow he manages to find his seat without ever taking his eyes from mine and as they take off he presses his hand against the glass.
I wave, stroking Suchi with the other hand and trying not to cry until he is out of sight.
To be continued…
A/N: And don't forget, to get the full affect of the story, you HAVE TO read Wheeler's side of the story in Becks7's Co-dependents Chapter 27! Let us know what you think!