Runaway Train

Be Ok

New story alert: Runaway Train outtakes. We decided we didn't want to cut some scenes entirely and gave some story to the other characters in this universe. Read this first and then go check it out.

Chapter 5

Be Ok

Derek had carried a sleeping Amelia back to bed shortly after Carolyn Shepherd had departed, and Mark had left soon after. Husband and wife had cuddled on their living room couch, attempting to watch a movie, but dozing in and out of sleep.

About an hour after her brother had placed her back in bed, Amelia was ripped from dreamland by an overwhelming wave of nausea. Before she could even make sense of her surroundings and gather her thoughts, her stomach violently contracted as she vomited pb&j and Gatorade all over her brother and sister-in-law's bed.

Horrified and embarrassed, Amelia was desperate to clean up as best she could before she was caught. Unfortunately, as she got up to gather the bedspread, dizziness struck her and her belly gurgled a warning. Dropping the blankets she stumbled to the en-suite as fast as she could, throwing herself at the toilet as more liquid bile shot out of her mouth.

All thoughts of the bedspread were forgotten as she sat there dry heaving, sweating profusely, and shivering.

'What was happening to her? Was she dying? This felt worse than withdrawal.' She thought deliriously as she leaned heavily against the side of the bathtub.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but she woke up in a lukewarm bath with Addison stroking her face gently with a washcloth.

Amelia met her eyes, and Addison gave her a small smile despite the worry evident on her face.

"I-I messed up the bed, Addie. I'm so sorry, I tried to clean it up, but..." Amelia whimpered in a hoarse voice, trailing off and looking down away from Addison.

"Shh... Don't. That doesn't matter." The redhead replied. "Your fever spiked again. You've been pretty incoherent for the past hour or so..."

"An hour?" She whispered in shock. It felt like just minutes since she'd been heaving over the toilet.

"Yes." The redhead confirms. "We found you passed out on the floor here, and after taking your temperature and failing to wake you up, Derek helped put you into the bath... I think the fever is dropping a bit now. I'm so relieved." Addison shared calmly, the only sign of her internal angst being her tensed jaw and glassy eyes.

"Is Derek mad at me?" The sick girl asked fearfully, pulling her knees to her chest in a self-soothing hug and resting her cheek on top.

"No, honey. He is scared for you and he doesn't know how to handle those feelings sometimes. I want you to always remember that, Amy. No matter how he acts or what he says. He is your big brother, but he struggles with things just like you do." Addison tried to explain, unsure if Amelia was truly comprehending her words, and hopeful that Derek wouldn't overhear.

"I'm the one who makes him struggle. If it weren't for me, Derek and my mama and my sisters would be so much happier..." The younger girl replied, refusing to believe otherwise. She buried her face in her knees, shivering in the cool water.

Addison frowned, shaken by the reality of Amelia's hopelessness. Standing slowly and reaching for a warm towel, she tossed it over her shoulder before she crouched and reached for Amelia's hands to help her stand and step out of the tub.