I Want Him Back...

I Want Him Back... - Part 12

[Heya guys! Sorry about the lack of uploading. And it's a pretty crappy chapter. But I tried to put more Keith in, without really changing what I'm doing too much...Hope you like it! Thanks to everyone who comments, and I hope they can do so again this time! Happy Reading!^_^]

Belinda woke early again the next day, her mind oddly clouded. Her body felt sluggish and her head felt heavy. A headache zinged through her and her sinuses were blocked. Great, Belinda thought to herself. Just perfect, now I'm ILL. She slid from her bed, trying to stop the room from swaying around her. Even as she tried to remain upright, her body tilted her back to the bed.

Eventually though, she forced herself to make it down the stairs, dragging her heavy feet one after the other until she found the paracetamol. Even as she forced two of them down, she wondered if she would make it through the day. Maybe if she...no, that wouldn't work...or...no, neither would that...

Belinda soon gave in to temptation and lay down on the sofa, not wishing to attempt climbing the stairs. Soon, her eyes were drifting closed, the world misting around her. She could feel time passing, but it was insignificant. Everything melted and formed something new. Suddenly, Belinda was lying, curled up, floating in grey space. The headache was still there, the feeling of being 'ill' still making her feel strange.

But, something else was forming, a swirl of silver that was barely noticeable in amongst the grey. At first, she assumed it was going to be a picture, something she was supposed to see, like the moving picture in class. But eventually, she saw a translucent figure swirling into being; a strong jaw, muscular arms, concerned eyes, that smile...

Belinda felt her breath catch, saw him react to the sound and sat up, trying to choke out a greeting. She could see his face relax, his body becoming less taut. He was trying to say something, she knew it, but the words were muffled, as though she was suddenly underwater. It was her imagination, she knew, that kept her from hearing his voice, but she wasn't sure how that worked. She wanted desperately to hear his voice, feel his touch, know he was alright.

"Belinda," he murmured, his hands reaching for her, trying to catch hold of her. But once again, his hands passed through her, as though neither of them were really there - as if they were holograms trying to communicate. He looked stricken for a moment before he pulled his hands back and stuffed them in his pockets, as though it would erase the moment.

Belinda gave a sob of relief and curled into a tight ball. He was okay. He was okay! She could talk to him, find out how to get him out of wherever the hell he was, tell him everything that was going on. Their eyes met and she gave a weak smile, tears dripping down her face as she let them free.

Maggie woke up later than usual, and alone. Belinda hadn't awakened her and that made her worry. Belinda always woke her in the morning. Racing to Belinda's room, she threw the door open. But Belinda wasn't there. An awful feeling of dread settled over her and she flew down the stairs, tearing into the living room. Belinda was there, she was relieved to see, but she had a deathly pallor, her face shiny with sweat.

Holding a hand to Belinda's forehead, Maggie felt the heat before it made contact. Something was terribly wrong with her, possibly something her body wouldn't recover from. A cold? Influenza? Or something worse? But even as she fretted uncontrollably she could feel the temperature drop slightly. Sighing, Maggie hoped that Belinda would be safe alone for the day. There was too much to do for Maggie to stay home and treat her.

Still, she worried as she made her way to school. Seeing Jack didn't make that any easier. Jack fretted twice as much as she had and she wanted to calm him. She cursed her lack of time and hoped he would make it through the day as well. It sucked that she couldn't help Belinda or Jack right now but there were more pressing matters at hand. And they would need her attention more than anything else. Keith needed her help.

Belinda snapped awake, her head still foggy and aching, but she could walk again. And the time she had spent with Keith had cleared up other things, had made it possible for her to plan. She knew where he was. She knew what had to be done. She didn't know how to connect the two. If she knew how to get to him, she would have been there the moment he had suggested that she get help.

His eyes had tightened impossibly when she had begged him to tell her how to go to where he was, and he had said that he would rather be left there than have her come and get him. Well, that cleared at least one thing up for her. He didn't want her, no amount of time or distance had changed that. But she couldn't let that stop her from going to him, couldn't allow him to stay there alone.

She let her eyes wander to the clock on the VCR and did a double take. No, surely that wasn't the time! Had she really been with Keith all day? It had seemed like less than an hour - she had wished he would stay with her longer. But now that she knew she had lost an entire day - a Friday no less! - she knew she needed to get into gear. She needed to talk to Maggie, let her know what she knew and that she wanted to help with their current situation.

She heard the knock on the door and was immediately thrown. She knew Maggie had her own key and that Gina was working late tonight. Groggily, she made her way toward the door, trying to think of who could possibly be coming over at this time of day. She had slept through everyone who would come in the daytime and now...

"Belinda! Are you okay?" Jack almost yelled, his question frantic. "I heard you were ill! You feeling any better?"

"Yeah, a little," Belinda said. She was surprised how thick her voice sounded, as opposed to hoarse. Had she really spent the day talking with Keith or had it all been her imagination? "Come on in. I need to ask you about something..."