Open Arms

Chapter Sixteen

"Calm down, calm down..." Angus tried his best to wrap the blanket around her, struggling against the fight she put up. "Hold still, you're alright..."

The motel the group decided to stay in wasn't cheap. It also wasn't top of the line either. A few people had been suspected of heroin use on the stairs and someone had been trying to hide from a jealous boyfriend pounding on every door in the hallway not waiting to see if they would open or not. Even as the sun set and the adventure quieted down, it did nothing to soothe the young woman's mind.

The phone rang. Hesitant, Angus left Hannah's side to answer it, keeping an eye on her. "Hello?" He rubbed his hand over his eyes. "Yeah, I've got her here...No she's uh, well she ain't doin' so good, ya' know?" Angus looked down at his socks. "That bloke runnin' up an' down the halls bangin' on the doors ain't helpin' either!"

Hannah curled into herself in the corner. Along with a dizzying headache she shivered from the words cursed down the hall. That voice, that anger, it was all there. Angus assured it didn't look a thing like him. Malcolm assured it didn't look a thing like him, as well as he'd give him hell if it were. 

"She's not fuckin' stupid, Malcolm!"

Her beanbag didn't help. Her sickness medicine didn't help. Her lotion seemed to have quit on her, her arms looking worse than they ever did before. Red with blood and dark with burns. Itching and stinging at the same time. She buried her face in her knees looking to block out the kitchen light Angus had turned on. 

"What the hell am I supposed to do?!" 

Feeling a bit faint, the young girl took the blanket with her down on the floor and laid there, closing her eyes. Angus' voice rang out loudly, yet still sounded so distant. 

Angus turned to look at her, wincing upon seeing her in this state. "Mal she's-" Malcolm didn't give his brother a chance to speak. "Mal, she's gettin' worse...I don't know, her arms are bleedin', she's got a fever of thirty-nine... I don't-I don't know where you packed the medicine, Mal..." He sighed, setting the phone down on the table. Taking to the carry on he ripped it open, throwing everything out. A few pill bottles came out, contents rattling as Angus rummaged through them. He hurried back to the phone with a red labeled bottle in his hand. "I found somethin' for fevers, ibuprofen?" he asked reading the label. "I don't know, I haven't had to take this stuff since leavin' home...one or two?...for God's ever-lovin' sake, Mal..." Angus sighed and took the lid in his hands. He rolled a few into his palm looking them over. "I'll give her one for now, how's that?"

Malcolm seemed to have agreed as Angus set the phone down and grabbed a glass of water from the kitchen. Nearly tripping over his own shoes rushing back, he muttered a very bad word and knelt beside Hannah, gently lifting her head from the floor. "Hey, sweetheart?" She stirred, her vision clearing up and her ears no longer ringing. "C'mon, babe, you gotta get up." He held the pill between his fingers, setting the glass of water down where she couldn't knock it over. "I've got somethin' for ya', here." She took the pill and swallowed it, drinking profusely. The entire glass was empty as she handed it back to him, then laid back down. Grabbing the phone off the side table Angus spoke. "Mal?... Yeah, she's just taken it...Drank the whole glass too..." He sighed. "I dunno...I'm fuckin' worried too, Mal, you don't think I'm beside myself here?" He turned to watch Hannah, the girl wrapping the blanket tighter around herself, shivering. "I've gotta...I've gotta get her to bed, Mal, I'll call you tomorrow...alright, I'll tell her. Bye." He hung up.

"Malcolm..."

Instantly Angus was at her side. "Mal's in his room, love, come here." He sat her up, moving her hair away from her eyes. Taking her in his arms he carried her to their bedroom where she wandered out of at one in the morning. Her side of the bed was strewn around, Angus setting her down to fix the sheets. He kept the pill bottle close by, tucking Hannah in, then hurrying out to grab the empty glass. He returned with it filled, setting it on the nightstand. Her arms were red and scaly, spots of blood drying. In the bathroom was a small blue washcloth under the sink. After running cold water over it he brought it to her arms and coated them, making her shiver more. 

The closest hospital to their motel was an hour away, and none of them had a car yet. The doctor's office was closed at this hour, the most they could do was try all sorts of pills and wait. It was now two in the morning, Angus' eyes burning from lack of sleep. He hated to wake Malcolm up, his brother assuring him he and Linda had been up with Cara anyway. Eventually, Malcolm called him back, leading to this late-night argument.

Bon might have been awake. With Silver, or perhaps they both met up with Alistair and went out drinking for a bit. Maybe Phil went with them, or he fell asleep in his own motel room. He refrained from calling any of them, from bothering any of them during their 'good time'. 

Hannah's ragged breathing began to steady, her forehead cooling down. Angus took the washcloth back to the bathroom leaving it in the sink. He considered letting Malcolm know how she had improved, though calling him again might actually wake him up this time, starting another argument. He decided to wait. After all, no news was usually good news, right?

With that in mind, Angus took to the bed and unrolled the sheets on his side. He could see a few darker spots on Hannah's side, as the result of her scratching her arms. Afraid of waking her he slowly laid down behind her and draped his arm over her side. She didn't move, she just breathed evenly and deeply. Hermione's cage sat on the floor across the bed, the rabbit kicking up shavings every few minutes. He thought about moving her out of the bedroom before she curled up in a fat brown ball and began to nap. That's better.

Resting his forehead against her shoulder, he closed his eyes, hoping to God a night like this wouldn't become a routine. Hoping it was just some bug.

Hoping she'd pull through.