The Consequence of a Dream

Ch. 23

Demi's pov

I hear the sound of vomiting and I quickly turn the lamp on beside my bed before rushing to the bathroom where Phoenix is.

She sits in front of the toilet and gags as I get a wet washcloth. I get some cold water on it and put it around her neck before sitting behind her and holding her hair back.

I listen to her dry heave over the toilet and I rub her back, "Let it out Phoenix." I say softly.

"C-c-can't."

"Yes you can hun, it's ok." I say.

She shakes her head getting anxious and I get the idea she's got a fear of throwing up. A big fear that is.

I very carefully move her into my lap and wrap my arms around her loosely. I pull the pony tail holder off my wrist and get her hair into a messy bun and out of her face. I then get the cold washcloth and wipe her forehead, neck, and chest in an attempt to cool her down and calm her down. Maybe if I can call her down her nerves will settle a bit and her stomach will settle and she won't throw up?

I hear her gag and I look down at her begin to panic before throwing right up into the toilet. She shakes in my lap and I listen to her hyperventilating as she finishes throwing up. I know she's not done so I just gently rub her back as she begins to cry.

"Hey, it's ok. You're gonna be ok. Everything is ok. I've got you." I say.

"N-n-no."

She throws up a few more times before full on crying in my lap. I flush the toilet before picking her up and carrying her to her bed. I set her in it gently and put the washcloth on top of her head.

"Is it your stomach that hurts? Or does anything else hurt sweetheart?" I ask.

"Just my stomach." She sobs.

Well that explains the fever. She's got a stomach virus. I had a feeling she was sick with something. I'm relieved it's something as minor as a stomach virus. But it doesn't make me feel better knowing that this is something she's actually scared of.

"You have a fear of vomiting don't you?" I ask and she nods.

I frown, "Well, hopefully you got it all out. Just try and get some rest hun. That's all you can do really." I say.

I sit beside her on her bed and she stares at me with watery eyes. I gently wipe her tears away as I hear my phone ding. I pull it from my pocket and smile, "We've got nothing to do today. The radio interview just got canceled." I say.

This is really good considering she's sick today. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with this interview with her throwing up. I wouldn't want to make her sit through that when she feels so sick. So I'm relived the interviews canceled.

Her lip quivers and I gently hold the washcloth on her forehead wanting to keep her as cool as I can.

"What do I have to do tomorrow?" She asks.

"Let's worry about today hun. Let's worry about tomorrow, tomorrow. I just want to focus on right now. I don't want to think too ahead. We've got to make it through today." I say.

She gives a small nod and Harley stretches beside her resulting in two paws in my lap, "Well someone's awfully comfortable aren't they?" I ask looking at Harley.

It earns a small giggle from Phoenix, "She likes you. She growled at Phil the other day when he tried to pet her. She barked at nick."

I smile at her genuine happiness. I've been dying to hear her give a real laugh and smile and I've just gotten that from her.

"If I could growl at Phil, I would to. I don't blame you Harls." I say petting the dog.

"How come she gets a nickname?"

I turn my head to her, "Do you want a nickname?" I ask and she nods.

"How does Nix work?" I ask.

She thinks about it for a few seconds before nodding, "I like it."

Never did I think I'd get this far with Phoenix. I was just hoping to achieve a smile from her. This is beyond what I expected and I'm so proud to see how far she's come. I'm proud of how much trust she's put in me. I'm proud of her for so much.

"Alright, then Nix it is." I say.

"What's your nickname?" She asks.

"Well, Demi is actually a nickname." I say.

She looks at me with confusion, "How?"

"That's only part of my first name." I say.

"Your names longer?" She asks.

"Mhm, Demetria is my full name. But I've always gone by Demi. My middle names pretty long too. My middle name is Devonne." I say.

She looks at me with a bit of surprise, "It's a mouth full Huh?" I ask.

She gives me a tiny nod, "Whats your middle name?" I ask.

She shrugs, "I don't know. My dad never uses it and I haven't ever asked. I never really thought about it. I only need my first name."

I have a feeling her dad doesn't use it because he doesn't know himself. I have a feeling that her mom choose her name and her dad just went with it. I think Phoenix was everything to her mom and nothing to her dad. I think her mom was thrilled for Phoenix to come but didn't get to be apart of her life for long. I think Phoenix is as something her dad didn't want and rather than giving her to foster care, has decided to make her life an absolute hell.

"I bet it's pretty just like your first name." I say.

"What's pretty about my first name? It's just a city in Arizona." She says.

"Phoenix is also a constellation." I say.

"It is?"

"It is, which makes sense as to why you're such a star." I say.

She shakes her head and I nod, "Yes."

"No."

"Well I think you're a star and you won't change my mind." I pout.

I watch her eyes get droopy and it's not long before she's asleep. I get out of her bed wanting to just let her sleep.

I get my phone and sit on my bed and reply to a few emails and texts. Once I do that, I check the time to see it's 9 in the morning.

I hope she can just sleep most of the day. I want her to get as much rest as she can tonight. Because we do sadly have a show tomorrow. So I need her to feel as good as she can. If she doesn't get sleep, she won't feel that great. I know that.

I won't let her perform regardless tomorrow if she's sick. If she's sick, that's the last thing she needs to do. So hopefully she can feel better tomorrow, but I doubt it. I've never seen a stomach virus last one day. She'll definitely be out for a few days.

"Poor baby." I whisper.

I really hope she feels at least a bit better tomorrow. I hate her being sick like this, I really do. She's gone through so much, why does she have to be sick on top of that?