Koda

Chapter 4

Gracie

I woke up in the middle of the night screaming. Ever since I was little whenever I got a fever I had nightmares. As I woke I could never remember them but they left me scared, drenched in sweat and with a pounding headache. I sat up, my hair was sticking to my face and neck. Slowly I made my way to the bathroom wobbling as I went. Someone had changed my clothes to my pjs. I looked in the mirror. I looked like shit. I gave myself a weak smile before I splashed my face with cold water. I made my way back to the bed but when I entered the room I stopped. Two shadows were standing in the doorway looking at me. They studied me as I slowly made my way to the bed and then curled back under the warm blanket. They looked at each other and then crawled in on either side of me. I was shivering from the cold and my fever but as soon as my boys were lying next to me I was warm and fell back to sleep. I had no more nightmares that night.

***

I woke up tangled in something. It took me a moment to realize it was not something but someone. It was warm and nice so I kept my eyes closed, afraid that the person would move if they knew I was awake. However, I could hear snoring. In fact, I could hear two people snoring. One was my brother and he was sleeping behind me. I knew his snoring like the back of my hand. That meant that the person I was tangled with could be no other than Koda. His soft snores made me feel at peace somehow. Suddenly Adrian snored louder and Koda stopped. He was awake. His arm tightened around me before I could hear Koda exhale. Adrian kept snoring louder and in an attempt to not make Koda move I kept my eyes closed and my breathing even.

"Hey, since you are awake, can you kick him to the floor so he stops?" Koda asked. Shit. How did he know I was awake? I smiled with my eyes still closed but lifted my foot and kicked my brother in the side. He woke up so suddenly the whole bed moved with him and it made me a bit motionsick. I guess I was still sick even if I wasn't feeling sick right now in Koda's arms. Adrian sat up and looked at us. I was quietly pretending to sleep again. I wasn't ready to leave Koda's hold off me, it was warm and cozy.

"Is she awake?" Adrian asked.I wondered how Koda knew that I was awake but my brother had no idea, even though I had just kicked him. This was a question I would need to get back to when my head didn't feel like it was about to explode. I was tempted to look at my brother but kept my eyes shut. Was Koda going to tell on me?

"I don't think so," Koda's voice suddenly said, silky smooth, rocking me from my thoughts. I shivered a little as his hand started to stroke my arm lacey.

"Good, she needs sleep," Adrian said as he left the bed. It rocked again as his weight disappeared and I was once again fighting the nausea that came over me. I sunk closer into Koda's side now that we were alone in my bed and I could feel a cold hand on my forehead.

"She still has a fever," Adrian said in a whisper to Koda.

"Ian, she will be fine like always," Koda said back. He was trying to calm my brother down. Whenever I got sick as a child my brother took care of me as our parents were too busy at work. He would always fuss over me but he did his best. Since Koda was always with us he would take care of me together with my brother or take care of my brother if it was needed. When I was nine I became so sick once that my brother had to carry me to the emergency room. Koda had been with him and the two 13 year olds had taken turns carrying me in the dead of night as they ran to the hospital. I didn't have much memory of it since my fever was so high but I remember waking up in the hospital and seeing their revealed faces. I think that was the first time I realized how much Adrian and Koda meant to me and I to them.

"Yeah I know," Adrian said and I could hear how frustrated he was. "I will go make some tea and grab some aspirin for her."

"Ian, she is not nine anymore and she hasn't been that sick in years," Koda said back before Adrian left the room. His voice was calm but I could hear a hint of something in his voice, worry maybe?