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Chapter 14

       

Something woke her up. She did not want to be awake yet. She felt horrible, her stomach was working against her. She felt like she was going to be sick. Zoey jumped out of bed, ran out of her room down the hallway to the upstairs bathroom, and barely got to the toilet before her stomach unloaded itself. She was slumped over the bowel when she heard what sounded like feet coming down the hall. She barely opened her eyes when a figure came in the door and turned on the light.

"Zoey, honey, you ok?", it was Kate. How did she know she was in here.

"Uggghhhh", Zoey moaned into the toilet. She could only imagine how pathetic she looked right now.

"Ya that's what I thought", Kate sat down next to Zoey and pulled her hair out of her face into a ponytail securing it with a hair tie she found on the counter. "Think you got it all out?" Zoey only nodded, her voice still horse from everything earlier in the day. She honestly couldn't remember the last time she was this sick. "Alright kiddo, let's get you back to bed". The two stood and Kate handed her a glass of water that she must have brought with her from downstairs. They walked down the hall, Zoey swaying a little as she went but Kate was next to her, holding her up.

Zoey crawled into bed, feeling a bit dizy as her head hit the pillow. Kate pulled the blankets up but Zoey went to move them back off. "No blankets, too hot".

"Ok no blankets", Kate sighed. She watched as the girl began to shiver. "Are you sure? You look cold"

"I don't know, I can't tell anymore", obviously Zoey's fever hadn't broke yet and it was making her miserable. "Can you stay in here til I fall asleep?"

"Ya I can do that", Kate smiled as she slid into the bed. Kate wrapped her arms around the girl as Zoey snuggled into her side.

"Night sweetheart", Kate said as she kissed the top of the girl's head.

"Night Kate, love you"

Kate froze, only for a second. She called her Kate. She wasn't upset about it but it did disappoint her a bit. Maybe Zoey hadn't meant to say it earlier. But she also remembered what Castle had said, that we say what we mean in our unconscious. After all, the girl did say she loved her and she could tell she meant it. Especially in the way the girl was cuddled up with her. For now, that was more than enough.

Kate must have fallen asleep because when she came to, it was morning. She stretched and glanced over at the alarm clock on the bedside table, 7:38 am. Castle should be up by now and she should be getting up too. She looked down at the sleeping girl next to her, 'Should let her sleep' she thought to herself. She carefully got up from the bed as to not disturb Zoey. Luckily, they had left the full size bed in the room after they had cleaned it out when Zoey moved in or else she would be all kinds of sore right now.

She walked down stairs to find Castle in the living room, on the couch, with coffee in hand, and reading the paper. Without a word she sat down and curled up next to him, taking his coffee and stealing a sip before handing it back to him.

"Ugh, it's black", she grimaced.

"Well good morning to you too", he laughed, "Sleep well?"

"I think. I honestly didn't mean to fall asleep up there. I had every intention of coming back to bed"

"When I woke up and you weren't there or in the kitchen when I walked out of the study I figured you must have fallen asleep with her. How is she by the way?"

"I heard her running for the bathroom about three in the morning. She had her head in the toilet when I got up there. She's still asleep for now."

"Fever?"