You Don't Have to Stay (Wildfire)

[ClosetSneezer]

Fanfic of Wildfire, set somewhere in Season 1. My first story posted here. Not a ton of sneezing. I wrote it all in one go just for fun, so please pardon formatting, grammar, and awkwardly spelled sneezes. Not a whole lot of (or any) plot.

“Kris?” Pablo said, “Kris!”

“Huh?” Kris looked up at him from where she was standing staring at the hay bales. She realized he had been talking to her the entire time. Crap.

“Are you even listening? I said, did you clean those extra stalls like I asked you to?”

“Uh, no. Not yet, sorry.” Kris mumbled.

“I’m counting on you to pick up the slack around here, but if you’re not going to take this seriously-” Pablo was about to launch into a lecture about responsibility, but Kris cut him off.

“I said I’d do it, okay? Maybe I could get my work done if you’d quit hovering and let me do my job.” Kris snapped, rubbing at the headache forming behind her eyes.

“I don’t need your attitude, young lady,” Pablo scolded. “Come up to the house after you finish chores.”

“Who are you, my dad? Oh no, I hope I don’t get grounded.” Kris grumbled to herself as she walked away.

After Kris finished cleaning stalls, she put dumped the contents of the wheelbarrow and went up to the house. Both Jean and Pablo were waiting for her at the table. Kris sat down across from them and prepared for the worst. The two adults continued discussing something quietly for another five minutes.

“Pablo told me what happened today. I’m worried you might be slipping-” Kris sneezed, catching it quickly in cupped hands. “Bless you,” Jean said automatically, “into old habits. You were doing so well lately.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean what I said,” Kris apologized to Pablo. “I’m just tired from studying for my GED.”

Kris sneezed again and Jean offered her a tissue from the box on the table. Kris took it and, more than a little self-consciously, blew her nose as Pablo spoke.

“Why didn’t you just tell me that this morning when I asked you to stay late tonight? I understand that your test is important to you...”

Kris was having a hard time staying awake, even though it was only eight o’clock, plus it was freezing in the house. She leaned her head against her hand and tried to listen to the rest of Pablo’s speech. She hadn’t realized her eyes had closed until Jean tapped her arm.

“Kris? Are you okay?” Jean asked, looking at her with concern. It was evident her “mom-mode” had switched on.

Kris realized Pablo had left and she had briefly fallen asleep at the table. Talk about embarrassing.

“Oh, man. Yeah, sorry, I didn’t mean to...” She trailed off.

*heh-echmph* Kris muffled a sneeze in the sleeve of her sweatshirt and stifled a groan as it made her headache worse. If she weren’t already so exhausted, she probably would have made up a lame excuse to leave and go crawl under a rock somewhere.

“Alright, straight to bed with you. Go on.” Jean commanded in her best mom voice. Kris stood up slowly and walked out to her trailer.

Kris practically fell onto her bed. She pulled the blanket over her head and fell straight to sleep.

Someone was knocking on her trailer door. There was something she was supposed to be doing this morning. Kris pulled the blanket over her head and hoped the knocking would go away on its own. Finally, it did. She was just starting to drift off again when the door opened.

“Kris! Get up! Remember you said I could groom Wildfire today?” Todd yelled from the doorway.

“I’ll be right out. Just give me a minute.” Kris called back.

She hurried to get dressed and brush her hair so it was halfway presentable. She followed Todd out to the stable and put Wildfire in the cross-ties for him, even though Wildfire would have stood without them. Kris was leaning against the outside of Wildfire’s stall when Matt found her.

“Hey, Kris! You look...uh...sweaty. You okay?” Matt asked, looking her up and down. She was pale, flushed, and shivering. He guessed the answer was no. He simultaneously draped his sweatshirt around her shoulders and put his arm around her.

*Hem-tchuu* Kris turned away as best she could with Matt’s arm around her and caught the sneeze in both hands.

She sniffled before saying, “I’m dying.” Which sounded more like, I’b die-ig.

Matt didn’t say so, but he found her stuffy nose voice incredibly cute. He started leading her back to the trailer.

“What about Todd?” Kris asked.

“Don’t worry. Pablo will help him with Wildfire.” Matt replied.

Kris handed Matt his sweatshirt once they were back in the trailer. She kicked her shoes off and sat on her bed. Matt sat down next to her.

“You don’t have to stay.” Kris said, but the lost puppy look she gave him melted his heart. Of course he had to stay.

“You’re sick.” he replied. As if on cue, Kris sneezed into the crook of her elbow.

“I’b fide.” Matt smiled.

“Do me a favor. Say ‘anemone’, like Nemo lived in.”

“Adebode.” Kris scowled at Matt when he laughed at her pronunciation. She plucked a tissue from the box on the floor and blew her nose. “Anemone. There. Ugh, sorry I’m all gross.”

“Hey, I’m the one who volunteered to stay. I don’t care if you’re gross.” Matt grinned.

“If I can’t make you leave, then lay down next to me. I’m freezing.” Kris said.

Matt obliged. He crawled onto her bed between her and the wall. He pulled a blanket over the two of them. Matt reached over and pressed the back of his hand against Kris’s forehead.

“You have a fever.” he said, moving his hand to absently stroke her dark hair.

Kris only nodded. She relaxed and her breathing slowed. Then she was asleep.

Kris bolted upright in the bed. She tried to control her racing heart. The nightmare had seemed so real. She had been riding Wildfire and the police were chasing her. Then they shot Wildfire out from under her. She’d woken up before she hit the ground. She felt sick and dizzy, so she curled up on the bed and closed here eyes tight.

“Kris?” Matt asked drowsily. She must have woken him up with her movement. “How’re you feeling?”

“Not good.” Kris mumbled without opening her eyes.

“I’m going to go to the house and get some medicine, okay?” Matt said while climbing out of the bed.

Kris made some sort of noncommittal noise and pulled the blanket closer around her. A short while later, Jean and Matt came into the trailer. Matt put an extra blanket at the foot of the bed and explained that he had work to do but would be back later. Jean sat on the bed next to Kris and handed her an electric thermometer. Kris held in under tongue until it beeped. Jean read the number aloud.

“102.5 degrees. You look exhausted.” Jean said sympathetically.

“I am,” *eh-chuu* “And dizzy.”

Jean handed her some pills and a glass of water. “Take these, then get some rest. I think you’ll feel much better by tomorrow morning.”

Kris took the pills and set the empty glass on the counter. Jean stood up to leave, but she stopped. “Do you want me to stay?”

“You don’t have to stay.” But Jean had been a mother long enough to know it meant one thing, don’t leave.

[NoV]

I am unfamiliar with Wildfire but I enjoyed reading this Its well written and I look forward to reading more of your work on here.

Oh, and welcome to the forum

[supernaturalfragalistic]

aw i love this