Title: Seasons of Love
Rating: PG-13
Chapter: Four - Killing Pain
Summary: Its the gangs senior year.
Chapter - Daley's getting sicker and Melissa skips school to take her to the hospital.
Other sites the fic can be found: Dunno yet.
Disclaimer(s): I don't own anything but the idea. I think Discover Kids owns all the characters so far... I'll say if I own anything else. Based off of RENT's "Seasons of Love".

Daley fell out of her bed at the sound of her alarm clock. Tangled in her sheets, she started to find her way out when she accidentily sliced a small part of her hand on a part of her bed frame. She gasped at the pain, sweat forming back on her brow as she grabbed a tissue from her Kleenex box and pressed it to her bloody hand. It was just a small puncture. Barely half an inch, it just wouldn't stop bleeding.

She struggled to her feet, holding the tissue to her hand as the crimson liquid bled through the other side on her oposite hand. She hurried to the bathroom and grabbed the box of band aids from the bathroom closet. She fumbled with the box until she pulled out a single package, sticking it to her still bleeding hand, her hair falling in her eyes as the box fell in the sink. She looked down in the sink and saw the small amouts of blood starting to stain the white basin.

Daley covered her face with her hands and started to cry out softly, trying not to wake up her family. She looked up in the mirror through her frayed hair and pulled it back in a ponytail. She sighed, wiping her eyes and took in a deep shakey breath.

29Dwn

Melissa sat in the driver's seat of her jeep with the top down, honking the horn impatiently for Eric to get to the car for his ride. Her fingernails tapped nervously on her stearing wheel, making a softly tampering sound.

"Mel', could you not..." Daley started softly, but loud enough for her friends to hear as she covered her ears and squeezed her eyes closed tightly. Everything was just too much suddenly for her.

Melissa let her hands collapse on the stearing wheel with an apologetic sigh, "Sorry, Dale."

Jackson took her hand in his, squeezing it assuringly. She looked up at him, smiling unsurely. He smiled back confidently, pecking her cheek to ease her. She closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around him. "You're okay," he told her softly. She nodded and pulled away when she saw Eric running down the driveway to the curb.

"'Bout time," Taylor grumbled, her arms crossing over her chest. She had put on a put the second she had gotten in the car. Being Melissa's second pickup, she had to wait for everyone else to get in, besides Jackson, and then they had to go all the way to school.

"Oh, cheer up, Baby," Eric said sweetly, sitting next to her as he put his bag in Melissa's trunk. He got in next to Taylor, wrapping an arm around her only to have her pull away.

Melissa looked in her rearview mirror at the four in the back before starting for the high school. She suddenly felt a wave of worry hit her when she saw Daley's fragile state. Her body was hunched over the side of the door and looking as if she would pass out sick as sweat covered her skin. She started to sneeze uncontrolably, banging her head against the inside of the door hard.

"Dale, are you okay?" Nathan asked in concern, rubbing her back in comfort. He leaned over, kissing her neck gently to soothe her. The others started to quiet down for the two.

"Please don't touch me," Daley whispered painfully, breaking her own heart as she let a tear slip out of her eye. She quickly wiped it away with her good hand. She and Lex had finally decided that she should just wrapped her other hand after a while. "Just don't..."

"Daley..." Melissa said softly, pushing on the breaks at a red light. She looked over her shoulder, taking Daley's hand. "Dale, I'm going to drop everyone off at school and take you to the ER, okay?"

Daley looked up at Melissa as she started to break down again and nodded. "Okay..." she agreed softly before she started to sneeze again.

29Dwn

Melissa clicked her turn signal on as she looked at Daley, now swaddled in a blanket they had found in the trunk to sweat off another fever.

"You're okay," Melissa assured herself, looking back on the road. "You'll get her there in time. Happy thoughts, Melissa." She blinked quickly to try and calm herself down as she pulled up in the hospital emergency lane.

She got out and went to the other side, picking up Daley in her arms as her friend started shivering thriugh her cold sweat. Melissa felt the hair on her arms stick up as she listened to Daley's breathing quickly slowed down.

"Dale..." Melissa whispered softly, tears entering her eyes as she felt her knees start to buckle. She shifted Daley in her arms and hurried into the hospital, trying to ignore her weakening legs.

29Dwn

Melissa took her pink cap off as she bowed her head and started to cry, completely overwhelmed by the situation. She had been sitting in the waiting room restlessly for nearly an hour, her body starting to get numb with anxiety. She wiped her eyes, closing them, trying not to let her smeared make up get to her as when her cell went off.

She pulled her pink cell out of her pocket and pressed the small green button. "Hello?" she answered, her voice cracking with her sob.

"Mel'?" she heard her ex say on the other line, sending a feeling of relief overcome her. But the sound of his voice still sent shivers down her back.

"Jackson, I haven't heard anything yet and Daley... she was so sick and... and..." Melissa trailed off, not realizing she had started to cry again as she dropped her baseball cap on the ground between her legs.

"Just stay calm," he told her gently to ease her. "The others and I will join you after school, okay?" he added.

Melissa nodded, "Okay. I-" she started to say that she loved him, but caught herself. "I'll see you later," she corrected herself and quickly hung up her cell in embaressment. She pocketed her gaget and pulled her knees to her chest and placed her head between the balled joints to calm herself as she cried again.