Chapter Four

Walking to the hotel while trying to hold Bill up was harder than Samantha had anticipated, taking longer than the walk to the bar had. It didn't help that Bill was taller than her, even if it was only by half a foot or so. The sun had set before the two had left the bar, leaving the two to walk in the dark. The streets were still somewhat unfamiliar to Samantha, but she was determined to keep that a secret. There were the few occasions where Bill would trip over something in the darkness, sometimes over his own feet, and Samantha would stumble trying to prevent him from falling. She would stumble herself every once in awhile, focusing mainly on keeping Bill up instead of where she was going.

Not even ten minutes into the walk, the silence between Samantha and Bill was killing her, but she had no idea how to strike up a conversation with the man. She let out a sigh, straining her neck slightly to look up at the sky as they slowly trudged on. Bill's arm was draped over her shoulder, though he wasn't trying to hold onto her. His head was hanging as they walked, not bothering to try and pay attention to where they were going. Samantha could have taken him to any place in the world and he wouldn't have noticed. She frowned at the thought. Bill hadn't wanted to leave the bar, wanting to stay and drink until he had blacked out. As much as she racked her brain, Samantha couldn't figure out why he would want to do that.

"Bill?" she quietly questioned, turning her head to look at him as they walked. Bill didn't take any notice of her stare, that she had said his name. He was lost in his own little world, paying attention to nothing but the thoughts that were running through his hazy mind. "Bill, are you alright?"

When it was clear that she wasn't going to get a response from Bill, Samantha decided that trying to talk to him was pointless. For now, anyway. She knew it wasn't any of her business, that Bill would probably avoid answering her questions, but she was still worried and wanted to know what was going on. Seeing Bill in this state scared her. Tom hadn't been with him, but the two of them had always said that they went everywhere together. Had something happened between them? She knew they fought, much like any siblings did, but they had never stayed mad at each other for long.

Samantha was pulled from her thoughts when Bill stumbled again. She tightened her grip on his waist and held him close, steadying him. Once Bill wasn't swaying, Samantha looked around. They still had a good ten minutes to go, and her arms were already tired, her back aching from holding Bill up for so long. Despite her body wanting to take a break, to sit down and rest for a bit, Samantha was afraid of what could happen if they did. Bill might change his mind and not want to go with her anymore, though she honestly doubted he would object to anything at the moment.

The entire time they had been walking, Samantha felt as if they were being watched, but any time she had looked, she didn't see anyone. It didn't help that it was dark and she wasn't completely used to the area yet. All she could think about was the man from the bar, hoping that he hadn't tried to follow her back to her hotel. Bill shifted his feet slightly as he stared at the ground. Samantha was too focused on feeling like they were being watched to notice that Bill's lips were pressed firmly together in a slight pout, his brow creased in a mixture of frustration and confusion. She was completely unaware of the inner turmoil the man was going through, the thoughts and visions flashing in his head.

"Come on, Bill," Samantha sighed, shifting her hold on him. She tightened her grip on his waist slightly as they slowly started walking again. "Let's keep going. We'll be there shortly, then you can get some rest."

The walk was silent again, neither saying anything as they stumbled in the dark, walking down the streets. Samantha couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching them, possibly following them but after never being able to locate anyone who would possibly be following them, she had decided that it was just her paranoia getting to her. Her mind always did love playing tricks on her, so it wouldn't surprise her if it was doing it again. After the encounter at the bar, walking back to the hotel in the dark on foreign streets, and being aware that the streets were completely empty, her mind had plenty of ways of making her paranoid.

When the two turned a corner, Samantha smiled. The hotel was just up the street, not even five minutes away. She didn't care that they had to walk up the hill, that her body was near complete exhaustion; her hotel was in sight, just a little bit further down the road from where they were. Samantha looked up at Bill and tightened her grip, trying to get him to look at her. His gaze didn't lift from the ground and she found herself frowning slightly.

"Almost there," she said, though she knew that Bill was most likely ignoring everything going on around them.

Walking up the hill with Bill was difficult, but after a few minutes, they were standing outside the doors to the hotel. Samantha was breathing heavily, her back straining from holding up so much weight. While they stood there, she noticed that Bill was shivering slightly and she became aware of how cool the night air was. She hadn't paid any attention to it before, not when she was determined to get back to her hotel in one piece with Bill. Knowing that Bill was cold made her frown for a moment before she smiled as she looked up at him.

"We'll be inside in a minute, it's warmer in there," she promised, using her free hand to open her purse, digging through it for her room key. It was a bit difficult to look through her purse with only one hand, but she didn't dare let go of Bill. He hadn't taken notice of anything Samantha had been saying, and she was beginning to wonder why she continued to try talking to him. "Ah, there it is. Alright, here we go."

She pulled her room key out of her purse, putting it in her mouth while she zipped her purse again. Samantha opened the door to the hotel, the two of them walking into the lobby. No one was around, their footsteps echoing as they walked across the tiled floors. As they walked, Samantha wondered if they should use the stairs or the elevator. She knew it would be difficult to get Bill up three flights of stairs, but she wasn't sure what the motions of the elevator would do to Bill's stomach. After a moment of debating, Samantha decided to go with the elevators; it would be a lot easier than taking the stairs, and Samantha was too tired to trek up the stairs anyway.

Samantha pressed the button to the elevator, waiting patiently for the metal doors to open. It was only a matter of seconds before they did, and Samantha and Bill walked into the small enclosure. The doors closed behind them as they turned to face the doors, and Samantha leaned forward slightly to press the third floor, careful not to pull Bill over. She held onto the railing when the elevator started to move, Bill swaying next to her. When she looked at him, she frowned when she saw how tired he looked, how lost his expression was again.

The elevator dinged as they reached the third floor, the elevator doors opening for them a moment later. It didn't take long for Samantha to get Bill from the elevator to her door. She slid her key into the lock and unlocked the door, throwing it open so that they could walk inside. Her room key was tossed onto a nearby table, the door swung shut with her foot. Samantha's place wasn't big, but it wasn't small, either; it was made up of a single room, a bathroom, a small living room and a kitchen with a small table where one could eat, though Samantha usually ate in the living room or her room. Samantha walked Bill over to the small couch in the living room and sat him down, her hand moving to cup his cheek as she looked him over. Though Bill was looking at her, it was like she wasn't there standing in front of him, almost as if he was looking through her.

Samantha bit her bottom lip for a moment as she thought of what to do. She had already decided that Bill would get the bed, that she would sleep in the chair. It wasn't like she was going to bed anytime soon anyway, not with how she was always up until six in the morning, and there was no way she was making Bill take the couch. That would have been rude. She was pulled from her thoughts when Bill let out a quiet whimper, and she frowned as she quickly helped him up. Though he stumbled a bit, he quickly walked to the bathroom, Samantha guiding him. He leaned over the toilet as everything he had in his stomach came back up. She held his hair back with one hand, her other resting on his shoulder as she lightly rubbed the back of his neck with her thumb, trying to give him some comfort.

When Bill had emptied his stomach, he sat down on the tiled floor of the bathroom, letting out a quiet sigh. His eyes were half closed as he stared at the wall, his head leaning back on the cabinet. Samantha had taken the time to grab a small washrag from her sink, getting it wet with cool water before kneeling down in front of Bill, gently washing his face before setting the cloth off to the side. It took a lot of effort, but she helped get him off the bathroom floor and into her bedroom, sitting him down on her bed. She slid his jacket off, setting it on the back of the chair in the room before helping him out of his shoes. She set them off to the side before laying him down, pulling the blankets over him and tucking him in. Bill was out in a matter of minutes and Samantha sat in the chair with a heavy sigh, her shoulders slumped forward slightly as she rested her elbows on her knees, her eyes never leaving Bill's face.

It was going to be a long night.

Reviews

[Manda]

Nice. I like how she is so wiling to help him with out even knowing him. But then again, I shouldn't say anything because I would drop everything to help out my Joey. :D

Nice chapter. :)