"Mama!" Connor said as Cordy walked into the Hyperion that morning. "Mama!" He held out his arms and began to pout slightly as Cordy put her bag down and headed for the stairs. Then she stopped and went over to his playpen.

"Aw, Connor, what happened huh? Did Daddy and Uncle Gunn get into a Super NES match and forget all about my sweet boy?" She picked her son up and gave him a kiss as she cradled him close. "Well, you're not alone anymore. Mama's here now. Let's get you something to eat. Are you hungry little one?"

Connor just whimpered and tried to bury his face in Cordy's shoulder.

"What's wrong, sweetheart, huh?" Cordy asked gently.

Just then, Connor started to shiver.

"Are ya cold, buddy?" Cordy picked up Connor's blanket and put it around him. "There ya go. That must make you feel-" She stopped short as a familiar dizzy feeling came over her. She quickly put Connor down in his bassinet and put her had to forehead as she got hit by a vision.

After the vision was over, she found herself on the floor on her knees.

Connor was crying in his bassinet.

"It's okay, baby," Cordy assured him. "Mama's okay.

It's all right." She got up slowly and picked Connor up again. Then she remembered her relief trick. She quickly put him back down and let him crawl around a little. He followed her into the bathroom where Cordy took out a bottle of Seltrax.

After popping four pills in her mouth, she turned around to see Connor trying to get into the linen closet.

"Hey you," she said with a laugh as she picked him up. "There's nothing in there for you." She tickled him as she carried him out of the bathroom and back downstairs. "No there's not. It's not like on "Sabrina". You won't go anywhere if you go inside."

Connor was now giggling and had forgotten all about his adventure that his mother had interrupted. "If you think that will make you laugh, wait until we get to the kitchen."

When they entered the kitchen, they found Angel and Gunn leaning over a Monopoly game-board.

"So this is what kept you from feeding our son,"

Cordy said with a slight glare. "And you say I need to grow up."

Starlted by Cordy's arrival, Angel dropped his pawn and it landed on the floor. He followed that up by knocking the money box over with his elbow.

"Cordy, I didn't know you were back," he said honestly.

"Da-da," Connor said happily, reaching for his father.

"Hey little guy," Angel said cheerfully, ignoring Cordy's glare. "Are you having fun with Mama?"

Connor giggled in response to his father's question.

Angel came over and gave Connor a kiss, then he tried to take him from Cordy.

Connor didn't like this. He began to pout and cling to Cordy's shoulder.

"Mama," he said as he started to fuss a little.

"It's okay, Connor," Cordy assured the upset child,

"you're going to stay with me. I haven't seen you since nine o' clock this morning and I wanna spend some time with my sweet precious boy. Yes I do." She kissed Connor's cheek and cradled him close.

****************

Later that night, Cordy began to get a headache. She didn't eat dsssert, and she was beginning to get a little irritable. As she layed on the couch with her eyes closed, Connor crawled over to her and layed his head against the couch.

"Mama," Connor said, his lip trembling a little.

"Hey sweetheart," Cordy replied as she picked him up and layed him down next to her. "Mama doesn't feel well. No she doesn't. But you can lay here with me if you want. Come here, sweetums." She began to rube Connor's shoulder and hum a lullaby.

A few minutes later, Gunn and Angel came into the room.

"Aw," Gunn said as he watched Cordy patt Connor on the shoulder as Connor took a strand of Cordy's hair and held It, "how sweet."

"Shh," Angel said. "She's trying to rest."

Gunn nodded and went to look for Fred.

Angel meanwhile, left in search of Wes. He was going to ask him about a prophecy that he had recently discovered.

**************

About an hour later, Cordy was putting Connor to sleep when she started feeling sick. Her head started to hurt again and she started feeling dizzy.

"Well good-night, little guy," she said softly, giving Connor a kiss. "Mama's gonna go to bed now too. Sweet dreams, honey."

"Mama," Connor said sleepily as he yawned.

"It's okay honey," Cordy assured her son. "Mama's right here." She knelt down beside his crib and began to sing him a lullaby.

After she was sure he was asleep, Cordy went to lay down in her room.

************

A few hours later, Cordy woke up feeling really dizzy.

Her head was still hurting and she felt her stomach start to twist a little.  As she got up to go to the bathroom, she took the bottle of Seltrax that was on her table and put it in her pocket. As she reached the bathroom door, the bottle of medicine fell out of her pocket and onto the floor. Cursing under her breath, Cordy went to pick it up, but then decided against it. 

 *********

 Meanwhile in the next room, Fred was getting up to get a drink of water. As she passed Connor's room, she peeked in to check on her nephew. He was sound asleep.

As Fred was going back to her room, she heard some noise coming from the bathroom. This was odd. Angel was downstairs with Wes working on research and Gunn had gone home hours ago. Then she remembered Cordy had gone to bed eaerly because she wasn't feeling good due to a vision headache.

As Fred got up and walked to the bathroom, she found Cordy's Seltrax on the floor. She picked It up and an uneasy feeling invaded her stomach. She entered the bathroom, she found Cordy sitting on the floor with her knees to her chest. She looked like she was in a lot of pain. Fred rushed over and knelt down beside her friend.

"Cordy," she said quietly, "what's the matter? Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"I'm fine," Cordy replied breathlessly as she tried to ignore the sick feeling in her stomach and the pain in her head. "I'm okay."

"No you're not. Come here," Fred put her arm around Cordy and helped her to sit down next to her.

Cordy looked away as tears streamed down her face.

"I'm okay," Cordy insisted.

"No you're not," Fred said. "Something's wrong.

It's okay. You can tell me. I'm not gonna say anything to the others I promise."

Cordy considered this for a moment. She needed help and she knew it. Fred could help her. She had the medical knowledge to see Cordy through this roughtime. And most importantly, she had the compassion. A few minutes later, Cordy took a deep breath and turned around to look at Fred. "What is it?" Fred asked. "I promise I won't tell anyone."

"I've been sick for two weeks now," Cordy explained.  "The visions have been getting worse and worse. I started feeling scared. I didn't know what to do." Tears were streaming down Cordy's face again. Fred gave her a hug of reassureance. "It's okay," she comforted. "It's going to be all right." Then she pulled the bottle out of her pocket and asked softly, "Does it have something to do with this?"

Cordy pulled away and glared at Fred.

"Wh-where did you find that?" She demanded. "Behind the infant Tylenol. I wasn't searching. Honest. I promise you. Remember that night when Connor got sick?" Fred asked as she explained how she had come across Cordy's secret.

Cordy nodded.

"Well, Angel told me to find the infant Tylenol so I went into the bathroom and I found that. I-I wasn't searching I promise." She said quickly in an effort to assure Cordy that she was truthfully on her side.

Cordy nodded.

After a minute or so, Fred continued.

"it's Seltrax, right? Is that what you've been using to make the physical pain of your visions go away?" Cordy nodded. She was now crying harder than before.  Fred put her arm around Cordy and gave her another hug.

"It's okay," she said again. "I promise you that everything is going to be all right. You hear me?" Cordy nodded.

"Now whether or not it helps you get rid of the pain, we have to get you-" Just then, Cordy put her hand to her mouth a gulped slightly. Then she began to breath really hard. Fred knew what was going to happen instantly. She put her arm around Cordelia and helped her to face the toilet before it happened.

"It's okay," Fred assured Cordy as she started vomiting, "you're gonna be all right. That's it.  Just relax." Cordy nodded as sweat and tears ran down her face at the same time.

About ten minutes later, Cordy's stomach had calmed down. She was sitting up part way and Fred had her hand on her forehead.

"You feel sort of warm," she concluded. "It's probably from the hotel. Angel always puts the heat on now that Connor seems to be colder at night."

Cordy nodded as she felt herself beginning to feel pain in her head again.

"Like I was saying before," Fred continued as she put her arm around Cordy and helped her to her feet, "we have to get you off the Seltrax. I think I know how.

We also have to get you out of here and back to your own room. Do you think you feel okay enough until we get there?"

Cordy nodded even though her stomach was telling her otherwise.

"All right, come on. I gotcha." Fred helped a very weakened Cordy to her feet and she lead her out of the room.

As they reached the corner and turned to it, Cordy almost collapsed from weakness and nausea.

"It's okay," Fred assured her gently. "It's okay.

We're almost there."

"I can't make it," Cordy said breathlessly. "It hurts too much." "Okay, it's okay," Fred said. "Let's go in here then." She lead Cordy to Connor's room where the girl collapsed thankfully onto the bed next to her son's crib. "There ya go," Fred said as she covered Cordy with a blanket. "You should be okay now. Do you feel any better?" Cordy shook her head. "Not really," she replied as she tried to ignore the pain in her head. Then a thought came to her.

"Fred?" She said as she looked her dead in the eye. "Yeah?" Fred asked as she tore her eyes away from Connor's crib.

"Please don't tell Angel or Wesley or Gunn about this." "I promise," Fred voweled. "Just try and get some rest, okay? Do you still feel sick to your stomach?  You can tell me the truth." Cordy nodded.

"All right," Fred said. "I'll get you a bowl or something. Just hang in there."

Just then, Connor started to fuss a little. "Shh," Fred soothed as she went over to his bassinet, "it's okay, Connor. You're all right." She gently touched Connor's shoulder and the child fell back to sleep.

Just then Angel walked into the room.

"Hey," he said softly, "what are you guys doing in here?" Cordy looked at Fred who in turn looked at Connor's crib, then back at Angel. "Uh, she got sick so I brought her in here," Fred said truthfully. "Visionwise?" Angel asked in concern.

Fred nodded as she made sure that Cordy was covered. "What did you see?" Angel asked Cordy, who was now shivering and crying at the same time. "I-I don't remember," she whispered through her tears. "It hurt too much." "Okay, it's all right," Angel said gently. "There's no pressure." Then he turned to Fred and asked, "Is there anything we can do to help?" "Well I can start an IV to keep her hydrated and I can give her something for the pain. But that's about it." Fred answered truthfully. "The rest just has to run its course." Angel nodded as he sat down on the other side of the bed nad began to stroke Cordy's hair gently. He hated seeing her so helpless and in pain. He wanted to do something for her, but what could he do?

As Fred prepared to start the IV, Cordy started feeling sick again.

"Fred," she said breathlessly.

"Yeah?" Fred asked, looking up from what she was doing. "Are you okay? What's the matter?"

Cordy couldn't answer her because she was beginning to feel really queasy.

After Fred finished putting the medicine in, Cordy closed her head and tried to ignore the sick feeling in her stomach and the pain in her head.

"Hey what's going on?" Lorne asked as he came into the room. "I was looking for a pack of playing cards and I-" He stopped when he saw Cordy's condition.

"What's the matter with her?" He asked as he sat down in a chair next to the window. "She looks like she has a bad case of food poisioning."

"Something like that," Fred replied as she sat next to Cordy and tried to keep her calm.

TO BE CONTINuED….

~ The End ~