"Miss Wendy, I don't feel very good."
"Miss Wendy, my blanket fell off again!"
"Wendy! Would you please bring me my tea!"
"Miss Wendy! Arthur threw up on my schoolwork!"
Wendy ran from room to room, her arms full of cleaning supplies, medicine, and other sudden necessities. She focused on getting to the next task to keep herself from collapsing on the ground in a fit of hysteria. Half of the people in the children's home were sick, including Mrs. Hinsdale, who was somehow needier than all the other boys put together. The woman had stayed in her bed all day, moaning and wailing and requiring much more of Wendy's attention than she wanted to give. Apparently they had all eaten some expired pudding the night before, and the consequences were severe. Wendy was supposed to have left an hour ago to make it to the tournament in Neverland, but if she had left she almost certainly would have lost her job.
It might have been manageable if only the boys who weren't sick would behave. It seemed they were taking advantage of the chaos to carry out their most mischievous plans. Eugene and Zachary had poured all the flour out on the kitchen floor and were making snow angels in it. Oliver was attempting to ride Nana through the halls, and Trevor was trying to make rockets fly out of the washing machine.
"But Miss Wendy, why can't I use the washer? It has the perfect launching mechanism!"
Wendy didn't have time to answer. Someone was knocking at the front door. She gave a quick scold to Eugene and Zachary as she walked through the kitchen and tried to suppress her irritation as she opened the door.
"Peter! What are you doing here?"
"What are you doing here? You were supposed to come to the tournament."
The pained look on his face made Wendy soften a little. "I'm sorry, Peter. Everyone got sick here and I..."
"Who is this?" Demanded Mrs. Hinsdale, appearing behind Wendy at the door.
Oh sure, thought Wendy, she's too sick to leave her bed until just now.
"Oh, this is just my friend Peter..."
"Boyfriend visiting at work, hm? Very unprofessional."
"No, he's not my... this is the first time he's been here."
Suddenly Trevor popped his head around the doorframe. "Peter! It's so good to see you again!" He exclaimed.
Mrs. Hinsdale grunted in displeasure and gave Wendy a severe look as she turned to go up the stairs.
"Make it quick, Miss Darling. There are a multitude of duties awaiting you."
Wendy shooed Trevor back into the house and stepped out to talk to Peter. He was a welcome sight in her hectic day, even though he was intruding on her work.
"Peter, I had planned to leave early and come to the tournament, but things got out of hand."
Peter ran his hands through his hair. "Can you come now? At least you could watch it."
"No, I can't. Half of the house is sick and there's no one else to take care of the boys. If I leave now, I'll lose my job."
"That wouldn't be so bad," said Peter hopefully. "Then you could spend more time in Neverland with me."
Wendy stared at him in disbelief. "It would be very bad, Peter. I've got bills and rent to pay."
Peter furrowed his brows. "I forfeited my chance to win to come and get you. I got disqualified for leaving, and I've never lost a tournament. You should make it up to me."
And that's when Wendy snapped. The pressures of the day had been boiling just beneath the surface of her resolve, but Peter had just pushed her over the edge.
"Who cares about your tournament!" She yelled. "It's all useless anyway! I've got a real life to live and people to take care of and I can't run around playing games all day!"
Peter turned red with anger. "The tournament is real!" He yelled back. "It's integral to Neverland!"
"Neverland is a fantasy! It's a joke. When are you going to grow up?"
Peter released a long breath, then turned and walked quickly down the street. Wendy marched back up the steps and slammed the door. She was so distracted by her conversation with Peter that she almost ran into Trevor.
"Miss Wendy, did Peter come to take you back to Neverland?"
Wendy took a few calming breaths before she responded. "Yes. But I'm not going."
"Why?"
"Because I have to take care of all of you. I have responsibilities."
Trevor pouted. "I wish he would take me to Neverland."
Wendy knelt down to look the little boy in the eyes. "Neverland is a wonderful place, Trevor. I know you had a lot of fun there, but your life is here. Neverland is just like a dream. It's beautiful and exciting, but eventually you have to wake up. Otherwise you'll just fade away and never become someone."
"But I am someone, aren't I?"
Wendy smiled and tousled the boy's red hair. "Yes, you are. You're wonderful. Now will you please go take your rockets out of the washing machine?"
"Yes, Miss Wendy."
Wendy had only a moment of reflection before the pandemonium began again. Nana ran though the kitchen, sending up a cloud of flour, with Oliver chasing after her. She ran after the dog but changed direction when she caught a glimpse of Zachary and Eugene playing in the toilet. She ordered the pair out of the washroom just as she heard sounds of retching coming from upstairs. She wanted to sit down on the floor and cry, but instead she gathered up her supplies and headed up the stairs.
*****
It was past seven o' clock when Mrs. Hinsdale finally emerged from her room again.
"Wendy," she said curtly, "I think I'm well enough to take over. You may go home."
Of course, Wendy thought, she decides she feels better after I've cleaned and sterilized the entire house. But she kept her thoughts to herself and rushed out the door as fast as she could. An Aston Martin was parked in front of the house, and Ethan was leaning against it, looking confident and cheerful.
"Hello, Wendy Darling," he said with an inviting smile. "You're looking absolutely stunning this evening."
Wendy laughed. She was sweaty, covered in flour, and she probably smelled like vomit.
"If you think so," she said doubtfully as she began walking past him.
"Oh, I definitely do," he replied, lightly catching her shoulder and turning her to face him.
Wendy exhaled. "Listen. I have had a horrendous day, I have come in contact with more vomit than I ever imagined possible, and I just want to get as far away from this place as I can right now. What do you want?"
Ethan smiled and raised an eyebrow, completely undeterred by her unfriendly demeanor and unpleasant smell.
"Sounds like you need to have a nice dinner with an irresistible guy. What do you think?"
Wendy stared at him for several seconds, and then began to smile. Maybe it was because she had lost half her senses from running around all day. Maybe it was because she was still mad at Peter. Whatever it was, she found herself accepting Ethan's proposal.
"Okay."