"Cameron? Cameron!"
Kirsten's voice cracked as she hovered over Cameron's still body. The flatline of the AKG monitor seemed to echo around her head and taunted her. She was vaguely aware of the water rolling down her stitch suit and dropping onto the floor.
"Clear! C'mon Cameron!" Ayo's voice was distant as she charged the paddles and Kelsey tried to keep oxygen going.
"Kirsten, you need to move. Let Ayo help him," Camille was next to her, murmuring in her ear and trying to pull her from Cameron. Kirsten fought her off, an animalistic anger running through her veins.
He has to wake up. He promised.
Ayo was shouting orders, Linus looked sick, and Maggie stood away from the crowd with a grim set to her mouth. Kirsten still fought Camille off until large arms wrapped around her waist and she realized Tim the engineer was hauling her away.
"I'm sorry," he rumbled. Kirsten found herself allowing him to pull her to the corner Camille had retreated to, watching the chaos. Cameron was still flatlining and Kirsten knew that if he didn't get his heart started soon, Ayo would be forced to call it and there would be no more fighting.
Suddenly, Kirsten turned her head and Les Turner came into her view. He stood behind Maggie, watching the scene with a blank expression. It struck Kirsten as wrong that he was here, watching them fight to bring Cameron back. He wasn't part of their world they forged in the underground lab. He was an outsider and he was the reason Cameron had injected himself and stopped his heart.
He was the reason Cameron had stopped his heart.
Kirsten felt a white hot fury fill her, something she'd never felt before. Her eyes narrowed on Les Turner and she felt herself wrench herself out of Tim's grasp and march up to the director.
"You made him do it," she hissed dangerously. Turner eyed her approach with the same blank expression he had watching Cameron dying and it sent another spark of anger down Kirsten's spine. How could he stand there and act like nothing was happening, that the most important person on their team was fighting a losing battle and it was because of him.
"Kirsten…" Maggie warned.
"You were the one who made him do it! You told him he had to protect us! You manipulated him and now he could die because of you!" She found herself screaming in his face with the pent up anger surging through her body.
"Cameron did what he felt was necessary to save this program. He is a hero and his sacrifice will not be overlooked Kirsten," Turner said. To everyone's astonishment, Kirsten's hand flashed from her side and backhanded Turner across the face.
"Kirsten!" Maggie bellowed. Turner reeled back, clutching his face and Maggie caught him. Camille and Linus grabbed Kirsten's arms and hauled her away from Turner.
"Cameron is twice the man you'll ever be. And if you think that I or any of us will stay with this program if something happens to him, you're dreaming," Kirsten hissed. Turner's eyes blazed, his cheek beginning to swell. In the back of her mind, Kirsten could almost hear a voice that vaguely sounded like Cameron asking if she had a death wish.
Her and Turner engaged in a stare off that would have shaken anyone else, but Kirsten held her ground. Finally, Turner spun on his heel and marched towards the elevator. The lab was tense with both the knowledge of what had just transpired and the circumstances with Cameron.
Suddenly the lab was filled with a sound that made everyone scramble towards the corpse cassette with their hearts beating faster.
The sound of Cameron's heartbeat.
Kirsten was the first at his side, hesitantly fluttering her hands around his face while Ayo and Kelsey began flying into action to stabilize him.
"Cameron? Cameron can you hear me? Cameron," Kirsten began to chant. Camille and Linus grabbed each other's hands and squeezed as they waited for Ayo's clearance.
"We need to move him to the med bay for proper care," Ayo ordered. In an instant Tim and Alex from Sub-Bio were at the Corpse Cassette while Kelsey pushed a gurney from the bay next to them. They carefully lifted Cameron onto the bed and Ayo followed them with the heart monitor. Kirsten began to move when she realized she was still in her stitch suit. She glanced at Cameron's retreating body before deciding that hovering wasn't going to wake him up sooner and she could spare some time to change.
She started for her clothes, discarded by the fish tank in her rush to Stitch, when she realized her sweater was drenched from her rush to get to Cameron. She didn't have another shirt to change into and Camille's clothes barely fit her. She was prepared to stay in the stitch suit when she nearly slipped on something on the floor. Her breath caught when she saw it was Cameron's stone grey button up he'd been wearing all day. She knew Tim and Alex had ripped it off of Cameron when they had been preparing him for the stitch. She glanced around the lab before reaching down and grabbing it.
When she put it on she was immediately surrounded by the smell of his cologne. It was a mild scent that had always surrounded his apartment when she went over there for dinner or those dumb shows he always made her watch with him. It sent a feeling of peacefulness that only Cameron could give her through her body and everything that had happened the past few days were sent to the back of her mind. Pulling her hair-tie out of her hair and shaking out the long blonde tresses, she made her way to the medical bay.
Ayo was hovering over Cameron's bedside, checking his pulse and setting his IV drip. His face was smooth and Kirsten was almost startled not to see his signature smirk in place. They were able to pull another of his button ups from his locker that she knew he kept for long nights at the office and put it on, keep it unbuttoned if anything were to happen again. His scar was prominent against his chest and Kirsten knew from the first time she had seen him, he wouldn't like his biggest insecurity on display for everyone.
I had heart surgery.
The memory of what she'd seen in Cameron's head flashed before her eyes. The ten and eight year old versions of themselves in the hospital, his small hand on the crook of her elbow and his blue eyes sincere as he made a promise that he knew wasn't his to make.
It'll be okay Kirsten. Trust me.
"How is he?" she asked Ayo, trying to dispel the memory. The corners of Ayo's mouth turned up but barely.
"He's stable but it's hard to say when he'll wake up. Could be hours, could be days." Kirsten nodded and began to pull up a chair to the side of the bed when Ayo called her name.
"I'm sorry. About the potassium chloride. I should have known he'd try something with you all trying to ID that car and him having seen something...I just… I don't think I wanted to believe he'd do it…" Ayo's guilt was plain on her face and Kirsten felt the stirrings of her own regret for her part in Cameron's stunt.
When are you going to trust me? I mean really trust me?
"It's okay, Ayo," she said. Ayo nodded and disappeared out of the door while Kirsten turned back to Cameron and waited.
Now that she wasn't frantically trying to bring Cameron back, her brain brought forth the memories she had seen when she stitched Cameron. The morning after the first stitch in his apartment when she had woken up in a strange place feeling like she'd been hit by a bus and she'd been annoyed by his cheerfulness and lack of embarrassment about sleeping in the same bed with someone he hardly knew. Cameron had felt a sense of amusement and even a hint of protectiveness when she'd appeared.
When she'd bounced from the very first stitch and she'd made her way towards him, she had felt his hesitation and confusion marked with fear that something had happened to his new stitcher. When she'd run her hand down his face, he'd felt a thrill of anticipation mixed with confusion. And the kiss. At that point his confusion had melted into a warm bubbly feeling that Kirsten seemed to feel expand in her chest until her memory self collapsed and the fear mixed with the same protective instinct made him catch and cradle her gently.
Everywhere she was pulled was with her and the same bubbly feeling accompanied the varied frustrations and amusements Cameron felt around her as that first stitch. Until it came to her and Liam. At that point the bubbly feeling was gone and Kirsten felt as if her heart would break from the ache she felt watching the memory her kiss Liam and walk past Cameron. It was strong and made her want to catch her breath. And then it was the night of Mia's gala and when he'd placed the stone in her hands, the bubbly feeling was back and stronger than ever.
I didn't know. I'm everywhere.
That was the reality. Kirsten was every recent memory Cameron had. Even in the memory of Barbiero, he'd been focused on getting inside where she was waiting.
Is this what love is? Intense connection and then heartbreaking loss?
The question she'd posed to Cameron after Lily's murder when the residual emotion was hitting her hard and she'd been confused about what she was feeling. He'd simply quirked an eyebrow and told her if she figured it out to let him know.
I need to keep you safe.
The feel of her arms around him, trying to hold him up. The fear she had in her eyes when the realization of what he'd done hit her. She felt that and Cameron's determination to prove that she could trust him to protect her. There wasn't a hint of fear in him however. Facing the certainty of death, Cameron had only concern for her.
I can't risk you.
You're pretty remarkable.
Trust me.
"Kirsten?"
Kirsten jolted out of her stupor to see Camille and Linus standing in the doorway holding Kirsten's messenger bag and a bag from her favorite sandwich shop. They'd changed and Kirsten checked her phone only to realize she'd been sitting beside Cameron for close to six hours.
"We brought you some clothes and shower stuff," Camille explained,holding out the bag. Kirsten realized that her roommate knew she wouldn't consider going home with Cameron still under. She felt herself smile and stand to grab the bag of stuff before heading to the locker room for a shower.
When she'd returned freshly showered and in new clothes, she saw Camille had vacated her spot and opted for the seat on the other side next to Linus.
"Anything?" she asked. Linus shook his head.
"Ayo checked him over and said he's doing okay, but it's anyone's guess when he'll wake up." Kirsten took her place next to Cameron's bedside and they waited in silence.
"He thought I hated him," Linus said suddenly. Camille and Kirsten looked at him in mild confusion and Linus collapsed against the back of his chair, rubbing at his face.
"I got so jealous when he started training Camille and I...I said really bad stuff to him." Linus' eyes began to water, "He...he died thinking I hated him."
"He knew you didn't hate him, Linus," Camille soothed, rubbing his shoulder. He nodded but didn't look very convinced. There was another lapse in conversation as they watched Cameron's chest rise and fall steadily.
"I don't want to stitch again," Camille said suddenly. This time the eyes trained on her.
"Why not? I thought you liked it," Linus asked. Camille pulled her legs up on to the chair.
"Because I realized what me stitching meant tonight. It meant Cameron wasn't able to and nothing can keep that boy from this lab...I realized that if I have to stitch again, then that means something else happened to Cameron and I can't do another night like this one." Camille's voice trembled slightly at the end and Kirsten knew that, despite her usual sarcasm and tough exterior, the night's events had shaken her roommate to the core.
They had all almost lost one of their own that night. Kirsten realized that what Maggie had been preaching for so long was wrong. She wasn't what kept the program from falling apart: Cameron was.
"If you think that I or any of us will stay with this program if something happens to him, you're dreaming."
Her words to Les Turner echoed in her mind and she realized how dead on she had been. She knew for a fact that her, Camille, and Linus would have never stepped foot in the lab again if the night had gone in a different direction. There was no Stitchers without Cameron.
"Are you gonna stay here?" Camille asked her. Kirsten nodded.
"I'm gonna head to the house to grab some sleep. Let me know if anything changes, okay?" Kirsten nodded again and Camille leaned over Cameron, squeezing his hand.
"Hey Wonder Boy, this whole Sleeping Beauty thing is a little annoying, so feel free to wake up so I can hit you, kay?" she whispered softly. Kirsten grinned for the first time all night as Linus and Camille left and she was once again alone. Realizing she was nearing a full day without sleep, she grabbed one of the extra blankets and pillows Ayo had stocked the med bay with, curled up as much as she could in the stiff chair, and closed her eyes.
The sound of Linus' quiet voice pulled her from her dreamless sleep. She shifted, feeling her muscles ache from the contorted position she'd slept in before opening her eyes.
"What time is it?" she rasped, her throat coated from sleep.
"It's ten. We just got here about twenty minutes ago," Linus explained.
"Along with our good friends caffeine and carbs," Camille sang thrusting a large coffee and maple bar at Kirsten. The blonde's stomach rumbled and she eagerly took the doughnut.
"Anything?" she asked after taking a sip of her drink.
"Ayo says his blood pressure's back to normal, but she's nervous about long-term. Did you know about his heart condition?" Linus asked. Kirsten cocked her head.
"Yeah… he told me when...wait you didn't know?" she asked. Linus shook his head.
"He's never brought it up. I didn't even notice the scar until Ayo brought it up this morning," he explained. Kirsten sat back a little.
He hadn't even told Linus. His best friend had no idea about the surgery. She was the only one he'd ever told and it suddenly made Kirsten feel something odd in her stomach.
"Linus, I know you might have a ton of questions but-"
"Hey," he stopped her gently, noticing her distress, "I wasn't going to ask until he brought it up. I figured if he hadn't told anyone about it, it wasn't a very pleasant experience." Kirsten sent him a grateful look.
"So… you never told us what was going on in that stitch yesterday. What did you mean you were 'everywhere'?" Camille asked. Kirsten weighed her answer.
Her thoughts turned to her musings last night. She had felt strong emotion in every memory, but the one most prominent was the weird bubbly sensation he'd felt. It had seemed to grow stronger with each memory that progressed. And the night in the hospital. When they'd met and she hadn't even remembered it.
But Cameron didn't have Temporal Dysplasia. He had no explanation for why he'd never mentioned their meeting before.
"I was…" Kirsten began to tell Camille and Linus everything about the Stitch when the rustle of sheets beside them made them all whirl around to stare at the invalid man in the bed.
Kirsten stood abruptly and leaned over Cameron, watching for any signs of him waking up. Sure enough, his hand twitched and his face began to contort.
"Get Ayo now!" she ordered the others. She heard Linus run out the door, frantically calling for the nurse as she grabbed ahold of his hand.
"Cameron? Can you hear me? Cameron, you're at the lab. Wake up," she urged. Camille seemed to be holding her breath as Ayo and Linus raced back into the room.
"Keep telling him to wake up Kirsten," Ayo encouraged, eyeing the monitor carefully for spikes. Kirsten continued to call his name.
"Squeeze my hand if you can hear me, Cameron," she said. It was a tense few seconds until she felt the lightest pressure on her fingers and her face split into a grin.
"Yes, Cameron I felt that. Just open your eyes now," she urged. The four of them waited, holding their breath until Cameron's face screwed up for a brief moment and his eyes fluttered open.
Camille gasped and Linus whooped quietly, taking the time to grab Camille in a hug and squeeze tightly, their euphoria evident. Even Ayo smiled as she watched the heart monitor gently increase and decrease again as Cameron took in the room around him. His eyes fell on Kirsten and she found herself grinning.
"Welcome back, Girlfriend," she teased.
Alright, I'm back. I've just recently gotten into the ABC Family show Stitchers (which if you haven't seen, I highly suggest checking it out On Demand) and to get over that heart stopping finale (see what I did there? ;D) I wrote it out. This will most likely be at least a two shot because the writing bug comes and goes for me and I can't dedicate myself to a multi-chap at this time. Thank you to my readers for all your support. PLEASE REVIEW but also remember that I am human and if you didn't like what you read, keep it to yourself. Flames and derogatory comments are not tolerated. ~Brooke
