It Only Hurts to Breathe
by gengen0776
Author's note:
This is the parallel 4th story to Blood Bonds in Bambers2's Angels and Demons series. Thanks to B for letting me play in her sandbox and of course Kripke too!
Chapter 1:
Becca Sinclair crouched beside two of her fellow Brethren members as they followed a man they suspected of being the werewolf,
Becca Sinclair crouched beside two of her fellow Brethren members as they followed a man they suspected of being the werewolf, terrorizing a small town just outside Charlotte, North Carolina. Becca ignore the slight twinge in her chest as her heart protested the pace they'd been forced to keep as they tailed the man. She was used to these pains, they'd become a common occurrence over the past year.
"D'ya think he's really ar man?" Luke Derringer whispered from beside her. He was close enough that she could feel his breath on her cheek.
"It's what the research tells us," she replied, trying to keep her voice from hitching as another spasm clutched at her chest. Her vision blurred slightly as the spasm finally let up and she struggled to concentrate on what Luke was saying.
"'Cause I gotta tell ya this is about as interesting as watchin' paint…" Luke's voice trailed off as his brow furrowed with concern. "Darlin', are ya feelin' alright?" he asked, the slight Irish lilt in his voice becoming more pronounced as his worry mounted.
"Y-yeah, I-I'm fine," Becca managed, her voice carrying more strength than she felt, forcing a grin to her pale features as her vision thankfully cleared. "Almost nodded off." Luke eyed her for a long moment not liking the stark contrast of her bright red hair against her pale skin. He knew something was wrong, but whenever he asked she always brushed him off.
"Guys, he's on the move," Jamie, their other companion, one of the youngest Brethren members, pointed out, nodding towards the man who was now running into a wooded area on the edge of town. The three Brethren members took off after him keeping a safe distance between them as they continued to survey the man.
Becca stopped short after a few feet as the pain in her chest hit her again, this time feeling like her heart was being pressed in a vice. Luke hurried to her side as she struggled to catch her breath. She watched breathlessly as Jamie continued after the man.
"Darlin?" Luke questioned, crouching down to meet her pained gaze. "Doncha try ta tell me it's nothin' this time," he warned as a pained howl erupted from the direction Jamie had trailed their man, followed by a terrified woman's scream.
"I-I'm…I'll be…f-fine…g-go help J-Jamie," Becca managed through gasped breaths. "W-we have t-ta get this g-guy ton-night…it's our l-last c-chance for a m-month…g-go!" she added when Luke hesitated.
Becca watched as Luke raced away after Jamie and the werewolf. When he was out of sight she slumped to the ground, clutching her chest as her heart continued to constrict painfully. She made a conscious effort to breath as her vision blurred and she struggled to stay conscious. This wasn't normal, her heart wasn't supposed to do this, not anymore. The pain eased slightly in her chest and she willed her body to relax as she took a few shaky breaths.
Slowly, she rolled onto her knees, pausing a moment to catch her breath again, before making a move to stand. After a few breaths she pushed up shakily to her feet, swaying as she blinked several times in an attempt to clear her vision. Still unsteady on her feet, she took a faltering step toward a nearby tree, needing the support it offered. Exhausted by just these few steps, Becca leaned heavily against the tree, barely noticing its jagged bark as is dug into her arm.
Just as she thought she'd caught her breath and began to stand a little straighter, her heart was wracked with another painful contraction. Becca felt her knees buckle and tried to blink away the spots blurring her vision as she fought to take a breath. As she slid down the side of the tree trunk, she tried to take solace in the pained howl coming from the direction Luke and Jamie had taken, knowing it meant that they'd killed the werewolf and the world was a little safer now for it. She heard Luke cry out her name moments later, but he sounded far away as the darkness crept in around her.
"Becca!" Luke cried out as he spotted her slumped against a tree near where he'd left her. His heart leapt into his throat when she didn't respond, didn't even move. "C'mon darlin' open those beautiful eyes," he whispered, falling to his knees beside her. When she still didn't respond his panic amplified. He gently lifted her chin from where it lolled against her chest. "Becs?"
Nervously, Jamie crouched beside his fallen friend. He gingerly brought his finger to Becca's neck, checking for a pulse. "H-her pulse is weak," Jamie breathed, his worried eyes meeting Luke's.
"Becs…c'mon baby…d-don't do this," Luke breathed, cupping her face in his hands, he tenderly kissed her lips. "W-we need you…I-I n-need you."
"T-tired," came Becca's breathy whisper.
"I-I know darlin'…b-but you gotta st-stay with me," Luke stammered, as a small smile crept to Becca's lips. "I-I l-love—"
"N-no…d-don't," interrupted Becca's pained whisper, any traces of a smile erased. "J-Jax…d-don't…" Becca's eyes fluttered but didn't open. "
W-who's Jax?"
"S-sunsh-shine," she murmured softly. Luke looked questioningly at Jamie, but Jamie looked just as lost as he did. "H-hurts," Becca moaned as her hand flew to her heart. "C-can't…br-brea—" her words were punctuated by gasping breaths before cutting off abruptly as her back arched.
"Becs! No, Becs! C'mon now darlin' breath for me!" Luke scooped Becca up into his arms and carried her quickly to the car. "Jamie, you drive…w-we gotta get her to the hospital," he called over his shoulder. Tears burned his eyes as Becca's head lolled against his chest as her body went limp in his arms. "Please baby, hang on." He slid into the backseat of his electric blue Camaro and handed the keys to Jamie as the younger member leaned in to close the door. Luke was faintly reassured when he heard Becca moan softly, realizing she was breathing again, for the moment.
"W-where's the nearest hospital?" Jamie asked, trying to mask the obvious fear in his voice as he turned the key in the ignition and the car roared to life.
"J-just head towards Charlotte," Luke instructed from the backseat, holding tightly to Becca as she began to gasp again. "I-I'm sure I s-saw a sign on our way inta town." Luke struggled to keep his emotions in check as he watched the woman he loved fight for breath. He wished he could give her CPR but there was no room and he refused to waste time stopping, when he was sure the hospital was so close.
Within five minutes, they were pulling up at the emergency doors of a hospital on the outskirts of Charlotte. Jamie flew out of the car and rushed to open the back door for Luke, before rushing ahead into the ER leaving the car behind him with the doors flung wide open. "WE NEED SOME HELP!" he shouted as Luke rushed up behind him with Becca's wilting form.
"Please, s-she's not b-breathing," Luke managed as a doctor and two nurses rushed toward them with a gurney. He gently eased Becca onto the bed and watched as the doctor and one of the nurses rushed toward the nearest room, while the second nurse stayed behind and began asking Luke and Jamie questions.
"Sir, I need you to tell me what happened," the nurse prompted as Luke stared after Becca.
"No breath sounds!" he heard the doctor call. "Commencing, CPR."
"Sir, please, it'll be easier to help your friend if we know what happened," the nurse insisted, placing a comforting hand on Luke's shoulder.
"I-I don't know…s-she was having a h-hard time c-catchin' her breath—"
"Was she engaged in physical activity at the time?" The nurse cut in.
"W-we were j-jogging in the w-woods," Jamie explained when Luke's attention was pulled back to the commotion now taking place around Becca.
"Charging paddles to 250," someone called, just before they were placed on Becca's, now unclothed, chest. He watched as Becca's back arched off the gurney, before falling limply back down.
"S-she had a pain in her chest, but she…she said she was f-fine…told us ta continue," Jamie continued to explain when Luke failed to jump in.
"She's flat lining!" A voice called and Jamie rushed to lace an arm around Luke's waist as his friend's knees buckled.
Jamie quickly eased his friend into the nearest seat as he continued to give the non-supernatural version of what had happened to Becca.
"When we came back around…w-we found her slumped against a tree, gasping for breath."
"She said her heart hurt," Luke murmured as he remembered how her hand had flown to her heart as she'd said it hurt.
"Does your friend have any heart problems?"
"I-I don't know," Jamie replied, looking to Luke because he knew Becca better than any other member.
"S-she has a s-scar…o-on her ch-chest," Luke replied, his hand trailing across his own chest demonstrating where he knew Becca's scar lay. "I-I don't kn-know what it's f-from she never…" his voice trailed off as he helplessly watched the doctor start to shock Becca again. Tears trailed unchecked down his cheeks as a sob erupted from his lips.
"Thank you, I'll need you to fill out some paperwork after," the nurse stated softly as she patted Jamie's shoulder and hurried off to give the little information she'd been able to glean from the two men to Becca's doctor.
"She'll be all right," Jamie assured, taking the seat next to his friend. "Becca's the strongest person I know." Luke looked up at his friend with sad smile, his eyes still filled with tears and nodded.
"I-I know…s-she is…s-she j-just h-has ta be okay," Luke breathed, forcing back a sob. Jamie squeezed Luke's shoulder in a reassuring gesture as he stood again.
"I'd better go move the car…an' I-I'm gonna go call the others…let them know w-what h-happened…and t-that we k-killed the w-werewolf," Jamie mumbled, no longer feeling the triumph he'd felt when he'd shot the beast. Luke nodded absently to acknowledge his companion's departure as he continued to stare into the ER.
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
"No…she has to be okay," Sam murmured as he slept in the passenger seat of the Impala. "She can't die…don't let her die!" he called out, causing Jax to send a worried glance his friend's way.
Jax reached out and gently shook Sam worried he might startle Sam awake and that could definitely have some bad consequences. "Sam," he called softly, trying to rouse his friend from what seemed to be a nightmare. "S'ok, man it's just a dream."
Sam's eyes snapped open and his bewildered gaze flitted around the Impala's interior as he remembered where he was. The dream had been so vivid and he could still feel Luke's pain as though it were his own. "J-Jax?" his voice was a hoarse whisper as his gaze came to rest on his driving companion. "I-is it my turn ta drive?"
"Nah, I still got about an hour," Jax assured, thoroughly enjoying his time behind the Impala's wheel. He wondered, momentarily, what Dean would say if he saw him, driving his old car, but pushed that thought to the back of his mind. "Sounded like you were havin' one hellova nightmare there, buddy," Jax proclaimed with a lopsided grin. "Everything okay?"
Sam sighed as he replayed the dream in his mind. "I-It was just so vivid," he mumbled, without meeting Jax's quizzical gaze.
"What was it about?"
"There w-was this g-girl, Bec—"
"Y-you had a dream about B-becca?"
"It's probably not YOUR Becca," Sam argued. There was no reason to tell Jax about his past premonitions; he hadn't had one in over a year. The logical explanation was the power of suggestion. Sam knew Jax's friend, Becca, was in trouble and his subconscious mind had used that fact on which to base his dream. "Just my subconscious playing tricks, man."
"W-what'd she look like?" Jax pressed, apparently not sharing Sam's view on the subject. Jax refused to leave anything to chance. If Sam had a dream about Becca it could be important.
"Dude, seriously."
"Jus' humor me, would ya," Jax insisted. Heaving a heavy sigh, Sam closed his eyes and concentrated on his dream Becca's face.
"S-she had bright red hair," Sam mumbled, feeling the car jerk to the side as he heard Jax's short intake of breath. Opening his eyes, Sam saw Jax clutching tightly to the steering wheel as his gaze darted from the road ahead to Sam and back again. "B-but I think you'd told me that you called her, Red." Sam reasoned again. He watched as Jax's grip relaxed slightly on the steering wheel as he considered Sam's logic.
"Okay, what color were her eyes?" Jax asked, glancing Sam's way again. "I'm sure I didn't tell ya that."
Again, Sam closed his eyes and pictured the girl as her gaze had met Luke's. He hadn't noticed it earlier, but her eyes were two different colors. "O-one brown, o-one b-blue," he replied hesitantly, starting to believe that Jax might be right, that this had been more than just a dream his subconscious had created from random facts in his mind. The car jerked again and Sam's eyes snapped open as he gripped the dashboard.
"Y-you saw her dyin', didn't ya?" Jax demanded as he quickly returned his attention to the road. He swerved back into the right lane, barely missing an oncoming car. "I-I heard ya say d-don't let her die," he added when Sam hesitated to respond. "I-is she d-dead? Are w-we too later?"
"Look man, maybe you should pull over and lemme drive," Sam suggested, without answering Jax's questions.
Jax complied, pulling over to the shoulder and cutting the engine. He scrubbed his hand across his face, a movement so Deanlike that Sam's breath caught momentarily in his throat. "T-tell me," Jax whispered, his eyes glistening with unshed tears as his gaze met Sam's.
Sam's heart broke for the younger hunter as he replied, "I-it didn't look good," he confessed, watching an expression of utter defeat and despair color his friend's features. "S-she was in the hospital t-though…they were workin' on her w-when I woke up…I'm s-sure she'll be fine." Sam was trying to sound reassuring, but his words seemed hollow even to him as his hand came to rest on the passenger door handle of the Impala. "C-mon it's my turn ta drive." With that he opened the door and it gave its familiar creaked as it swung open and he got out of the car.
Jax didn't move as Sam circled the back of the car to the driver's side door. Sam sighed as he opened the door, wishing there were something he could say to reassure his friend, but knowing there was nothing. He waited as Jax disembarked from the car; his shoulders slumped in defeat as he realized he'd lost another person he loved. "S-she can't d-die Sam…s-she just can't." Jax slowly circumnavigated the front of the car and slumped into the passenger seat, quietly pulling the door closed as Sam slid into the driver's seat and adjusted the mirrors.
"You really love this girl, don't ya?" Sam asked, leaving the second part of the question unspoken. If Jax loved this girl so deeply, why wasn't he with her? Jax nodded, gazing out the passenger window as Sam started the Impala and pulled back onto the road. "Didn't figure ya for a 'One true love' kinda guy," Sam pressed, knowing it would do his friend no good to spend hundreds of miles worrying about something, over which, he had no control.
"It's a long story," Jax mumbled, his voice distant as he continued to stare out the window.
"Well, I got a few hundred miles."
"Ta understand why she means so much ta me...I-I gotta start at the beginnin'…I gotta start with my M-mom."
"Like I said man, I got nothin' but time," Sam encouraged, ticking his gaze to steal a look at Jax, unsure if his friend would 'share and care' as Dean liked to call it.
Taking a shaky breath, Jax began, "My earliest memory is of my mother cryin'. Don't know if it's real or made up but somehow it seems fittin'… Sometimes I wonder if she is still cryin'."
TBC
End Notes:
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