Fight!! Fight!! Come on wake up… Wake up now… I screamed to my body. My body under my control was failing me. The chloroform was stronger. Jared was my only hope now; Jared was the only one that could have saved her. Was she already gone, I couldn't feel her in me but was she…. The intensity of the unspoken word ripped through me threatening to halt my breathing. No, you stupid fool, stop she's not dead I yelled at my body as it responded to my fears. Jared has never failed me; he won't fail me now, not now… Fight dam you, fight wake up already. Get this nightmare over with. I could feel my limbs beginning to stir.
"Hey baby, I'm right here, open your eyes for me. Please Mel, please open your eyes. You have to still be there… I can't lose you. Not now, please.
The heat was the first thing that my body responded to as his lips came to rest in the crock of my neck. Calm washed over me as he's breath twirl on my skin. I was alive.
I was back were I had always been where I always wanted to be. I began to feel the rest of my body respond to him. I felt my lips curl into a smile, my body still felt too heavy but the restraints of the chloroform were beginning to lift. Lost and found somewhere out of time, in a place where he and I were the whole universe, I lazily awoke.
Someone touched my eyes, not him no I knew his touch, someone else was touching me. A light hit one of my eyes, making it hurt and water.
"Cut that out, damn it, cut it out now" I heard my voice say, as my arm rose to bat the intruders offensive touch out of the way.
Mel, oh Mel… I love you… Jarred chanted over Doc "Feisty, not at all like Wanda are you."
"Wanda" the word exploded into my mind and destroyed the peaceful serenity of his presence; there could be no peace, no joy, no happy reunions now. The nightmare became real one more time.
Jarred, my voice broke as I said his name, my voice, my thoughts, my body, my reactions; me I was here an I was with him. The dream universe began to envelop me again. "Stop you fool" I heard my mind screaming at the body that demanded to re-enter our private universe.
Jarred, I tried one more time. Did you get it? Did you manage to save her?
My eyes were focusing on him now; the happiness that seemed to emirate from his eyes seemed out of place on his battle wary mask. I had seen the mask before; he wore it whenever danger was near, whenever protecting Jamie and I was more important then being himself. In those moments, he was all business, focused on a single task, his mind in control of all his emotions, he's reactions, and he was driven to the point of being inhuman, a machine.
The mask stayed on, as his words tried to comfort me, I got her, she's right here, with us, relax Baby, everything is going to work out.
I tried and manage to turn my head in the direction of his gaze, beside him on the floor, perched on top a silvery tank with a red light that glowed in the darkness, Jared's knife was perfectly positioned for easy and deadly access. He wouldn't need to think about where it was, he had placed it so that he could reach for it without the need to think. His expression began to make more sense, he was on guard, he was protecting her.
I looked around the room, as I tried to sit up. In the corner, as far away as was possible in this small space, Jodie and Kyle, his arm still rapped around Sunnys' tank slumbered as if nothing had happened. Doc had retreated to their corner of the room, sheepishly he looked into my eyes. Fury absolute fury sprang from by being giving me the strength to spring to my feet.
You, You stupid fool. What were you thinking? I felt myself moving towards him, fists clenched. How dare you… I was interrupted by one of Jerred's hand over my mouth, the other had wrapped it's self around my waist and was restraining me to his body.
Mel, I heard him respond, Mel you need to calm down, Killing Doc won't solve anything. Besides it probably best if we don't draw too much attention to ourselves right now. Come on Mel, be reasonable, Please. He continued as I struggled against him. Something in his tone suggested that he was amused, as if somehow this reaction was proof that I was me.
I watched Doc's face changed from sorrow to guilt to absolute devastation. His body began to sag and slowly descend to the floor, as if my struggle was wounding him. The rage was more intense now, I wanted him to suffer. He had done this, had created this nightmare, had allowed her irrational stupidity to almost cost her her live. He deserved the pain. If Jarred wouldn't let me hit him, then this would have to do.
If I take my hand away from your mouth do you promise not to scream at him, Jarred asked in a less then serious tone. I could almost hear the chuckle that threatened to escape his lips. Nod one for no and twice for yes. I nodded only once, I was not about to give up so easily, he might thing Doc should get a pass but I didn't.
Mel, I heard him whisper into my ear, "Wouldn't it be more fun to wrestle by ourselves then here in the hospital wing." That did it, I spun around in his arms and glared at him.
His face was amused, almost bursting into a grin. Ah, Mel he whispered, don't be like that. Doc really is sorry, look, he didn't want to do it. It's just that he well he made the promise without really thinking about it. He made a mistake, he wanted the information too much to really thing about the consequences. Please Mel, please be reasonable. Wanda's fine, she's sleeping in her little tank. We'll get her a new body, no harm, no foul. I felt his hand drop from my face and come to rest on my shoulder. He must have seen the change in my expression as the rage began to lessen.
"Couldn't I get just one good kick in", I asked, "you got to punch Kyle."
He rolled his eyes, grabbed me by the back of my neck tilted my face to his and kissed me. The fire was all mine, the heat burned and the desires that overtook me made my toes curl. Our bodies moved in unison, reuniting, remembering, reasserting our commitment to each other.
"Welcome back" he whispered as we broke away.