I don't own Haven and never will. No copyright infringement intended.
When they reluctantly pulled William back and he and Mara disappeared, Nathan rushed to Jennifer's side and started performing CPR. He had doubts that it could work, but he was going to try his hardest. He wouldn't let her go without a fight. It was obvious Duke was dying, but Dwight was taking care of him so Nathan tried not to worry about him (it wasn't easy at all). He jumped back in shock when Jennifer's eyes opened and she started to cough. "Holy shit."
"Is she okay?" Dwight asked.
"I think so! You okay, Jennifer?" He was glad he was able to do this, even if the woman he loved was lost to him.
She nodded. "Hurts, but okay," she murmured. Jennifer had no clue why she was still alive, but she had seen things that needed to be shared.
"Good." Nathan sighed in relief just as Duke collapsed. After making sure Jennifer stayed where she was, he bolted to his best friend's side just as Mara reappeared. "Don't hurt him!"
Mara scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Don't worry. You got me William back." No one was exactly sure what she did, but Mara put her hand on Duke's forehead and suddenly he was fine. She disappeared before they could ask what she did.
"Jennifer?" Duke stared at his girlfriend.
"Uh, surprise?" Jennifer laughed and immediately regretted it as she started coughing. "I think you broke some ribs bringing me back, Nathan."
"Sorry."
"Don't apologize – I'd be dead if you hadn't done anything. So now we need to get Audrey back."
"How are we supposed to do that? Sending William through the portal nearly killed you," Dwight pointed out. He wasn't in favor of that plan again since it had been hard enough the first time.
"I have no idea. Can we go home? Both of us just nearly died." Duke just wanted to sleep (and maybe tell Jennifer how he felt about her).
Nathan shook his head. "You both should go to the hospital just in case. I'm worried." Nathan wasn't about to back down. Both of them were his friends, even though he didn't know Jennifer very well.
Dwight and Nathan helped them – both Duke and Jennifer were weak – to the car and then drove to the hospital. William and Mara were nowhere to be seen, a fact that both relieved and scared them. No one was up to fighting with them at the moment; especially after all they had been through. The doctors admitted both Jennifer and Duke overnight just to keep an eye on them.
"Can we share a room?" Duke asked. He didn't want to let her out of his sight, especially with Mara and William on the loose. They were already creating chaos, and this definitely wasn't going to end well.
"Fine." The doctor eyed them both and then walked out of the room.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Jennifer really didn't think so, but she was trying to give Duke the benefit of the doubt.
He nodded and immediately regretted it. "I'm one hundred percent fine. What about you?" That was a lie, but she didn't need to know that.
She didn't buy it at all. "Don't lie to me or turn this around. You nearly died too."
Duke honestly didn't know what he'd do if he had actually lost her. "Fine. I feel like shit."
"I feel the same so I guess we're two peas in a pod. Or whatever the saying is. Anyway, we need to figure out a way to stop Mara and William. We need to get our Audrey back."
"Stay in that bed and don't you dare think of going anywhere. We will, but let Nathan and Duke handle this for now. Worry about yourself."
Jennifer stared at him. "What are you thinking about? You're hiding something."
He looked down at his bed and played with the sheets for a few seconds before looking up. "You scared me, Jen. And it made me realize how I feel about you. I know it's fast, but I'm in love with you."
She gaped at him before recovering. "Wow. I don't know how it happened this quickly, but I love you too, Crocker."
He smiled at her. "If I could move, I'd kiss you."
She laughed, which caused her to wince. Despite the situation, she was actually pretty happy (and really worried). "Well, that's nice because I'm not moving either. I don't really have the energy."
"What a pair we are." Duke couldn't wait until Haven's latest issue was resolved. He wanted to be with her without have to worry about what chaos could rain down on them next.
"I'd high-five you, but again, I can't." She yawned and then closed her eyes.
Duke watched her sleep for a few minutes before the pain medication took affect and he too fell asleep. Nathan and Dwight stopped in for a quick visit and then headed back out to find Mara and William. It wasn't easy since the two were causing a lot of problems but were in hiding.
Duke and Jennifer were released the next morning, but ordered to take it easy. They tried to resist that order to help, but Nathan refused to let leave. "You will stay here and if I find out otherwise, we'll kick your asses. We don't care how sick you are. So stay here. If William and Mara show up, call us. We'll be here as fast as we can."
Duke sulked – he was pretty pissed they had to sit this one out, but Nathan was probably right. Neither of them was up to do much of anything. So he and Jennifer sat down to watch TV and waited impatiently for news.
Getting Audrey back wasn't going to be easy and they all knew it. Mara was in control now and she wasn't going to lose control. William would make sure of it. Haven was definitely in trouble and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it.
They were all well and truly fucked.