Chapter 3 - Hoping
Everyone was at the hospital now, Bridget had been checked over and was declared fit to go home, Libby had woken up, she had hypothermia and would be in hospital overnight at least but she was going to be okay.
Dan sat by her bedside holding her hand as she slept, Susan and Karl watched from the window relieved she was alright. Ringo, Declan, Donna, Bridget and Rachel all sat in the waiting area. They were waiting but not for anyone to see to them, they were waiting for a phone call… to say that they'd found him, that he was alright but none ever came.
Rachel was leaning on Ringo's shoulder, her eyes red from crying. She was worried, really worried. What if they never found him? What if he was dead? She couldn't lose him; he was the only family she had left. The only thing that stopped her from losing it was the hope he might still be alive, that they would find him…
"I can't take this anymore" Karl screamed breaking the anxious silence. "I can't stand him being out there all alone, maybe even injured and no one's doing anything about it!"
With that he stormed out the hospital, grit determination etched upon his face.
***
He found the police at the riverbank; they had resumed their search for Zeke. He joined one team as the set off along the riverbanks heading further down the stream. The police hadn't really agreed to Karl coming along but he hadn't given them much choice.
"What if he's injured?" Karl had asked, "What would you do then?"
Seeing as he was the only doctor there, they couldn't argue with that and let him come along.
***
Several hours later as they traipsed further and further down the river the leader let out a shout, and with that they all went running.
What he had seen was a good way away and it took them time to reach it, scrambling over rocks and trees.
But when they did Karl saw that it was a lifeless body lying face down in the mud, blood covering almost every inch of it.
"Zeke…" he choked.
