I'd first like to say thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed my story so far! This is my first public fic, and I'm glad to see it's going well. :)

I do apologize about the ten day wait between Ch. 2 and Ch. 3, but summer classes here at college are winding down, and I have an exam coming up. I've written Ch. 4 for you so soon to hopefully tide you over for a few days while I hunker down and study.

I hope you enjoy Chapter 4, and thanks for reading!

Lydia

Ch. 4

The pain jerked Link out of his unconscious state. He had somehow rolled on to his stomach, still right next to to his car. His face had apparently smashed itself into the cold parking lot concrete, leaving gravel impressions all along the left side of his face.

Though groggily awake now, Link felt as though he has been cemented to the ground itself. His limbs felt as heavy as his car, and his neck was unwilling to support his bruised head. Small curses escaped Link's lips as he made a final attempt to move something on his person. His body's lack of response was beginning to make him panic, and he forced his thoughts to move elsewhere in his vulnerable state.

Silently he pleaded, God, why can't I move anything? And... and where's Tracy? Why...? Suddenly, all the past events dropped onto Link an atomic bomb. Adrenaline surged through him at the realization that... no, no I will not think that. She's probably curled up in the back seat right now from fear. Or... maybe she's home by now. Yeah. His arms bent, forcing himself to his knees causing him to feel suddenly light-headed. He had to lean against the cool metal of his car to regain some balance, his aching head using the window as support. Link quickly turned his head to look into the car to reassure himself that she was indeed safe, but his head wasn't ready for such a swift movement yet. Before Link's eyes could focus on the passenger side of the car, he felt the blood drain from his head and his body begin to make a familiar descent to the ever-waiting pavement.

"Trace, remember the Hairspray pageant that Inez won? The look on Von Tussel's face was priceless when she was found out. Remember?" Link touched Tracy's arm as she reached for a napkin across the table.

"Of course! One of the best days of my life, you know." She broadly winked at Link from across the table, as she not-so-discretely ran her toes up his calf.

Penny chirped in, "And I remember this cute guy coming up to you, Trace, and kissin' you like there was no tomorrow. Right on live television too! Who was that guy anyway?" Penny giggled as she put her lollipop back in her mouth.

Tracy hid her laughter as she said, "Some guy, I guess." She let her gaze drift over Link while slowly saying, "He sure did start some fires that day. Some he hasn't been able to put out yet." Link could feel his face grow warm. He looked down at his lap and was surprised at himself. Where had his legs gone?

"Son! Wake up! We need you with us now. Don't go hittin' your head anymore, y' hear?" Link felt as though his head were being pulled out from under miles of water. There was a roaring sound in his ears, yet he could hear some man yelling. He didn't recognize it, but it sure sounded angry, and it really wanted him to wake up. Something pricked his hand and he yelled. Or at least he thought he did. Lately, it seemed his body didn't want to respond to what he told it to do.

A deep male voice chuckled somewhere above him. "Well, he's wakin' up alright. 'Spect some fluids will do him good. Don't know how long he'd been passed out there next to his car, but looks like somethin' bad happened." Another male voiced chimed in, this one sounding much younger, "Think so, huh? Somebody nearby called the police on account they heard some lady scream bloody murder. Take a look at his head there." Link felt his head lift up a few inches, and he was rolled to his side. The deep voice was back, "Ah, that looks like a bad 'un right there." The deep voiced man carefully set him on his back again on the sheet. "Ya think he might've tried to pull some moves o'er some gal? Maybe she didn't want none of it and gave him that wallop there." Both men chuckled at the thought of some little lady getting the best of the athletic young man on the stretcher in front of them.

Link had had enough. He forced his eyes open, and tried to make his mouth form words but all that came out was air. He made an effort to lift his left hand, the one closest to another person, and he let his hand fall on the man's knee. The paramedic's attention suddenly went to Link's face. "Hey, get this guy some water. He's 'wake an' I think he's tryin' to say somethin'." A straw was stuck into the corner of Link's mouth and he greedily sucked down some cool water, most of it getting absorbed into his mouth at first. Finally, he managed to work his tongue loose and ask, "Where's Tracy?"

Link's worse fears were confirmed when puzzled looks came across both the medic's faces. The one next to Link cocked his head to the side and said, "Who's that? She someone you need to call?" Link's breath started coming faster, and in shorter bursts as he ground out, "She was there... in the car. I got hit... or... someone hit me... on the head. She screamed... and then... and then nothing." The deep voiced man above him said something that made his heart threaten to stop. "Son, there weren't no one else there when we found you. It was just you, the car, and this folded piece of paper next to you. We thought it was yours that you dropped, so we stuck it in your front pocket for you."

Link fumbled with the front pocket of his jeans, still having to consciously tell each finger what to do. Finally, he found the thick white paper folded in the bottom of his pocket. It took both hands for him to open, and he slowly exhaled as he finally opened up the last fold. Written in a handwriting Link had never seen, a message had scrawled hastily across the page:

"Don't worry about your girl. We'll give her back shortly."

Link leaned his head back against the small pillow beneath him. He squeezed his eyes shut, letting a tear slowly fall down his cheek.