Disclaimer: No, I DON'T own any of the characters, except for Alana, who I'm growing quite protective of.
WARNING: This is the final part, and unless you're desperate to know how the story finishes, I would avoid reading it, as it could be unsettling. R&R if you want.
Shadows: Part Four
Gary was still trying to realise what had happened. He sat there on the bench, with her sitting next to him. She looked at him sideways.
"Gary?" she probed.
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry."
He looked at her. "Sorry? What for?"
"Well, you don't seem to be saying much. Did you not want that to happen?"
"No, no Alana, that's not it. I was just, just surprised. I didn't think that would be allowed."
"Well, I'm not really supposed to Gary, I won't lie to you. But you were right. I had been lonely. For too long. But that's not what I'm here for Gary, I'm here to help you while you get your memory back! I've been selfish!"
Gary faced her properly, and couldn't quite believe her.
"Selfish? No, you've not been selfish Alana. From what I can gather off Chuck, I've not really had much of a life with the paper taking up all my time. You're doing me a favour it seems."
"But I'm here to help you!"
"What if this is the help I need?"
That statement took her aback. She studied his face. He looked perfectly serious.
"So you're not sorry it happened?"
He shook his head. "No. I'm not not sorry."
Her sweet face lit up, and her pale skin flushed a delicate pink high up on her cheeks. She reached out for his hand, and the two of them intertwined their fingers. He dropped his head slightly, and they replayed the previous moment. For that time, they were both satisfied. She could forget the many, many years that she had been lonely, and he could forget that he really knew nothing about himself, or his life. They forgot that she had the appearance of a child, and for that moment, each was all the other needed.
******************
Despite the general noises of McGinty's, all that Marissa could hear was the ticking of the clock. It was long since past the time that Gary would have performed the rescue, and normally, she wouldn't have worried, Gary being Gary. But of course, it was hard to say what he would do now.
Gary's location appeared to be on the minds of all four of the people waiting for him, but each of them were involved in their own particular thoughts about it. But then they had no more time to think them, as the door to McGinty's opened, and Gary came in. Marissa had suggested to Mrs Hobson that she might want to not hug Gary or anything like that, but maternal instinct took over her, and she got to her feet and wrapped her arms around Gary in a large hug. Gary looked at her, this woman, and was visibly scared. Who was she? He tried to pull himself out of her hold on him, and the look on her face was one of terrible shock.
"Gary? Honey?"
How did she know his name? He looked towards Chuck, and then towards this woman, hoping that Chuck could give him an explanation. He then also noticed a man fairly close. He didn't recognise him either. Marissa could sense what was going on, and walked towards Lois, laying a hand on her arm and bringing her back a little.
"Gary, do you know who this is?" Marissa asked him. He studied the woman's face, and shook his head in response to the question.
"No."
The woman just kept looking at him. If he looked closely, he could see her lower lip trembling slightly, and a tear glistened in her eye. The unknown man came and put hand on her shoulder. Chuck took a step forward and gently started to give him an explanation.
"Gar, this is Lois Hobson. Your Mom."
Gary looked at her strangely, and then glanced at the man standing next to her. If what they were telling him was true, then that would probably mean that this man was his Dad.
The man, probably guessing what Gary was thinking, nodded. Gary wondered who had called them, Chuck or Marissa. Probably Marissa, he thought, but it was an uncomfortable situation. He wanted to get out of there. Badly.
"I, erm, will you er just excuse me for a minute?" He smiled and hurriedly left McGinty's. Lois reached out to try and stop him, but Bernie held her back.
"Gary!"
Bernie shook his head.
"No Lois, he'll be back." She turned to face her husband.
"How,how can he not know us Bernie?"
She came up to her husband, who put his arms around her comfortingly.
"I don't know Lois, I don't know."
Some of the McGinty's customers had been quietly observing this scene, and Bernie and Lois were starting to attract a lot of attention. Marissa and Chuck gently ushered the couple into the office. Hopefully Gary would come back in a while. Hopefully.
******************
Gary walked around the corner. He was surprised at how far away from McGinty's he had managed to get in such a short time. Thinking about it, Gary realised he had probably been rude, just walking out like that. His parents hadn't done anything wrong. He figured he'd stay out there for a while. He just needed a little space to collect his thoughts, that was all. He'd go back. Of course he would.
He kept on walking. There was a cold breeze blowing through the streets of Chicago, but he wasn't going to stop just because of a little cold. Gary took a couple of turns, and after a few minutes, he was a completely different part of Chicago. He didn't mean in terms of directions, it was the atmosphere. There was a still feeling in the air. Fewer people were around. Gary decided he liked it that way at the moment. The fewer people, the less complicated his life was. The way Gary saw it, this memory problem had unwound the carpet of his life. All he was left with now was lose threads, which were almost impossible to put back together. His life had become a jigsaw where none of the pieces matched. It was all a muddle. That was clear to him.
And that damn paper. He didn't really want to think about that. That huge responsibility that was being thrust upon him, consuming his life, Chuck had told him. Was that what he wanted to do with the rest of his life? Did he want to spend it looking out for everyone else? He wasn't sure. He wasn't sure at all.
And then there was Alana. Gary sighed deeply. She was the one stable thing in his life. But for how long? Right from the start, she had told him she was only going to be here for a while, and that she was here to help him. Maybe she had done. Gary knew that he felt happier when she was around. But he knew that there were several large problems. The first one being Alana's age. Gary wasn't stupid. He realised that she only looked about thirteen, no matter how beautiful she was. However she *had* told him that she was a *lot* older than she looked. So it wasn't your ordinary age difference was it? It looked as though he was the elder, not her. Of course, it wouldn't look that way to anyone. That was the big problem. Alana was dead. How could Gary have a relationship with someone who had been dead for who knew how long? With someone that the rest of the world couldn't see? He struggled to think of ways that they could make it work.
It all hung heavily over his heart. Why did this have to happen? Why couldn't he have met Alana alive, and at the right age for him to be with? She was so wonderful! She was sweet, and kind, and thoughtful, and everything Gary wanted and needed. Life wasn't fair.
Gary sat down on a bench on the pavement. He sat for a few minutes, mulling things over in his mind. He was so absorbed in those thoughts that he didn't even notice a figure standing in front of him.
"Hey kid, you alright?"
Gary shifted his gaze upwards from the floor, to see an old man standing there. Gary gave him a weak smile.
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine."
The man shook his head and sat down next to him.
"No you're not. You look like you've got the weight of the world on your shoulders. Want to talk?"
Gary was amused. Talk? To a complete stranger? Then he remembered that was what he had been doing ever since the accident had happened - talking to strangers. Talking to one more couldn't hurt. He positioned his head so that he could see the man better. The old man smiled at him.
"You look a little lost kid."
Gary raised an eyebrow. "I guess you could say that."
"So how are you lost?"
Gary sighed. "Well I was in this accident a coupla days ago, and I, well I lost my memory."
The old guy nodded. "I can see why that could mess you up."
"Yeah, well ever since then, the people I knew before, they they've been trying to push me back into my old responsibilities, and half the time I don't know why the hell I'm doing something. And there's one responsibility, which is a huge one."
"And you don't know whether you want to take it on, even if you *used* to do it?"
"...Yeah."
There was a short silence, and the old man looked at Gary. "That's not all of it is it? There's something else. *Someone* else?"
He was very astute. Gary looked at him in surprise, but kept talking anyway.
"Yeah. It's it's like we're meant to be together, but there are so many things which tell us we should be apart. Like there's a huge age difference, and she's not going to be around that long, and, and.."
The man held up his hand.
"Son, listen to me. Love is a tricky business. Many people run from it, because they're afraid of their own feelings and their own hearts. But there's one thing you need to remember when you're dealing with love. And that is, if it feels right, follow your heart, and grab what you're after with both hands. If it's meant to happen, it will…..Son, an age difference is only a problem if you let it be a problem. If you really love her, do whatever it takes to keep her. You can't go far wrong."
Gary was mesmerised by what the old man was saying. The old man smiled at him.
"Anyway son, I hope it works out for you, with your memory, this responsibility, and this girl."
"Thanks, thank you so much."
"Hey, you know what some people say kid. Total strangers can be the best counsellors."
The old man walked off, and one sentence that he had said stayed fixed in his mind. 'If you really love her, do whatever it takes to keep her.' Gary wasn't sure yet how that applied to him, but he knew he would work it out. He didn't want to lose Alana, that he was sure of.
He looked at the sky around him. Dusk had passed by without his notice, and now the velvet dark was starting to creep in. Did he really want to go back to McGinty's yet? Did he want to go back and look at the eyes of the people who were his parents, and see the sorrow in their eyes? Sorrow which he caused by not knowing them. Shivering in his jacket, which was starting to be less and less of a barrier against the cold, Gary realised that he couldn't stay out there all night. Eventually he'd have to go back. Even with the presence of the dark shadow hanging over his soul. He got to his feet and headed back.
******************
Gary decided go into McGinty's using the back door. Maybe then he could avoid people for that little while longer. Unfortunately, Chuck had guessed what he was going to do, and was stood there, presumably waiting for him, when he opened the door. Gary couldn't really put a name to the expression Chuck currently had.
"Hey Gar."
"Hey."
"You took your time buddy. Where'd you go?"
"For a walk. I I just needed time to think."
"That's all?"
"Yeah, that's all."
Chuck looked at Gary, and Gary wasn't sure that Chuck believed him. Then Chuck's gaze fell on the small brown paper bag in Gary's hand. Then he looked at Gary.
"What's in the bag?"
Gary suddenly remembered that he had the bag in his hand, and tightened his grip on the top of it, to keep it closed.
"Nothing important."
"No, seriously Gary, what's in the bag?"
This guy was starting to irritate him. "Nothing that's got anything to do with you Chuck. I'm just gonna take this upstairs."
"OK. If you say so buddy."
Gary headed up the stairs to his loft, leaving Chuck alone. He went inside, and ignored everything around him. He went over to his bed, and set the bag down on the night-stand, the contents making a heavy clunking sound as he put it there. He sighed and rubbed his temples. Time to go and face the music.
******************
He walked into the office, where he rightly assumed everyone would be. His parents were both sat on the chairs, Marissa was standing in the doorway which lead to the bar, and Chuck was leaning against the wall. His mother looked up at him, forcing a small smile onto her face. He could almost see her choking back tears. He felt a pang of guilt. His father didn't look a whole lot better. He looked as though he were fighting back tears himself. He looked at his son.
"Hi Gary."
Gary nodded in response, and took the last vacant seat. Thankfully it was a little apart from the others. He didn't need to be that close, the room seemed small enough already. Gary shuffled in his seat. He gripped the armrest with one of his hands. He was sure that by the end of this conversation you would be able to see indentations in it when he removed his hand. He needed something to clutch that wouldn't try and make him remember things.
"You can clutch on to me if you want to Gary." whispered Alana's voice in his ear. She came and sat on his lap gracefully.
"Gar, you probably want to know who called your mom and dad right?"
Gary looked at Chuck as he spoke, and nodded.
"Well..it was me. I knew that you were going to need them Gary, and you're their son. They had a right to know."
Gary was amazingly irritated at him. He should have told him. *He* had a right to know. But he decided not to say anything. It would just make a bad situation worse. So he nodded, but threw Chuck a dirty look at the same time. Chuck apparently noticed, but shrugged it off. Gary's mother looked at him sadly.
"Oh Gary, how did this happen? Why did it have to happen to you?"
How was he supposed to know? He'd been asking himself the same question for a while now, and he hadn't managed to come up with an answer.
"I don't know. I can't give you an answer."
"So you, you don't remember *anything*?"
Gary shook his head.
"Nothing at all?"
"Nothing at all. Nothing."
"You don't remember us, your home, ...the paper?" His father asked
Gary sighed. "No I don't remember any of it."
Alana shifted her weight in his lap, which, Gary was sure, was partially to remind him that she was still there.
"Then why on Earth were you out dealing with something from the paper when we got here? You shouldn't be doing that if you don't know what you're doing Gary!"
"Lois," Marissa said from the corner, "if Gary's going to continue with the paper, he had to start dealing with it again as soon as possible. In some ways Gary's in no different a position than he was when he started getting the paper in the first place."
"But Marissa, he could get even more hurt if he doesn't remember how to deal with the items properly." She turned to Chuck, with a pleading look in her eyes. "Would you go with Gary tomorrow?"
"You know Chuck," Marissa added, "it might be a good idea. Just for a couple of days."
Gary was amazed at what these people were saying. It was like he wasn't even there. Like he wasn't even a real person. Gary wasn't really listening any more, but he could hear his mother and father talking about him, the old him, and how he used to be, and how he used to act. The anger was bubbling over inside of him. He couldn't take it anymore. Alana seemed to sense something was wrong, and looked at him.
"Gary, what's wrong? Gary?" she whispered to him.
Gary stood up.
"You're all making a lot of assumptions here. You all seem to think that it, it's already been decided that I'll carry on with the paper."
"But you will won't you son?" Bernie asked him nervously.
"I don't know! I don't know whether I want to. Why should I let my life be controlled by something that I don't even want?"
"Because that's the sort of person you are Gary." Marissa told him. "You wouldn't be able to live with the knowledge that you could have prevented things. You care about the people in the paper Gary."
"NO! You *think* I care. And hell maybe the old Gary that you knew did care about the paper, and was willing to be the saviour of the people, but I'm not! I'm not like him!"
"But Gar, you *are* him" Chuck said simply.
"No no, I'm not, not anymore."
Gary motioned as if to go to the door, but Lois called out to him.
"Gary honey, we want to help you! We're not going to turn our backs on you. It'll turn out alright. I know you'll remember, and you'll be back to the way you were."
"That's just it! I don't want to be the way he was! He had no life, he had nothing! His life was this, this paper!"
Gary pulled the paper out of his back pocket, and started tearing pages up. Those he couldn't tear, he just threw in the rubbish. Gary headed to the door, leaving his crutch on the floor, and went up the stairs to his loft, ignoring the pain in his ankle. Alana was running after him, calling him.
"Gary, Gary what are you doing?"
Gary reached out and took her hand as he went up the stairs, but said nothing. Chuck, Marissa and Gary's parents had started following him up the stairs. Gary slammed the door and walked over to the window. He leaned against the wall, and stared outside. Alana came up behind him, and put an arm around his waist.
"Gary?"
But Gary never got a chance to respond, as the four of them came into his loft. Gary cursed softly at himself for forgetting to lock the door. He didn't want this anymore. He didn't want people telling him things were going to work out, because they didn't know that did they? Especially with that *paper* around. The word sounded dirty in his mind, the inflections bitter and sharp. He had only had that paper for a day that he could recollect, and already he hated it. He was glad the wretched thing was in pieces on the office floor, as that was what it had done to him; torn him to pieces, so it was only fair Gary reciprocated by showing the paper how it felt.
Gary felt someone coming closer to him. He glanced briefly over his shoulder, and saw Marissa coming towards him.
"Gary, what's going on? We can't tell you anything if you don't talk to us."
"Your mom's right," Chuck added on, "we won't turn our backs on you Gar. We just want to help you."
At that, Gary turned around, and stared at all of them. He laughed bitterly.
"You want to help me? You won't turn your back on me?"
"No Gar, we won-"
"You've already turned your backs on me!" Gary jumped in before he could carry on. "You turned your backs on me the moment you knew I couldn't remember anything!"
"Gary, what do you mean?" Marissa asked him gently.
"I'm not the same Gary, and you can't accept that! I started off trying to be the Gary you remembered, but I'm not like him, and you just don't get it! You don't want me, you you want *him*!"
"Gary that's just not true. You know it's not true."
"Yes it is. You've all been telling me slightly different things, trying to make me a better son, a better friend, a better business partner, a better, oh I don't know what you want to call a person who's at beck and call of a newspaper twenty-four hours a day. But I correct myself, you don't want me, I thought you wanted *him*. Your old Gary. But that, that's not even enough to satisfy you. You've been trying to change all the bits you didn't like! Trying to make the perfect Gary Hobson. Well, mission failed, you're not succeeding."
"Gary you can't possibly believe that." Bernie said, making it half way between a question, and half way between a statement.
"Of course I believe that, because it's true. In fact there's only been one person who *has* wanted the real me. And for some damn reason I can't spend my life with her."
The others all looked at each other.
"Gary," Bernie asked his son, "who is this girl? When did you meet her?"
"I met her three days ago. Her name's Alana, and she's the only person in this world who actually wants *me*"
"But why haven't we seen her Gar? We've been with you all these past three days. We've never seen her."
"You haven't seen her," Gary said with his voice low, "because you haven't been looking. You won't have seen her if you've just been watching, because Alana is special! She's meant for me, and I can't be without her."
From behind him, he could see Alana looking at him gently. In front of him, he could see the others looking bewildered.
"I don't understand what you mean Gary." Bernie told him. "How could Chuck and Marissa not have noticed her? How could we not have?"
Gary was about to start telling them, when Alana ran over to his side, and grabbed hold of him, wide-eyed with something like fear or alarm. She shook her head frantically, begging him not to say anything more.
"No Gary no, don't tell them anything else about me. They'll think you're crazy Gary,please no."
He turned to her, and placed a hand on her cheek "I have to."
"You have to what Gary?"
"Tell you why you can't see Alana. It's because she's dead!"
They all stood there in awe of what he had just said, wondering if he was serious, or whether he was crazy, and there was something wrong with him that no-one had seen.
"What?"
"You heard me, she's dead, and she's here to protect me. And I'm not even supposed to be telling you this. But I figured you needed to know. She's the only person who's just *been* there, and not pushed me! I don't know what I'll do without her when she's gone!"
There was a silence in the loft. No-one really knew what to say to that. No-one really knew what to think.
"I just want to get away from all of this, get away from this pressure, from that paper, and that cat, and this place where can't be with her! The only way I could be with her would be if I di-"
He cut himself off, and realised that he had missed the obvious. He walked over to his night-stand and reached inside the paper bag. Felt the cool chunky metal handle. He hadn't really intended to use it, when he had bought it. Then he was still considering continuing with the paper, and had come to the conclusion that he might need it. But now he had thought of a better use for it. He drew it out fully, and stepped away from the bed. Chuck, Bernie and Lois all gasped. Marissa seemed confused.
"Chuck, what is it?"
"Gary's got a gun Marissa."
"What?!"
"Didn't you hear him Marissa? Gary's got a gun. Gary's checking the bullets, yep, there's enough there."
Gary's voice was steady and even as he walked to his previous position. Alana was tugging at his arm, trying to get the gun off him, but it was no use.
"Gary," Chuck asked, his voice shaking, "what are you gonna do with that thing?"
"What am I going to do with it? Are you serious?"
Chuck nodded uncertainly.
"Weren't you even listening to what I said?" Gary's eyes filled with tears which spilled from his eyes onto his cheeks. "Weren't you even listening? I want to be away from all of this. I want to be away from all of this. I want to be with her. I want to stay with her forever. And I worked it out Chuck, I worked it out. A man told me that if I really love her, I'll be willing to do whatever it takes to keep her. And I know what it takes….I know what it takes."
"And what *does* it take Gary?" Lois asked him carefully.
They all watched as Gary took the gun, and placed the barrel to the right side of his skull.
"This is what it takes. She's dead. So the only way *I* can be with her is is if I'm dead too."
"No Gary no!" Lois cried at him. "No you can't do that!"
Tears were still coming out of him, but he slipped his finger into the trigger.
"No Gary don't, please don't." Alana told him, still pulling at his arm. "Gary I'm begging you, don't!"
At the same time as Alana was saying these words, Lois Hobson was saying them, unaware that Alana was saying them in stereo
"I'm sorry," Gary whispered. "I'm sorry it has to be this way, and I'm sorry I couldn't be the Gary Hobson you wanted me to be."
And with that, he pulled the trigger.
******************
The screaming could be heard downstairs in the bar. The patrons of McGinty's all stopped what they were doing, wanting to know what was going on, but none of them brave enough to go upstairs to find out.
**
"Gary! Gary no!"
Lois and Marissa were both crouched over Gary's body. Lois held onto it through tears.
"Call someone! For God's sake call someone!" Marissa yelled out, even though she knew it was pointless. For once in her life, Marissa was glad to be blind.
"How could you do this Gar?" Chuck asked his friend under his breath, knowing full well that he was dead. There was no chance that Gary could live through it. But Chuck saw Bernie calling 991 regardless. A pool of Gary's blood covered part of the carpet, and spilled onto Lois' clothing. Chuck knew she was completely oblivious to it, but he couldn't stop watching the blood. And he felt, in his heart, that his hands were stained with some of it, even if he couldn't fully understand what Gary had been talking about in those last few minutes. Especially about that girl….Alana was it? That couldn't be true. The last thing Gary said before he did it rung through Chuck's head, and he knew it would haunt him, and all of them, for the rest of their lives: 'I'm sorry I couldn't be the Gary Hobson you wanted me to be.'
******************
A shadow.
A shadow of a man, a shadow of himself.
He lived in darkness at the end.
The small crack of light, which he embraced, was part of his demise.
Love, thought to be so bright, lead him there.
Though not solely the cause.
He will be remembered, for the days he spent in the shadows, as much as he will be remembered for the days he spent in the light.
******************
"Gary... Gary."
He blinked, and saw her above him, like he remembered seeing her the first time he met her.
"Alana? Is that you?"
She nodded.
"Yes Gary it's me."
Gary noticed a tear in her eye as she helped him sit. Here he was again, in the place that she had told him he could not stay in.
"Alana, what's wrong?"
"I can't believe you did that Gary. I can't believe it."
"Alana, I can't live without you. I had to do it."
"Gary?"
"You heard me tell you. A man told me that if I loved you I would do anything to keep you. And that's what I had to do. So I did."
"A man told you?"
"Yes. He told me."
"Oh Gary. I can't believe you listened to him. He *told* you to do this?"
Gary shook his head. "No. I had to figure that out for myself."
There was a silence, then Gary realised that Alana was still crying. He reached out to wipe a tear away from her.
"Alana why are you crying? Aren't you happy? We can be together now."
Alana took the hand Gary was touching her face with, and wrapped her own hand around it. She looked at him with her large, beautiful eyes.
"Gary, I'm touched you would do this, but don't you realise how much suffering this is going to cause? The lives of the four people who loved you the most, their lives won't ever be the same again. The paper… Well you know what I mean Gary. You *know* I love you. You know that, don't you?"
Gary nodded shortly before she continued. "I love you Gary, and I would happily spend the rest of eternity with you, but-"
"But what Alana?"
"It's not your time Gary. It wasn't supposed to be like this. I wasn't supposed to fall in love with you, but I'm not sorry for that, and when it comes to us, how it's supposed to be can be damned. But you *weren't* supposed to take your own life Gary. You *weren't*. And I can't let you stay Gary, no matter how much I want to. I can't let you. So that's why, that's why I have to let you go."
Shocked, Gary looked at her.
"Let me go? What do you mean?"
"Give you another chance. I've been told that that's what I have to do."
"No Alana, no. I don't want a second chance. Not without you there."
"But I will still be there Gary. I was always there. You just never saw me, and I couldn't make you see me."
"So that's why you were so lonely." Gary said, more to himself than to her, in a sudden flash of realisation. She nodded, with a sad smile on her lips. "So it'll be like it was before, won't it? Before I met you?"
"Yeah," she replied softly. "You won't know me like you have done recently. In all honesty, you'll probably forget me." She saw his face fall, and lifted his chin up with her bent index finger. "But I can give you something to cling to Gary. Now listen to me alright? Alright?"
He nodded, and she gave him another sad smile.
"Gary, if you really love me, if you love me like I love you, well, when it comes to an end," she paused and smiled properly before she kept going. "then we can be together."
She saw a light of hope in his eyes. "No ifs and no buts Gary. We can be together, forever. But only when your life ends the way it should Gary. That's why you can't stay here now."
The light in his eyes turned into a smile on his face.
"That gives me reason to live then Alana, if I know where I'm going."
She sighed happily, and moved closer to him. She gazed into his eyes, and kissed him with gentle passion. When they parted, Gary looked at her as she stroked his face.
"Oh Alana. Are are you an angel?"
She laughed gently. "Not by definition, no."
"No, no no, I don't care about definition, or what you technically are. You're you're my angel."
Smiling shyly, she embraced him. "I love you Gary Hobson."
He placed his hand over hers. "I love you too Alana."
******************
He stumbled, and started to feel a sense of falling. He cursed loudly, honestly thinking this was it. But before he could fall, he felt someone pulling him. He reached out and grabbed hold of them, as they brought him back onto the floor of that storey. Gary looked at the storey below him, and thought about what could of happened to him. He turned back to thank the person who had saved him, but there was no-one there. Gary looked around, but there were only a few people parking cars, and they were all too far away to have saved him. He was confused. Not only by the fact that he couldn't see his deliverer, but by the odd feeling that he had lived that moment before. Bemused, Gary pulled the paper out of his back pocket, and flicked through the pages as he headed towards the stairs which would take him back to the street. He couldn't stay there all day, he had things to do, places to go, and people to save. And for some reason; and Gary wasn't sure whether it was the fact that he knew that the fall he could have suffered could have killed him, he then felt strangely thankful for his ability to make a difference to people's lives. Life was precious, Gary thought. You shouldn't waste it.
And somewhere, Alana smiled down at him.