Chapter 4
Fear gripped Sara like a vice around her heart and she rushed from the stage abruptly, her cap falling from her head as she charged down the stairs, running toward the tunnel. If she had been listening, she would have heard the crowd gasp in shock at her sudden departure from the podium. She would have heard Mark step up to the microphone and cover for her - - heard him joke about Sara intending to create one final "thousand-word picture" for the class of 2012 to remember, but Sara could hear nothing but the thundering of her own blood through her veins as she chased after Sam.
By the time she reached the tunnel, Sara couldn't see Sam in front of her as she ran down the darkened causeway as fast as her pumps would carry her, plunging through the double-doors and back into the hallway of the school.
Sam had stopped just inside of those doors beside the entrance to Mr. Dean's science class, and Sara noted Six leaning casually against the freshman lockers immediately in front of her as she gasped to catch her breath.
"Well, that wasn't exactly subtle" Six chided, shooting Sam an irritated glare.
"If we'd come for her when I suggested it, we wouldn't have caught her in the middle of graduation in front of such a large audience" Sam retorted, standing his ground.
Sara could tell immediately that their dynamic had shifted since they'd first left paradise, Sam was no longer the shrinking wallflower he had been the last time she saw him.
"Where's John?" Sara asked, terrified of the answer.
"Come on, we have to go" Six ordered, blatantly ignoring the question and turning toward the parking lot "Before the rest of that mob heads to their cars and causes a traffic jam"
Sam walked over to Sara, gently taking her hand in his and pulling her along as he followed Six toward the car.
"We'll take you to him" Sam promised quietly.
o
o
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One day soon I'll hold you like the sun holds the moon
And we will hear those planes overhead
And we won't have to be scared
'Cause we won't have to be scared
We won't have to be, yeah, scared, no
o
o
o
Nearly two hours later they were pulling into the parking garage of an old abandoned building just outside of Akron.
"What is this place?" Sara asked
"It used to be a funny farm" Six answered glibly, turning the ignition off "Right now, it's our temporary base of operations"
Sara followed wordlessly as Sam led the way up the stairs and through the corridors and passageways - - the place was enormous, and after several minutes, she gave up on trying to keep track of where they were going. Finally, they came to a locked door. Six rapped twice on the hard steel, causing a narrow ray of light to appear in the darkened hallway as someone on the other side of the door slid open the slot usually used for delivering meal-trays. Hazel-green eyes stared at them for a moment before a loud "click" sounded, and the door was unlocked.
The door swung open with a reverberating creak to reveal a large room - easily ten times the size of Sara's bedroom at home, only much colder - - these walls were padded and there were no windows at all.
Several empty hospital beds and tables that were clearly not in-use had been pushed together against the wall to the left of the door. Directly in front of them, were three beds that did appear to be occupied - - with clothing, magazines, and various supplies scattered around them.
To the right of the door, in a corner bed set off by itself lay John, completely motionless. The only signs of life were the beeping that emanated from the monitors that measured his heartbeat and respiration and a dull whooshing-sound as the infusion pump pushed the fluids through his IV line.
Sara barely registered the rest of her surroundings as she saw John for the first time in over a year. Walking right past the red-haired girl who tried to introduce herself as Siobhan, number 7, Sara made her way over to John's bed.
"Hey" she whispered, sitting down on the stool beside his bed "You don't call, you don't write . . ." she joked, reaching over and lacing her fingers with his. Sara couldn't help but notice that his hands were still warm, the recollection making her smile wistfully.
Sam had warned her that John was in a coma, that he hadn't moved or spoken in over a month (not since their last battle with the Mogadorians), but nothing could have prepared her for the reality of seeing him this way.
John was laying perfectly still, only the slight rise and fall of his chest indicated life. His hair was longer than it had been the last time she saw him, and Sara couldn't help but reach her fingers out and brush his hair from where it had fallen into his eyes. He had a few more scars than the last time she'd seen him, and he looked older somehow, maybe it was the stubble that now covered his chin?
"We'll be in the hall if you need us" Sam whispered, as he and the others backed out of the room quietly.
Sara barely heard him, all her focus on re-memorizing John's face, her fingertips ghosting across his cheek, down his chin and back up the other side. She had spent the past year collecting memories that she'd wanted to share with John, stories about school and her family, realizations about her own feelings for him, and in fate's cruel joke now that they were finally re-united, he couldn't even hear her.
"I really missed you" she confessed, leaning forward to whisper in his ear before placing a gentle kiss on his lips. "A lot"
All of the worry and the waiting and the wondering of the past year seemed to combine with the past month's worth of sleepless nights, hitting Sara like a ton of bricks and suddenly she was exhausted. Climbing up onto the bed beside John, Sara curled herself against his side, laying her head on his shoulder, their fingers still intertwined, and drifted off to sleep.
Sara had no idea how long she had slumbered, she only knew that for the first time in ages, her dreams had been free of terror. As she slowly came back to consciousness, she could hear the sound of voices arguing nearby.
"She's taking a bloody nap? This was some great plan to bring him back, Sam."
"It might take more than just one night, Six" Sam argued, standing his ground "Nothing we've tried has worked, if anyone can reach him, it's Sara"
"You and your sappy 'love conquers all' bullshit, Sam" Six fumed, kicking the ground in frustration "You're going to get us all killed, taking chances like this"
"Keep it down" a third voice chimed in with a heavy Irish brogue "Y'er goin to wake 'er up"
"Too late" Sara retorted, her voice heavy with sleep as she rolled over to face the group.
Sam and Siobhan greeted her with warm smiles, but Six was scowling angrily in her direction.
"It's time for perimeter patrol" Six noticed abruptly, looking at her watch "I'll be back in an hour" she informed them, stalking away purposefully.
"Wow" Sara remarked, her voice still rough from much-needed slumber as she wiped the sleep from her eyes. Strangely, she felt better now than she had in weeks "She still doesn't like me much"
"It isn't you" Sam promised quietly, moving to sit on the stool beside the bed "She blames herself" he explained, nodding in John's direction.
"Which is ridiculous" Siobhan chimed in, shaking her head sadly "because we all know it was my fault"
"No it wasn't" Sam argued softly.
Sara could tell that they'd had this conversation before, she could also tell by the way Sam looked at the red-head, that there was a developing closeness between the two.
"He saved me life" Siobhan insisted, her hand moving to wipe a tear from her lower lid before it spill down her freckled cheek.
"It was a fight, things happen, people get hurt, it's nobody's fault" Sam promised, swiveling the stool to face Siobhan "Do me a favor, okay? Go help Six with patrol so Sara and I can catch-up"
"Sure, Sam" she agreed amiably "It's nice to finally meet you, Sara" she offered, trotting off in the same direction Six had disappeared..
Sara took a deep breath and sat up, her feet dangling over the edge of the bed "How long has he been like this?"
"Five weeks, give or take" Sam answered, trying to keep the hopelessness he felt from showing on his face, it wouldn't do any good to frighten Sara.
Sara could read between the lines - - it was a long time, too long. "Has he seen a doctor?" she asked, already knowing the answer.
"Sara, he's not human, they wouldn't be able to help him"
Sara swallowed hard, the implication dire - - John didn't have a human physiology and no one on Earth would know enough about Lorien physiology to heal him, if it were even possible. "This building looks like it's been abandoned for decades, where did you get all this modern equipment?" She wondered, indicating the paraphernalia attached to John.
"Six found it" Sam explained, a wry smile fleeting across his face "After it fell off the back of a truck"
"You know how to use it?" Sara inquired, her eyes traveling the length of the tiny tubes and electrodes that led from John's body and up to the numerous machines located beside his bed.
"I read" Sam answered shrugging casually, minimizing the hours he had spent scouring the internet for resources on how to care for his wounded friend.
Sara looked down at John's face, his skin less bronze than it had been back in Paradise, and gave the room an appraising glance "You could have picked a room with a window or two, let a little sunlight in" she suggested, running her fingertips thoughtfully over John's pale visage.
"This is easier to defend" Sam explained gently, trying not to scare Sara "There's only one way in and out, one point of weakness for us to contend with"
Sara swallowed as Sam's meaning hit her, and if anything could make her more terrified for John than she already was, this did - - he couldn't defend himself right now, he would be a sitting duck if the Mogs found them. "So, he hasn't left this room for five whole weeks?" she asked, imagining how trapped he must feel in this bed, in this place.
"No, we've only been here for 3 days" Sam revealed "We've been moving him, trying to keep ahead of the Mogs, trying to keep him safe"
"Why did you pick Akron?" Sara wondered, her hand stroking John's forearm absent-mindedly as she sat beside him. Subconsciously, Sara hadn't stopped touching him since she'd arrived, as if she feared that he would float away like the many dreams she'd had of him while they were parted.
"I thought he'd like to see you" Sam replied simply
Sara nodded, she didn't need to say anything, Sam already knew she'd felt the same.
They sat for several minutes in silence before Sam spoke again "He thought about you all the time, you know" he revealed, looking up at Sara "John said it was the first time in his life that he'd ever felt homesick"
"I know the feeling" Sara whispered, brushing her fingertips across the crease that had developed in John's brow - - she wondered what he was dreaming right now, where he was and why no one could reach him there.
"Where are the others?" Sara asked, suddenly curious "You must have found more than just Seven by now"
"Eight and Nine are with their guardians continuing the search for Number 5 in Cambodia right now." Sam explained
"I thought they were stronger together" Sara asked, trying to reconcile what Sam was saying with what John had told her of the Lorien legacies.
"Not right now" Sam responded, looking down at his best friend lying in the bed, unmoving.
"They left him?" Sara questioned, her blood beginning to boil as she reached the most obvious conclusion, "Because he was hurt?" John would have never been so disloyal.
"Sara, we had to split up" Sam explained, reaching out and taking her hand "John could hardly travel all the way to Africa in a coma, we were lucky to get him this far. When they find Number 5, they'll be back for us."
Sara could only nod, her heart clenching involuntarily as she imagined what would happen to John without Six and Sam here to protect him.
Sara sat beside John, her hand holding his tightly. Sam had gone to make them something to eat nearly fifteen minutes ago and Sara had been sitting there, staring at John, talking to him and praying that he could hear her.
"You know, back in Paradise, when I watched you drive away, I was so certain that you'd come back for me someday." She murmured, laying her head beside his on the pillow once again "I just knew it, in my heart"
o
o
o
'Cause even though you left me here
I have nothing left to fear
These are only walls that hold me here
Hold me here, hold me here, hold me here
Only walls that hold me here
One day soon I'll hold you like the sun holds the moon
And we will hear those planes overhead
And we won't have to be scared
'Cause we won't have to be scared
We won't have to be, yeah, scared, no
You're coming back for me
You're coming back for me
You're coming back to me
You're coming back for me
o
o
o
"I knew you were worth waiting for then, and it's still true now" she promised, squeezing his hand.
"SARA!"
Sam's frantic voice cut across the hallway, it's tone sending chills down her spine. "They're here" he yelled as he raced into the room "The Mogs have found us"
Sara leapt to her feet, adrenaline coursing through her veins as she moved out of Sam's way so he could begin disentangling John from the machines and monitors.
"Get the wheelchair" he ordered, nodding in the direction of the closet to her right.
Sara opened the closet door, finding the wheelchair along with a goodly supply of re-appropriated Mogadorian weaponry. Moving as fast as she could, Sara positioned the wheelchair beside John's bed.
"Help me get him into the chair" Sam ordered, as he removed the last of John's IV lines from his arm, taping a cottonball in place to prevent bleeding. Sara moved to the opposite side of the bed, kneeling on the mattress to help maneuver him into the chair.
"There's no time for that" Six barked, entering the room with Siobhan right behind her
"The building is surrounded" Siobhan reported "They have all the exits covered, we'll never be able to move him without being seen."
The girl's words hung over the room for a moment, each person absorbing their implication in silence.
Six was the first to speak "Then we make our stand here" she answered, pulling her shotgun from it's holster.
o
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o
tbc