Disclaimer: I do not own Containment.
Chapter Six:
Jake sat at Katie's bedside. He didn't know where to begin, there was so much he wanted to say… But it just wasn't the same. He wanted to be able to look in her eyes as he spoke to her and to hear her laugh and her voice. Who knew how long it'd be before she woke up? Her body had been through a lot and it was going to take a while for her to recover.
Sighing Jake sat back in his chair and glanced at Katie.
She looked so peaceful.
"I've found a way to get Jake out of the cordon," Jake finally spoke. "I know you asked me to get Jake out of the cordon… But what do I do now? When you asked me… You thought… You thought, you were going to die. So what do I do?"
Jake shut his eyes.
"What do you want me to do?" Jake asked. "What should I do? I can't leave without you, but Quentin can't stay here… Everyday it's getting more and more dangerous and now I have a way out. What should I do? I can't let him go on his own, but I can't leave you here…"
Jake sat forward and rested his head in hands.
"What do I do?" He asked the almost silent room.
But he got no answer, not that he was expecting one. Suddenly the door to Katie's room opened and Quentin stepped through the doorway.
"Hey, buddy," Jake greeted him.
Quentin walked over to him and stood beside him as he watched his mum.
"When is she going to wake up, Jake?" Quentin asked.
"Soon," Jake answered.
Silence fell between them, as the two of them took comfort in the sound of Katie's heart monitor and her quiet breathing.
"Come on, buddy," Jake said after a moment, as he got to his feet. "Let's go. It's getting late."
Quentin nodded and stepped closer to his mum.
"Night, mum. I love you. Wake up soon, please," He whispered, before turning and walking over to Jake, who now stood holding the door to the room open.
"There's something I wanted to talk to you about, buddy," Jake said as they began walking down the hallway outside Katie's room. "I've found a way to get out of the cordon."
"I don't know, Jake," Quentin answered after Jake had explained the plan.
"It's your call, Q, buddy," Jake reassured him. "I promised your mum I'd get you out, and... And I think this is the way… Or we can wait, but I don't know how long it'll be until your mum wakes up. I'm not going to lie, Q, things are getting worse. It's dangerous here and this might be the only chance to get out. But if we go, we have to go tonight."
"But my mum's still here," Quentin argued. "The farther I go from here..."
"I know," Jake replied kneeling down to Quentin's level. "But this may be the only chance we have… Trust me, buddy, I don't want to leave your mum any more than you do… I love your mum and I love you and I want to protect you and keep you safe… The situation here, inside the cordon, is getting worse, Q… I'm worried soon I won't be able to keep you safe."
Before Jake could say anymore, Quentin had all but thrown himself at Jake and wrapped his arms around Jake's neck.
"What if I don't want to go?" Quentin mumbled into Jake's shoulder, as Jake raised his arms to return Quentin's embrace.
"Well," Jake answered, rubbing Quentin's back. "Then we stay here together."
"I'm only going if you do," Quentin said stubbornly.
"Hey," Jake smiled, as the two of them pulled apart. "You're my deputy. What do you say?"
"My mum wants us to be safe," Quentin answered. "We should go."
)o(
Hey, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Until next time,
Blessed be,
TreeOfLife1997.
