If you're reading this chapter, hopefully it's because you're enjoying the story so please, please leave me a review when you get to the end. The more reviews I get, the faster I write - honest.

Chapter 14

Breathing In

There were sounds and shapes and patterns all mixed up together in his head and he knew that none of them should be there.

Everything was out of sync, nothing made any sense.

But when he breathed in, it was better, like he was latching onto sanity.

He tried to blot everything else out and concentrate but it was hard,

Breathe in… composure, lucidity

Breathe out… randomness, fear

Once he'd managed to establish this it became easier. He focused on drawing the air into his lungs and revelled in the calmness it brought him. But whilst the tendrils of his mind tried to grasp what was happening to him, he couldn't get beyond the ribbons of pain pulsing viciously through his body, throbbing in time with the beating of his heart, flowing with the blood in his veins.

Breathe in… a soothing balm

Breathe out… a paroxysm of torment

He was aware that he was residing somewhere between a dream state and consciousness; a limbo that shouldn't be, and so he began to fight against it. The shapes and patterns in his head started to fizz and jiggle as he struggled to break free of this turmoil but it was as though his mind was being swamped by dark, vapid monsters, slowing his progress and smothering his will.

When at long last his eyes peeled open, the monsters remained for a moment, clinging doggedly to the receding darkness whilst he grappled with his confusion.

He tried to say something but only succeeded in slackening his jaw, an inarticulate noise sounding in his throat.

His head lolled to one side instinctively when a moan whispered near his right ear.

Toni's face swam into view and he swallowed as he prepared to speak.

"Hey," he croaked. "How you doin'?"

She didn't respond even though she appeared to be looking straight at him.

"You okay, Tiger?"

She blinked slowly.

"Toni, you okay?"

Dempsey strained to raise his head from the pillow, experiencing a blinding pain jolt through his neck as he did so.

"Arrrgh," and he dropped back down, expelling a hiss of air from between gritted teeth.

Breathe in… familiar, safe

Breathe out… draining, lost

His eyes closed again, for how long he couldn't be sure but when the dark monsters began to chew at his consciousness once again, he forced himself out into the open.

There was movement somewhere close by, shades of light and dark passing across the window, a creaking tread and a crush of fabric. Dempsey looked up to see Greg standing over him holding a water jug and two glasses.

"Nice to have you back with us, Jimmy. How're you feelin' now? You hungry? I fixed you and Toni some dinner."

He put the jug and glasses down on the bedside cabinet.

"Lasagne… and I made a side salad."

"Greg…" he husked, "I don't feel so good…"

"Ready in two minutes so maybe you need to freshen up first," Greg carried on.

"Think I need a doctor, Greg."

He had gone from Dempsey's field of vision now but with an effort, he turned his head to follow.

"Wake up sleepy-head, it's chow time."

Greg shook Toni gently by the shoulder.

"Toni, come on, girl, I made your favourite," he trilled.

She stirred a little and moaned softly.

"Com'mon now, wake up," he said, shaking her more vigorously.

Dempsey watched her eyes flutter open, dilated and vacant in hollowed, purple sockets as she stared up at Greg.

"That's better," Greg crooned. "You've been asleep for hours. Time you both were sitting up and startin' to take notice."

"Please… Greg…"

The mere act of speaking seemed to be more than Toni could manage and she had to stop to draw in a breath.

Rolling himself to one side, Dempsey succeeded in raising himself up a little bit on his forearm but it wiped out every last reserve of strength and his head dropped momentarily as he gathered himself.

"Call an ambulance… she needs to be in hospital…"

"Hospital?" Greg queried with an air of complete surprise. "She don't need no hospital, silly, she needs to be right here with you."

He picked a pillow up off the floor at the side of the bed and dragging Toni up and forwards, he shoved it roughly behind her back, propping her up into a sitting position.

"She's sick, Greg. We're both sick."

"I stepped out earlier and got us a nice gooey chocolate cake for dessert."

"We need to see a doctor."

Why wasn't he listening? Dempsey was saying the words right, he was sure of it so why wasn't Greg hearing them?

He looked over to Toni again. She looked terrible; her hair lank and flat to her head, her skin dull and grey-tinged and he thought he could see something akin to fear at the back of those glassy eyes.

"Gonna be okay," he told her with as much conviction as he could muster.

He had never felt this way before, like he was sinking slowly into a kind of brain-numbing quick-sand. The more he struggled to understand why Greg wasn't listening to his requests, the further down he seemed to find his mind and body drawn.

Collapsing back down on his pillow, he repeated, more for his own benefit than Toni's, "It's gonna be okay."

Greg had come back around to Dempsey's side of the bed, smiling broadly as he assisted him into a semi-reclining position. Every touch and every little movement seemed to magnify the pain that throbbed through him and he gasped out loud.

"The snow's started up again. Shame huh, just when it'd begun to thaw a little."

He placed his hand on Dempsey's forehead.

"Are you too hot? You feel over-warm to me."

"I need to call in work… need to keep 'em posted."

Something was wrong with this situation. He couldn't seem to convey to Greg just how bad things were. Maybe it didn't show on the outside, maybe his voice sounded different to Greg or maybe he wasn't even saying it out loud. Was that it? Was he only talking inside his own head?

Louder this time and with more conviction, Dempsey said, "Would you pass me the phone? I need to call in."

"Everything's cool, Jimmy, there's nothin' for you to worry about so just relax, okay? Nobody's expectin' to see you for a while."

Greg left the room without another word and Dempsey was left with the hum of silence overlaid with Toni's intermittent, laboured breathing.

With a great effort, he managed to slew his body over towards her. His hand shook alarmingly as he reached out and stroked her cheek.

"Toni, can you hear me? Talk to me, babe."

After a delay, her head rolled towards him.

"Jim," she whispered from blanched lips. "Jimmy."

When her eyes closed slowly, had it not been for the sound of her rasping breaths, Dempsey could easily have taken her for dead.

"Can you reach the phone?"

He had a feeling he was asking for the impossible. Toni gave a small, aggravated shake of the head and he saw he was right.

"That's okay… it's okay," he mumbled, his head hanging down to rest upon her shoulder.

Dark shadows were flooding over him and he was fighting the painful throb rushing through his veins.

They needed help. Someone needed to listen to him.

Dempsey pushed up on his right arm and felt every muscle and sinew burn with the strain. The terrible ache spread up into his shoulder and across his chest as he leaned further forward over Toni. He reached out with his left arm towards the telephone sitting on the white cabinet on Toni's side, grunting from the exertion. He managed to hook his fingers around the receiver, clasping the upper lip of the base moulding at the same time and dragging the whole towards him. But the strength in his muscles had gone and he half-collapsed across Toni with a soft cry of frustration.

With his eyes closed, the sound of his own heartbeat resonated loud and insistent inside his head, every beat bringing with it a small thud of pain.

"Hate to interrupt you two lovebirds but it's time to eat."

Greg put down the two plates he was carrying and swooped across to deftly remove the telephone from Dempsey's grasp.

"Plenty of time for that later."

And the high, girlish giggle jarred horribly in Dempsey's brain.

He felt himself pulled away from Toni and then hoisted unceremoniously back to his bank of pillows where he lay, taking in deep, shuddering breaths.

A plate was placed upon his lap and a fork put into his hand.

The smell of the steaming lasagne made him feel nauseous.

Greg perched on the edge of the bed on Toni's side, cutting into the food with the side of a fork.

"Greg… please…" Dempsey mumbled. "Look at her… she needs a doctor."

Greg pressed a forkful of pasta to Toni's lips.

"Come on, honey, just eat a little, you need to keep your strength up," he coaxed.

Her head moved from side to side and a thin, keening sound filled the air as her eyes began leaking tears.

"Can't eat," she wined.

"You ain't helpin' yourself, baby-girl. Just try a little."

He pushed the fork forwards, forcing it into her mouth.

"There ya go," he beamed as though talking to a small child.

He looked towards Dempsey. "You too, Jimmy."

Dempsey's hands curled into fists against the quilt cover as he struggled to synchronize his mind and mouth.

"I want you to call for an ambulance, Greg," he said through gritted teeth, "and I want you to do it now."

Greg stared, his hard brown eyes locking with Dempsey's.

Then suddenly, into the quiet, Greg screeched, "Two hours!"

Although he didn't have the wherewithal to be startled, some element of alarm clicked in Dempsey's mind.

"Two… freakin'… hours," Greg grated. "That's how long I spent makin' you this dinner." His eyes glittered. "Therefore, I would like for you to maybe show a little appreciation and just EAT THE DAMN DINNER!"

These last words were screamed out with a ferocity that labelled him, even from Dempsey's addled perspective, as insane.

Looking down hesitantly at the fork still in his right hand, Dempsey stabbed haphazardly into the place of food and with a shaky hand, stuffed it into his mouth.

"There, ya see?" Greg was all smiles again. "Tastes good ha?"

Dempsey let his eyes drift shut as he tried to chew. The smell alone was enough to make him queasy and swallowing would be a nigh-on impossible exercise.

"Good," he repeated because he knew it was what Greg wanted to hear. Letting his head tip back slowly, he tried to concentrate. Above all else now, he knew he had to focus on getting them help.

Breathe in…

Breathe out… and then it suddenly hit him.

His eyes opened again.

"She was here, wasn't she?"

Greg was feeding Toni, his attention diverted.

"My partner… she was here," Dempsey persisted.

The scent was long gone but the memory of her perfume still drifted inside his mind.

"Was, Jimmy?" he asked slyly. "She never left."