A/N: Look! This update came only a week after my last one! Mark it down in your calendars. :) This chapter is much longer then the last one too. Hope everyone is still enjoying. - Lauren

Chapter 21: In the Beginning - Part 2

The hot, bright sun sent wave after wave of burning heat down on the earth much to Mikaela and Sam's misery. The couple had been sitting in there tiny boat for hours, slowly and quite painfully moving closer to the new land ahead of them using sticks they had found on the island to help them go in the right direction. The wind an current seemed to be against them as much as the sun was it however. It was pushing them in another direction entirely and it didn't seem like they were making any headway to there planned destination. It was not until they were well out in the water that they noticed a much larger land with what looked like buildings? They quickly began to steer there boat in that direction and were relieved when they had little to no trouble with it.

The sun was rising the next day when they washed ashore of what they immediately recognized as Malibu, California. A group of people moved to help the red, blistered couple out of the boat; people were talking and yelling around them as they were led to someone's home where a heavy set, middle aged woman with short brown hair banged on the door to the red beach front home sitting on tall beams. A tall kindly older man with white hair opened the door and looked around at the crowd before stopping at the couple in the middle.

"Well now, what happened too the two of you?" The man asked as he led the woman who had knocked on the door and the couple in. Mikaela turned and waved at the group in thanks before the door shut and she was led through a dark, very warm hallway and in to a bright, hot dining room sitting over the water with large bay windows looking out. Sam was already sitting in a chair looking haggard and tired, she was sure she looked the same.

"My name is Dr. Gary Clark, M.D. With the situation as it is, I have closed my office for now, but I will open my doors to those in need, when needed. Now, how did the two of you end up in this shape?" The man asked as he took the large first aid kit and medical bag from the woman with a smile and a nod before turning back to the couple.

"We were stranded on a deserted island… we got lost, we were searching the island for days before we found a boat." Sam croaked out. He was parched and everything hurt inside and out. The woman set a glass of water in front of the both of them. It was warm but it was still really good, even if it did burn all the way down.

"Thank you." They both stated quietly.

"Oh you're welcome. I'm Nurse Cindy, Dr. Clark's assistant." She grinned before going to the bags to get things she felt would be needed out.

"We saw another island and got into the boat to go see if there was anything on that island since there didn't seem to be anything on the one we had been stuck on, but ended up seeing the main land while we were out there. We have been outside in the sun for days." Mikaela whispered.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?"

"Sam was really sick for a while in the beginning, and we probably pulled some muscles here and there. Oh and the cuts, bruises and bug bites…" Mikaela trailed off, the thought of the word bites made her legs begin to itch all over again. But they were a dark red, with blisters every where, there was no way she was going to scratch. Sam looked to be in the same predicament. The doctor sighed before nodding.

"Your both going to need a complete exam, or as much as I can give you while were in this state. My office is just across the street; let's go over there so that you both can get more treatment then what I have here." Dr. Clark stated as Nurse Cindy quickly repacked the bag and first aid kit. The small group got up and made there way out of the house.

"What happened?" Sam asked looked around and noticing for the first time how quiet it was. As they stepped out to the street he noticed cars parked in the road abandoned, in a long line of stopped traffic as far as the eye could see.

"You both really have been on a deserted island." Cindy muttered.

"Two weeks ago, everything stopped, literally; cars, electronics, everything. We were reduced to a time before…well everything. The problem did not go up; thank God, so planes were able to land but barely, there was no radio towers working so flight control could not tell them where to go, or what the traffic was like in the air. Even if they could, their equipment was off as well so they would not have known. They all landed though, that we have heard through the grapevine, anyways, no phones, TV or internet. Were told that the flight controllers all went out onto the tarmac and guided the planes from the ground. Once they landed the planes would shut down and would not turn back on again. It's a great mystery." Dr. Clark told them as they crossed the street, waited for him to unlock his office door and let them in. "Some think it's the end of the world. Others a terrorist attack. I think, since there have been no attacks and the world obviously has not ended yet, that someone's science experiment worked maybe a little to well."

"Now, Cindy why don't you take young…?"

"Mikaela."

"…Mikaela here to exam room one and get her into a gown, while I do the same with young…"

"Sam."

"…Sam here in two." Cindy nodded before guiding Mikaela into her exam room. Sam was led to the room across from hers. While the doctor took out the things he would need Sam slowly undressed and put on the thin gown. With no air conditioning the thin gown was heavenly compared to his comparatively heavy, hot, very dirty clothes. Dr. Clark turned around when he stopped hearing movement from behind him and smiled.

"Okay now, I'm going to open the window behind you to let some air in and a little more light. Don't worry there is a tall fence in the back so no one will see anything." Dr. Clark told him as he opened the blinds then the window itself. Sam was so tired he didn't care, he laid back on the small white paper covered exam table and before he knew it he was fast asleep.

When Sam woke up he found himself in a bed back in the house with an IV in his right arm, a bag of clear liquid dripping through a long plastic tube into his body. He noticed that his body was covered in a shiny cream substance that felt blissfully cold against his skin. Small bandages were sporadically placed around his body which was now in a large pair of green medical scrubs. He blushed at the thought of someone changing him into clothes but was so comfortable at the moment that he didn't really care to much. He was about to try and get up to see about Mikaela when the door opened and Nurse Cindy peaked in to check on him. She smiled at seeing him awake before coming in and opening a curtain to let light in to the dim room. The window was already open and the warm breeze that came in from the ocean felt nice in the stale room.

"You were severally dehydrated; we're shocked you made it as far as you did. We have been giving you fluids through your IV line as well as a full spread of antibiotics just in case you gained any kind of infection during your little trip. You have severe burns to everywhere that was exposed to the sun as well as many cuts and bruises all over your body. We cleaned these and treated them with antibiotic ointment. You have burn cream on your burns and anti-itch cream on the bites; none look to be anything serious." She explained softly as she sat on the side of Sam's bed.

"Mikaela?" Sam croaked out.

"The same, she stayed awake long enough to get beck here before she passed out, completely worried about you. I expect she will wake up soon as well. You were both exhausted. Sam nodded still feeling sleepy. Cindy smiled and stood up, if you can stay awake long enough I have some soup for you to eat. It's very light, I made it out on the fire fifteen minutes ago," She stated. Sam nodded as his stomach suddenly gave off a loud menacing growl. Cindy laughed before leaving for a minute or two and returning with a bowl of chicken broth with vegetable in it. She helped Sam carefully sit up before she helped him eat the soup slowly. He had only managed half the bowl before his stomach declared he was done and he felt his eyes drooping again. She helped him back onto his back before he fell back to sleep.

Sam and Mikaela spent the next week at the doctors home recovering; there burns began to look more like painful, normal sunburns, as they healed with help. Sam and Mikaela were sitting out on the porch just after sunset on the seventh day when Sam stated that they would need to find a way back to base soon, Mikaela agreed readily. As much as they loved it here, they felt bad for taking the Doctor and Nurses almost constant time as they recovered. They also needed to see what had become of everyone and everything on base. That night as they were getting ready to go to bed they got Clark and Cindy together at the dinner table just before Cindy was about to head to her home a few blocks away.

"First, we want to thank you, so much for everything you have done for us." Mikaela smiled.

"We need to begin to make our way back to our base we were work and live at. The problem is that it's in Nevada." Sam told them.

"As soon as we can we will bring you money to pay for everything you did for us." Mikaela stated, Sam nodded.

"Alright, tomorrow we will begin to make plans on how we're going to get you two to where you need to be. There are horse drawn carriages running everywhere at the moment, you're both going to need to stay out of the sun as much as possible until at least all of your burns are healed and even for awhile after as well." Clark told them.

"Thank you!" both Sam and Mikaela smiled before yawning. They were going to go home.