Chapter 25:

"Lad, will ya sit down for a minute all togeder? You're workin' on makin' a hole in dat dere floor."

Jim paused his nervous pacing, his mind racing at an exhausting rate as he stood in the span of floor between where Silver sat and Zarabeth lay motionless atop her bed. He'd been pacing for hours. He couldn't help it. It felt as if the day had decided to stretch out the time, making each hour seem like an eternity. Jim had been awake since Zara slipped into her feverish sleep late the night before. He simply had no desire to even try to sleep, even though he could feel how tired his mind and body were. Zarabeth hadn't woken since then, the girl only moving every rare once in a while, but still within that sleep-like state.

They were engaged.

Every time Jim looked at her, his heart seemed to skip a beat. He could hardly believe that he'd actually asked Zara to marry him, but he had. As soon as she came to, they could tell everyone, but not before. It was getting harder for Jim to contain the feelings of happiness which continually surged inside him, but he wanted Zarabeth to be awake when they let everyone else know. With that happiness came another feeling, its presence threatening to overshadow the joy which was in his heart. Worry, doubt, helplessness, these feelings truly came together in one simple word. Fear. The difference between death and life, Zara could easily slip into one as the other. There was nothing to do but sit and watch, to hope that she was still strong enough to overcome it. If she could just get through the day, there was a real chance of her survival.

Releasing a heavy breath, Jim finally moved from where he realized he'd been standing motionless, lowering himself to sit at the foot of the bed as he ran a hand over his tired eyes.

"Jimbo, yeh can't keep spreadin' yerself so t'in like dis. Take a little time to get some shut-eye. I'll watch da lass for a while."

"Thanks all the same Silver, but," Jim took a moment to look back at his friend before returning his gaze to Zarabeth as he finished, "I want to be here when she wakes up."

Leaning forward in his chair, the old cyborg ran his good hand distractedly over the back of his neck, his eye trained on the floor as he answered slowly. "T'at may not be for hours more, lad. I' t'ain't gonna do either of yeh any good if ya don't get yer proper sleep."

"I-I don't think I could, even if I wanted to. And besides, it's just- Zara?" Jim halted in his thought, his attention immediately redirected as he heard the girl take in a sharp breath.

The way her body was now trembling, her head suddenly moving in sporadic turns from side-to-side, each breath drawn in quick succession, Jim's mind instantly began to worry at her change, hardly knowing what he was doing till he was right beside her, his hands on either side of the girl's burning face as he tried to wake her, hoping that she was only fighting a nightmare.

"Zara? Zara, honey, come on, wake up. Zara? Zarabeth?" His words seemed to fall dead to her ears, the girl's struggling only worsening as she now began to make small sounds and whimpers in either fear or pain.

The worry, already in Jim's mind before, was now fanned into a flame of pure helplessness as he continued to try to urge Zarabeth's mind out of sleep and into consciousness. Why wouldn't she wake up? The more he watched her struggle, the more empty his mind became as he tried to hold her in place, his touch gentle but firm. "Please, Zara. Zarabeth? You gotta wake up, ok? Come on, beautiful, just try. Please try Zara?"

Jim had hardly noticed that Silver was already gone until the door at the end of the room allowed a new wave of people through it. Having been alerted that something was wrong, Doctor Winters was instantly at the girl's side, the alien man's visage as collected as anything as he began looking over her. Mrs. Hawkins was also now present, her look marked with worry as she stood a small distance from the bed so as to stay out of the way, but near if she could be of any help.

His mind now completely blank, Jim didn't even know what he was saying anymore, his thoughts jumbled and panicked as he looked between Winters and Zarabeth.

The doctor seemed to almost ignore the boy, his mind obviously focused elsewhere as he began to feel the skin over Zara's cheeks and forehead, her wrist in his hand as he began checking her pulse and performing other such doctor-like procedures as best he could while the girl shook and squirmed where she lay. "Mrs. Hawkins, if you could quickly find my medical bag, there's a- good heavens."

A single word fell unconsciously from Jim's lips as he suddenly saw the girl beneath him cease her struggling, her face still and emotionless as she now lay unmoving. "No."

She didn't. She couldn't have. Was she?

The boy's mind racing with unchecked pain and fear, Jim suddenly found himself kneeling on the floor beside the bed, his face drawn close to hers as he searched over her pale cheeks for a sign, movement, anything. No. Not like this. "Zara, please."

Noises filling the room sounded muffled and dull to the boy's ears, his mind only clearing when he realized that someone was speaking his name, the voice trying desperately to get his attention as he raised his eyes, his look instantly met by the alien man beside him.

"Jim! Jim, look. Zarabeth's still breathing."

Shifting his gaze to where he was urged, an unexplainable wave of relief washed over him, the sight before him a sad sort of comfort as he drew in a shaking breath.

Winters was holding the bowl of a silver spoon between the girl's nose and mouth, the metal surface momentarily covered in a small layer of steam before it would disappear, only to return a moment later.

Jim stared down at Zarabeth for he knew not how long, finding the evidence before him difficult to believe and take in as he looked over her motionless form. "She-she's still ok?"

"For now. The virus is losing strength, but so is she."

"I-I thought she'd..."

"Jim, look at me."

Unwillingly redirecting his gaze toward the doctor, Jim could feel the gravity of what might have happened wash over him, his chest tightening painfully as his heart slowly relaxed to its normal pounding.

"Jim, you have to understand that this might be it. She's still fighting, but it may not be for much longer. Jim, I'd be lying if I said that Zarabeth's condition was stable. Another attack like that will finish her."

Trying his best to take in what the man was saying, Jim could feel his heart sinking with each word, any hope he'd had last night slowly dying. Now was not the time to break down. No, he had to try to be strong, for her. He couldn't fall apart now. Taking in a deep breath, Jim hoped to keep his emotions in check, his mind still reeling in painful worry and helplessness.

"Her only chance rests on the fact that she may not have another attack...but that is the only thing we have to count on, for now." Slowly rising from where he'd been sitting, Winters made his way over to Mrs. Hawkins, quietly voicing a few instructions to her before they both took their temporary leave.

Left in the silence of the room, Jim stayed where he was on his knees, working desperately to keep his breathing even and calm as he looked with pained longing over Zarabeth's pale face. Fighting to keep his composure, the boy bit down hard on his lip as he closed his eyes, letting his face fall into the folds of fabric surrounding the girl as his mind rang with a single painful thought of longing. "I was going to marry her."