AN: Sorry for the long delay, everyone. I've been writing for Babies at the Border and finishing up Dangerous Secrets so Skyjacked sort of got sidelined for a little.

It took a little work to get back into the mindset of this one, and I really wanted a stockpile before I started posting again.

Well, that's done, but I have so much else going on right now that I will be posting every other Saturday so I don't start running out of chapters again.

As of now, I have four more completed, two of those beta'd by the fantastic and amazing MeteorOnAMoonlessNight who really makes every chapter so much more readable.

Anyhow, a recap on the last chapter, Emily had her baby, a girl named Claire Isabella Alice Uley, and Alice is well on her way to redemption.

There are no major character deaths in this chapter and I'm all about the HEA, so never fear.

I do have an outtake half written, which will give an insight into how she became such a waste of space, but you'll probably have to wait until the end to read that.

Disclaimer: SM owns it all and I mena no disrespect

Chapter 24

Bella

Unexpected Deaths

During the few days after Emily and Sam's baby arrived, there was an air of excitement throughout the camp. They announced her name as Claire Isabella Alice Uley, which embarrassed me a little initially, but secretly I was absolutely delighted. Almost everyone congratulated me. I was even pleased for Alice; she had been a lot of help for the whole day and I really hoped it was a turning point for her.

Two days after the birth of Claire, Alice, Lauren, and Irina had very generously offered their much larger shelter to Emily and Sam. When Emily protested they told her that it had already been decided. Irina was set to move back in with Laurent, although I didn't think it was because she wanted Laurent; more that she actually wanted to do something nice for a change.

Alice had agreed to take the smaller tent with Lauren, and they were so insistent that within the day they had swapped all their belongings and settled in. I learned later that it had been at Alice's insistence, and she went up in my estimation a little more.

Unfortunately, there was still misfortune waiting for us. Nancy King, the woman Jessica had been traveling with, died suddenly in her sleep. Jessica, with whom she had been sharing a shelter, quietly came to find me one morning about a week after the baby had arrived. When I followed her to the shelter, Jessica had already covered the woman's body.

"What happened, Jess?"

"She's had a heart condition for years," she said tearfully. "She had pills that kept it under control, but those ran out a while ago. She refused to let me tell you, Bella. She said there was nothing that could be done once those pills were finished."

I sighed at the thought of yet another death, wondering when it would stop. Still, Jessica was the one who needed the comfort now; she needed to believe that Nancy had unfortunately called it. "She was right, Jess. The only thing that would help without those pills is a healthy lifestyle and exercise, but those alone can't reverse the condition once the damage has been done. In fact, being here probably helped her to feel better, but there was always a risk of a heart attack despite the conditions." I leaned forward and hugged her. "How long have you been with Nancy?" I asked.

"I've been her paid companion for five years now." Jess's tears were slowing now. "But she'd become my friend in the last few months, especially since we've been here. She was always so happy, despite all the problems, and loved the fishing expeditions; it made her feel useful."

We sat in silence for a few minutes while Jess got her emotions under control, and idly I wondered how many more would never leave this island. We'd lost Tyler and Eric to the ocean, Shelly to her diabetes, and now Nancy to her medical conditions. Heidi was lost to the uncontrolled idiots, and Alec to his greed and sense of self-importance. All of this began because of greed; the greed of a group of men who took what they wanted irrespective of the effect on others. I vowed that somehow, Jacob Black and the remaining members of his little gang of thieves would pay. I roused myself when Jess's tears dissolved into snuffles and stood, preparing to get on with the next steps.

"Come on, Jess. I need to tell James and Edward so we can prepare for her burial."

As I stood, Jess handed me a letter with my name on it. "I'm sorry, Bella, I know this is addressed to you, but I'd read it before I realized."

"That's okay, no harm done."

I unfolded the single sheet of paper and began to read.

My Dearest Bella

I apologize for not speaking to you regarding my heart condition, and please don't be mad at Jessica; I swore her to secrecy.

If you are reading this, then the heart attack that has been held at bay has finally claimed my life. There was nothing anyone could have done to prevent it, especially so far from any medical intervention. Living here on this island may have started out as a tragedy, but I felt truly blessed to have found such a wonderful group of people. You all have your strengths, and that's what will get you through. I believe that someone will come to the rescue, and it will be due to you, your lovely young man Edward, and the rest of the survivors. All of you strive to ensure everyone's safety, and I believe that you will all go on to live long, happy lives.

Don't be sad for me, I had a great and long life and will be joining my beloved husband, Royce.

Love to you all and safe journey,

Nancy King

PS - Encourage Jess to follow her heart though the way may be difficult; she and Lauren will make a beautiful future, all that's needed is faith.

Turning to Jess, I assured her that it was nothing she couldn't read, and that she should think about what Nancy had both written and said to her.

"Happiness is found in all sorts of places and with many different people, Jess, and if it's Lauren your heart desires, then have faith in you both just as Nancy would have wanted."

Jessica smiled, her eyes still wet. "You know she called me on my feelings for Lauren just last week when baby Claire was born. She was such a generous woman, and told me she'd spent her misbegotten youth, as she called it, eating, drinking and making merry. She said she had enjoyed all of her life and knew that when her time came she would be reunited with her husband."

Jess walked alongside me as we went to find our respective others. I hadn't know Nancy well, but she had always been cheerful and enthusiastic about everything; the shame of it was that she didn't deserve to die at all, no matter what the reason. It was with a heavy heart I left Jessica to find Lauren and went to find my salvation; Edward.

Nancy was buried with little fanfare the following day with Jessica, instead of James, presiding over the ceremony.

"Nancy was larger than life, always up for anything, and did the best she could. She was my friend first and my employer second. Though it sounds odd, I'm glad we're here; I never would have known her as I do had we remained in Los Angeles." She paused for a few minutes to get herself under control, brushing away her tears and waving away James, who stepped forward to take over, if she needed it. "She had no family left and when we spoke about it only a week ago, she said she would be happy to meet her husband, wherever he ended up—in hell or heaven. As long as she was with him it would be heaven in her eyes. I hope—" She stopped and looked over at Lauren. "That I have the same feelings when it's my time."

Stepping away from her position, she turned to face the grave that had been prepared, gripping Lauren's hand when it was offered. James stepped forward then and said the remaining words as Nancy's body was laid to rest.

Once again, the camp was a little quieter for a few days, but everything soon resumed its normal pace as people got on with the daily tasks needed. The group pulled tightly together to ensure our survival. I prayed that Nancy would be the last person we would lose, but my wish wasn't to be granted.

Another of our small group fell ill within the next week. Mark, our history teacher, who had been so full of ideas that made our lives better, developed a fever. Felix was waiting outside our shelter when I left to run my routine checks on everyone.

"I can't wake him, Bella." Felix and Mark were good friends, their skills complementing each other as they worked on various projects to make our lives easier. Grabbing what remained of my medical supplies, I headed for the shelter Felix shared with Mike and Sam, ducking into the dim interior. Inside I found Mark, lying almost comatose, his eyes glassy when they opened at my intrusion. Within seconds, they rolled back in his head and he faded back into sleep or unconsciousness. I knew it couldn't be a simple cold or even influenza; we'd been away from civilization for too long for anyone to be harboring those type of viruses. His temperature was pretty high, but the only thing I had was Tylenol, even if I could wake him to take them.

Both Edward and Jasper arrived, both concerned that yet another one of our group was ill, and as I stepped outside the shelter, Edward asked, "How is he? Did you find out what's wrong with him?"

"I'm pretty worried about him. He has a high temperature and a fever, but it's not likely to be a cold or anything like that; we've been here for too long. We have no antibiotics left, and only a few Tylenol."

Jasper spoke up. "I had a buddy, back when I was in the army; he had those same symptoms." He paused. "After he died we found out he had a cut on his arm. Not much to look at, but without treatment ... he died of sepsis."

"Did you find anything like that, Bella?" Edward asked.

"Hmm, I didn't think of that, and after your warnings, I would have thought he'd talk to me. I'll go check now." I returned to Mark's side to check him over, knowing that if it was septicemia there would be nothing we could do for him. He would need hospitalization and intensive treatment, and even then he might not survive.

Edward stepped into the shelter. "You find anything?"

I sighed. "I think Jasper's right; it's sepsis. I know it might be too late, but I need to check him over for injuries. Can you help me turn him over so I can check his back?"

"Yeah, sure," he answered, stepping up beside me. Together, we rolled Mark while I lifted his t-shirt and checked the skin on his back. Apart from suspicious red blotches, there was no sign of any injury and his chest was clear, too.

"It's more likely to be on his legs, don't you think," Edward suggested. I nodded and tried to push them up to check his legs. I gasped at the numerous red blotches covering every inch of his right leg and it didn't take much to see the wound on his calf. It was only around an inch long but the edges were jagged, red and puffy. It was definitely infected.

"Damn it," I muttered. "Stupid idiot. Why didn't he come to me when he did it?"

"To be fair, he probably didn't notice it at the time," Edward said. "Is it sepsis?"

"Yes, it is," I sighed again. "Do you have a pen or something to write with?"

"Not on me." He looked confused. "But I can get one."

"If you could, please."

A few minutes later, Edward returned with a pen and I drew a circle around the red blotch which covered the cut.

"Why do you want to do that?" Edward asked.

"Well, if it spreads beyond the line, then it's definitely sepsis, and the quicker it does that, the worse he is."

"Worse, as in dying?"

I nodded, and Edward leaned over and put his arms around me. "I'm so sorry, Bella." He didn't have to say anything else. A shadow darkened the entrance to the shelter as we pulled away from each other, and Seth stepped inside with a light, courtesy of Shelly's teaching again.

"Hi, Bella. From the look on your face, it's not good news." It was almost a question, and I nodded my head, confirming that he was right.

Edward tugged on my hand. "Come on, let's go back to the shelter and get a little rest."

"Are you okay to stay for a while, Seth?" He nodded, and I allowed Edward to lead me back to our shelter where we lay together in the encroaching dark. Edward had worked hard all day and soon drifted off to sleep, but I was a long way from that and lay there listening to his light snoring.

In the end, I rolled out from under Edward's arms and slid my shorts back on, heading for Mark's shelter. The light was very faint, and Seth was leaning against the central tree, dozing. Mike and Felix were nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, Seth," I said quietly. "How's he been?"

Seth opened his eyes. "No change, Bella. He seemed cold so I covered him, but he's not really been conscious at all."

I nodded and brought the light closer to the mat where Mark lay. Checking his leg, I could see that the red mark had far exceeded the pen marking I had made just a few hours ago. That was definitely not good. Sitting back on my heels, I ran over the contents of the medical bag in my head, knowing all the while that there was nothing I could do; this man needed hospitalization.

Eventually, I stood and spoke to Seth. "Can you get Edward for me, please?"

"Sure thing, Bella." Seth left the shelter and returned with Edward a few minutes later. Yawning, Edward asked me what he could do to help.

"It's definitely sepsis, and there's absolutely nothing we can do, Edward. It can be fatal even in a hospital with antibiotics and a way to keep him hydrated; at this stage he probably won't survive." I was silent, thinking back over the last few days. "I should have noticed something, Edward. A day or so ago, when he returned from fishing, he complained of feeling out of sorts but brushed it off. I should have pushed him to tell me more."

"You couldn't have known," he said. "Even if you had, would you have been able to do anything?"

"I don't know. I might have been able to drain the cut and clean it up with tea tree oil, which we do have, but it might not have affected the outcome."

"Can't you do that now?"

"No, it's too far into his bloodstream. It's just a matter of time now until organ failure sets in, and there's nothing I can do to stop it." Tears welled in my eyes, and I brushed them away before they could fall. I got to my feet and left the shelter, aware that Edward was watching me walk away. He let me go, knowing I needed a little time to myself.

A couple of hours later when I entered the shelter, there was a smell in the air that I didn't want to name, even though I knew what it was. Edward came along shortly after and we settled beside Mark, with cool water to sooth and to hopefully comfort him with my touch. Despite his low temperature, he shivered, and his breathing became labored as the sepsis invaded his body.

Edward sat quietly behind me, his very presence supporting me. I leaned back against his body, listening to his heartbeat as I dozed off for a while until Mark's murmuring woke me.

"Mark," I called gently. This was the first sign of any consciousness, and although in my heart I knew it didn't mean he was on the mend, of course I hoped. "Mark." His eyes opened and he blinked, focusing on my face. "How are you feeling?"

He took so long, I didn't think he was going to answer. "Bella." His voice was hoarse from disuse. "I don't have long …"

"You'll be fine," I insisted, interrupting him.

He moved his hand slowly and wrapped it around mine. "I know what's happening, Bella, and I'm okay with that." His voice got stronger. "You are not to blame; you do know that, don't you?"

"But …"

"No buts, Bella. It's not your fault, it's mine. I ignored everything you and Edward said. Just listen, please," he continued. "When you get out of here, I want you to tell my mother that it's okay to grieve, but she's not to be sad for long. Despite the circumstances and how we got here, I have felt more alive the last two months than ever before, so you can tell her that." He stopped to try and take a deep breath and then shook his head, obviously tired from getting his point across.

I leaned forward and smoothed the cool cloth across his forehead and watched as his closed. His breathing deepened as he drifted off to sleep again, and I sat back against Edward. Smoothing my hair away, he kissed the back of my neck. There was nothing sexual about it, only comfort.

Two hours later Mark's breathing slowed until he finally exhaled and didn't inhale again.

Another burial and the feeling that smothered the camp was almost like despair. We had lost seven survivors now, and this time I prayed there would be no more.

** Skyjacked **