Author's Note: Mystery Girl: Hi again! I was hoping to talk—erm, you know what I mean. Anyway, I'm glad you dropped by and left me more reviews :) And I'm so glad you like the story so far! And my brother's doing much better, thank you. Yes, Hans is very evil. I 'heard' a theory online somewhere that the Stabbington brothers could be some of Hans' older brothers, so I thought I might as well put that in ;) Thank you for the reviews! Blue Artkitty: Since I can't respond to you via PM, I'm doing it here. I just hope you see it ;) Thank you so much! That's one of the highest compliment you can pay an author :) Nightninja456: Yes, she is, but will it be worth it? ;) NaomilovesJelsa: Thank you! That WINNER: Well, you're about to see what happens next ;) Thank for the review. Abbi: Hehe. I may or may not be as nice as you think I am ;) You'll have to see. Yeah, I'm trying to work on developing Elsa's maturity. Well, I took your suggestion. Instead of 'really cares' I put something else ;)
Thanks, everyone. Leave me a review and tell me what you think!
Her pace quickened and her legs burned as she steadily waded through the snow. After a few moments, the highway came into view. Elsa chewed her lip indecisively. Should she risk hitching a ride with someone? After all, she had no idea where the nearest hospital was. Elsa approached the highway tentatively and mustered her courage. She waved as a car zipped past her. They didn't even slow. A van sputtered past her, the burly driver didn't even spare her a glance. Elsa felt frustration swell within her. She waved frantically at a blue minivan. To her relief and surprise, it slowed, coming to a stop in front of her. The window slid down, revealing a man and a woman.
The man leaned towards the window. "Can I help you?"
Elsa frantically bobbed her head. Her lips parted as she prepared to say something. Apprehensiveness lurked in the corners of her mind, doubts plaguing her. Elsa squared her shoulders. She'd made it this far. "Yes, I need a ride."
She heard the doors click twice. The man nodded towards the back. "Hop in."
Elsa yanked on the handle and the door slid to the left. She plopped herself down in a seat and slammed the door shut.
"So, do you need to go to town?" he asked, his black-brown eyes assessing her.
"To the nearest hospital," she clarified.
There was a soft whisper of fabric against fabric as both of them turned in their seat to stare at her.
"I have a friend—husband," she quickly amended. The woman's eyes widened. Elsa cleared her throat and quickly continued, "He has an injured leg. I left him somewhere in the forest to go find help."
"Oh no," the woman breathed.
The man's eyebrows raised and he shifted gears. "To the hospital then." The car lurched forward as he speed off, well above the speed-limit. "We're actually not too far from Grand Junction. It's a couple miles away," he murmured, almost to himself.
Elsa nodded, even though he wasn't looking at her. The woman offered her a beautiful smile. "We'll get there soon. And I'm sure your… husband will be fine." Her sky-blue eyes seemed to glow. Elsa nodded again and turned to stare out the window, the beautiful, snow-covered scenery passing by in a whir. Sensing Elsa wasn't in need of conversation, the woman turned back to look at the front window of the car. Worry began to gnaw at her insides. Had she really made the right decision? What is something happened to Jack? Was he going to hate her? Elsa bit down harder on her already raw lips. The burning sting helped take her mind off of the myriad of fears, worries, and doubts that threatened to drown her. Elsa was thrown forward as the man slammed on the breaks.
"We're here. Do you need any help?"
Elsa distractedly shook her head and yanked the door open before sprinting inside the hospital. In her frenzied state, she forgot to thank the kind couple. The door slid open just before Elsa ran into them. She slammed her palms on the front desk, making the receptionist jump.
"Please… I… need help." Elsa gasped for air in between words.
The receptionist's eyebrows rose. "How may I help you?" she replied in a cool, clipped tone.
"My h-husband… He was injured and then-then I left him to get help." The words came slowly, haltingly. Her tongue seemed to trip over itself.
"Do you know where he is, ma'm?"
"In the forest."
"Specifically?"
"I can take you there. Please hurry," Elsa pleaded desperately.
"Alright, I'll send you with the ambulance. Do you know where he was injured?"
"In the leg."
"How severely?"
"I-I don't know." Elsa's voice cracked and tears stung her eyes.
The woman splayed her hands in the air, towards Elsa. "Alright, m'am, just-just remain calm."
Elsa dragged air into her oxygen-deprived lungs and clenched her trembling hands. A sudden weariness came over her.
"Why don't you wait in front of the hospital? They'll stop and pick you up there."
Elsa nodded and strode outside. A rush of cold air hit her with the force of a tidal wave, compared to the warm interior of the hospital. She shoved her hands in her pockets. Within a minute, an ambulance pulled up, a horizontal red stripe painted across the middle. A door swung open and a woman with a black uniform ushered her inside, slamming it shut once Elsa stepped in. She sank onto a bench off to the side and strapped herself in. Elsa took in every minute detail of the ambulance, from the cabinetry to the various medical paraphernalia to the portable bed, which filled up most of the space. She was jolted backwards as the ambulance screeched down the street, its tires squealing. Elsa closed her eyes, hoping she'd made the right decision. The ride was silent, except for—of course—the wailing sirens, announcing their presence to everyone. Elsa felt her unease return. She hoped beyond hopes that the hospital trip wouldn't result in any repercussions. Her eyes fluttered open when the ambulance stopped. Elsa was at the door before anyone could stop her.
"Ma'm, wait!"
Elsa looked around, vaguely recognizing the area. The spotted a fallen tree and the pieces clicked. She dashed into the forest, searching for where she'd left Jack. "Jack?" Elsa's pace increased, her heart beating rapidly inside of her chest, the noise reverberating in her skull. "JACK!"
"Here!"
She whirled around, sprinting towards the noise. Towards Jack. She skidded to a halt when a wall of blue rose in front of her, seemingly from out of nowhere. She felt to her knees and pressed her palm to the ice. "Jack?"
His lips curved in the barest of smiles. He looked as pale as the snow surrounding him. Her gaze wandered down to his leg. Bright red stained the white snow. The red spot grew steadily larger as blood seeped into the ground. She glanced at the solid wall, a new panic seizing her.
"Jack, how do I take down the wall?"
He drew a shuddering breath. "Just… think of something warm."
"Warm?" Elsa instantly thought of the blistering sun, the baking desert, sizzling heat.
He seemed more distant than before, as if he was… fading. The thought was enough to make her heart clench. She fisted her hands in desperation and helplessness. "Warm memories." He smiled lazily. "I just think of you," he murmured, his glazed eyes fixed on her face.
The world became smeared and blurred, shapes and colors swirling as tears filled her eyes. Focus! You need to think. Now's not the time for emotions. Warm, think warm. She suddenly stopped, a realization hitting her. But it was emotions, not purely thinking. It was the emotions that made the memories warm. Elsa relaxed the choke-hold on her emotions. Don't think warm, feel warm. She closed her eyes, a few stray tears trickling down her cheeks. The only time she felt warmth—truly felt it—was with Jack. Her emotions and memories mingled, filling her mind. She remembered the subtle warmth she felt when Jack held her, the pulsing heat she felt when Jack kissed her. She dared to open her eyes, finding that the wall had vanished, as if it had never even been there. She flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. His hand gently nudged hers and their fingers interwove. Elsa choked on a sob when he grasped her hand. His grip was so weak, so faint. Her grip tightened, as if she could keep him tethered to this world by simply holding him.
"Jack," she whispered, almost reverently.
He was gazing upwards, his beautiful azure eyes studying the gray clouds.
Elsa swallowed past the lump in her throat. "I love you."
His eyes flickered to hers. He smiled faintly. The dimming light in his eyes terrified Elsa like nothing else.
She rested her forehead against his. "You can't leave. You can't leave me, Jack." One of her tears fell onto his cheek. His eyes intently studied every plane of her face, as if he was committing it to memory, burning it into his mind. Elsa shivered. She sobbed softly, but didn't dare close her eyes. His eyes locked with hers and communicated what he couldn't manage to say, I love you. She felt another flicker of warmth within her. She gently nudged his nose with hers, knowing that if he died, the warmth would go with him. She heard the tell-tale crunch of fresh snow behind her and knew that the paramedics had found them. But was it too late?
Elsa clung to Jack as they loaded him onto a board. She stood as they lifted the board and numbly held Jack's hand as they walked. Time blurred with her surroundings. All Elsa could do was cling to Jack and try to relight the dying embers within her. Even when Jack's hand went limp, she still held on.
The ambulance made her sway slightly as it jerked forward. Elsa barely noticed the paramedics attaching things to Jack, an IV in his wrist, a clip that hugged the tip of his finger. The needles didn't even make her queasy. She brushed her lips back and forth against his rough knuckles. She studied the strong hands that had held her and saved her a countless number of times.
Elsa sat up, blinking her bleary eyes, feeling confused. Where was she? But, more importantly, where was Jack? Her mind seemed fuzzy. She couldn't remember what had happened after the ambulance. Elsa was trying to recall how she'd gotten there when the door creaked open. Elsa kept her gaze transfixed on the ground, her mind still reeling from the recent events, trying to catch up to speed.
"Excuse me, Ms. Elsa, wasn't it? Pretty name. I used to know a girl—" The woman was abruptly silenced. The pen she presumably held dropped to the floor.
Elsa glanced up, wandering at her sudden silence. Her lips parted in shock as a familiar face filled her vision. Jessica?!
