"You need to talk to her," Alison scoffed under her breath.
"Relax, chicken..." Siobhan started but the words stopped when she yawned. She couldn't blame Alison. It was going on four hours. They had scoured the forest. Art had gotten not only his police force to comb the area, but also every available cop from all the surrounding areas.
"It's freezing! We're all going to catch hypothermia for-" Alison snapped.
"Don't." Sarah interrupted. "Whatever you were going to say about Delphine just stop." Sarah glanced over, wanting to be sure that Cosima hadn't heard. Of course, Cosima was too preoccupied to be eavesdropping.
"Sestra will get sick. Work too hard." Helena added, pushing the blonde curls from her face. "She need rest. Food."
"That's all I was trying to say," Alison lied.
"I'll get her to eat and sit for a few minutes," Sarah offered. "She wants to fight, she can fight me."
Sarah grabbed a granola bar, approaching her sister. Of all the clones, Cosima was the most like her. They had the most genuine bond and although she knew she shouldn't rank them, she liked Cosima the most. Cosima was like this nerdy little sister who was also a million times smarter than her. Sarah admired and respected Cosima but was also fiercely protective of her.
"You need to sit down and eat this."
"I'll rest when I find her," Cosima warned, not even pausing to look at Sarah.
"I didn't ask."
"Sarah, just go look for her. Or if you want to manage, tell Alison-"
"Cosima, you're going to make yourself worse. Just take care of yourself!" Sarah raised her voice.
"I can't let her die," Cosima whispered and Sarah suddenly noticed the stray tear sliding down her cheek.
"But she wouldn't allow you to die either," Sarah realized, suddenly feeling guilty over how she had treated Delphine. She was so protective over Cosima that she had taken for granted that Delphine was exactly the same. She was so lost in thought that by the time she looked up, Cosima was sitting down, eating the granola bar just as Sarah had instructed. "We'll find her, Cos."
"I can't live without her, Sarah. She's the air I breath. She's-"
"I got her!" Art's loud voice interrupted her, echoing throughout the otherwise silent forest.
Art rushed towards the ambulance. Cosima watched helplessly as the shadowy figure got closer. All she could make out were the blonde curls that swayed with each step Art took.
"Delphine!" Cosima yelled, running to meet them.
"She's unconscious," Art said gently. He placed the blonde on the stretcher, where a team of doctors and EMT's raced to save her.
Cosima watched, feeling small and powerless. Her blonde curls were soaked in blood. She knew that the blood came from the missing sections. Cosima's stomach churned as she imagined that man yanking on Delphine's hair, ripping chunks of those soft curls without a second thought.
On the stretcher, Cosima was reminded how frail Delphine really was. She was always the one to take charge and care for Cosima. There was something so eerie about Cosima watching her protector being so helpless.
The doctor hovered around the mark on her chest. The blood had dried and bled again, the wound looking painful and possibly infected.
"We've got to get blankets. Her temperature is 94 degrees," the doctor called. Cosima knew 95 or under was hypothermia.
"Please. Let me lay with her," Cosima whined. She hated how little her voice sounded. No matter how old she got, when faced with tragedy Cosima morphed into a little girl.
The doctor nodded, and Cosima undressed quickly, leaving only her bra and panties before holding the blonde against her. "Stay with me, Del," she whispered as the doctor covered them with heavy blankets.
She tried to stroke Delphine's hair, but the blonde tensed up as she let out a weak whimper. Cosima's eyes filled with tears at the animalistic whimper. She had never heard Delphine sound that way. She hadn't heard anyone sound that way before.
"I need you," Cosima whispered as they drove away. She closed her eyes, hoping to block the tears. She let herself just focus on the feel of Delphine in her arms, knowing there was a chance these embraces were limited.
By the time they reached the hospital, Cosima was sound asleep, cradling Delphine in her arms protectively.