Part 3
Kate closed the lid of the piano and re-covered the polished wood with it's deep red cover. Sighing, she walked to the kitchen and poured a glass of water. She had spent most of the night drowning her sorrows in the melody and rhythm of old tunes from composers who had already gone before her. Sitting on the sofa, she looked at the glass of water. She hadn't been able to eat anything that wasn't baby foodish and keep it down. 'Maybe I already knew that this was coming.' thought Kate to herself as she sipped from the glass that John had used from the night when he had stayed over...
***Flash Back***
"You coming inside?" asked Kate as she unlocked the door to her apartment.
"No, no I'd better get going." said Carter turning to leave.
"You could stay over." said Kate giving him the puppy-dog face.
"Well... ok." he agreed, stepping inside the apartment.
"Want anything?"
"No thanks."
"Ok, well, you don't mind if we watch a movie?" asked Kate kneeling in front of the VCR cabinet.
"Not at all. What have you got?"
"Umm, I've got the 'First Wives Club', 'Babe.' and a heap of other cheap chick-flicks. These are the best I got." She offered, holding out the two videos.
"Babe, I guess. What's that about?" asked Carter looking at the strange cover with a whole bunch of animals on it.
"You never watched Babe?" said Kate in amassment. "Oh, that's right- your American." Carter softly tapped Kate on the head with the video box.
"Ok, Ok, I promise I won't tease you about being an American anymore." promised Kate as she walked to the kitchen. "Popcorn!" she announced proudly as she sat next to John with a huge bowl filled with the fluffy white kernels.
"Yeah, one of the few things that you don't screw up in the kitchen."
"Shhhh! It's about to start." whispered Kate as the movie began with it's sad beginning.
"You know, John, maybe we should take it to the bedroom." suggested Kate as she began to undo Carter's front buttons.
"Maybe, maybe we should stop." said John, breaking off.
"Why?" asked Kate in confusion.
"I, I just don't want you to wake up regretting what we've done."
"I won't." said Kate, sure of herself.
"Really?" said Carter surprised that she was so sure that it was what she wanted. "Yeah, really." she confirmed as the two continued.
***End Flash back***
Kate smiled at the memory. However, she remembered one thing that she had totally forgotten about. "Oh, no...."
~*~*~*~
***Contine Flash back***
Mrs Prunnett swung the door open as everyone held their breath. The mad man rushed past, pushing the scared teacher out of the way. Giggling like a pack of school girls that had just found out the secret of boys, he ran into the room. Mrs Prunnett, like any other dignified teacher, held the values of not slamming doors. She drew her chest in and stepping forward, slammed the door as the man kept giggling and caring on.
"Hurry up, run! RUN!" whispered Mrs Prunnett urgently as she began to help the children get up and run to the door. "Go! Go ! Go!" all of them were wide eyed and faces white, fled as fast as they could. Some were in so much haste that they fell over chairs which had been left out of place. The psycho wasn't daunted by the closed door. Suddenly a loud boom could be heard. Nobody stopped to look back as they dashed past the door until the sound of a mad man's laugh could be heard and ten shots were fired through the door, and into four innocent children and Mrs Prunnett. At where the white store room door once was, the mad man, machine gun in hand stood, shots firing left and right as blood sprayed everywhere; staining everything in sight.....
***End Flash back***
"The four children and Mrs Prunnett were taken away and the blood was cleaned, I think." said the boy looking up at Carter.
"Is that the store room?" asked Carter pointing at a dark room missing a door. "Yeah." He answered looking back down at his shoes. "Then all these men sought of invaded the school."
"This is a school?" said John in wonder. 'That must have been the GYM then.' "Yeah." said the boy, nodding his head and then wincing in pain.
"How long have you had that cut?"
"I dunno, about five hours?" said the boy slowly massaging his temples.
"Looks like a concussion, you should lie down." advised Carter as he sat down near the boy, cross-legged and looked at the cut.
"Nah, I'll be fine Doc."
"Where exactly are we and when did all this happen?" asked Carter. 'Surely the FBI would know by now.'
"Started as soon as science started, bout nine." John breathed a sigh of relief. 'Not bad.' He thought to himself as he looked down at his watch 'just a couple of hours ago.'
"I ment yesterday morning, Doc, It's noon now."
~*~*~*~
"Kate, it's Kerry. I hate to call you, but we need you down here, it's a mad house. We also have some information on John that I think is better to tell you in person. Well, bye." came Kerry's voice on the answering machine in Kate's apartment. Kate sighed. She had barely been able to get a wink sleep since her double shift without knowing John was alright. Hell, she hadn't even changed out of her work clothes and it was past midnight. She got up from her sofa, rubbing her eyes. Physically and mentally exhausted, she pulled on a dark green jacket, shoes and grabbing her backpack, Kate walked as fast as she could out the door.
"Excuse me, dear?" asked a kindly old lady who approached Kate as she was almost on her way out of her apartment block in pink fuzzy slippers and a huge white robe. "Yes, how can I help you?" answered Kate, putting on her 'I'm busy, I'm tired but I'm too nice. Get on with it!' smile.
"Well, Miss Hobart, you told me to look after your dog." said the old woman slowly. "And...." said Kate, gently trying to prod her along.
"And i was wondering when you'd like him back." she finished off simply.
"Well, ah, I'm really busy and I might need you to take care of him for a week." said Kate desperately. 'I had totally forgotten about Cherry!' she thought to herself.
"Well, dear, it's fine Don't worry about anything I'll take good care of him. Just make me a promise." said the lady, striking a deal.
"What is it? I'll do anything."
"Make sure that one day that you'll visit me for a cuppa and a chat."
"Yup, I will, soon. Thankyou!" yelled Kate who was already on her way out the door. Little did she know that she would be making a visit very soon....
~*~*~*~
"You've been stuck in here for over twenty-four hours?" questioned Carter in disbelief. "Yeah, Doc I know how to tell the time." said a dark-skinned girl sitting next to the boy with the cut. John dragged his hand over his face, which was rough with a nights growth of beard.
"Well, I'll see what I can do to get you all out of here but first perhaps we should get to know each other and where the hell we are."
~*~*~*~
"Hey Randi, where's Dr Weaver?" asked Kate politely. Randi looked up, gum snapping away in her mouth and her huge hoop earrings dangling.
"I think she's in trauma."
"Oh, when she gets out, tell her I'm in the Lounge ok?" "Sure." answered Randi, turning back to the computer screen.
Kate walked tiredly to the Lounge. But just before she got there, she noticed that exam four was empty. Looking around to make sure no one was following her or needed her attention, Kate slipped quietly into the dark room. Turning on the light, she made her way to the bed. Reaching underneath a cart which held medical supplies, Kate took out a needle, syringe and other instruments needed in order to take a blood sample. Wiping an area on her arm clean with an alcohol swipe, she eased the needle in her arm and watched as the vial began to fill with the red liquid.
Once the container was filled, she took out the needle and put it into a box labeled 'sharps'. Placing a piece of cotton and securing it with a Band-Aid, She dug round in her pocket and came up with a black pen. 'I can't write my own name on the label.' Thinking for a moment of what to write, Kate scribbled 'Sarah Rapa' in a neat scribble. "Sorry Sarah, I just need your name." she whispered to herself before ordering a pregnancy test...
~*~*~*~
"So where are we exactly?" asked Carter not trusting that his ears had heard right. "Like I said, Doc, were in Indianapolis. St Michel's high." answered the boy with the cut who John knew now as 'Martin.'
"And where're on the third floor?"
"Yup."
"And were're the only prisoners left?" Carter said, making sure he had his facts right. "Oh, no." said Martin shaking his head.
"There are many other classrooms being held hostage. The only thing I don't know Doc is how many other Kids are still in the building." said Martin sadly. Carter looked around the large classroom shaking his head. Walking to a window in the corner, he tried to open it, looking down at a dark and shadowy playground which was empty.
"We've tried that, they're locked from the inside as well as out." John sighed in frustration. Noticing a map-like sign beside the door labeled 'fire escape plan.' Carter walked toward it and began to study the map, the children curiously gathering round them.
"I think we can do something." said Carter as he traced a pathway through the maze of classrooms on the map....
~*~*~*~