Dangerously in Love: Part 3
John shut his eyes again; he was sure this last punch would- he felt the weight lifted off of him followed by a series of curses and screams. He opened his eyes and saw Aeryn being dragged by the arms to her bed by D'argo and Chiana. He tried to get up but found his legs didn't want to support him.
"Hold her Chiana!" D'argo cried "Jool's going to get her with the stabilisers-"
"I'm trying!"
John watched with horror as his friends held the woman that he was desperately in love with to her bed as she yelled and struggled like an enraged beast. It wasn't her, it couldn't be! This wasn't happening! God oh God…
"Hold her still D'argo!" Jool ran in with a needle in her hand "I have to be careful with this-"
"We're trying Jool!" shouted Chiana.
Aeryn's struggling managed to pull an arm free and she hit the unfortunate Nebari in the jaw and she fell backwards. Aeryn tried to get free of D'argo's powerful hold, but the Luxan pinned both of her arms to the bed.
"Hurry Jool!" He bellowed "I can't hold her forever!"
Jool held Aeryn's head carefully and placed the needle into her neck, there was a whoosh as the drug was released into Aeryn's bloodstream and her struggles calmed. They calmed more as her screams became quieter and finally she fell unconscious.
John felt physically sick, D'argo lifted Aeryn's lifeless form up and placed her in the bed properly. Jool ran a hand across her forehead delicately "The stabilisers will help calm her… heat sickness… a bit, but I think we should confine her to her quarters," she said quietly, trying to avoid the others gazing at her. She looked back at them "For her own safety," she added.
John got to his knees and looked at Aeryn's passive form on the bed, he launched into a coughing fit, blood staining his spit and she felt as if someone had crushed his ribs. She probably had done.
D'argo held a hand out to help him up "John, are you-"
"Don't ask if I'm okay, I'm not," John replied coldly.
"I'm sorry-"
"Hell, so am I."
He staggered away towards the door, Jool put a hand on his shoulder "You need treatment, you look pretty bad Crichton."
He turned to look at her "I look pretty bad? I feel worse," he said with a weak chuckle.
"John, she's not in her right mind, that wasn't her that did that to you-" Chiana began.
"Who was it then?"
With that, Jool helped him limp to the medical lab.
Chiana and D'argo looked at each other.
"Do you think it's permanent?" Chiana asked.
"It seems that way," he replied darkly.
The Nebari turned to look at Aeryn and blinked away her sadness.
Jool dabbed a cut on John's face carefully and gave him a cold press to hold against his eye, which was swelling. "You have a cracked rib, but that will heal up soon, a number of cuts and bruises and that eye will probably stay black for at least a few solar days yet…" she trailed off as her medically-professional tone seemed to bounce off him. She sighed, "John, Chiana was right, she wasn't completely in her right mind, she's bound to act like that and besides-"
"She said she wanted me dead."
Jool swallowed and looked away "That's not her, you have to believe me-"
"You done?"
"Yes, but-"
"Leave me alone, please."
"But-"
"Jool?"
She patted his arm, stood up and walked away "You'd best stay here," she added.
"Fine, go away please."
Jool nodded, headed towards the door and left John alone.
John buried his face in his knees, he had never felt so terrible. He felt as if everything he had ever loved had been ripped away from him. He watched Aeryn scream at him to die then hit him and beat him senseless, struggle like a wild animal, a rabid dog and being drugged like one.
He wanted to wake up; it had to be a dream, surely.
"I'm afraid not Romeo, your Juliet has lost her marbles!"
Oh God, right on cue.
"Harvey."
The neural clone was apparently examining the medical instruments in the lab; it wore a crazy doctor's uniform, complete with white coat and headband. "Love conquers all eh?" It teased, "it has certainly conquered you."
"Harvey…"
"I told you it would never last John, she will never love you now! She's gone mad as a hatter, what are you going to live for now?"
"You win."
The neural clone stopped, turned to face John and its jaw dropped "What?"
"You heard me, you win, well done. How does it feel to know that you were right all along?"
"I don't understand…"
"Harv, it's simple," John lifted his head and Harvey saw his eyes. They were filled with the kind of utter despair of those who had given up fighting; blood shot, lost and brimmed with tears. "I believe you now, I love Aeryn so much, but it's pointless now, she hates me to the point of killing me. Why should I love her back?"
The neural clone's doctors clothes faded away, it blinked and gave John a side ways look "I… won?"
"Yeah, congratulations, I feel like crap and love did it to me. I ought to give you a pat on the back."
Harvey had been coped up John Crichton's brain for quiet some time; the only things it had to do were to delve into his memories or to torment him. It was always convincing him to be tougher, have more fight, and give up love and emotion. Now, looking at him, it seemed that it had succeeded.
It had never seen a sight more pitiful, neither as Scorpius nor through John's eyes.
Never.
It said "A time to love and a time to hate…" more to itself than anyone else, and disappeared.
Even Harvey knew when to quit.
John lay back on the bed, turned to his side put his hand over his face…
And cried.
The following morning, Chiana, still nursing a bruised jaw, walked to Aeryn's quarters with a tray of food. She nervously opened the door and entered.
She looked around; there was no one on the bed.
Chiana placed the tray on a table and saw her. "Aeryn?" She said nervously.
She stared, Aeryn was curled up in a corner, her knees hugged tightly against her chest and she was shaking. There were faint sobs as well.
"Aeryn?" Chiana repeated, "Are you…?"
She cautiously tapped her on the shoulder and Aeryn turned her head. Chiana jumped back in alarm, "Sorry! You scared me-"
"Sorry Chiana, I am so sorry!" Aeryn crawled towards her, holding out her hand "I am so, so sorry…" she broke down into fresh sobs and clutched the Nebari's hand.
Chiana wasn't sure what to do; she knelt down and whispered, "It's okay, I didn't mean anything, but after yesterday-"
"Did I hurt anyone badly?"
"John took quite a nasty beating and you caught me on the jaw-" she stopped and cursed her honesty.
"I don't know what I was thinking! I felt so angry Chiana, I wanted him dead, I thought it might bring him back some how," she buried her face into Chiana's shoulder "I don't know how, but I wasn't thinking right! I wasn't-" she let the tears peel down her cheeks "I need him here! I love him! It's eating me alive Chiana! I can't take this anymore! I am so pathetic! Chiana! I can't live without him anymore…"
Chiana wasn't sure what to do, she cradled Aeryn's head in her arms and whispered "You're not pathetic Aeryn, you're in love, you're grieving, it's natural! I did it to remember?"
She stroked Aeryn's hair "It's okay, shusshhh…"
Still Aeryn wept, with lung-raking sobs that dropped tears on Chiana's shoulder. Chiana turned to look at the door and saw him.
Crichton stood and watched them, tears threatened his own eyes, but Chiana shook her head and mouthed, "Don't."
John swallowed, he hated to see Aeryn like that, but he knew the sight of him would make it worse. He turned away and walked back down the corridor.
He walked back to the lab and saw D'argo and Jool mixing some chemicals "I think I may be able to help Aeryn's condition, I found some heat stabilising chemicals in here and some drugs that normally treat mental illness-"
"Jool," said D'argo meaningfully; seeing John enter the room "I don't think it's wise to-"
"Thanks Jool," John replied sitting on a bench "hope it works."
D'argo and Jool avoided each other's glances; John was in a fairly bad way to so it was probably best if they stayed tactful. D'argo turned to his human friend and said, "How are you feeling now?"
"Like I was run over by a eighteen wheel juggernaut, which then backed over me, took out my heart and ripped it up," he said icily "apart from that? I feel like I'm in emotional Hell."
"I'm sorry John, if there's anything I can do-"
"Can you bring the dead back?"
There was an awkward silence, which was thankfully broken by an open channel call over the coms by Pilot "Attention, we are going to pass through a group of small suns, like the ones we passed through with T'raltixx? I suggest we move Officer Sun to somewhere cold; we don't want her to get any worse."
"Good idea, how long have we got?" Asked D'argo.
"Another arn or so," replied Pilot.
"Alright, we'll move her to the freezing unit," D'argo nodded to Jool "Jool? Bring some of those stabilisers, we need to be careful with her and John?"
"I'll help carry her," he said.
Chiana helped Aeryn onto the bed "You should sleep," she said, "you might feel a bit better soon."
"I won't be able to live again until he comes back Chiana, I can't live without him," Aeryn sobbed.
"Aeryn, you can! You lived without him before, you're strong Aeryn and you can get through this!"
Her words seemed to have some effect, Aeryn fell silent and lay down quietly. Chiana looked at her worriedly "Aeryn?" She said.
She said nothing, Chiana looked down at the floor, what could she do now? Aeryn was so strong once, now she was crying and angry with herself… "Aeryn? I left some food on the table in case you're hungry and… well… I'll come back soon… and… so… goodbye."
She walked toward the door and Aeryn called out "Thank you for talking to me, I really appreciate it Chiana."
The Nebari bit her lip "It's okay Aeryn, I'm glad I could help," she said and walked away. She stopped, blinked and tried to stop herself crying.
"I only wish I could do more."
Aeryn lay on the bed and stared at the opposite wall "I'm going mad aren't I?" she laughed, "I'm losing my mind, like you did, hah, like you always did."
"Love makes you crazy," John sat next to her bed, his elbows resting on his knees "I should know."
"What can I do?" She said "I can't go on this way, I keep on telling people that and they don't believe me."
"They think they know what's best for you."
"But they don't! Especially him! He has no idea what I'm going through; he thinks we can just talk it over, but then what else could I expect from him?"
"You know what you have to do don't you?"
Aeryn sat up and looked into his eyes "What?"
"If I can't get to you, you can get to me, you can be with me, with all of us."
"Mother, my father, Zhaan?"
"Yes, we all miss you Aeryn."
"How? How do I get out?
Then the call came over the com from Pilot "Attention, we are going to pass through a group of small suns, like the ones we passed through with T'raltixx? I suggest we move Officer Sun to somewhere cold; we don't want her to get any worse."
Aeryn had an idea; John felt it to "Now's a good time."
She sat up and looked around the room "How do I get out?"
"That food Chiana left you, there's something there you can bust the door open with."
Aeryn's eye caught the sharp eating utensil by the food "Remember that?" John said, "It's how we got out last time."
She smiled and picked it up "I remember," she whispered "I'll be with you soon John, I will."
She walked over to him and ran a finger down his jaw line "I love you."
"I love you to, see you soon."
Microts later, the door to Aeryn's quarters was open and the utensil was stuck into a DRD that had watched her escape.
I'll be there soon.
