"Come on.. We have to get him into the car before it-" A loud thunderclap drowned out Benton's orders as it started to pour.
He muttered angrily as he helped his colleagues lift the unconscious doctor into the car. He scrambled for the driver's side, cursing as he got in, slamming the door. "Is everyone in? I'm taking him to the hospital. I'm sure nobody has any objections."
Peter grunted, turning around and glaring at his passengers. "So does anyone have any better ideas? No? Good. We're go-" His hands slapped at his pockets as he looked down on the floor, under the seat, on the seat, under the visor, on the dash. Finally his gaze rested on Abby, his front seat passenger. "Where are the keys?"
"Come on Peter this isn't funny. Don't do this now." Elizabeth pleaded.
"I'm not kidding. Where are the fucking keys!?" He yelled, fishing in his jeans.
"I-I don't have them!" Abby stammered worriedly as she looked back at Doug.
"Awwwww... For Christ Sake!" Peter slammed is way out of the car and onto the bank, stumbling down the steep bank into the now waist-deep waters that continued to rise. Falling to his hands and knees he searched the murky water, hoping to find them before Doug got any worse.
**
Susan exited the bedroom, dressed and applying lipsticks. She walked past Mark, picking up her purse off the kitchen and leaving the apartment.
Mark sighed. "Okay kid.." He smiled sadly as he opened up the wallet. "Want to see something neat?"
Carefully the doctor peeled open the wrapper and inflated the little prize inside.
Suzie cooed happily and batted at her new toy as Mark tied it off and let it float over her head. "At least one Susan Lewis is getting a kick out of it.. Although this isn't exactly what I had in mind.." He muttered.
Suzie gurgled and patted the 'balloon'. "Okay kiddo.. Time for some dinner. What are you in the mood for? Prunes and pureed beef?"
The baby cocked a brow and wrinkled her nose. "Okaaaaaay.. What about.. carrots and apple sauce.. How's that?" Mark walked to the cupboard and pulled out a couple jars of baby food. "Okay squirt.. Lunch!"
***
"Mmmmfferlunch.." Mark mumbled as he rolled on the wet grass. The rain soaking the lawn and forming a large puddle beneath him, slowly turning a faint scarlet as the dye from his new 'colour fast' shirt bled all over the grass.
**
As he turned away from the cupboard, the baby food in his hand, Suzie sitting happily in her chair, her little legs pumping, kicking outwards as she waved her little fingers in the air and suddenly disappeared from view.
"OH SHIT!!!!!!" Mark yelped in surprise as the bowl slipped from his fingers and shattered on the floor in time to hear Suzie start to scream.
"Hey... Shhhh..." He said worriedly as he crawled on all fours to extricate Suzie from under the table.
***
"Dave I think we should try to get out of here and find the others. It's raining quite hard out there." Kerry murmured softly, looking outside.
"It's not the only thing hard." Dave replied sheepish. "and besides, Dr.Pete locked us in here. We can't get out till he comes back."
***
"Have you found the keys yet, Benton!?" Carol yelled frantically from the the car as the rain hammered down and lightning flashed overhead.
"Does it look like I found the damn keys!?"
**
"Okay Kovac.. Pay up." Nikola grinned toothlessly, his dentures sacrificed to the pot hours ago, much to the disgusted protests of Luka.
"I have nothing left." Luka said glum. "You have all my clothing. You have everything but my underpants and you are not having those."
"Put in the necklace." The old man muttered.
"My necklace? I can't.." Luka said pained.
"You will get it back.. You will get everything back." Nikola sighed. "It's just a game."
"It was from Dani... I can't.. I'd rather fold."
"Suit yourself. I win. Time for bed, get dressed boy, you'll freeze." Nikola threw him his pants and walked from the room.
***
"Dave.. Maybe if you climbed out the window and got outside.. Then went around.." Kerry said hopefully.
"Are you nuts!?" Dave stared out the window at the fifty foot drop. "I am NOT going out there. Are you trying to get me killed?" He sighed, rolling over in bed. "Just get some sleep Chief. Things will be better in the morning."
***
"Dave.. We're going home?" Seri stared out the window, the sun rising high over the cityscape.
"Yes. We're going home. Everything's fine." Her husband sighed and rubbed tired hands through his unwashed hair.
**
"You sure you want to come Seri? I mean.. I can always get Wendy and Nate to come over while I'm gone.." Dave muttered as he packed his suitcase, already knowing her answer.
"I'm going to come. The doctor said I was fine to come home. You said the same thing. If you say I'm fine and he says I'm fine. Then I'm fine.. and I'm going." Serena said angrily.
"Okay.. Okay... That's okay.. Good.. Come on.. We'll miss the plane." Dave said softly, trying to calm her down.
"FINE!" She yelled at him, running down the hall, down the stairs and
to the waiting cab.
*****
"Found them!" Abby hollered, sopping wet and jingling the prize over her head.
"The keys.. Finally.. Let's go." Peter grumbled, climbing from the ditch as lightning flashed overhead.
"Maybe we should go get help? Go get some of the others.." Elizabeth offered as the two hopped into the car.
**
"Suzie.. I don't think that's a very good id-" *SPLORCH* Mark wiped the goo from his chin and nose with his hand, and wiped his glasses on his shirt. Slowly he licked his lips and winced. "That's disgusting.. You know that?"
He furrowed his brow in thought. "Well.. Maybe we can find something more edible in the fridge.. What do you say?"
Mark stood, walking across the kitchen and rummaged through the cupboards. "Oh... Look Suzie.. An eight dollar package of smoked salmon.. Ohh.. and some of your Auntie's expensive lactose free cream cheese.. Hmm.. Your Auntie likes to live large.. What do you say we dig in?"
Suzie grinned and clapped her hands.
"Okay... Expensive, overpriced bagels, silly cream cheese and weird fish it is.. How about some dinner music, sweetie?" Mark walked to the radio and flipped it on.
"-Now I know all I need to know. I've had my highs, I've lived my lows. I've gone as far as I can go. Now I'm frozen to the bone. Listen now… At least I got laid, at least I got laid. And though the memories fade away. At least I got laid, at least I got lai-"
He slammed off the radio and the two ate in silence.
**
"I'm not climbing out of the damn window, Chief..." Dave grumbled tiredly
after being rudely awakened by Kerry bashing him over the head with her
pillow.
The doctors were suddenly blinded by the lights in the hallway as the bedroom door was flung open. "Kerry.. Malucci.. Enough of this fooling around.. I need you outside now.. Things are getting out of hand."
**
"What do you mean got out of hand?!" Kerry cocked a brow..
"Doug fell and knocked himself unconscious, and Mark has hypothermia from laying on the front lawn asleep in a rainstorm." Elizabeth sighed, squeezing the rain-water her hair and letting it drip on the carpeting. Kerry frowned. "So can you come with us and show us how to get to the hospital?"
****
"Are you sure that bed is safe, Nik? It looks like it'll collapse under me." Luka said worriedly as he examined the old bunkbed.
"It was Dani and Natalia's when they were small.. I was going to sell it.. Give it away.. But I always hoped for grandchildren.. It was in the garage for the longest time.." The old man trailed off, seeming to have lost his train of thought. Luka was about to ask if he was alright when Nikola spoke up. "We put it in this room.. Some little neighbour boy was staying with us.. His parents were away.. I never took it down.." He shrugged, and left the small bedroom.
Despite the musty smell; the smell of mold and wetness and the drafty air that filtered in from the window as its old panes rattled with the wind and rain, Luka climbed onto the bottom bunk and fell asleep.
***
"We can't get to the hospital in this weather.. it's raining hard out there." Kerry stared out the window, at the opaqueness of the night.
**
"Are you you okay?" Mlungisi said worriedly as he ran into the room, investigating the noise.
Kerry was seated on the floor, on her hands and working knee, her casted leg splayed out behind her like a foreign plaster appendage. "I.. I just slipped.. I can get up.." Tears shone in her eyes as she stared forward outside into the nightsky, not looking back.. Not looking back at his pitying face. She hung her head, the long red hair falling in her eyes as she struggled to get up.
"Are you okay though? I mean maybe we should go back to the hospital?"
"Back to the hospital? It's three in the morning and it's pouring rain.. I'm fine.." She said panicky. "No.. Mlungisi.. Not there.. You can't take me back. I'm never setting foot in another hospital as long as I live."
"I thought you wanted to go into medicine? To be a doctor?" He said politely as he went to her aid, and hooked his arms under hers and dragged her to the sofa.
"I'll.. I'll become a..... a... a farmer.. Who said I was even going back!? I'm not.. I can't.. I can't be a doctor who's a cripple!? Who in hell would ever hire me?!" She wailed, falling back onto the cushions.
"Okay.. Well let me look at your leg.. Just so I can see if you're okay.." Mlungisi crouched at her feet and carefully moved his hands over the cast and ran them up her thigh before Kerry's hand stopped it as it slid inwards...
"Mlungisi... Please..." Kerry said tearfully as she disappointedly shook her head and pushed his hand off. "Finn.. He's not even buried yet and you.. you.. I loved him very much... He was going to propose to me you know.. I'd found the ring in his satchel when we.. When I got back to the hotel.. He.. I loved him.. I still.. I'm very grateful to you, but I can't do this. I can't do it.. I don't know you.. You've been very kind to me.. and I'm grateful.. Very grateful. I'm sorry.. I'm so sorry..."
Slowly the man stood, he gripped the arm of the couch and pulled himself
upright. "No.. I am sorry." Mlungisi sighed quietly. "You can sleep here.
The sofa folds out. I will go get blankets and pillows." He murmured leaving
the room.