Eric must have heard her cry for help because suddenly he was there, making her lie on her back.
"Shit, Skye. How bad is it?" he put a hand on her forehead and ran it soothingly over her head.
"Broken rib is my guess," she gasped out. He unzipped her vest and pulled up her shirt in spite of her increased cries of pain. A nasty bruise had already formed on her right side, covering most of that area.
"Oh man," he said, pulling her shirt back down. "Can you walk?" Skye nodded to him.
"With help," she said. Eric helped her into a sitting position and draped her left arm over his shoulder and helped her to her feet. He hooked his finger in one of her belt loops so he wouldn't have to rest it on her injured side. She leaned into him, grateful for the support. He walked her to her room being careful not to jolt her, thus aggravating her injury. She supported her own weight while he opened the door. Once inside, he led her to her bed.
"Let's get this vest and shirt off and then I'll go get Raven." He kept one hand around her waist to steady her and his other hand moved the vest off one shoulder. Then, switching sides he moved it off the other shoulder before tossing it in the corner. "Okay, now the hard part. I'd let you sit down but with broken ribs, it'll hurt like hell." He took her hands and placed them on his shoulders. "I'll try to make this quick. Just hold on to me."
"Eric, it hurts. Let me just lie down," she breathed out.
"I know it hurts, baby but you can't lie down yet." As gently as he could, he pulled the shirt up over her breasts, trying not to look at her lacy black bra. "Okay, give me one of your arms." She moved her right arm and slipped it through the sleeve. After he got the other one out he carefully pulled it over her head. Before he could drop it, Skye got dizzy and fell into him. He wrapped his arms around her and he could feel her body shaking.
"Eric," her voice came out no more than a raspy whisper. He backed her up to the bed and lowered her to a sitting position. Kneeling in front of her he took her hands and held her weight as she rested onto her back. Pain washed over her face, contorting her features in the dim light.
"I'll grab Raven, you just relax." He ran a hand over her forehead, fingers trailing down her cheek. Skye tried to take a deep breath but spots starting popping up in her vision so she let it out with an exasperated whimper, giving in to the darkness that began to creep up.
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"Skye." Raven's voice sounded so far away. Skye tried to grasp it and hold on but it faded. She relaxed back into her dark haven. "Skye, wake up." There it was again and Skye grabbed a tight hold this time and was able to pull herself from her comfortable sleep. Her eyes opened but everything was blurry, and the pain flooded back into her system like ice water, making her cringe and grip her side.
"Ohhh, owww." Her groans indicating her awareness again.
"Good, we didn't lose you," Raven said with a little relief.
"Not a chance even if it would spare me the pain," she said through gritted teeth.
"Well, I'm here and I'm gonna fix you up." Skye heard Raven messing with something and decided she could close her eyes for a minute. That is until she felt Raven pressing something to her side.
"Owwww, what are you doing?" she wailed. "I mean, not to sound like a wuss."
"Well, I scanned your body and you have a broken rib, a bruised shoulder and you'll need a few stitches in your cheek. This healing patch will administer a numbing agent along with a healing chemical and those ribs of yours should be back to normal in a few days."
"Hell," Skye said, closing her eyes again.
"Looks like you got the shitty end of the lollipop," Raven said as she numbed Skye's cheek for stitching.
"Yea, I guess that's what you get when you take the lead in something like this and being a girl, well you know." Raven chuckled.
"Oh I definitely know what you're talkin' about. Men underestimate us don't they," Raven said, finishing up with the stitching and cleaning up the mess. "I bet I could kick everyone's ass on this ship." She made a face as if she was rethinking the remark. "Well, except Riddick's. But everyone else," she trailed off. Skye would have laughed but it hurt too much.
"It would be fun to try though, wouldn't it," Skye said. Raven watched her with interest.
"I guess it would." She stood up to leave. "Why don't you get some sleep, you'll feel so much better tomorrow."
"Hey, uh," Skye started to say. Raven came back to the bed. "Do you know anything about the girl Riddick brought in?" Raven gave her an almost apologetic smile.
"I scanned her and drew some blood but that's all I know. Sorry." Skye attempted a smile but her eyes gave away her real emotions. "Sleep. Everything will be straightened out tomorrow." Skye nodded her head and closed her eyes.
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When Skye finally woke the next day it was almost noon. She was hungry and needed a shower but couldn't decide what to do first. Her growling stomach made the decision for her as she was getting dressed.
After eating and probably the most soothing shower she's ever had, she decided to go talk to the mystery girl. Nobody seemed to be around so she went straight to the med lab and knocked, not waiting for an answer before entering. The girl was sitting comfortably in bed reading a book, most likely one of Raven's. When she heard the door open she looked up and smiled when she saw Skye.
"Hi," she said in a cheery voice.
"Hey." Skye felt a little awkward as she moved into the room. "We haven't been introduced yet. My name's Skye." She held out a hand and the girl took it.
"So you're Skye," she said. Skye was clearly confused by what the girl said. "My name's Jackie but call me Jack." Noticing the look on Skye's face, she felt it best to explain. "Riddick mentioned you."
"Really? So what'd he say about me?" Skye sat down on the edge of the bed
"Just your name, in his sleep. And I'll tell ya, he's not one to talk in his sleep." She put her book away and leaned forward. "You must have quite an effect on him." Skye looked at her with shock.
"How old are you anyway?" Jack seemed to be very wise but she couldn't possibly be that old.
"Fifteen," she said smiling.
"Fifteen?" Skye nearly shouted. "Wow. You don't talk like it."
"I kinda had to grow up fast," she said and Skye gave her a sympathetic nod. She looked to the floor when she asked her next question.
"So, how do you know that Riddick never talks in his sleep?" Jack laughed at that. It was a wonderful sound.
"Well, we've been through a lot together and you learn things that you normally wouldn't and you learn it fast." Jack explained to Skye about the crash and the monsters, how she idolized Riddick, Carolyn, and the changes she saw in him by the time they made it off that rock.
"I'm sorry you had to go through all that," she said, taking Jack's small hand. "And I'm sorry for those who didn't make it. Well, except for Johns." Jack afforded her a smile.
So many things the poor girl had to see and deal with at a young age but a smile came to her face when she thought of Riddick.
"So, Riddick was your hero, huh?"
"Yea, I liked him the first time I saw him," she giggled. "He's so cute." Skye couldn't help but laugh.
"That he is," she agreed.
"I wanted to stay with him but it was for the best that he left me. But then after Bi-Lines got a hold of me, I changed my mind. Kind of weird that he would find me." Skye nodded her head. "I'm glad he did though because there's no one I trust more than him."
"That seems to be the consensus around here." Skye got up off the bed. "I'll let you get back to that book," she said, pointing to the book. "It was nice to meet you." She really liked Jack and she hoped the feeling was mutual. One way to find out.
Skye leaned over to her and pulled her into a hug. Jack responded quickly and wrapped her thin arms around her. Skye realized that even though Jack acted older, she was still a kid and there was probably a great need for affection in her life.
"I'll come by and see you later, okay?" Skye pulled back and noticed tears shimmering in Jack's eyes.
"Okay," she said, managing a smile.
As Skye opened the door and slipped into the hallway, she ran into Riddick.
"Hey," she said, moving past him. She wanted to move right into him but he had been acting funny since he found Jack. Maybe there were things he needed to work out so she wasn't going to interfere.
"Skye, wait," Riddick called out. Skye slowly turned to face him and he approached her. Standing in front of her, she could see him in a different light. After talking to Jack it was like she could see him clearly now. All the good things she knew he had inside him had been confirmed by Jack.
"You okay?" he asked, sounding concerned.
"I will be. Just a broken rib," she said, putting a hand to her side. "Oh and a few stitches." She turned her head so he could see. Riddick felt bad that he didn't keep the promise he made her when they first met. He said he would know if she needed help and he would be there. 'Looks like you fucked up' he thought, running a finger across her cheek, below the stitches.
"I didn't know you were hurt that bad. My mind was somewhere else." He pointed to the door behind him where Jack was.
"Don't worry, I didn't even know. Adrenaline covered a lot of the pain." Sadness washed over her face for a brief moment but Riddick noticed.
"Hey, it's over and we're still here." He put his hands on her shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze.
"It doesn't feel like it's over." Riddick's brow furrowed in thought. He was feeling the same way. Skye closed the small gap between them and wrapped her arms around his waist. He enfolded her in his embrace, hearing her sigh. She felt safe in his arms, snuggled in his neck, breathing him in, the warmth of his body. It just felt so right to her.
Her lips lingered on his neck, dangerously close to pushing her over the edge with desire and taking him along. She planted little kisses on his neck, letting her hands roam over his back. A soft growl escaped his throat. There was something in the way it sounded that made her tingle.
"You sure you wanna do that?" His voice was low and husky. Skye pulled back to look at him.
"Sorry. I couldn't help myself." She smiled dreamily at him. His hands moved her hair off her shoulders and he let his fingers play along her jaw before he leaned in. Gently, he pressed his lips to hers. Skye felt her knees give so she gripped his arms for balance. His taste flooded her mouth and her senses, feeling the softness of his lips moving slowly against hers. The kiss intensified and she opened her mouth willingly to allow his tongue to slip in. Their tongues played against each other sending the wet heat from her mouth down between her legs.
Her hands ran over his chest and down to the waist of his pants, daring to move just below that, grazing his hardness. She pulled back from his lips a little to talk but not losing contact.
"Doesn't seem like you're minding too much that I'm doing this." He kissed her harder to shut her up. She ran her hand up his length feeling it getting even harder with her touch. He pressed into her touch as he ran his hands down her sides. Forgotten was her broken rib until he brushed his hand over it.
"Ow, shit," she gasped, breaking the warm contact of his lips.
"That's the broken one, huh?" he asked. "You okay?" Skye took a breath and nodded.
"It's fine," she said. Putting a hand to her forehead, she let out a frustrated moan. "Dammit, why can't this ever work?" Riddick chuckled.
"It will. Give it time. I can wait." He pulled her back into his arms gently and held her. His erection was pressing almost painfully into her hip.
"You sure, because it sure doesn't feel like you can wait." Skye looked into his eyes, gazes meeting as his moved down to look at what she was referring to. He gave a snort of disapproval at his body's reaction.
"I'll live," he said. "I got a few things I need to work on but I'll see ya later." He kissed her lightly on the nose and left.
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Raven sat down on the couch in the living area and propped her feet up on the table and started going over the hospital chart Skye was smart enough to grab. She flipped through the contents, reviewing the information. There were documents on a complete physical and a list of medications given to Jack.
Raven was able to identify them all except for one. She flipped back through the pages frantically almost tearing them, trying to find out more about this mystery drug when Skye walked in.
"What's up Raven?" Raven glanced up before tossing the file on the table where her feet had previously been.
"Have you ever heard of Estamyathine?" Raven asked. Skye looked to the ceiling trying to recall if she's ever heard of it.
"No, I don't think so. Why?"
"Well, I was just going over Jack's chart and they had a list of meds used on her and that's one of them. I've never heard of it before. Everything else I have." Raven watched as Skye went to the computer that Alex was usually glued to. It dawned on her that she was going to do a look up.
"Is there anything you can't do?" she asked her, pulling up a seat next to her.
"Oh, I can think of at least one thing," she replied, referring to Riddick. Raven didn't catch on though.
"By the way, how are you feeling?"
"Much better than yesterday, thanks to you." Skye started on a basic search.
"Hey, my pleasure." The computers basic search didn't bring up anything useful so Skye did a little hacking to get into a few hospital databases which also turned up nothing useful. After a couple hours of research, Raven got up to stretch.
"I'm gonna go check on Jack. Let me know if anything turns up." Skye leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. The images from the screen were burned into the back of her eyelids momentarily.
"I will," she said, raising her hands over her head to stretch. The movement made her wince as her broken rib shifted. It didn't hurt like it did the day before but the dull throb was still there. She gave herself a few minutes before turning back to the computer. A flashing icon caught her attention at the bottom left of the screen. She figured it was something Alex was working on so she left it alone.
Hours later, Skye finally gave up. She switched off the computer and sat there. Something about this drug kept nagging at her but nothing was turning up. A noise caught her attention and she looked towards the door. Eric and Riddick were heading to the cockpit, Eric saying something she couldn't hear. But her attention was on Riddick. He must have sensed it because he looked over at her and smiled. She smiled back, watching him as he disappeared through the other door.
Retreating through the door Riddick and Eric had just come through, Skye stopped in the kitchen to get something to eat before turning in. She made sure to say goodnight to Jack before she went to her own room.
A few days later, completely healed, Skye woke from a dead sleep with a start. Something was there with her. At first she thought it was the leftovers of a nightmare but she can't remember even dreaming. She looked around the room and saw that Raven was still asleep and that they were alone.
Concentrating on her surroundings she focused on everyone on the ship and where they were. Counting each of them in her head she found the number went to eight. That couldn't be right. Figuring she was still half asleep, she counted again and got the same number.
"Shit," she exclaimed under her breath. A chill sweep down her spine, raising goose bumps all over her body. "There's someone else on the ship," she said to no one in particular. A clanging sound outside her door made her jump and she pressed her back into the wall, pulling the covers up to her chin. Her breathing became raspy as she tried to listen in the silence, convinced there was someone standing outside her door
The shadows in the room became alive. Her mind was playing effective tricks on her, making her think there was something moving around in her room. She couldn't even blink she was so scared.
As hard as she tried, she couldn't locate the eighth person. The presence was strong but at the same time it wasn't. Skye layed back on her bed, under the covers and shut her eyes tight. Raven would be up soon and if she could just sleep off the next few hours she'd be okay. She managed to doze here and there and nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard Raven get up.
After she herself got dressed, she headed for the kitchen to eat, looking in every dark corner of the hallways on her way there. She felt foolish about her little episode, acting like a kid afraid of monsters under the bed. Fear was fear however, regardless of age. The presence was still there but she wasn't as afraid with everybody up and about.
Before she got to the kitchen door, she felt a hand on her shoulder, sending a shock wave through her body.
"Shit!" she screamed out, clutching her heart as she turned to face the intruder. It was only Riddick. "Holy hell, Riddick. You scared the fuckin' shit out of me." Riddick looked a little confused.
"I thought you would've known I was there," he said, looking concerned. Skye was trying to catch her breath, her heart pounding painfully in her chest. She could feel a rush of adrenaline slowly make its way down her arms.
"My mind was somewhere else," she said, trying to shake out the heat that had filled her veins.
"On what?" he asked.
"Nothing important." She wanted to be sure of what she felt before she told anyone. He didn't look convinced but he didn't push it. "So what's on the agenda?" she asked, continuing to the kitchen.
"We sit tight for two more weeks, drop the samples off, get paid, and we're done." He followed her into the kitchen and sat at the table.
"How come you don't sound convinced?" she asked, eyeing him carefully. She's found that through the weeks of working closely with him, he's been a little easier to read.
"That's probably because I'm not." He leaned back in his chair, resting his hands behind his head. "It's all been just a little too easy for my liking." Skye nodded her head in agreement.
"I hear ya." Skye looked towards the door suddenly, getting that weird feeling again. Riddick followed her gaze to the door expecting someone to walk in. When nobody did, he turned back to Skye and saw the worried look playing about her features.
"Skye," his smooth deep voice settled her frayed nerves and she took a breath. Looking at him, she tried to smile to cover her worried thoughts. "What's wrong?"
"Not sure." Her voice held evidence of concern.
"You can talk to me. You know that, right?" She joined him at the table and took his hand.
"I know but I don't know what it is yet." Riddick ran a thumb gently over the back of her hand in an effort to calm whatever fear she was experiencing. She was touched by his show of affection and the fact that he wanted her to talk to him, tell him her worries and darkest thoughts. She pulled his hand to her lips and kissed it.
"There's something I need to do so I'll find you later." She got up to leave but he didn't let go of her hand, forcing her to turn back and nearly stumbling onto him. He pulled her close and kissed her passionately on the lips.
"You make sure you do that." He smiled seductively at her and her breath caught in her throat. The strange feeling was forgotten for a moment when she left the kitchen, Riddick leaving her feeling warm and safe. On her way down the hall she spotted Jack heading her way.
"Hey Jack," she called out. Jack looked up and smiled weakly. Skye could see she was paler than usual, looking pretty run down. "Honey, are you okay?" She cupped Jack's face in her hands and forced her to look at her. Jack's eyes had lost the sparkle and her skin felt cold and clammy.
"I'm fine, just feeling a little sick."
"It might be the change in gravity pressure. I went through the same thing when I first got on this ship."
"Yea, that's probably it," she said looking away. "I'm gonna try to eat something and then I'm going back to bed." Skye had the feeling that what Jack was going through had nothing to do with gravity.
"That sounds like a good idea. If you need anything just let me know. Or any of us for that matter."
"I will, thanks." Jack walked to the kitchen and Skye watched. Standing in the hallway, the presence made itself known. Her skin began to crawl as she looked all around her. She remembered the feeling she had when they were getting their info at Starks. Eyes watching her that she couldn't see. It was kind of like that. Something else now plagued her mind. Jack's sudden condition.
Skye went to the living area to do more research on the mystery drug, Estamyathine. There has to be something she could find. She expected to find Alex using the computer but he wasn't anywhere to be seen. He was acting strange too. Keeping himself locked away in his room.
Skye did hours of research, occasionally stopping to stretch, eat, check on Jack, or hang with Raven. All the while, the invisible thing was still there with them. By the end of the day Skye's nerves were shot and everything she heard made her heart stop. She decided it was time to tell Riddick what she was feeling. He was in the workout room training with Kyle, or more like, showing him a few tricks of his own. She watched as Riddick helped Kyle off the ground.
"Riddick," she yelled to him, staying at the edge of the mat. Both men stopped and turned to her, regarding her for a moment before Riddick jogged over to her.
"Yea?" he asked. She took in his appearance. Sweat glistening on his brow, dripping down his cheek to his neck. She almost forgot why she was there. "Skye?" He waved his hand in front of her face.
"Oh, uh, can I talk to you for a minute?" She paused. "Alone," she added, looking at Kyle over his shoulder.
"Sure." Riddick grabbed a towel from the bench, wiping off the sweat as he followed Skye out of the room. She led him to the stairs leading to the cockpit and stopped. Shifting nervously from foot to foot, she met his eyes before speaking.
"I've been feeling something really strange since this morning but I didn't want to say anything in case it was just in my head." Riddick crossed his arms over his chest as she continued. "Now, I'm pretty sure it's not in my head…"
"Wait," he cut in. "What is it that you're feeling?" Skye stepped closer to him and looked into his unprotected eyes.
"There's someone else on the ship with us," she whispered. Riddick had the sudden urge to look over his shoulder but he fought it off. The ship suddenly seemed deathly quiet.
"Maybe it's just Jack," he suggested but Skye was already shaking her head.
"No, I can feel her. I can feel everyone and there are not seven of us anymore," she looked out into the living area. "There's eight now." Riddick finally gave in to the urge and looked over his shoulder. They were alone as he expected. No one in sight.
"You're giving me the creeps," he said still looking onto the living area.
"Try feeling what I'm feeling. I'm surprised I haven't had a heart attack yet." Riddick looked back at her.
'So where's this person?" he asked.
"That's the problem. I don't know." He looked at her skeptically.
"What do you mean, you don't know?"
"I can feel their presence but not their exact location. Sometimes the feeling is stronger but I don't know if that means its closer." Skye was clearly frustrated. "It's hard to explain." Riddick put his hands up to stop her from going on.
"Look, I'm going to gather everyone up and we'll meet you in the kitchen. You tell them what's going on and maybe we'll come up with a solution together," Riddick said.
"Okay," she said. Riddick took her arm and walked her to the kitchen. Skye sat at the table trying to figure out how she could explain this and make sense. Moments later, the crew filed into the kitchen and took seats throughout. Riddick sat next to Jack, keeping a protective arm around her.
"So why the 'family' meeting?" Kyle asked. Raven snickered at his choice of words.
"Eric, when you bought this ship were there any compartments for smuggling or anything like that?" Skye asked, ignoring Kyle's comment. Eric sat up straighter in his seat.
"No, nothing and I've checked myself."
"Kyle, was there any way that someone could have gotten on the ship while we were in Bi-Lines?" she asked, turning to Kyle.
"No, the ramp was locked until right before you guys got to it," he explained.
"Then they couldn't be hiding," Skye said under her breath.
"Hiding? What do you mean? Who's hiding?" Raven asked. Everyone's attention turned to Skye, waiting for an explanation. She told them what she had just told Riddick, putting a little more detail into it. The reactions were different with all of them. Raven was rubbing her arms as if she were trying to warm up, Kyle lost his sarcastic smile, Alex's eyes kept darting around the room, Eric started pacing, and Jack snuggled closer to Riddick.
"So are you saying we have a ghost?" Raven asked.
"Honestly, I don't know who or what it is, all I know is that they're here."
"Right now?" Jack asked in a trembling voice. Riddick ran his hand up and down her arm in an attempt to soothe her.
"Yea, I can feel them right now."
"Shit Skye, you're freakin' the hell out of me." Raven moved closer to the group. Everyone started talking at once. Skye could pick out a few sentences like, 'I guess I won't be sleeping tonight' and 'there's no way I want to be alone on this ship now'. Riddick let go of Jack and stood up, waving his arms to get everyone's attention
"Hey! Listen!" he shouted. The talking stopped, all eyes on him. "Get your pillows, blankets, whatever else you're going to sleep with and meet in the living area. We all sleep there until we figure this out." Raven grabbed Kyle's arm and pulled him to the door.
"Come with me to get my stuff." As they left Skye could tell the idea sounded good by the looks of relief on their faces.
"Skye." Riddick's voice brought her attention to him. "Will you get Jack situated? I need a shower."
"Sure, come on Jack. Let's get your stuff." She wrapped and arm around her small shoulders and led her out of the room.
****Next chapter reveals all. Who's the presence? What's does the mystery drug do? Why is Jack sick? Will Skye and Riddick ever get together? Keep reading to find out. Next chapter will be up soon. Thanks to all of my readers!!!