Ch1
Even after 4 years, Jack Holmes still had nightmares of the planet where the last thin bound of her childhood innocence was shattered. In the middle of the night Jack opened her mouth and let out a blood-curdling scream. Riddick jolted awake and ran to Jack's room. Even in the darkness that was thick enough you felt as if you could brush it away from your face, he saw her lying there, curled in the fetal position, moaning and clutching the blankets around her, sweat began to pearl on her forehead as she fought her invisible attacker. "Jack, it's okay" Riddick said, trying to sooth her. "No get away from me!" She screamed trying to beat him away. Unaffected, Riddick backed off and Jack calmed down. Her dark blonde hair clung to her face and Riddick brushed it away. When his hand connected with her skin, he could feel it was burning up. "Jack we have to get you to the hospital now" Jack tried to protest but he scooped her up in his strong arms and carried her quickly out the
door. The hospital was dimly lighted and smelled of anesthetics and something else Riddick didn't want to identify, but he knew it was the only place where Jack could get help. "Riddick, what are we doing here?" Jack asked sleepily. "Shh, relax Jackie girl it's fine" He told her gently. He set Jack down in one of the ugly orange plastic chairs that littered the lobby and grabbed a nurse by the arm. "My friend needs to see a doctor" He told the woman gruffly. "We'll you're friend will just have to wait like everyone else" She told him coolly. Riddick gave a short growl and turned to Jack. He walked back into the lobby and crouched in front of her and gently touched her cheek with the back of his hand. The nurse was still standing in the doorway and saw the display of pure affection the dominating man showed for the sick woman shivering on the chair. "Excuse me sir," She said. When Riddick looked up at her with his dark eyes she cleared her throat and continued. "I believe
that Dr.Martin's table is open." Riddick nodded in thanks and smoothly scooped Jack into his arms and fallowed the directions that the nurse had given him. Riddick pushed the door open with his narrow hip and saw a small red haired woman sitting at the desk. "Can I help you?" She asked looking up from the paper she was writing. "Yes, she needs help" Dr. Martin removed the small wire frame glasses from her pixie nose and examined Jack who was trying to absorbed the warmth from Riddick's body. "What's been going on with her?" She asked coming from the desk to set up the bed for her. "I dunno," Riddick said gruffly "Aren't you supposed to tell me that?" She brushed her wine red hair behind her ear as she checked Jack's pupils. They where small and lost in her large brown eyes that were wild with fear. Her skin was shaking violently, even though her fever, she guessed after feeling her forehead, was over 102. "Does she have any medical concerns?" She asked Riddick was she got a
syringe out of the cold looking metal cabinet. "I don't know" Riddick said, his voice was deep in his throat and distant, but inside he was terrified. "Do you have any?" He asked her. Jack shook her head and Dr.Martin drew blood quickly from Jack's arm. She pushed a red button on the wall and a nurse came in. "Get this analyzed, now!" She said quickly, but carefully thrust the syringe the scared nurse nodded and hurried away. She snapped on rubber gloves and tied her hair back with a hair tie she had on he desk. "You'll have to leave," She told him. He glanced at Jack and saw her looking small and scared on the white sheet that matched the color of her face, instead of the strong, fiery young woman who had stayed with him for 4 years, even after an experience that would send others into psychiatric canceling for the rest of their life. "No" He said defiantly, Dr. Kara Martin had never seen the way this man had looked at the woman he carried in before. "All right, but don't
get in the way" She told him as the nurse came back with the results from Jack's blood test. "Hmm" She said as she read the stats. "What?" Riddick demanded. "It appears nothing is wrong with her" Nothing could have made Riddick angrier. "What the fuck do you mean nothings wrong? Just look at her!" He screamed. Kara didn't even flinch as she smooth Jack's hair out of her face and gave her a drink of red liquid. "What is that?" Riddick asked as Jack struggled to sit up. "Just something to cool her fever" Riddick watched Jack's face twist in disgust as she drank it and laid back on the white table, but he noticed some of the color in her cheeks returned and part of the fear in him calmed down. He ran a hand over his shaven head and sighed. "I'll keep her overnight if it'll make you feel better" Kara told him. Riddick looked at Jack, taking in all her features. She looked at him with large sad brown eyes. "I'm staying with her" Jack smiled sleepily at him. Kara cocked her head
of the side and looked at Riddick with interest. "Alright," She said. "You can stay in the waiting room tonight" "No, I'm staying here" Riddick said, his hands balling into fists, which Jack knew was the end of an argument. Kara nodded. "Okay, I'll see what I can do about that" She untied her hair and it fell down in a ruby rain. As the door closed, Riddick turned to Jack and crouched in front of her. "I'm not leaving you," He told her. Jack smiled. "Remember on the planet, you could have let me die so many times, why didn't you?" Her eyes began to droop and he said, "Pack mentality" Jack raised an eyebrow and Riddick continued. "When a lone wolf joins a pack, it has to prove itself worthy, and when it becomes accepted, it becomes part of the family, so the wolf protects them" He said explaining his actions to Jack. She smiled "Welcome to the pack" She said sleepily before she fell asleep. Riddick sighed and stood up to stretch. "I'm getting soft," He told himself angrily,
but quietly to let Jack rest; his voice came out in a harsh whisper. As instinct, Riddick's eyes checked behind every corner of the small room and finally sat down in a cushioned chair.
Even after 4 years, Jack Holmes still had nightmares of the planet where the last thin bound of her childhood innocence was shattered. In the middle of the night Jack opened her mouth and let out a blood-curdling scream. Riddick jolted awake and ran to Jack's room. Even in the darkness that was thick enough you felt as if you could brush it away from your face, he saw her lying there, curled in the fetal position, moaning and clutching the blankets around her, sweat began to pearl on her forehead as she fought her invisible attacker. "Jack, it's okay" Riddick said, trying to sooth her. "No get away from me!" She screamed trying to beat him away. Unaffected, Riddick backed off and Jack calmed down. Her dark blonde hair clung to her face and Riddick brushed it away. When his hand connected with her skin, he could feel it was burning up. "Jack we have to get you to the hospital now" Jack tried to protest but he scooped her up in his strong arms and carried her quickly out the
door. The hospital was dimly lighted and smelled of anesthetics and something else Riddick didn't want to identify, but he knew it was the only place where Jack could get help. "Riddick, what are we doing here?" Jack asked sleepily. "Shh, relax Jackie girl it's fine" He told her gently. He set Jack down in one of the ugly orange plastic chairs that littered the lobby and grabbed a nurse by the arm. "My friend needs to see a doctor" He told the woman gruffly. "We'll you're friend will just have to wait like everyone else" She told him coolly. Riddick gave a short growl and turned to Jack. He walked back into the lobby and crouched in front of her and gently touched her cheek with the back of his hand. The nurse was still standing in the doorway and saw the display of pure affection the dominating man showed for the sick woman shivering on the chair. "Excuse me sir," She said. When Riddick looked up at her with his dark eyes she cleared her throat and continued. "I believe
that Dr.Martin's table is open." Riddick nodded in thanks and smoothly scooped Jack into his arms and fallowed the directions that the nurse had given him. Riddick pushed the door open with his narrow hip and saw a small red haired woman sitting at the desk. "Can I help you?" She asked looking up from the paper she was writing. "Yes, she needs help" Dr. Martin removed the small wire frame glasses from her pixie nose and examined Jack who was trying to absorbed the warmth from Riddick's body. "What's been going on with her?" She asked coming from the desk to set up the bed for her. "I dunno," Riddick said gruffly "Aren't you supposed to tell me that?" She brushed her wine red hair behind her ear as she checked Jack's pupils. They where small and lost in her large brown eyes that were wild with fear. Her skin was shaking violently, even though her fever, she guessed after feeling her forehead, was over 102. "Does she have any medical concerns?" She asked Riddick was she got a
syringe out of the cold looking metal cabinet. "I don't know" Riddick said, his voice was deep in his throat and distant, but inside he was terrified. "Do you have any?" He asked her. Jack shook her head and Dr.Martin drew blood quickly from Jack's arm. She pushed a red button on the wall and a nurse came in. "Get this analyzed, now!" She said quickly, but carefully thrust the syringe the scared nurse nodded and hurried away. She snapped on rubber gloves and tied her hair back with a hair tie she had on he desk. "You'll have to leave," She told him. He glanced at Jack and saw her looking small and scared on the white sheet that matched the color of her face, instead of the strong, fiery young woman who had stayed with him for 4 years, even after an experience that would send others into psychiatric canceling for the rest of their life. "No" He said defiantly, Dr. Kara Martin had never seen the way this man had looked at the woman he carried in before. "All right, but don't
get in the way" She told him as the nurse came back with the results from Jack's blood test. "Hmm" She said as she read the stats. "What?" Riddick demanded. "It appears nothing is wrong with her" Nothing could have made Riddick angrier. "What the fuck do you mean nothings wrong? Just look at her!" He screamed. Kara didn't even flinch as she smooth Jack's hair out of her face and gave her a drink of red liquid. "What is that?" Riddick asked as Jack struggled to sit up. "Just something to cool her fever" Riddick watched Jack's face twist in disgust as she drank it and laid back on the white table, but he noticed some of the color in her cheeks returned and part of the fear in him calmed down. He ran a hand over his shaven head and sighed. "I'll keep her overnight if it'll make you feel better" Kara told him. Riddick looked at Jack, taking in all her features. She looked at him with large sad brown eyes. "I'm staying with her" Jack smiled sleepily at him. Kara cocked her head
of the side and looked at Riddick with interest. "Alright," She said. "You can stay in the waiting room tonight" "No, I'm staying here" Riddick said, his hands balling into fists, which Jack knew was the end of an argument. Kara nodded. "Okay, I'll see what I can do about that" She untied her hair and it fell down in a ruby rain. As the door closed, Riddick turned to Jack and crouched in front of her. "I'm not leaving you," He told her. Jack smiled. "Remember on the planet, you could have let me die so many times, why didn't you?" Her eyes began to droop and he said, "Pack mentality" Jack raised an eyebrow and Riddick continued. "When a lone wolf joins a pack, it has to prove itself worthy, and when it becomes accepted, it becomes part of the family, so the wolf protects them" He said explaining his actions to Jack. She smiled "Welcome to the pack" She said sleepily before she fell asleep. Riddick sighed and stood up to stretch. "I'm getting soft," He told himself angrily,
but quietly to let Jack rest; his voice came out in a harsh whisper. As instinct, Riddick's eyes checked behind every corner of the small room and finally sat down in a cushioned chair.
