Alright folks! Here's chapter three! I hope y'all like it. Sorry for the delay in posting but things are a little crazy around here. This chapter was difficult to get out, I hope it's not too rough around the edges, I'm still not completely satisfied, but wanted to post before school starts up again.

Thanks so much for reading, and another special thanks to my reviewers! Enjoy!

A huge weight seemed to press upon her body, while feeling only the beating of her heart. Sydney fought to open her eyelids only to be greeted by harshness of a pristine white. She found herself in a hospital bed. Suddenly the vast realization that she was alive cascaded upon her.

Her entire body ached, she shut her eyes again, feeling if she had just been hit by a truck. In reality she probably went through worse than that. She stirred and immediately sensed a movement beside her. It was Will. He had fallen asleep on a chair next to her bed. She turned her head in just enough time to see him wake from his light slumber.

His eyes flung open as he immediately edged to the side of the bed, barely coherent words tumbling from his mouth.  

"Oh Syd, thank god you're here. I've been waiting for you to wake up. I knew you would wake up. Why'd you do it Syd? Why?" He questioned rapidly, pools of wetness forming in his eyes. He leaned over, and gingerly brushed a stray strand of hair from her forehead. Tired lines etched their way into his face, giving his usual boyish face a mature demeanor. He looked down at the floor, unable to face her. "They found you by the river." He started, pausing as his voice cracked, "Some joggers on a late night run. They thought you were dead, just washed up on the rocks."

            She opened her mouth to speak, but decided against it. He couldn't possibly understand. Sydney took in a breath, tears forming in her own eyes, but for different reasons. His presence overwhelmed her. She turned away from him, facing a window that looked out into the world. She studied the trees intently, in attempt to divert her thoughts from her life. She noted the subtle changing of greens in each leaf as they swayed in the slight breeze.  

            "You know we love you Syd." He continued as he looked up, his blue eyes intently staring at her. "I love you so much." His voice becoming a whisper.

 He took her hand in his, careful of the I.V. She was cold, her hand seemingly lifeless as he desperately clutched to it. He waited for her to speak. But she couldn't. She just couldn't deal with this. She silently turned and faced forward, her eyes fluttered as she feigned exhaustion, but in reality her mind was racing.

She was tired of fighting. Tired of fighting the pain. She remembered reading in a bio class in college how the body will automatically shut down if it is in too much main. But she had developed an immunity. Hardened by years of torment and suffering, fooling her body into an illusioned state.

She had watched others, their strings running thin for so many years until it broke. But hers didn't. If the string doesn't break you have to cut it yourself.  She gasped in pain as she took a deep breath, her body ached, her mind ached, and most of all her soul ached.

Will stared at her in wonderment and concern. Sydney was so strong. She had always been strong. A million questions raced through his mind though he never letting his intense gaze wander from her brown eyes.

Exhausted, Sydney gave him a weak smile to placate him, before pretending to fall into a deep sleep.

Her act soon became reality as she plunged into unconsciousness.

She awoke some hours later, relieved in finding herself to be alone. She peered out the window into the hallway, covered in tiny little black lines, criss-crossing, making diamonds on the glass. She saw her father, he was having an animated conversation with a doctor, the doctor nodding his head while Jack's mouth rattled off orders. She watched them intently until suddenly they both looked down the hallway.

She heard the dim intonations of the muted voices in the hallway, sound blocked by the thick door that lay closed. Blissfully blockading her from her fears temporarily. Suddenly a figure came into her small vista of the window. 

Her heart started to race, the lines on the monitor jumping. She felt her hands become clammy as she searched around the room frantically, desperate for an escape. 'Why was he here?' She shut her eyes as she willed herself to be anywhere but here.

She couldn't bear to talk to Vaughn, she was so ashamed, she had failed yet again. Having him see her this way was worse than seeing her dead. 'God why wouldn't they just leave? They had already believed she was dead so why didn't they let her do it?'

            Through one opened eye she watched the two men interact. Vaughn frantic, his voice wavering as he gazed in at her. Jack stoic, laying down in no uncertain terms that she wasn't up for any visitors. The doctor frazzled, though relishing his momentary break from Jack's demands.

She lay still, yet again forging her slumber. The sound of her pounding heart filled her ears as she desperately tried to elude their inevitable presence.

Miraculously, Jack and Vaughn's cell phones rang. They exchanged a slight glance before excusing themselves from the doctor. She watched as her father wandered down the hallway, his ear to his phone.  Vaughn sat down on a bench outside her room, his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward, bringing his hand across his face in frustration.

            This provided a perfect chance for her escape, and probably her only chance. It wasn't until she started formulating a plan when she realized the extent of her injuries. She shifted slightly and found her entire right side of her body covered with bruises. Various cuts and scratches laced up her body, starting at her ankle and not ending until her forehead. She reached up and touched her face, her arm screaming out in pain as she did so. She ignored it and found a large bandage covering her forehead. She looked down at her arm for the first time and found her wrist in a hard cast.  She sighed, she knew she should have just taken the pills instead- what was she thinking by jumping?

            The sound of footsteps brought her back from her thoughts. A nurse quietly entered her room, a chart in hand. She shut her eyes quickly, not wanting to have to make contact with the woman. She listened to the quiet shuffling of the woman working, the sound of papers passing over each other in her file, the clicking of a pen. She felt a slight tug on her I.V as the nurse readjusted it over the sheets, and then checked on the monitor that hung from the wall. After a few moments Sydney heard the footsteps retreat and dared to open her eyes again.

            The woman was nowhere in sight, she glanced out the glass window and found Vaughn still hunched in the same position.  The desperation soon returned to her mind as she focused solely on her escape route. Her eyes darted to the window as she wondered what floor she was on. Rational thoughts returned to her as she realized that she was in a CIA hospital, and security would find the breach almost immediately.

            Suddenly she sensed a movement through the window. Her father had returned, Vaughn also now standing as the nurse approached them.

            A wave of panic swept over her at the thought of him seeing her like this, she'd rather have him see her dead. Adrenaline coursed through her veins as all coherent thoughts halted as she pulled the sheets from the bed, exposing her body. She yanked the I.V out of her arm, immediately setting off an alarm. Her body protested as she stood up, walking was even more of a feat. Struggling she moved herself to the window of the room, she looked down. Second floor. Her eyes quickly calculated the distance, probably about fifteen feet.

 She took no precautions as she flung open the window, stepping over the edge. First letting one foot dangle, and then the other. Shifting to her stomach she let out a cry, a fresh wound on her abdomen catching on the rough brick of the wall. Sharp stones dug into her as she shut her eyes tightly and held her breath to fight the pain. Lowering herself further she gripped the rim of the window with all of her strength. She heard a nurse frantically enter the room, and then a voice cry out. She stilled for a moment the edge of the window jutting into her skin. She glanced down at the ground beneath her before she let go.

            A strong force gripped her as her body slammed into the ground below. She groaned loudly, a pounding headache taking over her body as she tried to force herself to stand. Failing miserably she tried again, this time making it to her feet, her labored breaths filling her ears. Every fiber of her being ached with a stinging pain, but every notion in her mind told her to run. So she did. 

            She made it to the street before she looked back. When she did she wished she hadn't.  She had heard him call her name.  Her passing glance revealed to her more pain, more confusion, more sorrow than she ever wished to see. So she ran, and didn't look back when he called her name again.

TBC….