Title: Who Said Love Doesn't Hurt
Author: Tatiana20
Summary: A young girl is saved, and a new love blossoms. But will it last?
Disclaimer: Someone else owns the Lost World and characters and locations and I just arrange them into a semi interesting story line out of my twisted mind.
Chapter 7: Who Said Love Doesn't Hurt (Final Chapter)
Lanina was having an incredibly interesting dream. She was lying in her bed at the tree house, immersed in soft linens and the scent of the jasmine lotion she always put on. But she wasn't alone for long. Suddenly, she felt something making its way slowly up her calf and up toward her thigh. Smiling, she turned to see Malone's face rise up in front of her. The hand kept climbing higher and higher and Malone's face got closer and closer. Closing her eyes, she giggled. "Ned, where do you think that hand is going?"
Lifting her lashes a bit, she took a peek to see his response and screamed. The head of a large green snake loomed in front of her eyes. Fully waking from the dream, she reacted instantly and grabbed the snake, quickly tossing it out of the tree before her courage deserted her. Breathing heavily, she shuddered at the realization that she had been turned on by a snake. Eww.
Shaking her head at the disturbing thought, she took in the sunlight that gleamed off the leaves in the tree. Sitting up she worked out the kinks in her back and legs, feeling in every part of her body that she had indeed slept in a tree.
Making sure that nothing was waiting below to spring up on her, she carefully climbed down, obtaining only a few scrapes on the way. Reaching bottom, she picked out some leaves that had managed to weave themselves in her hair. She gazed up at the sky, taking in the warm air and bright rays from the sun.
Now its time to try and find your way home. The question of the moment though, was which way to go. Resolving that just trying to go back the way she had come was the only thing she could think of at that second, she swiveled on her feet and simply moseyed in whatever direction she felt was the right way. Hopefully someone would find her soon. She loved nature but she didn't think she was cut out for the survivor game yet.
Strolling at a steady pace, she whistled a melody her mother had sang to her often as a child. Maybe like the Pied Piper she could lead the group to her. She smiled.
Lost in her own thoughts, she didn't feel the presence of a menacing figure a few hundred yards away, glaring at her with emotionless yellow eyes.
* * *
They had started early that morning, breaking off into groups once more, determined to find Lanina. This time though, Malone had preferred to search on his own, needing to locate her as soon as possible. His mind ran rampant with the horrible things that could have happened to her: deadly predators, just as lethal fauna, and crevices and holes that she could have fallen into. The possibilities were endless.
Keeping his rifle up and ready, he began calling Lanina's name, praying that she'd hear him and yell back. When he got his hands on her, he was going to kill her for putting him through hell.
About an hour into his search, he thought he heard something in the distance to his right. Stopping, he stood silent, listening. The sound got closer and was beginning to take the shape of a something musical. Whistling, someone was whistling. Lanina! It had to be. God, please let it be her.
"Lanina! Lanina! Is that you?!" Malone sprung into a run, not waiting for a response, wanting to know right now whether or not it was her.
Lanina started at her name being called. She glanced around, trying to place the location of the shout. It had sounded like Malone. Grinning like a madwoman, she started to walk in the general direction of where it had come from.
"Ned, where are you?"
Malone was euphoric. It was her! Running toward the sound of her voice, he pushed aside branches and fauna in his way, not letting any obstacles prevent him from reaching her.
The two finally caught sight of each other, stopping 20 yards apart. A bright smile lit Lanina's face, and Malone's was filled with relief and love. Just as they started to close the distance, branches and twigs were splintered apart as a large raptor broke through greenery that blocked its way. It stopped in the space between them, swiveling its head to look at both.
Malone's eyes widened in fear for Lanina's life. Knowing that he was too far to get to her and that the raptor would attack if he lifted his rifle, he carefully whispered to Lanina, who was glued to the spot. "Don't move, okay? Don't draw attention to yourself or he'll attack. Do you understand?"
Lanina barely nodded, showing her understanding. Malone then had to figure out what to do next and fast. He didn't want to shoot and risk a wild bullet hitting Lanina. What he needed to do was get the raptor's wandering eyes away from her. If he could get it to go after him at least Lanina would have a chance to get away.
He shifted slightly on his feet, getting ready to run in the other direction. Lanina saw what he was about to do and felt her heart drop into her stomach. She knew that Malone was going to entice the raptor to chase him and then hopefully shoot it if he had the chance. She couldn't let that happen. There were too many things that could go wrong, the first being that he could die trying this crazy stunt. Even though he had a rifle and he had run into these predators before, he hadn't handled them alone. His friends had always been there. Now she was here and she was going to help. Common sense leaped from her mind.
Before Malone could react, Lanina waved her arms and yelled, "Hey, hey, come and get me! Woohoo!"
The raptor responded instantly, rounding on its muscled feet and lunging at her. Lanina screamed and shifted to the left, hoping she could keep it at a short distance. The raptor pivoted sharply and in a breath had Lanina clamped in its jaws. The shriek that tore from her lips didn't sound human, the pain was so excruciating, the raptors teeth tearing into her stomach and back.
Malone had been so shocked by Lanina's actions, it took him a few seconds to finally react. Lanina's howl of agony ripped into his heart, and he lifted his rifle to send a bullet cleanly through the raptors eye, past its brain cavity and out the other side. It crumpled to the ground with Lanina still secured in its mouth.
Malone threw down his weapon and ran to Lanina, tumbling down onto his knees.
He could see the tears stain her face and felt his own rising and threatening to spill from his eyes. Bracing his hands on either side of the jaws enclosed about her, he told her in a not so steady voice, "Okay sweetheart, I'm going to pry the mouth open, and I want you to move away if you can, alright?"
He could see her nod quickly in comprehension and brace herself for the pain. Using all his strength, he pushed as hard as he could, the mouth opening slowly. Lanina cringed at the feeling of teeth sliding out of her ravaged flesh. When she had slipped out the side, Malone let the jaws go and turned his attention to Lanina.
What he saw made his insides twist into giant knots. Blood was running in rivulets from the gaping wounds on either side of her body. The raptor had torn into her pretty badly before it had died. If it had pressed any harder it could have ripped her in half. Looking into her face he could see she was having trouble breathing through the pain.
Needing to take action, he shed his shirt and began tearing it into large strips. He wrapped them gently around her abdomen , trying to staunch the never-ending supply of blood that kept pumping out of her body. When he finished tying the knot, he noticed she had started to shiver violently, the shock catching hold and shaking her in its grip. Taking her into his arms, he held her close, whispering words of comfort.
Then he thought about what she had done to get like this, became angry and growled in her ear, "What the hell were you thinking, pulling that stupid stunt! I would have had it under control! Why damn it?!"
"Because I didn't want anything to happen to you, and I thought it was a pretty good idea at the time," she answered, grimacing at her own folly, when another shiver racked her body.
"Well, you were wrong on both counts." Softening his harshness, he added, "But thank you for thinking of me."
"You're welcome." She didn't say anything after that, her concentration on the pain and the shaking.
He hoped the gunshot had alerted the others and would lead them to where they were. He was in desperate need of Challenger's aid. He had dressed enough wounds to know that Lanina was in danger. The injury had been bad enough to become lethal. Or it already was and she was going to die. Malone tightened his hold, forcing the thought away. No! He couldn't lose her, he couldn't!
Fingertips whispered lightly along Malone's cheek, causing him to look down into Lanina's face. A calmness had settled into her features, giving her a serene expression in a heartbreaking situation. Her body sporadically shook, but other than that, her body was lucid, pliable in his arms.
"Ned, you know what's coming, don't you?" Sounding more like a statement than a question.
Malone closed his eyes and shook his head, unwilling to acknowledge it. He wouldn't allow himself to think it.
"Ned, look at me." Taking his face into her hands she forced him to look into her eyes. "You know I'm dying. I can feel it." Breathing deep, she continued. "I have been lucky enough to fall in love with someone like you. I had to find the right guy in a jungle." Touching his cheek with a cold hand, she smiled slightly up at him. She would have said more but Marguerite, Veronica, Challenger, and Roxton came crashing through the bushes at breakneck speed.
They all looked in horror at the sight that greeted them. Lanina turned her head slightly and said, "Hey guys, come join the party," giving them something that sounded like a laugh and a sob.
Marguerite dropped her gun and pack and ran to kneel next to Lanina, smoothing back the black locks that had fallen on Lanina's forehead, with tears shimmering in her eyes. Challenger hurried over to the trio and got down to get a closer look at the blood soaked cloth. Peeling back the linen, he examined the damaged area on her stomach and back. Prodding and poking as gently as he could, he shook his head at his findings.
Turning to look at Malone and Marguerite, he said in a dire voice, "The teeth punctured her liver and ripped up too much tissue. She's losing a lot of blood. There's nothing I can do, I'm sorry." His expressions didn't deliver the hope Malone had wanted. Marguerite gave a keening cry, displaying more emotion than anyone besides Roxton had ever seen her possess.
Malone shut his eyes, tears spilling down his face. Veronica and Roxton had held back, but still felt the blow of his words ; Veronica's face was hidden in her hands and Roxton's head was bowed in grave acceptance.
Challenger stood and walked away to stand alone, sadness etched on his tired face.
"I'm not gone yet, ya know," joked Lanina, not wanting to leave them with such unhappiness. And it didn't hurt anymore. No pain coursed through her body. Only a sense of peace enveloped her entire being. Perusing the faces of the people she had come to care for, she gave them as bright a smile as she could manage, as she as starting to feel weak and tired.
"I'm so glad I got to meet you all. You treated me with kindness from the moment you found me. Every one of you have something special with each other. Never let that go." Feeling her strength slipping from her body, she looked at Veronica, wanting to tell her one last thing.
"Take care of Ned for me Veronica." Lifting a shaky hand she said, "No hard feelings?"
Veronica's face held surprise a the comment. She walked to Lanina and took her hand, smiling faintly. "No hard feelings."
Glad that that was taken care of, she turned to the person that had become most important to her on this plateau.
"I love you Ned. Remember me, okay?" Her breathing was becoming shallower, making it hard to talk.
"I love you too. You'll always be my girl." Malone leaned down to kiss away the tear that fell from her eye.
"You guys look so funny...with the sad...looks...on your faces...," Lanina's words drifted off as her last breath passed her icy lips.
Malone could feel her leaving him, and bent over her body, grief making his body shake with sobs. No one knew what to say. It was over, and she was gone.
* * *
One month later...
Malone watched the sun set slowly behind the border of trees spread across the plateau. Staring emotionlessly at the sky that no longer seemed beautiful to him, he ambled back into the tree house. Marguerite and Roxton were sitting on the couch, with a somber Marguerite clasped in Roxton's arms. Challenger was back in his lab after a few days of inability to continue with his work.
Veronica was in her room, lying on her bed reading one of her father's books, though her expression signaled she was somewhere else in her thoughts.
Malone went straight for the lift and waited impatiently for it to take him below. No one asked where he was going. They already knew.
He walked at a quiet pace, making his way toward the pond hidden from the tree house. In a shaded area near the water, was Lanina's grave. They had buried her in a place surrounded by the beauty of the plateau. Reaching down, he gathered a few flowers that Lanina had loved to kneel in front of and breath in the fragrances.
Arriving at her tombstone that Roxton had carved out of wood, he placed the fresh blooms at the foot of the gravestone. He bowed his head and wished, like he always did when he went there, that she was well and happy where she was.
When she had died, he had felt as if everything had just stopped for him. The world was spinning, going on with its daily routine, but he was stuck in place, watching but not participating. Eating and sleeping came automatically, fulfilling his bodily needs and nothing else.
He missed Lanina's laugh, her smile, the stories she told from her time about her family and friends. He yearned for the kisses they shared and the conversations they had. He wanted her back. But he never would get her back. She was gone forever into a world he couldn't follow her into until it was his time.
Staring hard at her gravestone, he felt his heart beating even as he experienced the sharp sting of heartache. Standing there for a few moments more, he turned and walked away, with only one more thought on his mind. Whoever said love doesn't hurt had never met Lanina Carter.
Author: Tatiana20
Summary: A young girl is saved, and a new love blossoms. But will it last?
Disclaimer: Someone else owns the Lost World and characters and locations and I just arrange them into a semi interesting story line out of my twisted mind.
Chapter 7: Who Said Love Doesn't Hurt (Final Chapter)
Lanina was having an incredibly interesting dream. She was lying in her bed at the tree house, immersed in soft linens and the scent of the jasmine lotion she always put on. But she wasn't alone for long. Suddenly, she felt something making its way slowly up her calf and up toward her thigh. Smiling, she turned to see Malone's face rise up in front of her. The hand kept climbing higher and higher and Malone's face got closer and closer. Closing her eyes, she giggled. "Ned, where do you think that hand is going?"
Lifting her lashes a bit, she took a peek to see his response and screamed. The head of a large green snake loomed in front of her eyes. Fully waking from the dream, she reacted instantly and grabbed the snake, quickly tossing it out of the tree before her courage deserted her. Breathing heavily, she shuddered at the realization that she had been turned on by a snake. Eww.
Shaking her head at the disturbing thought, she took in the sunlight that gleamed off the leaves in the tree. Sitting up she worked out the kinks in her back and legs, feeling in every part of her body that she had indeed slept in a tree.
Making sure that nothing was waiting below to spring up on her, she carefully climbed down, obtaining only a few scrapes on the way. Reaching bottom, she picked out some leaves that had managed to weave themselves in her hair. She gazed up at the sky, taking in the warm air and bright rays from the sun.
Now its time to try and find your way home. The question of the moment though, was which way to go. Resolving that just trying to go back the way she had come was the only thing she could think of at that second, she swiveled on her feet and simply moseyed in whatever direction she felt was the right way. Hopefully someone would find her soon. She loved nature but she didn't think she was cut out for the survivor game yet.
Strolling at a steady pace, she whistled a melody her mother had sang to her often as a child. Maybe like the Pied Piper she could lead the group to her. She smiled.
Lost in her own thoughts, she didn't feel the presence of a menacing figure a few hundred yards away, glaring at her with emotionless yellow eyes.
* * *
They had started early that morning, breaking off into groups once more, determined to find Lanina. This time though, Malone had preferred to search on his own, needing to locate her as soon as possible. His mind ran rampant with the horrible things that could have happened to her: deadly predators, just as lethal fauna, and crevices and holes that she could have fallen into. The possibilities were endless.
Keeping his rifle up and ready, he began calling Lanina's name, praying that she'd hear him and yell back. When he got his hands on her, he was going to kill her for putting him through hell.
About an hour into his search, he thought he heard something in the distance to his right. Stopping, he stood silent, listening. The sound got closer and was beginning to take the shape of a something musical. Whistling, someone was whistling. Lanina! It had to be. God, please let it be her.
"Lanina! Lanina! Is that you?!" Malone sprung into a run, not waiting for a response, wanting to know right now whether or not it was her.
Lanina started at her name being called. She glanced around, trying to place the location of the shout. It had sounded like Malone. Grinning like a madwoman, she started to walk in the general direction of where it had come from.
"Ned, where are you?"
Malone was euphoric. It was her! Running toward the sound of her voice, he pushed aside branches and fauna in his way, not letting any obstacles prevent him from reaching her.
The two finally caught sight of each other, stopping 20 yards apart. A bright smile lit Lanina's face, and Malone's was filled with relief and love. Just as they started to close the distance, branches and twigs were splintered apart as a large raptor broke through greenery that blocked its way. It stopped in the space between them, swiveling its head to look at both.
Malone's eyes widened in fear for Lanina's life. Knowing that he was too far to get to her and that the raptor would attack if he lifted his rifle, he carefully whispered to Lanina, who was glued to the spot. "Don't move, okay? Don't draw attention to yourself or he'll attack. Do you understand?"
Lanina barely nodded, showing her understanding. Malone then had to figure out what to do next and fast. He didn't want to shoot and risk a wild bullet hitting Lanina. What he needed to do was get the raptor's wandering eyes away from her. If he could get it to go after him at least Lanina would have a chance to get away.
He shifted slightly on his feet, getting ready to run in the other direction. Lanina saw what he was about to do and felt her heart drop into her stomach. She knew that Malone was going to entice the raptor to chase him and then hopefully shoot it if he had the chance. She couldn't let that happen. There were too many things that could go wrong, the first being that he could die trying this crazy stunt. Even though he had a rifle and he had run into these predators before, he hadn't handled them alone. His friends had always been there. Now she was here and she was going to help. Common sense leaped from her mind.
Before Malone could react, Lanina waved her arms and yelled, "Hey, hey, come and get me! Woohoo!"
The raptor responded instantly, rounding on its muscled feet and lunging at her. Lanina screamed and shifted to the left, hoping she could keep it at a short distance. The raptor pivoted sharply and in a breath had Lanina clamped in its jaws. The shriek that tore from her lips didn't sound human, the pain was so excruciating, the raptors teeth tearing into her stomach and back.
Malone had been so shocked by Lanina's actions, it took him a few seconds to finally react. Lanina's howl of agony ripped into his heart, and he lifted his rifle to send a bullet cleanly through the raptors eye, past its brain cavity and out the other side. It crumpled to the ground with Lanina still secured in its mouth.
Malone threw down his weapon and ran to Lanina, tumbling down onto his knees.
He could see the tears stain her face and felt his own rising and threatening to spill from his eyes. Bracing his hands on either side of the jaws enclosed about her, he told her in a not so steady voice, "Okay sweetheart, I'm going to pry the mouth open, and I want you to move away if you can, alright?"
He could see her nod quickly in comprehension and brace herself for the pain. Using all his strength, he pushed as hard as he could, the mouth opening slowly. Lanina cringed at the feeling of teeth sliding out of her ravaged flesh. When she had slipped out the side, Malone let the jaws go and turned his attention to Lanina.
What he saw made his insides twist into giant knots. Blood was running in rivulets from the gaping wounds on either side of her body. The raptor had torn into her pretty badly before it had died. If it had pressed any harder it could have ripped her in half. Looking into her face he could see she was having trouble breathing through the pain.
Needing to take action, he shed his shirt and began tearing it into large strips. He wrapped them gently around her abdomen , trying to staunch the never-ending supply of blood that kept pumping out of her body. When he finished tying the knot, he noticed she had started to shiver violently, the shock catching hold and shaking her in its grip. Taking her into his arms, he held her close, whispering words of comfort.
Then he thought about what she had done to get like this, became angry and growled in her ear, "What the hell were you thinking, pulling that stupid stunt! I would have had it under control! Why damn it?!"
"Because I didn't want anything to happen to you, and I thought it was a pretty good idea at the time," she answered, grimacing at her own folly, when another shiver racked her body.
"Well, you were wrong on both counts." Softening his harshness, he added, "But thank you for thinking of me."
"You're welcome." She didn't say anything after that, her concentration on the pain and the shaking.
He hoped the gunshot had alerted the others and would lead them to where they were. He was in desperate need of Challenger's aid. He had dressed enough wounds to know that Lanina was in danger. The injury had been bad enough to become lethal. Or it already was and she was going to die. Malone tightened his hold, forcing the thought away. No! He couldn't lose her, he couldn't!
Fingertips whispered lightly along Malone's cheek, causing him to look down into Lanina's face. A calmness had settled into her features, giving her a serene expression in a heartbreaking situation. Her body sporadically shook, but other than that, her body was lucid, pliable in his arms.
"Ned, you know what's coming, don't you?" Sounding more like a statement than a question.
Malone closed his eyes and shook his head, unwilling to acknowledge it. He wouldn't allow himself to think it.
"Ned, look at me." Taking his face into her hands she forced him to look into her eyes. "You know I'm dying. I can feel it." Breathing deep, she continued. "I have been lucky enough to fall in love with someone like you. I had to find the right guy in a jungle." Touching his cheek with a cold hand, she smiled slightly up at him. She would have said more but Marguerite, Veronica, Challenger, and Roxton came crashing through the bushes at breakneck speed.
They all looked in horror at the sight that greeted them. Lanina turned her head slightly and said, "Hey guys, come join the party," giving them something that sounded like a laugh and a sob.
Marguerite dropped her gun and pack and ran to kneel next to Lanina, smoothing back the black locks that had fallen on Lanina's forehead, with tears shimmering in her eyes. Challenger hurried over to the trio and got down to get a closer look at the blood soaked cloth. Peeling back the linen, he examined the damaged area on her stomach and back. Prodding and poking as gently as he could, he shook his head at his findings.
Turning to look at Malone and Marguerite, he said in a dire voice, "The teeth punctured her liver and ripped up too much tissue. She's losing a lot of blood. There's nothing I can do, I'm sorry." His expressions didn't deliver the hope Malone had wanted. Marguerite gave a keening cry, displaying more emotion than anyone besides Roxton had ever seen her possess.
Malone shut his eyes, tears spilling down his face. Veronica and Roxton had held back, but still felt the blow of his words ; Veronica's face was hidden in her hands and Roxton's head was bowed in grave acceptance.
Challenger stood and walked away to stand alone, sadness etched on his tired face.
"I'm not gone yet, ya know," joked Lanina, not wanting to leave them with such unhappiness. And it didn't hurt anymore. No pain coursed through her body. Only a sense of peace enveloped her entire being. Perusing the faces of the people she had come to care for, she gave them as bright a smile as she could manage, as she as starting to feel weak and tired.
"I'm so glad I got to meet you all. You treated me with kindness from the moment you found me. Every one of you have something special with each other. Never let that go." Feeling her strength slipping from her body, she looked at Veronica, wanting to tell her one last thing.
"Take care of Ned for me Veronica." Lifting a shaky hand she said, "No hard feelings?"
Veronica's face held surprise a the comment. She walked to Lanina and took her hand, smiling faintly. "No hard feelings."
Glad that that was taken care of, she turned to the person that had become most important to her on this plateau.
"I love you Ned. Remember me, okay?" Her breathing was becoming shallower, making it hard to talk.
"I love you too. You'll always be my girl." Malone leaned down to kiss away the tear that fell from her eye.
"You guys look so funny...with the sad...looks...on your faces...," Lanina's words drifted off as her last breath passed her icy lips.
Malone could feel her leaving him, and bent over her body, grief making his body shake with sobs. No one knew what to say. It was over, and she was gone.
* * *
One month later...
Malone watched the sun set slowly behind the border of trees spread across the plateau. Staring emotionlessly at the sky that no longer seemed beautiful to him, he ambled back into the tree house. Marguerite and Roxton were sitting on the couch, with a somber Marguerite clasped in Roxton's arms. Challenger was back in his lab after a few days of inability to continue with his work.
Veronica was in her room, lying on her bed reading one of her father's books, though her expression signaled she was somewhere else in her thoughts.
Malone went straight for the lift and waited impatiently for it to take him below. No one asked where he was going. They already knew.
He walked at a quiet pace, making his way toward the pond hidden from the tree house. In a shaded area near the water, was Lanina's grave. They had buried her in a place surrounded by the beauty of the plateau. Reaching down, he gathered a few flowers that Lanina had loved to kneel in front of and breath in the fragrances.
Arriving at her tombstone that Roxton had carved out of wood, he placed the fresh blooms at the foot of the gravestone. He bowed his head and wished, like he always did when he went there, that she was well and happy where she was.
When she had died, he had felt as if everything had just stopped for him. The world was spinning, going on with its daily routine, but he was stuck in place, watching but not participating. Eating and sleeping came automatically, fulfilling his bodily needs and nothing else.
He missed Lanina's laugh, her smile, the stories she told from her time about her family and friends. He yearned for the kisses they shared and the conversations they had. He wanted her back. But he never would get her back. She was gone forever into a world he couldn't follow her into until it was his time.
Staring hard at her gravestone, he felt his heart beating even as he experienced the sharp sting of heartache. Standing there for a few moments more, he turned and walked away, with only one more thought on his mind. Whoever said love doesn't hurt had never met Lanina Carter.
