A/N: Glad ya'll like the first chapter—I know it was just a teaser, but
here's more. I'm a little bit stuck with where to go, so the updating will
be slow for now. Oh yes, I forgot to tell you—in my story there are a few
things different: 1) Natalie did not know who called her about Christian
being alive 2) Nigel did not win the poker game with Asa—you'll see how
that works to my advantage with John and Natalie soon enough. ;) Until
next time—keep on enjoying please—PCGirl.
~~~~~~~
He felt the darkness fill his mind again, the warmth covering him also, but this time it was further up, near his heart. His heart—it belonged to Caitlyn. His mind started to race—Caitlyn, Natalie, Caitlyn—and kept going until finally heard a male voice pulling him back. "John—John, I'm here—can you hear me?"
"Is she ok? Is Caitlyn ok?" he murmured.
"He's delirious—too much blood loss. Where are the paramedics?" he heard the voice getting further away. "Stay with me man—stay with me!"
"Tell her I love her," he said quietly before slipping into the blackness completely. He stayed in the blackness for awhile, feeling like he was constantly running in a maze—hearing his voice being said softly over and over—sometimes by a male, sometimes by a female. But he couldn't find it until he saw the light—a very bright light and slowly the voices got louder and louder and finally he could open his eyes again.
"Welcome back to the real world, bro," smiled Michael over him.
"What happened? Where is Haver—did he escape?"
"Just like you to think of work when you are injured. They caught the jerk, don't worry about that."
"And Natalie?"
"Fine, a little shook up, but he let her go before he shot you. Do you remember being shot?"
"I—all I remember is telling him to let her go, and I had my gun drawn. He must have had a gun hidden on him and when he turned around to talk he shot at me."
"Well, listen I'm going to tell everyone you are awake—you've got quiet a following out there."
"Yeah," he laughed.
"I'll see you in a bit," smiled Michael as he left.
John just laid his head back and let out a loud sigh, rubbing his left shoulder where the bullet wound was now wrapped tightly.
---------
"Oh John," ran in Eve and looking at him like he were seven years old again and hadn't made it when he tried to jump the fence in the backyard.
"Mom, I'm fine. You know I'm a grown man and I'm fine now."
"I know, it's just that you getting shot—it brought back a lot of bad memories from before," she said running her hands over his hair and lying it on his face. "God, if I ever lost you," she sighed.
"You can't get rid of me that fast, Mom," he said with a half smile and then saw Bo peeking his head through the window and motioned him in. "Where is he?"
"He is in the mental ward at Statesville—severely sedated until we figure out someway to keep him from killing himself."
"He's too much of a coward to kill himself."
"Yeah, we don't want to chance anything—we have over twenty murders to charge him with—including Caitlyn's. Listen, I'll come by later, ok?"
"Sure—is Natalie out there?"
"Uhm, she left a bit ago but said she'd be back later. I'll let her know you asked about her."
"Thanks Bo," he said as he closed his eyes.
"I'll let you rest too," said Eve as she gave him a kiss on the head and left him to rest.
---------
Natalie slipped into the room quietly to see him sleeping and figured she'd put the bag on the dresser and slip back out. She had put the bag down and was halfway to the door when she heard his voice, "Are you slipping out of here without even a hello?"
"I'm mad at you right now, I'm not sure I could talk to you without yelling," she said not turning to face him yet.
"What? What did I do?"
"You almost got yourself killed—you idiot."
"Hey, I was trying to save—OW!" he yelled as he moved his shoulder.
"Are you ok?"
"Yeah, I guess I won't be playing pool for awhile," he said trying to laugh through the pain.
"Sure you can," she said taking the bag she had left and brought it over to him for him to open.
"Help me here," he said trying to get the item out of the bag without moving his left side. He finally pulled it out—one of those $1 toys—a plastic miniature pool table complete with pool balls and sticks.
"Are you up for a game?" she smiled.
"Yeah, maybe I can finally beat you," he chuckled.
"You always did say you could beat me with one hand tied around your back. You just couldn't ever prove it."
"Anything else in there?" he said putting his hand into the bag. "Ouch!" he yelled pulling it back and putting his finger in his mouth to stop the bleeding.
"Does blood taste good?"
"Mmm yeah," he said with a nod and a slight laugh "What was that?"
"Who knows—I let Roxy hold the bag for one minute," she said looking in and seeing what it was that pricked him. "Ahh- She brought you a roommate," she laughed pulling out the miniature porcupine like the one at the hotel. "Where should we put him?" she said looking around the room for a nice spot to sit him. "How does this look?" she said as she heard the door open and turned to see Eve walk in.
"Hi Natalie," she smiled.
"Hi," she said looking at Eve and then at John.
"I see you are sprucing up my son's room. Where did you get that interesting animal from?" she said walking over and leaning down to look the porcupine in the eye.
"It was Roxanne's idea," she said watching Eve. "I'll—I'll be back later," she said going out the door fast.
"Did I say something?" asked Eve looking back at the door and then at John.
"I'm not sure," said John shaking his head.
~~~~~~~
He felt the darkness fill his mind again, the warmth covering him also, but this time it was further up, near his heart. His heart—it belonged to Caitlyn. His mind started to race—Caitlyn, Natalie, Caitlyn—and kept going until finally heard a male voice pulling him back. "John—John, I'm here—can you hear me?"
"Is she ok? Is Caitlyn ok?" he murmured.
"He's delirious—too much blood loss. Where are the paramedics?" he heard the voice getting further away. "Stay with me man—stay with me!"
"Tell her I love her," he said quietly before slipping into the blackness completely. He stayed in the blackness for awhile, feeling like he was constantly running in a maze—hearing his voice being said softly over and over—sometimes by a male, sometimes by a female. But he couldn't find it until he saw the light—a very bright light and slowly the voices got louder and louder and finally he could open his eyes again.
"Welcome back to the real world, bro," smiled Michael over him.
"What happened? Where is Haver—did he escape?"
"Just like you to think of work when you are injured. They caught the jerk, don't worry about that."
"And Natalie?"
"Fine, a little shook up, but he let her go before he shot you. Do you remember being shot?"
"I—all I remember is telling him to let her go, and I had my gun drawn. He must have had a gun hidden on him and when he turned around to talk he shot at me."
"Well, listen I'm going to tell everyone you are awake—you've got quiet a following out there."
"Yeah," he laughed.
"I'll see you in a bit," smiled Michael as he left.
John just laid his head back and let out a loud sigh, rubbing his left shoulder where the bullet wound was now wrapped tightly.
---------
"Oh John," ran in Eve and looking at him like he were seven years old again and hadn't made it when he tried to jump the fence in the backyard.
"Mom, I'm fine. You know I'm a grown man and I'm fine now."
"I know, it's just that you getting shot—it brought back a lot of bad memories from before," she said running her hands over his hair and lying it on his face. "God, if I ever lost you," she sighed.
"You can't get rid of me that fast, Mom," he said with a half smile and then saw Bo peeking his head through the window and motioned him in. "Where is he?"
"He is in the mental ward at Statesville—severely sedated until we figure out someway to keep him from killing himself."
"He's too much of a coward to kill himself."
"Yeah, we don't want to chance anything—we have over twenty murders to charge him with—including Caitlyn's. Listen, I'll come by later, ok?"
"Sure—is Natalie out there?"
"Uhm, she left a bit ago but said she'd be back later. I'll let her know you asked about her."
"Thanks Bo," he said as he closed his eyes.
"I'll let you rest too," said Eve as she gave him a kiss on the head and left him to rest.
---------
Natalie slipped into the room quietly to see him sleeping and figured she'd put the bag on the dresser and slip back out. She had put the bag down and was halfway to the door when she heard his voice, "Are you slipping out of here without even a hello?"
"I'm mad at you right now, I'm not sure I could talk to you without yelling," she said not turning to face him yet.
"What? What did I do?"
"You almost got yourself killed—you idiot."
"Hey, I was trying to save—OW!" he yelled as he moved his shoulder.
"Are you ok?"
"Yeah, I guess I won't be playing pool for awhile," he said trying to laugh through the pain.
"Sure you can," she said taking the bag she had left and brought it over to him for him to open.
"Help me here," he said trying to get the item out of the bag without moving his left side. He finally pulled it out—one of those $1 toys—a plastic miniature pool table complete with pool balls and sticks.
"Are you up for a game?" she smiled.
"Yeah, maybe I can finally beat you," he chuckled.
"You always did say you could beat me with one hand tied around your back. You just couldn't ever prove it."
"Anything else in there?" he said putting his hand into the bag. "Ouch!" he yelled pulling it back and putting his finger in his mouth to stop the bleeding.
"Does blood taste good?"
"Mmm yeah," he said with a nod and a slight laugh "What was that?"
"Who knows—I let Roxy hold the bag for one minute," she said looking in and seeing what it was that pricked him. "Ahh- She brought you a roommate," she laughed pulling out the miniature porcupine like the one at the hotel. "Where should we put him?" she said looking around the room for a nice spot to sit him. "How does this look?" she said as she heard the door open and turned to see Eve walk in.
"Hi Natalie," she smiled.
"Hi," she said looking at Eve and then at John.
"I see you are sprucing up my son's room. Where did you get that interesting animal from?" she said walking over and leaning down to look the porcupine in the eye.
"It was Roxanne's idea," she said watching Eve. "I'll—I'll be back later," she said going out the door fast.
"Did I say something?" asked Eve looking back at the door and then at John.
"I'm not sure," said John shaking his head.