Title: anything and everything
Author: sue
Rating: PG13
Show: DA
Genre: Angst/Romance/Adventure
Type: WiP
Summary: under the chaos of a failed mission, somehow Logan had managed to do the impossible- infect Max with the deadly virus. Now, it's up to Alec to stop her from plunging into the bottomless crater of death. And he would do anything.. and everything to make sure of that.
*****
okay guys, this chapter will be the last one in quite a while. Why? Well, for one I'm very much exhausted, nearly fainted in a bus the other day :( and my finals is in another three weeks, so I really need to crack open my physics book, however how much I hate that subject..
and again thank you so much for reviewing, makes my dull days a whole lot better ;) hee so, go on.. you know how much you want to tell me about my lovely ending ;) hahaha and a great thank you goes to Mel for betaing. :) enjoy!
*****
Chapter 16 – Life and Death.
In the almost empty lab, Fowler was waiting anxiously as he waited for the cure to be completed. He paced the length of the room as he waited for the impending beep. 'I can't believe I'm waiting for a beep,' he muttered angrily, still pacing as he glanced occasionally at the rotating beaker. He turned around and tried to take a peek at the enzyme. A tired sigh burst out from his lips as he realized that no, they're still not ready and sneaked a glance at his watch and he almost groaned at the slow way time had passed. But mercifully, his frantic prayers were answered as from behind him, an innocent beep sounded throughout the empty lab.
Smiling to himself, he strode over to the machine and packed the cure to be transported. As the last catch fell into place with a satisfying click, another loud beep reverberated around the room and quickly he turned around to prepare the completed enzyme. After the two much needed, priceless and life dependant substances were securely in their case, Fowler picked it up and started towards the door.
He nodded politely as he passed several young and fresh faced young nurses and when he made it to Alec's room, he pushed it open with one hand as the other clutched the case tightly. The first thing he saw was the gaunt looking Carr perusing over the young man's files. He shook his head and took a step into the room.
For the past hour, Carr had taken to hovering solicitously over his two unconscious patients' bed. He read through Alec's files desperately, hoping to come across something good for once. The tired doctor scanned through a few lines and turned his head towards the adjoining room, into the room where Max had laid so still. He suppressed a yawn as he rubbed his weary and red brimmed eyes but his eyes snapped towards the creaking door and a relieved smile lightened up his face as he recognizes the face and the case.
'It is ready then?' he asked quickly, almost unbelievingly as he held up a hand to relieve the old doctor of the case he was holding.
'Yes it is,' Fowler nodded before adding, 'and if you didn't mind, I'll hold onto this. I work too hard for any unwanted accidents. My honorable name as a Noble Prize Winner depends on this,' he said firmly, looking down from behind his thick glasses.
Carr rolled his eyes and muttered a half hearted, 'Yeah, yeah.. come on in then. Max doesn't have much time left now, and I can say the same thing about Alec too.'
'No, they don't. Here's what I think, I'll take care of the girl, give her the cure and after that the enzyme and at the same time you can start with the harvesting on the young man. By the time you're done, the cure and the enzyme will start to work and we can start on transplanting right away. How does that sound?'
'Yes,' Carr nodded his head in agreement as he glanced at the numerous monitors, 'I'll start on the apheresis. You go and give Max the cure. Can I assume you won't have any problems with the Hickman Catheter?' Carr asked with a straight face.
'Of course not,' Fowler retorted, 'I was the top student in my year at med school. There won't be a problem.' And without another word, he took the cure and swept into the next room.
Chuckling slightly, Carr raised his voice a little and said, 'I'm sending a nurse in to help you. You know, just in case.'
He went to the door and beckoned at two nurses who just happened to walk past. 'Mandy,' he nodded at one of them, 'go and give Dr Fowler a hand. He's in the next room. And Alice,' he turned to the red headed girl, 'you're going to help me. Have you assisted in apheresis before this?'
'I have, doctor,' Alice smiled obediently.
'Good. Come on.'
Together, they moved the machine closer to Alec's bed. Then, the nurse moved the tray so it was within Carr's reach. After that she opened Alec's hospital gown so that his bare chest was in view before she took a cotton ball and started rubbing it in circles, disinfecting the entire area to prepare it for the procedure. She watched silently as Carr took over from her, inserting a flexible tube where it was threaded just above the right side of his heart.
Slowly and confidently he inserted the tube so that it was finally placed in a major vein, the one which runs directly underneath his collarbone. In the next room, Fowler was doing the exact same thing, putting the tube or catheter... the Hickman Catheter in. He smiled with satisfaction as the tube slid in easily. 'Humph, I told him, I could still do it,' he said to the watching Mandy.
After it was firmly in place, he took the precious temporary cure out and transferred it into a small bag before attaching another tube to the bag. Next, he connected the tube from the bag containing the cure to her catheter before releasing the cure into her bloodstream.
Inside Alec's room, Carr took the two tubes and attached them to the machine. His blood would flow into the machine through his catheter placed in his chest, where it would be processed. The machine will sift the stem cells from the blood and siphon it back to the patient via another tube. The exposed portion of the Hickman Catheter split into two parts, or it was also known as lumens, one for the blood to flow out from the body and the remaining one was for the processed blood to flow back in.
As the machine hummed noisily, Carr kept shooting nervous glances at his watch, the entire process typically took 4 to 5 hours to be completed but with recent technology, now it only needed around one to one and a half hours. He took a step back and stepped into the adjacent room.
Fowler was bent over the unconscious Max as he arranged the tubes that snaked around her small form. The younger doctor turned back towards his patient and spoke to Alice, 'We're going to harvest his bone marrow now.'
'But...' the bewildered nurse blinked, 'We've already taken his peripheral blood stem cells. Do we have to harvest his bone marrow too? Are you sure this is wise?'
'No,' Carr sighed, 'but it's necessary. I don't like the idea either but this is out of my hands now.'
Her light eyes darkened with worry but she turned and started preparing the needed apparatus. 'General or local, doctor?' she asked suddenly.
'Local. I don't think general anaesthesia is a good idea in his condition. And another thing Alice,' he said suddenly, turning to face his assistant, 'we're going to draw the marrow from his sternum. I know we usually use the pelvic bone but I think that's quite impossible in this case,' he finished as he motioned towards the catheter.
Nodding, the nurse watched as Carr gave Alec the local anaesthesia to numb the area around his chest before inserting a large needle through the small cuts he had made a few minutes ago to draw the marrow out from the bone. They worked silently and efficiently, glancing at the watch once in a while to check the time before resuming work.
In the room right next door, Fowler who had somehow managed to drag his portable electron microscope was peering through the lenses. He had said that it would be impossible to work without it since he had to constantly monitor her virus count and he didn't want to rush the lab every few minutes. And with a patient like Max, he can't afford to make any mistakes as he needed an exact estimation of the virus' reaction to the temporary cure or his hard labour would be a complete waste of time. He examined her latest blood sample and he nodded in satisfaction; the cure had started to kick in. The virulent cells were all captured, unable to multiply or mutate.
He turned to his patient and started to add the modified enzyme into her line as Carr suddenly poked his head in and remarked, 'You're giving her the enzyme?'
'Yes. How's your patient doing?'
'We're still drawing the stem cells and the bone marrow out but in about half an hour, they're all done.'
'You're taking both? The stem cells and the bone marrow? Isn't that a bit... dangerous?' he asked skeptically.
'Immensely, but try telling that stubborn man lying there. He insists on that and there's not much I can do about it. For all I know he had some mule DNA stashed away somewhere,' Carr mumbled to himself as he walked towards Fowler.
'He just wants to save her,' the older man shrugged noncommittally as he held the enzyme up to the light.
'Yeah, I know that but he has to think about his life too once in a while.'
'Well, as people use to say, love is blind,' again Fowler shrugged as he bent towards her, hooking the enzyme to her Hickman Catheter.
Then together they watched silently as the slightly murky solution sped into her blood.
With a heavy sigh Carr turned and spoke, 'I'll go and check on him.' Fowler just nodded as he went through his notes again.
Carr stopped as he threw the comatose girl another glance before trudging towards his other patient, 'I'll be right next door if you needs me,' he said before he resumed walking.
'Uh huh,' Fowler mumbled, his voice thick with preoccupation. He turned to his trusty microscope, peering at another sample. 'Hmm, looks good,' he whispered. 'Now... we wait and see.'
The young doctor was reading the monitors that were beside Alec's bed. He nodded to himself as the figures were very encouraging indeed. Alec's blood was brimming with stem cells; the medication that had been given earlier was working like a charm, churning out unlimited amount of new cells into his blood.
'Doctor,' the patient nurse suddenly spoke, 'The bone marrow is ready, I'll call for the boys in the lab, shall I? The bone fragments and other blood cells need to be taken out, right doctor?'
'Yes, send it to Martin, he'll know what to do and tell him I want it ready in an hour or less, we need to use it soon.'
'Yes doctor,' she replied as she took some cotton, trying to dab at the multiple cuts on Alec's chest.
'No, I'll do it. You just go and take care about the marrow,' he interrupted, taking the cotton balls from her hand and pushing her slightly towards the phone.
'Of course Dr Carr,' she said and picked up the phone.
He watched for a few seconds as she spoke into the phone before turning to Alec and started tending to his numerous cuts from the harvesting. His eyes turned towards the still humming machine as it continued to remove Alec's stem cells his blood.
*****
Logan hummed to himself as he picked up a few more documents. In a couple of hours, he'll have the cure and thanks to him, Max will be saved. His eyes darted towards his humming computers before he picked up his glasses up and slipped them on.
'That White was an idiot,' he smirked, 'He'll be in a place completely unknown to him. I'll have the upper hand here and since he thought I have the information on his son, he'll have to do as I ask him to.' Logan grinned, well satisfied with himself on his great stealth abilities. 'I don't know why Max and Alec had such hard time with this Familiar. Maybe I'm just better,' he preened a little and added, 'I'll make a great spy, or a private investigator... just like that pre-pulse Holmes...' his grin got wider as he envisioned himself with a pipe. He would look very dignified indeed.
Whistling softly to himself, he let himself out of his penthouse to go and meet the dangerous villain; so the love of his life would have another chance to live and be happy... with him.
*****
'The marrow and the stem cells are ready. Is the enzyme working as it supposed to?' Carr asked as he stepped into the room.
'Yes,' Fowler beamed, 'Perfectly. The virus is disintegrating even as we speak. In a while, the virus will be gone.'
'God,' the younger doctor whispered, gratitude and relief overpowering him. He leaned against the doorway for support. 'Thank you,' he whispered as he dragged a shaking hand over his teary eyes.
'There, there,' the old scientist patted Carr's shoulder awkwardly. 'Of course they're going to be fine. Now where's the marrow? We should transplant it soon.'
'I'll go and get it.' He spun and turned back to Alec's room, intent on checking on his patient before taking the processed marrow back to Fowler. His eyes swept over the monitors quickly and he nodded in satisfaction. The figures were good, which meant Alec would regain consciousness soon.
A soft groan made him turned to the bed and his strained face broke into a smile as his gaze stumble onto a pair of dazed hazel eyes. 'How do you feel Alec?' he asked as he took a step closer towards the bed.
'Like I've been slammed headfirst into a moving truck,' the patient mumbled hoarsely as he struggled to sit, 'How's Max?'
'Careful!' instantly Carr was by his side, helping him into a sitting position. 'Your body has been through a tremendous amount of abuse. Give it a chance... and time to heal itself.'
'We have accelerated healing powers,' he muttered as the entire room swam dizzily in front of him.
'Even then, you need your rest. Remember this Alec, don't do anything too strenuous, you almost burned yourself out as it is. I'm very afraid your heart might just stop beating out of sheer exhaustion.'
'I'll keep that in mind,' he whispered gruffly, 'and Max?'
'She's fine. The virus has been 85 to 90 percent eliminated and we're going to start transplanting your bone marrow and stem cell to her soon.'
'Good, come on then. What are we waiting for? Let's go,' he said as he tried to get off the bed.
'Whoa there!' Carr cried out as he held onto Alec's arm, 'you're too weak to walk all over the place. Rest! There's nothing else you can do except rest and get your strength back.'
Alec shrugged Carr's hand away and took a hesitant step forward as beads of sweat started appearing on his brow. His legs trembled slightly as he put his weight on it but he just gritted his teeth and with an iron clad determination, he walked slowly to Max's room.
Carr just shook his head in defeat and trailed behind the stubborn X5, holding the bag of marrow securely in his hand.
Within a few minutes, Fowler had attached Alec's marrow to her catheter and instantly it sped into Max's system where it would head automatically to the appropriate places in her bone marrow where a process called engraftment will take place. The new marrow would take root and started to function and produce cells. Once engraftment had occurred, Max would be halfway to recovery. With humans, it typically took around two to four week after transplantation, but with a transgenic and their speedier healing, it would probably take a day or two.
Carr smiled as he thought to himself, we've managed to pull it off! I can't believe it; we've actually managed to do this. Still smiling, he turned towards Fowler and said, 'We did it, old fellow!'
Fowler turned and nodded, quietly buoyantly, 'Indeed.'
Both of them were so happy with their successful mission, they didn't realize that Alec had taken the seat besides her bed as he watched his bone marrow sped into her blood stream. He was sweating hard as his heart pounded furiously and slowly he lowered his head onto her bed.
The two doctors moved forward, frowning as they hovered over him.
Alec mumbled softly, 'Tired.. maybe I'll take a nap right here,' before his eyes closes and he slipped into deep slumber.
Fowler and Carr just looked at each other before they left the room.
*****
Logan pushed his key into the keyhole. He glanced at the slowly darkening sky before focusing back on the stuck key. Muttering under his breath, he cursed softly as he jiggled the key a bit, and a few seconds later, the lock gave in and he turned the handle before walking into the dark room. For the next few minutes, he blinked hard, trying to get his eyes to become accustomed to the dark before he fumbled for the light switch.
His toe hit a leg of a chair and he yelped let out a high-pitched yelp of pain. Hopping a little as he breathed through his mouth, waiting for the eye watering pain to recede. After the pain had become slightly bearable, he shuffled forward slowly, hand stretched straight in front of him as he was still trying to find that darn switch.
'Aha! There you are!' he cried out as his hand touched the plastic square. He flipped the switch on and again he blinked hard as bright lights chased the darkness away. He squinted around, this time to get used to the blinding light before he gasped as his gaze fell onto something completely unexpected.
White was lounging in one of the sofas.
'When did you get here?' Logan managed to ask in a tight voice as he gaped at the blank faced familiar.
'You're late Cale,' White drawled, 'I've been waiting for you for over an hour. I guess that Aztec of yours is acting up, huh? Ever thought about a.. newer model perhaps?' he finished with a heavy dose of sarcasm.
'An hour?' Logan squealed, a look of horror on his face, 'How did you get here that fast? That's impossible!'
'I have my ways,' White shrugged but his eyes narrowed sharply. Getting straight to the point, he added, 'Where is my son?'
'Where is the cure?' Logan answered quickly, his shoulders inevitably stiff and straight. 'That's the deal, you give me the cure and I'll give you the location.'
'Wrong answer,' White hissed as he leapt from the chair, grabbing Logan's neck in a tight grip. 'Where. Is. My. Son?'
'C.. cure..' Logan gurgled, his face started to turn a frightening hue as the hand around his neck tightened.
'Again, wrong answer Cale,' White snarled, banging Logan's head against the cold stone wall. His feet, which were hanging half a feet from the floor, twitched as he struggled feebly, his shaking hand clawing desperately at the tight grasp around his neck.
'I.. don't.. know,' he whispered throatily as pain flashed brightly throughout his body.
Blood rushed to White's face as he heard that pitiful stammer and he roared furiously before tossing Logan's limp body into a chair behind him, smashing it instantly. 'Start talking you pathetic excuse for a life,' he spat wrathfully into Logan's horrified face.
'I don't know where your son is,' the frightened Logan mumbled, a thin line of blood tricking from the corner of his mouth. He cried out in pain as a fist slammed into the side of his face before a furious voice hissed in front of his face.
'I don't mind doing this for a couple of hours more and maybe after that you'll start talking.'
'I don't know! I don't know where your son is!' he wailed in fear, 'I just want the cure to help Max!'
'What the hell is wrong with 452 apart from the usual?' came the quick question as the Familiar's eyes sharpened in an instant.
Logan's head snapped as the agent's fist slammed into his face again after he refused to answer. He coughed fitfully and drops of blood sprayed from his lips.
White saw the obstinate light in his prisoner's eyes and sighed as he slipped his hand into his inner jacket's pocket and took out a flat bundle. Then he shrugged out of his jacket before he rolled that piece of leather apart. Logan moaned as he caught sight of the long glinting needles. White grinned widely as he saw the terrified look and took a step closer, his hand holding straps of strong leather for restraints. Logan was so petrified, he can't move a single muscle as the agent strapped his wrists to the chair.
'Good, are you ready to start talking now?' he asked with unhidden cruelty.
Logan lifted his head and stared into the Familiar's eyes. 'No, never!' he said with determination. I won't betray you Max, there's no way, no way in hell. Never.. I'll face this familiar and come out the victor. I know it.
'We'll see about that,' White grinned, his eyes glinting maliciously as he picked one particularly long needle. His eyes were still gleaming as without emotion he pricked it into Logan's arm.
The instant the needle pierced his skin, Logan opened his mouth and screamed.
'Where is she?' White said softly as he brought his face mere inches away from his captive's face.
'Hospital,' he panted as beads of sweat started running from his brow, his face convulsed in a painful mask.
'Why?' the tormentor asked simply as he plunged another needle into his other arm.
Again, Logan's voice bounced throughout the empty cabin. He was in so much pain, he couldn't even move.
White moved a little so that he was facing Logan squarely and asked the question again, 'Why?'
'The... virus,' he wheezed as his eyes started glazing, 'I infected her - she's... dying,' he gasped for breath as sweat started running freely down from his face.
'I see... So, if I stopped by and grabbed her, she'd be in no condition to fight back. Is that right?'
'No! No, you can't do that!' Logan moaned as White pushed another needle in.
'Where is she?' he asked as the needle was securely in place.
'Harbor Lights,' he whispered, tears streaming down from his cheeks, 'But you won't get to her. Alec is there,' he added desperately.
'Oh, what a treat! 494 is there too? This is too good to be true. Two birds with one stone. And because you're such a good little boy,' he patted Logan's head, almost paternal in nature, 'I'll give you a little treat. Do you know that if I were to put this needle here,' he picked one horribly long needle up, 'into a very specific spot at the back of your neck, you'll be paralyzed but your nerves would still be working? Bit by bit.. with time, the pain would escalate until your body overloads, it shuts down. Meaning, you're dead... Eyes Only.' Grinning manically, he walked behind the trembling Logan. He ignored the desperate moans as with a decisive move, he pricked it into Logan's neck.
For the countless time, Logan opened his mouth and yelled his lungs out as waves of unthinkable pain crashed onto him.
White snapped the restrains off and walked towards the door, 'Enjoy that little bit of pain. And I will get my son back... after I got my hands on those two animals.' After sending a cheery wave in Logan's direction, he closed the door shut with a click, leaving Logan alone with his unbearably mounting pain.
*****
The entire room was bathed in a soft comforting glow from the nightlight. The monitors continued to whirr and hummed, as time continued to tick by, second by precious second. Alec shifted a little from his slumped position before he pried his lids apart and stared owlishly around him. A split second later, his hazel eyes sharpened and he turned quickly towards the still unconscious Max. A relieved smile softened his smile as he looked at her peaceful expression.
'She's fine,' he whispered softly to himself. As the light smile still lingered upon his lips and eyes, he lifted his hand and frowned as he realized that it was quite difficult for him to hold it steady. He gritted his teeth and willed the slight trembling to stop as he held it slowly towards her. As he turned his focus to her, he sighed and ran his knuckles softly over her pale cheek. And as his light touch trailed over her jaw, he rubbed his thumb over her flawless skin. Softly and lightly. His sharp eyes detected the faint colours that had started to bloom over her white skin and his smile widened in pleasure.
'There you go, Maxie,' he whispered as his thumb continued to move comfortingly over her skin, 'You're a born fighter, you can do this. I've done all I could, it's your turn now babe.'
Alec closed his eyes a sudden wave of nausea swept over him.
Remember this Alec, don't do anything too strenuous, you almost burnt yourself out as it is. I'm very afraid your heart might just stop beating out of sheer exhaustion.
He shook his head slowly, Carr is wrong, he thought tiredly, after a little rest, I'll be okay. After all I'm always all right.
Suddenly, he felt so very tired, his lids felt weighed down, so he laid his head back beside her shoulder. His hand crept slowly over the white starched sheet and found her cold fingers. With the last of his remaining strength, he intertwined his fingers tightly around hers.
'It'll warm your hand Max,' he mumbled softly before his lids slowly close. With a heavy sigh, he succumbed to the persistent pull of the darkness.
To be continued..
not so far in the future.. I hope.. ;)