The door to Kate's room opened and Lucas came out. He looked worried, very
worried. Phillip went over to him, "How is she?"
Lucas looked at his brother, "She's so damned pale," he shook his head, "Man, if you didn't know it, you could swear she was sleeping. That is until you see the bandage on her head. But she's just, there. It's spooky. She's just there."
Phillip put his hand on his brother's shoulder. "C'mon, have a seat and take it easy. She'll get through this, Lucas."
Lucas nodded, "I sure hope so." He looked at his watch. "Oh, man, it's late. I should be home for Will in the morning." He looked over at Kate's room, "I just don't want to leave her. What if she wakes up?"
"Don't sweat it. I'm gonna go in and then John, and we need to let her take it easy then, just like Lexie said. We can figure out what to do in the morning, after we've all slept, ok?"
Lucas nodded, "Yeah, ok." He got up, "I'll talk to you first thing then."
"You got it," said Phillip, and Lucas headed home.
Phillip turned to Belle and John, "I'm gonna go in." They nodded and Phillip turned to enter Kate's room.
Belle turned her attention back to her father, "So, when will you be back, you think?"
John sighed, "Hopefully, we go and find out that this whole year has just been someone's idea of a cruel joke, and we find everyone safe and sound. And then we bring them home. I don't know how long that'll be." Belle nodded, "If this lead is true, and it HAS to be, then we need to get everyone back here asap. Roman especially."
"What do you mean?" asked Belle.
"I've got a bad feeling about Kate. Part of her died when Roman died. She doesn't feel like she's got much to hang around for. If Roman's alive, then she'll fight to get back to him. If he isn't, I don't know if she'll even bother trying to wake up."
"God, you really think so?" asked Belle.
"The only thing Kate feels she has left is her kids and her job. She works til all hours, Belle. She practically lives at Basic Black. And as far as Lucas and Phillip are concerned, she wants them to be happy, but she's gotten extremely pushy when it comes to that. I think that's because she feels she has nothing else to focus on. So, ultimately, whether or not Roman and the others are alive could be the difference between Kate waking up or not."
Phillip came out of the room, looking just as bad as his brother. He took a deep breath, blew it out and closed his eyes, shaking his head. Belle went over to him and gave him a hug. "Are you ok?"
"I don't know." he responded, "I talked to her, I squeezed her hand. I tried to get her mad at me, I even told her Lucas and Sami were getting closer just to get her going, but nothing worked, not a damned thing. God, she can't stay like this, she just can't."
"Izzy B, why don't you take Phillip home. I'll go sit with Kate for awhile. Let her know I'll be gone and what's up with the trip. I'm ready to go for tomorrow so I can stay til they kick me out. Go get some rest." said John.
Phillip shook John's hand, "Thanks again for coming to her rescue. And thanks for being her friend."
John smiled, "C'mon now, it's not all selfless you know. She's been a good friend to me too. There are no pretenses, just two friends who know exactly what the other is going through. It helps a lot actually."
"Well, I'm glad you two have gotten to be good friends, just like me and Belle. And you're right, it's so much better when you know that person is there for you. Lightens the burden a little bit."
"Ok, then, off you two go. Try and get some sleep. I'll go in now." and as he kissed Belle she whispered in his ear, "Good luck."
John opened the door to Kate's room. It was quiet except for the sound of the medicine pump and the monitors keeping a close eye on Kate's vitals. He was taken aback by her appearance. Phillip and Lucas were right, she was as white as a ghost and so still. He sat in the chair next to her bed and took her hand, careful not to disturb the wires and tubes. "Hey there Kate, it's John. You know, when I told you to lighten your workload you could've just taken some vacation time." There was no response. "Alright, it wasn't that funny, I know." His tone turned serious. "You have to wake up Kate. Lucas and Phillip are worried sick, and so am I." He waited for some sign of recognition, but she didn't move a muscle. "I wanted to tell you that I'm leaving with Bo and Hope tomorrow to see if we can find proof that Doc and Roman and the others are alive. So, as much as I don't want to leave you like this, bringing Roman back to you would be the best medicine in the world, and the best reason for you to wake up. So, that will be your job while I'm gone. You wake up. Fight your way back to Roman, you hear me, and the rest, how you ended up here, we'll deal with when you're better." He kissed the back of her hand. "C'mon Kate, you're a fighter, fight this. I KNOW they are alive, I can feel it. Look, even if this is all nothing, you need to get better. I'm not prepared to lose my friend, so no copping out here." He put her hand back down on the bed, "I'm just gonna sit here with you for awhile and keep you company." He leaned back into the chair and closed his eyes, dreaming of the first moment he would see her, and she would run into his arms and he would kiss her so hard his lips would ache. "I'll never let her go, never."
Lucas looked at his brother, "She's so damned pale," he shook his head, "Man, if you didn't know it, you could swear she was sleeping. That is until you see the bandage on her head. But she's just, there. It's spooky. She's just there."
Phillip put his hand on his brother's shoulder. "C'mon, have a seat and take it easy. She'll get through this, Lucas."
Lucas nodded, "I sure hope so." He looked at his watch. "Oh, man, it's late. I should be home for Will in the morning." He looked over at Kate's room, "I just don't want to leave her. What if she wakes up?"
"Don't sweat it. I'm gonna go in and then John, and we need to let her take it easy then, just like Lexie said. We can figure out what to do in the morning, after we've all slept, ok?"
Lucas nodded, "Yeah, ok." He got up, "I'll talk to you first thing then."
"You got it," said Phillip, and Lucas headed home.
Phillip turned to Belle and John, "I'm gonna go in." They nodded and Phillip turned to enter Kate's room.
Belle turned her attention back to her father, "So, when will you be back, you think?"
John sighed, "Hopefully, we go and find out that this whole year has just been someone's idea of a cruel joke, and we find everyone safe and sound. And then we bring them home. I don't know how long that'll be." Belle nodded, "If this lead is true, and it HAS to be, then we need to get everyone back here asap. Roman especially."
"What do you mean?" asked Belle.
"I've got a bad feeling about Kate. Part of her died when Roman died. She doesn't feel like she's got much to hang around for. If Roman's alive, then she'll fight to get back to him. If he isn't, I don't know if she'll even bother trying to wake up."
"God, you really think so?" asked Belle.
"The only thing Kate feels she has left is her kids and her job. She works til all hours, Belle. She practically lives at Basic Black. And as far as Lucas and Phillip are concerned, she wants them to be happy, but she's gotten extremely pushy when it comes to that. I think that's because she feels she has nothing else to focus on. So, ultimately, whether or not Roman and the others are alive could be the difference between Kate waking up or not."
Phillip came out of the room, looking just as bad as his brother. He took a deep breath, blew it out and closed his eyes, shaking his head. Belle went over to him and gave him a hug. "Are you ok?"
"I don't know." he responded, "I talked to her, I squeezed her hand. I tried to get her mad at me, I even told her Lucas and Sami were getting closer just to get her going, but nothing worked, not a damned thing. God, she can't stay like this, she just can't."
"Izzy B, why don't you take Phillip home. I'll go sit with Kate for awhile. Let her know I'll be gone and what's up with the trip. I'm ready to go for tomorrow so I can stay til they kick me out. Go get some rest." said John.
Phillip shook John's hand, "Thanks again for coming to her rescue. And thanks for being her friend."
John smiled, "C'mon now, it's not all selfless you know. She's been a good friend to me too. There are no pretenses, just two friends who know exactly what the other is going through. It helps a lot actually."
"Well, I'm glad you two have gotten to be good friends, just like me and Belle. And you're right, it's so much better when you know that person is there for you. Lightens the burden a little bit."
"Ok, then, off you two go. Try and get some sleep. I'll go in now." and as he kissed Belle she whispered in his ear, "Good luck."
John opened the door to Kate's room. It was quiet except for the sound of the medicine pump and the monitors keeping a close eye on Kate's vitals. He was taken aback by her appearance. Phillip and Lucas were right, she was as white as a ghost and so still. He sat in the chair next to her bed and took her hand, careful not to disturb the wires and tubes. "Hey there Kate, it's John. You know, when I told you to lighten your workload you could've just taken some vacation time." There was no response. "Alright, it wasn't that funny, I know." His tone turned serious. "You have to wake up Kate. Lucas and Phillip are worried sick, and so am I." He waited for some sign of recognition, but she didn't move a muscle. "I wanted to tell you that I'm leaving with Bo and Hope tomorrow to see if we can find proof that Doc and Roman and the others are alive. So, as much as I don't want to leave you like this, bringing Roman back to you would be the best medicine in the world, and the best reason for you to wake up. So, that will be your job while I'm gone. You wake up. Fight your way back to Roman, you hear me, and the rest, how you ended up here, we'll deal with when you're better." He kissed the back of her hand. "C'mon Kate, you're a fighter, fight this. I KNOW they are alive, I can feel it. Look, even if this is all nothing, you need to get better. I'm not prepared to lose my friend, so no copping out here." He put her hand back down on the bed, "I'm just gonna sit here with you for awhile and keep you company." He leaned back into the chair and closed his eyes, dreaming of the first moment he would see her, and she would run into his arms and he would kiss her so hard his lips would ache. "I'll never let her go, never."