Chapter 22:
Jack tried to pull himself together and get his voice under control again. Danny knew damn good how bad the situation was for him, Jack didn't need to assure him in this by his own visible and audible doubts.
"What about her? Where is she?"
Danny tried to have a look at Brooks.
"He's dead, Danny. You're safe – he can't harm you two any more. You can tell me where she is."
"Did she call you?"
The question confused Jack. Danny didn't really seem to realize any more , what was happening around him. Why did he believe Andrea would call him?
"No, why should she have done this?"
Danny didn't even take any further notice of the question, which just assured Jack that Danny slowly was loosing consciousness. He wanted to give all the useful information to Jack before it would actually happen. Before it was too late.
"About 20 meters away from the house, there is an old, dried out fountain, leading to an underground riverbank, that's leaving the rock formation about three miles away from here. When Andrea was younger we've been climbing down there several times. I had wanted her to wait there for about twenty minutes. If I shouldn't be there by then, she should walk the three miles, search for the next phone booth and call you to ask you for help."
Danny stopped several times while he was talking about Andrea in a calm and slow voice, gasping for air between words. He closed his eyes, grimaced in pain and grabbed Jack's arm hardly once again. The pain seemed to improve.
"What time is it?"
He asked all of a sudden in a pressed and pain ridden tone and that calm Jack almost hadn't understood it. He was frowning.
"17:49 o clock."
He answered his question.
"Then she is gone for more then 30 minutes, already. You need to catch her where the river is leaving the rocks."
"I'll take care of it, as soon as the ambulance is here."
Danny fiercely shook his head no and grabbed even harder, Jack could feel the starting pain in his arm. He groaned in agony and tried to escape Jack's grip once again, but he wouldn't let him.
"Jack,..., please, I..."
Danny managed to say. Then he started to gasp and choke. All of a sudden Jack realized why Danny was trying to escape from him. He helped him to turn aside just in time. He was vomiting, but not as Jack had expected it –it was blood, much of it. Jack remembered what he was knowing about such a symptom. It pointed to internal injuries, severe inner bleedings. Danny was bleeding to death.
"Martin! The ambulance!"
Jack yelled once again.
"They will be here in a moment!"
Danny turned back to his former position and breathed in slowly.
"You need to search for her now. I'm not sure, she'll make it. I shouldn't have left her alone, but I was sure I would manage the situation with Brooks. Please Jack search for her. Search her now. Help her. Please."
Jack put more pressure on his shoulders once again.
"They will be here in a moment. The ambulance will be here. I'll search for her as soon as the medics arrive. Don't you worry. We'll find her, we'll protect her. It's gonna be okay..."
He expected Danny's resistance once again, but it wouldn't happen. Jack looked at his co-worker's face – he had his eyes closed. But it wasn't what bothered Jack. Something was wrong. Something else, but he couldn't make out what it was. Then he realized, all of a sudden and panic overwhelmed him. The steady and soft rising and falling of Danny's chest had stopped. He wasn't breathing any more. He stopped breathing.
"Danny? Daniel!"
Before he even had a chance to react to his condition, the medics had arrived. One of them roughly grabbed Jack by his arm and forced him to get up.
"Would you step aside, Sir? We're going to help him."
The other medic told him in a calm voice. Jack informed them about Danny's alarming condition.
"He's not breathing."
"Okay, sir. Please leave now and let us do our job. "
It were the words of the medic that had just lifted him to his feet. Jack could still hear Danny's last words in his head.
"You have to protect Andrea." Jack knew he couldn't do anything for Danny any more. It was up to the medics and doctors in hospital to help him, to safe his life. Jack could just fulfill Danny's wish and his own promise. He had to find Andrea.
Martin, who had been walking up and down in front of the house nervously, stopped in the middle of his movement when Jack left the building. He swallowed hard when he saw Jack. He had dark stains on the knees of his trousers and splatters of blood on his white shirt, hands and forearms. He was soaked in blood – Danny's blood. Martin barely dared to ask him.
"How is he?"
Jack looked at him intensively and then turned away before he gave an answer.
"It doesn't look good – he's loosing too much blood and he's not breathing."
Jack kept silent for a few more moments before he finally turned back to Martin.
"He's dying in there."
Martin just looked back. What was he supposed to say? There was nothing to say.
"Call for backup. They shall separate in two teams. One half is meeting with you at the house, the other with me down at the bottom of the mountain at the riverbank of Scandon Creek. Andrea flew along the underground riverbank, which is beginning right behind the house at the bottom of the old fountain. Danny wanted her to flee, call us and ask us for help. Don't get too close to her. She reacts very cold and aggressive to people, especially to men. Maybe she'll trust me if I can prove I am the one Danny has send her to. So whatever you do, wait for me."
Jack tried to pull himself together and get his voice under control again. Danny knew damn good how bad the situation was for him, Jack didn't need to assure him in this by his own visible and audible doubts.
"What about her? Where is she?"
Danny tried to have a look at Brooks.
"He's dead, Danny. You're safe – he can't harm you two any more. You can tell me where she is."
"Did she call you?"
The question confused Jack. Danny didn't really seem to realize any more , what was happening around him. Why did he believe Andrea would call him?
"No, why should she have done this?"
Danny didn't even take any further notice of the question, which just assured Jack that Danny slowly was loosing consciousness. He wanted to give all the useful information to Jack before it would actually happen. Before it was too late.
"About 20 meters away from the house, there is an old, dried out fountain, leading to an underground riverbank, that's leaving the rock formation about three miles away from here. When Andrea was younger we've been climbing down there several times. I had wanted her to wait there for about twenty minutes. If I shouldn't be there by then, she should walk the three miles, search for the next phone booth and call you to ask you for help."
Danny stopped several times while he was talking about Andrea in a calm and slow voice, gasping for air between words. He closed his eyes, grimaced in pain and grabbed Jack's arm hardly once again. The pain seemed to improve.
"What time is it?"
He asked all of a sudden in a pressed and pain ridden tone and that calm Jack almost hadn't understood it. He was frowning.
"17:49 o clock."
He answered his question.
"Then she is gone for more then 30 minutes, already. You need to catch her where the river is leaving the rocks."
"I'll take care of it, as soon as the ambulance is here."
Danny fiercely shook his head no and grabbed even harder, Jack could feel the starting pain in his arm. He groaned in agony and tried to escape Jack's grip once again, but he wouldn't let him.
"Jack,..., please, I..."
Danny managed to say. Then he started to gasp and choke. All of a sudden Jack realized why Danny was trying to escape from him. He helped him to turn aside just in time. He was vomiting, but not as Jack had expected it –it was blood, much of it. Jack remembered what he was knowing about such a symptom. It pointed to internal injuries, severe inner bleedings. Danny was bleeding to death.
"Martin! The ambulance!"
Jack yelled once again.
"They will be here in a moment!"
Danny turned back to his former position and breathed in slowly.
"You need to search for her now. I'm not sure, she'll make it. I shouldn't have left her alone, but I was sure I would manage the situation with Brooks. Please Jack search for her. Search her now. Help her. Please."
Jack put more pressure on his shoulders once again.
"They will be here in a moment. The ambulance will be here. I'll search for her as soon as the medics arrive. Don't you worry. We'll find her, we'll protect her. It's gonna be okay..."
He expected Danny's resistance once again, but it wouldn't happen. Jack looked at his co-worker's face – he had his eyes closed. But it wasn't what bothered Jack. Something was wrong. Something else, but he couldn't make out what it was. Then he realized, all of a sudden and panic overwhelmed him. The steady and soft rising and falling of Danny's chest had stopped. He wasn't breathing any more. He stopped breathing.
"Danny? Daniel!"
Before he even had a chance to react to his condition, the medics had arrived. One of them roughly grabbed Jack by his arm and forced him to get up.
"Would you step aside, Sir? We're going to help him."
The other medic told him in a calm voice. Jack informed them about Danny's alarming condition.
"He's not breathing."
"Okay, sir. Please leave now and let us do our job. "
It were the words of the medic that had just lifted him to his feet. Jack could still hear Danny's last words in his head.
"You have to protect Andrea." Jack knew he couldn't do anything for Danny any more. It was up to the medics and doctors in hospital to help him, to safe his life. Jack could just fulfill Danny's wish and his own promise. He had to find Andrea.
Martin, who had been walking up and down in front of the house nervously, stopped in the middle of his movement when Jack left the building. He swallowed hard when he saw Jack. He had dark stains on the knees of his trousers and splatters of blood on his white shirt, hands and forearms. He was soaked in blood – Danny's blood. Martin barely dared to ask him.
"How is he?"
Jack looked at him intensively and then turned away before he gave an answer.
"It doesn't look good – he's loosing too much blood and he's not breathing."
Jack kept silent for a few more moments before he finally turned back to Martin.
"He's dying in there."
Martin just looked back. What was he supposed to say? There was nothing to say.
"Call for backup. They shall separate in two teams. One half is meeting with you at the house, the other with me down at the bottom of the mountain at the riverbank of Scandon Creek. Andrea flew along the underground riverbank, which is beginning right behind the house at the bottom of the old fountain. Danny wanted her to flee, call us and ask us for help. Don't get too close to her. She reacts very cold and aggressive to people, especially to men. Maybe she'll trust me if I can prove I am the one Danny has send her to. So whatever you do, wait for me."