Chapter 9

"We interrupt this broadcast for a special live update. Just a few hours ago an unannounced rescue mission was launched to the crash site of Flight 2133 and according to US Airways a recovery of some of the missing passengers has been made. However, it is yet unclear if the rumors about there being survivors are in fact true and both US Airways and the United States Coast Guard refuse to release the names of those passengers they have recovered. We'll now go live to Miami, Fl, where our associate Michelle Davenport is waiting at Mercy hospital…Michelle."

Jack dropped the files he'd been holding and rushed over to the TV in the corner of his office. Nowadays anything containing the words 'Flight 2133' set him off, dredging up his grief anew. But this time it was different, this time someone promised actual news and he quickly turned up the volume. He considered picking up the phone to call Erica, but if this was just another fluke he didn't want her disappointed. They'd just barely learned to deal with Bianca's death and Jack didn't think it wise to get his fiancée all riled up for nothing. He redirected his attention to the reporter on the screen, who stood surrounded by dozens of other news-crews, trying to hold her hair down in the wind.

"Thank you Cindy. We are here at Mercy hospital in Miami, Fl, because of a tip that told us this was where the Coast Guard would be bringing the recovered passengers. There has been some talk of there being survivors, but no one has been able to confirm or deny this as of yet. US Airways has refused to comment and they have not released the names of any of the supposedly recovered passengers. Cindy, it looks as if the Coast Guard chopper we were tipped off about is finally arriving. We'll try to get closer and give you a better view of things, as you can see it's a big chaos up here."

Jackson gripped the edge of the desk he was sitting on tightly. Survivors? He feared that this was nothing but a rumor, mainly to keep people interested and Jack felt sick at the exploitation of such a tragedy. However, his thoughts were interrupted at the roar of the chopper that had just landed on screen and he watched, in agony, as the cameraman pushed his way closer to the front of the crowd. Suddenly there were several people in dark clothes pushing the crowd back and others leading two people by the arms into the hospital. The two had jackets thrown over their heads, for privacy he suspected, and were quickly hurried into the building. But it had been enough for everyone to clearly see that the rumors about survivors weren't made up.

He felt nauseous, the anxiety was twisting within him and Jack wished he had some water nearby, since he refused to get up and possibly miss something. "What we just saw were two survivors of Flight 2133, recovered during a secret rescue mission earlier this morning. We are live from Miami, Fl and you are watching K…"

The rest of the woman's sentence was drowned out by another chopper that landed shortly after the first one took off and Jack felt his heart rate speed up. The dark-clothed rescue workers were still holding back the crowd of reporters and Jack watched as one of them led a tall man, who was only barely covering his face with his shirt, into the hospital. They were followed by two men hurriedly carrying a stretcher, the person on it covered from head to toe with a white sheet, and Jack felt queasy again. Then suddenly the wind picked up and lifted the sheet off the person's face, causing several of the photographers to start taking pictures, but Jack was too shocked to care. Even though the camera angle wasn't the best, he could clearly see Greenlee Smythe on the stretcher and to his horror she looked very dead. Following the stretcher was another rescue worker, covering another person's body and practically carrying her into the hospital.

The barrage of reporters followed to the entrance, where they were held back by police. Jack picked up the phone with shaky hands to call Erica.

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The doctor poked and prodded her and Bianca felt like she was someone's prize turkey on display. She was getting sick of it, sick of everyone treating her like she was going to break, yet ignoring her when she asked questions. After the rescue crews had found them in the forest they'd been taken back to the Coast Guard ship and immediately examined by medical crews. Then they'd spent the next ten hours giving statements about what had happened and trying to catch some sleep, which of course was impossible. But the only time Bianca had gotten to see Greenlee during the past twelve hours had been the ten minutes on the chopper, and even then the flight medics had been all over the other girl, doing God knows what.

"I want to see my friend, is that so hard to understand?" she asked, her voice taking on an angry tone. Then suddenly a realization hit her, what if Greenlee was dead and that was why they weren't telling her anything? She must have paled visibly, because the doctor put a hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes, trying to reassure her.

"Miss, right now everything that's going on is unofficial, so I legally cannot give you any information. But let me tell you, I personally examined her and I'm sure you two will get to talk as soon as everything is cleared up," he told her and winked at his last statement, before leaving the room.

Bianca visibly exhaled, at least according to the doctor Greenlee would be all right. Everything was too much to take in; the tribal village, Peter dead, being rescued and brought here, Bianca shook her head in frustration. They hadn't even been told where they were, besides that this was a hospital somewhere on the mainland. An orderly led Bianca to a conference-type room and told her to stay there, which of course did nothing to ease her mood.

She stepped inside and, to her relief, was greeted by the smiling faces of Turtle, Amelia and Blake. They all hugged, and although Bianca wasn't all that fond of Amelia, at least she was a familiar face in all this chaos. Finding some snack food on a table to the side of the room, she helped herself to some water and sat down in one of the chairs. It was then that the door opened and a tall man in a business suit stepped through, followed by a shorter man and a woman, both also dressed business-like. The tall man walked into the room, and then shook each of their hands with fervor.

"My name is William Carter, I am the president of US Airways. You all have no idea how glad I am to be able to shake each of your hands, this is a very remarkable day," he announced and sat at one of the chairs.

"Mr. Carter, what's going on here?" Bianca questioned and he smiled at her, then nodded.

"Miss Montgomery, correct? Well, at the moment everything is still unofficial, we haven't released anyone's name or medical condition. Right now this whole situation is a bit messy, especially since all of you had already been declared dead. This was of course necessary for insurance issues and whatnot; right now we are working on having all that cleared up, then we will notify your families and you all will be returned to your respective hometowns. Any questions?"

"Are you saying that right now we're all like…dead?" Turtle asked and when Mr. Carter nodded the girl laughed, "Cool. Does that mean I don't have to go to school anymore?"

Everyone decided to ignore her comment and instead Mr. Carter turned to Bianca, "Miss Montgomery, you and Miss Smythe will be transported by Med Flight to Pine Valley, as soon as she is cleared for transport. Your mother has made the past three months quite uh…intense, for me and I would hate to leave her waiting any longer."

"My mother? Uh oh, what'd she do?" Bianca wondered aloud, hoping Erica Kane hadn't turned into the incredible Hulk or something.

"Not to worry," Mr. Carter responded, "she is a very powerful woman, who obviously loves her daughter very much. I'm only happy that I can return you to her. Now, I've got to get going, but it was a pleasure meeting you all. I will have flights home arranged for the rest of you in just a short time. Miss Montgomery, your flight will leave in about thirty minutes."

With that William Carter left the room, in a better mood than he had been in for three months. Bianca stared after him for a few seconds, but then the realization sunk in. She was going home and everything was going to be okay again. She had no power to stop the tears that came.

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Erica Kane practically jumped out off the passenger seat and ran into the hospital as fast as she could in her heels, which of course wasn't all that fast and allowed plenty of time for Jack to catch up with her.

"Erica, honey, slow down," he voiced from behind her and she turned to him with a disapproving look, nevertheless slowing down a bit.

"Well, excuse me for wanting to know what is going on here, Jack. This is about Bianca, how can you tell me to slow down?" Erica shook her head and swiftly walked through the double doors into the Pine Valley hospital, followed closely by her fiancé.

"Of course, dear. I just don't want you to get your hopes up if we're only here to identify a body," he explained, but immediately cringed at his choice of words and the look he received from Erica.

"Jack…" she exclaimed, but was interrupted by a tall man in dark clothing, like the ones that had held the reporters back on TV.

The man extended his hand to both of them and nodded, "Miss Kane, nice to meet you. My name is Al McKenzie; I'm the head of the Search-and-Rescue team that was heading up this mission. Here, let's sit down."

McKenzie was here on orders of Mr. Carter himself, to make sure Erica Kane did not give them any more hell. He'd accompanied the two girls on the Med Flight and made sure they arrived at Pine Valley hospital without any problems. Bianca Montgomery was still in with doctors, for what was probably her fiftieth check-up in the past fifteen hours and it was on him to appease her mother until everything was settled.

"Mr. McKenzie, we'd like to know what's going on here. First the newscast, then we get an ominous phone call from the airline that only told us to come here for further information…" Jack said as he sat in one of the uncomfortable hospital chairs, next to Erica.

"Of course, Mr. Montgomery, I understand your frustrations. However, at this moment I'm not at liberty to disclose any information, I'm sure you as DA are aware of the legal issues involved in this. All I can tell you right now is that all ten of the missing passengers are accounted for. And yes, it is true that we were able to recover some survivors, but like I said, I cannot discuss that at this moment," McKenzie explained, slightly afraid of the feral look that crossed Erica Kane's face. He was sure she was going to attack him any second, but luckily his phone rang and he excused himself. On the other end, William Carter finally gave him the news he'd been waiting for and McKenzie hung up with a smile.

"Miss Kane, Mr. Montgomery, I think you'll finally be able to get your answers. If you'd follow me this way please," he said, standing up and lead the way down a corridor to their sides. He hadn't wanted any reporters to find out about the girls just yet and therefore had practically closed of a small section of the hospital to anyone who wasn't hospital personnel or family.

He led the two along the corridor and through a set of double doors, into an empty waiting room. On a sofa in the corner of the room a brunette girl in scrubs way too big for her was sitting, her head resting on the back as if she were asleep. He let Erica Kane and her fiancé pass him and step into the room, watching as they both stopped dead in their tracks.

"Bianca?"

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"Bianca?"

Sleep had barely graced her with its presence and she was starting to get annoyed with people not leaving her alone. Bianca blinked her eyes open and sat up, looking around the room for the intruder. But what she saw made her freeze on the spot.

"Mom?" she whispered, thinking she was starting to hallucinate. But when the older woman let out a sob, Bianca jumped up and was enveloped in her mother's arms within seconds. They sank to their knees, holding onto each other as tightly as humanly possible, sobbing.

"Oh my god, Bianca…they said you were dead, but I…I didn't believe them. Oh my sweet baby, I can't believe it…I missed you so much…these past months were the darkest in my life…oh Bianca…I love you so much, honey," Erica managed to squeeze out between sobs, this time not caring who saw her tears and who might think her weak. All that mattered was that she had her daughter back, that Bianca had returned to her.

"Mom…I didn't think I'd ever see you again…or Uncle Jack…I was so scared," Bianca cried, not bothering to wipe away the tears that wouldn't stop coming. For three months had she dreamed of this, of seeing her family again and telling them how much she loved them.

They stayed like that for several minutes, neither woman wanting to let go in fear that the other might vanish as soon as they did. But when they both felt a hand on their shoulder, they looked up at Jackson, who smiled weakly, tears in his own eyes. Erica and Bianca stood, reluctantly letting go of each other and Jackson wrapped his arms around his niece, his eyes locked with his fiancée's.

"Bianca," was all he managed to choke out, the tears now cascading down his face as well. He had never felt relief such as this, as he had when they had walked into the room and seen Bianca, alive. The only sounds in the room were the tears and quiet whimpers of the three occupants as they held each other, none of them wanting to destroy the silence that lay so calming over them. But eventually a knock on the door disturbed them and they all hesitantly pulled away from each other, however remaining close in each other's personal space.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, but I thought I would let you know that Bianca has been cleared and she is free to go home, as soon as you sign these papers," McKenzie stated, handing them a clipboard and a pen. Bianca nodded, looking at her mother and uncle, who both still had tears in their eyes and quickly signed the release form. But something still felt missing and she turned to McKenzie, hoping she wasn't going to alienate her mother with her next question.

"Uh, I was just wondering…is it okay if I see Greenlee now? I just wanna make sure she's okay, no one's been able to tell me," she asked quietly and turned to glance at her mom, who only smiled and nodded. Of course, Erica wanted nothing more than to take her little girl home, but she also realized that she needed to allow Bianca her freedoms; Erica didn't want Bianca to be unhappy ever again, and if that included being friendly with Greenlee, well she was going to try and swallow the bitter pill.

"Go ahead, honey. Your uncle Jack and I will fill out all your papers and wait for you here, okay?" Erica said, hugging her surprised daughter one last time before the girl followed McKenzie out into the corridor.

"Wow, honey, I didn't think you'd be too happy about that," Jack wondered and handed Erica the clipboard.

"I might not like Greenlee Smythe, but I love my daughter very much. I'm too happy to have her back to alienate her by being upset over her choice of friends. Oh Jack, I still can't believe she's back," the woman exclaimed, a bright smile like he hadn't seen in months on her face and the two of them went to check out Bianca, wanting to take her home as soon as possible.

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"She's in Room 103, right through that door. Don't stay too long, she needs her rest," McKenzie explained and pointed towards a door. Bianca thanked him and the man left, leaving only her and a few nurses in the otherwise empty corridor. She advanced on the door, slightly nervous now. They hadn't really been able to talk after their fight, because Greenlee had been pretty much unconscious since their rescue, even on their flight back home. Bianca wanted to find the right words to explain what she had told Blake, but she couldn't come up with anything that didn't sound like a bad excuse.

Sighing, she decided she better get this over with, when a familiar voice called her name. Bianca turned around and was immediately enveloped in a tight hug. Closing her eyes she inhaled the familiar scent and looked up into the other person's face.

"L-lena, oh my god, what're you doing here?" she asked, a smile spreading across her face.

"I came to see you. I heard on the news that they had found you and I had to come as quick as possible to see with my own eyes. Oh Bianca, I do not want this to be a dream; you are real, yes?" Lena asked, her hand cupping Bianca's cheek, her eyes teary.

"Of course I'm real. Just a little shocked is all; it's been very chaotic, the past few hours. I'm still trying to take it all in. But yes, I am real, all flesh and blood," Bianca laughed, holding onto Lena's waist. She felt comforted, the normality and familiarity of the situation had a calming effect on her frazzled nerves. But truth be told, in the past three months she'd hardly thought of Lena, there hadn't exactly been time or occasion to. Now, however, everything was slowly coming back to her and she felt herself respond automatically to the touches and smiles.

"I will have to see for myself," Lena responded and leaned down, slowly bringing their lips together in a sweet kiss. Bianca tilted her head upwards, her body responding to the kiss unconsciously.

Too engrossed in each other, neither woman noticed the brown eyes that were locked on them, watching the kiss intently. Greenlee leaned against the doorframe to her room, resting her head against the cold wood and cursed the tear that slowly made its way down her cheek. Then she cursed herself for letting herself fall for someone again who only intended to use her. She watched Bianca and Lena kiss, like some morbid, masochistic freak and then slowly turned around, walking back into her room. The door clicked shut quietly behind her and she looked around the room.

"Time to go home," she quietly decided and pulled her IV out with a grimace. Finding some old scrubs in a drawer she changed and quietly left her room, now cursing the pounding in her head.

Neither Bianca nor Lena noticed the girl leaving the hospital, but both for different reasons. Lena because she was too engrossed and infatuated with Bianca, and Bianca because even though she was kissing Lena, the woman she supposedly loved, she couldn't get the thoughts of Greenlee out of her head.

Bianca pulled back and smiled uncomfortably at Lena, "I'm sorry Lena…I can't…right now."

"Bianca, is something wrong? I was too forward…please, forgive me," Lena quickly apologized and Bianca shook her head.

"No, it's okay, really. I'm just…kinda confused right now and everything's still weird. I'll call you okay?" And with that she turned around, walking toward Greenlee's room with tears in her eyes.

Everything had just gotten a whole lot more complicated.

The End

It's finally done! Anyone think there should be a sequel? Maybe, just maybe, I could be persuaded ;)