Surprised, she tried to cry out as she caught onto the end of a rusted stair rail, and then Masterson wrenched her hands off the pipe then dropped her hard onto the concrete floor.
Landing with a thud, Laurie lay dazed for a moment, the wind knocked out of her. She listened to the laugh of her assailant die away then started twisting her arms in a vain attempt to loosen her bonds.
Finally she gathered her strength and raised her hands to her face, tugging until she was able to pull the gag from her mouth. Taking a deep breath, she rolled over on to her front then managed to crawl on her hands and knees through the rubble until she reached Rick's still form.
Exhausted, she called "Rick!" then collapsed against him. After a few minutes, she started picking pieces of tile off of him and throwing them to the side. Finally getting all the debris off him, she saw that the bleeding on his forehead had stopped.
"Darling, I'm here, wake up, Rick." She said, then kissed him.
No sound came from him but faint breathing, but he felt warm, so Laurie kept calling his name, then rubbing his hands and face until her fingers were numb.
"Rick, love, I'm going to try to reach Dad or Ron." She told him, knowing the two of them would die if they didn't get help soon. The air was rapidly becoming stale, and ominous creaking sounds told her that the place would soon come down around them.
Turning the send function on her watch, she called out "Dad! I found Rick, he's hurt. Please answer!"
Only static sounded, then a faint response.
"Laurie, baby, where are you?"
Nearly losing it at the sound of his voice, Laurie replied "In the basement, Officer Masterson grabbed me, he left me with Rick to die. Please find us!"
"I'm coming, honey! We'll be there as soon as we can. Just hang on!" Oscar told her.
Suddenly there was a noise, then Laurie threw herself over Rick as a shower of dust and pieces of ceiling came down. She bit back a cry as a heavy piece of plaster hit her wrist, then bounced onto the floor.
Waiting until the bits of acoustical tile and wires stopped coming, Laurie realized that the light was dimmer now, as the electrical system slowly was going out. Trying to turn on her watch, she realized that the stem had been damaged, only emitting a locator signal.
"Please, Rick, wake up. Don't leave me alone here in the dark." She started to cry, worn out. Putting her head on his chest, Laurie took comfort from the steady rise and fall of his breath.
"I love you, darling, don't leave me. Come back to me." She told him, then exhaustion took over and she fell asleep.
"Don't leave me, come back to me…" Rick was following a voice down a corridor, then he heard his brother's words. "Be right back."
"A.J., where are you?" Rick called, then realized he made no sound.
Suddenly he heard the voice again, "Don't leave me…" He knew he had to follow it, someone was depending on him. As he saw the end of the corridor approaching, everything disappeared around him.
Rick woke up, head pounding, a surreal silence surrounding him.
Silence except for a quiet breathing nearby.
Opening his eyes, he focused on something, no, someone's head resting on his chest.
Laurie, it was Laurie. What was she doing there?
Suddenly he realized the voice he'd heard in his dreams, begging and pleading for him to wake up, to come back to her was real. Somehow she had come to him, and he was no longer alone in the semi-darkness.
As he took inventory of the various aches and pains that were now flaring up, he saw that she had partially curled up next to him, and he managed to pull his arm out from underneath hers. He knew his knee was probably sprained, and the fire in his bad shoulder told him it might be broken. He had to pull himself together to get them out of this deathtrap.
As Rick's eyes became accustomed to the half-light, he was puzzled by the unnatural position of her arms, then he saw that her wrists had been bound in front of her, and he knew that she had been left to die with him.
Anger flared in him, then he managed to control himself and clearing his throat, quietly called her name.
"Laurie, sweetheart, wake up. I'm here, you're safe with me now."
A quiet intake of breath greeted his words, and he gently stroked her face. His fingers were soon wet with her tears, and Rick knew she'd been crying. Moved, he said soothingly, "Don't be afraid, sweetheart. I love you so much, I won't leave you." Kissing her, he then managed to reach around and untie her swollen and bruised wrists. A low moan came from her lips, and reassuringly he whispered, "It's all right, darlin', I'm here, open your eyes, Laurie."
Rick saw her eyelids flicker, then open. He saw at first a dazed look in them, and he kissed her again, murmuring to her.
"Rick, Rick…" she gasped, then she brought a trembling hand to his face.
"You came back to me, oh darling, thank God!" she cried, then kissed him all over his face, as he stroked her hair with his good hand. "I thought Masterson had killed you."
"No, no, angel, I'm a little banged up, but I'm here." He watched her try to stretch, then wince as the circulation went though her hands and arms. Furious, he managed to sit up so he could put one arm around her. "Laurie, how did he get you down here, did he….?
"Yes, Rick. He's the one who dragged me down here before Dad could reach me!" Laurie rasped, her throat sore from screaming and talking to Rick.
"The bastard, when I catch up with him…' Rick angrily stopped, ready to kill the man who had trapped him and his wife. Suddenly a creaking noise sounded above them, and a fine stream of dust trickled down in front of them.
"Sweetheart, we've got to get out of here, this place is going to come down any time now." Rick looked around, then saw a partially uncovered chair in the debris near what was once a storeroom.
Laurie followed his gaze, then realized what he was looking at.
"Rick, I'll go get that chair, that way I can pull you up and wheel you toward a safer area, then we can try to signal Dad or Ron." She offered, trying to stand up.
"Be careful, darlin' there's broken flooring all over the place." He warned, pushing her into an upright stance.
In a matter of moments Laurie picked her way gingerly through the rubble, then managed to pry loose the office chair, relieved to find it was undamaged. Rolling it over to her husband, she helped him up in stages so he was able to get into the seat. Panting and sweating, he took a moment, then felt Laurie wiping his face with a cloth from her pocket.
"My angel." He whispered, then took her hand and kissed it. Laurie brought her face down to his, then replied, "Only yours, darling, whatever happens. I love you. At least we're together, I'm not afraid now."
Rick's eyes were moist, and he drew her lips to his, then clearing his throat, said, "I love you, too. We're going to get out of here, I promise. I've got a grandchild to meet."
"Oh yes, a very beautiful little girl, Rick. She'll be so happy to see you." Laurie smiled, then started to push Rick toward what used to be the exit. Carefully maneuvering around the piles of broken furniture and collapsed ceiling, they managed to reach an almost clear area, then she found the exit.
Just then a tremendous rumbling noise drove both of them under the emergency stairs, and Rick pulled Laurie into his arms then leaned over her to protect her from the rain of concrete dust and debris that fell near them. So loud that he could barely hear her breathing .
Finally it began to subside, then the cloud of dust set both of them coughing and choking. Rick abruptly paused in mid-hack, thinking he heard a voice, then Laurie raised her face from his chest and called "Ron?"
There was silence, then a faint reply, "Laurie, Rick?"
"Ron!" they both yelled, then a light shone down on them from a hole in the ceiling above.
"Oh my God-they're alive! Mom, Pop, it's Robbie, we're coming!"
Rick and Laurie hugged each other tightly, relieved to be found.
"Darling, we're going to be all right." Laurie said thankfully, then helped Rick stand as a rope was lowered through a gap in the concrete above. At the same time they caught a glimpse of their son and Ron Johnson with two firefighters.
"Rick, Rudy says you're hurt, can you hang on to that rope okay?" Ron called out.
"Yeah, but I want you to pull Laurie up first." He replied, only to have his wife interrupt him.
"No, Ron, you need to take Rick up, he's got a hurt shoulder and a concussion."
Rick shook his head, "No, Laurie, you first, I'll be all right."
"Look, pal, I'll settle this, Rick, you come up first so you can help pull your wife up, okay?" Ron interjected, ending the argument.
Rick hated to give way, but Laurie placed her fingers over his lips. "Please, darling, I don't want to leave you behind ever again."
Taking the rope, she helped Rick put it around him then tie it tightly. He caught her hands to his lips as she finished, saying "This is the only time I'll go before you, darlin'."
"Thank you, love." She kissed him, then stood back as the firefighters hoisted him upwards. As he reached the upper floor Robbie grabbed him and pulled him away from the edge then Rick helped untie the very secure knots Laurie had managed.
"Thank God you're safe, Pop." Robbie choked, then hugged his father as Rick patted him with his good arm. "It's alright, son, I know."
Clearing his throat, he looked down at Laurie, then called to her "Okay, here comes the rope."
Lowering the cord once again, the firefighters waited until she fastened it around her, then she jerked the line and yelled "Ready!"
As the two men pulled her up, Laurie kept her eyes on her son and husband, afraid to look down. "Only a few more feet, darlin'", Rick told her, then a noise from below caught their attention.
"Get down here, Simon or you can say good bye to your wife!"