A Spirit Broken

By: IsisRose

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hospital or any of its characters

Chapter 3: Into The In-Between

Inside the elevator car, Hook and Sonny flipped up the panel and Hook hoisted himself onto the roof of the car. There he found Blake lying, completely comatose.

"Ah, jeez..." he muttered. He quickly checked for a pulse and was relieved to find one.

Sonny, waiting impatiently in the car, shouted, "What's going on up there?"

"It's a girl," Hook replied. "She's breathing and she has a pulse, but she's out cold. Possible head trauma and spinal injury. Get Otto on the phone, would you? We're gonna need assistance." Inside the car, Sonny obediently reached for the emergency phone to call for help.

Meanwhile, in the Old Kingdom, Blake wandered down the hallway, looking around, trying to find someone, or some way out. Strange noses echoed from every corner and Blake, a little uneasy, sang under her breath in an attempt to calm herself.

"Bye, bye, baby. Don't be long... I worry about you while you're gone..."

Her voice, though low, echoed softly down the hallway. She continued to walk on, unaware that she was being watched from above. Someone was sitting on a broken pipe that hung from the ceiling; a dark figure, cloaked in shadow. His face was hard, bitter and expressionless, but his eyes shone with an intense, deranged madness.

He swung down from the pipe as Blake turned the corner. Landing on the ground with a quiet thud, he stood upright, still watching the way Blake had taken. But instead of following her, he reluctantly turned and walked through the wall to his right.

Blake continued to walk down the hallway, looking in every room, trying to find away out. She reached a door with a sign above it. The words were faded and worn, but she could just make them out: "Pain Room."

A chill ran down her spine as she read this out loud to herself. But something about it seemed to call to her. Just as she was about to push open the door, a sharp pain shot through her skull. For a moment, everything went dark. She felt the familiar sense of falling and she bolted upright.

Her back and sides ached, and she found herself sitting in a hospital bed.

She looked around the single, window-less room again, completely confused. She looked down at herself to find that her clothes were gone and that she was now wearing a hospital gown. An IV was stuck in her left arm and her head throbbed. She reached back to touch the back of her head and winced in pain when she hit the bandaged cut.

Then it came back to her. Being in the hall, hearing the strange noises, the hand, the elevator shaft, falling and hitting the car. It all came back in one big rush; the brief moment between hitting the car and finding herself in that weird place, however, was a blur.

Just as she was about to get out of bed, the door opened. It was Sonny. "Hey," he greeted. "You're finally awake."

"If you wanna call it that," replied Blake, groaning as a particularly sharp pain shot through her head. "Ouch..." She rubbed her head gently as he came to her bedside. "What happened?"

He pulled out a small flashlight. "You don't remember?"

"I remember falling and hitting something, but what about after I blacked out...?" He shined the light in front of her face.

"Okay, follow the light." She watched as he moved the light from side to side. "Well, you took a nasty spill. You're lucky the elevator car was only two floors down instead of the basement or something."

"Don't I know it," she mumbled to herself as he checked the back of her head.

"You're also lucky that you didn't break anything. Though you did hit your head pretty hard. Six stitches and a mild concussion." Blake winced.

"Well, not exactly how I pictured my first day at work." He laughed and she grinned. "So, can I get out of here or what?"

"Dr. Hook's on his way down, he'll let you know," Sonny replied. Just then, the door opened and Hook walked in.

"So how's the patent?" he greeted cheerfully.

"Well, she's awake and fully alert. There doesn't seem to be any memory loss, so it looks good."

"Alright there, Blake?" She nodded, Sonny's pager went off and he left the room with a final nod in Blake's direction. "You seem to be doing well," Hook continued. "No serious injuries, just a gash to the head and some bruised ribs."

"That would explain the killer migraine and the burning sensation in my sides. So can I go home?" she asked, looking up at him with anticipation.

"Actually, I would like to keep you for twenty-four hours of observation..." He saw her roll her eyes. "Just to make sure you're working fine," he explained.

He cleared his throat. "Now, about the accident. What happened to you?" She hesitated as the image of a hand reaching out of the wall immerged in her mind. Hook looked at her, concern showing on his face. "Blake?"

"I don't know, okay? The doors opened, the elevator wasn't there and..." Her brows furrowed and she trailed off.

"And?" he questioned, sensing that she was holding something back. But she didn't answer. She was lost in memories of hands and weird, creepy hallways. "Blake?"

She snapped out of her daze. "What?"

"And...?" he started for her.

"And... And then I lost my balance."

Hook studied her for a moment, knowing there was something she was holding back, but he didn't press it. "Alright, well, I think that's all for now. If you need anything, the button for the nurse is right there and I will be back to see you in the morning." She sighed in exasperation and he smiled mildly. "Goodnight."

"Bye."

Dr. Hook walked out the door, but seconds later Carrie walked in, carrying a bag. She smiled when she saw that Blake was awake and, before any words could come out, she threw the bag down on the bed and seized her in a hug. "Ah, Carrie?" Blake choked out. "Just fell down an elevator shaft, okay, Hun? You might want to let up a little." To her relief, Carrie released her.

"Sorry, it's just... you're okay!"

"Yeah, you're not getting rid of me that easily." Carrie gave her a mock scowl and snapped her fingers.

"Damn, I was so close." Blake narrowed her eyes and stuck her tongue out at her roommate. "So how you feeling?" Carrie continued, ignoring her.

"Surprisingly good. I mean, I'm not dead, so I'm okay. A little worried about my job, though."

"Well, don't be. It was an accident. Oh, and here!" She handed Blake the bag she had placed at the end of the bed. "I brought you some clothes."

Blake took the bag gratefully. "Thank you so much. You have no idea how much I was not looking forward to wearing this," she said, yanking on the hospital gown.

"Oh, I think I might have an idea."

Blake pulled a tank top and a pair of pajama pants out of the bag. "So where's Kelly?" she asked, in an attempt to change the subject.

"Still upstairs. She has a break soon, though, so she should be down any minute. She almost had a heart attack when she heard what happened—What are you doing?" Carrie asked suddenly with amusement, while Blake tried to figure out how to get her arm though the sleeve of her top with an IV stuck in her arm.

"How does this frickin' thing work?" she demanded. Carrie let out a laugh and got up to help her.

"You're lucky I'm a nurse," she said as she took out the IV. Blake pulled the top over her head.

"You know, it's funny," she commented, pulling on her pants and throwing the gown into a chair across the room as Carrie replaced the IV. "I've been hearing a lot of that lately." Suddenly, the door opened again.

"Oh my god, you're alive!"

The two girls looked over to see an over-excited Kelly standing in the doorway. She rushed over to hug Blake, who dived under the covers for protection before Kelly could reach her.

"Noooo! My body can't take much more!"

"Oh, well, it's nice to see you too," Kelly stated sarcastically. Blake pulled down her blankets so that only her eyes were showing.

"Put your hands where I can see 'em." Kelly rolled her eyes, but she complied, putting her hands up in front of her. That's when Blake noticed the brown paper bag in Kelly's left hand. She sniffed the air. "Do I smell quesadillas?"

"Maybe..." Kelly responded playfully. Blake just looked at her in that 'Don't toy with me or I'll kick you' kind of way, and Kelly handed her the bag. "Here, I figured you'd want something decent to eat."

Blake took the bag. "As long as you don't trip out on me again."

Kelly frowned, mildly offended. "Excuse me, but when someone tells you 'One of your best friends fell down an elevator shaft' and the first thing that comes into your mind is 'Oh my god, she's a pancake!', you tend to get a little emotional." Blake held back a laugh.

"Calm down, girl. Breathe." She attacked a quesadilla. "Jeez, I've never had people worry about me like this."

"Well, I know someone who was worried about you," Said Carrie, a sly smile spreading across her face.

"Oh, Lord." Blake turned to Kelly. "Do I even wanna know?" Kelly just smiled conspiratorially. Blake scowled. "You're all against me."

Kelly sat down on the bed next to her friend. "Yes, Sonny was very concerned when he found you."

"Sonny found me? What?"

"Him and Hook were in the car you landed on." Carrie informed her.

"So? He was worried. If someone came crashing down two stories onto my head, I'd be slightly worried, too."

"Cynic…" Blake raised an eyebrow in mild irritation.

"For the last time, I do not need a personal dating service. I don't date friends and that's it. And I sure as hell don't want another disaster like with Elmer."

"Oh, persnickety! Just give him a chance, besides you and Elmer are still friends."

"I thought that to," Blake said quietly, staring at her hands.

"Oh right, you told me about that."

Another nurse stuck her head in the door. "Come on, girls. Blake needs her rest," she said chidingly before she quickly left again.

"I guess that's our cue," Carrie stated getting up off the bed, giving Blake a gentle hug. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Kelly hugged her, too. "Have fun."

"I'll try," Blake replied, rolling her eyes. She watched the two of them walk out the door, calling out after them. "Bye guys!" Then she was left alone in the little room again. She sighed and lay back down, cringing slightly in pain.

Down in the Old Kingdom, Paul entered the Pain Room. There, he found Dr. Gottreich experimenting with some sort of liquid. The older man looked up to see the boy walk into the room.

"Where the hell have you been?"

"Looking for you," Paul replied. "We've got problems."

Gottreich's eyes narrowed. "What kind of problems?" he demanded.

"I saw some girl snooping around down here."

The doctor's eyes widened in horror at the thought that she might be back. "A girl! What kind of girl?"

"Calm down. It's not... that girl. Just a girl. Probably a patient." Gottreich visibly relaxed.

"If you find her down here again, deal with it," he said, returning to his research. "I don't want people snooping around down here just when we've finally gotten rid of that brat and her mutt."

Paul tilted his head curiously. "What do you want me to do?"

The doctor paused for a moment before answering. "Just... deal with her," he responded at last, turning back to his project. An eerie smile spread across Paul's face.

In another part of the Old Kingdom, Blake lay on the ground. She suddenly bolted upright to find herself in the by-now-familiar surroundings of the in-between world that surrounded her. She groaned miserably at the sight of the place.

"Not again..."