Note: Just one more chapter and I am finally done, hooray! Well, or not because it was a pleasure writing this, even when it cost me some time to continue. Well, so wait for the last chapter and meanwhile, Enjoy!

Chapter14: Blood and Care

The door to the lab slid open with a hissing sound. Emma almost let go of Brennan when she saw Jesse and the blood, covering most of his body and a large part of the floor. He was alone; Shalimar was nowhere to be seen.

Tears welled in her eyes as the misery of the situation struck her.

Why was he alone? Where the hell was Shal? She said, she would stay with him!

She dragged Brennan the last few steps over to one of the medical beds, letting go of his heavy body when she was sure that he would not fall down. He couldn't keep himself upright and fell limply onto his back, his feet dangling over the side. He did not have the energy to pull himself up into a better situation.

He saw Emma's worried and pensive _expression and weakly waved one hand.

"I am fine."

Of course, he was not but he, too, had seen Jesse and the blood. He needed her to stay with him in the moment.

Emma looked at Jesse's face. His eyes were closed; his skin was sweaty and very pale. If it weren't for the constant beeping of his heart rate on the EKG, she would have thought he was dead.

She examined the bandages around his wrists. There was blood on the surface, but she could tell that it just came from contact with his blood soaked clothing and not from more blood loss.

His hands were a clammy so she took more gauze and replaced the compression bandage. She had to keep the blood circulation alive or he could loose his hands.

A painful groan reached her ears when she cut the old bandage away. Jesse's eyes flew open and he tried to pull the hand she was working on away.

Blood flowed anew, soaking into his already wet shirt and for a second, panic seemed to overtake her.

Brennan soft and exhausted voice filled the room.

"It's ok. Calm down, you can do it."

Emma closed her eyes. She took a deep breath to push the fear away.

Yes, she could, he was right. Her big eyes met Jesse's. She saw the pain he felt in them.

"Sleep!"

She reached out to him and when they connected, she filled his mind with relaxing images, giving him the illusion that he was in bed after a full days work, falling into deep, restful slumber.

Immediately, his struggles subsided and Emma could stop the bleeding. She changed the other side, too.

Another rush of fear overtook her as she checked his vital signs. His blood pressure was dangerously low and his pulse was too high. He would go into shock if she didn't take action.

Scared to death, she looked for the needles. He needed an infusion to replenish his lost blood supply.

Emma opened drawer after drawer heavy sobs escaping her. Where were they?

Finally, she found them and in her haste, she slipped on the wet floor.

"Ouch!"

Hot pain seared through her left ankle and took her breath away. In slow motion, she saw the needles fall out of her hand, sending gleaming drops of blood in all directions where they hit the ground.

Her hand reached out for it, feeling the disgusting, slimy texture on her fingers, where the blood touched her skin. She wanted to cry, to scream out for help or to run and hide under the blankets in her bed.

She did none of it.

Instead, she pulled herself up, grabbing onto the side of the chair, ignoring her sprained ankle completely.

Holding the needles in her shaking, blood-smeared fingers, she thought for the first time since she entered the lab to call for Adam.

But before she could open her comm link, before she could utter a single word, the door opened and he came in, Shalimar close behind.

On first sight, he thought his heart would skip a beat.

The rest of his 'children' were in the lab and they were in a terrible state.

Jesse's condition seemed to be the worst. He was covered in blood and looked close to death.

Brennan was panting heavily. He looked, like he was in deep pain.

And Emma? She must have fallen down, her pants were covered in Jesse's blood and she favoured her right foot, obviously trying not to put any weight on her left. Her face was wet with tears and he could see the relief wash over her _expression when she saw him walk through the door..

Adam was worried but with a calm, steady voice he said:

"I am here now!"

He couldn't think of anything else to say at the moment.

Trying to get her sobs under control, Emma nodded. She held her hand out to Adam, offering him the needles.

His warm hand stroked soothingly over her cheek before he carefully took them from her hand, piercing Jesse's veins with it, attaching the blood bag to the I.V. Port.

He wished, he could help them all at once but he couldn't. He had to take care of them one at a time…

Shalimar walked to Emma, pulling her away and over to Brennan. Together they helped him lay down properly.

Emma was close to the edge. The strain was still holding her in its arms and she felt ready to collapse. She shivered all over and the only thing she was capable of doing at the moment was, was lying down beside Brennan pressing against his warm body.

He wrapped his strong arms around her and pulled her as close as he could, trying to shield her from the suffering, they all had to go through.

Shalimar looked down at her friends, cuddling so close together. Then she turned her gaze over to Jesse.

His white face scared her.

She wished, he would open his eyes and look at her the way he had that night he came home from the bar, in that tiny moment before she pushed him into the pond.

That he would touch her the way he had, when they had danced.

The way, he did the next morning in his bed.

But he did not move! Only his chest roused ever so slightly with his shallow intake of breath.

So Shalimar simply sat down besides Emma and Brennan, pulling her knees high up to her chest. She hid her face in her folded arms and wept silent tears, wishing that day had never come. That none of this had ever happened…

Tbc.