Thanks for the reviews, again. Hey, I posted chapter 20 when fanfiction
was having trouble so I don't know if all of you read it. Make sure you
did before you read this chapter. I am sorry I made you cry, Goldstranger
and thanks for all the support, Ace. Keep reading, Electrogurl, it's gonna
get better.
Brennan was definitely waking up. The cold and the pain were real to him now. The feeling that was once dull and stagnant was now sharp and very active. It moved throughout his body and then he remembered what his last vision was; and he began to fight.
"Ahhhh! No! Jacob! No!" Brennan choked and screamed. He was thrashing his arms in front of his face, trying to grab onto the beast that was no longer there. His mind tricked him and made him believe Jacob was still tearing into his flesh, biting him, eating him. Adam was trying to control him. He was holding his arms trying to keep him from tearing out the IV that was delivering antibiotic to him. His breathing was very labored in his struggle and he was gasping air in and coughing it out. Adam looked at Emma and asked her to help. She sent calm and soothing thoughts to Brennan. He wasn't receiving her though. He was too panicked. Adam was shouting his name and holding his arms. He finally began to calm down. Adam worried about the reason, though. His breathing was shallow and he had stopped coughing. There was a slight wheezing escaping his lips when he exhaled and droplets of blood were formed on his lips.
"Brennan," Adam whispered. "Brennan, son, wake up now. It's Adam. Jacob is gone. You were just dreaming. Brennan, wake up." When Brennan failed to acknowledge Adam's pleading, Adam looked up at Emma, who was crying silently. Adam cast his eyes at the floor and turned back towards Brennan. He tried again. "Brennan, come on now. Try and wake up for us will you? I know it hurts and that you are afraid. But, Brennan, we are here now. Emma is here too. Come on, Brennan, open your eyes for us."
Adam coaxed Emma to come over and hold Brennan's hand. Adam noticed the marks on her arms when she came into the light. They looked deep. "I'm going to have to look at those when we get back to Sanctuary, Emma," Adam said.
"Look at what?" Brennan weakly responded while opening his eyes to look at Emma.
"Brennan!" Emma enthusiastically replied. Her smile was like a ray of sunshine in this terrible place and Brennan was very happy to see her.
"Brennan," Adam said while positioning his face over his, looking into his eyes. Adam held up two fingers in front of Brennan's face. "Brennan, look at me," Brennan complied. He winced when he turned his head. "How many fingers do you see?"
Brennan tried to turn his head slightly to the side. He was seeing double when he looked at it with both eyes. He thought there were just two. "Two," Brennan finally responded. Adam looked up at Emma and then back at Brennan. "Brennan, try this again. But you have to look at it with both eyes."
Brennan sighed and closed his eyes. "I'm tired, Adam," Brennan replied.
"Oh no you don't," Adam said as he took Brennan's chin in his hand and made him look into his eyes. "Brennan, can you focus your eyes?" Adam asked. He was concerned about the severity of the concussion he knew Brennan had.
"M' fine," Brennan responded. "Adam, listen, Jacob, he tried to kill me. He . he ." Brennan began breathing faster again and was coughing in between his words. Adam told him to calm down. "No, Adam, he tried to . eat . me." Brennan began a real coughing bout now. Adam held his head to the side in case he vomited; he did, all blood. Emma raised her hand to her mouth when she heard what Brennan said. She looked at Adam, who was still holding Brennan, and mouthed, "His hip, Adam, it's a bite."
Adam just shook his head and looked again at Brennan, who for now had stopped coughing. He rested his head back down on the blanket-pillow and wiped his mouth and face for him. Brennan's face was wet with tears. Adam thought how badly those coughs had to hurt. He calculated the morphine time in his mind and realized it was still too soon for another dose. He looked right at Brennan. "Brennan, Jacob attacked you?"
"Yes, after the storm. With Draper. Draper had me. The others . they all went to the woods. Jacob took me . hurt . bad . couldn't fight him, Adam . They all . changed." Brennan was gasping for air in between words.
Adam looked up at Emma and cast his eyes away. He was ashamed that he hadn't trusted Shalimar and Jesse. He was ashamed that once again he had let his children down. He left Brennan with a monster, again, totally defenseless. Adam had tears in his eyes when he looked at Brennan. "Brennan, shhhh, don't talk now."
"Oh God!" Brennan gasped as he finally became fully aware of his surroundings. Panic returned to his eyes. "Adam, Emma, please! We're back in the chamber. Oh God, I'm down here again, aren't I?"
"Yes, Brennan, but this time, you are with us. You are not alone, sweetheart. Don't be afraid anymore, Brennan. It is all right," Emma was stroking Brennan's face and staring deeply at him. This finally worked. He began to calm down. Adam, who had been stooped down on his haunches had fallen backward into a sitting position on the floor. His knees were up and his arms were rested on them. He had his head bowed down. Emma just kept looking at Brennan and stroking his face and whispering hushed words of comfort like a mother would do to her tired child. Every now and then she glanced back up at Adam. Brennan just kept mumbling, "I can't die down here."
XXX
Draper sat up in his control room. He was angry when he saw the medical equipment. How stupid could Don have been not to search the prisoners? "Foolish!" Draper shouted as he banged his fist against the controls. Suddenly, the computer council bleeped. He had an incoming message. There really was only one person it could be. Draper smiled from ear to ear as he typed in his password.
XXX
Shalimar and Jesse phased through the door in time to see several beasts mulling around in the hallway. Jesse immediately had them go back out. When he had them both go back solid, he was relieved to Shalimar in one piece again. "Are you OK?" Jesse asked Shal.
"Yeah," Shalimar replied. "God, Jess, is that what it feels like all the time?" Shal was patting her body all over to make sure she was back together.
Jesse smiled a little. "Yeah. Shal, there were too many in there. We can't go that way."
Shal looked at him. She knew he was right.
Brennan was definitely waking up. The cold and the pain were real to him now. The feeling that was once dull and stagnant was now sharp and very active. It moved throughout his body and then he remembered what his last vision was; and he began to fight.
"Ahhhh! No! Jacob! No!" Brennan choked and screamed. He was thrashing his arms in front of his face, trying to grab onto the beast that was no longer there. His mind tricked him and made him believe Jacob was still tearing into his flesh, biting him, eating him. Adam was trying to control him. He was holding his arms trying to keep him from tearing out the IV that was delivering antibiotic to him. His breathing was very labored in his struggle and he was gasping air in and coughing it out. Adam looked at Emma and asked her to help. She sent calm and soothing thoughts to Brennan. He wasn't receiving her though. He was too panicked. Adam was shouting his name and holding his arms. He finally began to calm down. Adam worried about the reason, though. His breathing was shallow and he had stopped coughing. There was a slight wheezing escaping his lips when he exhaled and droplets of blood were formed on his lips.
"Brennan," Adam whispered. "Brennan, son, wake up now. It's Adam. Jacob is gone. You were just dreaming. Brennan, wake up." When Brennan failed to acknowledge Adam's pleading, Adam looked up at Emma, who was crying silently. Adam cast his eyes at the floor and turned back towards Brennan. He tried again. "Brennan, come on now. Try and wake up for us will you? I know it hurts and that you are afraid. But, Brennan, we are here now. Emma is here too. Come on, Brennan, open your eyes for us."
Adam coaxed Emma to come over and hold Brennan's hand. Adam noticed the marks on her arms when she came into the light. They looked deep. "I'm going to have to look at those when we get back to Sanctuary, Emma," Adam said.
"Look at what?" Brennan weakly responded while opening his eyes to look at Emma.
"Brennan!" Emma enthusiastically replied. Her smile was like a ray of sunshine in this terrible place and Brennan was very happy to see her.
"Brennan," Adam said while positioning his face over his, looking into his eyes. Adam held up two fingers in front of Brennan's face. "Brennan, look at me," Brennan complied. He winced when he turned his head. "How many fingers do you see?"
Brennan tried to turn his head slightly to the side. He was seeing double when he looked at it with both eyes. He thought there were just two. "Two," Brennan finally responded. Adam looked up at Emma and then back at Brennan. "Brennan, try this again. But you have to look at it with both eyes."
Brennan sighed and closed his eyes. "I'm tired, Adam," Brennan replied.
"Oh no you don't," Adam said as he took Brennan's chin in his hand and made him look into his eyes. "Brennan, can you focus your eyes?" Adam asked. He was concerned about the severity of the concussion he knew Brennan had.
"M' fine," Brennan responded. "Adam, listen, Jacob, he tried to kill me. He . he ." Brennan began breathing faster again and was coughing in between his words. Adam told him to calm down. "No, Adam, he tried to . eat . me." Brennan began a real coughing bout now. Adam held his head to the side in case he vomited; he did, all blood. Emma raised her hand to her mouth when she heard what Brennan said. She looked at Adam, who was still holding Brennan, and mouthed, "His hip, Adam, it's a bite."
Adam just shook his head and looked again at Brennan, who for now had stopped coughing. He rested his head back down on the blanket-pillow and wiped his mouth and face for him. Brennan's face was wet with tears. Adam thought how badly those coughs had to hurt. He calculated the morphine time in his mind and realized it was still too soon for another dose. He looked right at Brennan. "Brennan, Jacob attacked you?"
"Yes, after the storm. With Draper. Draper had me. The others . they all went to the woods. Jacob took me . hurt . bad . couldn't fight him, Adam . They all . changed." Brennan was gasping for air in between words.
Adam looked up at Emma and cast his eyes away. He was ashamed that he hadn't trusted Shalimar and Jesse. He was ashamed that once again he had let his children down. He left Brennan with a monster, again, totally defenseless. Adam had tears in his eyes when he looked at Brennan. "Brennan, shhhh, don't talk now."
"Oh God!" Brennan gasped as he finally became fully aware of his surroundings. Panic returned to his eyes. "Adam, Emma, please! We're back in the chamber. Oh God, I'm down here again, aren't I?"
"Yes, Brennan, but this time, you are with us. You are not alone, sweetheart. Don't be afraid anymore, Brennan. It is all right," Emma was stroking Brennan's face and staring deeply at him. This finally worked. He began to calm down. Adam, who had been stooped down on his haunches had fallen backward into a sitting position on the floor. His knees were up and his arms were rested on them. He had his head bowed down. Emma just kept looking at Brennan and stroking his face and whispering hushed words of comfort like a mother would do to her tired child. Every now and then she glanced back up at Adam. Brennan just kept mumbling, "I can't die down here."
XXX
Draper sat up in his control room. He was angry when he saw the medical equipment. How stupid could Don have been not to search the prisoners? "Foolish!" Draper shouted as he banged his fist against the controls. Suddenly, the computer council bleeped. He had an incoming message. There really was only one person it could be. Draper smiled from ear to ear as he typed in his password.
XXX
Shalimar and Jesse phased through the door in time to see several beasts mulling around in the hallway. Jesse immediately had them go back out. When he had them both go back solid, he was relieved to Shalimar in one piece again. "Are you OK?" Jesse asked Shal.
"Yeah," Shalimar replied. "God, Jess, is that what it feels like all the time?" Shal was patting her body all over to make sure she was back together.
Jesse smiled a little. "Yeah. Shal, there were too many in there. We can't go that way."
Shal looked at him. She knew he was right.