"Jack?" She asked. "What's... what's..."
"What's what?" He asked sweetly, running a gentle hand up and down her arm.
"What's going to... happen... to me?" She asked, barely capable of getting the words out of her mouth. Jack pursed his lips, and looked away from her. She sighed, a wave of dizziness coming over her. She stepped forward somewhat and ran into him softly, laying her cheek on his chest, closing her eyes and waiting for an answer.
"I don't... know, love. He said it was a foreign poison and all..." Jack trailed off.
"What do you think will happen?" She asked.
"I'd rather not talk about it, Liz," He said, shifting and draping an arm across her shoulders.
"I want to know what to expect, Jack," She said, in a small voice. He nodded his head, and sighed a sigh full of grief. He didn't want to think about it, let alone say it out loud.
"More of that breathing thing, I expect... Retching, convulsions, moments of delirium," He said, taking a moment to catch his breath, "Severe headaches... I've heard about drowning from the inside out," He said, and she swallowed, reaching up and rubbing her forehead. "It'll start to shut down your system after a while. Is this what you want to hear, Liz?" He asked, pulling away and looking at her unhappily.
"You know I don't want to hear about it, Jack, I just... I need to know. I need to be prepared," She said, tears glistening in her eyes. He immediately regretted any type of anger he might have heard in his voice. She was the one going through this, not him. He needed to treat her as gently as he could. He nodded his head, and stepped forward a few steps and wrapped his arms around her again, sucking in a wavering breath.
"I know, my love, I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that tone," He said, hugging her. He held her tight, not knowing what his life could be without her. He would never be able to forgive himself if he couldn't save her. It would never cease to haunt him. He was scared out of his wits by the uncertainty of it all. He had to do this. He had to save her. He pulled away after a moment to look in her eyes. They looked cloudy.
"I just... I can't think of all that happening to you, Lizabeth. This is all my fault," He said, looking down.
"Don't... blame it on your... yourself," She said, short of breath.
"You want to go lay down, love?" He asked. She had her head bowed, and he bent down slightly so he could look into her eyes
"You read my mind," She said, sounding exasperated. He wrapped his arm around her waist and led her over to the cabin. They stopped immediately in front of the door, Elizabeth putting her hand out on Jack's chest to stop him. He looked down at her, and she was once again gasping for breath. She laughed slightly.
"If this is... the first day... I can't wait for the... last..." She said as her knees collapsed. Jack caught her quickly, scooping her up in his arms as Gibbs quickly ran over and pushed open the cabin door. Jack rushed inside and laid her down on the bed tenderly. He reached back and pulled a chair up next to the bed. She hasn't lost consciousness.
"I know... you're gonna save me. I have faith... in you, Jack," She said, reaching up and running her fingers down his cheek. Her face then fell to the side, a great deal paler. She was breathing heavily as she closed her eyes. He was scared. Looking down into her face, and knowing this was going to get worse, he was very scared. He had to save her. He had to.
