Disclaimer: I do not own The Day After Tomorrow or any of the characters. The ideas are mostly mine, though!

Author's Note: This is my first The Day After Tomorrow story, and I hope you like it. Please review and let me know how you felt about it. I have several other stories written, and I need to know if I should post them or not! Thanks and enjoy!

Summary: Sam, Brian and JD had been running from the freezing cold of the eye of the super cell. But, instead of them all making it back just fine, Sam breathes in the incredibly cold air, and gets very sick. Laura wakes up to see him dying, but awake, and they share their feelings while the others rest. Will Jack make it to them in time to save his son? PG-13 for mild language and tense scenes


CHAPTER 2: Their Feelings Shared

LAURA

I watched Sam, tears filling my eyes. The others had drifted to sleep. The homeless man left me to care for his dog, which I agreed to easily. He would be able to keep me company until Sam woke. If Sam woke, I thought sadly.

Why did he have to go to the ship for me? Why did he have to risk his life? If he hadn't, we would be sitting across from each other on the couch, keeping each other warm while we talk. But instead, he was dying, right before my eyes. His lungs were slowly losing their ability to expand and give him air. Why did it have to be him?

"Oh, Sam, please wake up. I need to tell you something important…something that I should have told you a long time ago…before the storms hit. But you have to be awake…I need you awake…I need you to hear me," I pleaded softly; caressing his cold, pale cheek.

Amazingly, Sam groaned, and his eyes fluttered open slightly. Whether he was reacting to my voice or my touch I wasn't sure, but I really didn't care either. All that mattered was that he was responding. He looked around. Then, his gaze fell on me, and he smiled. I did the same, a single tear slipping down my cheek. "L-Laura?" His voice was raspy, and dangerously weak.

I brushed some hair out of his eyes. "I'm here, Sam…I-I'm here. Try not to speak a lot. Only slow, calm breaths. You have to save your strength until we can get you out of here and to a hospital. Your dad is on his way, you'll be better soon I promise," I assured, more to myself than to him. Sam simply nodded, so I continued. "Okay…I…uh…I have to tell you something, so don't speak." I took a deep breath. "Sam, there's something I should have told you a while ago. For a long time, since you joined the decathlon, I've had feelings for you. I was never sure how strong they were, so I didn't act on them. But now…I know that I have to. When the plane had hit the turbulence…and when I had thought that you'd drowned downstairs when you were talking to your dad, I realized something. Something that I should have realized a long time ago…I realized that I love you."

When Sam's eyes went wide with shock and he opened his mouth to speak, I placed a gentle hand over it, smiling. I wanted nothing else than to kiss him, but I knew in my heart that I couldn't yet. "Shh…don't speak…don't say anything, or I might have to kiss you to shut you up. You know as well as I do that it would do no one good for us to both be sick. But that means that you have to fight it…you have to stay with me Sam…so that I can kiss you as much as I want when we get home and get you on your feet again." I looked deep into his eyes, and saw the love and understanding in his eyes…emotions that were nearly overshadowed by the pain and weakness in them, and my heart cried for him. I was torn, seeing him in so much pain, all because of me. "Why did you have to go and do that for me…if you didn't you'd be fine right now…" Tears began to fall freely from my eyes just then.

Despite my orders, Sam pulled my hand from his mouth and took a deep breath. "Laura, I don't know…if I can make it much longer. So…I have to…tell you now…that I've loved you…since the moment that I met you…and I wouldn't change this…for anything." He paused to catch his breath, reaching up to wipe the tears from my cheeks. I grabbed his cold hand and held it close to me in an attempt to warm it up. "If you hadn't…gotten that medicine, you would be dead right now…and I could never…live with that. I'd do…anything…for you." I could see how much talking had taken out of him, and it killed me to see his already pale skin fade even whiter. Fresh tears sprang to my eyes, and I bent my head to kiss his hand. I refused to let him go now, after we had survived thus far. I would not let myself be the reason that the one that I loved would die. I vowed then and there that I would do anything it took to keep him safe and alive.

"Sam, you are so amazing. You're a very strong person. You're the reason that we are still alive. You can make it through this…I know you can. Get some rest; you need to keep up your strength. I won't leave your side, I promise. I'll be right here if you need me until your dad comes. Just stay with me, don't you give up, okay? I love you, Sam Hall."

He smiled up at me softly, before his eyes drifted closed and sleep took him from me. I tucked the layers of blankets that he had over him closer, and rested my head on his shoulder. The dog got up and came around Sam to curl up in the space between him and I to keep him warm, and fell back to sleep. I started to pet his shaggy fur, lulling myself to sleep unintentionally.

I was running down the stairs, just behind Sam. He looked around and found the payphone, and leapt forward off the stairs and onto the floor that they were on. When he nearly stopped and groaned softly from the freezing cold water, I reached for him, but he had already reached the phone, and informed me that they worked. As he dialed and started to talk with his mother and father, I noticed the water rising quickly. Soon enough, it was above his waist, and he slipped off the platform that the phones were on and fell underwater. I screamed his name, but he came up a few seconds later, soaked and shivering. The water continued to rise, above Sam's height, to the point where he was holding himself steady with the ceiling. I called for him, as I was no longer able to see him, and then his voice was cut off. He was trapped underwater. I called his name over and over again, getting frantic, but he didn't surface. I stood there for five minutes, screaming his name, until I saw something move underwater. Something resurfaced, and I screamed. It was Sam's still, lifeless body.

"NO!" I cried, jerking awake. I frantically looked beside me and saw Sam lying there, still asleep, his chest rising and falling inconsistently. The dog had jumped up, startled for a moment, then curled up again and fell back to sleep. When I looked around, breathing heavily, I saw Brian coming over to me, a concerned look on his face.

"Are you okay, Laura?" He questioned softly. I nodded.

"Yeah…just a dream…" I shook my head to try to erase the pictures from the dream, but to no avail.

"Any change?"

"Well, he woke for a few minutes before I fell asleep, but then he fell back asleep. I told him that he needed to rest and hang in until his father got here. Do you think Mr. Hall will make it, Brian?" I questioned, dreading the answer to that myself. His face held a sad type of pain. We looked at each other for a moment, and I rested my head back down, brushing my fingertips over Sam's chest and shoulders.

"For Sam's sake, God, I hope so."