AN: I am going to try to continue to update regularly, but it may take a bit longer than normal. I'll explain why at the end so nothing in this chapter is ruined. This is, by far, the longest chapter. Hopefully that makes up for the possible delay. I also had to do some research here. While it was hard to find definitive answers, I pulled together what I could and this chapter is the result.
And, for the record, I hate Jose. This chapter gets even more, well, you'll see...
May you enjoy this chapter as much as the others.
Maggie's POV~
As I drift back and forth between life and death, I realize he's here again in front of me. But the problem is I don't know who he is. The last half dozen times or so I think it's OA, think he is here to save me, but the facade doesn't last long. It fades away to reveal a new horror, a new form of torture from my captor. There have even been a few times when I was in a state between being asleep and awake where I made him up completely. I call out to him, can even hear his voice, but right when he's about to touch me, wrap his arms around me, right when the hope I've long since lost begins to flood my body, he disappears completely and I'm left alone.
He's back. I faintly remember the music turning off and the lights dim, but I can't hear much of anything. I feel him touching me, my chin, my face. Then his lips are on my cheek. He's kissing me. I pray it's OA because if it's not anything could happen, my captor could take anything he wanted and I would be completely defenseless. But I open my eyes and see it was never OA. I feel like I'm going to vomit though there is nothing in my stomach. I'm frozen and can't move. But then he's on my lips. I start fighting with everything that I have. I manage to clip him with my forehead. He growls like an animal and lunges for the table by the door. I see him grab the knife and I hope, pray he will end this, thankful I was able to ruin the mood. He comes at me almost too fast for me to track. Then he sinks the knife into me and I can't figure out how I would ever wish for this. I try to scream, but it comes out as more of a moan. I'm crying. I feel him reach down and flick through the trail of blood with one finger. I watch him bring it to his mouth and shiver. The edge of my vision goes black and as hard as I try, I can't stay focused. I fall unconscious and am able to sleep for the first time without music or light to force me awake.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The next thing I know the world seems to be exploding around me. There is a gas that makes the air cloudy and it is filtering down the stairs. I try to stay awake, try to get out of my restraints, sure someone is coming, that OA is close, but I can't.
Again the world goes black.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
OA's POV
I run inside unable to wait any longer. I hear Dana shouting for me, but I can't stop. My heart is propelling me forward though my brain tells me to wait, to be safe. I have a mask, but it's still dangerous. I can't seem to make myself care. I'm inside. I hardly notice the blood, the few bodies that are on the ground, unmoving. The air is thick and I am thankful for the mask. I don't dare stop moving. I check the rooms on that floor but see nothing. I come to a room which seems to be the source of the bioweapon and momentarily freeze as I see a monitor showing the woman I'm searching for. I leave quickly, searching for a basement door and throw it open knowing now she wouldn't have ever been anywhere else. I'm calling her, shouting her name, but hear nothing. It's eerily silent after the shootout, nothing makes noise. As I get the bottom of the steps I come to a small hallway with one door. I throw it open and am horrified by what I see.
It can't be her. It can't be, but it is. Before me, dangling from the ceiling, is her body. She looks dead. Sickly pale, blood pooling the floor, and a knife. A knife sticking into her bare stomach. The blood is a stark contrast to her pale, white skin. I fly to her, kneeling down, searching desperately for a pulse. I find one, but it's so faint I almost miss it. I breathe a heavy sigh of relief as my hands go to her face.
"Oh, Maggie, I'm here. I'm so sorry, but I'm here now. I got you. Open your eyes. Stay with me."
I immediately pull the mask from my face and put it over hers to protect her from the anthrax that fills the air around us. She doesn't move, not at first, and I'm searching for a way to lower her. I see the crank that is holding her up. I'm pulling on it and slowly lower her to the ground. I pull the loop around her hands off the hook and lay her flat on the ground. There is nothing I can do here. The anthrax is too thick and neither of us can really breathe even though she now has the mask. Her breath is labored and comes out like short gasps each time. Only once does she open her eyes for only a moment. I pick her up, careful of the knife and am pulling her to safety. Up the stairs, out of the house. I get her to an ambulance, but as soon as I set her down, I collapse, coughing, hardly able to breathe. Luckily, they are ready for her, for me. They have the ambulance set up to handle her contaminated body. A man and a woman in white biohazard suits come to tend to Maggie and another comes to get me. He's trying to get me to the decontamination tent, but I can't leave Maggie, not now after I've just gotten her back. I fight against the man, but he tells me the faster I do this, the sooner I can see her again. I know he's right. I have to do this to be there for her. I give in and follow.
The tent is small and has three sections. The first I remove my clothing and give them to the man in the suit who double bags them. The next section is a shower where I am hosed downand washed rigorously with soap. I might have been embarrassed had I not been so concerned, so focused on getting back to Maggie. I think about her going through the same process, know she needs to be before she can be taken to the hospital and am not sure she can survive it. It will take every last ounce of energy and fight she has left in her body.
In the third section I dry off and get new clothes. Another doctor is there. She takes my blood to be tested and tells me I need to wait for the tests to come back before I can leave. As her words sink in, I stand and push past her saying I can't wait, that I have to go to Maggie. She tries to get me to come back, but Dana is there pulling me with her farther away from that house and that tent until I'm in the passenger seat of a vehicle. She's driving us to the hospital, and I want to thank her, but my brain is still working too hard and fast for me to be able to say anything.
"I should tell you how stupid that was," she says softly. I can tell she's not really upset. "You did well, OA, you did really well. You took a huge risk, but the EMTs said she probably wouldn't have lasted even a few more minutes."
I still can't speak. I just sit there staring at her while she drives. I don't know what's come over me, but her words just don't seem to make sense at the moment. I need to know how Maggie is doing. Nothing else matters.
"OA," she says exasperated. "OA, you saved her life."
"Maybe," I finally choke out and turn to face the window so she doesn't see the single tear that falls down over my cheek. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe. A chant that takes over my mind and I will Dana to drive faster, get us there faster.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Maggie is now, finally, on a hospital bed in a specialized, enclosed room to prevent her weakened immune system from being exposed to any more illness. It will also prevent anything from being spread, even though that is unlikely. The filtration system will keep any remaining anthrax or other illnesses out of the air and will eventually help her breathing when the anthrax in her lungs starts to make it hard. I'm in the same room, sitting on my own bed, but there is a glass wall between us much like the one that separates us from the non-infected people also in the room. It's a room within a room, I suppose.
I want to be with Maggie, but this was the deal the doctors made. Since I wouldn't wait for my blood to be tested at the house, I have to stay in here until I'm cleared.
She looks tiny in the bed, and I try to picture how she looked before this all happened. All I see is the way she was hanging from the chains when I found her. Her surgery was hard, took almost four hours. She was just brought here a few minutes ago where she is in critical condition.
I've been here the whole time thanks to Dana who pulled me away. She's here with me and so is Jubal. There is a doctor here all the time. He calls to Dana and Jubal and has them follow him until they are standing near me at the glass wall. I stand so I can hear him, too.
"Maggie's tests just came back. She is suffering from a high dose of anthrax. It hasn't taken much effect yet, but the serious injuries she has make this situation much worse. Apart from the anthrax, her body has started to shut down in attempt to keep her heart beating due to the extended duress an torture she endured. The extent of pain she felt should have been enough to kill her, but she is strong and is fighting very hard to stay alive. Aside from the obvious bumps and bruises, the laceration to her chest was very deep and is already showing signs of irritation from the anthrax. She has 5 broken ribs, a few fractures and a dislocated shoulder. Her left wrist is fractured, her right wrist is sprained, and on her way here, a broken rib punctured a lung. The stab to the stomach cased a lot of damage and she is lucky to be alive. The surgery went as well as could be expected, but she coded twice on the table. She is extremely dehydrated and needs nutrients that she was denied so she can heal. If she makes it through the next 24 hours, her odds of surviving will increase steadily. Until then, it's more of a guessing game, I'm afraid." He pauses for a moment before continuing. "In two days or so we will start to see her breathing become more difficult as the anthrax takes hold and runs its course. We've started her on antibiotics, but the amount of anthrax she was exposed to is extreme. We can only hope for the best." He looks at the three of us with sympathy and then turns to walk away.
"Wait," I hear myself say. "Will she remember what happened?"
He looks at me for a few moments. "Honestly, I'm not sure. But what I do know is that when she wakes up, there is a very good chance she will be scared. The ventilator will prevent her from talking and it will feel uncomfortable. Her first instinct will be to fight it. At first she most likely won't remember much, just bits and pieces really. It won't be easy for her. Her brain scans have shown stress in the fight or flight part of the brain. That usually means heightened reactions emotionally both before and after memories return. Eventually, things should calm down, but again, it won't be easy."
"What about OA?" Dana asks.
"His tests are up next. Since he got that first vaccine, it looks better for him, though he took of his mask which means he might have had more exposure than the vaccine could fight off. We should know in the next 20-30 minutes. For now, just sit tight." The doctor walks back to his computer, checks something, and then goes in to check on Maggie.
I look at Dana and Jubal. Just then Dana's phone begins to ring. The doctor looks up at her with narrow eyes obviously annoyed at how loud it is. She excuses herself and motions for Jubal to follow.
I sit back down on my bed, looking at Maggie hoping she will wake soon. I don't want her to be in pain, but I need to know she is going to be okay. I lay down curled on one side so I can see her. I feel like a child, but need to know she's really here, that it's really over. I fight the sleep that threatens to pull me under, but can't win. It's been too long and before I know it, I'm out.
The next thing I know, the doctor is leaning over me calling my name quietly. I jolt up momentarily forgetting where I am. It comes back in a rush and I move so I can see Maggie, reassuring myself that for now she's fine. I turn my attention back to the doctor who has taken a few steps back and is looking at his clipboard.
"You are very lucky, Omar," he starts. "You have a good amount of anthrax in your lungs, but it doesn't look to be like a dose that will do any long term damage. You are being prescribed antibiotics that you will need to take for the next sixty days. You will have to come back in a week and again after you finish the antibiotics just to make sure, but I think you will be fine," he says with a small smile. I just stare at him thinking it isn't fair that I'm okay and Maggie is so obviously not. I should have kept a better watch on her at the hospital, should have been in control of all of this.
"You need to stay overnight just for observation and a few more tests, but you should be out of here tomorrow. In fact, I can move you to a normal room."
I want to be relieved, but I'm not. I just say, "thank you, doctor, but I'd rather stay here," and lay back down. I can't leave her to be alone. She needs to know I'm in this with her to the end.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
I wake to alarms going off and hear the doctor shout for help. I sit up and look to Maggie. She is thrashing around, eyes wide, clearly still partially out of it and unable to tell what's going on. I know I'm not supposed to, but I open the door that separates us and am at her side in moments. I faintly hear the doctor yelling at me to get back, that she could make my condition worse, but I don't care. I'm finally there, have one of her hands in mine and the other on her face trying to get her to look at me. Our eyes connect and she stops fighting for a moment. Then she's fighting the tube in her throat. A nurse comes in holding a syringe. She sees it and begins to fight even more violently, panicking more. Her heart monitor is screaming at us and I don't know what to do.
"Maggie, Listen to me," I whisper in her ear. "Listen, it's okay. You're here, you're safe. I got you. He can't hurt you anymore. Just relax, it's okay. It's okay, Mags," I'm begging her to listen, to calm, and its slowly working. Her eyes are on mine again and her hand tightens just barely around mine. The nurse is able to inject the syringe into one of her IVs. She's trying to fight the effects, the need of sleep, and just shakes her head slightly as her eyes drift shut.
"I won't leave, I won't let anything bad to happen. I'm right here and you're okay," I'm saying, promising her. I mean it. Every single word.
I realize I'm crying again but don't care because Maggie is here. She is alive, and she is fighting.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
With Maggie asleep again and unable to sleep myself, my thoughts drift to the conversation I had with Dana and Jubal before Maggie woke up.
They told me Jose and three others had fled the scene as I had rushed in to find Maggie. They were followed for 45 minutes in a high speed chase. About that time they must have realized there was no way to outdrive the police and FBI. One man had rolled down the window to their vehicle, had shot a Javelin at the officers and agents. To their horror, the weapon was a dud and nothing happened. About 30 minutes later the car ran over a spike strip, had lost control of the vehicle and had crashed into a couple trees after rolling over at least three times. One guy, Andrew Vega, was dead and two seriously injured. One, Guerra, tried to run from the cops. When they finally stopped him, he pulled a gun and tried to shoot. An agent clipped him in the shoulder, took the gun, and got him to the hospital.
He's here right now. The man who hurt Maggie so badly, who threatened my life and the lives of many others. I wanted him dead, wanted to kill him myself. But I can't. I won't.
After Maggie woke and was put back to sleep, the doctor tried to force me to go back to my room, but I refused. Now that I was here, there was no going back. He eventually let up, and left the room with a shrug. I talked to her a lot and spent a good chunk of time whispering apologies. Dana had to return to the office to work on the aftermath of the situation, but Jubal was here checkin in every now and then.
We've been here a total of 14 hours. It's about 3:00 am and I have about 7 hours before I'm discharged. That's not much time, and there is no way of knowing if Maggie will wake up before then or not.
Slowly, my eyes grow heavy and, with her hand still in mine, sleep comes.
BREAK~
That son of a bitch tricked me! I should have made sure Maggie was dead before leaving the house. On the off chance she survives at all, he will get what he wants while I have nothing, NOTHING! The weapons are fake. Now we are being chased and have nothing left. I just keep driving, not what to do. Gorge asks if maybe we should just stop. I look at him furious, but say nothing. He gets the picture and shuts up. I have no plan, no help, and no way out. Then I see it, the strip across the road that will stop us, but I see it too late. And then we're flying through the air. I don't even have time to scream.
AN: I'm at the point where I have a very important decision to make: what will happen between Maggie and OA. I am struggling to stay true to who the characters are, and, while we have seen little hints from the show that tell me they care about each other, that's all I have to go on. Basically, I want to hear from you. I haven't done this before, but what do you want from these characters in this story? I truly will go with the majority here, so let me know! Together? Or not?
On top of waiting for some feedback, I'm also getting on plane to visit family. I will try to update again before Saturday evening. Thanks to those of you who are reviewing and sticking with me. You make this sick writer happy!