Bree's P.O.V.
I rush into Chase's temporary bedroom and find Leo sitting there in a chair beside the bed. When he notices that I'm there, he stands up and walks over to me. "Bree, he's awake. Come see!" he exclaims in a hushed tone.
I walk over to Chase and see that although his eyes are not open, he does seem to be moving around a lot. "Chase, are you awake? Hey, it's Bree. How are you feeling?" I ask.
He moans and opens his eyes. "Bree, I'm trying to rest. Can't you be a bit quieter?" he complains.
But instead of listening to him, I tackle him with a hug. "You're okay! " I exclaim, not caring if the whole house can hear me.
He groans again and pats my back before pushing me off. "Of course I'm okay. Why wouldn't I be?" he asks.
I look over to Leo who is standing near the door and give him a questioning look. He just shrugs so I turn my attention back to Chase. "Don't you remember? You were in Dr. Gao's undersea lab with Mr. Davenport and there was an explosion. I have no idea how you guys made it out. But, somehow, you're here and, other than a mild case of hypothermia, you and Mr. Davenport are just fine." I explain.
"I know that. I remember what happened. Right before the explosion, I saw a shadow move. I told Mr. Davenport, but before we could do or say anything else, there was a loud bang. I remember that suddenly there was a hole in our cell and water was filling in fast. I was sure we were going to die. Mr. Davenport and I started trying to plug the hole, but the water was coming in too fast and we couldn't stop it. The hole got even bigger and then a black figure swam through the hole. His face was covered so I couldn't tell who it was, but I'm pretty sure it was a man. He handed us oxygen masks and swam out, gesturing for us to follow him. It was hard to see because there was so much chaos all around us, but we managed to get to the surface." he explains.
"Do you think it was one of Gao's workers? Could someone have turned to our side?" I ask.
"it's possible I suppose. Although considering most of his goons are androids, it's not likely. Most of them don't have emotions or feelings. I honestly have no idea who it could be. It wasn't one of the students?" he replies.
"No, I don't think it could be. All of the students were at their assigned stations during the explosion. But it doesn't matter. What's important is that both you and Mr. Davenport are alive and going to be just fine." I say with a big smile.
Chase smiles too and for the first time I look at him and remember everything that happened. Everything that I had been trying to forget for so many weeks. Looking at him, it's all coming back. It's like a flood. Or, more accurately, a hurricane. I stand up and walk to Leo. Both boys notice the discomfort on my face and Leo asks me what is wrong. I can't talk to him right now. I have to think.
I run into the lab as fast as my superspeed will take me. But before I know it, Leo is there too. He sits beside me at the lab table but doesn't speak. After a few minutes, I break the silence. "Do you think he'll hate me?" I ask, keeping my eyes on my feet.
Through the corner of my eye, I can see Leo turn to face me. "What? Chase? Hate you? I honestly don't think that is possible. Come on, Bree; you know that." he replies softly.
"But what if he does? I mean, it's been awhile since we've seen each other. We still haven't gotten a chance to talk about everything. I'm the reason he is hurt. I'm the reason he was almost killed. It would make perfect sense for him to hate me." I reply.
"I could never hate you." A low, hoarse voice says from the elevator.
I look up and see Chase there leaning against the wall for support. He must still be pretty weak. Slowly, he walks to where I am sitting at the table and sits down beside me. Leo looks at me, then at Chase. He gives me a weird look and goes upstairs. After a moment of staring at the elevator, Chase turned to face me and said, "Bree, I don't blame you for what happened. I knew what could happen and I understood the risk. But I did it anyway. I did it because I love you. And that will never change."
I don't reply for awhile. I sit quietly and stare at my feet. When I finally speak, my voice sounds so small and weak. "So, what do we do now?" I ask.
He smiles at me. "We go on and we face whatever challenges come at us together."
I nod. "Okay," I reply.
"Are you okay?" he asks, noticing my solemn attitude.
I shake my head quickly."I'm fine. I just have a bit of a headache. Nothing to worry about." I reply.
He smiles. "Okay. Because I didn't save you just for you to go and get hurt on your own right afterward." he teases.
I punch his arm and he gasps in mock pain. Then we laugh.
Maybe, just maybe, it will be okay. Maybe we will make it through this after all. Now that Mr. Davenport and Chase are safe, all I have to worry about is this headache that won't go away!