Disclaimer – Still own nothing. Song in the beginning of this story is Just One Yesterday by Fall Out Boy. Please review, I would love to know your guys' thoughts. Enjoy.
Chapter 6
For Just One Yesterday
If heaven's grief brings hell's rain, then I'd trade all my tomorrows for just one yesterday
Tom sat on the steps of the building in Fayetteville that was being used as an infirmary. Matt sat beside him, his head lying on top of his father's lap, with Tom's hands running through his now short hair. Tom looked over at Ben and Maggie who were also sitting on the steps, both looking like they were about to pass out.
They were all pretty tired traveling from Chinatown to Fayetteville, but had refused to rest when they learned of the ambush and Hal's capture. It then was a few hours ride to and from where the spaceship was, so they were all running on pretty much empty. He had sent Anthony and Tector to go get some sleep, and said that he would update them when they woke up.
What worried Tom the most though, was that Hal hadn't woken up at all, or responded in any way that they could see. It reminded Tom too much of when they were in Charleston, after they blew up the Espheni weapon. He hoped though that whatever had happened to his oldest wouldn't be as bad as it was then, back when he was comatose, only to wake up and find himself paralyzed, having to learn to walk again, then to be discovered to have an eye worm controlling him.
"Dad?" A small voice called out.
"Yeah Matt?" Tom asked.
"He's going to be okay right?" The youngest voice practically begging for assurance. Tom laid a kiss on his head and replied, "I'm sure he will be. Anne's a good doctor, and besides, Hal's tough. Those aliens couldn't change him if they tried, and they have tried."
"That's what Hal said about you once. Right after you got back from the spaceship, before we got to Charleston." Matt told him, remembering Hal's reassuring voice and smile.
"Guys?" Everyone turned their heads to see Mia, one of the people helping Anne out in the infirmary, standing outside the door. They all jumped to their feet.
"Anne said you guys could come in." Mia barely finished her sentence before everyone had ran past her and into the building.
They found Anne in a room off to the side, standing by a gurney, which they had been using for beds, that had Hal lying on it. They all crowded around it.
"How is he?" Maggie asked first, as she had managed to be the first person in the room.
"Doing good actually. Besides a few cuts, bruises and a sprained ankle, I'm finding no other injuries." Anne replied.
"So he's going to be okay?" Tom clarified, looking at his son lying on the bed.
"I think so. All the tests came back normal, besides the ones on his head."
"What do you mean?" Tom asked, his worry growing.
"The tests show that there were high levels of stress and pressure in his brain, but I'm not finding a source." Anne explained.
"Could it be another eye bug?" Ben suggested, remembering all too well how it started last time.
"I doubt it. That time his tests were normal and I don't think the Overlords can even use that technology anymore with their power source destroyed. And that's not all." Anne said, as she turned Hal's head to the side to expose his neck.
"You see these?" Anne asked, pointing to his neck, where there were three little marks, all of them had small bruises around them.
"They're needle marks." Anne explained.
"They were drugging him?" Maggie asked.
"I don't know if it was a drug for sure, but they were definitely pumping something into him. I also think that why there's some chafing on his neck. I think they actually restrained his neck in some way to make he couldn't move so they could inject whatever they were injecting." Anne told them.
Tom walked closer to his son and grabbed his limp hand. "Do you have any idea what they were doing?"
"No, not yet. Still waiting for the blood tests. There's not much more we can do but wait for him to wake up. Hopefully he'll be able to help us fill in a few blanks." Anne revealed.
FSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS
"What have you got there?" Tom asked his middle son quietly, looking at what appeared to be a picture in Ben's hands. Matt laid fast asleep curled up in a chair in the corner, while Tom and Ben sat in the other two chairs, one on each side of Hal's bed. Maggie had been with them for a while, but was needed for a scouting mission.
"Six flags." Ben answered, holding the picture gently in his hand. He smiled as he looked down at the family smiling back at him. On one hand, it was so familiar, Ben could remember that day so clearly, but it also felt as though it was another family that was looking back at him.
"What? Let me see." Tom held out his hand over top of Hal and Ben handed him the picture asking, "Do you remember that?"
"Oh yeah," Tom replied, smiling down at the picture, "Matt wanted to eat all the food he could find, and you and Hal wanted to go on all the rides, well, Hal more so than you. Wait, didn't both you and Matt throw up on him?"
"That we did. That was when Mom said we should go home." Ben laughed. Tom's smiled grew at the memory.
"It feel like another lifetime ago." Ben commented, his tone turning somber. Tom met his eyes said, "In a way, it was."
FSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFSFS
As Hal felt himself float back to consciousness, he expected to find himself still a prisoner to the Overlord, but instead, he opened his eyes to find himself in a completely different room, lying on gurney, with Matt curled up in a chair in the corner.
"Hal?" Hal turned his head towards the voice and found his father sitting by his side, his hand holding on tightly to Hal's.
"I'll go get Anne." Hal turned his attention to his other side in time to see Ben stand up and head out the door. Hal then turned his head back to his father.
"What happened?" Hal asked, barely recognizing his own voice. Tom felt winced inwardly, Hal's voice sounded so weak, and drowsy. He wondered if it had to do with whatever the Espheni had been pumping into him.
"You were captured by an Overlord," Tom paused, making sure Hal was following along. When Hal nodded, Tom continued, "we got you out. You're back with the 2nd Mass."
It was then the door opened and Ben re-entered the room, this time with Anne following behind him. Ben headed to the foot of the bed and watched from there as Anne came beside Tom and gave Hal a smile.
"Hey Hal. How are you feeling?" Anne asked.
"My head hurts." Hal answered honestly, he was too tired, and his head throbbed too much to try and lie, besides, he knew they wouldn't believe him. Anne nodded, not surprised by that information.
"Don't worry, it'll wear off. I'm just going to take a blood sample, then I want you to get some more sleep, okay?" Hal nodded, but flinched noticeably when he saw Anne pull out a needle from a small bag she had brought in.
Anne shared a look with Tom and Ben when they saw Hal's reaction. Considering the needle marks and bruises surrounding them, it wasn't a surprise that Hal would act that way. Tom and Ben however, looked very concerned.
Despite how the Mason boys were feeling towards having another needle being pushed into Hal's skin, Anne needed the other sample to see if the drug, which she had found was what the Espheni had been injecting, was leaving his system. The look on the Mason's faces when she had told them about her findings was beyond worried. Maggie's though, was almost downright murderous, as if she was willing to go out to find and kill every Overlord she could in hopes of finding and killing the one who would dare to drug Hal.
Anne mentally shook off her train of thought and came closer to the oldest Mason son, and gently slid the syringe into the crook of Hal's elbow, took a small sample, and put a small Band-Aid over it.
As she finished, Tom told Hal, "Go back to sleep Hal. Everything's okay now."
Hal nodded, but with the memories of his mother's death, and with what he now remembered of Charleston, it felt like a lie.
Author's Note – Another chapter done. Only about 12 more to go! So I guess that tells you if whether or not Hal is actually out of the woods yet. Next chapter shall have more Hal and Ben, and Hal and Maggie which I know has been missing a lot from this story. You will find out what's going on in the next chapter which will take place two weeks after this last chapter. It should hopefully be up within the next to days. Please comment, I would love to hear everyone's thoughts and opinions.
P.S. – Yes I created another nurse. I had noticed in season 5, and actually in season 3 some people helping out Anne and Lourdes and thought to include them since I continued on the 'Lexi killed Lourdes' story-line.
