Disclaimer : Anyone you recognize and care about isn't mine.
A/N : This chapter is kind of depressing.. no real humor. The italics close to the bottom are flashbacks and daydreams, in case it's not obvious.
"Aunt Stephanie.."
I felt small arms gripping mine, and groaned in pain. "Help me," Adriel said to whoever.
"Is she dead?" Mary Alice asked from the side.
"No, hurt, now move." Angie's hands joined Adriel's in the drag across the floor.
"We have to get out of here," Adriel said to nobody in particular. "This is crazy. There's always an escape, somewhere. A lot of times, that escape is only a few feet away. Mary Alice, bring me that pillow."
"The only way we could get out of here is if we ran when they came in," grunted Angie as she helped lift me the single foot to the cot. "And none of us can run fast enough to figure out how to get out without getting caught."
"I could do it," Mary Alice spoke up. As Angie and Adriel protested, she spoke over them. "No, really!" she said. "I'm the fastest runner out of all of us, and I'm the smallest that would know what to do once I got out.. what would I do when I got out?"
"No way," Angie said, trying to make me comfortable on the small cot. "You're not going anywhere."
"She has a point," mused Adriel. At Angie's wide eyes, she held up her hands. "Well, she does. She is the smallest, so she'd be less likely to be caught or noticed on a camera. She can slip in and out of tight spaces easier than one of us could. She's younger, so if she has to hitchhike, people would be more sympatheti-"
"No hitch-hiking." If I had not known who it was that spoke, I would have sworn that it was my mother. "Absolutely no hitch-hiking."
"Fine, no hitch-hiking," agreed Adriel. I could tell Angie was relenting from the loosening grip on my arm.
"Okay," said Mary Alice, "So what's the plan?"
The girls continued talking, but I couldn't stay zoned in enough to understand a word that was said. I wanted to stop them, but I couldn't seem to be able to move.
"Shit," I whispered. The girls turned to look at me, but turned quickly around again as the concrete door swung open. The unsuspecting muscle man -- judging from the shine of his teeth, I guessed that he was the one the girls refered to as "Pearl". Sure enough, Adriel called out a greeting, and as the man moved further into the room, Mary Alice moved further out.
"..hope ya'll ain't too mighty bored," he was saying. "Ya know I'd bring ya some entertainment, but they won't 'llow me."
"It's okay, Pearl," said Angie. "We're not too bored."
"Well, dat's goo- say, where'd lil Mary Alice go?"
By this time, Mary Alice had already sprinted from the room.
"Dammit!" swore Pearl as he exited the room at a run.
Angie and Adriel high fived each other, then listened closely.
"They turned on the sirens," Adriel informed, still listening. I lay there, frozen. Even if I had been physically able to move, I wouldn't have from fear. Adriel gave a commentary of what she thought was happening, then the two girls came and sat beside me.
"It's okay, Aunt Stephanie," Angie said softly. "Mary Alice is getting help now."
I grunted, unable to form coherent words. My freaking neice was being chased by psychos, nothing was "okay".
Loud curses and footsteps were coming closer from down the hall. I did not open my eyes as I felt more than saw a shadow pass over me.
"Get up," Martinez ordered. I couldn't move. "GET UP!" He grabbed me and swung me across the hall.
Fucking bastard.
I groaned as I crashed to the floor, hoping that it was a pillow and not a child underneath me. Martinez yanked me up by my neck and unsteadily led me out of the door.
"Open your eyes." I cracked them open, only to be blinded by light. "OPEN!" I obeyed, cringing from pain.
"What're you doing to me?" I asked hoarsely, not even trying to resist as he led me down the corrider.
"I'm going to make you wish you had listened to me when I told you to stay away from the Manosos," Martinez hissed. As he led me into the small concrete room similiar to the one from before, I did nothing but close my eyes.
"Get out, get out!" Morelli turned to me and grabbed my arm. "Stephanie, get out!" I stared dumbly at the brilliant blonde in front of me. "You," I whispered. "You bitch." She gave me an eery smile. "Tell your girlfriend goodbye," she said to Morelli, never taking her eyes off of me. "Terry," Morelli gave one final warning. "Terry-" At the same time that she raised the gun, he lept.
I couldn't breathe through my lips -- instead, I focused on breathing through my nose. The tape over my mouth prevented me from spitting out the blood that filled it, instead I focused on swallowing and not drowing. I didn't even glance up as the door opened again. When the punches began, I welcomed the bliss that followed.
"He miraculously pulled through the surgery," Dr. Pyre announced. From across the room, I saw Carl Costanza fall to a chair in relief. Beside me, Eddie let out a large rush of air.
"However," the brain surgeon continued, "He is in a coma.. and there is a good chance he will not wake up."
I was in a state of deleria, I had to be. I felt hands all over me, touching me, hurting me, but I couldn't move. My eyes wouldn't open, no matter how hard I tried. I knew I needed to wake up -- Rex hadn't been fed yet, and Connie had called the night before to remind me that she had a new file for me. Or had she? How long ago had that been? Where was Ranger? I had met his daughter, hadn't I? What was her name? Why am I so tired..
Beep. Beep. The machines carried a slow, steady rhythm. It had been months, and nothing. Most had given up, but not me. I couldn't. The doctors asked to pull the plug, but the family had flat out refused. Grandma Bella had had another vision, but in this one he had awaken. I had started to pray for him, even though I had never been much of the religious type. This day was just like any other-
"Hi."
I turned to find two brown eyes staring at me.
"Hi," I whispered. I then shrieked and called the nurses. As they began rushing in, he continued to study me closely. Finally, he asked the question that changed everything.
"Who are you?"
Who am I? Where am I? I tried to look around, but my eyes wouldn't open. I tried to speak out, but my mouth was filled with a fluid.. and what was that smell? The people.. that's what they're called isn't it, people, had left me alone.. finally left me alone. Finally let me sleep. Dear God, let me sleep..
I'm floating.. floating through the hospital, through all the rooms that Morelli stayed in. I move into the room he stays in now, the one without all of the machines, the one with a TV and a normal bed. It's still a hospital, but he is going home soon. I sit down on his bed, something I never did after I walked away five months ago. I pick up the remote and began to change channels.
"Stephanie," says a voice behind me. I turn and find Morelli standing in the doorway.
"Hey," I say. He has pizza and beer in his hands, Bob by his side. The two join me on the bed, and watch TV with me. We settle on a Ranger's game. I take a peice of pizza and begin chewing.
"You need to leave," Morelli says finally. I look at him and see no anger, only peacefulness.
"Why?" I ask. He opens his mouth to reply, but I hear a voice from down the hall call my name.
"Stephanie," it says. I stand and walk to the door, Morelli by my side. We walk side-by-side to where Ranger is standing. The two men shake hands, a feat that they had not done since the night of the shooting.
"Take care of her," Morelli tells Ranger. The two men stare at each other for a long while, until Ranger finally nods.
"I will," he promises. The two men again shake hands, then Ranger turns to me. "Are you ready?" he asks, taking Bob's leash from Morelli.
I turn to Morelli and give him a hug. He returns it just as strongly. "Be careful," he whispers into my ear. "Take good care of Bob."
I kiss him on the cheek, then take Ranger's outstretched hand. "Bye," I say to Morelli.
"Bye," he replies. Ranger and I begin walking to the main doors. Right before we exit, I turn back to wave to Morelli, but he is gone.
"Hey," I say, "Where did he go?"
Ranger turns around, but does not look surprised. "He went home," he said in explanation.
"And where are we going?"
Ranger wrapped his arm around my waist as he helped me to open the door.
"Home," he replied.
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