Hey everybody, it's been forever and a day since I last updated this story, Me is so sorry! Please forgive me! I wanted to get this chapter just right, cuz guess what. There's only one more after this! Oh no! That's kinda sad. But I might write a sequel or a one shot or something after this just for the heck of it cuz I'm enjoying this story sooooooo much. But anyways, thanks so muchsies for the reviews, record number for this chapter! Yay you! So read the chapter and review. Oh, and please don't hate me!
Doctor's POV
The kids won't talk about what happened to them on the island. All we know is what they said before the boys and the girl started, well, dying. There's no other way to describe it, they're simply rotting. All three have gone into a coma. The girl has severe head trauma, internal bleeding, and the damage done to many of her vital organs is terrible. And of course, there's the poisoning. It worked it's way almost completely through her system. It came so close to reaching her heart. It had some kind of chemical reaction in her brain, she has seizures constantly because of it. The boy, the one with the brother, I never would have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. Both arms are broken, along with his fibula, his throat is smashed in and bruised badly, he needs a breathing tube. His heart beats are irregular, the tissue is torn pretty bad, he's black and blue all over. His heart's actually gone out twice, he stayed with us though. The last one, the blonde one, doesn't have it quite as bad as the others. However, when he was stabbed, the blade sliced completely through his spinal chord, severing his nervous system badly. Unlike the others, whose after affects would be short-lived, should he survive, he would always need physical therapy, have trouble getting around, and his life would most likely be shorter than if he hadn't been stabbed.
The other kids are torn up over what's happened to their friends. The little boys divide their time pretty equally between the blonde and the girl but are too scared to see the black and blue one, the majority of the older boys spend about an hour of visiting per patient. There are also the kids who, when visiting, look guilty and troubled. One boy refuses to visit any of them. He's been confined to his cabin and constantly accompanied by guards wherever he goes. Wonder what he did. Anyways, there are also the two boys who never leave. Ever. Friends actually have to bring them their meals because they refuse to leave the room for even a second. One is the other twin. He's constantly at his brother's side, waiting for some sign of life.
"It's only a matter of time," he always says, "Soon. You'll see! He'll be up and around again in days!" No one has the heart to tell him that the chances of that are slim to none. Then there's the red-head. The girl's boyfriend apparently. Same situation as the twins pretty much. Insisting she'll be up soon. Never, ever leaving her side. He holds her hand, strokes her hair, sings softly under his breath to her. I've noticed how extremely attached to her he is. Kind of odd, don't you think? The nurses have been taking bets on whether or not she's pregnant. I really hope not. The girl doesn't even weigh enough for one person! She's more than 40 pounds underwieght. There are two other boys who visit her a lot, a fat one with glasses and a tall, scrawny kid with black hair. They don't do much of anything, just come in and ask how she's doing. Same answer every time: not. Good. I really hope these kids get better. Soon.
Third Person
Machines hum, heart monitors beep. Three teenagers lay still in a deep, dreamless sleep. Nurses check in constantly as the day wears on. Young boys come in groups on and off to visit their suffering friends. Two boys, one seventeen, another only fourteen, never leave the sides of two patients, the girl and the other half of Samneric. The red-headed seventeen year old boy is slumped in his chair, sleeping, his hand still holding the hand of his girlfriend. A breathing mask is strapped to her face, barely keeping her alive. Everything is silent and still when suddenly, the beeping of a heart monitor quickens and grows louder. The girl's bed begins to shake as her body convulses. The makings of yet another seizure. But this time's different. Just as the shaking stops, the girl's eyes pop open. The red-headed boy watches in shock. She begins to struggle against the restraints holding her to the hospital bed and the breathing mask. Breaking her arms free of the restraints holding them, she fumbles with the mask, trying to pry it off her face, but it's strapped on too tight. Awake, the girl can easily breath on her own, and now the mask chokes her. Her pale face darkens, turning slightly blue. The boy, no longer sleeping, is frightened into action.
"Doctor Robinson! Nurse Jackson Somebody! We need help over here!" He shouts. The nurse comes running over and rushes to undo the straps of the mask and the restraints binding the girl to the bed. The girl bolts up into a sitting position and gasps for breath. She finally catches her breath, and gives the nurse and her boyfriend a thumbs up, still panting a little bit. The nurse sighs in relief and goes to find the doctor, leaving the girl and the red-head alone (minus the two comatose patients and the visitor that won't leave.) The boy throws his arms around her, pulling her into a hug. "Leah, I was so worried about you!" He exclaims. Leah pats his back awkwardly.
"Jack, you're hugging me- kinda tight. It- kinda- hurts." She gasps. He releases her and smiles apologetically.
"Sorry," She grins and reaches up and hugs him. The two sit and talk for a while, while the doctor comes in and out to do check-ups and X-rays. Later, Jack goes to get the two other boys who visit her all the time, Simon and Piggy, who fill her in on everything she missed while Jack sleeps.
Leah's POV
Good news! I'm not dead! Woohoo, break out the champagne and whiskey! Bad news: I'm still being held against my will in stupid intensive care and Sam hasn't woken up yet. It's been two fucking weeks! What's taking him so long? It's really making me worried. What if he never wakes up? Eric's not taking it well. In my time here (well, the time I've spent here while I wasn't in a coma), I've only seen him sleep once!
Ralph woke up a few days after I did. I was there! Yay me! We don't know much about his condition though cuz the doc's got him hopped up on pain medication. All the nurses will tell us is that things don't look good for him right now. They won't even explain to us what the hell that's supposed to mean! I swear, if this continues much longer, I'm gonna fucking kill somebody!
Wahoo! Party time! Sam finally woke up today, the doc's taking Ralph off his meds, and they're finally letting me out of this hell-hole infirmary! Best day ever! Eric finally left the intensive care unit. At last that kid will get some rest. I've been keeping Sam company for him. Sam's pretty antsy. He's obviously dying to get outside, but his condition is way too unstable. In the time we've been on this ship, his heart's gone out three times and he's stopped breathing four times just today. Still, I can't help but feel bad for the poor kid. Intensive care is no place for a fourteen year old boy. I look over at Sam, who's staring wistfully out the window.
"I'll be right back. Do you got everything you need?" I ask. He nods. I wander around the ship in search of the doctor. I finally find him in the cafeteria. "Yo Doc!" I holler. He raises his eyebrows at me.
"Excuse me?"
"I mean, hello Doctor Robinson," I correct myself. He nods in approval. "Can I talk to you for a second?"
"Sure Leah. What do you need?" he asks.
"I was wondering if maybe I could check Sam out of the infirmary for the rest of the day." I tell him. His face hardens a little bit, then relaxes.
"Sorry, but no. It's too risky for him right now." Doc says.
"Oh come on Doctor Robinson! He's just a little kid! It's not fair to keep him cooped up all day!" I whine.
"Look, I wish you could, but we can't take the chance of him getting hurt," He explains.
"I promise I won't let him get hurt! I'll be careful! Please Doc!" I plead.
"Fine. But he has to back in an hour. THat means 5:00, you got it?" I nod.
"Thanks Doc, you're the best!" I run back to the infirmary to tell Sam. "Sam Sam Sam Sam Sam! Guess what!" I exclaim.
"What?"
"The doc's letting me check you outta here for an hour!" I tell him. He grins.
"Really?" Sam asks excitedly. I nod.
"Come on, let's get you out of here," It takes all my strength to lift the boy, who's grown to be twice my size, out of his hospital bed and help him into a wheelchair. (Maybe the little kid thing was a bit of an exaggeration.)
I wheel him up on deck. I show him around, take him to visit the other boys, get him ice cream from the cafeteria. When he gets bored of thinking of things to do, we just sit on the deck and talk.
"Hey Leah?" he says. "I don't think I have much longer." He admits. I gape at him, shocked by his confession.
"What the hell are you talking about? Of course you do, you've been doing great!" I object.
"No I'm not. I feel like complete and total shit, my heart's been speeding up and slowing down all day, I've had to have my heart restarted three times, I'm black and blue from head to toe. Face it Leah, my days are numbered."
"Please don't say that Sam," I plead.
"Leah, I know it'a a lot to ask, but can you look after Eric for me after I'm gone?" I feel my eyes beginning to water. "He's my best friend."
"Sure Sam. I can do that." I finally choke out. He smiles.
"Thank you." The two of us watch in silence as the sun goes down. "It sure is beautiful" He comments. I nod. After the sun goes down, I wheel him back to the infirmary and put him in bed. He's asleep before his head hits the pillow.
That night, one heart monitor sped up. One heart monitor sped up for ten seconds, then stopped all together. That night, one boy had to sit by and watch as his brother's heart gave out one last time. The doctor and the nurses did their best to revive him. Used every method they could think of to resuscitate the poor fourteen year old child. They gave their all to try and save the boy, but it was no use. Their efforts were too little, too late. Sam had seen his last sunset.
That night, there was one more child crying, and one more angel in heaven.
Many tears are shed that night. Some for serious reasons, some for silly, childish things. Roger wept for the freedom soon to be taken away from him, Robert for the humanity he lost on the island. Piggy cries for the loss of innocence, Simon and I for the loss of a friend, Ralph for the loss of his legs. And Jack, he cries for his favorite hunting knife, which he just realized he forgot on the beach. But the most terrible of them all are the pained, heart-wrenching tears spilled by Eric over the loss of his beloved friend, his best friend, and his dear brother. Sam.
Aawwww. That's so sad! Me thinks I'm going to cry! This was the hardest chapter to write, I wanted to get it just right, cuz after this there's only one more after this. If you couldn't tell (it wasn't really that clear from that final paragraph) Ralph is now paralyzed from the waist down and Sam died. I couldn't quite figure out what to do to say that Sam died, so I kinda went all William Golding-y. Don't forget, it's not over! I still gots one more chapter in me! An epilogue, so you know what happens to them when they're grown ups. So watch out for the next chapter, I've already got a good start on it!