Sharp pain pulled Brandon back to reality. The surface on which he was lying felt hard and uneven. He considered trying to sit up, but the sensations running between his right shoulder and his chest were bad enough when he wasn't trying to move. With determination he forced his eyelids to flicker, and confusion wracked his mind. Brandon had no idea where he was, or how he'd gotten there. He felt vaguely as if he was trapped inside a dark hole through which the faint overhead lighting barely penetrated. His head was throbbing under the material that had been firmly bound around it, and Brandon could tell that he'd been bleeding.
"James?" A tight voice spoke.
"Where's Kat?" Brandon murmured groggily, immediately thinking of his sister when he heard the nickname.
"Brandon," his companion said firmly. "Talk to me. Give me some sign you're in there."
Brandon squinted at the shadowed figure beside him, and the pieces of the puzzle began to assemble. "Director. Where are we?"
"Close to the ground floor of the Civic Center, I imagine. I'm only guessing, mind you. Are you all right, Brandon? Can you feel everything?"
"I feel plenty, and I don't like most of it," he mumbled.
"Do you want some help sitting up?"
Brandon gasped in pain as his boss tried to support him under his arms. "Wait," he said breathlessly. "That hurts."
"Sorry, Brandon. My hands are off."
Brandon clenched his eyes shut as he took a deep breath and opened them again. "It was another aftershock, wasn't it?"
"I don't know what else it could have been. I hate to think about what could have happened to that elevator the way the stairs gave out under us."
Brandon groaned quietly as he propped himself up on his good arm to look around. "Are we...we're trapped, aren't we? Is there a way out?"
Matthew rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Not that I can tell, James. I was a bit dazed for a while too, then I searched our immediate area. There's a lot of rubble, and not much else. I don't know how much of the building actually survived."
Please stop while you're ahead, he pleaded inwardly. Let me live under the illusion that we've got some kind of hope. Brandon grunted as he struggled into a sitting position. "We're not just going to lie down and die, are we?"
"I'd rather not, James, but I think we're probably stuck until someone comes for us."
"We can't wait for them," Brandon said doggedly. He swallowed deeply as he heard the sound of raining debris striking the floor. "Things are still coming down? For all we know, the whole building might be ready to collapse on us. We have to find a way out!"
"I'm all for escaping, Brandon. I'm just telling you I couldn't find a way through. The only thing I can figure is to go straight up. I don't know about you, but I don't have a tow-cable in my back pocket."
Me neither, but I know some guys who do.
Brandon worked his way onto to his knees, and Matthew was waiting to steady him as he got to his feet. He stumbled as he rested weight on his ankles, and Kelley supported him as carefully as he could. Brandon peered at his boss closely. The dark abrasions stood out like a sore thumb on Kelley's forehead, telling the story of his boss's fall.
"Are you hurt badly, Sir?"
Kelley shook his head. "I don't think so. I knocked my head and I've got some pain in my side, but nothing I can't handle. You were like a rag-doll when we hit - I'm surprised you can move at all. I was worried you could have broken your neck."
"Close, but no cigar," Brandon said ruefully.
Brandon's gaze shifted to take a deeper look at the "hole" in which they were sitting. He took a couple of faltering steps, tracing his hand over the first obstacle he encountered. He pressed his good arm against the rock experimentally, but it wasn't budging. He followed along the edge of the debris line, traveling half the radius of the obstacle until he found a portion he thought he might be able to climb over.
Using one arm would make it much more difficult, but he'd never been a quitter, and he wasn't going to start now. Brandon slowly scaled a couple of feet through the concrete and metal, pausing his advance when a flash of pain in his chest nearly blinded him.
"I've been this way, Brandon!" Kelley called urgently. "I'm telling you - you won't get through!"
He didn't want to take his word for it. Brandon stubbornly climbed further, determined to keep pushing weakened limbs further than it felt like they should be able to go. Brandon hadn't even made it half-way when tremors overtook him, and he nearly collapsed face down.
He struggled to hold onto something solid with his usable arm, to keep himself from stumbling backwards. Brandon teetered unsteadily while he tried to get a better look around at their surroundings from where he was.
Kelley must be right. Brandon sighed heavily. There's no obvious way out of this hole except straight up.
Brandon swore as the enormity of their predicament washed over him, and he suddenly felt dizzier. It seemed like he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. His tilting equilibrium made him feel like he could pass out at any moment, but if he tried to climb down or let go of the concrete, he was certain he'd fall. Brandon heard something shifting on the pile behind him, and he looked down to see Kelley climbing.
Matthew's arms circled around his waist. "C'mon, Brandon. Let's get down before you hit you hit your head again."
He didn't fight Kelley's grip; he was actually grateful that the man had come to retrieve him. When Brandon was safely on the floor, his gaze traveled back up through the ruined levels above them, focusing on the emergency lights that were far out of reach.
It doesn't get much more helpless than this, does it? We're trapped here, unless someone miraculously discovers us before the roof caves in. I wonder how long we actually have before that could happen.
"I'm sorry we're stuck, James," Kelley said hoarsely.
Brandon glanced at him in confusion. "How is this your fault, Sir?"
"It's not about fault, Son. I want to try and stay positive, but if we don't get out, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. There's a lot more life left for you to experience," he added wistfully.
Brandon stared at the man as if he'd sprouted a second head. "We're not dead, Sir, and I'd rather not talk like that yet."
Matthew massaged his temples as if he were in pain. "I shouldn't have been here. My wife asked me to come home this morning, and I didn't do it. 'Give me one more day', I said. 'It looks better for someone like me to be close to the action', I said. I was only thinking about appearances. It wasn't even about helping anyone else, or taking care of my family. Just my stupid pride. I never deserved Ellen to start with - she was always too good for me. I wouldn't feel so bad if it was only me stranded down here."
Brandon's mind was spinning again, but not because he was dizzy. The images of framed photographs from Kelley's office were running through his head. The smiling teenage girl, the young man in his cap and gown, and the image of the entire family laughing with mouths open wide.
Kelley is talking like we're not getting out. He already thinks it's probably over for us. Rescuers could still reach us in time, but he's right. We don't know how badly the rest of the building was damaged. Brandon looked up as a falling glass just missed his arm. Or how long the ceiling is going to stay above us.
Brandon stared at the watch on his right wrist. The timepiece was unscathed. The display lit up when he hit the button to illuminate it, and his left hand hovered over the wristband as he considered the panic button.
I have another option, of course, but I don't know if I should use it. The guys would come in a heartbeat, but it would mean possibly exposing them to a lot of people, not to mention the danger the building proposes. I'm not sure if I should do this. I don't know if it's worth that. Brandon's gaze returned to Kelley, and he watched his boss rock back and forth. I could probably save both of our lives, and all I have to do is hit this button. I could also be condemning the guys to death or discovery in some futile attempt to save us. I don't want to risk it, not just so I can get out.
But the thought of Kelley's family and his own loved ones wouldn't be pushed aside so easily. If it was someone else trapped in here I would kill them for holding back, but it feels different to be on this side. The pressure is unbelievable.
He lowered his head into his hands and breathed in and out painfully. The idea of someone like Kelley seeing the guys is terrifying. Brandon shivered at the thought. He could end up being more dangerous to them than any of the enemies they've ever faced.
"Brandon?" Kelley spoke, almost as if he knew what he was thinking. "I'm sorry for talking that way. There's still hope for us, right? As long as we're alive and kicking, there's no reason to give up."
Brandon warred with guilt while he nodded. So do I intentionally let someone else die because I don't trust him with the biggest secret of our lives? I don't know if I could live with myself for that...not that I'd have to, he added bleakly.
"Say something, will you?" Kelley pleaded. "You're worrying me, James. Are you still with me?"
"I'm here," Brandon acknowledged. "I'm just thinking...trying to figure something out."
"You're really close with your family, aren't you, Brandon?"
"Just with my sisters," he said quietly. "They're all that's left of my real family. Moving to New York is the best thing I could have done. I've gotten more out of it than I ever imagined I could."
"Like what, James? Keep talking to me."
He's afraid of my head injury, Brandon realized. "Well, there's Luke and Reina...and I have some incredible friends who have become like brothers to me."
"Yeah, there's Greg too, huh? What about your other sister, Karina? Wasn't she pregnant awhile back?"
The question stopped Brandon cold. "She was...I...you saw Karina?"
"Several months ago, it must have been close to a year. Ran across her at a gas station, of all places. She must have had the kid by now."
Brandon held his breath. "Yes, she did."
"So you've got another niece or nephew?"
"Niece," he replied automatically.
"Is she healthy? Two nieces, huh? I bet they'll enjoy each other."
He's really trying to keep me talking. "The babies are perfect, and my sisters are great. They've never been better." Wish I was with them right now.
"I'm glad for Katherine that she found happiness with Luke and has started her own family. There's nothing more important than that, Brandon. You might enjoy being a bachelor, but there's so much more waiting for you. Holding the woman you love, picking up your little girl, watching your kids grow up before your eyes...Promise me you'll keep looking for a woman like that, James. No matter how much trouble they might feel like, I'm telling you, the right girl is worth it."
Brandon's eyes landed on his watch again. The guys deserve the chance to make their own decision about whether we can be saved or not...and Kelley deserves a chance to live.
Before he could talk himself out of it, he depressed the panic button.