Chapter 45

Confession

Inserting a coin into the vending machine, Lukas watched blankly as the spiral unfurled to drop an orange juice. Receiving it in one hand, he used to other to rub his dark-ringed eyes. His sleeping patterns had been haphazard and full of nightmares. Mostly they were dominated by evil laughs and grins, but sometimes people from his past invaded his mind. His mother with a needle in her arm, his father collapsed in a pool of blood on the barroom floor. Then they rose from their death-places to grab at him with cold and clammy hands.

Shaking his head, Lukas inwardly groaned. The last thing he needed was to start having day-mares. As he walked down the hospital corridor he pulled the straw from the side of the carton and poked it into the tin foil hole. Despite the fact he wasn't feeling hungry or thirsty, he forced himself to drink the fluid. He hadn't drunk anything that day so far so he knew he needed liquid in him. Something with a sharp taste so he would actually realise he was drinking it. Water was just bland at this point.

He knew it was unhealthy, but it wasn't his fault. He had been practically comatose the first few days after the crash because of shock, and every day since he had been by Dominika's side as often as he could be. He figured his lack of sleep and sustenance was part worry for Dominika, anger against Joshua, but mostly it was being back in New York.

Lukas had wanted to leave and had managed it, but then Willingboro had happened. Now he found himself back in the same hospital where he watched his father's body get wheeled away. Sighing and opening the door into Dominika's private room, he sat down in his familiar seat and looked to Dominika.

She was propped up on a bunch of pillows, having looked up at the sound of the door.

"Hey Lukas." She smiled.

"Hey." Lukas replied, shaking his head slightly at Dominika's attitude. He was mystified at why she was so happy-go-lucky, even after losing the use of her legs. He expected her to be solemn and angry at Joshua, just like he was, but no, when she woke up she was all happy and joking. At the thought of Joshua, Lukas' fist involuntarily squeezed tight. It had been like that for the last two weeks. It was a foreign feeling to Lukas, who hardly got angry.

Dominika's smile faltered somewhat as she looked at Lukas. "Can you still not get to sleep?"

"I try." Lukas shrugged.

"Still having nightmares?"

Lukas sighed and nodded.

"You poor thing." Dominika reached out a hand and stroked a spot just above his ear, her fingers running over his bristly black hair.

"You shouldn't be worried about me." Lukas grunted. "Have you got a scheduled time for surgery, yet?"

Dominika shook her head. X-Ray's had shown that due to the crushed section of spine she needed to get some of the loose shards out. A back-up of operations meant she was confined to a bed until the surgery was available. "Still back-logged." Dominika reached for something on the cabinet and brought out a magazine of some kind. "Hey, look at this." Dominika suddenly winced and dropped the magazine. It fluttered to the floor, landing face down. "Ow… damn…" Dominika muttered. "I can't even stretch properly otherwise those damn shards dig into nerves."

Reaching down and picking up the dropped magazine, Lukas noticed an article on: 'Hydrophobia and how to counter the fear of water.' before Dominika spoke up.

"Go to page 23." Dominika pointed. Complying, Lukas opened the corresponding page to see an advertisement for Fiji and the surrounding archipelagos.

"What's this?" Lukas asked.

"That's where I want to go one day. I want to go to an island like that." Dominika smiled. "I mean, after the surgery, after I've recovered as best as I'm able. Obviously, I won't be able to go by myself." Chuckling, Dominika put one hand on her left leg. "Somebody's going to need to push my wheelchair. I want you to come with me, Lukas. It'll be good for us both. You want to leave New York anyway, don't you?"

Lukas started to reply when a sudden smell invaded his nostrils. It was so thick and clogging that he practically gagged, leaning forward and retching. Dominika looked concerned, but didn't have a chance to ask what was up as Lukas stood up and pointed to the door before pushing his way out, holding his mouth all the way.

Outside in the corridor, Lukas put one hand on the wall and tried to keep the orange juice inside of him. Gasping for air, the smell had all but disappeared. Sweating slightly from the sudden panic Lukas put a forearm to his brow, finding it hot.

A sudden hand on his back drew Lukas' attention, along with female words.

"Are you okay?"

Expecting a nurse or doctor, Lukas half-nodded, turning around. Instead of either, he found himself face to face with Lisa. Beside her, looking nervous and pale was Chloe. Lukas took a second to connect Lisa to Joshua before a sudden anger like never before flared through him, almost as strong as the previous smell. An irresistible urge to strike Lisa filled his mind. Insults and curses invaded even the most brightest places in his head. Lukas took a step forward and started to raise his hand. Before he did something he would regret, a small piece of mind forced his other hand to grab the rising hand. Using it to force his shaking hand back down, Lukas shakily nodded a greeting to Lisa and Chloe before stumbling back into Dominika's room.

"Lukas?" Dominika called out, concerned.

Lukas put up a hand to stop her being concerned when the smell hit again, stronger than ever. Lukas noticed wildly that Dominika was obviously not affected when the floor started tilting. Confused, Lukas suddenly realised what the smell was.

Gas!

Before he could register anything else, his legs collapsed from under him and Lukas fell to the ground, his head bouncing off the side of the chair. He slumped unconscious on the floor as Dominika stared in shock. Almost immediately Lisa had appeared in the doorway and headed straight for Lukas.

XXX

It was a full two hours until Lukas regained consciousness. He had found himself in one of the open wards on the first floor, with Lisa sitting to one side. When Lukas was unconscious, Lisa had used a Walkie-Talkie to get Nick and Jeremy inside. Now Nick was standing next to Lisa while Jeremy and Chloe stood together. Occasionally Chloe shot furtive glances towards Jeremy.

"Ah, you're awake." Lisa said with a smile as Lukas' eyes focused around the room. For a moment he registered Lisa before groaning and allowing his head to drop to the pillow. Lisa squeezed her lips together, irritated. "Hey, you may be pissed off with Joshua, but you have no reason to act that way with me."

Lukas just grunted, "You're his mother, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am. Does that mean whatever he did I did?"

"You didn't stop him driving that bus."

"No, I didn't. Nor did you. And if either of us did, we'd all be dead." Lisa leaned in. "Look, no matter how you spin it, being paralyzed waist down is better than being dead. One day you'll realise this and actually get over this playground grudge with Joshua."

Grunting again, Lukas pointedly looked to the side.

"Urgh, you stubborn idiot." Lisa sighed before looking to Nick. "I'm going to need your help getting some answers from him, since he seems not to want to interact with me. You're a policeman, I'm sure you have some techniques." Nick opened his mouth to reply but Lisa had already turned to Chloe. "Hey, why don't you choose now?" Lisa looked to Chloe before glancing to Jeremy.

Taking a deep breath, Chloe nodded. She grabbed Jeremy's arm loosely. "Come on, let's go for a walk."

Before Jeremy could protest, Chloe left Lisa and Nick to Lukas. She led him all the way out of the hospital before stopping.

"What's wrong? You seem in a hurry." Jeremy asked, looking confused.

Chloe just nodded more to herself and started walking up the street. Knowing Chloe was thinking deeply, Jeremy kept quiet as she led him down a couple of streets until they were close to the water side. A couple of streets down they would reach it.

Unusually, the street was all but abandoned. A couple of cars passed, but otherwise Chloe and Jeremy were left alone as they walked down the street. The dark clouds above rumbled ominously; forming while Lukas had been unconscious.

Finally, Chloe stopped outside of an alley and stepped in as if for a tiny bit more privacy. Now intrigued, Jeremy followed her into the dark alley.

"If I didn't know you, I would figure you as a murderer." Jeremy chuckled. Recently he had gotten more confident around Chloe, now able to make jokes. "A dark alley, nervous disposition. Should I worry about a knife on you?"

"Please don't joke." Chloe asked, biting her bottom lip.

Once again sensing Chloe's emotions, Jeremy nodded and grasped one of her hands. "What's wrong, Chloe? Something's obviously on your mind."

If it were the me a month ago, I wouldn't even be having this conversation. I'd be looking for a damn abortion clinic. But this is me of now… oh man… Chloe's thoughts were starting to whirl around her head, almost giving her a head-ache. "Look… these last few weeks… from when I was injured." Chloe put a hand to the injury she had sustained from the fan blade. "I realised to myself my feelings towards you. My real feelings. I've explained some of them to you already, as you know." Chloe paused for a moment. "I…" Chloe was starting to panic. How in the hell was she meant to bring it up? How the hell was she meant to admit it? Chloe was surprised when Jeremy grabbed her other hand and pulled her close, looking into her eyes.

"Just say it, Chloe. It'll be easier than trying for a beginning, middle and end." Jeremy smiled.

Just say it? How will that work? It's not the kind of thing I can just say out of the blue, but then again I'm not getting anywhere just talking. Goddamn it, fine!

"I'm pr-pregnant." Chloe said throatily, feeling her eyes stinging from water. Oh no, I said it, I said it, what will happen? Jeremy doesn't get angry, he won't get angry… but there's a first time for everything, oh god…

Jeremy loosened his grip from Chloe, allowing her hands to fall loosely from the side. For a moment he blinked, slightly cocking his head to the side as if comprehending what she had just said. His big brown eyes were easily showing him registering Chloe's two words. Jeremy suddenly straightened up, looking at a point somewhere over Chloe's head.

"J-Jeremy…" Chloe shivered, a sudden spike of cold wind ruffling her hair and sending goose bumps up her spine. Jeremy was still looking somewhere over her head. "Jeremy, please… what are you… what are you thinking…?"

"I'm not sure." Jeremy replied, quietly. The tone of voice felt like the fan blade had pierced her all over again. Chloe reached out to hold Jeremy's shoulder but Jeremy stepped backwards, allowing her hand to sink down the air. The air itself felt like thick liquid, her hand stopping in mid-air, reaching for Jeremy. "I need to think." Jeremy slowly turned around and started walking.

"Jeremy, we can-"

"Alone." That last word was sharp and struck at Chloe heavily. Losing her voce, Chloe could only watch as Jeremy walked away, her hand still raised in the air, grasping at him. Those words they shared long ago seemed to slip through her fingers and into eternity.

A/N:- Thanks to Bookreader2010 and Gabe's-Girl-Forever!

Alrighty, get ready for some dramatic scenes next chapter, and perhaps even some watery eyes. (While writing the chapters ahead, even I got teary-eyed, and I've killed an unborn baby! (In my Saw fanfic, of course. XD) So look out for that and more!)

Also, I completely forget I was submitting every day, which is why this is a day later than expected XD

'Till next time!