Chapter 46

Influence

Jeremy was finding it hard to single out anything in his head. He had heard those words from Chloe, he had walked away and then he had found himself in the midst of his thoughts. Lightly he realised that it was probably a stupid thing to walk away from her, but that thought was ran over by every other thought in his head.

Pregnant…

For Jeremy, his relationship with Chloe had taking a peculiar turn. Ever since she woke up from the hospital, miraculously alive and well, with no serious injury, she had started treating him… like a partner, he guessed. She held his opinion to her chest; she had deleted a bunch of people from her phone and had switched up her style.

Pregnant?

Then that oh so wondrous first kiss. Not only that kiss, but those words. I love you. Chloe had completely changed, confusing Jeremy but also pleasing Jeremy. They had grown closer through that injury, they had both promised to uphold their promise from long ago.

Pregnant!

But then this… this… announcement. It obviously wasn't his. The thought that she was having a child from somebody else, when she wasn't even married, when she was this young, wrenched Jeremy's mind in two ways. On one hand, he was furious, mad, angry at her for keeping it from him. But that side was soon reasoned with. After all, she wasn't showing, so she must have found out recently. Perhaps he was even the first person she had told. The other part of his mind felt sorry for her. Sorry that she would have to get rid of it.

But why? Why should she get rid of it?

Disturbed. That was why. Jeremy was disturbed at the thought of raising a child that wasn't his, let alone having a child when he and Chloe weren't even engaged or married. It wouldn't be his blood, it wouldn't be his.

But it would be Chloe's. Would you get rid of her baby?

Of course he couldn't. Jeremy wasn't strong at the best of times, and he didn't even have the courage to suggest that thought to Chloe. And really, on the inside, he felt that there wasn't a problem.

After all, if the baby was that new, then it wouldn't matter who the father was. The baby wouldn't know. I'd be a murderer if I wanted that baby dead.

Jeremy felt something under his feet and he found himself falling down. Roughly landing on his hands, Jeremy found that he had unconsciously walked all the way to waterside. He had tripped over the curb, the water metres in front of him. For a moment, Jeremy was enthralled. The water, so free, no-one could affect it.

Shaking his head, Jeremy stood up and started to walk down the side of the water-edge, hands in his pockets. The main thoughts in his mind were the choices. Should he keep the baby? Should he abandon Chloe? But he couldn't allow her to raise a baby on her own, they were barely adults. Chloe wouldn't be prepared to raise a child on her arm. But it wasn't his.

That doesn't matter.

No… Jeremy figured it didn't. He was just acting stupid now. Walking away? What use was that? At that point, Jeremy decided that he would ask who the father was. If the father was someone who would care, then he'd suggest Chloe move in with that person. But if the father wouldn't care, then he could raise the child as his own. Isn't that the main reason for loving a child? The actual raising of it, rather than the making? That's why people adopted, right? Technically they weren't they're child, but still they loved that child.

Making up his mind, Jeremy pulled out the walkie-talkie. He would contact Chloe and apologize, suggesting they meet back up. Still walking, Jeremy tried to remember what to do again. After all, his thoughts were still manic. Something to do with a code.

While he was thinking, Jeremy didn't realise his foot was heading straight for a thick rope. Almost immediately he tripped, the walkie-talkie hitting the floor with strength and smashing into bits. Jeremy soon followed, his head bouncing off the concrete.

Not unconscious, merely dazed, Jeremy groaned and felt his head, feeling blood trickling beneath his fingers. Blinking away flickers of light in his view he got to his feet and noticed that he had tripped over a heavy petrol canister, the kind used for big boats. Looking around, Jeremy barely registered other bits and pieces of boating equipment. Maybe this was used as a kind of dock for a boat that was out at the moment. Still on his rear end, Jeremy reached up to use the top of the petrol canister to support himself when the canister slipped under the weight.

The canister was pushed to the right, straight into the water. Jeremy stumbled, but stayed on his feet, wondering why the canister was sinking. Somebody obviously filled it up with far too much fuel, not leaving any air-pockets. Jeremy's dazed gaze turned to the unravelling rope. He wondered what the rope was for. Maybe attaching to the boat in harsh weather? His eyes tracked the unravelling rope and realised that the end was tangled in his foot.

That's probably not good…

Jeremy's leg was suddenly wrenched out from under him, sparking pain in Jeremy's brain. For a moment he registered he was free-falling before he slammed into the water. Flapping his arms, Jeremy started to surface when his foot was tugged again. As if an animal had caught him and was pulling him under, Jeremy looked to see the rope was still knotted tightly around his foot, and the canister was sinking quickly. It started to resist but the strength of the canister was stronger than the buoyancy of Jeremy, especially in his now heavy wet clothes.

Even under his daze, Jeremy managed to take a deep breath before he was pulled under the water. He forgot to shut his eyes however, sending dirty water into his eyes, stinging now. Unintentionally, Jeremy gasped with the surprising pain, sending water gushing into his lungs. Now unable to breathe, Jeremy started panicking. He splashed with his arms, but even his finger-tips couldn't reach the top of the water now.

How deep is this water anyway?!

Feeling a horrible pulsing in his head, Jeremy managed to swim down to see his leg. He tugged at the rope, but it was useless. All his strength was gone and he could practically feel the water in his lungs. Slowly, Jeremy felt lightheaded, his lungs burning despite the cold water.

Was this what it was like to drown? It's horrible! What am I saying, of course this is what it's like to drown. I'm drowning, aren't I? I never should have left Chloe…

Chloe?

Chloe!

Somehow renewed by the name, Jeremy regained a tiny bit more energy. He felt his strength tugging at the canister and with glee he felt himself moving up. But he was tugged to a stop yet again. Looking down through blurry eyes and blurry water he saw the canister had stopped on the seabed and only the loose coil of rope was giving him the impression of rising. The rope was now stretched taught.

Chloe! I'm sorry, I should never have walked away… Chloe!

Chloe…

Chl…

XXX

From his place in the area Chloe had set up, Richard was starting to redo files from memory. He liked the room. There was a nice temperature about it, enough computer monitors to send a nerd into a wet dream and comfy chairs. Nothing like a comfy chair.

Every so often he glanced at the monitors of the trackers, since that was part of his job. He wasn't going to just ignore one job for another. It was on his third glance that he noticed Jeremy's tracker was in the same place as the last two. A spark of panic hit Richard as he noticed that it was in the middle of the water. Jeremy didn't seem the guy to go swimming in New York water. Almost immediately he noticed Chloe was the closest person and called her, sending her to Jeremy. Next he contacted Lisa, who was in the hospital.

Turning his gaze back towards Chloe's tracker, he saw it moving fast, as if she was sprinting.

XXX

Chloe was sprinting. Sprinting as fast as her legs could take her. Adrenaline was coursing through her body, wondering what the hell had happened to Jeremy. That Richard fellow had said that the tracker wasn't moving and she should check it out. As she sprinted, Chloe tried to contact Jeremy but couldn't even get a tone.

What had happened!

Richard had said he was by the docks, near a named building. Chloe had gone straight to the water-edge and run down the edge, taking in the names of the building. Eventually she found the indicated one and turned to the water looking for anything.

She peered closer to the water and only a very basic shadow made her heart leap into her mouth. Without even a thought she pulled off her shoes and dived into the water with grace she didn't even know she had. Feeling the dirty water pushing past her, Chloe forced her eyes open. Only a few feet down she spotted the tousled hair.

Jeremy!

Chloe swam further down, seeing the rope tied around his leg. Jeremy himself had his eyes shut, looking…

Don't you dare even think that, Chloe!

Instead, Chloe looked at the knot that had formed around the leg and saw that she wouldn't be able to get through it. Nor did she have any sort of cutting device on her. Panicking, knowing as the seconds ticked away Jeremy could die, or he already could-

Just get him free, he is NOT dead, he can't be!

Glad she was a good swimmer, Chloe got to the canister that was lodged in mud and muck. She almost breathed in a gasp of relief as the knot around the canister was already half-loosened, maybe by Jeremy's struggles. A few seconds passed and the knot came free.

Straight away Chloe kicked upwards, grabbing Jeremy around the waist and continued to kick upwards, struggling with the added weight. It seemed like more than a few seconds when she burst out of the water. Managing to get the bedraggled Jeremy onto the concrete, she climbed up after him and knelt down next to him. He wasn't breathing. Chloe panicked and starting testing for a pulse.

There was none.

XXX

Given the message from Richard, Lisa immediately knew what had happened. She had gotten a bad feeling from the conversation with Lukas. After Nick needled him, she managed to get him to reveal the feeling he got from the magazine, followed by the thick smell of gas he had. Those were most definitely clues.

Being in general good shape and in good mind, Lisa had left Nick behind, rushing for the water-side. Using the walkie-talkie to keep in contact with Richard, she was guided to the trackers. As she turned a corner onto the water-side, she saw in the distance two figures. Both drenched, one kneeling and the other flat on his back.

"I got 'em." Lisa breathed into the walkie-talkie before getting more speed. She started slowly as she reached the two and finally stopped, knowing it was too late.

Chloe was crying, her tears mixing with the sea water. She was pumping Jeremy's chest, before breathing into his mouth.

Good tactic, but it's no use. You can't recover the dead who were chosen by Death. Lisa shook her head sadly, only able to watch as Chloe breathing into Jeremy's mouth again and continued pumping.

"Come on, come on, come on! Please, don't do this… come on!" Chloe was pleading. "You can't leave me, not now, not never… you promised! You promised! Jeremy!" Lisa was about to step in to tell her to give it up when a breath of air sent shivers down her spine. Knowing something like that shouldn't be taken lightly, Lisa almost felt scared at whatever was about to happen.

However, instead of fear, Lisa was taken aback by shock and surprise.

After another pump of Jeremy's chest, Jeremy suddenly spluttered, water spitting from his mouth. Chloe gave a cry of glee and wrapped her arms around Jeremy's torso. Jeremy's eyes started registering what was happening as Chloe wept into his shoulder.

Lisa was completely blank, unable to believe what had just happen.

That's impossible, that's completely impossible! But… didn't this happen before? Didn't Chloe survive when she was meant to die? …The hell influence on life and death does Chloe have?!

A/N: Thanks to Gabe's-Girl-Forever and Bookreader2010 for your reviews! Y'know I appreciate them! Next chapter's a fun chapter, so look forward to that one!

'Till then!