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Chapter 5
Night had fallen on the streets. Only an owl could be heard, its sad song echoing through the darkness.
Colleen sat by Atlantis' bedside, sponging her friend's forehead with cold water. During the evening, Atlantis' fever had come back, torturing her body for hours now. Dr. Mike gave her every medicine she could, the only hope left was willow bark tea and trying to bring her fever down with sponging.
Dr. Mike watched her daughter taking care of her friend. She could see that Colleen was exhausted.
«Colleen?» Dr. Mike gently touched her daughter's shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze, «Colleen, go get some rest.»
«I can't leave her, Ma,» whispered Colleen. «What if she gets even worse?»
«I'll watch over her,» assured Dr. Mike. «Go, get some rest.»
Colleen looked at her mother and nodded.
«All right…But, only under one condition.»
«What's that?» asked Michaela.
«That when I get up, you go get some sleep,» were Colleen's words. Dr. Mike warmly smiled and nodded. Taking the sponge from her daughter's hands, she sat down on Atlantis' bedside.
~*~
Matthew was still sitting in the waiting room. Some time ago, Heart had come to take the boy, but the little one didn't want to go. Finally, Sully was able to convince Heart that her grandson would be just fine and that she should go to get some rest.
Matthew noticed the look that Heart gave him; she wasn't pleased about leaving Atlantis' son with him. Why? He didn't know.
It'd been already two hours since Heart left. The boy was still asleep when the doors of the recovery room opened and Colleen stepped out. Seeing her brother in the hallway confused her.
«Matthew? What are you doing here?» she asked.
«How is she?» was Matthew's reply.
«She developed a fever again.» Creasing her eyebrows, Colleen added, «But, Matthew…» It was then that she noticed the sleeping boy in her brother's arms and silently asked, «Who's that?»
«Atlantis' son.» He paused for a second, than added, «Matthew.» Colleen's eyes went wide in surprise and she gasped. Matthew glared intently at his sister as he asked her, «Did you know that she was coming?»
Taking in a deep breath, Colleen sat down beside her brother, watchful that she didn't wake up little Matthew.
«She sent me a letter about one and a half month ago. It was the first letter from her after five years. She asked about all of you and I told her…about Ingrid.» The last two words were barely audible and Colleen swallowed as she saw the pain flickering in her brother's eyes. «Matthew…,» she tried to explain, but he interrupted her, gently placing the little boy in her arms.
«Put him in bed, I don't want him to catch a cold.» As he saw Colleen's eyes filling with tears, his facial expression softened and he silently said, «It's all right, Colleen.»
«I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…,» she started talking again, but Matthew interrupted her this time as well, putting an arm around her shoulders and kissing her on the hair just above her forehead like he did so many times ever since Colleen could remember. Giving him a sad smile, she took the sleeping child in the room next to Atlantis to tuck him in.
Matthew watched his sister dissapearing behind the door with Atlantis' son. As the door closed, he leaned against the wall, closing his eyes. This hallway held so many sad memories that never stopped haunting him. The same room where Dr. Mike was now treating Atlantis was the room where he lost his Ma and Ingrid.
Letting out a laboured breath, he stepped away from the wall and started to pace along the hallway. There was nothing he could do now – except wait.
~*~
It was silent on the streets of Colorado Springs and the only lamp that was on was in the recovery room in Dr. Mike's clinic.
Matthew stared out of the window, looking in the distance. Now and then he gazed at the door of the recovery room, wondering why Dr. Mike hadn't come out yet.
He paced again up and down the hallway, and after the third time, he decided that he had enough. Determinedly, he pressed down the door knob and slowly opened the door.
His eyes fell on Dr. Mike who was asleep in her chair, right beside the bed. Stepping inside the room, Matthew took a blanket and covered his Ma.
It was than that his eyes stopped on a pale young woman laying in the bed.
Atlantis.
The memories of their meeting crossed his mind. She taught him how to walk on the wire, and he could still remember her sincere smile as he made it for the first time. He swallowed at the next memory: how he pushed her hand away from him in fear and she said with a hint of sarcasm and sadness in her voice, «Don't worry, it's not contagious.»
He remembered Colleen telling him back than that Atlantis had cut her fingers and then silently added that her friend was in love with him.
His eyes filled with tears as he recalled Ingrid asking him to go and talk to her.
And he still remembered their last conversation. He still remembered what he told her…
«If I wasn't…you know – engaged… I would be honoured to have somebody as special like you to like me.»
The smile that he got in a response and a sparkle in her eyes told him that with that one line he made her feel special for the first time in her life.
He didn't think that he would ever see Atlantis again. He remembered Colleen keeping in touch with her for some time, and how all of a sudden she stopped writing. He still remembered his sister's despair and her fear that something might have happened to her dear friend. The whole family had tried to find Atlantis and Heart, but without success.
And now, all of a sudden, they were here… She was back here.
Matthew stepped closer and noticed a few nasty bruises on Atlantis' face. His heart broke when her son's words came back to his mind, "Mummy is very sick. My Pa found us again and he hurt Ma. He would hurt me too like he did before, but Mummy yelled to me to run and I did. I hid in the bushes near our house until he was gone."
Taking a chair, he sat down opposite from Dr. Mike, careful not to wake her. Gently, he moved away one brown lock that had fallen on Atlantis' forehead.
«What happened to you, Atlantis?» he whispered, watching her face bathed in sweat from the fever, trying to answer the question himself. How did she end up with such a violent man and why hadn't Heart done anything before Atlantis got so sick?
Matthew didn't even realize that his hands took a hold of Atlantis'. He became aware of that just when her dry lips moved and she whispered in her sleep, «Matthew…»