"Come on don't you dare give up!" Berto yelled as he kept trying to get Jessie's heart going again. But nothing happened and he started to give up hope. Soon he sat back and to Shock's surprise his shoulders began to shake.
"Berto?" Shock asked and was taken aback to see tears running down his face. Quickly hovering in front of his face, Shock shook Berto's shoulder. "Get a grip!" He yelled at the scientist who finally looked up at the Ultralink.
"What's the point? She's gone and the last thing I did was yell at her and tell her she was a nuisance." Berto sniffed. "I'm so sorry Jessie I didn't mean it." He started to sob and Shock, knowing he needed his help, sent a spark of Turbo energy at his friend's hand. With a yelp he suddenly glanced up at his friend.
"Stop freaking out for a second and save her!" Shock yelled and Berto stared at the Ultralink. More than a little surprised he nodded and made another attempt to bring his friend back. After a few more seconds of trying it still seemed hopeless and he had just about accepted that she was lost. Leaning over he placed his head on her chest, feeling fresh tears threaten. Then something happened. At first he thought he was hearing things when he heard a noise. But before he lifted his head Berto heard it again and this time there was no mistaking the sound; it was a heartbeat. Weak but there nonetheless and that gave him hope. For the third time in minutes he started CPR again, more determined than ever.
"Jessie?" He whispered and when she finally took a breath he couldn't help but let out a sob. But even though she was breathing again Jessie remained unconscious so Shock quickly linked with the Turbo cycle.
"We have to get her back to N-Tek like now." Shock called out and Berto gently scooped up his friend, carrying her over to the cycle. Holding Jessie, Berto realized he wouldn't be able to control the Turbo cycle at the same time so Shock decided to take full control. Within minutes they arrived back and Berto stood up, still cradling his friend's limp body. The moment he detached Shock flew away at top speed to find help while Berto carried Jessie towards the Medical Bay. Not being as strong as Max, Berto was struggling to walk the distance between the entrance and the Medical Bay when he saw Max and Steel come running.
"What happened?" Steel asked as Max offered to help him but Berto shrugged him off. Unfortunately he didn't get far on his own when his legs gave up and he almost dropped Jessie. "I just want to help you." Max said and Berto finally accepted his help. Now carrying Jessie, Max led the way. By the time they got to their destination help had arrived.
"Set her down on the bed." Kat said and after Max did so she checked Jessie's pulse and heart rate. "She's barely breathing and her heart rate's dangerously low. What happened to her?"
"She got upset and ran away. When we went after her, she got angry and her Turbo powers went wild. After they vanished she collapsed and when I tried to wake her up…" Berto told them and suddenly he looked down at the floor, unable to tell them the rest.
"Her heart had stopped and she wasn't breathing. We…thought she was dead." Shock finished and he saw Berto clench and unclench his hand, trying hard not to break down. Looking shocked no one spoke.
"What's going to happen to her?" Max asked and Kat looked up from the computer.
"We keep monitoring her and hope she pulls through. There's not much else we can do other than that. It's going to be touch and go for the next few hours as we wait for her to pull through. I'm sorry there's nothing else I can do for her." Kat told them and Berto closed his eyes. When Forge, Jefferson and Kat left Shock looked at Max and Steel.
"Should we stay or…?" Max asked as he looked at his friend, still struggling with something.
"Maybe we should go." Steel said and eventually they left, heading home. As soon as they were gone, Shock flew over to Berto.
"Are you going to be alright?" He asked the scientist. When he didn't answer he placed a hand on a friend's shoulder. "There's nothing we can do for now. Maybe you should take a break."
"It won't help." Berto finally muttered. When Shock realized that nothing he said or did would help whatever the scientist was feeling he left. The second the Ultralink left, Berto's legs finally gave out and he fell to his knees.
"I shouldn't…have…said what I…said to you. I am so, so sorry for hurting you and making you think…that I hated you. Please don't give up." Berto whispered to Jessie's motionless form. When he finally stood he grabbed a chair and brought it over, nearly falling into it. Watching his friend for a few minutes he reached over and took her hand. Finding himself alone, except for his unconscious friend, Berto finally let out all the pain and sorrow he'd felt ever since Jessie had collapsed. As his pain-filled cries echoed throughout the hallway, anyone who heard it stopped for a moment and wondered just what had happened to make someone cry out like that. Eventually Berto leaned over and rested his head on Jessie. Exhausted from everything Berto felt his eyelids closing and he stopped fighting, soon falling asleep. When Kat came past to check Jessie an hour later she found the young scientist resting his head and upper body on his friend. Cracking a smile she checked Jessie for any sign of improvement then left the two of them alone. Sometime later Berto moved his head, still half asleep, when he heard someone walk in. When he opened his eyes he saw Kat taking Jessie's pulse.
"Sorry if I woke you. I was just checking on Jessie." She told him as he sat up, rubbing his eyes.
"How is she?" He asked her and from the frown on her face, he knew.
"Still the same. I'm sorry I don't have any good news." Kat answered and Berto sighed.
"It's okay. Maybe she just needs some more rest. Is it alright if I stay with her?" Berto asked and Kat nodded, before leaving the room. Once she left Berto looked down at his friend. "You're sure taking your sweet time waking up, aren't you?" He said, trying to smile and when he got no answer, he sighed. "Please wake up." When she didn't respond he sat beside her and reached over to take her hand in his. "If you can hear me, squeeze my hand." Again she didn't react and Berto closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to stop him from breaking down again. Sitting beside her Berto wondered what he could do to help his friend. While he sat down Shock flew in, startling him.
"Oops sorry Berto. I wanted to see Jessie." Shock said and Berto tried to smile. "No change huh?" He added and Berto exhaled.
"Yeah she's still the same. At least she's…" Suddenly Berto stopped, looking depressed. Flying over Shock hovered over Jessie and brought up a visual.
"Her heart's still beating and she's breathing so we should count ourselves lucky." He said before the visual disappeared. "You did a great job saving her." He added and Berto just shrugged slightly. Noticing that Berto looked miserable he sighed and tried to work out what to do. "Why don't you take a break? I can watch over her for a while." To Shock's surprise Berto shook his head and that made the Ultralink worry. "You look really worn out. Seriously I can keep an eye on her." When Berto finally looked at him Shock was stunned to see how red Berto's eyes were. After a long argument Berto finally agreed to go back to his room and lie down for a while. The second he left, Shock rolled his eye.
"That guy's as stubborn as you. But of course you already know that, huh?" He said, realizing that his partner was still unconscious. "And here's the Ultralink expecting an answer from someone out cold." Sighing to himself, he linked with his friend. After a moment he attempted to get through to her. "I wish you could see how scared we all are of losing you. Why did you lash out like that? I understand that you're hurting from losing your mom and losing parts of your memory but you need to know that you're not alone. We're all here beside you. Besides Berto's really hurting now. He thinks that you…being hurt is his fault. So please get better soon, okay?" A short time later he detached and hovered just above the seat Berto had vacated. Now watching over his friend, he crossed his fingers (or would have if he'd had fingers) hoping Jessie would be okay.
Back in his room Berto was now sitting on his bed, unable to keep from thinking that his friend would ever wake again. He didn't want to dwell on those thoughts but they kept coming into his head no matter what he did. Soon he remembered that he'd promised to take her out Saturday and that made him feel awful. She probably won't even be conscious by Saturday; he thought to himself then hurriedly shook his head. Trying to take his mind off that thought he wondered what he could do to make it up to his friend. Thinking for a few minutes he came up with the perfect idea. But as he was going over his idea in his head, Berto found he could barely keep his eyes open. Lying down he soon fell asleep.
Over the next few days Jessie remained unconscious. No matter how many times they checked on her, she stayed in the same state. Making sure to link with her every few hours, Shock couldn't help noticing that Berto was spending most of his time either in his lab or checking on his friend. After a while Shock also noticed that he seemed to be working on something but when he tried to ask Berto refused to tell him saying it was a 'secret', whatever that was. From time to time Kat checked on Jessie and to her surprise she found that the young Turbo user was actually improving one morning.
"Hmm heart rate's steady and her pulse seems a lot stronger." She said to Forge who nodded. "Maybe she'll wake up." As they stood there, looking down at Jessie, they both wondered how Berto was. At the same time Berto was putting the last touches on his project. Just as he finished it Shock flew in and he quickly set it aside, turning to greet the Ultralink.
"Hey Berto. I just heard some great news." He said and when he told the scientist, Berto smiled.
"When will Jessie wake up?" Berto asked and Shock shrugged. Sighing he asked Shock if he wanted to go and see Jessie. With a nod they headed for the Medical Bay and found Jessie lying on the bed. Walking over Berto placed a hand on her head and gently ran his hand through her hair. "I wonder if she knows we're here." He said as Shock hovered next to the bed.
"I really don't know. I hope she can." Shock replied as Berto sat beside her. "What would you say if she could?" He asked, curious and Berto sighed as he stroked her cheek.
"I'd probably tell her that I miss her. That I feel awful that she's lying there, unconscious, and I can't do a thing to help her. And I wish I'd never argued with her before…" He said as he felt his shoulders shake. "And that I'm sorry I hurt her." He added as he sniffed.
"She'll be okay." Shock said though he wasn't completely sure that his friend had heard him. When he didn't answer Shock decided to check his friend again. But as he was about to bring up an image of her vitals he thought he heard a noise. "Berto did you hear something?" He asked his friend who didn't seem to hear him, focused on his friend. Rolling his eye tried to get Berto's attention. Finally Berto looked up at the Ultralink, not hiding his red eyes.
"What?" He asked Shock who pointed to Jessie. Puzzled he was about to ask what he wanted when Berto heard something too. And it seemed to be coming from Jessie. Leaning down to her level he listened and when he didn't hear the noise again he sighed. "Maybe I'm hearing things." He muttered and was about to lift his head when he heard something again. It sounded almost like a sigh and it instantly snapped him out of his misery as he took Jessie's hand and spoke to her.
"Can you hear me?" He whispered and after a long silence he felt something. "Jessie?" He whispered and that's when he felt her give his hand a weak squeeze. Encouraged by this he watched her. Soon he saw her eyelids flicker and then they slowly opened.
My vision blurry I opened my eyes to see two people watching me. When I blinked and my vision cleared I saw Berto and Shock. I tried to speak and when I couldn't get a word out, I coughed instead.
"Hey take it easy." Berto said as he held my hand and I managed a smile. After a moment I managed to speak.
"Where…am I?" I whispered and to my surprise I saw silent tears start running down Berto's cheeks. "Why…are you…crying?" I asked and that's when his head drooped and he began to sob. Confused I looked at Shock who told me something that completely shocked me.
"You were…dead for a few seconds." He told me and my eyes went wide. "That's why Berto's upset." He added as Berto continued to sob. Reaching up I managed to wrap an arm around his neck and gently pull him towards me. With his head resting on my chest Berto sobbed and I stroked his hair.
"No wonder…he's so upset." I said as he buried his head. "Shh it's okay." I whispered but that only made him cry harder. As I stroked his hair I looked up at Shock.
"You were unconscious for days and we weren't sure if…you would make it or not." Shock told me and I sighed, looking at Berto. Just then he lifted his head and managed to speak.
"I'm…so sorry. I didn't mean…"That's as far as he got before he buried his head again. Puzzled I looked at Shock.
"He thinks you collapsing was his fault. And he's sorry for getting mad at you." Shock explained and I sighed, looking down at Berto. "I tried telling him that he's not to blame but…" Nodding slightly I asked what had happened since I'd been unconscious. "Well Kat's been checking up on you every few hours and I've linked with you. You know, so you don't go boom." He added and I managed a weak laugh. "And Berto's been pretty much here or in his lab."
"Poor guy." I whispered and that's when I noticed how quiet he was. "Berto?" I said, looking at him. And that's when I noticed that he'd fallen asleep. Reaching over I stroked his cheek but he didn't respond.
"No wonder he's exhausted. He…hasn't been himself. He's missed you. I've missed you." Shock told me and I smiled at him.
"I'm sorry that I worried everyone but I'm okay now. And I'll never leave again." I told Shock who nodded and was caught off guard when I pulled him into a hug. When I let go he pretended to be annoyed though I could tell he was happy.
"Do you want me to get Kat?" Shock asked and I nodded. When he left I yawned and found myself utterly exhausted. Soon I found myself falling asleep and by the time everyone showed up I was fast asleep. It wasn't until several hours later that I heard a noise outside in the hallway and that woke me up.
"Huh…what's that sound?" I muttered as I went to sit up, soon finding that to be impossible when I found Berto using me as a pillow. As I lay there I remembered doing the same thing to him once before and that made me smile. Reaching over I gently stroked his hair while I watched him sleep as I wondered just how long I'd been unconscious. "It must have been a really long time." I said out aloud and Berto moved his head slightly, still asleep. "I'm sorry I made you worry about me." I whispered and he shifted slightly, burying his head and mumbling something that I couldn't understand. Trying not to laugh I ran my hand through his hair again. After a few minutes I began to get drowsy so I decided to go back to sleep. Sometime later I heard someone walking around the room and when I opened my eyes I found Kat looking down at me.
"Hey sorry to wake you." She said as she gently took my wrist, apparently taking my pulse. "How do you feel?"
"Pretty good for someone who was legally dead for almost a minute?" I answered, trying to find some humor in the situation. "Heh sorry my sense of humor hasn't quite recovered yet." I added when Kat didn't laugh.
"Your heart rate's a lot stronger than a few hours ago and your pulse is steady. You're one lucky girl." Kat told me and I smiled.
"I still feel lightheaded but other than that I'm fine. Not sure about Berto though." I commented, lifting my head to check on him. To my amazement he hadn't even stirred. "He seemed upset when he and Shock were in here earlier."
"He's been working pretty hard lately. Plus he has checked up on you every day." Kat told me and I sighed. "I'm glad he's finally getting some rest." Taking her hand off my arm she asked if I need anything.
"Probably water." I answered and giving me a nod Kat left us. After she did I looked over at Berto who had apparently decided I was a cushion. "You know you're pretty cute when you're sleeping." I said and he moved his head slightly, making me wonder just how long he was planning on sleeping. "It's not every day a cute guy uses me as a cushion. Not that I mind." Even when Kat returned a few minutes later with a glass of water Berto still hadn't woken and I giggled, making Kat raise an eyebrow at me.
"Did I miss the joke?" She asked me as she handed the glass to me.
"Not really. I'm just impressed that he's managed to sleep through everything. Including whatever that noise was earlier." I replied before I took a sip of water. Thinking for a moment Kat knew what I meant.
"Oh that noise. That was Max and Steel using the training room. They didn't wake you did they?" She told me and I shook my head.
"No actually I didn't wake up until a while later." I replied. "Hey I'm not keeping you from anything am I?" I asked Kat.
"I suppose I should be getting back. Will you be okay for a while?" Kat said and I gave her a nod. Before she left I gave her the glass and she set it down on the table within reach. A few minutes later I glanced across at Berto. "Wakey wakey Berto." I said but he only made a noise in his throat, apparently refusing to wake up. Knowing he wasn't going to wake up until he wanted to so I gave up and decided to get some more rest myself. Closing my eyes I soon drifted off.