Disclaimer- I don't pretend to own anything related to Red Eye or Beauty and the Beast, etc. Duh. If I did, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be sitting here writing fanfiction to live out some lost fantasy :P

Chapter Eleven

"Beauty and the Beast" – Beauty and the Beast

"Tale as old as time. True as it can be. Barely even friends, then somebody bends unexpectedly.

Just a little change; small to say the least. Both a little scared; neither one prepared. Beauty and the Beast.

Ever just the same. Ever a surprise. Ever as before. Ever just as sure as the sun will rise.

Tale as old as time. Tune as old as song. Bittersweet and strange. Finding you can change; learning you were wrong. Certain as the sun rising in the east. Tale as old as time. Song as old as rhyme. Beauty and the Beast.

Tale as old as time. Song as old as rhyme. Beauty and the Beast."

Lisa let herself slip further down into the hospital chair. It wasn't the most pleasant place to try to relax, but she needed to. Melissa told her that before she left a few minutes ago to get them coffee. Lisa eyed the clock. Melissa had actually been gone for ten minutes already. What was taking her so long? Lisa adjusted her position in the chair and leaned around the corner of the small waiting area.

For a place that wasn't a hospital, it sure looked just like one, just smaller. It was a little place inside of some facility. Lisa wasn't quite sure of the logistics. She was slightly frantic when they entered the place and she didn't have Melissa to explain. Melissa had been on and off of the phone calling people and a "cleanup crew". Now she was missing and Lisa was worried.

She pried herself from the stiff chair and wandered over to the edge of the hallway. The clock ticked past another minute. If Melissa didn't hurry back, she'd miss the announcement from the surgeon. He was due any minute with news from Jackson's condition.

As if on cue, the double doors at the other end of the hall swung open and a bloodied doctor emerged. Lisa gasped and bit down on her lip. How could he come out like this? Covered in Jackson's blood? The doctor looked extremely fatigued and Lisa craned her neck around, desperately searching for Melissa. She couldn't take this.

"Miss Reisert?"

Lisa slowly turned herself back around to face the horror before her. She tried desperately to swallow the lump in her throat, but her mouth was too dry.

"Wait. Melissa's not here. She should-"

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news-"

"Then don't," she managed to sputter.

Lisa felt the tears brimming. She had to hold them back.

"I'm terribly sorry, Miss Reisert, but there were complications…"

Lisa looked around.

"Where's Melissa?"

"There was a lot of bleeding, as you can see."

Lisa turned around, angry at this man's carelessness. How could he be so cruel?

"You-"

"He died slowly."

Lisa's mouth hung open.

"How dare you!"

She lunged forward, ready to claw this man's eyes out, when he grabbed her wrists, holding her at a safe distance from him.

"Let go of me!"

The blood from his hands smeared on Lisa's wrists. She was horrified.

"Miss Reisert, it's alright. We're not here to hurt you."

"What do you call it?"

"Look at me."

Lisa squeezed her eyes shut. Maybe if she imagined herself away from this man, she would be. She'd forget ever seeing his bloodied appearance. She'd forget that Jackson was dead.

"Look at me."

There was a hand on her cheek. Another clutched her arm. She cried out as she forced herself to open her eyes. But the bloodied surgeon was gone. A very concerned nurse was leaning over her, trying to bring Lisa back to the real world.

"You must have been having a terrible dream!"

Lisa pushed herself up in the chair and looked around frantically. Nothing seemed real. Was the surgeon a dream, or was she dreaming now? Had she passed out in his bloody arms?

"Have some water."

The nurse held out a paper cup of water for Lisa to take. Lisa took it and gulped the entire thing down.

"Where's Melissa?"

"Got another phone call. You were out cold, so we figured we'd let you sleep."

The nurse continued to stare down at Lisa, concerned. Lisa glanced up at the clock. She'd been asleep for nearly an hour.

"And Jackson?"

"No word, yet."

Lisa nodded and leaned back into her chair. She could hear Melissa's voice down the hall. She was walking this way.

"Okay. Well I'll let you know the second we know. Yes, I promise. Alright. Bye."

Melissa rounded the corner and snapped her phone shut.

"Oh! You're awake," she said somewhat quietly.

"Yeah…"

The nurse looked between the two women and said, "Nightmare," before she pivoted and left.

"Nightmare, huh?"

Melissa cocked an eyebrow as she sat down in the empty seat next to Lisa's.

"No big deal. Stress."

Melissa didn't seem convinced, but she didn't have time to dispute it because the two women heard the fateful double doors swing open. The doctor emerged into the room, not looking at all like the one in Lisa's dream. This man was clean and younger than the nightmarish doctor of Lisa's dream.

"Miss Grant? Miss Reisert?"

They stood up together in a flash.

"Do you have news on Jackson's condition?" Melissa asked.

"We've worked on him as much as we could and he's stable now."

Lisa and Melissa both sighed in near-unison. They couldn't help but smile.

"But he's not out of the woods yet. He's lost a lot of blood and my guess is that he's going to need some time to recuperate."

"Can we see him?" Lisa asked.

"He's in the ICU right now. One visitor at a time."

Melissa nodded.

"I've got calls to make anyway," she said, turning to Lisa. "You go ahead."

"I must warn you, Miss Reisert. Rippner is hooked up to a lot of machines and he's not conscious, and I don't anticipate him waking up anytime soon."

"That's okay," she murmured.

Lisa found herself simply wanting to touch him. To see that he was alive. Even if he had a million and one wires and tubes keeping him alive, she'd take it. Broken Jackson was better than no Jackson at all. She followed to the doctor down the winding hallways to the small ICU wing. He escorted her silently to a small pale-blue door. The chart read, "Rippner, Jackson E."

"Go on in. A nurse will always be on duty right in the little station there."

She looked and sure enough, nurses were positioned at strategic intervals down the hall. Lisa wondered who else was being kept in these rooms. Who else was fighting for their life? The doctor left her and Lisa hesitated. She knew he would be rough-looking, but could she really handle it?

She took a deep breath and turned the handle quietly. She knew he probably wouldn't wake up; the doctor had told her so. Still, she was afraid of disturbing him. Her senses were immediately assaulted. A strong scent of disinfectant burned Lisa's nose as she pushed inside the dark room. The machines hooked up to Jackson whirred, beeped, and hummed… There was so much mechanical noise. A small bedside lamp was turned on and she could just make out the sad figure of Jackson. He hardly looked like himself.

She closed the door softly behind her and then wandered over to the side of his bed. His face was bruised and small bandages were scattered across cuts. He looked unnaturally thin. Lisa stood there at the bedside and simply stared at him. She'd let this happen. He'd nearly died. That put her record up to twice that she'd nearly killed him.

Lisa pulled over a chair and sat at the edge of his bed. His chest rose and fell softly, but his breathing was shallow. She imagined he would be in a lot of pain if he was awake. She reached out and brushed the loose strands of his dark brown hair from his face. Even bruised and beaten, Jackson was still handsome. Lisa sighed and stood. She'd let Melissa have her turn. Now that she had been assured that Jackson was still alive, she was at ease. She reached the door and had just touched the cold metal of the handle when she heard him speak. Mumble was more like it…

"Don't," he said roughly.

"Jackson?"

Lisa let go of the handle and hurried back to his side. His eyes were still closed and for a moment she thought she had imagined it. She had let her mind play tricks on her and Jackson hadn't really woken up and he hadn't spoken.

"Don't leave again."

He still didn't move, but Lisa clearly heard it.

"I'm here. I'm not leaving."

"I'm drugged."

Lisa chuckled.

"You are. You're in the hospital."

She tilted her head to the side, watching him. He didn't seem in pain. Jackson seemed completely at ease and asleep.

"You should sleep. You've been through so much."

"Don't leave," he said, more forceful than the first time, but showing definite weakness.

"I'll be right down the hall."

His eyes fluttered open and he stared at her, though Lisa wasn't sure he truly saw her. His eyes seemed glossy and unfocused. That was the drug's doing, no-doubt.

"I just need to go talk to Melissa and you need to go back to sleep."

"Just stay," he mumbled.

She watched him blink slowly. Lisa could tell he was trying desperately to keep his eyes open and trained on her. Was he still trying to charm her with those baby blues? Whether or not Jackson meant it that way, it worked. Lisa found herself slowly sitting down in the chair while he followed her with drowsy movements.

Lisa called the front and told them to tell Melissa of Jackson's request and she was fine. When Lisa hung up, Jackson smiled. It was a boyish sleepy smile, but Lisa smiled back. She found herself reaching out to his left hand and placing her own hand in it.

"I'm sorry," she said, gently stroking his thumb.

"For?"

He blinked slowly again, letting his eyes stay closed for a few moments. Lisa was sure he had fallen asleep, but he opened them again.

"This. Leading them to your house…"

She felt him squeeze her hand slightly.

"Stop feeling guilty." He paused and took a deeper breath. "You're here. You came back."

"You're not the monster you think you are, Jackson. Of course I came back. I'll stop feeling guilty if you go to sleep."

"One more thing," he murmured, finally closing his eyes and keeping them shut.

"What?"

"I love you, too."

Lisa felt her breath catch. She hadn't been entirely sure he was coherent enough to hear that when she had said it in the ambulance. But hearing him say it back? It was great. She smiled. Her heart thumped in her chest. If she could have, Lisa would have pulled him to her and kissed him. She would've taken charge. All of her insecurities slipped away with those three little words and it was the best feeling she could have ever imagined.

"Sweet dreams, Jackson. I'll be here when you wake up…"

A/N: Stay tuned for the epilogue. Thank you so much for keeping up with this and I hope you guys enjoyed it. Thank you for all the views and reviews. They're MUCH appreciated.