Amour
Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
My fingers trail over the locket over and over again as if I'm in The Wizard of Oz and the chain is my ruby slipper. When the enticing Jeffrey Archer novel had finally bored me - couldn't blame it, I read it three times in the past - I harvested enough courage to open the tiny heart locket. I was right, the outside was covered in the most intricate designs as if it were casting a spell and the patterns to grow onto my chest but sadly, it didn't. The locket - like most others - opened up into two halves with one side gold plated with the word 'Amour' engraved into it in the most elegant cursive handwriting I've ever seen. Its partnering half-heart held a picture, the one of Louis and I at the carnival when he suggested we take a picture as a memory. I smile at the memory also wondering what sort of inquisition he would have been put under on his drive with Nana home.
"Sam! Our cars here!" Ella stands beside Zack at my hotel room door. We had to partner up but I was lucky enough to get one of the two available single rooms. Ella wasn't mad at me only because she knew me well.
"Coming!" We were heading to the make-shift hospital that is one of a dozen set up all over the place where injured people come to get treatment or dead bodies come to be identified.
The drive to the hospital was short but bumpy, our guide was a Mexican middle-aged man named Andrew, his driving was less than the best but nobody - else - died. On our arrival and entry we were given white lab coats that we had to keep on at all times when we were in the building and to indicate where we came from, we had to have a certain colour pen in our pockets. London's colour was red.
"Let's get to work", Mr. Copperfield commands.
Our stations were next door to each other and were divided by either cardboard walls or thin plastic sheets. Ella and I were together and our station had a constant flow of injured people coming in for bandages or minor operations. At 22:30 we we're exhausted but nobody was willing to go back to the hotel just yet, the people who needed help were here in the hundreds and we couldn't turn them away.
"Wanna switch partners for the rest of the night?" I overheard Zack asking Ella.
"Sure, I need to look at another bland bright room, this one's getting dull", she remarks.
Zack and I work together treating two individuals at a time to get more people healthy.
"Alright! We're calling it a night.........or day", Mr Copperfield announces to all his students.
Our sigh of relief is an undertone to our sigh of disappointment.
"We have to get some rest guys if you want to come in at all tomorrow. So everyone, get into the car. Another team will keep our stations warm until we return"
We begrudgingly walk down the brightly lit staircase holding on tightly to the railing not trusting our own balance.
After a hot shower and putting on comfortable clothing I call Nana to enlighten her on the days activities.
"Sammy, how's America?" Her voice is high and mood the same
"I'm good. We were at the hospital for........"- I glance at my watch gasping when I realize its nearly three in the morning -" a couple hours now and everyone dead tired"
"You sound like you came back from the dead. Are you sure you're fine? I snuck some Aspirin into your bag in case you need it"
"Ugh, Nana"
"You should get some sleep. What are you up to tomorrow?"
"Our team has been assigned the duty of driving around town looking at ruins in search of people who are injured and need help"
"And you're okay with this?"
"Of course I am. It just might be........depressing seeing New York in ruins rather than victory"
"I think you should rest. Louis been trying to reach you and you didn't answer your phone"
"Oh crap! I forgot, I'll call him now. Thanks, Nana"
"He's a nice boy, we had a long discussion on our ride back from the airport. He drives fast but I like him"
"Nana, I love you and goodnight"
"Send me a postcard. Love you too, sweet dreams"
I laugh and cut the call preparing to call Louis. I called Nana using the hotel phone so I haven't switched my cell on as yet. The bright red warning that my battery is dying flashes immediately after I put it on, along with several missed calls and a couple texts. I plug the charger on and let the phone charge on the bedside table.
I memorized Louis' number and easily press the correct digits into the hand set. He answers at the first ring, a sigh of relief and annoyance quite audible.
"Sam?" His voice is tired
"How'd you know it was me?"
"I didn't, I've been answering all my calls for the past twelve hours with your name"
"Aw, but you didn't have to be paranoid. I would have called"
"I forgot to tell you to call me when you landed, I just assumed you would but you didn't and your phone was off"
"Yeah, sorry about that. We were just extremely busy"
"How is it there?"
"Its......beyond heart wrenching. There were so many children's cases, a couple without a limb or a rod or plank that somehow......cut them to put it lightly. There's a lot of dead people here, Louis"
"I can imagine. You don't want to do it anymore? I can come get you"
"What? No. Saying I love it here would be inappropriate but I do, I've never seen everyone so-"
"Tired?"
"No, the opposite. So alive and quite excited to be out in the field"
"You sound so tired, babe. Maybe you should go to bed"
"I will, just now. Did you just call me babe?"
"Thought I'd give it a shot. You don't like it?" his laughter rings in my ear, sending welcome chills down my back.
"Its fine", trying to keep my voice as normal as I can manage
"What are you wearing?"
I stop pacing and stand with my mouth gaping. What?
"What? Why?"
"I just wanna know"
"I'm wearing clothes, Louis"
"Ah man, never liked those things"
"You never liked clothes?" I raise my eyebrow at the phone
"Nope. They get in the way"
"Oh Lord. Goodnight, Louis"
"Goodnight. I love you. Always"
"I love you too, Lou"
Normally Louis would hang up instantly but he's still on the line.
"You planning on hanging up?" I ask him
"Only if you do"
"We're really doing this?"
"I always thought this was like, a stage in a relationship where they don't wanna hang up the phone and they spend the entire night talking about how their service providers are going to overcharge them"
My laugh is strained but still comes out.
"Oh well, let's not put them through any of that, shall we?"
"You don't like talking to me?" His voices fakes hurt
"I love talking to you, otherwise I would have hung up by now"
"You're just saying that"
"Don't flatter yourself"
"Are you gonna flatter me? Maybe when you get back, I can think of a few ways you can do that"
My cheeks burn a bright red at the thought of what he is suggesting.
"Goodnight, Louis"
"I know you're doing that cute blush that you always do. What I would give to be there and see it"
"Goodnight, Louis"
"Okay, okay. Goodnight, baby"
I hang up with the blush still prominently visible on my visage with a grin beginning its appearance. Curling up between the soft duvet on the hotel bed, I fall asleep and that night I dream of blue eyes and fangs.
A loud thumping on my door jolts me awake. I fumble out of the sheets and run over to the door. Ella stands outside my door with her cell in hand.
"Time for breakfast, come on", she nearly pulls me with her but stops to eye my clothing and allows me five whole minutes to shower and change.
When I'm done I join her in the hallway, slipping my room key and cell phone into the back pockets of my jeans. Our breakfast time comprises of our team seated around a coffee table in the dining area with a couple foods - eggs, bacon, yogurt, fruit, cereal and two jugs of water - laid out on it. I decide on having yogurt and fruit, but I do ask Ella to share some of her eggs with me when I'm done.
Outside in the street we are directed to various cars all with drivers except the black Saab at the end of the row.
"You're going to be driving around in these for the day, if you find anyone immediately bring them back to the hospital for treatment. Keep to our designated are because if you get lost, we can't come looking for you. Understood?" Mr Copperfield informs us
"Understood" each one of us mumble back, clearly still exhausted from last night and this morning. Its already 9 AM.
"Who's in the Saab, Mr. C?" I ask. He gave us all the permission to call him that saying that his actual surname can be a mouthful. We didn't disagree.
"Well, I was going to be driving that but you can have it" he tosses me the keys.
"Thanks. What are you gonna be doing?"
"Well, we all can't be out in the field. Someone's got to make sure my little puppies don't get stranded"
"Alright then. See you in the afternoon"
"Okay, I'll be at the hospital if any of you need me" he tells all of us
Everyone hops into a car with a driver and I get into the Saab. Everyone disperses and I begin my route. It truly is saddening to see New York in this state, barely a single building is still standing and the others either have half of it yanked out or have collapsed completely. Bodies aren't in plain sight but gazing upon the ruins is depressing enough.
My catches a small bright flash as I drive past more rubble. I pull up in front of what looks like.........a nursery? Kindergarten? The building itself is flattened but there is a narrow path going around the back. I get out and lock the car. Walking on what used to be the sidewalk I see the object again, its blue and white with a rectangular shape. A lunch box. Running up to it, I bend down and hold it shifting it around. Inside is a rotten apple and broken lunchbox with an empty juice box. I'm about to put it back down when a soft weeping fills the air. My eyes scan my surroundings but come up empty so I take the path leading to the back of the building. On the ground at the side of the building is a pair of pants, lying balled up and messy on the ground. It doesn't have tears and still has those tiny air pockets beneath it suggesting its been thrown down recently. I pick it up holding the belt loops and continue walking. The weeping stops and then I hear a cry, a loud one and I bolt to the back of the building.
I'm horrified at what I see in the backyard playground. A tiny pale figure is lying crumbled on the ground. Its male, pre-adoloscent and these pants are definitely his. Hovering above him are three much bigger male teenagers. Their backs are to me so I can't see their faces or what they're doing and it scares me.
"Hey!" I yell trying to get their attention
One boy turns his head toward me with an arrogant expression evaporating when he sees me. He says what I think is "Oh shit!" And shoves the other boys' arms. They take off toward the other side of the building disappearing into the rubble.
The tiny body still lay on the ground, with his knees curled up against his chest as he rocks back and forth on his heels. Approaching him I realize that this boy is seriously undernourished and he has no shoes on. There is a gap slightly bigger than a normal person's between his big toe and its partner on both feet. I lay the lunch box and pants down on the ground before lifting my hand up to brush a few locks of blond hair away from his face.
"Hey, its okay" I whisper soothingly
"Look at me"
He nervously lifts his head up and gazes at me with fear in his eyes.
"Its okay, honey. Are these yours?" I show him the two items next to me. He nods and smiles fondly at the lunch box.
"What's your name, honey?" I ask him
"J-Jason" he responds
"Jason is such an awesome name. My name's Sam but you can call me Sammy"
Tears begin to roll down his sullen cheeks and he let's go of his knees letting them slide painfully onto the ground. He reaches up as if to hug me but doesn't. I give him a hug and say calming things to him. His facial structure is very similar to what I expected it to be. Jason has Down Syndrome.
"You can call me Jase if you want to" he smiles up at me as if I'm the imaginary friend he's lucky to have.
"I think I will, Jase", I grin at him,"Come on, let's get you up"
"No" he says without letting go of me
"Why?"
"My legs.......they hurt" he begins to cry again
"No, no don't cry, honey. I'll carry you, okay?"
"Okay" he sniffs
I stand up then bend down for Jason, he wraps his thin arms around my neck and I support his weight on my hip. His head rests on my shoulder as we walk back to the car and I open the back door to buckle him in.
"So, how about we go get your legs checked up with my friends, is that okay?"
"Okay. Sammy?"
"Yeah, Jase?"
"Are you going to take care of me?"
His question yanks on the strings of my heart and all I can do is hope that someone will take this angel in.
"I will, Jason. I promise"
He gives me a smile that's child-like and adorable.
"Do you have a puzzle?" He asks me
"A puzzle?"
"Uh-huh. Mrs. Rose would always gave me puzzles. She said it gave me more smarticles"
"What are smarticles?"
"They're like..........um, apples. They make you thinks hard and give the right answers on your tests"
"Oh, and you have a lot of those, don't you?"
"Mrs. Rose said I did but those b-bullies said I was as dumb as fudge"
"Oh well, ignore those bullies, Jase. Besides, I really like fudge"
"You do? I like it too but Mrs. Rose doesn't make anymore"
"Well, we'll see what we can do about that. For now, let's go see what's up with your legs. You can play with my phone if you like, I have some puzzle games on it"
"Can I?"
"Sure", I take out my phone from my back pocket and hand it to him,"Will you take care of this for me, Jase?"
He nods excitedly and takes the phone. The entire drive to the camp/hospital he was engrossed in my phone, forgetting that he didn't have any pants on.
***
"His name is Jason Oliver from the Rising Sun Orphanage run by a Daphne Rose. Well, used to be run by her. Its completely destroyed and the premises were already checked out, no survivors. He's eleven years old and was diagnosed with DS at nine" Zack had done me a favour and run Jase's description through the system and came up with this.
Jase will have nobody to take care of him when I leave, I'd gotten special permission to have him under my care for my stay since he had no family and I was over 21. Now he was sitting at a desk in Ella's and my station still giving his undivided attention to my phone although we did manage to get his pants on. The pain in his legs was due to a minor fracture probably caused by a fall and from being sore with bruises all over his legs.
He stayed with Ella and I until our shift was over and would always ask me where I was going before I would leave his sight.
"Sammy?" He would call
"Yeah, Jase?"
"Where are you going?"
"I'll be right back, honey. Ella's going to be here with you"
He and I became fast friends in the few hours we'd known each other and I was sure of it because he found it difficult to be around anyone else if I wasn't there which is a strange symptom for a child with DS.
On our drive home he sat comfortably in between Ella and I, she was the one other person he took a liking to. I had to stop and purchase a few items of clothing for Jason - from the stores that weren't in pieces - so that I could get rid of the filthy ones he had on now.
"You want me to be in there with you or will you do it yourself?" He had to have a bath after I did and I wasn't sure what to do.
"Can you tell me a story while I bath? Mrs. Rose would always tell me a story but she and I would have fun with it"
"Sure, big guy"
He stripped down completely finding it still a little difficult to move his legs but I told him that he had to exercise them if he wanted them healthy again. We mashed up a couple fairy tales and gave it a new ending while he was in the bath, I shampooed his hair and rinsed it clean while he scrubbed everywhere else.
"Goodnight, Jase" I kiss his forehead after I tug him into my bed, I plan on snoozing on the couch.
"Goodnight, Sammy"
I turn around to leave the room, Nana is gonna be thrilled to hear about today.
"Sammy?" Jason calls after me
"Yeah?"
"Thank you f-for saving me f-from the m-mean boys. They can be c-cruel and I'm really happy you found me"
"Aw, honey. Don't thank me, all good people have good things happen to them"
"Goodnight, Sammy"
"Goodnight, Jase"
***
"Are you SERIOUS?!" Nana practically yells on her end
"Yes, I am"
"That's so sweet, I would love to meet him. Does he have a home?"
"No, he lived in an orphanage that was blown to bits in the catastrophe and there's no family to take him in"
"Do you think......."
"Nana, I've only known him one day -"
"And he's practically stolen both our hearts yet I didn't meet him yet"
"That doesn't mean we can just adopt him, Nana"
"When do you get back?"
"End of next week"
"Well, that's plenty of time for you two to bond. Goodnight, Sammy"
"'Night, Nana"
Nana makes many rash decisions on impulse and even though it usually works out for her, it doesn't mean it will continue to do so. I hang up and go to bed on the less-than-comfy couch.
***
"Alright Jase, here's my phone. You dial this number if you need me, okay? And don't leave this area, promise?" I've been over-cautious when it came to Jason the past two days but I couldn't risk him wandering off into some bio hazard section here and catching a terminal illness.
Nana called every night to hear about Jason and she even spoke to him, as would any other homo sapien or neanderthal he loved her and wanted to meet her but I continued to wing it so I didn't have to have an open discussion about this.
"Okay, I promise" he hugs me tightly then let's go to turn his attention to my suduko app. I ruffle his hair and bend down to give him a peck on the forehead. On the second night Jason stayed with me he asked me to give him a goodnight kiss because Mrs. Rose did.
*FLASHBACK*
"Sammy, can I have a goodnight kiss?" His voice was tiny, muffled by the pillow.
To be honest, I was a little thrown at his request. I've never had to do this, not in a sisterly, friendly and definitely not a motherly way but Jason made it so easy even though I've only met him yesterday.
"Mrs. Rose says it keeps the monsters away from me"
"What monsters?"
"Bullies a-and the night that Mrs. Rose couldn't give me a kiss we had the big boom and all the kiddies had to run out. I-I was the only one who stayed outside the building and everyone else ran away, that's when the bullies f-found me"
I rush back to him and give him a brief kiss on his forehead.
"No monsters are going to get you, Jase, not while I'm here"
***
LOUIS POV
"We need to be careful, Louis. What the hell are you doing running around like a bloody freelance Casanova?" Roger shouts at me in the quiet of his office in the library.
"Casanova? I'm not a Casanova"
"Oh you know what I mean!" His exasperated tone is waltzing on my last nerve.
"Rog, calm down. I know what I'm doing"
"And I don't distrust you, its just that I want you to be careful, I don't want you to get hurt or........"
"Hurt her?"
"Exactly. I don't want you to somehow lose control and hurt her and it will kill you because you won't be able to live with it"
"What happened before was a mistake but I'd never hurt her, Roger"
"You say that now, they always say that now but when you're in that heated argument and your temper gets the better of you, you'll do something that you will regret forever"
"Roger, I won't do that, believe me. I love her"
He sighs and leans against his oak desk. His gray hair flopping all over his face and thick bushy eyebrows forming umbrellas for his eyes.
"Fine, besides I've got other things to worry about"
"Like what?"
"Johnson, the fuck, left his post for two bloody seconds and whatever he was guarding got lose"
"What was he guarding?"
"Snows"
I gasp at the word, Snows are heartless creatures that are extremely pale and possess the sharpest teeth I've ever seen. Anyone who came into contact with one of the Snows, will die no doubt about it.
"And are they under control now?" Obviously Snows won't be allowed to leave the Institutes premises. The image of the sharpened black teeth oozing a lethal liquid and large black empty eyes all pasted on an ash-white face, flashes through my mind.
"Well, a team was just released to go get 'em. They've already caused a havoc in a civilian area and we're hoping they're still there so we can catch them quickly with no suspicions"
"Really? Where?"
"New York"
***
SAM POV
"This case is quite strange, Sam. That's why I called you over here. Look at the lacerations on his neck" Mr. C had called for me from his station down with the dead bodies.
"What's his name?"
"Hasn't been identified yet, this is John Doe 1236"
"Okay, um.......lacerations seem to have been caused by some kind of tool like gardening shears or Edward Scissorhands"
He laughs at my observation but goes with it anyway.
"Exactly, its highly unusual because when we ran a tox screen and tried to match the wounds to anything we came up empty"
"Well, its like.......claw marks like a dog had ripped his flesh"
"I thought you would say that, check this out"
He walks around the gurney to the victim's left leg and lifts the white sheet to reveal a pair of large holes pierced into the skin.
"What is this?" My gloved hand grazing the skin
"Puncture marks, large ones"
"Could be a taser"
"It could but look at the x-rays"
"You ran x-rays?"
"Put in a call. Now look at this, the wounds go roughly three centimeters deep and the flesh surrounding the wound isn't burnt the way it should be if it was a taser attack gone wrong"
"Hypothesis?" It sounded awkward having me - the student - ask Mr. C - the teacher - what his hypothesis was.
"He was bitten by some kind of sharp-toothed creature because there are no particulates left that are evidence if the puncture being caused by an inorganic substance"
Fear begins to build up forcing my heart into hyper drive but I keep a straight face, there are plenty of explanations that could be the solution to this, no need to freak out.
"Ah"
"I know, hard to believe, right? I'll just dismiss it as a dog bite or stapler wound"
"If you want to, I mean its a long shot"
"It definitely is. Thanks, Sam"
"No need, I wasn't much help"
The panic subsides but the underlying note of slight fear is still apparent. Should I call Louis and ask him if he knew anything? No, just leave it alone.
"SAMMY!" Jason waves enthusiastically at me from across the room. He's seated exactly where I left him with my phone still clutched in his bony palms. I've been trying to feed him but its only making slight differences, like his leg pain has finally ended.
"Hey, Jase. What's up?" I sit of the uncomfortable plastic chair beside him.
"I got the h-highest score in suduko" he proclaims proudly, with his grin expanding.
"Oh, I'm so proud of you" I had obviously downloaded the easiest possible puzzles for him because kids with DS are slow and I didn't want him pulling out his hair because he couldn't solve something.
"Sammy, are you hungry?"
My mind hasn't been in the same place with my physical self the entire day and I hadn't noticed that I was indeed hungry.
"Yes, how 'bout u, kiddo?"
He nods happily and I pull out a candy bar from my bag. Breaking it in half I hand him his half and I keep mine.
"Thank you" he says gobbling up his piece
"Slow down there, Jase" I mock
"SAM!!" Ella's voice echoes through the room
"Yeah?" I look up confused
"Come here", she motions with her hand for me to follow her,"You might wanna bring Jason too"
"Come on, Jase"
He holds my hand and we walk behind Ella towards the staircase. She doesn't utter a single word and just leads us down to the lowest level - the basement - and shoves a large metal bolted door open. A dozen people are milling around inside, all talking on their cellphones or focusing on the large black monitor that's placed on the wall.
"What's happening?" I ask Ella
"Come here" she pulls me toward an elderly balding man whose belly walks before him. He's standing with his eyes glued to the screen, scrutinizing.
"Dr. Ellis. This is Samantha, tell her what you told us" Ella speaks to the man.
"Hello, Dr. Hunter. I'm Dr. Paul Ellis, nice to meet you"
"Pleasure"
"So, I have been studying the weather patterns, climate control you name it. All of it, I've had my eye on it for the past month and I've noticed a drastic change. Look at this", he points to a type of radar and there is a single high slope amongst all the other flat ones -"this is what my equipment picked up. Weather wise, we're about to experience some of the coldest nights mankind has ever seen, if my calculations are correct"
"And who else knows about this?"
"Everyone in this room. Ella and I met the first day she got here and I told her all about this, she insisted that I tell you"
"Everyone quiet!" A disembodied voice shouts to us all and silence befalls the room,"Listen"
We turn towards where we think the voice is coming from, a petite male standing in the corner of the room with his phone held out in front of him. A barely comprehensible voice begins to speak.
"Everyone, I have some bad news. The climate in your area is all over the place, its so low we had to expand the screen just to see it. The hurricane that took place last month won't happen again but you're about to experience something much worse in a more subtle manner. The temperatures over the next few days will drop to minus thirty to fifty which is too cold to have anyone fly out to get you so you'll have to wait it out"
"What proof do you have of this? You'll be causing a panic over a hunch" someone asks
"Not a hunch. This will happen and you have...........twenty-four hours to prepare for it"
"Is that all?"
"I don't know"
The room breaks out in one big argument and I stand frozen next to Ella, Jason still firmly in my grasp. I had to figure out a way to get through this, we had twenty-four hours.
"Who is that?" I ask Ella about the mysterious person on the phone
"Dr. Edwards from the US Government"
"Why weren't we told about this earlier?"
"Because they weren't sure earlier, now they are"
"So what do we do, Dr. Ellis?" I ask
"We need shelter, but this place is too open to provide any warmth. We need a tall building"
"Tall? Wouldn't that be colder?"
"Yes but if we get any surprises, height is our savior"
"Sammy, what's happening?" Jase picks up on my panicky mood
"Nothing, honey. Let's go outside"
Our team had helped to seal off any vents, windows or any gap that would bring in excess air. None of the patients were aware of what's happening and we didn't plan on telling them. Now Mr. C, Ella, Dr. Ellis, Zack, Jase and I were standing outside the hospital just talking about anything to keep our minds off what was about to unfold.
A piercing scream coming from far-out interrupts us and our heads snap up to find the source. A lady standing at the base of the steps of another building is pointing at something in the distance, too faint for me to notice.
"What the...." Dr. Ellis' cigarette fell soundlessly onto the ground as he stares in aw.
"What is it?" Mr. C follows his gaze only for his reaction to mimic his
I finally see what they do, a large blue wall is approaching us at a furious speed, swallowing everything in its path. I grip Ella's arm and shake her back to reality.
"We have to go. Now!" I shout
She comes out of her reverie and helps bring the others back.
"No, we can't go into the hospital. We need height" Dr. Ellis repeats pointing to an office building not too far away.
"We can't leave them" Zack protests
"There are doctors here, Zachary. Let's go, now"
"Sammy!" Jason is nearly in tears as he shouts. I hoist him up onto my hip again, making it heavier to run but it'd be a little easier. The sounds of screams and crashing waves are all around, its coming at us from all sides but Dr. Ellis is relentless in his sprint. We burst through the office building doors but don't stop, Dr. Ellis instructs us to run up the stairs until we're high enough.
Crashing glass can be heard when we reach the fourth floor and my legs feel as helpful as jell-o. We halt to catch a breath and lean over the railing to watch water cover the entire bottom two floors.
"Higher" Mr. C tells us.
Eventually we give up at the twenty-something floor and my legs give away beneath me. I sink down to the cold tiled floors as I gasp for air, filling my deprived and tired lungs. Jase sits down next me and curls up like when I first found him under my arm.
"I think we're high enough for now. Let's go find some empty rooms" Dr. Ellis tells us.
I reluctantly stand again holding Jase's hand and walk through the endless halls with the group. There's a whole bunch of PA offices that are unlocked but I spy a CEO's room at the end of the hall. I walk up to it and try to handle but its locked.
"Um, can someone help me out?" I ask across the hall
They approach me and Mr. C kicks the door open, this CEO needs a better security company. The office is neat and modern but a fireplace is situated directly opposite us behind the desk.
"Get it going" Dr. Ellis says to Zack
Zack sets a few useless - I hope - papers ablaze and keeps the flame high and strong.
"Guys, look at this" Ella calls us over to the window
Our view is one of grieving. The hospital is completely covered by water, drowning all its occupants. Zack breaks down at the sight, crumbling to the ground with tears spilling onto his shirt. His best friend was in that building.
"Don't cry, Zacky", Jase is sitting beside him talking soothingly to him,"everything's gonna be okay, don't cry. I'm still your friend"
Zack sniffs and looks at Jase like he's ET then up at me. I give him an encouraging smile and he hugs Jase tightly.
"Thanks, kiddo. I hope so"
Zack and Jase sit in front of the fire talking about each other's friends while the rest of us strategize.
"What now?" Mr. C asks
"Food" I say
"Water" Ella seconds
"Warmth" Dr. Ellis finishes
"Alright let's go. Zack, stay with Jase and don't leave this room" I call over my shoulder as we exit the room
***
We foraged for any supplies that could help us and we came up with a whole lot of vending machine snacks, a couple liters of water from taps and water coolers and plenty of coats for warmth. My cell had a single bar left so I switch it off unsure of whether our return journey to the hotel would be anytime soon.
"Are we not gonna bath?" Jase asks me while he eats his M&M's and I sit cross-legged on a coach. Everyone turns to look at us when Jason poses his question.
"No, Jase. Not today" I say simply
"Alright" he comes and sits next to me before he yawns loudly and stretches.
I drag a cushion over from the other couch, put it on the arm rest and stretch out on the couch with my head on it. Jase does the same and nestles his tiny body under my arm falling into a deep sleep within seconds.
***
"Why are we going to burn the CEO's papers?" Jase asks me as he helps me dump boxes of paper into a cart.
"Because we need to keep the fire on"
We are alone in the Records Room and Jase is having his bit of fun reading through some of the papers and asking me what certain words mean.
"What does......lee-gal mean?" He asks while I top up the cart and prepare to leave.
"Legal, it means that its accepted by the law and you are allowed to do it. Ill-legal means its forbidden" I explain. Jase asked me if he could keep one of the books he found in the Records Room and I said why not?
"Do you hear that?" Jase asks
"Hear what?"
"That" he and I keep exceptionally quiet trying to pick up a sound. There's a ringing, electronic. A telephone.
I follow the sound to the far-end of a hallway we hadn't noticed before and there are two old pay phones hung up on the wall. The middle one is buzzing loudly now and I run up to it, yanking the receiver and holding it to my ear.
"Hello? Who is this?" My tone is rushed and pitchy
"Sam? Are you okay?" Its Louis. How'd he find me?
"Louis?"
"Of course, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Actually its freezing here and the hospital's been destroyed. Only Mr. C and Ella and Zack and Dr. Ellis and Jason are here" I speak quickly unsure of whether he could understand me let alone know who they are
"Calm down, I'm coming to get you. Now"
"What? No!"
"And why the hell not?" He sounds angry
"Because its too cold for anyone to come, we were told to wait it out. Don't come"
"And how long is the wait?"
"Not sure?"
"What the fuck?"
"They aren't sure and there's nothing I can do!" Jason's finger is looped through my belt loop on my jeans.
"Okay, okay. Then I'm coming for you"
"You can't just take me, Louis. There are other people here that I can't leave without"
"I can't just leave you out there!"
"And believe me, I don't want to stay here but I won't abandon these people and how do you plan on getting here anyway?"
"By flying"
"In what?"
"Something that flies" In his anger, his humor shines through
"Anything that flies out in these temperatures will freeze"
"Not what I've got"
"I don't care. Don't come"
"Do you have any idea how difficult its been for me? Trying to get through to you after Roger told me about the danger there and you wouldn't answer your damn phone. I called every single pay phone until I got this one. I'm not losing you"
"You're not going to lose me. I'm right here and I still have some battery life in my cell so I'll call if things get difficult. For now, just stay there"
"No way, I'm coming"
"Louis, listen to me. I've got Jase with me and what am I supposed to do? Leave him here alone?"
"Wait, who's Jase?"
Crap! I forgot that I hadn't told Louis about Jason.
"Jason is a kid that's in my care for the rest of my trip, he's too small to be left alone here"
"Ugh, Sam.......Fine"
"Good, I'll call if I need you"
"No, fine he can come with you. Stay put" he hangs up and I try *69 but its useless.
"I'm a big boy aren't I, Sammy?" Jase demands my attention
"Of course you are, I just had to tell Louis that"
We head back to the cart and start pushing it back to the CEO's office where everyone sits around crouched before the fire, except Zack.
"Where's Zack?" I ask handing them the papers
"He heard you shouting and went to find you" Ella tells me
Jase joins them around the fire and continues to read his book from the RR. I go in search of Zack back out in the hall. I see his leaning over the edge looking down at the water rising from the bottom floors. My eyes fall on the glass that he's leaning on and see cracks arise from the floor, its going to fall.
"ZACK!" I scream for him as I run
He turns around to look at me but the glass shatters and falls over the edge. Zack still had his weight against it and he begins to fall but I get there in time to grab his arm. His hand grips my upper arm in desperation and I dig my nails into his sleeve to keep my grip.
"HELP!" I scream in agony back down the hall. Though my grip is solid enough, I knew my shoulder is dislocated because of the stress.
In seconds Mr. C and Ella run over and help us up, I thank my lucky stars that this area was carpeted and not tiled.
"You guys okay?" Ella asks helping me up
"Yeah" I grimace in the shock pain in my shoulder
"Thanks, Sam. I owe you one" Zack hugs me making me gasp
"One? You owe like fifty" I joke
"Oh man, your shoulders gone"
"Kinda"
"We'll get it back but let's get into the office now" Mr. C ushers us
"Ready?" Mr. C asks as he braces himself and myself to have my shoulder popped back.
"Aha" I look away crushing Ella's hand in mine.
"One......two" and he pops it back into position. I scream in pain and anger hugging my shoulder
"Where did three go?" I spit
"Expect the unexpected. Is it paining?"
"A little, I'm fine now"
"Everyone, let's go to sleep. Zack, fill the fire"
I retire to my couch in the corner of the room and Jase rests his head on my lap.
"Are you okay, Sammy?" He asks, his dark green eyes reflecting what little light is emitted from the lamp on the desk.
"I'm fine, honey. Go to sleep" I kiss his forehead and he sleeps.
My eyes look around at everyone, curled up on couches, chairs and Zack on the floor in front of the floor. I don't know what Louis going to do or when its going to happen but I would never be able to bring myself to leave these people, I just can't.
I arise at around 08:00 according to my watch with Jase wide awake and keeping an un-trained eye on what's happening outside. My eyes scan the room when I notice we're one head short.
"Where's Mr. C?" I ask no one in particular
"He went out a couple hours ago, should be back anytime now" Ella informs me.
"What you doing, Jase?" I get up and go stand next to him
"Just looking-"
Someone bursts through the door and we all fear the worst but its just Mr. C however he is holding his right arm tightly against his chest.
"Charlie" Dr. Ellis walks over to him and helps him into a chair
Ella rips open his sleeve using a pair of scissors and blood trickles down his arm onto his pants. It seems to be coming from a wound on his forearm that I can't exactly make out because there's early scabbing and too much blood.
"Zack, take Jason" I instruct and go to the threesome to assist.
Holding a sterile cloth I wipe off the excess blood oozing out from the wound at a gradual pace and it reveals a ghastly three-streak mark and I know I've seen this before. Mr. C looks up expectantly at me but I remain silent.
"What happened?" Dr. Ellis presses after he closes the door
"I went for a walk, to check on the temperature outside and believe me, its freezing. I felt something grab my arm but when I turned around it wasn't there, just the feeling of warm liquid dripping down my arm onto the ground"
"Maybe your shirt just got snagged somewhere" Ella suggests
"Possibly" he carries a hint of disbelief but drops the subject
There's a loud crashing noise that comes from the hallway and Mr. C freezes in fear, everyone does and suddenly I'm looking only for Jason. He is standing behind Zack in the corner of the room but when I try to approach them someone else shoves the door open. Giving in to the urge to see who it is, I do a 360 and stare in both anger and surprise at the person blocking the door. Louis is flanked by two much larger males carrying no weaponry at all, strange. At first he doesn't see me and I'm silently glad but when his blue orbs land on me I have no option but to hide the anger so that it can be delt with later.
"Sam" his smile is one of genuine relief and I have to admit, he looks pretty damn hot. Did I just think that?
My mind hunts like a maniac for something to say and comes up dry. I can picture my librarian/spinster/farmer subconscious giving up as she slumps on the leather couch I gave her, I'm going to repossess that damn thing.
"Hey" I wave sheepishly - slightly in pain because of my shoulder - and Jase comes to stand behind me with his finger looped through my jean's belt loop again. I really need a shower.
***
"You're fine, Sam. Just a few strained muscles on your shoulder but you'll be fine in a few days" A very lovely man named Roger explains.
"Thanks, doctor" I say unsure of what I should call him
"Oh no, its Roger. Just Roger"
"Thanks, Roger. Do you know where the little boy that was with me is?"
"Right across the hall, don't worry. You can go see him if you want to"
"I will, thanks"
To be honest, I don't know where we are at all. Just before Louis could get to us there was a second crash and everything went black, I don't remember a thing which pissed me off. Roger disappears through the pale blue door shutting it behind him. I'm in the one item of clothing I dread, the hospital gown. My legs are cold and hang over the edge of the examination table. Before I have a second to breathe and take in the room the door re-opens but Louis comes in this time.
"There you are" he strides over to me in a way that reminds me of a snow leopard stalking a gazelle, a helpless gazelle with strained ligaments.
"Where are the others?" I ask urgently
He reaches me but doesn't answer. His hand cups the side of my face as he presses his lips to mine hard and roughly. My hands are unable to move from the navy blue arm sling Roger gave me and Louis only breaks the kiss when I need to breathe, he learnt that from past experience.
"You crazy, crazy woman" he speaks against my lips
"I love you too. Where are the others?"
"They're fine, they're getting checked by Roger"
I try to jump off the table but Louis steps between my legs forcing me back up.
"What are you doing?" He asks
"Failing to get to the ground. I need to change"
"Oh yes, I got you some clothes which aren't covered in blood and shredded"
"My clothes were shredded?"
"A little so wait here. Don't move" he emphasizes 'don't' and leaves the room again, returning in a record timing of five seconds.
He helps me get off the table and I hold the bag with my new clothes, slightly eager to see what's inside like a kid on Christmas morning. Did they give me morphine?
"Woah, steady on. How are you planning on getting those on with your arm sling?" He raises his perfect eyebrow at me. Yup, I'm definitely high on morphine.
"Nicely"
"Oh no, I'm helping you. Come here"
"What? No!" I shriek when he picks me up bridal style and goes into the bathroom I hadn't had time to notice.
He puts me down -thankfully there isn't a mirror in here - and turns me around so that he can untie the hospital gown. I'm fully aware that beneath this I have only my bra and panties on, making me slightly self-conscious. The gown falls to the ground pooling at my feet and Louis reaches for something in the bag, sweat pants. He pulls the pants up my legs and ties a neat little knot to ensure it won't fall. The shirt is a little harder to put on because of the sling, I have to remove it and carefully snake my arm through the shirt then put the sling back, thankfully the grimacing was minimized to three throughout the process.
I sit on the edge of a white tub and Louis hoists one of my legs onto his knee for him to put a Tom's sneaker on.
"You are never leaving the country without me again. Ever" he comments and places a kiss on my near my ankle. He repeats the process ending off the same way on the other leg.
"There. Back to looking like my Sammy" he winks and picks me up. I'm pulled into a long hug and everything around me disappears. Its just Louis and me, standing there with his arms around me making every trouble in the world vanish.
"Jason" I pull away and stare into his eyes.
"Oh, come on. I've been speaking to him while Roger was with you, he's a remarkable little boy" Louis drags me out of the room out into the hall and I remember I very important question.
"Where am I?" I ask
"You're back home. We got in yesterday"
"Ah"
"You can go see him now, I'll be right here when you're both done. Nana's waiting at home"
"Woah! You told her?"
"Yup, was I not supposed to?"
"No, its fine. Where's my cell?"
"Nana's got it. She was here in the morning but did want to stay long"
"And Ella?"
"They're all fine, don't worry. We're leaving as soon as you finish talk to Jason"
"But I can't leave Jason here"
"You won't. Just go talk to him and bring him out too when you're done, Nana's got a surprise for both of you" he kisses my forehead and ushers me into the room.
The blue door creaks open and I peep inside, Jase sits up excitedly when he sees me and even I liven up.
"Sammy! Over here!" He calls me over. I enter and shut the door before going to him and sitting on his bed.
"Hey, big guy. What you up to?" I ruffle his hair
"Its really f-fun here, Mr. Roger gave me this"- he shows off a Mars chocolate bar and I smile fondly. He breaks it in half and holds out one piece to me -"This is for you, for saving me and sharing your chocolate with me"
"Aw, I'm not hungry, Jase. You have it", I encourage and he takes it back eating my piece first,"Slow down, kiddo"
***
"Sammy! Oh thank God" Nana squeezes me and releases me when I have no choice but gasp from the pain in my arm.
"Hey, Nana" I hug her with my good arm and kiss her cheek.
"Is this the notorious Jason?" Nana turns her attention to the tiny person clinging to me.
"Hi" Jason greets
"Hi, Jason. I'm Sammy's grandma"
Jason moves from my back to my side so that Nana can see him better.
"Sammy talks about you a lot" Nana goes on
"She does?" Jason seems surprised at this information
"Oh yes, everyday"
"I like Sammy. She's very nice to me" Jason looks straight at her when he talks.
"Well then, I have a question for both of you but first let me talk to Sammy in private. Will you stay with Louis? You do like him too, right?"
"Aha" Jason turns and goes to stand by Louis while Nana pulls me into the kitchen.
"Sammy, do you love Jason?" She asks
"What?"
"Do you?"
"Of course, he's such a sweet kid"
"I'm sure he is and he loves you. So I've got some documents for you to sign"
"Woah, Nana"
"Because of the disaster there wasn't much of an adoption process but believe me, its all legit. Come on, Sammy. You don't want him to go into the system, do you?"
"We're so busy"
"No, we're not. I dropped out of the gym and got him enrolled at a school near Oxford so any one of us could pick him up. I even spoke to Louis and he's on board"
"You spoke to Louis?"
"I figured he's gonna be around us a lot so I thought it'd be nice to tell him"
"Oh, Nana............fine"
"Good" she lights up like a Christmas tree and hands me the documents
"You don't have to sign anything, I did", she tells me and calls Jason in.
Jase enters slowly and Louis isn't behind him, probably went upstairs to leave.........what?
Nana nudges me to go talk to Jason.
"Hey, Jase. How would you like to be my brother?" I bend down and speak softly
He looks slightly sad when he responds,"I thought I already was"
His answer makes me grin and I hug him hard for a good few minutes.
***
"Have fun" I wave to Nana and Jason as they pull out.
Nana insisted on taking him out for ice cream to celebrate but being the buzz-killer that I am, I said no and that I just wanted to shower and sleep. Louis is looming behind me and I nearly walk into him when I turn around.
"God! You need a bell or something" I tell him and walk around his tall frame
"For what?" I hear the door latch as I leap up the stairs to my room.
"Because you'd look cute with one" I tease
"So you're implying I don't look cute now?"
He is in my room within seconds and lying on my bed like he owns the place.
"No, you're very handsome" I hunt in my drawers for anything convenient to wear after my shower and settle on shorts and a t-shirt with a new set of undergarments.
I shriek when hands snake around my waist turning me around to face the Greek God in front of me.
"Need help putting those on?" He eyes the clothing in my hand
"I'm good, thanks. Be right back" I scamper off into the bathroom as quickly as possible and closing the door behind me.
My fingers trail over the locket over and over again as if I'm in The Wizard of Oz and the chain is my ruby slipper. When the enticing Jeffrey Archer novel had finally bored me - couldn't blame it, I read it three times in the past - I harvested enough courage to open the tiny heart locket. I was right, the outside was covered in the most intricate designs as if it were casting a spell and the patterns to grow onto my chest but sadly, it didn't. The locket - like most others - opened up into two halves with one side gold plated with the word 'Amour' engraved into it in the most elegant cursive handwriting I've ever seen. Its partnering half-heart held a picture, the one of Louis and I at the carnival when he suggested we take a picture as a memory. I smile at the memory also wondering what sort of inquisition he would have been put under on his drive with Nana home.
"Sam! Our cars here!" Ella stands beside Zack at my hotel room door. We had to partner up but I was lucky enough to get one of the two available single rooms. Ella wasn't mad at me only because she knew me well.
"Coming!" We were heading to the make-shift hospital that is one of a dozen set up all over the place where injured people come to get treatment or dead bodies come to be identified.
The drive to the hospital was short but bumpy, our guide was a Mexican middle-aged man named Andrew, his driving was less than the best but nobody - else - died. On our arrival and entry we were given white lab coats that we had to keep on at all times when we were in the building and to indicate where we came from, we had to have a certain colour pen in our pockets. London's colour was red.
"Let's get to work", Mr. Copperfield commands.
Our stations were next door to each other and were divided by either cardboard walls or thin plastic sheets. Ella and I were together and our station had a constant flow of injured people coming in for bandages or minor operations. At 22:30 we we're exhausted but nobody was willing to go back to the hotel just yet, the people who needed help were here in the hundreds and we couldn't turn them away.
"Wanna switch partners for the rest of the night?" I overheard Zack asking Ella.
"Sure, I need to look at another bland bright room, this one's getting dull", she remarks.
Zack and I work together treating two individuals at a time to get more people healthy.
"Alright! We're calling it a night.........or day", Mr Copperfield announces to all his students.
Our sigh of relief is an undertone to our sigh of disappointment.
"We have to get some rest guys if you want to come in at all tomorrow. So everyone, get into the car. Another team will keep our stations warm until we return"
We begrudgingly walk down the brightly lit staircase holding on tightly to the railing not trusting our own balance.
After a hot shower and putting on comfortable clothing I call Nana to enlighten her on the days activities.
"Sammy, how's America?" Her voice is high and mood the same
"I'm good. We were at the hospital for........"- I glance at my watch gasping when I realize its nearly three in the morning -" a couple hours now and everyone dead tired"
"You sound like you came back from the dead. Are you sure you're fine? I snuck some Aspirin into your bag in case you need it"
"Ugh, Nana"
"You should get some sleep. What are you up to tomorrow?"
"Our team has been assigned the duty of driving around town looking at ruins in search of people who are injured and need help"
"And you're okay with this?"
"Of course I am. It just might be........depressing seeing New York in ruins rather than victory"
"I think you should rest. Louis been trying to reach you and you didn't answer your phone"
"Oh crap! I forgot, I'll call him now. Thanks, Nana"
"He's a nice boy, we had a long discussion on our ride back from the airport. He drives fast but I like him"
"Nana, I love you and goodnight"
"Send me a postcard. Love you too, sweet dreams"
I laugh and cut the call preparing to call Louis. I called Nana using the hotel phone so I haven't switched my cell on as yet. The bright red warning that my battery is dying flashes immediately after I put it on, along with several missed calls and a couple texts. I plug the charger on and let the phone charge on the bedside table.
I memorized Louis' number and easily press the correct digits into the hand set. He answers at the first ring, a sigh of relief and annoyance quite audible.
"Sam?" His voice is tired
"How'd you know it was me?"
"I didn't, I've been answering all my calls for the past twelve hours with your name"
"Aw, but you didn't have to be paranoid. I would have called"
"I forgot to tell you to call me when you landed, I just assumed you would but you didn't and your phone was off"
"Yeah, sorry about that. We were just extremely busy"
"How is it there?"
"Its......beyond heart wrenching. There were so many children's cases, a couple without a limb or a rod or plank that somehow......cut them to put it lightly. There's a lot of dead people here, Louis"
"I can imagine. You don't want to do it anymore? I can come get you"
"What? No. Saying I love it here would be inappropriate but I do, I've never seen everyone so-"
"Tired?"
"No, the opposite. So alive and quite excited to be out in the field"
"You sound so tired, babe. Maybe you should go to bed"
"I will, just now. Did you just call me babe?"
"Thought I'd give it a shot. You don't like it?" his laughter rings in my ear, sending welcome chills down my back.
"Its fine", trying to keep my voice as normal as I can manage
"What are you wearing?"
I stop pacing and stand with my mouth gaping. What?
"What? Why?"
"I just wanna know"
"I'm wearing clothes, Louis"
"Ah man, never liked those things"
"You never liked clothes?" I raise my eyebrow at the phone
"Nope. They get in the way"
"Oh Lord. Goodnight, Louis"
"Goodnight. I love you. Always"
"I love you too, Lou"
Normally Louis would hang up instantly but he's still on the line.
"You planning on hanging up?" I ask him
"Only if you do"
"We're really doing this?"
"I always thought this was like, a stage in a relationship where they don't wanna hang up the phone and they spend the entire night talking about how their service providers are going to overcharge them"
My laugh is strained but still comes out.
"Oh well, let's not put them through any of that, shall we?"
"You don't like talking to me?" His voices fakes hurt
"I love talking to you, otherwise I would have hung up by now"
"You're just saying that"
"Don't flatter yourself"
"Are you gonna flatter me? Maybe when you get back, I can think of a few ways you can do that"
My cheeks burn a bright red at the thought of what he is suggesting.
"Goodnight, Louis"
"I know you're doing that cute blush that you always do. What I would give to be there and see it"
"Goodnight, Louis"
"Okay, okay. Goodnight, baby"
I hang up with the blush still prominently visible on my visage with a grin beginning its appearance. Curling up between the soft duvet on the hotel bed, I fall asleep and that night I dream of blue eyes and fangs.
A loud thumping on my door jolts me awake. I fumble out of the sheets and run over to the door. Ella stands outside my door with her cell in hand.
"Time for breakfast, come on", she nearly pulls me with her but stops to eye my clothing and allows me five whole minutes to shower and change.
When I'm done I join her in the hallway, slipping my room key and cell phone into the back pockets of my jeans. Our breakfast time comprises of our team seated around a coffee table in the dining area with a couple foods - eggs, bacon, yogurt, fruit, cereal and two jugs of water - laid out on it. I decide on having yogurt and fruit, but I do ask Ella to share some of her eggs with me when I'm done.
Outside in the street we are directed to various cars all with drivers except the black Saab at the end of the row.
"You're going to be driving around in these for the day, if you find anyone immediately bring them back to the hospital for treatment. Keep to our designated are because if you get lost, we can't come looking for you. Understood?" Mr Copperfield informs us
"Understood" each one of us mumble back, clearly still exhausted from last night and this morning. Its already 9 AM.
"Who's in the Saab, Mr. C?" I ask. He gave us all the permission to call him that saying that his actual surname can be a mouthful. We didn't disagree.
"Well, I was going to be driving that but you can have it" he tosses me the keys.
"Thanks. What are you gonna be doing?"
"Well, we all can't be out in the field. Someone's got to make sure my little puppies don't get stranded"
"Alright then. See you in the afternoon"
"Okay, I'll be at the hospital if any of you need me" he tells all of us
Everyone hops into a car with a driver and I get into the Saab. Everyone disperses and I begin my route. It truly is saddening to see New York in this state, barely a single building is still standing and the others either have half of it yanked out or have collapsed completely. Bodies aren't in plain sight but gazing upon the ruins is depressing enough.
My catches a small bright flash as I drive past more rubble. I pull up in front of what looks like.........a nursery? Kindergarten? The building itself is flattened but there is a narrow path going around the back. I get out and lock the car. Walking on what used to be the sidewalk I see the object again, its blue and white with a rectangular shape. A lunch box. Running up to it, I bend down and hold it shifting it around. Inside is a rotten apple and broken lunchbox with an empty juice box. I'm about to put it back down when a soft weeping fills the air. My eyes scan my surroundings but come up empty so I take the path leading to the back of the building. On the ground at the side of the building is a pair of pants, lying balled up and messy on the ground. It doesn't have tears and still has those tiny air pockets beneath it suggesting its been thrown down recently. I pick it up holding the belt loops and continue walking. The weeping stops and then I hear a cry, a loud one and I bolt to the back of the building.
I'm horrified at what I see in the backyard playground. A tiny pale figure is lying crumbled on the ground. Its male, pre-adoloscent and these pants are definitely his. Hovering above him are three much bigger male teenagers. Their backs are to me so I can't see their faces or what they're doing and it scares me.
"Hey!" I yell trying to get their attention
One boy turns his head toward me with an arrogant expression evaporating when he sees me. He says what I think is "Oh shit!" And shoves the other boys' arms. They take off toward the other side of the building disappearing into the rubble.
The tiny body still lay on the ground, with his knees curled up against his chest as he rocks back and forth on his heels. Approaching him I realize that this boy is seriously undernourished and he has no shoes on. There is a gap slightly bigger than a normal person's between his big toe and its partner on both feet. I lay the lunch box and pants down on the ground before lifting my hand up to brush a few locks of blond hair away from his face.
"Hey, its okay" I whisper soothingly
"Look at me"
He nervously lifts his head up and gazes at me with fear in his eyes.
"Its okay, honey. Are these yours?" I show him the two items next to me. He nods and smiles fondly at the lunch box.
"What's your name, honey?" I ask him
"J-Jason" he responds
"Jason is such an awesome name. My name's Sam but you can call me Sammy"
Tears begin to roll down his sullen cheeks and he let's go of his knees letting them slide painfully onto the ground. He reaches up as if to hug me but doesn't. I give him a hug and say calming things to him. His facial structure is very similar to what I expected it to be. Jason has Down Syndrome.
"You can call me Jase if you want to" he smiles up at me as if I'm the imaginary friend he's lucky to have.
"I think I will, Jase", I grin at him,"Come on, let's get you up"
"No" he says without letting go of me
"Why?"
"My legs.......they hurt" he begins to cry again
"No, no don't cry, honey. I'll carry you, okay?"
"Okay" he sniffs
I stand up then bend down for Jason, he wraps his thin arms around my neck and I support his weight on my hip. His head rests on my shoulder as we walk back to the car and I open the back door to buckle him in.
"So, how about we go get your legs checked up with my friends, is that okay?"
"Okay. Sammy?"
"Yeah, Jase?"
"Are you going to take care of me?"
His question yanks on the strings of my heart and all I can do is hope that someone will take this angel in.
"I will, Jason. I promise"
He gives me a smile that's child-like and adorable.
"Do you have a puzzle?" He asks me
"A puzzle?"
"Uh-huh. Mrs. Rose would always gave me puzzles. She said it gave me more smarticles"
"What are smarticles?"
"They're like..........um, apples. They make you thinks hard and give the right answers on your tests"
"Oh, and you have a lot of those, don't you?"
"Mrs. Rose said I did but those b-bullies said I was as dumb as fudge"
"Oh well, ignore those bullies, Jase. Besides, I really like fudge"
"You do? I like it too but Mrs. Rose doesn't make anymore"
"Well, we'll see what we can do about that. For now, let's go see what's up with your legs. You can play with my phone if you like, I have some puzzle games on it"
"Can I?"
"Sure", I take out my phone from my back pocket and hand it to him,"Will you take care of this for me, Jase?"
He nods excitedly and takes the phone. The entire drive to the camp/hospital he was engrossed in my phone, forgetting that he didn't have any pants on.
***
"His name is Jason Oliver from the Rising Sun Orphanage run by a Daphne Rose. Well, used to be run by her. Its completely destroyed and the premises were already checked out, no survivors. He's eleven years old and was diagnosed with DS at nine" Zack had done me a favour and run Jase's description through the system and came up with this.
Jase will have nobody to take care of him when I leave, I'd gotten special permission to have him under my care for my stay since he had no family and I was over 21. Now he was sitting at a desk in Ella's and my station still giving his undivided attention to my phone although we did manage to get his pants on. The pain in his legs was due to a minor fracture probably caused by a fall and from being sore with bruises all over his legs.
He stayed with Ella and I until our shift was over and would always ask me where I was going before I would leave his sight.
"Sammy?" He would call
"Yeah, Jase?"
"Where are you going?"
"I'll be right back, honey. Ella's going to be here with you"
He and I became fast friends in the few hours we'd known each other and I was sure of it because he found it difficult to be around anyone else if I wasn't there which is a strange symptom for a child with DS.
On our drive home he sat comfortably in between Ella and I, she was the one other person he took a liking to. I had to stop and purchase a few items of clothing for Jason - from the stores that weren't in pieces - so that I could get rid of the filthy ones he had on now.
"You want me to be in there with you or will you do it yourself?" He had to have a bath after I did and I wasn't sure what to do.
"Can you tell me a story while I bath? Mrs. Rose would always tell me a story but she and I would have fun with it"
"Sure, big guy"
He stripped down completely finding it still a little difficult to move his legs but I told him that he had to exercise them if he wanted them healthy again. We mashed up a couple fairy tales and gave it a new ending while he was in the bath, I shampooed his hair and rinsed it clean while he scrubbed everywhere else.
"Goodnight, Jase" I kiss his forehead after I tug him into my bed, I plan on snoozing on the couch.
"Goodnight, Sammy"
I turn around to leave the room, Nana is gonna be thrilled to hear about today.
"Sammy?" Jason calls after me
"Yeah?"
"Thank you f-for saving me f-from the m-mean boys. They can be c-cruel and I'm really happy you found me"
"Aw, honey. Don't thank me, all good people have good things happen to them"
"Goodnight, Sammy"
"Goodnight, Jase"
***
"Are you SERIOUS?!" Nana practically yells on her end
"Yes, I am"
"That's so sweet, I would love to meet him. Does he have a home?"
"No, he lived in an orphanage that was blown to bits in the catastrophe and there's no family to take him in"
"Do you think......."
"Nana, I've only known him one day -"
"And he's practically stolen both our hearts yet I didn't meet him yet"
"That doesn't mean we can just adopt him, Nana"
"When do you get back?"
"End of next week"
"Well, that's plenty of time for you two to bond. Goodnight, Sammy"
"'Night, Nana"
Nana makes many rash decisions on impulse and even though it usually works out for her, it doesn't mean it will continue to do so. I hang up and go to bed on the less-than-comfy couch.
***
"Alright Jase, here's my phone. You dial this number if you need me, okay? And don't leave this area, promise?" I've been over-cautious when it came to Jason the past two days but I couldn't risk him wandering off into some bio hazard section here and catching a terminal illness.
Nana called every night to hear about Jason and she even spoke to him, as would any other homo sapien or neanderthal he loved her and wanted to meet her but I continued to wing it so I didn't have to have an open discussion about this.
"Okay, I promise" he hugs me tightly then let's go to turn his attention to my suduko app. I ruffle his hair and bend down to give him a peck on the forehead. On the second night Jason stayed with me he asked me to give him a goodnight kiss because Mrs. Rose did.
*FLASHBACK*
"Sammy, can I have a goodnight kiss?" His voice was tiny, muffled by the pillow.
To be honest, I was a little thrown at his request. I've never had to do this, not in a sisterly, friendly and definitely not a motherly way but Jason made it so easy even though I've only met him yesterday.
"Mrs. Rose says it keeps the monsters away from me"
"What monsters?"
"Bullies a-and the night that Mrs. Rose couldn't give me a kiss we had the big boom and all the kiddies had to run out. I-I was the only one who stayed outside the building and everyone else ran away, that's when the bullies f-found me"
I rush back to him and give him a brief kiss on his forehead.
"No monsters are going to get you, Jase, not while I'm here"
***
LOUIS POV
"We need to be careful, Louis. What the hell are you doing running around like a bloody freelance Casanova?" Roger shouts at me in the quiet of his office in the library.
"Casanova? I'm not a Casanova"
"Oh you know what I mean!" His exasperated tone is waltzing on my last nerve.
"Rog, calm down. I know what I'm doing"
"And I don't distrust you, its just that I want you to be careful, I don't want you to get hurt or........"
"Hurt her?"
"Exactly. I don't want you to somehow lose control and hurt her and it will kill you because you won't be able to live with it"
"What happened before was a mistake but I'd never hurt her, Roger"
"You say that now, they always say that now but when you're in that heated argument and your temper gets the better of you, you'll do something that you will regret forever"
"Roger, I won't do that, believe me. I love her"
He sighs and leans against his oak desk. His gray hair flopping all over his face and thick bushy eyebrows forming umbrellas for his eyes.
"Fine, besides I've got other things to worry about"
"Like what?"
"Johnson, the fuck, left his post for two bloody seconds and whatever he was guarding got lose"
"What was he guarding?"
"Snows"
I gasp at the word, Snows are heartless creatures that are extremely pale and possess the sharpest teeth I've ever seen. Anyone who came into contact with one of the Snows, will die no doubt about it.
"And are they under control now?" Obviously Snows won't be allowed to leave the Institutes premises. The image of the sharpened black teeth oozing a lethal liquid and large black empty eyes all pasted on an ash-white face, flashes through my mind.
"Well, a team was just released to go get 'em. They've already caused a havoc in a civilian area and we're hoping they're still there so we can catch them quickly with no suspicions"
"Really? Where?"
"New York"
***
SAM POV
"This case is quite strange, Sam. That's why I called you over here. Look at the lacerations on his neck" Mr. C had called for me from his station down with the dead bodies.
"What's his name?"
"Hasn't been identified yet, this is John Doe 1236"
"Okay, um.......lacerations seem to have been caused by some kind of tool like gardening shears or Edward Scissorhands"
He laughs at my observation but goes with it anyway.
"Exactly, its highly unusual because when we ran a tox screen and tried to match the wounds to anything we came up empty"
"Well, its like.......claw marks like a dog had ripped his flesh"
"I thought you would say that, check this out"
He walks around the gurney to the victim's left leg and lifts the white sheet to reveal a pair of large holes pierced into the skin.
"What is this?" My gloved hand grazing the skin
"Puncture marks, large ones"
"Could be a taser"
"It could but look at the x-rays"
"You ran x-rays?"
"Put in a call. Now look at this, the wounds go roughly three centimeters deep and the flesh surrounding the wound isn't burnt the way it should be if it was a taser attack gone wrong"
"Hypothesis?" It sounded awkward having me - the student - ask Mr. C - the teacher - what his hypothesis was.
"He was bitten by some kind of sharp-toothed creature because there are no particulates left that are evidence if the puncture being caused by an inorganic substance"
Fear begins to build up forcing my heart into hyper drive but I keep a straight face, there are plenty of explanations that could be the solution to this, no need to freak out.
"Ah"
"I know, hard to believe, right? I'll just dismiss it as a dog bite or stapler wound"
"If you want to, I mean its a long shot"
"It definitely is. Thanks, Sam"
"No need, I wasn't much help"
The panic subsides but the underlying note of slight fear is still apparent. Should I call Louis and ask him if he knew anything? No, just leave it alone.
"SAMMY!" Jason waves enthusiastically at me from across the room. He's seated exactly where I left him with my phone still clutched in his bony palms. I've been trying to feed him but its only making slight differences, like his leg pain has finally ended.
"Hey, Jase. What's up?" I sit of the uncomfortable plastic chair beside him.
"I got the h-highest score in suduko" he proclaims proudly, with his grin expanding.
"Oh, I'm so proud of you" I had obviously downloaded the easiest possible puzzles for him because kids with DS are slow and I didn't want him pulling out his hair because he couldn't solve something.
"Sammy, are you hungry?"
My mind hasn't been in the same place with my physical self the entire day and I hadn't noticed that I was indeed hungry.
"Yes, how 'bout u, kiddo?"
He nods happily and I pull out a candy bar from my bag. Breaking it in half I hand him his half and I keep mine.
"Thank you" he says gobbling up his piece
"Slow down there, Jase" I mock
"SAM!!" Ella's voice echoes through the room
"Yeah?" I look up confused
"Come here", she motions with her hand for me to follow her,"You might wanna bring Jason too"
"Come on, Jase"
He holds my hand and we walk behind Ella towards the staircase. She doesn't utter a single word and just leads us down to the lowest level - the basement - and shoves a large metal bolted door open. A dozen people are milling around inside, all talking on their cellphones or focusing on the large black monitor that's placed on the wall.
"What's happening?" I ask Ella
"Come here" she pulls me toward an elderly balding man whose belly walks before him. He's standing with his eyes glued to the screen, scrutinizing.
"Dr. Ellis. This is Samantha, tell her what you told us" Ella speaks to the man.
"Hello, Dr. Hunter. I'm Dr. Paul Ellis, nice to meet you"
"Pleasure"
"So, I have been studying the weather patterns, climate control you name it. All of it, I've had my eye on it for the past month and I've noticed a drastic change. Look at this", he points to a type of radar and there is a single high slope amongst all the other flat ones -"this is what my equipment picked up. Weather wise, we're about to experience some of the coldest nights mankind has ever seen, if my calculations are correct"
"And who else knows about this?"
"Everyone in this room. Ella and I met the first day she got here and I told her all about this, she insisted that I tell you"
"Everyone quiet!" A disembodied voice shouts to us all and silence befalls the room,"Listen"
We turn towards where we think the voice is coming from, a petite male standing in the corner of the room with his phone held out in front of him. A barely comprehensible voice begins to speak.
"Everyone, I have some bad news. The climate in your area is all over the place, its so low we had to expand the screen just to see it. The hurricane that took place last month won't happen again but you're about to experience something much worse in a more subtle manner. The temperatures over the next few days will drop to minus thirty to fifty which is too cold to have anyone fly out to get you so you'll have to wait it out"
"What proof do you have of this? You'll be causing a panic over a hunch" someone asks
"Not a hunch. This will happen and you have...........twenty-four hours to prepare for it"
"Is that all?"
"I don't know"
The room breaks out in one big argument and I stand frozen next to Ella, Jason still firmly in my grasp. I had to figure out a way to get through this, we had twenty-four hours.
"Who is that?" I ask Ella about the mysterious person on the phone
"Dr. Edwards from the US Government"
"Why weren't we told about this earlier?"
"Because they weren't sure earlier, now they are"
"So what do we do, Dr. Ellis?" I ask
"We need shelter, but this place is too open to provide any warmth. We need a tall building"
"Tall? Wouldn't that be colder?"
"Yes but if we get any surprises, height is our savior"
"Sammy, what's happening?" Jase picks up on my panicky mood
"Nothing, honey. Let's go outside"
Our team had helped to seal off any vents, windows or any gap that would bring in excess air. None of the patients were aware of what's happening and we didn't plan on telling them. Now Mr. C, Ella, Dr. Ellis, Zack, Jase and I were standing outside the hospital just talking about anything to keep our minds off what was about to unfold.
A piercing scream coming from far-out interrupts us and our heads snap up to find the source. A lady standing at the base of the steps of another building is pointing at something in the distance, too faint for me to notice.
"What the...." Dr. Ellis' cigarette fell soundlessly onto the ground as he stares in aw.
"What is it?" Mr. C follows his gaze only for his reaction to mimic his
I finally see what they do, a large blue wall is approaching us at a furious speed, swallowing everything in its path. I grip Ella's arm and shake her back to reality.
"We have to go. Now!" I shout
She comes out of her reverie and helps bring the others back.
"No, we can't go into the hospital. We need height" Dr. Ellis repeats pointing to an office building not too far away.
"We can't leave them" Zack protests
"There are doctors here, Zachary. Let's go, now"
"Sammy!" Jason is nearly in tears as he shouts. I hoist him up onto my hip again, making it heavier to run but it'd be a little easier. The sounds of screams and crashing waves are all around, its coming at us from all sides but Dr. Ellis is relentless in his sprint. We burst through the office building doors but don't stop, Dr. Ellis instructs us to run up the stairs until we're high enough.
Crashing glass can be heard when we reach the fourth floor and my legs feel as helpful as jell-o. We halt to catch a breath and lean over the railing to watch water cover the entire bottom two floors.
"Higher" Mr. C tells us.
Eventually we give up at the twenty-something floor and my legs give away beneath me. I sink down to the cold tiled floors as I gasp for air, filling my deprived and tired lungs. Jase sits down next me and curls up like when I first found him under my arm.
"I think we're high enough for now. Let's go find some empty rooms" Dr. Ellis tells us.
I reluctantly stand again holding Jase's hand and walk through the endless halls with the group. There's a whole bunch of PA offices that are unlocked but I spy a CEO's room at the end of the hall. I walk up to it and try to handle but its locked.
"Um, can someone help me out?" I ask across the hall
They approach me and Mr. C kicks the door open, this CEO needs a better security company. The office is neat and modern but a fireplace is situated directly opposite us behind the desk.
"Get it going" Dr. Ellis says to Zack
Zack sets a few useless - I hope - papers ablaze and keeps the flame high and strong.
"Guys, look at this" Ella calls us over to the window
Our view is one of grieving. The hospital is completely covered by water, drowning all its occupants. Zack breaks down at the sight, crumbling to the ground with tears spilling onto his shirt. His best friend was in that building.
"Don't cry, Zacky", Jase is sitting beside him talking soothingly to him,"everything's gonna be okay, don't cry. I'm still your friend"
Zack sniffs and looks at Jase like he's ET then up at me. I give him an encouraging smile and he hugs Jase tightly.
"Thanks, kiddo. I hope so"
Zack and Jase sit in front of the fire talking about each other's friends while the rest of us strategize.
"What now?" Mr. C asks
"Food" I say
"Water" Ella seconds
"Warmth" Dr. Ellis finishes
"Alright let's go. Zack, stay with Jase and don't leave this room" I call over my shoulder as we exit the room
***
We foraged for any supplies that could help us and we came up with a whole lot of vending machine snacks, a couple liters of water from taps and water coolers and plenty of coats for warmth. My cell had a single bar left so I switch it off unsure of whether our return journey to the hotel would be anytime soon.
"Are we not gonna bath?" Jase asks me while he eats his M&M's and I sit cross-legged on a coach. Everyone turns to look at us when Jason poses his question.
"No, Jase. Not today" I say simply
"Alright" he comes and sits next to me before he yawns loudly and stretches.
I drag a cushion over from the other couch, put it on the arm rest and stretch out on the couch with my head on it. Jase does the same and nestles his tiny body under my arm falling into a deep sleep within seconds.
***
"Why are we going to burn the CEO's papers?" Jase asks me as he helps me dump boxes of paper into a cart.
"Because we need to keep the fire on"
We are alone in the Records Room and Jase is having his bit of fun reading through some of the papers and asking me what certain words mean.
"What does......lee-gal mean?" He asks while I top up the cart and prepare to leave.
"Legal, it means that its accepted by the law and you are allowed to do it. Ill-legal means its forbidden" I explain. Jase asked me if he could keep one of the books he found in the Records Room and I said why not?
"Do you hear that?" Jase asks
"Hear what?"
"That" he and I keep exceptionally quiet trying to pick up a sound. There's a ringing, electronic. A telephone.
I follow the sound to the far-end of a hallway we hadn't noticed before and there are two old pay phones hung up on the wall. The middle one is buzzing loudly now and I run up to it, yanking the receiver and holding it to my ear.
"Hello? Who is this?" My tone is rushed and pitchy
"Sam? Are you okay?" Its Louis. How'd he find me?
"Louis?"
"Of course, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Actually its freezing here and the hospital's been destroyed. Only Mr. C and Ella and Zack and Dr. Ellis and Jason are here" I speak quickly unsure of whether he could understand me let alone know who they are
"Calm down, I'm coming to get you. Now"
"What? No!"
"And why the hell not?" He sounds angry
"Because its too cold for anyone to come, we were told to wait it out. Don't come"
"And how long is the wait?"
"Not sure?"
"What the fuck?"
"They aren't sure and there's nothing I can do!" Jason's finger is looped through my belt loop on my jeans.
"Okay, okay. Then I'm coming for you"
"You can't just take me, Louis. There are other people here that I can't leave without"
"I can't just leave you out there!"
"And believe me, I don't want to stay here but I won't abandon these people and how do you plan on getting here anyway?"
"By flying"
"In what?"
"Something that flies" In his anger, his humor shines through
"Anything that flies out in these temperatures will freeze"
"Not what I've got"
"I don't care. Don't come"
"Do you have any idea how difficult its been for me? Trying to get through to you after Roger told me about the danger there and you wouldn't answer your damn phone. I called every single pay phone until I got this one. I'm not losing you"
"You're not going to lose me. I'm right here and I still have some battery life in my cell so I'll call if things get difficult. For now, just stay there"
"No way, I'm coming"
"Louis, listen to me. I've got Jase with me and what am I supposed to do? Leave him here alone?"
"Wait, who's Jase?"
Crap! I forgot that I hadn't told Louis about Jason.
"Jason is a kid that's in my care for the rest of my trip, he's too small to be left alone here"
"Ugh, Sam.......Fine"
"Good, I'll call if I need you"
"No, fine he can come with you. Stay put" he hangs up and I try *69 but its useless.
"I'm a big boy aren't I, Sammy?" Jase demands my attention
"Of course you are, I just had to tell Louis that"
We head back to the cart and start pushing it back to the CEO's office where everyone sits around crouched before the fire, except Zack.
"Where's Zack?" I ask handing them the papers
"He heard you shouting and went to find you" Ella tells me
Jase joins them around the fire and continues to read his book from the RR. I go in search of Zack back out in the hall. I see his leaning over the edge looking down at the water rising from the bottom floors. My eyes fall on the glass that he's leaning on and see cracks arise from the floor, its going to fall.
"ZACK!" I scream for him as I run
He turns around to look at me but the glass shatters and falls over the edge. Zack still had his weight against it and he begins to fall but I get there in time to grab his arm. His hand grips my upper arm in desperation and I dig my nails into his sleeve to keep my grip.
"HELP!" I scream in agony back down the hall. Though my grip is solid enough, I knew my shoulder is dislocated because of the stress.
In seconds Mr. C and Ella run over and help us up, I thank my lucky stars that this area was carpeted and not tiled.
"You guys okay?" Ella asks helping me up
"Yeah" I grimace in the shock pain in my shoulder
"Thanks, Sam. I owe you one" Zack hugs me making me gasp
"One? You owe like fifty" I joke
"Oh man, your shoulders gone"
"Kinda"
"We'll get it back but let's get into the office now" Mr. C ushers us
"Ready?" Mr. C asks as he braces himself and myself to have my shoulder popped back.
"Aha" I look away crushing Ella's hand in mine.
"One......two" and he pops it back into position. I scream in pain and anger hugging my shoulder
"Where did three go?" I spit
"Expect the unexpected. Is it paining?"
"A little, I'm fine now"
"Everyone, let's go to sleep. Zack, fill the fire"
I retire to my couch in the corner of the room and Jase rests his head on my lap.
"Are you okay, Sammy?" He asks, his dark green eyes reflecting what little light is emitted from the lamp on the desk.
"I'm fine, honey. Go to sleep" I kiss his forehead and he sleeps.
My eyes look around at everyone, curled up on couches, chairs and Zack on the floor in front of the floor. I don't know what Louis going to do or when its going to happen but I would never be able to bring myself to leave these people, I just can't.
I arise at around 08:00 according to my watch with Jase wide awake and keeping an un-trained eye on what's happening outside. My eyes scan the room when I notice we're one head short.
"Where's Mr. C?" I ask no one in particular
"He went out a couple hours ago, should be back anytime now" Ella informs me.
"What you doing, Jase?" I get up and go stand next to him
"Just looking-"
Someone bursts through the door and we all fear the worst but its just Mr. C however he is holding his right arm tightly against his chest.
"Charlie" Dr. Ellis walks over to him and helps him into a chair
Ella rips open his sleeve using a pair of scissors and blood trickles down his arm onto his pants. It seems to be coming from a wound on his forearm that I can't exactly make out because there's early scabbing and too much blood.
"Zack, take Jason" I instruct and go to the threesome to assist.
Holding a sterile cloth I wipe off the excess blood oozing out from the wound at a gradual pace and it reveals a ghastly three-streak mark and I know I've seen this before. Mr. C looks up expectantly at me but I remain silent.
"What happened?" Dr. Ellis presses after he closes the door
"I went for a walk, to check on the temperature outside and believe me, its freezing. I felt something grab my arm but when I turned around it wasn't there, just the feeling of warm liquid dripping down my arm onto the ground"
"Maybe your shirt just got snagged somewhere" Ella suggests
"Possibly" he carries a hint of disbelief but drops the subject
There's a loud crashing noise that comes from the hallway and Mr. C freezes in fear, everyone does and suddenly I'm looking only for Jason. He is standing behind Zack in the corner of the room but when I try to approach them someone else shoves the door open. Giving in to the urge to see who it is, I do a 360 and stare in both anger and surprise at the person blocking the door. Louis is flanked by two much larger males carrying no weaponry at all, strange. At first he doesn't see me and I'm silently glad but when his blue orbs land on me I have no option but to hide the anger so that it can be delt with later.
"Sam" his smile is one of genuine relief and I have to admit, he looks pretty damn hot. Did I just think that?
My mind hunts like a maniac for something to say and comes up dry. I can picture my librarian/spinster/farmer subconscious giving up as she slumps on the leather couch I gave her, I'm going to repossess that damn thing.
"Hey" I wave sheepishly - slightly in pain because of my shoulder - and Jase comes to stand behind me with his finger looped through my jean's belt loop again. I really need a shower.
***
"You're fine, Sam. Just a few strained muscles on your shoulder but you'll be fine in a few days" A very lovely man named Roger explains.
"Thanks, doctor" I say unsure of what I should call him
"Oh no, its Roger. Just Roger"
"Thanks, Roger. Do you know where the little boy that was with me is?"
"Right across the hall, don't worry. You can go see him if you want to"
"I will, thanks"
To be honest, I don't know where we are at all. Just before Louis could get to us there was a second crash and everything went black, I don't remember a thing which pissed me off. Roger disappears through the pale blue door shutting it behind him. I'm in the one item of clothing I dread, the hospital gown. My legs are cold and hang over the edge of the examination table. Before I have a second to breathe and take in the room the door re-opens but Louis comes in this time.
"There you are" he strides over to me in a way that reminds me of a snow leopard stalking a gazelle, a helpless gazelle with strained ligaments.
"Where are the others?" I ask urgently
He reaches me but doesn't answer. His hand cups the side of my face as he presses his lips to mine hard and roughly. My hands are unable to move from the navy blue arm sling Roger gave me and Louis only breaks the kiss when I need to breathe, he learnt that from past experience.
"You crazy, crazy woman" he speaks against my lips
"I love you too. Where are the others?"
"They're fine, they're getting checked by Roger"
I try to jump off the table but Louis steps between my legs forcing me back up.
"What are you doing?" He asks
"Failing to get to the ground. I need to change"
"Oh yes, I got you some clothes which aren't covered in blood and shredded"
"My clothes were shredded?"
"A little so wait here. Don't move" he emphasizes 'don't' and leaves the room again, returning in a record timing of five seconds.
He helps me get off the table and I hold the bag with my new clothes, slightly eager to see what's inside like a kid on Christmas morning. Did they give me morphine?
"Woah, steady on. How are you planning on getting those on with your arm sling?" He raises his perfect eyebrow at me. Yup, I'm definitely high on morphine.
"Nicely"
"Oh no, I'm helping you. Come here"
"What? No!" I shriek when he picks me up bridal style and goes into the bathroom I hadn't had time to notice.
He puts me down -thankfully there isn't a mirror in here - and turns me around so that he can untie the hospital gown. I'm fully aware that beneath this I have only my bra and panties on, making me slightly self-conscious. The gown falls to the ground pooling at my feet and Louis reaches for something in the bag, sweat pants. He pulls the pants up my legs and ties a neat little knot to ensure it won't fall. The shirt is a little harder to put on because of the sling, I have to remove it and carefully snake my arm through the shirt then put the sling back, thankfully the grimacing was minimized to three throughout the process.
I sit on the edge of a white tub and Louis hoists one of my legs onto his knee for him to put a Tom's sneaker on.
"You are never leaving the country without me again. Ever" he comments and places a kiss on my near my ankle. He repeats the process ending off the same way on the other leg.
"There. Back to looking like my Sammy" he winks and picks me up. I'm pulled into a long hug and everything around me disappears. Its just Louis and me, standing there with his arms around me making every trouble in the world vanish.
"Jason" I pull away and stare into his eyes.
"Oh, come on. I've been speaking to him while Roger was with you, he's a remarkable little boy" Louis drags me out of the room out into the hall and I remember I very important question.
"Where am I?" I ask
"You're back home. We got in yesterday"
"Ah"
"You can go see him now, I'll be right here when you're both done. Nana's waiting at home"
"Woah! You told her?"
"Yup, was I not supposed to?"
"No, its fine. Where's my cell?"
"Nana's got it. She was here in the morning but did want to stay long"
"And Ella?"
"They're all fine, don't worry. We're leaving as soon as you finish talk to Jason"
"But I can't leave Jason here"
"You won't. Just go talk to him and bring him out too when you're done, Nana's got a surprise for both of you" he kisses my forehead and ushers me into the room.
The blue door creaks open and I peep inside, Jase sits up excitedly when he sees me and even I liven up.
"Sammy! Over here!" He calls me over. I enter and shut the door before going to him and sitting on his bed.
"Hey, big guy. What you up to?" I ruffle his hair
"Its really f-fun here, Mr. Roger gave me this"- he shows off a Mars chocolate bar and I smile fondly. He breaks it in half and holds out one piece to me -"This is for you, for saving me and sharing your chocolate with me"
"Aw, I'm not hungry, Jase. You have it", I encourage and he takes it back eating my piece first,"Slow down, kiddo"
***
"Sammy! Oh thank God" Nana squeezes me and releases me when I have no choice but gasp from the pain in my arm.
"Hey, Nana" I hug her with my good arm and kiss her cheek.
"Is this the notorious Jason?" Nana turns her attention to the tiny person clinging to me.
"Hi" Jason greets
"Hi, Jason. I'm Sammy's grandma"
Jason moves from my back to my side so that Nana can see him better.
"Sammy talks about you a lot" Nana goes on
"She does?" Jason seems surprised at this information
"Oh yes, everyday"
"I like Sammy. She's very nice to me" Jason looks straight at her when he talks.
"Well then, I have a question for both of you but first let me talk to Sammy in private. Will you stay with Louis? You do like him too, right?"
"Aha" Jason turns and goes to stand by Louis while Nana pulls me into the kitchen.
"Sammy, do you love Jason?" She asks
"What?"
"Do you?"
"Of course, he's such a sweet kid"
"I'm sure he is and he loves you. So I've got some documents for you to sign"
"Woah, Nana"
"Because of the disaster there wasn't much of an adoption process but believe me, its all legit. Come on, Sammy. You don't want him to go into the system, do you?"
"We're so busy"
"No, we're not. I dropped out of the gym and got him enrolled at a school near Oxford so any one of us could pick him up. I even spoke to Louis and he's on board"
"You spoke to Louis?"
"I figured he's gonna be around us a lot so I thought it'd be nice to tell him"
"Oh, Nana............fine"
"Good" she lights up like a Christmas tree and hands me the documents
"You don't have to sign anything, I did", she tells me and calls Jason in.
Jase enters slowly and Louis isn't behind him, probably went upstairs to leave.........what?
Nana nudges me to go talk to Jason.
"Hey, Jase. How would you like to be my brother?" I bend down and speak softly
He looks slightly sad when he responds,"I thought I already was"
His answer makes me grin and I hug him hard for a good few minutes.
***
"Have fun" I wave to Nana and Jason as they pull out.
Nana insisted on taking him out for ice cream to celebrate but being the buzz-killer that I am, I said no and that I just wanted to shower and sleep. Louis is looming behind me and I nearly walk into him when I turn around.
"God! You need a bell or something" I tell him and walk around his tall frame
"For what?" I hear the door latch as I leap up the stairs to my room.
"Because you'd look cute with one" I tease
"So you're implying I don't look cute now?"
He is in my room within seconds and lying on my bed like he owns the place.
"No, you're very handsome" I hunt in my drawers for anything convenient to wear after my shower and settle on shorts and a t-shirt with a new set of undergarments.
I shriek when hands snake around my waist turning me around to face the Greek God in front of me.
"Need help putting those on?" He eyes the clothing in my hand
"I'm good, thanks. Be right back" I scamper off into the bathroom as quickly as possible and closing the door behind me.
Heck yeah! I'm dying to know what happens next!
1/21/14