Though the Monsters

Chapter 30

Secret Secrets

It was Hadlee's day off and yet she still found herself sitting at the beach enjoying the sun. Harrison and Jethro had both been very secretive lately and it made her uneasy. Conversations cutting off when she walked into the room, side-long glances when they thought she couldn't see them, and even the occasional late-night phone call. Hadlee was positive that she was just reading too much into things but with Christmas right around the corner she didn't want there to be any tension between the three of them. Maxi and Jesse assured her that there was absolutely nothing wrong and she shouldn't be worried about it. But still, she wanted to know what was going on.

            She had finally gotten her mind off of the strange behavior of her brother and boyfriend when an all too familiar taste filled her mouth. She knew she had to get to somebody before her seizure overtook her, but she didn't see anybody near her that might be able to help. The tower wasn't far, and though it probably wasn't a good idea she stumbled towards it. Hadlee breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Nicola come out of the tunnel.

"Hadlee, you okay?" Nicola called as she saw her friend moving strangely.

            Hadlee tried to respond but collapsed before anything could come out.

~~~~~~~

"Shit!" Nicola cursed as she ran towards Hadlee.

            Hadlee's seizure had already started by the time Nicola got to her.

"Jeth, I've got Hadlee seizing in front of the tower." Nicola said into her radio.

"On my way." Came Jethro's swift reply.

            Jethro came running down the steps of the tower and made his way to where Nicola was crouched over Hadlee. He had grabbed a sweatshirt from inside the tower and quickly put it under her head. Nicola had already pulled her hair out of her face and they waited for it to end. Hadlee's seizure didn't last nearly as long as some of her more intense ones and Jethro took a deep breath as it passed. She started to come around rather quickly as well, however the two lifeguards were still weary, not knowing whether or not she would get sick or not.

"Hads, Hadlee, can you hear me love?" Jethro called.

"Jeth?" Came Hadlee's mumbled answer.

"Yeah, beautiful it's me. Can you tell me where you are?" He asked.

"Bondi beach." Hadlee replied.

"That's good love. Just rest for a second and then we'll get you up to the tower. Did you take your meds this morning?" Jethro asked.

"Yeah, I did." Hadlee replied.

"Okay," Jethro said and noticed the crowd that was beginning to form around them. "Let's get you up and out of the sun."

            Jethro picked Hadlee up and she wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face into his shoulder. Jethro chuckled quietly.

"Comfortable?" He asked.

            Hadlee nodded.

"I'm tired." She said.

"You gotta stay awake for just a little bit longer. Just so Harrison can see that you're alright. Then you can take a nap." Jethro said carrying her up the tower steps and into the med bay.

            Harrison was still watching the water when they walked inside. He had trusted Nicola and Jethro to handle the situation and he could see that they had done well. Nicola took the binos from him and shooed him off.