It was under control

three

The search for Julianna Hart crept early into the morning, there was a vast area in which to cover and Jules was loosing time. Tom hadn't stop looking nor had he slept, he continued to walk up and down the dense forest, in hopes that he would catch a glimpse of a clue, or hopefully Jules. Tom turned left, and then left again. You are getting warm Tom. Until he entered that same canopied area, inspecting the blood that now inhabited the leafy floor. "Dear god, please do not be Jules's," he spoke to himself, while he followed the blood track further. The anticipation and anxiety that was building up caused him to move faster and faster. He knew if he found Jules she would severely injured, but he would have found her...right?

It felt as though he was on a carnival ride, the nerves just before you drop. Then the drop. Where your stomach seems to flip inside out, almost as though you have swallowed a heavy weight and it drags your stomach down. Tom stood there shocked at the sight he was seeing, a blood covered Jules, hidden amongst bushes and branches. Her well know red high top converse, minus the laces sticking out; alerting Tom that he had found her. He found her. Tom collapsed onto the floor, dragging her into his chest, begging her to open her eyes. He used his left hand to bring Jules face into his, as he rested their foreheads together. "Please. Please Jules." Tom created a fist and aggressively rubbed it against Jules's sternum, to apply a painful stimulus, in attempt to wake her up and assess the situation. He noticed the deep self harm cuts and the growing amount of blood that was piling up, in addition to the pale faced and blue lipped Jules.

Continuing to run his knuckles against Jules's boney breast bone, until a light flutter of her eyes arose, Tom reached for his radio to give conformation on finding Jules, alive, but barely. "Jules." He now had his hand on her face once more stroking her blood and mud covered, tear stained face with his thumb.

Through blurry and tear covered eyes, Jules saw the one person she needed in that moment "Tom...please."

"Shhh, i've got you Jules, you are safe, it's okay, i'm right here." Tom shook off his dusty blue zip up hoodie from his free arm, repeating this on the other until it was free from his warm body. He placed it over the shivering Jules, who couldn't manage to keep her eyes open.

Jules managed to spit out, "i'm hurting..."

"I know, I know, help is coming Jules, keep your eyes open for me love, i've got you." As he wiped away her flowing tears with the pad of his thumb. Bringing her even closer into his chest as she let out exhausted sobs, while he stroked her tangled hair and left reassuring and soft kisses on her forehead and hair, subconsciously rocking back and forward. As you could hear the distant rumble of police and searchers finding their way to Tom and Jules. Ambulance sirens and hurried voices etched their way into the atmosphere as Jules's lifeline was failing. "No, no, no Jules open your eyes darling, come on keep your eyes open; not long now." Tom turned his head towards the growing light getting closer to them. This time a tear left Tom's eye, he could see the pain Jules was in, he could see and feel Jules's blood between their bodies, he could see her dying, shaking body in his arms; and he broke.

The search was concluded, as the now deadweight of Jules lay slumped over in Tom's arms. You could hear the panicked voices of the police and paramedics as they rush to support Jules. Until she was restrained onto a stretched and transported to the hospital, Jules still had Tom's jacket draped over her, along with a foil blanket in hopes to warm up the deathly cold girl. Her heart rate was extremely slow and she was now at an extremely high risk of infection, from the horizontal and vertical cuts. A very notable vertical cut from the palm of Jules's hand to the top of her shoulder. Jules was rushed into the hospital, antibiotics and fluids being given in attempt to help her. She was so malnourished and weak from the consistent starvation, that you could tell from the worried faces of the doctors that they were unsure if she would get better.