The Alternate State

chapter 7

I'm in a dimly lit room, machines are buzzing and sighing all around me, I punch a few buttons on a keypad on the wall and everything is righted in the world in an instant! Gabe! My God! He looks the same, but he's a man now. Nineteen or twenty, and though he's pale, so pale he's never looked more handsome. He's happy, he's here And he looks happy to see me, he recognizes me and runs to me picking me up and twirling me. I hug him tightly around the neck kissing him over and over as tears stream down my face. Oh God, I've found you, I've really found you I say in between kisses
"Cress!" link shouts running into the room, "cress, they've found us!" my eyes shoot to him and i see a guard and within a moment he's got a gun pointed at me. Gabe drops me and raises his hand obediently, Link pushes me out of the way right as the guard pulls the trigger. Blood flies everywhere and coats the walls, my face, my hair and I look down to find my hands are covered in blood.
"No!" I yell as he drops to the ground in front of me. I crawl over to him, anger rising up in me. "No! No, no, no!"  Gabe rushes over to the guard with a knife. The guard shoots him in the arm, once, twice and finally in the head. The room fills with blood, I'm drowning in it, this is all my fault I say, this is all my fault.

My eyes shoot open. I'm covered in sweat,my hair sticking to my face and my heart racing. It was a dream, a dream i say to myself trying to calm my breathing. I look over to the other bed making sure I didn't wake Lincoln up, but he's gone. I sit up with a start, throwing the covers off and rushing out of the room, when I hear voices. I slow my pace, It's trey and link. I peer around the door trying to hear their conversation.
"I don't know... cress... love....can't." link whispers, i manage to hear.
"It will be okay, i'm sure-" suddenly the door flies open, I put too much weight on it. I stumble forward as Link's eyes shoot to mine, his mouth drops momentarily.
"Hey cress." he says, sitting back in his seat and placing his elbow on the back of the seat.
"Hey uh what's up, what were you guys talking about?" I say walking towards them and sitting in a chair beside link.
"Oh, nothing, my stomach was hurting and I couldn't sleep, and Trey works the night shift so he's used to being awake too. We were just talking about tomorrow."
"Oh okay, let me look at your stomach, it probably needs to be rebandaged." I say walking back into the room to get more gauze, ibuprofen and wrap. When I come back, Link is sitting with the chair away from the table, facing me. I lift up his shirt and begin to unwrap his previous bandages. His wound looks the same as it did before, that's not good. It is red all around it and it almost looks swollen but the blood is light now, that's at least something.
"Take this." i demand handing him 2 ibuprofen.  I begin to pack the new gauze on. "Does this hurt?"
"No, I'm fine." he says grimacing, i look up at him and debate on whether or not he's telling the truth, but it quickly reveals itself when he flinches swearing through clenched teeth.
"Don't lie to me, link." I say beginning to put the bandages over the gauze.
"I don't need you to worry about me ok, how are you?" He is so stubborn.
"I just have a little concussion, I'm fine. Now let's get you back to bed."I say , helping him up from his seat, he wobbles a little, letting out a tiny cry. At this point how will he be able to work tomorrow?

"Fine, but at least let me take care of you some too." he says looking up at me through his hair
"Nope. you're in worse shape, you're the one we need to worry about, i'll be okay." we walk slowly over to our room, lincoln's full weight on me as we walk. I help him into bed, and sit next to him, smoothing  his hair out of his face, I give him a small reassuring smile and crawl into my bed. We have a long day ahead of us, I look over one last time before falling asleep myself, he looks so peaceful when he's asleep, i feel like if this were another universe, without gabe, i could have loved him all the way, he could have been it for me, but there's a chance, however small Gabe still lives and that somewhere his heart still beats for me, I imagine his crooked smile once more before falling asleep and a small warmth over takes me at the thought.