Subject 116

23

Monica saw what happened and managed to carry Finn back to the bedroom. She said he was just about as light as a feather. He sure looked like it too, still just skin and bone. But this was so out of nowhere. Just one session more, and he couldn't even stay awake. God, I was so worried about him. I didn't know if this damage was permanent or not, I just hoped the effects would be reversed eventually, since he seemed to be settled after a day or so the last time he had shown how vulnerable he was. I just wish he hadn't hid it for so long, now we just had a bigger problem at hand.

Lydia really freaked out when she saw him fall, she kept asking me if he was dead. That scared me too, so I actually had to check. Thankfully he had a pulse, and his breathing was normal, this was all just neurological damage.

Time went by far too quickly, and he wasn't showing any signs of waking up soon. We needed him to be conscious for the escape, and we had absolutely no way to help him. I was kneeling at the side of his bed, Lydia sitting close by. She insisted on staying within my range, she was really shaken up since she didn't understand what was wrong, I hadn't explained anything to her yet.

Monica was on the other side of the room, tapping her foot nervously. I had everything tuned out, however, I just needed him to be alright. I swore that I was going to take him with us, and we weren't going to leave him here. Those doctors did this on purpose. He may have come back early, but he was still in horrible shape. I couldn't imagine what might have happened if he stayed in there for much longer.

Lydia kept tapping my arm to tell me something, or maybe get an answer out of me, and I never took them to mind. I didn't want to ignore her, that would just make her more reluctant to what was about to happen. "Hallie? What's wrong with Finn?" she choked out with uneasiness.

I turned away from him for just a minute, and looked Lydia dead in the eye. "He's sick." I murmured. She could tell by the way I was looking at her that it was more serious than that, but kept quiet, being okay with that answer.

"Jesus, how long has it been this bad for?" Monica commented, realizing this had been going on for longer than she anticipated.

"Well, he threw up yesterday, and that headache still hasn't gone away from the looks of it. He was in a lot of pain, but recovering. And now it's so much worse. All because..." I didn't want to bring up the pods with Lydia in the room, so I slipped a glance over to Monica, and she got the hint.

"God... poor guy. He's been through enough, why can't he just get a break?" she sighed, pity shrouding her voice.

I don't think Lydia liked the staff very much, regardless of knowing the truth or not. I wanted to talk this over with Monica, but I would have to phrase it in a way that it wasn't so obvious. "It's harsh, but we don't get breaks here. It's just one thing after the next. You've been through a lot, too."

Thankfully, the mention of Peyton didn't have as much of an effect on her as it used to, but she still faded a bit when it was brought up. She missed him every day, but I was glad that she was still functional. I think she was just trying to pull through with the plan before going into a major state of grief, because she really needed that time. Whether she was faking that determination or not, she was still cooperating, and that was all we really needed. I was starting to believe that this plan would work, and now I wasn't too sure of anything. If Finn wasn't even present during the escape, how would we get him out? I didn't even want to think over the possibilities, I just kept giving into the unlikely event that he would wake up, push through the pain, and make his way out. Hell, I didn't even believe that. Yet I kept telling myself over and over again that it was going to happen, and everything would be fine. We weren't fine, none of us. I saw it on Abby's face before we brought Finn in here, she was so discouraged that he could hardly even react. Finn did most of the explaining when he finally told them the truth, so she put most of her faith in him, along with me.

I tightened my fist in frustration, getting the urge to take it out on something. So I turned to the both of them and asked calmly, "Could you two excuse me for a second? I want to think a few things over." I gave Lydia a weak smile so she wouldn't retort. She waited, and I almost thought she wasn't going to move, before she stood up and stepped on over to Monica. I hung my head back down, not wanting to look her in the eye right now. I heard her sigh under her breath, and she left with Lydia without another word.

I put my hands up on the bed and grasped Finn's hand in mine. "I'm counting on you. I know it's a lot to ask... but-" I couldn't cry, not right now. I needed to be strong now more than ever, this was no time to be getting emotional. If Finn was awake, he would be disappointed in me.

"I need you to be here now, please. We all need you, Finn. You gave me, and everyone else the hope we thought was lost. You did that. I don't think you understand how hard it is to bring hope back to people who've gone through such a strong loss. But you did, and now we need you. You're in pain, I know, I know, but you're just as strong as any of us. You're going to make it." I wiped the falling tear off my cheek and sniffled, trying to hide my burst of emotion, though he wasn't even able to see me.

I felt something change, then. It was almost like his hand moved, I could feel a little shift.

His face twitched a bit, and he started to squint behind closed eyes. I grasped his hand tighter, trying to show him that I was here, and trying to bring him back. "Oh, god, thank you..." I whispered.

Slowly, he started to open his eyes in slits, and lightly turned his head to look over at me. He stared with confusion, and then winced from the pain, which clearly hadn't gone away just yet.

"Finn... are you okay? You took a really rough fall, I thought you might have been really hurt," I stopped when I noticed he was staring at my grip on his arm, but kept quiet, though there was something on his mind.

"I... feel hurt. My head hurts," he said bluntly. Something was off, the way he spoke was strange. Like he hadn't felt this pain before, when he went through the same thing just yesterday.

"I bet. We have only a few hours before I'm gonna head down the hall. You think you'll pull through?" I asked eagerly, not wanting to rush him, but still anxious about what a hurry we were in.

He winced again, but with a mix of pain and confusion. "Pull through...? Pull through what?"

I felt my heart skip a beat, but I tried to keep my cool. "Come on. You know. Finn..."

"Finn?"

My mouth gaped open a bit, realizing what was happening. My body began to shake, and I gripped him even harder, praying with my entire being that this wasn't real.

"I'm sorry... I'm a bit confused. Who are you?"