Just The Way You Like It - Under Construction

Chapter Eighty-Six

Chapter Eighty-Six

My body slammed into the ocean with enough force to rip the air straight out of what was left of my lungs. Too tired and weak to fight, I let the cold waters envelope around me without a struggle. Wallace's body was only a few feet away, and both of us were doing a good job staining the Atlantic a murky shade of red.

As the currents dragged the two of us apart, I looked up for one last time. The sun was beautiful from under the water, and I could just make out the bottoms of the S.W.A.T. boats as agents began jumping in above us. I knew I was a lost cause, and as I sank farther and farther down, I hoped that they wouldn't bother looking for me.

Thoughts of Blake surfaced back into my head, as the last twinges of consciousness began to fade away. Maybe, if there was really a heaven, I would see him there. Or maybe our souls would just drift around in nothingness for eternity. Or maybe I would be reborn, away from this nightmare. Any way you looked at it, however, I was dead, and I didn't care.

I closed my eyes, and felt the current drag me down. The light from the sun above vanished, and I was left to the darkness that had once been my only friend. Only this time, there would be no waking up in a hospital. No Dr. Hansen to heal me. No Tess to welcome me in with open arms. There would be nothing but peace and quiet.

There was a sudden pressure on my lips, a pressure that made me want to gasp for air. It was pointless though, and I knew it. If I tried to breathe, I would only get a lung-full of salt water and blood. Still, the pressure continued, relentlessly, annoyingly. I wanted to tell it to go away, leave me alone to die, but I couldn't. A faint, high-pitched noise pierced through the roaring of the ocean waters, forcing me to listen to it as the pressure continued at my lips.

Finally, I decided to open my eyes. If only to figure out what sort of creature had decided to pester me as I tried to die in the Atlantic. Max's face came into my vision; blurry and extremely close to my own face. Behind him, a bank of bright lights which made me wince in pain. “She's breathing, and conscious.” Max said, turning to Sam. Soaking wet, Sam was sitting next to Max holding tightly to his left arm.

“Great.” Sam said. “Now see if you can keep her that way.” I closed my eyes again, too tired to keep them open any longer. I did stay conscious, however, and the rest of the ambulance ride seemed relatively uneventful as the EMTs did their best to keep me alive.

I remember being whisked into St. Micheal's, the nurses and doctors hovering over me. Sam was brought in right behind me, although the staff seemed quite uninterested in him by comparison. Hours later, I was taken out of surgery, and after the anesthesia wore off I was sent straight to the ICU. As I passed the nurse's station, I noticed the multiple F.B.I. agents who were pacing up and down the halls, chatting with their fellow agents. I assumed they were there because of Sam and Max, ignoring the fact that I was placed in ICU Room Two, instead of my usual room one.

Sam was brought in right behind me, insisting that he didn't need to be in the ICU and that he was perfectly fine. I tried to say something, but found that the pain was too much for me to bear. The nurses insisted that he stay put, threatening to handcuff him to the bed if need be. Fidgeting with the sling on his arm, Sam sat down on his hospital bed, letting out a deep sigh as he finally looked my way. “How are you doing?” He asked, actually sounding concerned. I gave him a thumbs up signal, hoping he'd understand that I couldn't talk. “Good. You had me scared there for a while.” I shrugged my shoulders, feeling the pain stab in my chest.

Sam kept staring at me, keeping his eyes locked on mine. An uncomfortable silence fell across the two of us, until finally Sam spoke up again. “Sorry, I just can't get over your eyes.” Sam let his eyes drop down to his lap. “They're still gray. It's sorta freaky.” I shrugged my shoulders again, this time a lot slower. “I'm surprised at you.” Sam was doing a fantastic job holding up a one-sided conversation. I looked back at him to try and figure out what he was talking about. Sam met my gaze, holding a wry smile across his lips. “You're only a few feet away from Blake and you're not scrambling to get out of that bed.”