Saving U(S)

Chapter Five

"J-Julie," Christen winced as the pain spiraled through her body. "Julie...?"

"I'm right here, Christen. I'm right here."

Christen sighed as Julie held her hand, her skin against her own.

"How's the pain?" Julie asked softly.

"Excruciating," Christen bit her lip. "Can you ask the doctor to up the morphine?"

Julie nodded and got up to notify the doctor.

Christen leaned her head back and closed her eyes.

She thinks I doesn't know, Christen sighed. That she's hurting herself. I wish she wouldn't. I'll be fine. I'm going to play again. I will...

"Christen?"

Julie was back at her side.

"Doc is hesitant to up the dose of morphine..."

"Why?" Christen asked, frustrated. "I feel like I'm about to die!"

Julie bit her lip.

"Wait, why are you doing that?" Christen's eyes widened in fear. "Julie, I'm gonna get better. I know I will, right...?"

"I-it's just that Doctor Lewis doesn't know exactly what chemical was on the knife..."

"Alex said it was cyanide," Christen's eyes sparkled as she drew a shaky breath. "But they know how to cure it, right?"

Julie hesitated.

"Right?" Christen nearly shouted, shaking with fear. "Julie Beth Johnston, you better tell me what's going on! Now!"

"Alright!" Julie screamed back. She hated it when the normally soft spoken Christen yelled at her.

Julie took a deep breath.

"I-it's hard to explain," she started off in a low voice. "Doctor Lewis first thought it was cyanide, but he sent the chemical to a lab in California at Berkley, and they drew a conclusion that it was actually a very toxic chemical that originates somewhere in the Middle East."

"So, what is it?" Christen asked, quietly.

"He calls it 'roxxy'. It's not it's real name, but that's what he told me."

"What does it do?"

Julie hesitated for the third time.

"JULIE!!"

Julie turned away.

"Julie, please," Christen begged. "Just tell me."

Julie closed her eyes and let out a long breath.

"It kills your organ system. Starting with your kidneys, and ending with your heart."

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Kelley cried the whole way to the hospital.

"This is all my fault!" she wailed.

Jill and Pinoe tried to comfort her, but she refused to even look at them. Neither coach nor player knew what was going on in the midfielder's head.

Once they got to the hospital, Hope was immediately whisked away into the ER by numerous doctors and nurses.

"Where are you taking her?!" Kelley cried, trying to follow them.

"Ma'am," a nurse tried to hold her back. "This is an area for medical staff only."

"WHERE ARE YOU TAKING HER?!" Kelley's eyes were wide and tears stained her cheeks.

"Kelley, c'mon," Pinoe and Jill tried to pull her away, but she still struggled.

"HOPE!!" Kelley screamed. "HOPE!!!"

"KELLEY!!" Pinoe yelled, grabbing her face and forcing eye contact. "GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!!"

Kelley collapsed into Pinoe's arms, sobbing.

"I can't lose her," she cried. "She's my everything. I don't know how I could live without her..."

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Tobin let out a strangled gasp as Aston pinned her against the wall, his hands wrapped around her throat.

"Why are you... Doing this?" she gasped. "What did I... Do to... You...?"

Aston gave a crooked smile.

"Oh you did a lot, Tobin, yes," he let out a short laugh. "You and your little country have done much to us, yes."

"What are... You talking about?!"

"Don't you recognize me?"

Aston looked directly into her eyes, til she could see the psychotic glint in his.

"I'm Arabian. You have done much wrong to us, yes. Killing our leader."

"Y-you're a terrorist?!" Tobin clawed desperately at his hands, starting to feel faint.

"That, I am," Aston grinned evilly.

Tobin slid down to her knees, at the mercy of his hand. Black dots appeared at the edge of her vision.

"That, I am..."