Into The Red Forest

Chapter 8- Reflections

When they arrived at the hospital, they rushed Lisbon into the ER while Jane, Rigsby, Cho and Grace waited in the waiting room. Tensions were high and Jane kept to himself. The team knew better than to talk to him or try to comfort him in any way. He didn't want pity, not while the woman he loved was fighting for her life in the operating room. Wanting Lisbon to be ok was an understatement, he needed her to be ok, because he didn't know what in hell his life would be like without her. He didn't want to find out. Subconsciously, his mind replayed every moment he and Lisbon had shared up until the kiss. He closed his eyes as his mind replayed the first time they'd ever danced together to "More Than Words", the ballad by Extreme:

They'd exchanged a small amount of playful banter and then he'd convinced her to dance with him, after she'd warned him not to try anything on her. He lead her by the hand to the dance floor and then he pressed her against him and they'd danced, him holding one of her hands and her other hand on his shoulder. He remembered she'd put her head on his shoulder as they moved around the floor in a slow circle. He remembered how he'd liked her so close to him, it just felt…right. The world had moved in slow motion at that moment and he'd liked it, just him and her, and nothing else…

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Lisbon lay on the operating table, asleep, as the doctors and nurses tried franticly to rescue her, but she heard nothing. As she lay there, her mind began to subconsciously slip into a dream.

She found herself in the middle of an expansive garden with pathways leading in every direction. In the intersection of these pathways was an ornate silver fountain, glinting in the sunlight. She turned to the left and saw a swing on the grass next to the path. Jane was sitting on it in a navy blue three piece suit, smirking at her. He crossed his legs.

"Hello, Lisbon." he greeted her.

She walked toward him and sat down, puzzled. "Where are we? Why are you here?"

Jane chuckled. "You're getting operated on, love. This is your subconscious mind; it's creating a dream."

Lisbon's eyebrows furrowed. "Operated on? Why? What happened?"

"We got captured by Red John and he…he shot you. They're trying to save your life at the moment. You have to fight, Teresa, for the team, and for me." Jane told her, his eyes concerned.

Lisbon nodded. "I will, I promise."

She went over to him and bent down to kiss him but suddenly, he poofed away in a puff of black smoke. She whirled around in circles but she couldn't find him.

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In the waiting room, Jane grew more and more tense. It had been four hours since Lisbon had been admitted to the ER and his nerves were becoming more on edge with each passing minute. Now, he stood up from his seat and paced, looking tense, with his hands behind his back.

"Jane, she's gonna be alright. You know she's a fighter. " Grace said gently, but he ignored her comment. He knew the reason for what she'd done and he wasn't happy about it, so he was distancing himself from Grace, even though the rest of the team understood. Grace promised she would explain everything to Lisbon fully after she got out of surgery.

"That doesn't change the fact that I'm worried, Grace. She might not make it through the night." he snapped irritably.

"Just have faith, Jane. She'll fight this. She's taken bullets before, one of them we have Craig to thank for." Rigsby said, eyeing Grace.