Trapped Without You

The Sting of Freedom

Lucy winced as she heard the stomping, the heavy fast breathing, she wanted to cry, to scream 'Please please just let me die in peace' but all her tears had dried and her voice had long since disappeared. She tried to look as dead as possible hoping her kidnappers would leave her alone, of course, that wasn't hard for her for she was on deaths doorstep. The door slammed open, Lucy heard a gasp.

"Lucy. Lucy, please answer me." Lockwood pleaded as he knelt down beside her, he carefully cradled her in his arms, Lucy groaned in pain. She tried to open her eyes, she wanted to see Lockwood, she wanted to see if it was really him or if it was an angel come to take her into the afterlife, but she had no strength left, and her eyes had been swollen for some time.

"It's me, Lucy, we finally found you and now we're going to take you home, you'll be safe." Lucy felt Lockwood's tears fall onto her face, they were warm and comforting, some fell onto her lips she licked them thirstily. "Here Lucy, take a drink of water."

She felt the cold rim of a water bottle against her lip, it tipped upward and clean cool water poured down her throat, it was the first real drink of water she had had in weeks, apart from the nasty water she licked off the walls of her moldy prison. It was the most refreshing thing she'd ever drunk. She gulped it all down, the whole bottle. Then she heard the sound of a zipper opening.

"I made sure to pack lots of sandwiches for you. Here, eat this one then we have to leave, I'll carry you as carefully as I can. You can eat the rest on the way to the hospital." Soft bread touched Lucy's lips, she opened her mouth and bit down on it, it was only a ham sandwich but to her, it tasted like a feast she gobbled it down within seconds, her stomach grumbled, begging Lockwood to give her another.

She felt herself being lifted, her head swaying as Lockwood carried her. She let her arms dangle as she was carried up the stairs, there was a door opening and then gasps.

"Is she. Is she okay?" George asked. Lucy smiled as best she could, she had missed George so much.

"She's alive but she's not okay, she needs a hospital. Where is Fergus?"

"Tied him and the kid up in the other room, we're going to call Scotland Yard when we get to a hospital, there's a taxi outside waiting for us. God, what did they do to her. She looks like they threw her through a woodchipper." Kipps was repulsed by the sight of her.

"She's so damn thin Lockwood! Did they starve you, Lucy? Don't worry, I'll make you the biggest dinners ever for a week straight, okay?"

"Kipps?" Lucy choked out, he was working with them to save her. How sweet was that?

"Mhm, Lucy. Kipps came to help us get you." Lockwood whispered to her the way someone would to a small confused child, she didn't mind that even though it was a tad condescending, she was just glad to be hearing him say her name again. "Kipps, don't call Scotland Yard, once we get Lucy to the hospital I want to talk to Fergus."

"Fine, just don't kill them please, I would love to get the credit of capturing them."

They moved again and soon Lucy felt the heat of the sun and the cool breeze of spring, she'd love to enjoy the freedom of being outside once again but the sun seemed to burn the thin layer of skin she had left she was glad to get into the shade of the taxi.

"What the bloody hell is going on here!" The driver yelled, Lucy winced.

"Hospital. Quick!" Kipps ordered. "This girl needs medical attention right away."

"Here Lucy, another sandwich." This time Lucy had the strength to lift her bony hands and grab the sandwich eating it as fast as she could, she then was given another bottle of water, she continued eating and drinking until there was nothing left for her. Once at the hospital Lucy was taken out of Lockwood's arms, she panicked.

She didn't recognize anyone's voice and had no idea where she was and what was happening to her. She felt the sting of antiseptics on her wounds and bandages being wrapped around her, she could hear a doctor and someone discussing her condition and the many medicines she was going to need, soon the stress, panic, pain, and over all lack of good sleep caused her to pass out. It wasn't until that night that she awoke.