The Raven

Alive? Sam's p.o.v

"Sam, you need to leave she's dying!" the doctor really shouted at me this time.

I'm not going to leave. I will not sit outside and do nothing while she dies. But a smooth hand grabs my arm and I'm suddenly being dragged into the waiting area.

"What are you doing? Let them help her!" Katerina hisses at me.

I open my mouth to reply but nothing comes out. I feel my face go blank as the tortured expression on my face sinks back and the pain stabs at my brain. I have nothing to say. She is dying and I only just met her. We barely it to know each other. It isn't right. If people can spend 60 years together, we should have at least got 60 days. But we didn't even get that. We had a few brief weeks and that's all we ever going to have now.

I feel a soft nudge and it breaks my train of thoughts. I turn to glare at Katerina but she is talking to someone halfway across the room for me. Nobody else did it because there is nobody else close enough to me. But of course, it wasn't a person at all.

It's my subconscious and I know I should listen to it but I still argue with it.

'Now you listen to me, you are not giving up on her. You are going to march in there and demand to help

whether they like it or not.'

'She's gone and I would just get in her way!'

My subconscious won. I get up and am about to teleport into the private emergency room, when the door bangs open and knocks me over.

I sit up, rubbing the back of my Han against my forehead. Ow.

"Oh my, I am so sorry, here let me help you up," A young blonde doctor with mini gold and silver ribbons in her long curls offers her hand out to me. Her tanned skin was covered by pre-torn blue jeans, a plain black t-shirt and a denim jacket. With slightly heeled white shoes and a red tinted white coat to top it off.

I nod in her direction and hold up my hand to decline her offer. I grab the metal radiator next to me and pull myself towards it so I am crumpled up against it. Then I push myself up and hold onto Katerina for support.

A sharp pain stabs my left knee and runs through my body like fire, shoving a scream up my throat. But once again nothing comes out. So I injured my leg, so what? I have more important things to worry about.

The blonde doctor and Katerina help me back over to one of the chairs.

"I'm sorry to tell you that Raven has gone now. But she is in a better place, I assure you. Our God has welcomed her into the wonderful heaven above," Blondie said, half smiling, half frowning.

I noticed the small gold cross pendant hanging from a silver chain around her neck. I doubt God would accept any mutant. Then again, Raven isn't a mutant, she's an angel.

I push myself up again and barge straight into the door, knocking the blonde lady on my way.

I look down at Raven, her beautiful face drained of colour. Katerina's muffled sobs start up and I feel a pool of salt water drip down my shirt. She is crying, but silently, it's me that's making all the noise. Raven's eyes are sharp and I see no sign of any sole inside of her. Well that's still not going to stop me.

I wrap my arms around Katerina and hug her close to me, doubling the tears streaming down my shirt.

"No," I say.

"No?" Katerina pulled away to look at me.

"No," I repeat and then carry I when I see Katerina's puzzled face, "no she is not dead, she will live."

I let go of Katerina an crouch down by Raven's face, "you will live. You will live for Katerina, for your mum, for our friends, for your bird friends, for EVERYone. You will live. Live for me Raven, come back to us. Please. Please."

"Come back for me too Raven," Katerina added, "we love you and miss you just please come back, don't go!"

I sighed and held up a hand to stop Katerina. Wiping my tears away, I stood up and rejoined Katerina.

"Why did you have to give up?" I whispered, willing Raven back to me even though I know she is long gone.

I push my face deep into Katerina's hair and realise that my tears have overflown again. There is nothing more I can do. She's gone and I'm just going to have to accept that miracles don't happen for everyone.

A steady beeping starts up in the background and I feel my pulse racing as I turn, bracing myself to shout at the hospital staff for being so impatient. They could have waited a bit before they moved someone knew in. But I stop dead, my fist frozen in the air.

"Hey, when have I ever been known to give up?" Raven is laying with her head tilted towards me, her eyes overcome with exhaustion and dark semi-circles underlaying them. Her voice is weak and scratchy. Her smile is only slight and she is clearly too skinny to look well. She looks helpless, exactly the same as she looked when she first came, after her wings were broken.

"Don't you ever do that to me again!" Katerina half leaps across the room, as she lifts Raven up in her arms and squeezes her gently, "You are one of the most important people I have ever met and as my best friend, you have to promise to never even think about giving up again! You must persist, we couldn't lose you!"

I feel my whole face turn into one huge smile and I stumble over to the bed, I push Katerina lightly away without looking at her and grab Raven towards me in a close embrace. After all those months of waiting, thinking she would die, I had vowed to myself to tell her I loved her no matter what. Now is my chance.

I push my lips against her's and am relieved when she returns it. We pull away after a few seconds.

"Yeah, what she said," I say, grinning o myself.

"I think we might be a bit more than best friends," Raven croaks out.

My smile just gets wider and I chuckle lightly. The only problem is that now I have to leave her be so she can sleep.

I stride over to the temporary blanket bed in the corner and lay down, watching as Raven drifts into a normal sleep and Katerina sits down in her make-do bed.

She is back. She is alive and well. And that is all that matters.