Rugged Lace

Chapter Twenty-Six

*People don't mean to lie, sometimes it's like we hardly try*

Hands grow cold, so cold. Clammy, hand in hand with her, she feels Jake's--so cold. It's like ice against her palm. Jake is sleeping, yet he's troubled. It's insane, she thinks, how he can go from so warm and alive to so cold and...no, she tells herself, dead is not a word to describe him. He's vivid, whole, breathing and living the same as her.

Sometimes air just doesn't work the same way.

Tyler stands, unable to look at him. Earlier, he'd held her until every bad thought went away. But now he's asleep, far away into a place she can never go. She didn't think he'd fall asleep, yet only twenty or so minutes after she'd gotten there he'd just passed out. Letting out a sigh, she moves away several feet.

Too soon she's walking out of his office, into the hall. Warm air brushes up against her, unlike the freezer he seems to enjoy being in. It's no wonder he always wears those sleeves. Her thoughts muddle slightly, letting the world go clear.

Up the stairs.

Each step is blinding, keeping her rooted, holding the Earth so close, yet letting her go with each move. Is Don going to find me here? No, no, he can't. It's impossible. Jake will protect me, he said he would. His sleeves are weird today, all bunched up like he pulled them down suddenly. She's not half way up the stairs before she hears feet running.

"Tyler!" Kitty jumps, eyes wide and scared, "I thought you were with Alise."

She shakes her head, "No...I just got off work. Some guys showed up, ones who work with Don..."

Kitty brushes it away with a wave, "Your Dad's been calling you for two hours! He just sent me a text, saying that you need to get to the hospital. Your Mom is dying, the hospital has no clue if she'll make it."

"What?"

"Yeah, come on, we have to leave now!"

Tyler shakes her head, biting away tears. "Let me get Jake and we'll go. Oh my God. Oh my Good God..." Her words turn into cries as she runs back down the steps. The pain in her back is barely even noticeable now, something of a reminder of everything that's happened.

Jake doesn't stop to question it, once he's awake he's rushing outside with them, his hands cradling Tyler. As the two of them jump in the back his sleeve pushes up. The slightest hint of red marks catches Tyler's eye before he pulls it back down. There's no time to question anything. No time at all.

The hospital has no clue if she'll make it...she's dying. A sick bubble pops in her chest, acid burning its way up to her throat. It simmers there, not enough to make her puke, yet not too little for it to go unnoticed. Like her back, it's there, her physical world blending into her mental one until there's no difference between them. The water from her dreams is there, roaring in her ears, the tide rising and falling. Blood splatters in her eyes, the image of her mother falling to the ground.

Horrible, horrible...It doesn't go away. Over and over she watches her mom die in her head. Her eyes shut tight, leaning into Jake for support. He holds her, shaking slightly like he can feel the pain as she can. Oh, God...whoever, wherever, whatever you are...don't make me see this.

Jake is wiping away the tears before she even knows they're there. "She's going to be okay..." his soft voice mummers in her ear, tickling the skin. His words blend together until she can't tell if he's slurring or if the water's just too loud. "Everything will end up all right. You're strong, she's strong. Everything will be all right."

"It will," Kitty assures her from the front seat, not tearing her eyes from the road once. She's going fast, probably five or ten miles over the speed limit, but no one cares to comment on it. It's just too important.