Codename: Jumping Spider [Published]

Twenty-One

What seemed like an eternity passed, and Ben was still sitting alone in Eiry's Garden, wallowing in self-pity. He felt that he was losing himself all over again, just how it was after his mother passed away. Gripping his head in his hands, he let himself dwell in grieve and sorrow, replaying memories of Catherine. From a distance, the sound of footsteps approached, but he chose to ignore whoever had followed him here.

"Warner." It was J. Lee.

"Go away," he groaned, covering his ears. "I don't want to hear it. Leave me alone."

Instead of walking away, J. Lee moved closer and sat down beside him. "Spider's not dead, if that's what you're thinking," she said flatly.

Ben froze for a moment as her words registered in his head before lifting his face, his eyes filled with new hope. He stared at J. Lee with a confused look. "But the doctors ..."

She sighed, her expression back to her usual emotionless mask. "I know. Their faces really made my heart stop for a moment too. It was a good thing that I stuck around to hear what they had to say about Spider's actual condition," she said pointedly.

Joy filled his chest as he began to smile, finally letting himself believe that Catherine wasn't dead, but then he remembered the grave expressions the doctors wore outside the emergency room and his face fell. "How is she?" he whispered, bracing himself for the worst.

"She managed to survive through the worst, but the doctors said that her condition is still unstable. She suffered severe internal bleeding. The doctors managed to stop the bleeding before it became fatal, but she lost quite a lot of blood, so there's still a possibility that hypovolemic shock might occur if her heart can't cope with the blood transfusion. The doctors are keeping her in the ICU for further observation. Do you want to go see her?"

The bridge between his brows creased. "No," Ben said after thinking for a moment. "She went through all of this to make sure that Jefferson pays for every murder he committed. So I'm going to make sure that he's brought to justice. I want to make that bastard feel sorry for what he did to her," Ben snarled, standing up with clenched fists. "I'll be back ASAP. Stay here and watch her for me, will you?" He didn't wait for J. Lee's response as he strode away.

J. Lee stared after his retreating figure, releasing a long breath. "Good luck cracking the nutcase," she muttered under her breath before heading back to the hospital.

~

Catherine lay still in the darkness, unmoving. Her chest rose and fell ever so slightly with each breath, inhaling and exhaling the stale, cold air around her. Even breathing felt so strained right now. Her eyes moved back and forth under her closed eyelids. She tried to open her eyes, to break the darkness, but the effort required was too great. Somewhere in the foggy mist in her mind, she remembered what had happened before she woke up in this rotten state.

Nick had stuck a knife in her stomach.

She mentally groaned at the memory. She couldn't believe that she had actually managed to pull through that whole incident. Catherine thought that she was going to die right there and then. She remembered how much it had hurt when the sharp blade cut through her skin. Damn, it was the most traumatic physical experience in her life – ever.

Thinking about the injury magnified the pain in her stomach even more. She felt her stomach muscles cringing in response as her sedated mind started becoming clearer. She could hear a beeping sound near her, getting faster and faster as the pain increased in her, pulling her back into consciousness. She also heard people shuffling around her, muttering to each other in low voices. It was hardly possible for her to make out what they were saying, but one thing was for sure: they sounded alarmed and a bit panicked.