Stolen

Ch.19: Fox hates Men's bathrooms

Kane:

Kane laid on the sand, clutching his stomach. He twitched and shook, pain wracking his body as he vomited. Once. Twice. Logan stood to the side helplessly as Kane cried out, looking around for anything to help. The river stopped flowing and a massive wave built up-shore. But Kane couldn't focus, couldn't think about that. All he could think about was the searing pain in his stomach, and the fear at what it meant.

He'd been able to feel Xander's pain in a physical way before, but only in extreme situations. He remembered the time Aviva had been so convinced she could carry Xander while she'd flown and he'd ended up with a broken ankle. She'd ended up dropping him from almost two stories high. Kane had felt the pain, but it was nothing like this.

Logan was panicked. "What's wrong? What is it?!"Kane turned to Logan and whispered hoarsely through the pain, "Xander... Empathy link..."

The river exploded at once and a dozen rainbows glinted off the droplets of water. Logan caught a glimpse of red falling through the water. Before the water could crash on them and sweep them away, it stopped and recoiled, as if hitting an invisible wall.

The pain in his stomach abruptly stopped, forcing a harsh breath of shock out of him. Then his body erupted in chills. Cold. He was so cold.

"What the heck is going on?!?" Logan yelled. He spotted a glimpse of red again in the river and knew instantly it was Ro. But something was wrong. She wasn't moving. Then, the glimpse of red disappeared beneath the waves. "Kane, it's Xander and Ro! You need to help me!"

Kane nodded and managed to stand up. They ran and dove into the water, Logan quickly muttering a Greek incantation so they wouldn't be so freezing. His skin glowed faintly then settled.

Water hit him like a brick in the face but he kept swimming. He saw Logan reach Ro and drag her to shore. Kane's wrapped an arm around his best friend's chest and gripped his shoulder in typical rescue fashion. Without his past as a lifeguard, Kane wasn't sure he would have been able to get Xander out of the water. Even in the water, Xander was heavy.

Kane looked back to Logan arriving at shore with Ro, and then turning back to the river to help river to help Kane carry Xander the last stretch of water. They got to shore, Kane collapsing on the rich dirt, panting and gasping. Logan fisted Ro's sweatshirt and pressed his ear to her chest, listening for a heartbeat. Sighing and giving a relieved nod to Kane, he repeated the motion to Xander. With wide, frantic eyes, Logan turned to Kane.

"He's not breathing."

Kane tried to reply, but found he couldn't. His lungs were pinched together, and he couldn't breathe. He felt like someone was sitting on his chest, preventing him from drawing a breath. Was this what it felt like to have a panic attack? Was this what Fox had to go through every time she felt control slipping and her anxiety crept in? 

Logan began chest compressions on Xander, before resting his hands on his chest and murmuring under his breath. Water sputtered out of Xander's mouth, and Kane could breathe again. Xander's heart was still beating. Kane sagged in relief. He wasn't sure whether it had been the panic of losing his best friend, or the bond that connected them that had't allowed him to breathe, but he couldn't think about that. All that mattered was Xander.

"Xander," He gasped. "He's in a coma. Hydra tail through the stomach. I saw it all. I felt it all. The poison and lack of oxygen are affecting his brain. He needs a healer, now."

Logan sat back, as if thinking about how to handle this. First things first, he had to take care of injuries. He trickled nectar in Ro's mouth, then took a swig himself. He shivered from the cold water as his spell wore off, and ignited his mother's torches to dry him off.