Loving the Safari Guide

Jackson's Dream

Jackson's POV:
After saying goodbye to Kat and Abe the next thing I remember seeing is a bright white light. I thought I was done for, but the next thing I know I am in a curtained-off room. As I look around I see Kat come through the curtains. "Hi, I came as soon as the doctor told us you were awake. I was worried." She smiles softly down at me and sits in the chair next to my bed.

"Yeah, well, I'm stubborn, right? Like I said, it takes more than a bullet to stop me."

"A bullet, an army of animals, evil men trying to kill us."

"Yeah, we've been through a lot."

"Yeah, we have." Kat falls silent as she strokes my hand.

"You know, when they were wheeling me into the room, I was thinking about you."

She smiles and looks up to me, "Jackson Oz, you are nothing if not a charmer."

"Yeah, what can I say I try." The two of us fall silent again, as Kat looks over at my wrapped stomach, "listen, Kat, being nearly killed about half a dozen times really makes a man think." I clear my throat. "As soon as this is over, I want us to have a wedding, as big and as grand as you want, or as small and quiet as you want. But I don't want us to go to the courthouse like we were going to back home. I want to see how happy and beautiful you look in whatever dress you pick and... and I wanna cry when I see you walk down the aisle, and I want Abe standing next to me... and..."

Kat chuckles, "What if I want Abe to walk me down the aisle?"

"Really not Mitch?" The two of us chuckles softly, it hurts to laugh right now, but I don't want to worry her more by not acting like myself.

At that moment I start to see double and Kat screams. I close my eyes tightly, trying to get them to focus again, but when I open them again she's gone. As I lean forward, sitting up slowly, I pull back the curtains, assuming I fell asleep and dreamt Kat's screams. When I pull back the curtains I see a leopard that had jumped on a nurse and two scared children, who are to the very top of their beds. It takes every ounce of strength I have but I get up and move one of the children onto the other one's bed. Pushing the bed into the large office in the room and closing the door behind us.

When we get into the room the little boy jumps out of the bed and puts his hand on the door, speaking in a foreign language. "It's okay, it's okay." I look over to the girl, who is still on the bed, "Tell him I don't understand." The little boy hits on the door with his flat hand and says a word I recognize, brother. I grip my side and take a deep breath, hoping I didn't hear him right, "Your brother's out there? Your brother's in there?"

"Mm-hm." The boy nods his head and looks back at me.

I nod and take a deep breath, "okay." As I step toward the door the boy moves out of the way and I open the door slightly, looking over the leopard, that is still preoccupied with the nurse's body. I look around the room and see a little boy who is asleep in the bed near the door. I step out quickly and quietly, keeping an eye on the leopard as I step over to the bed, before picking up the boy. As I pick him up the boy wakes and looks at me confused. Thankfully, I get him into the room before he sees the leopard and the nurse.