by Ruby Forrest
She leapt up racing out from the bushes, not giving a damn about waiting and hiding, not anymore. Not caring about how much danger she had just put herself in by jumping into the fray, by racing in head first like this. She didn’t care. She flicked on the tazer, the electricity flicking and flickering in the air, crackling like a danger sign. Troy lifted his head, but it was too late. Maria leapt forward, jumping in and ramming the tazer straight into his side, into the sensitive flesh that lurked just beneath the fur. He roared, tumbling off Jack- Dean as his body seized up, shuddering and trembling with the force of the electricity running through him.
That was the only opening that Jack- Dean needed, the only moment that he needed to leap in and finish him.
He hauled himself up, grabbing Troy by the throat. Maria stepped back just as Jack- Dean ripped out his throat, a bite that was fierce and feral and dangerous. But there was no murder in Jack- Dean’s eyes, no hate, and no anger. There was only sadness, only a terrible regret at having to do this, only a terrible regret at having to inflict this kind of pain and, to Maria that made all of this difference that made all the difference in the world.
Jack- Dean pushed Troy’s body away, spitting blood. He looked at Maria, lingering for a moment, then he collapsed back. Maria raced to his side, to find that the bear was gone, leaving only Jack- Dean's battered body behind. His arm was torn to shreds and there was bleeding at his neck, bleeding that was terrifyingly bad. Maria felt real panic hit her, panic that was so much worse than her worries about the fight, so much worse than her worries about the animals, the bears, herself. This was different.
This was Jack- Dean bleeding out, miles away from any sort of help. This was Jack- Dean, passed out after he saved everyone, but there was no one who could save him. Horror pounding in her chest, Maria picked up the phone, fumbling for it from her pocket. She dialed the ranger station, her body pounding, her head aching at every second that passed.
"Hello?"
"Send help! Jack- Dean is bleeding out. Bear attack!" She screamed, "Trace my call, do whatever you have to. But get the paramedics, get a helicopter, get whoever you can. He's bleeding out and it is bad!"
Maria could hear the hysteria in her own voice. She threw the phone away, leaving it on so that the call could be traced. She tore off her shirt, leaving nothing but a slim undershirt on, and pressed it to his neck, trying to stem the bleeding. It was bleeding worse than his arm, but not by much. She checked his breathing, and was overwhelmed with relief that he was breathing at all, even if the gasps were weak and she did not know how long he could keep it up. At least he was breathing! It was the best that she could have hoped for and she was relieved, so relieved, that Jack- Dean still had a few moments, at least.
She prayed that help would hurry, prayed for his life, and held on as tight as she could as the panic swirled around her head.
"Jack- Dean, come on!" She whispered, "You can’t leave me, you can't. You've done it. You stopped him and everyone is going to be safe. I can't take credit for that. You have to be here, you have to live through this. You can't die."
Maria felt the agony rise and fall in her chest, "Jack- Dean, I love you!" She whispered, feeling the tears build in her eyes, "Jack- Dean, I love you so much. You can't die. You just can't. Please do not die, please do not leave me." She swallowed the agony in her chest as she heard the swirling blades of a helicopter, "I need you so much."
With shaking limbs, Maria pushed herself up, waving and jumping frantically. Only when she was sure that the helicopter had seen her, did she collapse beside him, her whole body shaking, "Jack- Dean, stay with me. Help is here. I love you, Jack- Dean, I love you"
Epilogue
Maria felt like she had been at the hospital forever. She couldn't remember when she had entered those doors and she felt like she would never leave. She knew that, in reality, it had probably only been a few days, but it felt like an eternity. It felt like forever since she had looked into Jack- Dean's eyes and seen him look back. IT felt like forever since she had seen Jack- Dean smile, seen Jack- Dean look at her and reach out for her hand. She shuddered, feeling grief twist in her heart like a knife. She hurt. She hurt so badly at the thought of never seeing him again, the thought that, maybe, just maybe, she had messed up beyond repair, maybe, just maybe, and she would be stuck without him forever.
She had been too distracted, she had moved too slowly, she had left him to fight on his own when she really should have been by his side. The thoughts went round and round in circles in her head, strong and insisting, causing the pain and pressure in her chest to feel unending, to feel like an ache that she would never, ever be able to shake. She just wanted him to wake up and open his eyes. She just wanted him to look at her and tell her that it was going to be okay, that everything was going to be okay. Sue wanted him to look at her again and hold her hand, tell her that he loved her too and that she was silly for worrying.
She wanted him to wake up. She wanted to feel his hand grabbing hers, to know that he was okay. She shut her eyes tightly and buried her face in her hands, shaking her head. The doctors had done everything that they could. They had said that his healing was incredible and that he was lucky to survive an attack like that.
But he hadn’t woken up yet and Maria was starting to lose hope that he would pull through this. She was starting to think, more and more, that maybe he hadn’t been as lucky as everyone thought. Maybe there was more to it, maybe he wasn’t coming back from this.
But no matter what, Maria refused to leave his side, refused to leave him even for a moment. She did not care if it was hopeless, if it was pointless, if it meant nothing at all. She did not care. She had to be there for him, she had to stay by his side like he has stayed by her side, like he had pushed on and pushed on and never let her go, never let her get hurt. She had to keep fighting, because he had kept fighting. He had never given up and she shouldn't be giving up either, shouldn't be leaving him, abandoning him just because things were getting hard, just because it did not look like things would turn around, just because it did not look like things would be better any time soon. She needed to stay with him no matter what, because she cared about him, cared about him more as each day went on. She hadn't realized how much she cared about him until he wasn’t there anymore, not really, she hadn’t realized, until she almost lost him that he meant the world to her, that he was important in her life, important in ways that she had never anticipated.
Maria swallowed and leaned back. Her father would be here tomorrow. He had promised to fly in as soon as he could. He had released to Maria that Jack- Dean was an old friend from time serving in the army. That had made a lot of sense to Maria, with the way that Jack- Dean had fought, strategies he had, the way he had made places to hide away an the way he was able to get up even after a near-fatal blow. Military training and a naturally great fighter’s body had been a strong combination.
And yet, he had chosen to help people, to protect and educate and do his best to talk before fighting, work it through. He was a good man, a very good man and she was so lucky to have been with him.
"Maria?" The voice that whispered her name was quiet, barely a breath in the wind, barely a murmur. She looked down, her heart skipping a beat, not daring to believe it, not daring to hope.
"Jack- Dean?" He was looking up at her with those beautiful eyes, taking her in and smiling. He was pale, he looked weak, but he was here, alive, talking and looking at her.
"Jack- Dean, I love you!" The words were out before she could take them back, but she did not wake to take them back, not now, not ever. She wrapped her arms around him, feeling the tears rush free, feeling the happiness burst from her.
"I love you too." His words were a whisper, but they were all Maria wanted to here. The doctors were right. He was going to heal, he was going to be fine. They were going to be fine.
She loved him and he loved her. Finally, finally, everything was right in the world. The righting had stopp
ed, Jack- Dean was safe and she could be with him, now and forever.
Everything was right in the world and she wouldn't have it any other way.
Jack- Dean was here and she was home.
THE END
