A “Dead” End

Chapter 6

Abby, hardly got a chance to register her shock when the doctor and mother inside her took control and rushed to help the girl, who looked to be about Hope’s age. A quick examination verified that the girl would need extensive treatment and care so she motioned for Luke to carry her to the vehicle so they could rush out of here ASAP. Hope was pleading with Abby to save Sarah and cautioned her again that no one can find about her. Abby started cleaning Sarah’s wounds as best as she could in the constricted space…thankfully they did not have to go too far as the airstrip was just over 20 miles from their current location. Luke called Jeremy (co-pilot/bodyguard) to prepare the room in the back for a medical emergency till they get there. 

Jeremy, himself was trained in field medicine and knew how to take care of several injuries like gun shot wounds, broken bones, deep cuts, burns….etc. He covered the bed with an extra sheet (warm and sterile) and prepared a medical cart with the supplies Ms Abby had brought along with her and the kit stored in the plane for emergencies. He was just done with this task when he heard footsteps, followed by Luke’s booming voice. He took quick stock of the situation and realized this was not a usual trip or situation and asked if he could be of any assistance in the back or should he prepare for take off. Abby directed Luke to put the unconscious girl down on the bed and directed him and Jeremy to get them back home ASAP and under the radar just like their trip here. With just her, Hope and the mystery girl – this Sarah, in the room she quickly started cutting Sarah’s clothes to do a full examination of her injuries and begin her treatment…..

On cursory examination Abby could see that Sarah had a broken arm and ankle, a few cracked ribs (hopefully not broken), a dislocated shoulder, several deep cuts and bruises. There was a huge bump at the back of her head that Abby was particularly worried about and would need to do an MRI to determine the extent of damage and check for other internal injuries but for now she started by re-setting the dislocated shoulder and putting it in a sling, then re-setting the broken arm and wrapping it after providing it some support. Thankfully it was a clean break, as for the ankle, it would require some imaging to determine if surgery would be required. She did a temporary patchwork for the ribs, as it would require imaging to confirm if there were any breaks. She cleaned all of Sarah’s cuts and had to stitch quite a few of them and also started her on an intravenous antibiotic to help avoid any infection. 

After doing all she could for Sarah with her limited supplies, Abby finally shifted back to a concerned mother mode. Though Sarah’s face was covered in cuts and bruises, she did not look any older than  Hope. As soon as that thought crossed Abby’s mind, she shifted gears again to determine how this could be? Sarah was exactly where Hope said she would be. Does that mean all the other things Hope said were true as well? Did this girl really brought my baby back? Honestly Abby was not sure what to believe anymore. I guess I will have to talk to Hope and get more information from her. I washed my hands and changed my clothes, then headed out of the room towards the front of the plane, where Hope was waiting anxiously for some news. I sit by her side and assured her that the girl was stable for now. We still have about 30 minutes before we land at our airstrip in LA. Hope, I need to talk to you baby….do you want to sit here or come inside so we can keep an eye on that girl……I mean keep an eye on Sarah….

Yes … yes mom I’d like that. I want to be near her. I have been so worried, after everything she is done for me, I really need her to be alright. Sweetheart you said that before too, that Sarah helped you….I mean how can that be?. We have never met her before and you were in coma back home while she was in…. in Duncan….for that matter, how did you know we’d find her there or that she was injured…..you also said that Sarah made sure you were alright…..she’d already examined you….what is going on……I need to know everything right away……..

Mom it may all sound right out of a fantasy book but you have to trust me, please…. Do not worry baby, I trust you… as impossible as it sounds I have seen enough to realize that there is some kind of connection between the two of you. I do not know but she was there when I’d given up all hope of ever coming back to you….coming back from where baby, Abby asked….. Hope thought for a minute before she could speak….I do not know exactly how to explain it but I’d try my best. You know that day, on Anna’s Birthday when that car hit us…..I woke up in a dark room of some kind. There was a transparent wall sort of divide and I saw Anna on the other side of that divide. She looked peaceful but also sad….like she was unhappy that I was stuck in the  darkness…..I could feel that she was trying to tell me to go back…..get out of the dark but no matter how hard I tried, I could not cross that divide to join her and it felt like she did not want me there……..

I kept trying and trying but nothing happened and I felt myself getting more and more tired every day…..one day I stopped trying and started feeling worse everyday after that, as if I have losing all my strength. I do not know how long I remained like that but one day I saw this girl. We were both shocked to see each other……I mean in all the time I was there, I’d never seen anyone come into the room. She asked me where this place was and how did I get there…..I told her about my accident and waking up in this place….. she thought for a few minutes, I swear it felt like eternity though, then she said….. we are in a limbo…. It’s funny, my body has gone through severe trauma, one that I may not recover from but still I want to go back but my body is so damaged that I can not get back to it ….. you on the other hand can easily go back ….  you just have not decided if you want to live or die… to say I was shocked after hearing her words would be an understatement….and I told her so….Why would I even think about not living…..I mean given the choice, who would not want to live?..... 

She looked at me, as if seeing  into my very core and said….if that is the case, then why aren’t you fighting to go back to your life. Her words rocked me to my core and I shouted…..what do you mean…..that I have here by choice….that I do not want to go back home? She looked at the transparent wall and then back at me and said…..that is your friend over there, right? The one that was with you at the time of the accident…..I looked there and saw that Anna was indeed standing there and nodded yes….Do you know why she is on the other side and not here with you? Uh…..no. It’s because her time had come and she accepted death…..made peace with it…. she is in heaven now, exactly where she is supposed to be but instead of enjoying the pearly gates, she comes here to look in on you…. worried for you. You blame yourself for the accident, even though it was not your fault ……you still blame yourself for being alive when your friend is dead…. What you are forgetting is that it was not your time, you would have been fine, once your body had time to heal from the injuries you sustained in the accident but here you are ….stuck between life and death…… wanting to live…..but  unable to face life……

I could not believe her but I could not deny the truth behind her words ….. Anna was the same age as me, how is it fair for her to die when I get to live, she screamed in frustration …. It’s not your place to decide who gets live or die …. A voice echoed inside my head. My child, live your life to the fullest, you’ll come HOME when it’s your time……. It was as if a huge burden has been lifted off my shoulders ….. Thank you…. for the longest time I have been feeling drained, dead on the inside …. I feel light….  alive… good. That great, Sarah said …. let me check to make sure you are fully healed and able to go back…. I was a bit confused about the “going back”….. how could I go back when I did not even know I’d left to begin with?. Sarah….. so you know how I can return to my body? …. 

I can not say for sure, since it’s a first for me too but I believe your “guilt” was holding you here …. come sit here, she said … pulling me towards her side. Now relax your self and close your eyes …. Imagine a rope, good,  now imagine this rope is connecting you to your body …. follow it, do not rush … just keep your mind relaxed and take your time …. Keep following the rope and you’ll find your body on the other end. Yes …. Yes … Sarah I can see the rope …. it’s long, so long …. go on Hope, do not loose focus …. follow it ….. I see it … my body, I have in a bed …. hooked to so many machines …. mom is also there, by my side …. that is great … now all you have to do is step into your body …. just as I was about to follow through I felt Sarah’s distress. 

 I let go of the rope immediately and got back to her. I begged her to tell me what is wrong …. what is going on …. finally she relented and told me about her life, the betrayal …. her plan to escape and save the others …. and how she jumped from a cliff into the Gila River… it’s very untamed till it finally turns towards Arizona, where it more calm as it’s used for irrigation purposes. So right now my body is in Duncan … too damaged to move from the swamp I have lying in. I will go find your body. I promise, I will not rest till I bring you to my house and help you heal. Do not ….. please do not get involved in this mess. These people are really dangerous, if they find out that I have alive they will not leave any stones unturned to find me and silence me …. They won’t care and kill anyone who stands in their way… I have not without resources, my friend. I already lost a dear friend, I refuse to live with the guilt of abandoning another ……….