A “Dead” End

Chapter 5

Abigail had never felt so helpless before. Her baby, her precious Hope was lying in a bed, the only thing that kept her breathing was a damn ventilator…. She, a world renowned doctor and researcher has failed to cure her own daughter. Why did I let her go out that day, Abby could not help but blame herself….it was Hope’s best friend’s 18th birthday and she wanted to spend the whole day with Anna (Annabel). One minute the girls were happy and excited to celebrate Anna’s special day and the next minute their car was rolling over and over as a drunk driver hit it with full force, as he ran a red light…. Ironically, the drunk did not even have a single scratch while Anna lost her life and her own baby was lying in a vegetative state ever since.

It’s been well over 6 months now…..I have shifted Hope to my own underground medical facility, where I used to conduct my research. I have converted half the space into an advanced medical facility, equivalent to a hospital (X-Rays, MRI’s, Ventilator, medical laboratory….even a fully functional operation theatre) but nothing is able to help my precious baby and even though I know better, I can not just pull the plug on her…. I can buy any damn thing I want but all the money in the can not bring my girl back… I have about to leave the room when I notice some activity on the monitor…for the first time in months it’s showing some sign of life…..I have almost in shock myself but I gather myself together and start checking Hope’s stats….

I do not know how but my baby is coming back to life and suddenly she opens her eyes. She is agitated like she wants to say something and is clawing at her oxygen mask… I have afraid she will end up hurting herself due to the tube in her mouth. I beg her to calm down….careful baby or you’ll hurt yourself and gently take the tube out….she gags and almost chokes on the fresh air now filling her lungs….you’ll be sore due to the tube down your throat, do not try to speak right now…here drink some water….small sips only… Hope grabs the water like a life line and as soon as her parched throat gets some water she looks at me again in terror and panic….save her, please mom save her…I have confused and very very concerned, who are you taking about baby?... save who….from what….SARAH…..mom Sarah needs help……

Hope please baby calm down… we do not know any Sarah, you are just confused baby….No mom you do not understand, I know her…I have seen her…she jumped from the cliff and the river, it carried her….it was so untamed…she is hurting very bad….it brought her to Arizona……Duncan… we need to get there right now or she won’t survive…. Hope, baby please… you are scaring me…..where is all this coming from? Who is Sarah…how did you meet her when you have been in coma for more than 6 months….mom I know all that…you just have to trust me…her voice scratchy….here drink a bit more water baby…. Mom please…please she saved me….she brought me out of the dark room now it’s my turn…we need to rush right away….you are not going anywhere baby, you just came out of coma…I have to do tests and proper examination to make sure you are in the clear…..I can not bear to loose you again…do not ask that of me baby….please do not….Hope sighs and calms herself down…mom please look at me. I have all right….totally fine…Sarah made sure of it..do not ask me how, why…..I do not know…maybe Sarah can explain all this once we get to her but please mom we need to save her….I need to save her….thousands of life’s are at stake….it’s vital that she lives…….

Abby did not know what to think…..she is a woman of science, yet there is truth in Hope’s eyes. She knew her baby, she will never quit once she is determined…if for nothing else then for Hope’s sake Abby will go to Duncan……Okay baby, but you can not come with me, I will go to her…..Mom, she is hidden….in the woods, by the water and she is critically injured…she does not know you and she has very good reasons not to trust anyone, I need to come with you….she will listen to me… Look we can take your private plane but it has to be off radar… no one can know about it. We will have to get a 4x4 for the rest of the way and we need to pack some emergency supplies ….she is going to need immediate treatment till we can get her here….please time is running out mom, please……..

Abby did a quick check up to verify her baby girl was fine, no amount of arguing will deter her…once she was satisfied, then and only then she went upstairs to get some fresh clothes for Hope and to change into something more suitable for travel. She gathered a few essential supplies – some pain medication, make-shift slings for any broken bones, bandages, antibiotics …..everything she could think off at such short notice. Within 7 minutes she was by Hope’s side, helping her dress. She made arrangements to keep the whole trip a secret and their flight plan off the record on her way to her private air strip…from there it takes them about 1&1/2 hour to get to the Lazy B Ranch airstrip. It would have been a shorter drive for them, had they landed at the Duncan Municipal airport but they were looking for both speed and secrecy so Lazy B was their best choice. Abby wanted to talk to Hope about this whole “Sarah” situation during their journey but Hope was lost in some deep thoughts as if she had her focus on something specific and did not want any interruptions. This whole thing was weird but Abby did not want to distress Hope and decided to let things go for now……

There was a 4X4 waiting for them when they landed at Lazy B, from there their pilot (bodyguard) drove them as per Hope’s directions. The co-pilot, who also doubled as one of their bodyguards, stayed behind to endure their tracks were covered and to be prepared for their return…. Luke (pilot/bodyguard) had been working with Ms Daniels for several years and thought of them as his family. He and his wife Susan considered Hope as their granddaughter and were devastated after Hope’s accident. He was very pleasantly surprised when Ms Abby called to inform him and Susan that Hope was finally awake and did not question when Ms Abby asked him to arrange this sudden trip…..under the radar and that too with Ms Hope, who had just woken up after a long coma. 

It did not make any sense but there was no way he would let his girls, as he and Susan thought of them, out of his sights on a mysterious trip of this kind. As he drove further into the woods and rural back roads, following Hope’s directions, he realized that Ms Abby was as concerned as him of Hope’s knowledge of a place They have never been to before. He was still thinking about the situation when Hope asked him to stop and rushed out of the vehicle before it was fully still. He and Ms Abby ran after Hope and they both came to a sudden stop as they both saw Hope kneeling down, near what looked like a swamp, tending to a girl covered in blood and bruises from head to toe………