Unable

Being drawn closer to Beth, Justin doesn't resist. He was too weak in mind and body to fight anything at all, so he simply leans into her, trying to soak up any comfort she had to offer. He'd felt so alone this whole time... he no longer had the strength to continue on his own.

His shouts of agony subside, though the tears continue for a while longer. Just keeping his head resting against Beth and feeling her arm around him seemed to help form a shield in his mind - a shield to protect him against the torrent of mental attacks. Soon, the tears begin to slow as well until once more, his breathing has calmed and his body's rocking has ceased. Exhausted and drenched in sweat, there's not much else Justin's body can do but give in to sleep again.

So sleep he does, still leaning against Beth, oblivious to the time of night or anything else going on.

The rest of the night is only interrupted once more by a less frightful nightmare without the tears. It's enough to wake Justin and cause him to have another slight panic attack, but it doesn't take him long to calm down once more and sleep again, still close to Beth...

...The morning sun peeks just over the horizon, sending red-orange light across the sky. Mellow beams of light stream in through the living room windows, creating a warm glow. Justin stirs and tries to open his eyes, though his mind was still trapped in what felt like a thick layer of cobwebs. What time was it? Come to think of it, what day was it? He really had no idea.

Moving a little, it surprises him to find that there's a warm body under his head. Then he realizes that it's Beth and they were both lying on the couch. His head was near her shoulder and one arm was draped around her, the blanket keeping both of them warm. When had she gotten there? Had she been there all night? How? Why? His head hurt too much to try and figure it all out.

Though his fever had gone down a few times, he could feel it was still high, making his whole body ache. He didn't even want to move. There was something he needed to do though, he was sure of it. Something he'd forgotten... something...

"I gotta get up," he comments lethargically. "Too much to do... Bein' fine to go and up..." He furrows his brow, knowing that whatever he'd just said made no sense at all, but he really had no idea what he'd been meaning to say anyway. "You know what I mean."

Feeling a chill, he shivers and burrows himself into the back of the couch a little deeper. "I must be sick," he muses.


The lights were still on at Gram and Gramps, and Gram appears at the door, smiling and waving for Alice to come in. Once inside together, she explains that she and Gramps knew about Kip and were waiting up for the others to get here so they could make sure Kip was okay and settled.

It was only a few minutes later when the other two cars finally arrive. Erik parks by the curb and glances to the backseat. "We're home, Kip," he mentions gently.

Kip had been half asleep and nods lamely but takes a few moments to actually sit up. After not moving for several hours, his body hurt even more, and he almost wishes he could just stay in the car all night. His gaze drifts to Karla in the dark but he doesn't say anything. He manages to get himself out of the car, and Erik was right there to help him.

Walking slowly up the sidewalk, Kip leans on Erik, his bandaged arm wrapped around his ribs and his sights making sure Karla was still there, too. The porch steps were agonizing, but he bites back the pain. Once they're inside, part of him was relieved, and part of him was not. Though he glued his gaze to the floor, he could feel pairs of eyes on him, making this whole thing even more uncomfortable.

Turning from her place at the window, Gram puts a hand over her mouth, tears glistening in her eyes at the sight of Kip. Kyle had told her what happened, but she still hadn't been prepared for him to look this bad. He hadn't been living here all that long, but already he was like a grandson and her heart went out to him. "Oh, Kip..." Approaching him slowly, she reaches out with a gentle hand to lay on his shoulder. "Your room is all ready for you, and I've got some tomato soup keeping warm on the stove."

Kip swallows hard, feeling his emotions starting to churn again. He'd just felt the wrath of hate, and now the love he was being shown was almost too much to handle. Bravely, he lifts his head to look back at Gram. "Thank you. I... I think I just want to go to bed."

Gram nods knowingly. "Well, if you change your mind, I'll be up for a while, okay?" She looks back to Karla and gives her arm a loving squeeze. "It's fine if you want to stay here the night," she offers. Her eyes told that she knew how close Kip and Karla were, and she trusted them both - in this situation, neither her or Gramps would object if Karla wanted to stay near overnight.

Erik fiddles with the keys in his hand, wanting to stay but knowing that Kip would prefer to be left alone. "You gonna be alright?"

Kip nods numbly.

Erik didn't believe him, but he returns the nod. Heading for the door, he gives Karla a look that said he would probably be up for a while yet too, so if anything happened, he wanted her to call. It was better if he left though - any pressure and Kip wouldn't take it well.

Hearing the door open and close, Kip's eyes lower again and he starts slowly for the hallway and towards his bedroom. He didn't say anything to Alice or to Gramps on his way... he just wanted to get away from everyone else. Reaching his room, he eases down on the edge of the bed. Though his line of sight was on the floor, he knew that Karla had followed him, and could sense her eyes on him. A tear wells up and trickles down his battered face and he sniffs, unable to hold it all in any longer.


Kyle had come in behind the others and just stood back out of the way, wishing there was more he could do. When Kip and Karla are gone from the living room, he gives his grandma a grateful look. "Karla will see to it he's okay," he assures. "He's just gonna need a little time I think."

Gram nods sadly. "I just can't imagine... it's just..."

"Yeah."

She sighs. "Well, I'm going to make some hot tea." When she heads to the kitchen, Gramps is on her heels.

Left alone with Alice, Kyle finally looks to her, his eyes giving away that he was pretty worn out from the long day. His lack of smile was unusual. He maybe wondered if he should go home and go to bed himself, but his mind was still pretty active and he'd rather unwind first. "Ready for coffee?"


Hearing Amanda's voice, Reese tenses. He sat on the edge of the easy chair in his living room, and quickly reaches for the television remote to mute the sound. Amanda's tone indicated stress, and her initial words made his shoulders sink. They'd known Hope had very little time left, but it was still a blow.

He's just about to reply when Amanda continues. Shocked, Reese's eyes widen, his jaw dropping. They'd all been praying for Hope, but even so, this kind of response was certainly not what anyone had really expected. A little chill runs down his spine and he closes his eyes, overcome with thankfulness. "Praise the Lord," he breathes. "That is wonderful, wonderful news. Thank so much for calling me, Doctor Fuller." Completely overwhelmed, he really didn't even know what else to say. "I know she'll have visitors tomorrow - me included. In the meantime, if you talk to her, let her know we're overjoyed and we'll see her soon."

Ending the call, Reese just sits and stars into nothingness for several moments until he finally folds his hands, leaning to rest his elbows on his knees. "Thank You," he whispers. It had been too long since anything had gone right, and this was some of the best news he'd ever received. He hadn't been all that close to Hope, but she'd been a part of his team, and a vital one at that. Having thought about losing her... it had been heart-wrenching. "Thank You so much."