The Curse Conduit

Elizabeth grabbed at her hand as she felt the tingle begin; rubbing it with her other hand she looked to the others. “Something is wrong.”

Her words stirred them all from their individual thoughts.

Henry had been standing at the door making sure that no one left and more importantly no one else felt the need to use the waiting room. He stepped in front of Elizabeth. “Do you need a doctor Miss Elizabeth?”

She shook her head. “No it’s not me…” Suddenly flashes of images raced through her mind, the panic and fear that contorted her face worried the others as they all closed in around her. “My god. No! they’re dead! Noooooo!”

They all saw the crack of electricity as it left her hand and Elizabeth collapsed into Henry’s arms. In turn Henry swept her up like a doll meaning to take her to a doctor when Simian took hold of her arm. “Who is dead Cherie?”

Elizabeth did not open her eyes just uttered one word that sent them all rushing from the room “Derek…….”

Henry followed them still with her in his arms to be confronted by Dr Horton who was on his way to give them the news. This was the one part of his job he did not like at all. Before he knew it he was surrounded by Kimberly, Simian and Casta all talking at once so he did not see Elizabeth in Henry’s arms immediately. He was just about to let them know that he had not been able to save their friends when he did see her and his focus changed. Looking at Henry. “What happened?’

“She collapsed.”

The Doctor beckoned for Henry to follow him to the room next to Derek and Uriah. Kimberly grabbed him by the arm. “Doc she said that Derek was dead. What was she talking about?”

Trying not to show the truth on his face Dr Horton busied getting Elizabeth comfortable on the bed with Henry’s help. He then called for a nurse. By this time everyone was in the same room, all looking to the doctor, all waiting for his answer. Dr Horton checked her vital signs, the science said that she had just fainted but because of what he had witnessed next door he was no longer sure if he could put his faith in the science where these people were concerned.

The door opened and a nurse who had been with him earlier walked in. “Keep an eye on her. Call me if there is any change.”

The doctor walked to the door and the others followed him back outside. Simian stopped him by pulling on his arm. She will be alright yes? Derek will be alright?”

Dr Horton sighed a little and Henry stood a little closer to Kimberly having a sixth sense as to what was about to happen.

“Your lady friend has fainted, she is very exhausted but yes I think she will be all right.”

They all smiled then Casta asked about Derek. “And our friend Derek, he…”

The look on the doctor’s face stopped him.

“I’m sorry, we did everything we could but in the end it was not enough, we lost them.”

Kimberly let out a stifled shout as she covered her mouth with her hand.

Simian swore in French.

Casta was so dumfounded he could not find any words to speak.

It was Henry who asked the doctor what had happened.

With a heavy heart Dr Horton explained. “I am sorry. I want to be very honest with you. I have no idea why they died.”

Again Kimberly stifled a cry and Henry placed his hands on her shoulders.

The doctor continued. “We tried to revive them more than once but each time they slipped away.” He looked around at all of them. “I know this sounds strange and if I was with anyone else I would not say it. But it was like they were connected somehow. If Mr Mailer went into arrest so did Mr Burner.”

Hearing these words Kimberly could not hold back her grief any longer, letting out a mournful cry, collapsing into Henry’s arms.

One more time he found himself carrying someone in need of aid. Dr Horton guided them back to the room that Elizabeth was in to the surprise of the nurse.

No one noticed that Casta had not followed them. He had gone to Derek and Uriah’s room. The two nurses that had been left to release Derek and Uriah from the machines they had been hooked up to smiled silently at him.

Casta stood at the foot of the beds looking down at his friends. To Casta it looked like they were just sleeping. “What happened my friends? Que te ha passado? What happened?”

A small tear escaped, running silently down his face.

Casta felt a hand on his shoulder. Simian stood in silence behind him, his own grief overtaking him. He wanted to shout, to scream yet it was as if his voice had frozen. So it was Casta that spoke again. “She was right, she knew, Elizabeth was right. They are gone.”

Feeling like the two men needed time on their own the nurses left. Casta went to stand at the side of Derek’s bed and Simian stood next to Uriah. At first he was not sure if he was seeing things just right. As he watched Uriah’s wounds and bruises were disappearing. “Casta do you see this?’

In a dejected tone Casta answered. “See what Simian?”

Simian pointed to Uriah and pulled back the sheets. “Look.”

Carols watched in awe as the bruises on Uriah’s chest and stomach began to clear. He pulled back the sheet that covered Derek and the same thing was happening. He sighed. “Only now, in death are they free from the torment that caused them so much pain.”

Simian looked to Casta, then back down to Uriah, placing his hand on his arm. “I am so sorry my friend. Je vous plains.”

Next door Elizabeth was coming round, groaning she looked up to see the doctor and then Henry. Her tears flowed as pain gripped her heart. “It’s true they are gone, they are both gone.”

Dr Horton nodded knowing there was nothing he could say and all of Elizabeth’s grief left her on a wave of such heart wrenching sorrow the doctor thought he would have to sedate her. “Noooooooo. They were supposed to live, this is not right.”

Henry sat on the edge of the bed and gathered her into his arms letting her cry, his own heart being overwhelmed by an all-consuming anguish with each new wail that escaped from so deep within her.

Elizabeth held onto him for fear that she would lose herself in the torment that engulfed her soul. Now she understood how Beth-Elena had felt, why she had ended up cursing them in her quest to be with Declan for eternity. Between the sorrow and the grief, somewhere through the physical and emotional pain she understood, she understood and she needed to be with Derek.

Pulling back from Henry, drying her eyes and taking a deep breath in the hopes that her resolve would return Elizabeth looked at the doctor. “I need to see them.”

A small voice came from the other bed as Kimberly sat herself up. “I want to see them as well.”

Kimberly’s resolve was not as strong as Elizabeth’s and her tears began to flow once more, her chin trembling as she fought to hold them back.

Elizabeth went to her and gathered her friend into her arms. “We’ll do this together.”

Dr Horton and Henry watched in silenced sorrow.

Simian and Casta tried to smile at the two women as they entered the room and again Elizabeth went to stand nestled under Casta’s arm as Simian gathered Kimberly into his embrace and gave her a small kiss on the top of her head.

Looking down into Derek’s face Elizabeth sighed, taking his hand in hers. “I will love you for always and forever my sweet knight.” She took a breath. “Why did you have to leave? What did you dream that would make you leave?”

Elizabeth choked back a cry.