'After' - Chapter Two - Waking Up
Jun. 1st, 2008 10:28 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
missmara13The second chapter.
Chapter Two - Waking Up
Ryan woke with a start, then groaned and snapped his eyes shut again as he realized the terrain was upside down. After a few long moments, accompanied by a few deep breaths, he opened his eyes again, realizing his jeep was upside down and only the seatbelt was holding him in place. "Fuck," he gasped out, shifting slightly and feel pain tear through his chest. It felt like someone was jabbing a poker into his side everytime he moved, but there was no way to avoid that. Being upside down in a ditch, trapped in a wreck car, brought back way too many bad memories for him to stay. When he turned his head, out of the corner of his eye, he could almost see Seth in the backseat, struggling with his seatbelt to try and get free.
Ryan grabbed his pocketknife and cut through the seatbelt, not fighting the pained scream as he fell onto the ground, his arms not quick enough to break his fall. He forced himself up onto his hands and knees, crawling out of the wreck with tear glinting in his eyes, then grabbed the underside of the jeep, now pointing up at the sky, and pulled himself up to stand, looking frantically at the horizon. He didn't see anything, and for a moment he hoped, prayed, he'd imagined the mushroom cloud. Then, he realized he was facing south and turned to his right, his legs nearly giving out as he saw the cloud still in the sky, though already disappating slightly.
"Oh god..." he whispered. He took a moment to stare, then started pulling himself up the side of the ditch to the road, and pointing himself in the direction of Tree Hill, knowing that he had to get home, he had to get to Sandy and Kirsten and make sure they were okay.
Brooke woke slowly to the sounds of crying and a warm sticky fluid on the side of her head. She slowly lifted her hand and touched it, whincing at the pain that caused, then pushed herself more upright in the seat to look towards the kids. "Is everyone okay?" she asked, hoping she sounded calmer than she felt. "Anyone hurt?"
"What happened?" one of the girls asked, crying.
"I want my mommy!" a boy yelled.
"We'll get your mommies and daddies soon," Brooke promised, getting to her feet so she could check on the kids. "Tim, get us moving," she said. She took two steps before she realized he hadn't responded and she turned towards the front. "Tim?" He was slumped over the steering wheel, eyes wide open and staring, clearly dead. Brooke stumbled back, one hand moving to cover her mouth as she felt the urge to vomit. She heard the whimpers behind her, though,a nd took a deep breath before turning back towards the kids. "Okay, kids? I need you to stay in your seats, and be really quiet for me."
"Is Bus Driver Tim okay?" a little boy asked.
"I... he's very tired," Brooke said, not wanting to lie but not having any idea how she was suppose to answer the question without scaring the kids. "Just stay in your seats and..." She paused, looking at the scared kids, then squared her shoulders and forced a smile onto her face. "Let's sing a song, okay? How about... the song that never ends?" she suggested, hoping it would distract them enough to keep them from realizing how very bad things were.
"What was that?"
The question was being repeated constantly as Sandy and Kirsten headed towards town hall, hoping for answers there. They ran into Luke, who latched onto Kirsten's arm. "Was that Sacramento?" he asked, worried.
"We don't know, Luke," Sandy said. "We're hoping Dan'll tell everyone something..."
"Ryan said he was going through Sacramento before heading back to LA," Luke pressed.
Kirsten stumbled, one hand gripping Sandy's and the other grasping tightly at Luke's arm. "No..." she whispered.
"He said he wanted to get there before nightfall..." Luke said. "You don't..."
"Let's get to town hall," Sandy repeated, swallowing convulsively.
"If anything happens to him, I'm blaming you, Sandy Cohen," Kirsten said, pulling away from him and heading towards town hall with Luke on her heels.
Sandy took a moment, pulling in a shuddering breath then letting it out. Finally, he hurried after them, hoping to hear something soon.
Ryan kept one arm wrapped around his ribs as he headed down the road, hoping to see someone, anyone, alive. There was no sign of movement, though, not even animals, and Ryan began to wonder if somehow, he was the only person still out there. He shook off the thought, knowing it was ridiculous, and forced himself to keep walking.
At first, he thought it was his imagination, the sound of singing that seemed to come from off to one side of the rapidly darkening road. But the further he walked, the louder it became, and then in the distance, down to one side and half hidden in the brush, he saw a set of headlights.
"Hey!" he yelled, though it ended in a gasp as pain tore through his chest. "Hey!" he repeated, stumbling down the embankment towards the light. As he got closer, he realized it was a school bus, and he quickened his pace. As he got withou 20 feet, the doors opened and a dark haired woman jumped out, looking stunned and relieved. "Is everyone okay?" Ryan asked, forcing himself to stand straight and dropping his arm so he wasn't clutching his ribs.
Brooke shook her head. "The driver's dead, and the kids are scared..." she said.
"Okay," Ryan said, getting close enough that he saw the blood that was coating one side of her face. "You're hurt," he said, gesturing.
"It's okay, I'm mored worried about getting the kids home before... was that what it looked like? That..."
"I think it was," Ryan said. "Come on, let's see if the bus is running, okay? So we can get these kids home. Tree Hill, right?"
"Yeah," Brooke said. "First grade field trip to the Yosemite. Second grade, too, but their bus didn't get a flat so they went home already."
"We'll get these kids home," Ryan said, nodding.
Mayor Dan Scott stood on the steps of Town Hall, raising his hands to try to get calm and quiet. "As far as we can tell, yes, there has been a nuclear explosion to the northwest, possibly in Sacramento. But we don't know for certain, and I'm sure we're safe right now..."
"My kid is on a bus out there!" one parent yelled.
"So are my grandson and my niece," Dan said. "We'll find the kids, it's our top priority right now, to get them home safe and sound..."
Sandy grabbed Matt's arm as the deputy passed near him. "Ryan was heading towards Sacramento," he said. "He... we don't know how far away he was when..."
"I'll keep an eye out for him," Matt said. "Black jeep, right?"
"Yeah."
"I'll make sure everyone keeps an eye out for him," Matt promised. "We'll let you know as soon as we know something." He stepped away, continuing through the crowd and passing Nathan and Haley Scott.
"What if something's happened to them?" Haley asked.
"Brooke wouldn't let anything happen to Jamie," Nathan said. "Aren't you the one who told me she's like a lion when it comes to the people she loves, and she loves our son. She won't let him get hurt."
"What if she's hurt, too?" Haley asked. "A nuclear bomb went off, Nate! What if they're out there dying?"
Ryan couldn't keep himself form doubling over in pain and gasping for air when he and Brooke finished moving Tim's body to the back, trying to keep the kids from realizing he was dead and failing miserably. "Shit," he hissed through gritted teeth.
"You're hurt?" Brooke asked, an edge of panic in her voice.
"I've been hurt a lot worse," Ryan replied, offering her a tight smile. "Okay, time to get this bus moving, right?" he said, straightening again and painfully turning to head back to the driver's seat. he stopped though when he saw the little girl curled up in a ball on the floor in front of her seat. "You okay, honey?" he asked as he slowly shifted to crouch down closer to eye level.
"I can't... I can't..." she gasped.
"Asthma," Brooke said. "Lily has asthma. Where's your inhaler, sweetie?"
"It broke," Jamie said, holding out the pieces.
Ryan took them and tried to see if he could get it put back together, then shook his head. "Damn it," he said. "Okay, Lily, right?" he asked the little girl, who nodded shakily. "Well, I'm Ryan, and I promise you, everything will be okay. I want you to take as deep a breath as you can, okay? The let it out slowly. Can you do that for me?" When she did, he smiled and nodded. "Keep that up, okay? Just remember, everything will be okay."
"But bus driver Tim's dead!" a boy said.
"But we're not going to die," Brooke said quickly. "Me and Ryan are going to get you guys home safe, right?" she said, looking down at Ryan, who nodded.
"Right," he said, using the back of the seats to pull himself to his feet. "Okay, let's get this old boat going, huh? I think this was my bus in elementary school."
"You're from Tree Hill?" Brooke asked as she followed him to the front.
"Born and raised," Ryan said. "But I think I'd remember you."
"New York City born and bred," Brooke said. "I wanted different."
"Good choice, then, because we're about as far from New York City as possible," Ryan said, easing into the driver's seat.
"Can you drive it?"
"I think so," Ryan said. "Can't be more complicated then a helicopter, and I learned that pretty fast."
"You're a pilot?"
"I know how to pilot," Ryan corrected, his attention focused on the dashboard. "Okay, so... this can't be more complicated, right?"
"Right," Brooke agreed, starting to turn away, then turning back. "Are you good at piloting?"
"This is totally different from flying," Ryan answered.
"That really did not make me feel better."
"Then we're on the same page."
Matt spotted a shadow off to one side of the road and pulled his car over to investigate, sighing when he saw it was Ryan's jeep, upside down and badly damaged. "Ryan?" he called as he slowly went down into the ditch, crouching down to look inside. He wasn't sure whether he was relieved or more worried to find the jeep empty. "Ryan!" he yelled, straightening up and walking around the jeep to try and figure out which way Ryan might have gone and hoping he hadn't been thrown out of the vehicle. After a quick look revealed only slightly damaged weeds that Ryan might have used to climb out, Matt climbed back up to radio in the find.
Walking back to his car, he spotted Ryan's bags sitting halfway up the side of the ditch a little back towards town, most like they at least had been thrown. He quickly grabbed them, hoping he'd be able to return them to Ryan himself soon, but if not then to the Cohens. After stowing the bags in the trunk, he grabbed the radio. "Dispatch, it's Matt. I found Ryan Atwood's jeep, but there's no sign of him. I'm gonna keep looking."
"Negative, come on back to town, we need your help controlling the crowds," dispatch replied.
Matt sighed. "On my way," he said regretfully.
Kirsten covered her mouth with her hands as she overheard the radio call, and didn't pull away when Sandy wrapped his arms around her. "I can't lose him, too," she whispered.
"It's my fault," Sandy said. "I... I never should have..."
"He knows you love him, underneath all the anger..."
"I told him... I told him I wish he'd been the one who died that night," Sandy said. He didn't even see Kirsten's hand coming towards him before it connected with his face.
"I will never forgive you if my son doesn't come home safe," Kirsten said, walking away.
This time, Sandy had more sense than to follow, knowing he'd never forgive himself, either.
"I think we got turned around when we went off the road," Brooke said as Ryan slowly edged the bus onto the highway.
"Don't worry, even after seven years, I remember these roads like the back of my hand," Ryan replied, turning the bus and starting in the direction he knew would take them back to town. "I think there's a problem with the engine, though... I can't get much speed."
"At least we're moving, right?" Brooke said.
"Right."
"Do you really think that was a... I mean... how does that happen? With homeland security and everything, how can someone just..."
"You'd be amazed at how resourceful the bad guys are," Ryan said. "How's your head?"
"Been better," Brooke admitted. "What about you?"
"I'm fine," Ryan said. "Like I said, I've been hurt worse than this."
"Is the bus gonna make it?" Brooke asked as the engine sputtered slightly.
"I don't know," Ryan said. "But we're gonna try."
"I really don't wanna die in jeans and an ugly tourist trap shirt in the middle of nowhere," Brooke said quietly as she crouched down beside the driver's seat. "I'd much rather die when I'm 90 and still hot in my designer lingerie, so this bus better make it."
"Yes, ma'am," Ryan said, trying not to smile. He liked this girl.
"I'm sorry, Sandy..." Matt began as he got to town hall.
"We heard," Sandy said, nodding. "Do you... did it look like..."
"There was no sign of him," Matt said. "Except some weeds that looked like he might have used to pull himself out of the ditch. But I couldn't see any footprints, and his bag was just sitting there a little further along, like it got thrown in the crash..."
"Could he have..."
"No," Matt said quickly. "It looked like he might have cut his seatbelt, probably to get out, and like I said, some weeds looked messed up. He's probably just walking back and we missed him somehow. He'll turn up."
"I don't wanna lose him, too," Sandy said, turning away and finding Kirsten behind him. "I always thought I could fix it later," he said to her. "I didn't... he's still a kid..."
"When he comes back, you fix it," Kirsten said, nodding as she stepped forward to embrace her husband.
Suddenly, there was a commotion outside, yells of confusion and then relief that sent everyone flooding outside to see the school bus pulling up.
Brooke was the first off the bus, Lily in her arms to deliver her to her mother. "Her inhaler broke and the asthma kicked off," she said. "I think she's okay now, though."
"Mama! Daddy!" Jamie yelled, running to Haley and Nathan and jumping into their arms. "It was so cool when we crashed!"
"Crashed?" Nathan asked, looking at Brooke, who was sagging tiredly against the side of the bus as the kids reunited with their parents.
"Tim tried to avoid hitting a car that wasn't paying attention, and... we just went off the road. He... he didn't make it," Brooke explained.
"How'd you drive the bus?" Dan asked as he came up.
"I didn't," Brooke said, looking towards the door of the bus as Ryan came out, leaning heavily against the side and clutching his ribs again. "He saved us," Brooke said, nodding as she gave Ryan a smile.
"All in day's work," Ryan joked, stepping down and stumbling slightly. He felt someone grab him to keep him from falling and slowly straightened, freezing when he realized it was Sandy who'd caught him. "I..."
"Let's get you checked out, huh?" Sandy said simply as he and Kirsten took up positions on either side of him to guide him towards the clinic.
Marissa watched from a little ways away, her eyes locked on Ryan's back as everyone not focused on a child began to murmur among themselves.
"Prodigal son returns," Kaitlin said with a smile as she came up beside her sister. "Let him stop looking like he's gonna fall over before you throw yourself at him, huh?" she suggested before going to find Luke and tell him. "Luke!" she yelled as she spotted him near the back of the crowd.
"All the kids okay?" Luke asked.
"Yeah, and so's Ryan," Kaitlin said. "He found the kids and got them back safe. I saw Sandy and Kirsten taking him towards the clinic, though..."
"Maybe people will actually stop calling him a killer now," Luke said, smiling widely. He planted a kiss on Kaitlin's cheek, then hurried to find the Cohens and Ryan.
"I'm sorry, but the Dr. Keller was at a conference in Sacramento, she..." Peter Petrelli began, then trailed off. "She's not here. She might not even..."
"If she was in Sacramento, she's dead," Ryan said as he straightened up between the Cohens. "I saw the mushroom cloud, it was definitely coming from the capitol, and... and I doubt anyone made it out of there."
"We're suppose to just take your word for it?" Dan asked. "The town murderer?"
"Enough, Dan," Sandy said warningly.
"There's a big difference between a stupid mistake made by an eighteen year-old kid and lying about a nuclear bomb," Ryan said tensely. "Ands that was a mushroom cloud, which means nuclear bomb."
"Are we under attack?" Karen Roe, Lily's mother, asked.
"Maybe it was just Sacramento, maybe it was an accident..." Nathan began.
"It wasn't just Sacramento," Brooke said as she came in, her cellphone out. "I tried to call my mom and got an out of service message. So I checked my voicemail." She accessed it to play again, putting the phone on speaker.
"If you think I'm going to let this go, Brooke Penelope Davis, you're sorely mistaken. I'm not going to let you throw everything I've worked so hard for away to live in hicksville with those people who claim to be your friends. Come home now, or..."
"Victoria?"
"Lucas, I'm trying to get her to listen..."
"No, Victoria, something's hap..."
The male voice cut off as there were screams and a thundering roar before the call ended abruptly. Brooke closed the phone, tears streaming down her cheeks. "They're in New York," she said. "I think it was bombed, too."
"We need to think rationally..." Dan began.
"You need to get out of my clinic so I can work," Peter countered.
"You're clinic?" Dan asked. "Your some home health nurse..."
"If you don't want my help, fine," Peter said. "But just remember, I'm all you've got. Dr. Keller is probably dead, and the other nurse was with her at the conference. So I'd say that yeah, this is my clinic."
"Dan, just back the hell off so people can get help," Karen said.
"Thank you," Peter said. "If you're not hurt or with somebody who's hurt, please leave immediately. Parents who want their children checked can stay, but I don't want to be hassled with papercuts while other people who actually need help are left waiting." Slowly, the clinic began to empty out, and Peter took a deep breath. "Alright, now I'm gonna check everyone, but I need to triage. I need to see anyone who actually has an injury first..."
"The kids should get checked first," Ryan said. "I know I can wait."
"Honey, your ribs..." Kirsten started to argue.
"Are broken," Ryan said. "They'll still be broken in an hour, and if I just sit down it won't get any worse."
"Broken ribs need..." Peter began.
"I've broken them before," Ryan said quickly. "These are closed fractures, possibly not even all the way through. They'll hold while you check the kids out."
"If you can check Jamie out so I'll know he's okay, I can help triage," Haley volunteered.
"Anyone have a problem with that?" Peter asked. When no one spoke up, he nodded. "Okay, I appreciate it, Haley. Let's get Jamie checked out so we can move things along."
To Be Continued...
Chapter Two - Waking Up
Ryan woke with a start, then groaned and snapped his eyes shut again as he realized the terrain was upside down. After a few long moments, accompanied by a few deep breaths, he opened his eyes again, realizing his jeep was upside down and only the seatbelt was holding him in place. "Fuck," he gasped out, shifting slightly and feel pain tear through his chest. It felt like someone was jabbing a poker into his side everytime he moved, but there was no way to avoid that. Being upside down in a ditch, trapped in a wreck car, brought back way too many bad memories for him to stay. When he turned his head, out of the corner of his eye, he could almost see Seth in the backseat, struggling with his seatbelt to try and get free.
Ryan grabbed his pocketknife and cut through the seatbelt, not fighting the pained scream as he fell onto the ground, his arms not quick enough to break his fall. He forced himself up onto his hands and knees, crawling out of the wreck with tear glinting in his eyes, then grabbed the underside of the jeep, now pointing up at the sky, and pulled himself up to stand, looking frantically at the horizon. He didn't see anything, and for a moment he hoped, prayed, he'd imagined the mushroom cloud. Then, he realized he was facing south and turned to his right, his legs nearly giving out as he saw the cloud still in the sky, though already disappating slightly.
"Oh god..." he whispered. He took a moment to stare, then started pulling himself up the side of the ditch to the road, and pointing himself in the direction of Tree Hill, knowing that he had to get home, he had to get to Sandy and Kirsten and make sure they were okay.
Brooke woke slowly to the sounds of crying and a warm sticky fluid on the side of her head. She slowly lifted her hand and touched it, whincing at the pain that caused, then pushed herself more upright in the seat to look towards the kids. "Is everyone okay?" she asked, hoping she sounded calmer than she felt. "Anyone hurt?"
"What happened?" one of the girls asked, crying.
"I want my mommy!" a boy yelled.
"We'll get your mommies and daddies soon," Brooke promised, getting to her feet so she could check on the kids. "Tim, get us moving," she said. She took two steps before she realized he hadn't responded and she turned towards the front. "Tim?" He was slumped over the steering wheel, eyes wide open and staring, clearly dead. Brooke stumbled back, one hand moving to cover her mouth as she felt the urge to vomit. She heard the whimpers behind her, though,a nd took a deep breath before turning back towards the kids. "Okay, kids? I need you to stay in your seats, and be really quiet for me."
"Is Bus Driver Tim okay?" a little boy asked.
"I... he's very tired," Brooke said, not wanting to lie but not having any idea how she was suppose to answer the question without scaring the kids. "Just stay in your seats and..." She paused, looking at the scared kids, then squared her shoulders and forced a smile onto her face. "Let's sing a song, okay? How about... the song that never ends?" she suggested, hoping it would distract them enough to keep them from realizing how very bad things were.
"What was that?"
The question was being repeated constantly as Sandy and Kirsten headed towards town hall, hoping for answers there. They ran into Luke, who latched onto Kirsten's arm. "Was that Sacramento?" he asked, worried.
"We don't know, Luke," Sandy said. "We're hoping Dan'll tell everyone something..."
"Ryan said he was going through Sacramento before heading back to LA," Luke pressed.
Kirsten stumbled, one hand gripping Sandy's and the other grasping tightly at Luke's arm. "No..." she whispered.
"He said he wanted to get there before nightfall..." Luke said. "You don't..."
"Let's get to town hall," Sandy repeated, swallowing convulsively.
"If anything happens to him, I'm blaming you, Sandy Cohen," Kirsten said, pulling away from him and heading towards town hall with Luke on her heels.
Sandy took a moment, pulling in a shuddering breath then letting it out. Finally, he hurried after them, hoping to hear something soon.
Ryan kept one arm wrapped around his ribs as he headed down the road, hoping to see someone, anyone, alive. There was no sign of movement, though, not even animals, and Ryan began to wonder if somehow, he was the only person still out there. He shook off the thought, knowing it was ridiculous, and forced himself to keep walking.
At first, he thought it was his imagination, the sound of singing that seemed to come from off to one side of the rapidly darkening road. But the further he walked, the louder it became, and then in the distance, down to one side and half hidden in the brush, he saw a set of headlights.
"Hey!" he yelled, though it ended in a gasp as pain tore through his chest. "Hey!" he repeated, stumbling down the embankment towards the light. As he got closer, he realized it was a school bus, and he quickened his pace. As he got withou 20 feet, the doors opened and a dark haired woman jumped out, looking stunned and relieved. "Is everyone okay?" Ryan asked, forcing himself to stand straight and dropping his arm so he wasn't clutching his ribs.
Brooke shook her head. "The driver's dead, and the kids are scared..." she said.
"Okay," Ryan said, getting close enough that he saw the blood that was coating one side of her face. "You're hurt," he said, gesturing.
"It's okay, I'm mored worried about getting the kids home before... was that what it looked like? That..."
"I think it was," Ryan said. "Come on, let's see if the bus is running, okay? So we can get these kids home. Tree Hill, right?"
"Yeah," Brooke said. "First grade field trip to the Yosemite. Second grade, too, but their bus didn't get a flat so they went home already."
"We'll get these kids home," Ryan said, nodding.
Mayor Dan Scott stood on the steps of Town Hall, raising his hands to try to get calm and quiet. "As far as we can tell, yes, there has been a nuclear explosion to the northwest, possibly in Sacramento. But we don't know for certain, and I'm sure we're safe right now..."
"My kid is on a bus out there!" one parent yelled.
"So are my grandson and my niece," Dan said. "We'll find the kids, it's our top priority right now, to get them home safe and sound..."
Sandy grabbed Matt's arm as the deputy passed near him. "Ryan was heading towards Sacramento," he said. "He... we don't know how far away he was when..."
"I'll keep an eye out for him," Matt said. "Black jeep, right?"
"Yeah."
"I'll make sure everyone keeps an eye out for him," Matt promised. "We'll let you know as soon as we know something." He stepped away, continuing through the crowd and passing Nathan and Haley Scott.
"What if something's happened to them?" Haley asked.
"Brooke wouldn't let anything happen to Jamie," Nathan said. "Aren't you the one who told me she's like a lion when it comes to the people she loves, and she loves our son. She won't let him get hurt."
"What if she's hurt, too?" Haley asked. "A nuclear bomb went off, Nate! What if they're out there dying?"
Ryan couldn't keep himself form doubling over in pain and gasping for air when he and Brooke finished moving Tim's body to the back, trying to keep the kids from realizing he was dead and failing miserably. "Shit," he hissed through gritted teeth.
"You're hurt?" Brooke asked, an edge of panic in her voice.
"I've been hurt a lot worse," Ryan replied, offering her a tight smile. "Okay, time to get this bus moving, right?" he said, straightening again and painfully turning to head back to the driver's seat. he stopped though when he saw the little girl curled up in a ball on the floor in front of her seat. "You okay, honey?" he asked as he slowly shifted to crouch down closer to eye level.
"I can't... I can't..." she gasped.
"Asthma," Brooke said. "Lily has asthma. Where's your inhaler, sweetie?"
"It broke," Jamie said, holding out the pieces.
Ryan took them and tried to see if he could get it put back together, then shook his head. "Damn it," he said. "Okay, Lily, right?" he asked the little girl, who nodded shakily. "Well, I'm Ryan, and I promise you, everything will be okay. I want you to take as deep a breath as you can, okay? The let it out slowly. Can you do that for me?" When she did, he smiled and nodded. "Keep that up, okay? Just remember, everything will be okay."
"But bus driver Tim's dead!" a boy said.
"But we're not going to die," Brooke said quickly. "Me and Ryan are going to get you guys home safe, right?" she said, looking down at Ryan, who nodded.
"Right," he said, using the back of the seats to pull himself to his feet. "Okay, let's get this old boat going, huh? I think this was my bus in elementary school."
"You're from Tree Hill?" Brooke asked as she followed him to the front.
"Born and raised," Ryan said. "But I think I'd remember you."
"New York City born and bred," Brooke said. "I wanted different."
"Good choice, then, because we're about as far from New York City as possible," Ryan said, easing into the driver's seat.
"Can you drive it?"
"I think so," Ryan said. "Can't be more complicated then a helicopter, and I learned that pretty fast."
"You're a pilot?"
"I know how to pilot," Ryan corrected, his attention focused on the dashboard. "Okay, so... this can't be more complicated, right?"
"Right," Brooke agreed, starting to turn away, then turning back. "Are you good at piloting?"
"This is totally different from flying," Ryan answered.
"That really did not make me feel better."
"Then we're on the same page."
Matt spotted a shadow off to one side of the road and pulled his car over to investigate, sighing when he saw it was Ryan's jeep, upside down and badly damaged. "Ryan?" he called as he slowly went down into the ditch, crouching down to look inside. He wasn't sure whether he was relieved or more worried to find the jeep empty. "Ryan!" he yelled, straightening up and walking around the jeep to try and figure out which way Ryan might have gone and hoping he hadn't been thrown out of the vehicle. After a quick look revealed only slightly damaged weeds that Ryan might have used to climb out, Matt climbed back up to radio in the find.
Walking back to his car, he spotted Ryan's bags sitting halfway up the side of the ditch a little back towards town, most like they at least had been thrown. He quickly grabbed them, hoping he'd be able to return them to Ryan himself soon, but if not then to the Cohens. After stowing the bags in the trunk, he grabbed the radio. "Dispatch, it's Matt. I found Ryan Atwood's jeep, but there's no sign of him. I'm gonna keep looking."
"Negative, come on back to town, we need your help controlling the crowds," dispatch replied.
Matt sighed. "On my way," he said regretfully.
Kirsten covered her mouth with her hands as she overheard the radio call, and didn't pull away when Sandy wrapped his arms around her. "I can't lose him, too," she whispered.
"It's my fault," Sandy said. "I... I never should have..."
"He knows you love him, underneath all the anger..."
"I told him... I told him I wish he'd been the one who died that night," Sandy said. He didn't even see Kirsten's hand coming towards him before it connected with his face.
"I will never forgive you if my son doesn't come home safe," Kirsten said, walking away.
This time, Sandy had more sense than to follow, knowing he'd never forgive himself, either.
"I think we got turned around when we went off the road," Brooke said as Ryan slowly edged the bus onto the highway.
"Don't worry, even after seven years, I remember these roads like the back of my hand," Ryan replied, turning the bus and starting in the direction he knew would take them back to town. "I think there's a problem with the engine, though... I can't get much speed."
"At least we're moving, right?" Brooke said.
"Right."
"Do you really think that was a... I mean... how does that happen? With homeland security and everything, how can someone just..."
"You'd be amazed at how resourceful the bad guys are," Ryan said. "How's your head?"
"Been better," Brooke admitted. "What about you?"
"I'm fine," Ryan said. "Like I said, I've been hurt worse than this."
"Is the bus gonna make it?" Brooke asked as the engine sputtered slightly.
"I don't know," Ryan said. "But we're gonna try."
"I really don't wanna die in jeans and an ugly tourist trap shirt in the middle of nowhere," Brooke said quietly as she crouched down beside the driver's seat. "I'd much rather die when I'm 90 and still hot in my designer lingerie, so this bus better make it."
"Yes, ma'am," Ryan said, trying not to smile. He liked this girl.
"I'm sorry, Sandy..." Matt began as he got to town hall.
"We heard," Sandy said, nodding. "Do you... did it look like..."
"There was no sign of him," Matt said. "Except some weeds that looked like he might have used to pull himself out of the ditch. But I couldn't see any footprints, and his bag was just sitting there a little further along, like it got thrown in the crash..."
"Could he have..."
"No," Matt said quickly. "It looked like he might have cut his seatbelt, probably to get out, and like I said, some weeds looked messed up. He's probably just walking back and we missed him somehow. He'll turn up."
"I don't wanna lose him, too," Sandy said, turning away and finding Kirsten behind him. "I always thought I could fix it later," he said to her. "I didn't... he's still a kid..."
"When he comes back, you fix it," Kirsten said, nodding as she stepped forward to embrace her husband.
Suddenly, there was a commotion outside, yells of confusion and then relief that sent everyone flooding outside to see the school bus pulling up.
Brooke was the first off the bus, Lily in her arms to deliver her to her mother. "Her inhaler broke and the asthma kicked off," she said. "I think she's okay now, though."
"Mama! Daddy!" Jamie yelled, running to Haley and Nathan and jumping into their arms. "It was so cool when we crashed!"
"Crashed?" Nathan asked, looking at Brooke, who was sagging tiredly against the side of the bus as the kids reunited with their parents.
"Tim tried to avoid hitting a car that wasn't paying attention, and... we just went off the road. He... he didn't make it," Brooke explained.
"How'd you drive the bus?" Dan asked as he came up.
"I didn't," Brooke said, looking towards the door of the bus as Ryan came out, leaning heavily against the side and clutching his ribs again. "He saved us," Brooke said, nodding as she gave Ryan a smile.
"All in day's work," Ryan joked, stepping down and stumbling slightly. He felt someone grab him to keep him from falling and slowly straightened, freezing when he realized it was Sandy who'd caught him. "I..."
"Let's get you checked out, huh?" Sandy said simply as he and Kirsten took up positions on either side of him to guide him towards the clinic.
Marissa watched from a little ways away, her eyes locked on Ryan's back as everyone not focused on a child began to murmur among themselves.
"Prodigal son returns," Kaitlin said with a smile as she came up beside her sister. "Let him stop looking like he's gonna fall over before you throw yourself at him, huh?" she suggested before going to find Luke and tell him. "Luke!" she yelled as she spotted him near the back of the crowd.
"All the kids okay?" Luke asked.
"Yeah, and so's Ryan," Kaitlin said. "He found the kids and got them back safe. I saw Sandy and Kirsten taking him towards the clinic, though..."
"Maybe people will actually stop calling him a killer now," Luke said, smiling widely. He planted a kiss on Kaitlin's cheek, then hurried to find the Cohens and Ryan.
"I'm sorry, but the Dr. Keller was at a conference in Sacramento, she..." Peter Petrelli began, then trailed off. "She's not here. She might not even..."
"If she was in Sacramento, she's dead," Ryan said as he straightened up between the Cohens. "I saw the mushroom cloud, it was definitely coming from the capitol, and... and I doubt anyone made it out of there."
"We're suppose to just take your word for it?" Dan asked. "The town murderer?"
"Enough, Dan," Sandy said warningly.
"There's a big difference between a stupid mistake made by an eighteen year-old kid and lying about a nuclear bomb," Ryan said tensely. "Ands that was a mushroom cloud, which means nuclear bomb."
"Are we under attack?" Karen Roe, Lily's mother, asked.
"Maybe it was just Sacramento, maybe it was an accident..." Nathan began.
"It wasn't just Sacramento," Brooke said as she came in, her cellphone out. "I tried to call my mom and got an out of service message. So I checked my voicemail." She accessed it to play again, putting the phone on speaker.
"If you think I'm going to let this go, Brooke Penelope Davis, you're sorely mistaken. I'm not going to let you throw everything I've worked so hard for away to live in hicksville with those people who claim to be your friends. Come home now, or..."
"Victoria?"
"Lucas, I'm trying to get her to listen..."
"No, Victoria, something's hap..."
The male voice cut off as there were screams and a thundering roar before the call ended abruptly. Brooke closed the phone, tears streaming down her cheeks. "They're in New York," she said. "I think it was bombed, too."
"We need to think rationally..." Dan began.
"You need to get out of my clinic so I can work," Peter countered.
"You're clinic?" Dan asked. "Your some home health nurse..."
"If you don't want my help, fine," Peter said. "But just remember, I'm all you've got. Dr. Keller is probably dead, and the other nurse was with her at the conference. So I'd say that yeah, this is my clinic."
"Dan, just back the hell off so people can get help," Karen said.
"Thank you," Peter said. "If you're not hurt or with somebody who's hurt, please leave immediately. Parents who want their children checked can stay, but I don't want to be hassled with papercuts while other people who actually need help are left waiting." Slowly, the clinic began to empty out, and Peter took a deep breath. "Alright, now I'm gonna check everyone, but I need to triage. I need to see anyone who actually has an injury first..."
"The kids should get checked first," Ryan said. "I know I can wait."
"Honey, your ribs..." Kirsten started to argue.
"Are broken," Ryan said. "They'll still be broken in an hour, and if I just sit down it won't get any worse."
"Broken ribs need..." Peter began.
"I've broken them before," Ryan said quickly. "These are closed fractures, possibly not even all the way through. They'll hold while you check the kids out."
"If you can check Jamie out so I'll know he's okay, I can help triage," Haley volunteered.
"Anyone have a problem with that?" Peter asked. When no one spoke up, he nodded. "Okay, I appreciate it, Haley. Let's get Jamie checked out so we can move things along."
To Be Continued...
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no subject
Date: 2008-06-01 06:44 pm (UTC)Ryan saving a whole bus full of children while hurt? All in a days work...inspired, really. I'm intrigued to see where this story is going...I have all these questions buzzing around in my head after only two chapters...I'm gonna sit patiently here and wait for more updates on this...
(PS...is it wrong of me to hope that Lucas and Brooke's mum were totally blown up in that neat little mushroom cloud?) xx
no subject
Date: 2008-06-01 07:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-02 12:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-02 04:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-02 02:44 pm (UTC)Sandy seems to understand pretty fast that he messed up with Ryan, so with Kirsten too.
I'm still wondering about the accident though.
no subject
Date: 2008-06-02 05:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-06-08 09:49 am (UTC)