Shadows and Light Ch. 17

Chapter 17 Survivors

Carl Witherspoon looked on at the burning house shaking his head. He had received the call from the Sterling butler, Charles, and at his insistence had assembled his team and driven up. They must have arrived shortly after John Sterling and Isabelle, but the damage had been done. The house was now engulfed in flames. Several team members had risked their lives following the sound of screams coming from the basement. They had pulled out a badly injured John Sterling along with an unconscious Isabelle. Ian they had discovered in the running car in the driveway, badly beaten and drained dangerously low of blood. All three of them were being loaded into the van and calls were going out to the doctor in the area that was on retainer for this kind of disaster.

The burning cabin lit the area a lurid orange and threw roasting heat out that he could feel standing as far away as he was. It was an odd feeling, the heat on his face on the cold pressing in on his back. Carl felt lucky that several members of the team had accompanied him on his previous visit. They had remembered the floor plan and had had to go through a kitchen window to get to the basement and get the two survivors out.

The van pulled away. Listening to the discussions of his team on his headset, he was proud of his teams functioning smoothness. The long hours of endless practice and training had paid off well. He had hoped that the reports of Finn Sterling and Simon Drake being up here were wrong. No one could survive the conflagration as it was. They had arrived too late to be able to do a thorough search of the interior of the small cabin. It looked like that hope was to be a futile one. One of the cars in the driveway was registered to Simon Drake, and Carl himself had recognized it as the hybrid car that Simon had purchased the year before.

He watched the pale crescent moon begin its rise over the pine trees, hazy in the smoke the fire was producing. Pacing, one of his trademarks, he couldn't hear the crunch of gravel under his feet over the roar of the flames.

"Sir, we have bodies on the south side of the cabin," Tom Jacobs voice, the team leader for this operation, crackled over his headset.

"On my way," he replied. Beckoning to several other members of the team to follow him he trotted around and began to pick his way over the rocks, very aware of the burning building less than fifteen feet away from him.

Not two far away from the corner of the building, lying on the pine needle covered ground, were two more bodies. Cursing, Witherspoon hastened his steps. As the body on top was rolled face up his swearing kicked up a notch. He recognized them, both of them. Stretchers were quickly organized and the medic still with them tried to establish I.V. lines before both were transferred to the second van. Grateful that the doctor was not to far away, Carl Witherspoon and the others quickly vacated the area, taking all four of the vehicles parked in front of the cabin with them. The radio they were monitoring reported that the local fire trucks were on their way. They would be well out of the way before they got there.

Two days later..........

John sat and watched his son sleep. It had been a long time since he had gone for 48 hours without sleep; it was harder than he remembered it being. His stab wound was healing quickly, his burns were another story. Vampires as a whole were fast healers, except when the injuries were caused by sunlight (for new vampires), silver or fire. Injuries caused by these three took almost as long to heal as they would with a human, and they tended to scar very badly. As such, his hands from mid finger to mid bicep were layered with special ointment, special burn gauze and loosely wrapped with white gauze.

Brown eyes fluttered open and closed again as they had several times before. This time they opened again almost immediately. "Dad?"

John smiled for the first time in what seemed forever. He reached out and with the tips of his fingers stroked his son's face. "I love you, Finn."

Finn smiled, and then it faded. His brown eyes filled with tears that spilled down pale cheeks. Fighting the battle and losing it he began to sob uncontrollably.

John reached out and pulled him into an awkward hug, ignoring the pain in his arms. "It's ok," he said over and over. He pulled away and looked Finn straight in the eyes. "He is alive, Simon is alive."

The look of absolute, incredulous joy on Finn's face was a bittersweet reward for John. He was still trying to reconcile his own emotions about Finn's relationship. "You have to be prepared though, son," he tempered. "He was very badly injured and he may not make it. Dr. Castile has him in the equivalent of intensive care. It is bad Finn, very bad."

"Can I see him?" Finn asked still sobbing.

"As soon as the Doctor says that it is ok you are there," John replied. "Right now they are just trying to keep him stable." He took his son's hand in his bandaged ones. "He was the one that pulled you out, I couldn't get to you. Somehow he managed to pull you out from under that beam and pull you up the rubble to the bedroom window." John smiled again, "incase you hadn't noticed you have two broken shins. You need to get yourself well too."

"I can't really feel him. Why can't I feel him?" Finn asked, trying to get control of his emotions. He rubbed shaking hands over his face and pulled his battered body up slightly.

John helped him adjust the pillows as much as he could with his bandaged hands. "He is under heavy sedation, Finn," replied John, sitting back down, "you have to remember too, that there was a large mental shock for him when Pru died, even though he was turned unwillingly." He bit his lip and continued, "There may be some mental damage as well, Finn. Jezi, the healer, says that Pru was not at all careful when she was messing with his head. There may be some large memory gaps, or other problems."

"It doesn't matter," said Finn, "as long as he is alive I can deal with anything."

"I know, son," John soothed, rising to his feet, "I am going to fetch the nurse or she will have my head. I have to check in on Ian as well."

"Ian!? He's ok?"

"He has some injuries but he is considerably better off than you are at the moment. We can discuss that later, and I am sure that he will come to see you when he hears that you were awake." John deliberately left out the emotional damage that he would also have to heal from. Finn could deal with that later, once they found out whether or not Simon would survive.

"I will be back as soon as the nurse is done with you," John promised from the doorway.

"Ok, dad," he said, "Dad?"

John turned back. "Yes?"

"I love you too."

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Isabelle woke slowly; there was cold air on her face and an odd humming noise somewhere in the background. Her head hurt. Not a stabbing pain but a dull ache. She opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was Ian, sleeping on the other side of the bed.

He was pale and she could still see the thin, healing mark of a lash on his face. He was cocooned in blankets, but close enough that she could feel his breath on her cheek. She felt a bit detached from things and wondered if she could move. She could, it just took a lot of effort. Turning her head to the right she noticed the I.V. stand with its dripping liquid. It went to her hand she noted. The coolness she had noticed on her face turned out to be an oxygen mask.

She wasn't in a hospital though. She was in a small bedroom done up in a simple blue and white country style. While taking in her surroundings she tried to remember what had happened. She remembered the frantic drive to the cabin, the fight with Simon and after that it got hazy. Disjointed memories of fire and Finn's face came to her. Finn? What had happened to him? Just as she was trying to find the energy to move, the door opened and a man that she recognized but couldn't place entered the room.

He was dressed casually in jeans and a flannel shirt over a t-shirt. His blonde hair was short, almost military short. He also walked with the grace of a seasoned athlete. She knew that she knew him from somewhere.

"Ah, you are awake. Let me get Lucy," he said as he turned around. He was only gone for a few seconds before he came in again. He took a chair next to the bed that she hadn't noticed.

Isabelle slipped the mask of her face. She had to clear her throat before she could talk and even then it was husky and didn't sound like herself.

"I know you," it wasn't a question.

He looked a bit startled for a minute. "Yes," he replied. "My name is Carl Witherspoon, we met at the Sterling estate."

The minute he said his name it registered with her still slightly fuzzy brain. She nodded. "Is Finn ok?" she asked. "I don't remember."

"He is in the next room," Carl answered.

"His dad got him out then," it was a statement rather than a question.

Carl looked down. "No," he replied. "The ceiling beam collapsed and John couldn't get to him." He frowned and looked back at her with an unreadable expression.

After a few seconds pause Isabelle started to get impatient. "And," she said. "Can you just tell me what happened?" she rasped. "This question and answer shit is getting on my nerves."

"Simon pulled him out."

Isabelle was stunned. "But I, I thought that I..."

"No, apparently not," replied Carl. "The doctor says that you almost killed him, but he had taken enough of Ian's blood to heal partially." Carl paused again. "According to the healer," at this Carl noticed her puzzled look. "Jezi is a, well kind of a psychic healer. She does more mental and emotional healing, although she does have some touch healing abilities. She is a very strong telepath. Anyway, according to Jezi, once Prudence died his bond with Finn snapped back into place. He dragged him out through the bedroom by climbing up the debris and going out the window. They were both almost dead at that point. She doesn't know how Simon found the strength to get him out, he was badly burned, lots of broken bones from his fall through the floor."

"Why would Prudence have to die before his bond with Finn could come back? Why did he hurt Ian the way he did if he loved Finn so much?" Isabelle demanded, flashes of Ian's screams coming back to her.

"Keep your voice down," said Carl, "we had to sedate Ian to get him to sleep. He needs his rest."

Isabelle glanced over at Ian and saw that he hadn't moved, and then turned back to Carl.

"Well," she demanded.

"Apparently Pru is the one that turned Simon. She used the mental linking that is established with the turning, along with torture to alter his thinking. It is kind of like brainwashing only it takes place mind to mind. She may have used magic as well." Carl sighed and continued. "What happened to Ian is Prudence's fault, not Simons."

Isabelle digested that for a second. "You said that they were both badly hurt."

"Yes, it was the ceiling collapse that broke Finn's legs. He is well on the way to healing; he should be walking in a week or so."

"And Simon?" Isabelle asked.

"Badly burned, mauled, broken ribs, broken leg, fractured hip, head injury, shock, the list goes on," said John heavily. "Jezi says that the mental damage is even worse though. Apparently Prudence did some damage to him. With a forced turning, like the one Prudence inflicted on him, the recipient can suffer damage from the mental struggle. Jezi won't be able to do much with him until he has physically healed a bit more. If you add the fact that he is still in the adjustment phase of his transition, he is in pretty bad shape. He is under heavy sedation right now. "

"Does Ian know? About Simon I mean."

Carl nodded. "He is as forgiving as always."

Isabelle could hear the underlying tone in his voice that she didn't quite understand. She was too tired right now to figure it out.

"I would like to ask you about how you attacked Simon though. Do you remember what happened?"

Isabelle thought for a moment. "I remember coming into that room and he was on top of Ian," she swallowed back the nausea at the thought of what had happened to Ian. "He was biting him, and Ian was screaming," her voice trailed off at this point, just remembering.

"What happened next?"

"I," what had happened? Isabelle thought. "I remember jumping on him, we fell off the bed."

"And?"

"I think I bit him," said Isabelle slowly.

"According to what John told us," said Carl, watching her intently, "you went Were, completely."

"That isn't possible," argued Isabelle hoarsely. "I didn't inherit the bloodline."

"Our healer thinks that perhaps the blood bonding that happened between you and Ian may have awakened it from its dormant state. Yes," he said, responding to her unspoken question, "Jezi says that you two are very tightly linked, even though only a very small amount of blood was exchanged. She has never seen anything quite like it. Bonding between a Were and a vampire isn't something that happens very often."

Isabelle tried to absorb what he was telling her. "So that is why I knew he was in trouble? How I could feel what he was feeling? We bonded?"

"Yes, and it definitely saved his life. If you had been any later Simon would have killed him."

"Simon," she said. Just saying his name left a bad taste in her mouth. Intellectually she had been told that what had happened was not his fault but she still felt the knee jerk reaction when she heard his name. The memory of Ian's screams as

The door to her room was pushed open even wider and a woman entered. "Ah Isabelle. I brought some soup for you," she said in a low voice. The woman brought the feeling of energy with her. She bustled around, helping Isabelle sit up and get situated. She was a tall woman. Buxom was the word that came to Isabelle's mind. Pale blonde hair, pulled back in braids that were wrapped around her head and an apron over her dress added to the feeling that she had suddenly ended up in Sweden somehow.

"Isabelle, this is Lucy Castile. She is Dr. Castile's wife," said Carl.

"Hello," said Isabelle between sips of soup. With the first taste she was completely ravenous and had the soup gone in no time at all.

"A pleasure to meet you Isabelle. I wish it could have been under more pleasant circumstances," replied Lucy with a beaming smile. "Gracious, you must have been hungry."

"Yes, but I think I need to use the restroom."

Lucy shooed Carl out of the room, telling him in no uncertain terms that Isabelle was to eat and then rest for a while before he could visit with her again. With deft and gently hands she quickly removed the I.V. and helped Isabelle to the adjoining bathroom. Isabelle was grateful for the help. She felt as shaky as a newborn kitten. Lucy also helped her to the shower after she had caught sight of herself in the mirror. Her hair was shorter on one side having been singed by the flames and even though she must have been sponged off she reeked of smoke. She sat on the stool in the shower feeling a bit like a little girl again, getting her hair washed. Lucy brought more food which Isabelle devoured and then tucked her in next to Ian, who had slept through it all.

Isabelle snuggled up close to Ian and despite the fact that sunshine was streaming through the windows, was soon dozing. Even her need to know what else had happened couldn't be overcome in her need for sleep.

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The next few days passed quickly. Isabelle was amazed at the changes in John. He was caring and attentive to both of his sons and was a far different person than the one that she had come to expect.

Ian was quiet, overly so; and his dreams were troubled. It was apparent to everyone that the trauma of what had happened to him had affected him deeply. Despite the fact that he 'knew' that what happened wasn't Simon's fault, Isabelle suspected that he was still having a hard time with it. He stayed close to Isabelle and was constantly touching her, almost like he was reassuring himself that she was there. He regularly sat with Finn. He had also visited Simon several times, not allowing anyone to come with him. Simon was still sedated so there was no interaction. He emerged from these visits quiet and pale.

Isabelle spoke privately with John, who agreed with her that moving them back to the house so they could begin their sessions with Dr. Halloway was a good idea. John would stay with Finn until Simon was out of danger and they would see how things progressed from there.

A car and driver arrived the next day and Ian and Finn said their goodbyes, promising to call each other daily. John hugged Ian for a long time and then whispered something in his ear, too low for Isabelle to hear. Ian burst out laughing at a smiling John, and simply shook his head at her when Isabelle questioned him. Later, he promised her, he would tell her later.

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Don't worry readers, I am not done yet!! We still have a few chapters to go! Thanks to everyone that has helped with editing and all of the readers that have left comments and voted. Keep on voting!!