Chapter 5
Meanwhile, Jesse opened his eyes, and wondered what had awoken him. He glanced over to the window, and noticed that the black figure had reappeared at the window, and was trying to open the window.
"Am I dreaming again?" Jesse murmured to himself. He sat up in his bed.
Outside, the sun was setting. Since it was getting dark, the person outside the window knew that there was less chance that anyone would see him. He finally got the window open, and stepped silently inside.
"It's now or never," he said to himself, seeing Jesse was awake.
"What are you going to do to me?" Jesse asked, seeing the syringe in the man's hand.
"You were not meant to be part of my experiment," the man growled.
"Your experiment?" Jesse asked.
"There were meant to be five people with CCF, and you got it."
"What are you? Some kind of scientist?"
"If only they believed me," the man said, sitting down on the chair.
Jesse knew that he had to keep the man talking for as long as it took before someone came in the room. That was the only way he could be kept out of danger. "Why did you do this?"
"No one would take me seriously," the man sighed. "No one believed me. So I had to show them."
"Show them what? Surely you didn't need to give people diseases?" Jesse was outraged.
"It was an experiment! It wasn't meant to go wrong! No one was meant to die!"
It was the first time that anyone had told him that people with CCF had died. He tried not to let it get to him. "Why? I mean, wasn't there another way to prove your work is worth it?" Jesse asked, choosing his words carefully.
"I went to everyone in LA. No one listened. They don't want chemist who had been in rehab at sixteen."
Jesse was beginning to feel sorry for the man. "What's your name?"
"Greg. Greg Delaney."
"Okay, Greg. I'm going to try and help you, if you put the syringe down."
"No! You weren't meant to be part of the experiment!"
"I didn't mean to…"
"Something always goes wrong whenever I try to put something right."
"Things started going wrong when you killed those people!" Jesse inwardly winced at what he had said, knowing that he was now treading on thin ground.
"I told you!" Greg yelled out loud, jumping off of the chair. "I didn't mean to kill them!"
"You shouldn't have been injecting them with that stuff in the first place," Jesse said. "Why did you do it?"
"I thought I told you, I want people to see that I am not just messing around, and that I am worthy. I know what I am talking about."
"Right now, you are talking nonsense, and because of what you did, you will have to pay for the consequences. Got that?"
Greg stopped, and regained himself. "Someone has to catch me first, and with what you're going to get, I don't think you're up to it."
"What am I going to get?" Jesse asked, trying to feel brave.
"A shot of typhoid," the man sneered, leaving the chair.
Jesse gulped. He knew typhoid was not to be messing around with. The symptoms included headaches, fever, delirium, and heart failure.
As Greg neared him with the syringe, Jesse edged away. He climbed out of the bed, and then realised that Greg was in between himself and the door. Greg advanced on him, needle poised.
It was getting too much for Jesse. He felt himself go fuzzy, and he swayed slightly. Greg saw his chance, and grabbed Jesse. Jesse's weight fell towards Greg, and it overpowered him.
At that moment, the door burst open, and Steve charged in, closely followed by Mark. The sight they entered upon was that the two men were in a heap on the floor.
"Delaney, you are under arrest," Steve began as the two officers dragged him away. He sneered at Jesse as he was taken away and read his rights.
"Jesse?" Mark said. Then he noticed that Delaney had left something behind.
Mark pulled the needle from the side of Jesse's shoulder. "Jesse? Can you hear me?"
"Yeah," Jesse murmured.
"What was in the syringe?"
"Typhoid."
Mark cursed under his breath. "I wasn't part of his experiment," Jesse continued. "I guess he made me an experiment of his own. Handling one weird disease and typhoid at the same time."
"Was that his motive?" Mark asked, helping Jesse into his bed.
"Yeah. All this was an experiment. Mark, that guy is nuts up here," Jesse pointed to his head. "I think he needs help."
"He'll get it," Steve said, coming into the room.
"No really, Steve, he does. And Mark, why didn't you tell me that people had died?"
"We didn't want to worry you, Jesse."
Steve, seeing that Jesse was physically and now emotionally drained, changed the subject.
"Dad, has Colin Fawkler arrived yet?"
"He should have done. Amanda went to meet him."
A moment later, Amanda burst in. "He's on his way," Amanda said. "He's dealing with the other three patients first."
"Amanda, we are going to be needing some antibiotics in here," Mark said.
"Why?"
"I've got typhoid," Jesse replied blankly.
"You've got what?" Amanda asked, astounded.
There was a knock on the doorframe, and Colin Fawkler walked in.
"Ready?"
"Amanda, the antibiotics please?" Mark requested again. She left to get them.
Jesse was given the medication for his original illness. "Do you feel any better?" Steve asked.
"Not really," Jesse replied quietly.
"It will take some time," Mark said. "We have just got to get that fever down."
After Jesse had spoken, something started happening. He found it difficult to focus, and around him he felt everything get darker, and heavier. He knew that Mark was speaking, saying something, but he couldn't understand what he was saying.
Suddenly, his world was plunged into darkness. It was like a big, black blanket had been placed over him, and he couldn't get out.
Around Jesse, doctors and nurses milled around, applying machines to him. Someone had retrieved a crash cart, and Mark was concentrating every ounce of energy and willpower into restarting Jesse's heart. When he heard the satisfying beeping, he sighed with relief.
"Thought we'd lost you there," Mark murmured as some of the equipment was taken away. "We won't let you get away that easy."
Steve came back into the room, from having been pushed out when Jesse's heart had stopped. "Dad? What happened?"
"Heart failure. The worst, and normally the final part of typhoid," Mark explained. "Once they started getting the antibiotics into him, all he needed was a jumpstart."
Steve nodded. "So, he's going to be okay?"
"He is going to be just fine."
Jesse woke up a day later, and was greeted by the sight of his friends.
"Hi Jesse," Amanda welcomed him back to the world of the awake. "How do you feel?"
"Not so bad," Jesse said, sitting up in bed. "Why the machines? They weren't there before."
"Jesse," Mark began, "your heart stopped. That's why the machines have appeared."
"Really?" Jesse said, saying no more.
"You're going to be fine now," Mark continued. "Your fever has gone down, and that's the main thing."
"Yeah," Jesse said. "I feel a lot better."
"Good," all three replied with relief.
Jesse grinned. "When do I get to go home? And Steve, are we going to go on a real vacation soon? I hope you've gone out and organised that in my absence. How has BBQ Bob's been running itself since I've been ill?"
Mark rolled his eyes, but inwardly, he was having a party at seeing Jesse back to his normal self. He wondered how long it would be before things were totally back to normal, when Amanda would show her infuriation.
"Okay, Jesse," Amanda said through gritted teeth. "We are all so glad that you are back to normal, but do us a favour and be quiet for just one second?"
Mark looked at his watch. He made it about twelve seconds.
** ~~ The End ~~ **
Note from the author: Hi! Hope you liked the story! I'm already planning the next story (and for all you Jesse fans out there, I hope you'll like it.)
Thanks,
Becca :-)
Meanwhile, Jesse opened his eyes, and wondered what had awoken him. He glanced over to the window, and noticed that the black figure had reappeared at the window, and was trying to open the window.
"Am I dreaming again?" Jesse murmured to himself. He sat up in his bed.
Outside, the sun was setting. Since it was getting dark, the person outside the window knew that there was less chance that anyone would see him. He finally got the window open, and stepped silently inside.
"It's now or never," he said to himself, seeing Jesse was awake.
"What are you going to do to me?" Jesse asked, seeing the syringe in the man's hand.
"You were not meant to be part of my experiment," the man growled.
"Your experiment?" Jesse asked.
"There were meant to be five people with CCF, and you got it."
"What are you? Some kind of scientist?"
"If only they believed me," the man said, sitting down on the chair.
Jesse knew that he had to keep the man talking for as long as it took before someone came in the room. That was the only way he could be kept out of danger. "Why did you do this?"
"No one would take me seriously," the man sighed. "No one believed me. So I had to show them."
"Show them what? Surely you didn't need to give people diseases?" Jesse was outraged.
"It was an experiment! It wasn't meant to go wrong! No one was meant to die!"
It was the first time that anyone had told him that people with CCF had died. He tried not to let it get to him. "Why? I mean, wasn't there another way to prove your work is worth it?" Jesse asked, choosing his words carefully.
"I went to everyone in LA. No one listened. They don't want chemist who had been in rehab at sixteen."
Jesse was beginning to feel sorry for the man. "What's your name?"
"Greg. Greg Delaney."
"Okay, Greg. I'm going to try and help you, if you put the syringe down."
"No! You weren't meant to be part of the experiment!"
"I didn't mean to…"
"Something always goes wrong whenever I try to put something right."
"Things started going wrong when you killed those people!" Jesse inwardly winced at what he had said, knowing that he was now treading on thin ground.
"I told you!" Greg yelled out loud, jumping off of the chair. "I didn't mean to kill them!"
"You shouldn't have been injecting them with that stuff in the first place," Jesse said. "Why did you do it?"
"I thought I told you, I want people to see that I am not just messing around, and that I am worthy. I know what I am talking about."
"Right now, you are talking nonsense, and because of what you did, you will have to pay for the consequences. Got that?"
Greg stopped, and regained himself. "Someone has to catch me first, and with what you're going to get, I don't think you're up to it."
"What am I going to get?" Jesse asked, trying to feel brave.
"A shot of typhoid," the man sneered, leaving the chair.
Jesse gulped. He knew typhoid was not to be messing around with. The symptoms included headaches, fever, delirium, and heart failure.
As Greg neared him with the syringe, Jesse edged away. He climbed out of the bed, and then realised that Greg was in between himself and the door. Greg advanced on him, needle poised.
It was getting too much for Jesse. He felt himself go fuzzy, and he swayed slightly. Greg saw his chance, and grabbed Jesse. Jesse's weight fell towards Greg, and it overpowered him.
At that moment, the door burst open, and Steve charged in, closely followed by Mark. The sight they entered upon was that the two men were in a heap on the floor.
"Delaney, you are under arrest," Steve began as the two officers dragged him away. He sneered at Jesse as he was taken away and read his rights.
"Jesse?" Mark said. Then he noticed that Delaney had left something behind.
Mark pulled the needle from the side of Jesse's shoulder. "Jesse? Can you hear me?"
"Yeah," Jesse murmured.
"What was in the syringe?"
"Typhoid."
Mark cursed under his breath. "I wasn't part of his experiment," Jesse continued. "I guess he made me an experiment of his own. Handling one weird disease and typhoid at the same time."
"Was that his motive?" Mark asked, helping Jesse into his bed.
"Yeah. All this was an experiment. Mark, that guy is nuts up here," Jesse pointed to his head. "I think he needs help."
"He'll get it," Steve said, coming into the room.
"No really, Steve, he does. And Mark, why didn't you tell me that people had died?"
"We didn't want to worry you, Jesse."
Steve, seeing that Jesse was physically and now emotionally drained, changed the subject.
"Dad, has Colin Fawkler arrived yet?"
"He should have done. Amanda went to meet him."
A moment later, Amanda burst in. "He's on his way," Amanda said. "He's dealing with the other three patients first."
"Amanda, we are going to be needing some antibiotics in here," Mark said.
"Why?"
"I've got typhoid," Jesse replied blankly.
"You've got what?" Amanda asked, astounded.
There was a knock on the doorframe, and Colin Fawkler walked in.
"Ready?"
"Amanda, the antibiotics please?" Mark requested again. She left to get them.
Jesse was given the medication for his original illness. "Do you feel any better?" Steve asked.
"Not really," Jesse replied quietly.
"It will take some time," Mark said. "We have just got to get that fever down."
After Jesse had spoken, something started happening. He found it difficult to focus, and around him he felt everything get darker, and heavier. He knew that Mark was speaking, saying something, but he couldn't understand what he was saying.
Suddenly, his world was plunged into darkness. It was like a big, black blanket had been placed over him, and he couldn't get out.
Around Jesse, doctors and nurses milled around, applying machines to him. Someone had retrieved a crash cart, and Mark was concentrating every ounce of energy and willpower into restarting Jesse's heart. When he heard the satisfying beeping, he sighed with relief.
"Thought we'd lost you there," Mark murmured as some of the equipment was taken away. "We won't let you get away that easy."
Steve came back into the room, from having been pushed out when Jesse's heart had stopped. "Dad? What happened?"
"Heart failure. The worst, and normally the final part of typhoid," Mark explained. "Once they started getting the antibiotics into him, all he needed was a jumpstart."
Steve nodded. "So, he's going to be okay?"
"He is going to be just fine."
Jesse woke up a day later, and was greeted by the sight of his friends.
"Hi Jesse," Amanda welcomed him back to the world of the awake. "How do you feel?"
"Not so bad," Jesse said, sitting up in bed. "Why the machines? They weren't there before."
"Jesse," Mark began, "your heart stopped. That's why the machines have appeared."
"Really?" Jesse said, saying no more.
"You're going to be fine now," Mark continued. "Your fever has gone down, and that's the main thing."
"Yeah," Jesse said. "I feel a lot better."
"Good," all three replied with relief.
Jesse grinned. "When do I get to go home? And Steve, are we going to go on a real vacation soon? I hope you've gone out and organised that in my absence. How has BBQ Bob's been running itself since I've been ill?"
Mark rolled his eyes, but inwardly, he was having a party at seeing Jesse back to his normal self. He wondered how long it would be before things were totally back to normal, when Amanda would show her infuriation.
"Okay, Jesse," Amanda said through gritted teeth. "We are all so glad that you are back to normal, but do us a favour and be quiet for just one second?"
Mark looked at his watch. He made it about twelve seconds.
** ~~ The End ~~ **
Note from the author: Hi! Hope you liked the story! I'm already planning the next story (and for all you Jesse fans out there, I hope you'll like it.)
Thanks,
Becca :-)