Warning: This chapter gets a little graphic. Viewer Discretion is advised.

Water dripped off the clean rag and back into the bowl as Elizabeth rung out the cloth. She gently wiped away the beads of sweat that were collecting on Jack's brow. It has been two days since the incident in the woods and Jack had seemed to be on the mend when he came down with a high fever. He couldn't even hold anything down stronger than broth. Elizabeth had sent for Mr. McQueen. He had given Jack a herb mixture to bring down his fever and reduced the swelling in his wounds. So far, they hadn't worked.

Jack groaned and Elizabeth hushed him. She gathered up the bowl and rag and moved into the kitchen to start supper. She didn't see the ribbons of golden sand that drifted through the opened window and lulled Jack to a peaceful sleep.

BREAKLINE

"Has he faired any better?" Mr. McQueen asked as he entered Jack's room.

"No, his fever's just gotten worse and I can barely get him to drink anything." She said wringing her hands.

Mr. McQueen laced a hand on the boy's sweaty forehead. He then moved to his leg. He gently pulled the bandages away and his eye grew wide. What scabs a formed came off with the bandages. The wound was and angry red and oozing pus.

Elizabeth gasped when she saw it. It was much worse than it was last night. "Elizabeth, go get your husband. I need to speak to you both."

Elizabeth gulped and nodded. She headed for the door, grabbing her shawl as she went. Her hands shook as she wrapped the knitted cloth around her shoulders. She was so scared. The wound look bad. Bad enough to take her son's life. Was that the reason Mr. McQueen told her to get Joseph? Was she going lose her little boy? She couldn't She couldn't lose him.

"Liz?" a gentle voice pulled her out of her thoughts. In front of her stood Joseph with a concerned look on his face. She didn't know when she arrived at the shop of when she started crying.

"Mr. McQueen needs to speak with us." She said with a hiccup. She wiped away the tears.

"Well, let's go see him then." He said as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

BREAKLINE

"The infection is getting worse. If something is not done, he could lose his leg."

Joseph and Elizabeth looked at each other fearfully. "What can we do?" asked Joseph as he pulled his wife close.

"There is an operation we can try."

"What?" Elizabeth asked hope filling up inside her.

"We can cut away the infected tissue." McQueen said. "It will stop the spread of the infection and allow the wound to heal."

"Then do it." Joseph nearly shouted.

"Mr. Overland, you have to understand. This is a relatively new procedure. It could save his life but if not done properly or if a single mistake is made, your son could still lose his leg." Mr. McQueen could see the doubt and unease slip into their eyes. "I'll let you think it over."

The two parents looked over at each other and something passed between them. Joseph turned back to the healer. "Is this his best chance?" he asked softly.

Mr. McQueen nodded. "I believe so."

"Then do the procedure, Paul." Elizabeth said.

"Very well, let me get my things." He said as he stepped out. Joseph and Elizabeth looked at each other in silence. Elizabeth let out a sob and Joseph pulled her into his embrace. An ice cold feeling settled itself into his heart. It was the same feeling he had when he saw his son lying in the forest floor, bloody, and deathly still. Fear.

BREAKLINE

"Are you going to check on Jack?" Tooth asked Bunny as he placed a hand on the front door's handle.

"I just want to make sure that Frostbite's okay." He said.

"Hold on, I want to come with you." She replied as she went to the table and grabbed a glass vase filled with wild flowers. "Okay, I'm ready."

They were quiet for a while as they walked toward the village. Bunny kept his eyes and ears alert for any signs that someone was close by. Tooth played with the flowers in a vase. Rearranging them until they were in the perfect order. "What do you plan to do with those?" Bunny asked.

"I'm going to put them right outside Jack's window. He's been cooped up inside his room, I thought these would help brighten his day." She said with a smile.

"That's very thoughtful of you Tooth."

Tooth gazed at her traveling companion and saw the tension in his shoulders and the slight droop in his ears. "It's isn't your fault you know." She said and Bunny's posture stiffened. "You did everything you could."

"I wasn't fast enough." He said bitterly.

"But you saved his life Bunny. Who knows what would have happened if you hadn't shown up." Tooth stated. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Bunny was still for a moment before he squared his shoulders and continued on. Tooth stared at him with sadness then followed after him.

They were nearing Jack's house when Bunny paused and sniffed the air. "What is it?" Tooth asked.

"There are more men here and the healer." Bunny said. They looked at each other with worry before they picked up the pace. A scream echoed through the forest and made them freeze. Fear coursed through them as they took off at a run, Bunny down on all fours and Tooth fluttering right beside him. They paused at the tree line and screams continued to poor from the house. Bunny moved to step into the clearing but Tooth stopped him. "What are you doing?" He growled.

"You can't just walk out there." She reasoned.

"Are you kidding, Jacks in trouble!"

"I don't think so. You said the healer was in there?" she asked.

"Yeah, so?"

"Well, perhaps he's not in trouble. Perhaps the healer is trying to help him."

"Really, then what the bloody hell is he doing that would cause Jack to scream like that?" He shouted gesturing toward the log house.

"I don't know." Tooth said as she looked around. She soon spotted Emma sitting on a stump near some shrubbery. She was picking at the petals of a flower but every time there was a scream, her head turned to the house. "Let's ask."

Bunny turned to were Tooth was pointing and saw Emma. They quickly moved along the tree line until they were directly behind the girl. Bunny made a noise and Emma turned. Her eyes widened when she saw Tooth and Bunny gesturing for her come. She swiftly dropped the left over steam and ran to the trees. "I know you!" She said in excitement when she reached them. "You're the Easter Bunny and you're the Tooth Fairy!"

"Yes, please Emma, can you tell us what's happening?" Tooth asked nodding toward the building.

"Oh," Emma said her shoulders slouching. "Jack's cut got infected. Daddy said that Mr. McQueen has to cut out the bad stuff so Jack can get better. They won't let me go inside."

"It's probably best that you don't shelia." Bunny said. As sudden as they started, the screams stopped. The clearing was suddenly eerily quiet.

"I have to go see what happened!" Emma cried as she raced off. Bunny and Tooth exchanged a glance hoping that the silence didn't mean what they thought it meant.

BREAKLINE

Mr. McQueen returned swiftly with Michael in tow. He entered Jack's room and set his bag down next to the bed. He then turned to the parents. "Elizabeth, I need clean linen and water, boiled please. Joseph, I need you to lift him." He said as Elizabeth ran to get the things required.

Joseph gently lifted Jack off the bed and watched as Michael removed the bedding until all that was left was the white sheets. "Joseph, when I do this procedure, he needs to be very still. You'll have to hold him so he doesn't struggle, can you do that?" Mr. McQueen asked looking the man in the eye.

Joseph stared at the healer with wide, fearful eyes. He swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded. He could be here for his son. "Good. Michael, I need you to stay as well. You'll need to hold his leg."

Elizabeth returned with the linen and water. She laid one of the sheets out at the foot of the bed and watched as Joseph sat down with Jack cradled in his arms. The boy moaned as the movement jostled his throbbing leg. "Alright Elizabeth, you need to leave." Mr. McQueen said as he guided her to the door.

"What, but-"

"Trust me Elizabeth, you don't want to be here for this. Good take care of Emma." He said. She took one last look at her boy before she closed the door behind her.

Mr. McQueen took a breath before he returned to the bed. "Alright Joseph, hold him tightly. He can't be allowed to squirm." He said as turned to Michael and began to address him.

Joseph folded Jack's arms across his chest and then wrapped his own arms tightly around his boy. When he was finished, Jack's arms where completely pinned between his chest and his own. There will be no wiggling them out now. Jack groaned and tried to shift. Joseph's eyes snapped to Jack's and saw that they were fluttering open. Oh God, he had prayed that Jack would stay unconscious for this.

"Papa," he mumbled. He tried to move his hands but found that he couldn't. He looked around the room at Mr. McQueen and Mr. Steed confused. "What's going on?"

"Jackie, son, it's okay. It's going to be just fine." He said doing his best to reassure him.

"What's happening?"

"Jack," Mr. McQueen called softly, grabbing the boy's attention. "The infection in your leg has spread. We have to remove it. Do you understand? We need to remove the infected tissue."

Jack looked at the healer, then to Mr. Steed gently holding his wounded leg, then down to the bag on the floor. He knew that bag. That was the bag Mr. McQueen used when performing surgery on a patient. They were going to perform surgery on him. Fear began to trickle into his like the sand in an hourglass.

Joseph could see the fear swirling inside Jack's glassy eyes. "Jackie, it's going to be alright. Mr. McQueen is going to get rid of the infection and make you better. You just can't move son. If you need to scream, just scream, but you can't move. Do you understand?"

Jack gazed up at his father. He didn't want to do this. He was scared but if his father said that this would make him better, than he trusted him. He nodded and Joseph pulled his son in closer. Joseph nodded to Mr. McQueen and Jack felt Mr. Steed tighten his grip on his leg to where it was almost painful. As Mr. McQueen approached his leg with a knife. Jack took a deep breath and braced himself.

He tried not to scream. Really, he did, but the pain that came was worse than any he had ever felt in his life. It was even worse than when the wolves bit and clawed at him. He strained against the grip holding him, wanting desperately to get away from the pain. His leg jerk and suddenly there was a pressure on his knee, preventing it from bending. He screamed as the knife cut into his flesh, removing it. He turned his to the side on opened his eyes for a moment. The door seemed so far away. As he gazed at it, a face appeared. It seemed to emerge from the wood. It was merging in and out of the shadows created from the flickering candles that provided extra light. Its eyes glowed a demented yellow and it smiled at him, reveling sharp teeth. It let out an evil chuckle when it sensed his fear. Jack let out a scream that wasn't caused by the pain. He pressed back into his father as the demon approached him. It chuckled once more before it dissolved into black sand. Jack stared wide-eyed at the space it had occupied before another stroke of the knife left him clinching his eyes shut.

Joseph was unaware of the phantom that tormented his son when Mr. McQueen let out a curse. Joseph looked at him in surprise. Mr. McQueen was a nice man and never once had he heard one foul word escape his lips. His fear increased. "What, what is it?" he asked anxiously.

"Some of the infection had reached the bone. If I don't remove it, he will lose more than just his leg." Mr. McQueen then reached into his bag for a more special knife that he only used for things such as this. Unfortunately, Jack saw it and knew exactly what it was. His struggle increased dramatically and the two men had trouble hold him still.

"Jack, son, you need to be still!" Joseph pleaded.

"No!" Jack cried. "No, NO!" his scream pierced an icy cold dagger into Joseph's heart. Jack felt the blade scrap against his bone and agony tore through him. It felt like his leg was melting. His body clinched as the blade cut away at him and he found that he could no longer move. After what felt like hours later, the blade stopped and Jack could hear his father whispering to him.

"Hush Jackie, it's over. It's all over."

Jack trembled and sobbed as Mr. McQueen stitched his wound closed. After all of that, the needle was nothing more than a pin prick. Mr. McQueen bandaged the wound, put away his tools, and stood. Michael cleared away the soiled linen. They would have to be burned. Joseph just sat there and rocked Jack, whispering senseless nothings in his ear as he attempted to calm the boy. The strain of the procedure was too much for him and soon he slipped off into unconsciousness.

BREAKLINE

Elizabeth quietly opened the door to the darken room. She placed a cup of water next to the medicine on the nightstand and sat on the edge of the bed. She ran a hand through Jack's hair as he slept. His fever had broken shortly after the procedure and Mr. McQueen said that it was a good sign that he was on the mend. She was worried that he hadn't woken up but Mr. McQueen said that was normal. The boy had gone through something traumatic and his body was working to heal itself.

She looked over to the second figure that laid on the small bed. Joseph had refused to leave his boy after all that and opted to spend the night with Jack. Jack had a death grip on his father's shirt and Elizabeth knew that he took comfort in his father's presence. Elizabeth could feel eyes on her and looked over to see Joseph looking at her. A moment passed between them and Joseph smiled. She returned the smile as she softly leaned over Jack and kissed her husband. She knew that staying with Jack was one of the hardest things that he had ever done and it nearly broke his heart. She didn't know how she had gotten so lucky to be able to spend the rest of her life with this man.

She pulled back and then placed a kiss on Jack's forehead. He didn't stir. She sent one last smile to her husband as she got up to check on Emma. The weight that had taken residence in her heart since that day in the woods had finally lifted. Her boy was going to be alright. As the door closed, the light faded enough to allow to small hands place a vase of flowers on the window without being seen.

Well, that took on a mind of its own. REVIEW.