Long Time Running - By Hannah Foster Page 0,28

long after that one terrible night she was sure she was dead inside and the only conscious thought she had about Jack was he needed to be somewhere safe - somewhere he could be loved and taken care of by someone not falling apart at the seams? Would he understand how soul destroying her decision to give him up had been but that she did so because she was sure it was the only answer?

Swallowing thickly, she shook her head trying to push the images out. Her hands had begun to shake and her headache pounded mercilessly. Cradling her head in her hands she rubbed her forehead in vain trying to find some relief.

Sarah walked tentatively through the door but immediately recognized her sister's distress and ran to her side. "Nat?"

"I...I don't feel so good Sarah" she mumbled as black dots appeared before her eyes.

Slipping her arm around her, Sarah guided her back to her bed. Nathalie curled into a ball and clenched her eyes shut trying to ride out the pain. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she whimpered.

"Baby, I'm going to get Drew, okay? I will be right back I promise."

Completely overtaken by the pain, Nathalie was now rocking back and forth in her bed trying in vain to find some relief. When Sarah returned to the room, she climbed on to the bed and rubbed her back, doing her best to comfort her.

"Shhh, Nat. It's going to be okay. Do you want me to call Keith?"

"He's...he's gone." she squeaked, biting down on her lip as her head felt on the verge of exploding.

"Oh Nat" she sighed, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

"It hurts...Sarah....it hurts so....bad..." she gritted out.

"I know it does but Drew will be here soon" she promised.

No sooner had the words left her mouth than Andrew appeared with a nurse. Sarah slipped from the bed.

"Nathalie, I need to take a look, okay?"

He carefully rolled her on to her back and quickly assessed the situation. Having given his orders to the nurse, he turned back to her and taking her hand in his, rubbed it softly.

"We're setting up an i.v. of morphine," he told her quietly "and that'll go a long way to relieving the pain. Once you're ahead of the pain, I'm going to send you for another MRI. I think your tumor is probably growing."

"No morphine," she whispered, painfully opening her eyes to look at him. "Please."

Andrew shook his head. "No deal. We need to get your pain under control and this is the only way."

"Sarah" she croaked.

Her sister was by her side, softly stroking her hair as the nurse set up the i.v. "It'll be okay," she reassured her. "It won't be like last time. I promise."

"It can't," she cried softly. "I can't."

"I know" she sighed. "I know Nat."

She was quiet for several beats as the drug dripped from the bag and into her veins. "He...kissed...me..." she mumbled.

"Who? Keith?"

"No" she replied groggily. "Eric."

Sarah and Andrew exchanged shocked looks.

"I....love....you Sarah" she mumbled before falling under the effects of the medication.

Her eyes welled with tears and she kissed her cheek again. "And I love you too baby sister."

Gently rising from the bed she jerked her head in the direction of the hallway as she looked at Andrew. "I'd like to speak to you."

"That works out well for me," he muttered as he followed her out.

The door had barely closed before Sarah launched an attack. "He kissed her?" she hissed. "He KISSED her? What the hell is that?!"

Andrew fixed her with a steely glare. "Whatever it is, it is between the two of them. I'm not responsible for Eric and I won't answer for him. But perhaps now would be a good time for you to tell me what her opposition to morphine is."

She folded her arms across her chest and shook her head. "It's none of your business."

Well familiar with Sarah's petulance and stubbornness, Andrew took her by the elbow and led her down the hall to his office. Letting go of her, he kicked the door shut behind him before perching himself on the edge of his desk.

"That's where you are wrong Sarah - it is my business. I'm her doctor and her health is my only concern."

"If she wants you to know, she'll tell you" she snapped.

"God Dammit!" he swore. "Believe it or not I am actually trying to help her."

"You hate her."

Exhaling loudly, he rubbed his hand over his face. "No, I don't. I hate what she did - to you, to