Runaway World

The Proposition

     Jasmine was still unconscious when Andrew arrived back at the hospital, but James and David were awake and greeted him joyfully when he appeared. Andrew hugged them both together, laughing and crying with relief, and they hugged him back while the hospital staff watched with smiles of genuine happiness. This was the best part of their job, seeing a sick patient pulled back from the bring of death and reunited with joyful loved ones, and everyone who wasn't busy with essential work turned up to share the moment.

     Then the Birches remembered Jasmine, though, and they went through into the private room to watch over her. James and David took one of the girl's hands each, gently squeezing it whilst staring down into her face for any sign that she might be emerging from her coma.

     The doctor came over to join them. "I had hoped she might have come out of it by now," he said in reply to Andrew's pleading eyes. "All we can do is wait."

     "But she will wake up sooner or later?" said Andrew, brushing a lock of hair away from her face with a finger.

     "I am hopeful that she will, yes. How long it will be, though..." He made a 'who knows' gesture with his hands.

     Susan entered the room at that moment, looking tired, and she pushed the boys aside to see her daughter. "I had hoped..." she said, but then she turned to put her hands on James and David's shoulders to look at them. "But you're awake!" she said happily. "It's so good to see you awake again!" She pulled them close for a hug.

     "What about you?" asked James when the hug was over. "You look terrible!"

     Susan shared a glance with Andrew before looking back at her son. "I'm fine, James. It's just been a long day. Why don't you watch over your sister while I talk to your father?"

     "Talk about what?" asked David suspiciously.

     "Nothing for you to worry about," Susan lied while smiling reassuringly. "We'll be just outside."

     The two boys watched nervously as their parents left the room, then looked at each other for any clue that the other boy might know what was going on.

     Outside, Andrew and Susan met up with the other adults, who'd been checking up on their own children. They moved as a group further down the room to where they couldn't be overheard. "They're not going to let us leave," said Philip, frowning unhappily.

     "But, they can't keep us here!" protested Halona, holding tightly onto her husband's hand. "We've done nothing wrong."

     "They don't want New London to find out they exist," said Andrew. "They think them not knowing gives them an advantage."

     "It's not a competition," said Philip angrily. "Both cities would be stronger together."

     "It's the military mindset," said Andrew grimly. "They see everything as us and them. Anyone who's not us is a potential threat. Their ancestors took this city by force and I think it's left them with a feeling of terrible guilt. They think of themselves as interlopers, as killers of innocent people, and they think that's how we must see them as well."

     "But that was two hundred years ago," said Halona. "They're not responsible for the actions of their ancestors."

     "But they think we might hold them responsible " said Andrew. "They have a paranoia that's preventing them from seeing us as friends and allies. And anything we say to try to convince them otherwise, they'll think it's because we want them to let us go."

     "So what do we do?" asked Philip.

     "We try anyway," Andrew replied. "There's nothing else we can do."