Her cheeks were stained with tears. She was in a state of hopelessness. Her grandfather was dying and the doctors wouldn't do anything to help him. They said she didn't have enough credits, and that meant she couldn't get any more antibiotics.
She sat in the observation deck where her, Jasper, and Monty always ran to when they were trying to hide. She hugged her knees and held them close to her chest. All you could hear was the ship's engine and her muffled cries. The only thing she wanted was to be able to help her grandfather.
"T?" Jasper called out. He had been trying to find her all day.
Theresa shrank down, trying to hide behind a piece of junk. Jasper's footsteps moved closer and closer towards her; she knew she had been found. Jasper stopped and took a seat next to her. He didn't say anything.
Jasper wrapped his arm around her, pulling her in close. She leaned her head onto his shoulder. He pulled her face up and looked at her with a small smile on his face. He wiped a tear off of her cheek.
"I hate when you cry," he said.
She sniffles again and wipes her cheeks. "I hate having to just sit back and watch him get worse, J. I don't want to do it anymore," she replied sadly.
He rubbed up and down her clothed arm and leaned into her. "I'm sure you'll be able to figure something out."
She shook her head. "Not this time. The only option I've got could get me locked up in confinement. I can't afford to get locked up, Jasper!" The tears fell and she cried harder.
"I can help you. Monty can help. He works in the botanical gardens. There has to be something in there. I can try to get my hands on some antibiotics!"
"No, Jasper. I'm not going to get you two involved."
"I heard my name," Monty said from the other side of the room. He walked towards Theresa and Jasper. Theresa pushed away from Jasper, and stood up quickly. She rushed for the door, but Monty grabbed her arm.
She wouldn't look at Monty. She refused to let him see her so vulnerable and so distraught. Jasper was different because he was her best friend, she had known him since they were young. Monty meant something else to her.
She didn't care what Jasper thought about her, but all she wanted was Monty's approval. Theresa stared at the floor, attempting to escape Monty's grip. He wrapped his arm around the small of Theresa's back. "Theresa," he said softly, "please look at me."
He only ever called her Theresa when it was serious. Anytime he was angry, or upset, or vice versa, her actual name was used. She stopped trying to get away from him and looked up at him. He frowned; there was no need to ask what the issue was.
All he did was wrap her up in his arms. She clung to him, sobbing into his shoulder. She felt so weak. She hated it.
Monty stood there with her, and Jasper still sat on the ground. Monty broke the hug, but kept hold of her. Wiping her tears, he smiled at her.
"Don't let me catch you crying again. Pretty face like yours doesn't need to cry," he said.
She tried her best to smile.
Monty embraced her again. She felt his lips against her cheek. "I love you," he whispered in her ear.
There was no fake smile on Theresa's face now. She backed away. She then leaned in and pressed her lips to Monty's. Monty held her tighter and kissed her back.
Theresa rested her forehead against his for a moment. "I love you too," she whispered, her voice sounded hoarse from crying.
"Tell me how I can help," Monty said.
Theresa turned to look at Jasper. He was smiling at the touching sight in front of him. Then he stood up and stood beside her and Monty. She hated to admit it, but she really did need their help.
Her only option had a huge risk, but she had to take it.
---
"I think we finally got that fever of yours under control," Jackson said. "How's the pain?"
"Still bad," Theresa replied. "Hey, Jackson?"
"Yeah?"
"Can I go outside?" she asked, looking up at him with a pleading look in her eyes.
"Do you want to try to take a walk?"
"Yeah," she replied. She tried to push herself up, to which Jackson was quick to help her. He hooked his hands under her arms, pulling her up gently and helping her hang her legs over the side of her cot. She took deep breaths as Jackson flung her arm around his shoulder.
"One...two...three," Jackson said softly, pulling Theresa up.
Theresa's feet touched the floor, and she felt the burn increase as she stood on her two feet. She gritted her teeth and looked down at the floor, focusing on trying to move. Putting one foot forward, she took her first step. Jackson stayed with her the entire way, leading her to the opening of the tent. This was the farthest she had moved since being put back into the medical tent. He opened the flap and the sunlight hit her face.
The first thing that her eyes met was the sight of John Murphy. He was looking at her with a blank expression, and she could've swore that she saw a glint of pity in his eye. At that moment, her knees buckled and Jackson wasn't ready to catch her. She fell to the ground, catching herself with her hands. Even though she was in the cool dirt, her muscles still felt as if they were burning.
"I got her," she heard Murphy call out.
When she looked up, Murphy was wrapping her other arm around his shoulder. Jackson and Murphy pulled her up and helped her back into the tent, laying her down in her cot.
"Thanks," Jackson said.
Theresa was speechless. This was not the John Murphy that she knew. Something about him had changed, but what was it?
---
"Are you sure about this?" Monty asked.
"It's the best chance that I have. I have to take it," Theresa replied.
"I just don't want you getting caught. There are plenty of other ways to go about this, Tess."
"I've tried just about every other way. This is the best option that we have."
"You realize that if you get caught, you're getting locked up."
"I understand."
"And your eighteenth birthday is only a few months away."
"I know that."
"I can't lose you. Not to something like this."
"Monty, you agreed to help me. Now please, do me a favor and quit going straight for the worst case scenarios. I swear, you can be such a pessimist sometimes."
"I worry. There's a difference."
She smiled. "Then do me a favor and quit worrying so much."
"You know I can't do that." He smiled back at her.
Jasper walked into the room. "Are we ready to do this?" Jasper asked.
"I don't think I'll ever be ready," Monty replied.
She rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about him, J, he's just being a worry wart," she said, nudging Monty in the side.
Jasper sighed. "I still don't think this is a good idea," he said.
"See! He thinks so too!" Monty exclaimed.
"You guys said you would help me! You can't back out now!" Theresa countered.
"We just don't want to see our best friend get put in confinement," Jasper said. He walked toward Theresa and put his hands on her shoulders, then wrapping her up in a tight hug.
She laughed softly. "Let's go," she said. They walked out of the observation deck and walked down the hallway to the pharmacy center. She grabbed Jasper and Monty's wrists, and pulled them to the corner.
"Let's go over the plan one last time," she whispered. "Alright. So, Jasper, first you will try to fill this prescription. That's when I will sneak in. They'll turn Jasper down, I know they will, and that's when Monty goes on. While they talk to Monty, I will grab the medicine. I know where they keep it."
"You're insane," Jasper whispered.
"I know," she replied with a mischievous smile. Then the plan set into motion. Jasper walked up to the counter, and she snuck into the small room. Everything was going fine; Theresa got in and out without being noticed.
The three of them split up as Theresa hurried off to her apartment. She kept looking behind her, and didn't realize that someone was standing in her way until she accidentally ran into him. His name was John Murphy. He lived in Theresa's sector.
When Theresa ran into Murphy, she accidentally dropped the pill bottles. She made eye contact with Murhpy for a moment. She had a pleading look in her eye, begging him not to tell.
But the smirk on his face said otherwise.