Chapter Sixteen – The Hospital
Ian
Ian couldn't see past the blind panic that had enveloped his senses as Hammond drove away. He let out a series of curses before beating the back of the front seat with his fist. "Stop the jeep! John, stop right NOW!"
John slammed hard on the breaks, throwing Ian forwards and jarring his leg. He barely suffered the pain, turning towards the entrance of the car lot with widened eyes.
A single gunshot rang through the air.
Ian felt his heart stop, the silence that followed almost tangible in its intensity. "Come on Aida. Come on, come on!" He was murmuring under his breath desperately as time seemed to stand still. Hammond's fingers were drumming over the steering wheel in agitation, the old man's body rigid with mortification. Ian wasn't religious in the slightest, yet he began to pray to a God he didn't believe in that Adelaide was alive. Hypocrite or not – Ian could care less.
Too much time had passed and there still wasn't a single sign of her. Ian closed his eyes as he let out a grief-stricken moan, unable to fathom the pain he felt in his chest at the idea she may not be coming back. She was too young, had too much of her life ahead of her to meet such a terrible fate!
Adelaide had willingly sacrificed her life for theirs, and he didn't know if he'd ever be able to forgive himself for it.
John let out a tiny gasp of relief. Ian, upon hearing the noise, opened his eyes and was met with an image he would not soon forget. Adelaide was running as fast as she could towards them, the gun nowhere in sight. She threw the car door open and scrambled inside. Ian looped his arms around her small frame, effectively pulling her onto his lap in the tightest embrace he could muster.
"John, er, Drive!" Ian barked.
John responded instantaneously, tires skidding as the jeep shot forwards along the road towards the visitor centre.
Ian took Adelaide's face in his hands. "You alright?"
"Yeah," She said quietly, gazing at him with sorrow in her clear blue eyes. Ian wanted to kiss her but he refrained, content to merely hold her gaze.
"You er, killed it...didn't you?"
Adelaide didn't need to give him an answer, as the sadness in her expression told Ian all he required. "You did what you had to do, Aida,"
"I know." A single tear fell down her cheek that he wiped away with his thumb, not fully understanding her empathy towards the creature. There would be a better time to think over the events that had transpired over the last couple of days, but right now he had to focus on getting the hell of the island.
Hammond once again hit the breaks hard. Ian stared up at the visitor centre, his eyes catching sight of Alan, Ellie and the kids bursting through the doors. They tumbled down the stairs like mice escaping a trap, the roars of the T-Rex sounding from inside.
How on earth had the Rex managed to get in there?
"Lex! Tim!!" Adelaide cried out, opening her arms as the two children launched themselves into the jeep. She grabbed hold of them both, eyes streaming as they all clung to each other in an emotional reunion.
Ian met Timmy's eyes as he clung to his older cousin. He was covered from head to toe in mud and his hair stuck up over his scalp like sonic the hedgehog. Lex was in a similar state, though the young girl had her face buried in Adelaide's shoulder whilst sobbing ardently.
"Aida?" Tim voiced, leaning back slightly to look at her. "I think after all this; the triceratops is definitely my favourite."
Ian snorted whilst Adelaide gave a laugh type sob. "Yeah Timmy, I think it's my favourite, too."
It wasn't long before the helicopter landed swiftly on the landing pad. Alan singlehandedly hauled Ian out of the jeep and supported him inside of the chopper, setting him down at the far side and helping him stick his leg up.
Finally, after what felt like the longest ordeal in the history of Ian's life, they were up in the air.
He was so exhausted he found it difficult to create coherent thoughts. The occupants of the helicopter were silent, for what was there to say? None of them wished to relive the horrific moments of their ordeal, and Ian was now dreading the aftermath. His leg was not going to be an easy fix, the aching discomfort told him in no uncertain terms that it would be months, if not years, before he could walk properly again.
The adrenalin had worn off Adelaide completely. He could see the pain and exhaustion had caught up with her brain and she now suffered for it. She'd silently placed her head into his lap, her shaking body curled up like a cat on the seat. Hot sweat had started to plume over her pale skin and she was breathing raggedly. Ian stroked her hair soothingly, sharing a worried glance with Ellie who was sat opposite.
The sooner they got to a hospital, the better.
...
The next few days passed Ian by in a blur. He'd been immediately whisked off into surgery to correct his knee, the anaesthetic knocking him out thoroughly for at least two days straight. When he came around, the drugs rendered him obsolete, completely draining him and making him feel quite lethargic.
Thankfully, by day six, Ian was starting to feel human again. He could now sit up in his hospital bed and produce coherent thoughts, that were spinning wildly around his brain. First, he was desperate to know how Aida was doing. Secondly, he wondered if any of his family had been contacted, his main concern being his pops and his step-daughter, Kelly.
His father would be worried sick, and Kelly seemed to be growing increasingly into a 'daddy's girl' as of late (much to the annoyance of her mother). He didn't want either of them to worry needlessly.
As if the man had read Ian's mind, John Hammond came limping into the private hospital room. Good enough, the old man was paying for all the survivor's medical bills and had set them up nicely in a private Cota Rican hospital. The place was unbelievable, like a five-star hotel.
But none of the five-star treatment was going to help cure the mental trauma they'd all experienced on that island.
"Ah, Ian. You look much better," John said as he sank down onto an armchair, resting his hands on his walking stick.
"Do I?" Ian mused rhetorically. As usual, Hammond was in a world of his own and Ian often wondered if the man had dancing monkeys in his head when he spoke. "How's the kids? Ellie, Alan? Aida?"
John met his eyes as he said his Granddaughter name, the look one of knowing. "Yes, all doing fine..." He expression seemed pained and Ian panicked.
"But?"
"Oh no...well, Adelaide...she's ok now, but it was touch and go at first. She stopped breathing," John's voice cracked a bit. "Thought we'd lost her for a moment,"
"She stopped – stopped breathing? Where is she now?" Ian demanded, feeling bile rising into his throat at the thought.
"She's fine, honestly! She woke up this morning, and they are taking very good care of her. Spared no expense,"
"Right. Well, could you get me a nurse? I need a wheelchair,"
"Ian, I believe you should give it wee while, your leg is still-"
"John, I have literally, uh, had it up to here-" Ian raised his hand to above his eyes. "- with your fanatics, so erm, stop talkin' for two seconds and get me a nurse,"
"My granddaughter already has a visitor right now," Hammond told him outright. "Her boyfriend, to be exact,"
Ian stopped fidgeting on the bed immediately, the sudden revelation causing his heart to sink slowly into his stomach. "Right..."
"I understand you formed a connection with Adelaide, and she does seem very fond of you, Ian, but I implore you to really think about this before you act. My granddaughter is young, with her whole life ahead of her. You have baggage, ten years' more worth of baggage. I understand it is not my place to make judgements, but she is my family, and I will do anything to ensure the best for my own. You may think I am being cruel, but I believe...no, I am asking you as a grandfather, to leave Aida alone."
Ian wondered how he lived to become so low in other people's estimations. First Dr Grant had given him a grilling, and now even her own Grandfather was telling him he was no good for her. Why then, in his heart, did he not believe this?
"Gee, I um, thought Aida you know, might have a say it in as well. I mean, I don' think I have that much of an influence on her,"
"I think we both know that you do, Ian." John hauled himself up, obviously wishing to conclude the conversation. "Right...I believe that was all – oh, just to inform you, we contacted your family and they are aware of the situation,"
"Oh sure. Did you remember to mention the two-story high T-Rex in your rendition?"
"Ian, I implore you to listen to reason-"
"There is no way in a million years, um, that I am going to stay quiet about what happened. You're InGen colleagues can rain down on me all they want, but people will know the truth." Ian began to feel an undiluted amount of rage bubbling through the surface of his normally calm exterior. John appeared to have noticed the change in his demeanour, for he merely nodded sadly before shuffling from the room as quickly as he could.
Ian saw red. He grabbed hold of the jug at his beside and chucked it as hard as he possibly could against the wall, shattering it into a thousand tiny pieces. "God dammit." He cursed, immediately regretting his decision to vandalise the room. It'd been a long time since Ian had felt anger quite like that, possibly as long ago as his teenage years.
God. John was right. Adelaide had only left behind her teenage years eight years ago. She was still a bleedin' kid, no matter how hard Ian tried to spin it. What had he been thinking? The kiss they'd shared had been on him, at a time when she was not only vulnerable but also fighting for her life.
Despite the notion of her being happy with another man made him physically sick, Ian had to let go of Adelaide.
There was a soft knocking on the door and for a moment his heart stopped. He turned towards the noise, to be greeted by the face of a completely unknown woman standing in the threshold.
"Er...Hi, my name is Sarah. Sarah Harding...I was told this is where I could find you," The redhead stepped further into the room. "Are you Doctor Ian Malcolm?"