She felt empty as she stared up at the white ceiling. She felt like her body and mind wasn't her own. Whatever they were giving her was working. It was making her numb and motionless. The medication made her sleepy all the time and more than often she spent all day sleeping.

She guessed this was a good thing to be so numb, but the numbness came with a silence. A silence that scared Jade because she knew one day this silence would be gone. She heard someone come into the room and sit at the end of the bed.

It had been a week since the medication started and already Jade was drowning in the numbness the medication provided.

"Do you want to go outside today Jade?" Marco asked in a soft voice and it didn't surprise him when he didn't get an answer. Jade tried to even out her breathing to pretend she was asleep, but when Marco didn't move, she sighed softly to herself.

"I'm tired." Was all she said, because even those two words seemed to drain what little energy she had.

"I know Jade, but getting out in the sun will do you some good, even for a little while." Jade just closed her eyes too tired to reply and waited for Marco to leave. Marco watched Jade for a little longer before leaving his brother's room where she had been staying the last week.

Sighing, he found his brother reading over papers he had printed off about the medication they had been feeding Jade twice a day and ways to motivate someone who didn't want to do anything.

"Any luck," Marcus asked not looking up from the paper he was reading. He had been the last week researching ways to help Jade, but everything he tired didn't work. He didn't like the woman she had turned into.

This wasn't the sassy Jade he had met all those months ago. Instead, she was a shell of the person she used to be, and it scared him. It scared him that she would have to live the rest of her life dependent on medication that made her a shell of a person. At least before Jade was angry. Now she was tired and barely spoke or showed any emotion. If it wasn't for himself and his brother forcing her to eat, she would shrivel away into nothing.

"Nope, she just wants to sleep." Marcus looked up and saw his brother grab a bottle of water from the fridge and sit down next to him.

"Helen said we have to give the medication a month to fully kick in, but I'm worried about what she will be like in a month." Marco agreed with his brother and they both knew they had to get her out of the house soon. Helen said if Jade didn't get out the house soon they would have to admit her until her medication settled in. Marcus didn't want to admit Jade until there were no other options left.

"Did her brother say when he would come to visit?" The past week Jade's father had been around a few times after work, but never stayed long. Her brother, on the other hand, had yet to stop by despite saying he would. Marcus could call Paul many things, but a coward was the first thing he thought of whenever he had to think about that selfish bastard.

"He said he would be round this afternoon, but I highly doubt that." Marcus nodded his head and stood up as his bones groaned in protest from sitting hunched over for too long.

"Well, I am going totry to get Jade outside for a little. I would love to get her to that support meeting, but baby steps." Marcus left his brother to his own thoughts and the tv as he walked into his room he had been sharing with Jade.

The first night Jade all, but kicked him out the bed, but now she didn't even breath in his direction when he climbed in every night.

"Alright, Jade this is what is going to happen," Marcus said as he walked in with confidence and swagger. Jade opened her eyes and slowly sat herself up to see Marcus standing at the end of the bed.

"We are going to get you into the shower and into something other than my clothes. We will then go outside for a little walk then you can come back to sleep." Marcus saw the gears turning inside of Jade head as she thought about his proposition. He had all fingers and toes crossed hoping she would agree, but it didn't matter anyway, because even if she said no she was still going outside no matter what.

"You promise it's only a short trip?" Marcus nodded his head "You promise I can go back to sleep afterwards?" Marcus nodded his head again as he moved towards her side of the bed.

"Okay, but not too long, I'm tired." Marcus grinned like a Cheshire cat and pulled back Jade's covers. Before she could protest, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her into his bathroom where he sat her down before running his bath. They had found it was easier to bath Jade than it was to shower because that way neither of the brothers had to get wet in the process.

As the bath was running Jade closed her eyes and listened to the sound of rushing water. It reminded her of the sound she heard before her heart stopped the first time. Before she knew her legs were no longer working. When the only pain she felt was fire spreading through her body.

Jade knew those thoughts should bother her, but it was as if they were hazed over by a fog that let her remember but have no attachment to the memory. She felt when Marcus came over and helped her undress. She could have done it herself, but her arms felt heavy and even sitting here was making her wish she was back in bed sleeping.

Marcus gently placed Jade into the bath once she was undressed and let the warm water run a little longer before he turned off the taps. He went to leave when he felt a wet arm grab out and stop him.

"Can you stay and wash my hair, please?" It was the first sentence Jade had spoken that didn't involve her yelling or screaming at him. It was also the first time she had asked for help.

"It would be my pleasure." He grinned to himself as he grabbed and cup and tipped the water over Jade's hair as one would do with a small child. Marcus worked in silence as he lathered up Jade's hair and began to massage her scalp.

"I seem to remember more. Not how to function, but what happened. However, it's like a fog over my memories and I can see them, feel the pain, smell the burning flesh, but it's like my body has no connection to them." Marcus stopped what he was doing and watched as Jade ran her hands on the top of the water.

"What do you remember?" He asked once he got other the thundering beat of his heart and the dread he felt in his stomach.

"It's flashes more than anything. When I drank it blocked it all out, the pain, the fire, the agony. But now it's like I am living the flashes from a third person perspective. I see myself, I feel the pain, yet I don't at the same time. I remember being trapped, we were all going to die. I remember running out and I remember the pain. I remember the sensation of my heart stopping, that peaceful feeling of death. I was ready for it. I had accepted that I would die, but here I am." Marcus didn't know what to say so all he did was hum and continue washing Jade's hair.

He waited for her to keep talking, but the sound of her deep breathing told him she had fallen asleep. He smiled to himself sadly as he finished up washing Jade's hair while she slept through the whole process. He knew they would not get to that walk today, but it was progress. Small baby steps, she had asked for help and opened herself up and though she was still inside, Marcus would take it with a pat on the back and knew tomorrow they would move a little further towards the door.

He grabbed the warm fluffy towel and got Jade out the bath and wrapped her up before carrying her back to his room. He dried her off and dressed her into another pair of his shorts and shirt and tucked her into bed. He kissed the top of her head before leaving her to her slumber.

When Marcus left his bedroom, he noticed his brother had left, most likely gone out with friends. Marcus knew Jade would be asleep for a while and he quickly checked his watch and saw he had time to make it to the weekly meeting. He grabbed his keys and wallet and decided he would run considering he hadn't been to the gym in over a week.

By the time he arrived, he wished he had driven as the hot summer air warmed his skin causing sweat to break along his forehead. As he slowed down his pace, he noticed Savannah standing out front.

She heard footsteps and nearly dropped her smoothie when she saw Marcus jogging over. His long stride showed off his defined legs, and she didn't even want to get started on the way his singlet clung to him as sweat ran down the side of his neck. Her only thoughts as he slowed to a walk was that she would give anything to lick the delicious body of his.

"Hey Savannah, why are you out in this heat" He panted lightly as he tried to catch his breath back. Marcus took note that he would need to do more cardio sometime soon as he was becoming unfit again.

"Didn't feel like going in yet," Marcus noted her red eyes and hummed to himself.

"Wanna tell me why you are really outside." He raised one eyebrow at her and she just sighed taking a long sip of her smoothie.

"Just a bad day that's all. We started swimming at school and when I went into the water I kinda freaked the fuck out. Let's just say girls are fucking bitches." Marcus knew all too well how bitchy girls can be, so he just leaned against the brick wall and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Trust me, I know. My girlfriend has been a bitch recently." He just shrugged his shoulders, and she wondered how anyone could be a bitch to a man who looked like he was created by Apollo himself.

"Do you wanna get out of here?" She asked spontaneously and wished she hadn't opened her big mouth when she saw the look on his face.

"Do you think that appropriate me leaving with a 15-year-old." He raised an eyebrow at the young girl whose cheeks were reddening from embarrassment.

"It was a stupid question. My Dad bought me here after school and I just really want to go home and not be around people." Marcus watched at her defeated look and sighed rubbing his hands over his face.

"Okay how about this? You let me talk to your Dad and make sure it is okay and I can take you to a café downtown and drop you back at home if you like." He watched as her face lit up as she dialled her father number and gave him the phone.

"Hello." A deep voice answered on the other end of the line and he watched as Savannah gave him the thumbs up.

"Hello, Mr Russel. I'm Marcus. I'm from Savannah's support group." He heard a rustling on the other end before her father's panicked voice came through the other end.

"Is she okay? Has something happened." Marcus shook his head knowing he wouldn't be able to see.

"No Savannah is all good. I was wondering, with your permission if I could take Savannah downtown to a café for some afternoon tea. She is upset and doesn't want to go to the meeting." He heard a sharp breath on the other end as her father replied.

"I have some questions. How old are you? What do you do, and what are your intentions with my daughter?" He sounded angry and Marcus guessed he could have worded his sentence a little better.

"I'm 32, currently in the army on leave while I take care of my girlfriend who was injured on our last tour. My intentions for your daughter is to be a support I suppose someone she can talk to. I'm not a paedophile if that is what you are worried about." Marcus said bluntly and watched as Savannah's mouth dropped open while he kept a serious face.

"Let me talk to Savannah." He handed the phone over and zoned out as she chatted to her Dad.

"He wants to speak to you again." She said thrusting the phone towards him.

"I want your phone number and you are to text me where you are going, what time you get there and what time you leave. I will know if you are late and if anything, and I mean anything happens to my daughter I will hunt you down and no one will ever find you. Understand."

"Yes, sir. I'll text you now on where we are going. You can call ahead if you want and ask for Mrs Blackwood she will vouch for my good will." After a quick goodbye, Marcus hung up the phone and passed it back to Savannah who was practically jumping up and down on her feet.

"So, we will have to go back to my place and grab my car keys because I only bought my house ones with me. I don't live too far away." He started walking and Savannah followed him.

"Can I ask you something?" She asked halfway into their walk back as they walked through the busy streets of Sydney.

"Ask away?"

"How do you do it? How do you go away knowing any day you could die and leave your loved one's behind?" Marcus hadn't really thought about this. It was always a job that needed doing. He didn't have anyone special in his life and the only people he would leave would be his mother and brother.

"I never really thought about it. Until Jade, I didn't really have anything I was fighting to come back to. If you leave with the mentality you might die, then there is a good chance you will. So, when I go on a tour I don't think about what might go wrong, instead I count down the days until I'm home, then when I'm home I count down the days until I leave again. It's different now." He looked towards Savannah and saw a line across her forehead as she thought about what he said.

"I was so close to dying that every time I go into the water I think what if today is the day I die. That is not a fear I will ever overcome." As they approached his building, he stopped outside and faced her.

"You are young. You will get over the fear one day. Now let's get inside before I melt in this heat." Savannah laughed as they walked into his building and up to his floor.

"Don't mind the mess." He said as he opened his front door and got the shock of his life.

"Jade, you're up." He said surprised that not only was Jade out of bed she was sitting in her chair watching tv.

"I woke up, and no one was home." Was all she said as she wrung her hands together.

"Hi, you must be Jade. I'm Savannah." She stepped around Marcus who was still shell-shocked that Jade was even up let alone talking. She walked around to shake her hand and noticed the confused look on her face.

"I'm Jade." She said unsure of herself wondering why Marcus had bought a young girl home.

"He comes to the support group for people who experience trauma." She said guesting towards her stump of an arm.

"Oh." Was all Jade said and found Marcus watching her carefully not sure how she would react.

"We were going to head to Mum's café." Marcus watched as she played with her hands as if they were the most fascinating thing in the world.

Savannah watched the pair of them and could see why Marcus had picked Jade. She was drop dead gorgeous with hair and skin to die for.

"Is it okay if I come too," Jade asked in such a small voice that Marcus almost didn't hear. He looked surprised that Jade wanted to come before he smiled brightly and nodded his head.

"Of course, you can come. Would you like me to help you get dressed?" He asked, and Jade simply nodded her head.

"You don't mind waiting a minute or two do you." He asked Savannah as Jade pushed herself back into his room.

"It all cool. I got my phone to play with." She said waving it around.

"Well, help yourself. If you need anything, just yell." He smiled before following Jade to his room. Savannah was going to play games on her phone when she became curious and started to look around. She was flicking through his DVD's when the front door opened and in walked another Marcus.

"Holy fuck there are two of you." Marco stopped the moment he heard the voice of a young girl and wondered what the fuck was going on.

"Hi, and you are?" He shut the front door wondering where the hell his brother was and why was there a 15-year-old schoolgirl in his living room.

"I'm Savannah." She held out her hand though it still didn't explain why a school girl was in his living room.

"Marco. Does your Mum or Dad know you are here?" He walked further into his house and could feel the young girl watching his every step.

"Yup, Marcus bought me over." Marco rubbed the back of his neck trying to work out what the fuck was going on.

"Hey, Marcus, you home?" He yelled out still watching this young Savannah girl.

"Yeah will be out in just a sec." His brother yelled back and a second later he came out of his room with Jade following in tow.

"Marco, I see you met Savannah. She is from the support group. We are heading to Mum's if you wanna come." Savannah nearly yelled please come at the thought of having these two godlike men having afternoon tea with her.

"Jade too?" Marco asked even more confused with what the fuck was going on. He had only been gone for 1.5 hours and already everything was all over the place.

"Yup we are leaving now so grab your shit." Marcus pushed Jade out while Savannah followed and prayed the second god followed too. Jade was one lucky girl, and she wondered if they were a threesome and how she could join in.

"You ready to do this Jade?" Marcus asked as he went to open the front door. Marcus had given Savannah a quick rundown that the plans might change depending on Jade and she was okay with that because she knew what progress was like.

"I guess." She mumbled as she took a deep breath and Marcus opened the front door.