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The hospital continued to rush toward Sweetheart and she knew that the only way that she was going to stop, was by colliding into the hospital wall. But, with one sister in her arms and the other on her back, the only option left to her, was to shoulder the force of the impact at her side.

"After I hit, I need to crawl along the wall to the entrance." Sweetheart reasoned. "So, I need to hit the wall facing the door. My left side then, I'll hit the wall with my left side."

Though she was thankful that her dominant arm was her right, she still was afraid of the pain she about to endure. A concrete wall, she was flying at breakneck speed toward a concrete wall. The collision was surely going to be painful, excruciatingly so. But, there was no choice. Tears stung her eyes and trailed down her cheeks, mixing with the salty water that swirled around her. She was scared. Her body trembled with fear, but, to save herself and her precious sisters, there was no choice. She closed her eyes, whispered a prayer to the Great Spirit and let the water carry her to the hospital where it slammed her mercilessly against the unforgiving stone wall.

The scream that left Sweetheart's breast was deafening. Her shoulder crashed into the wall with such force that not only did it dislocate, it tore through her flesh and skin, her pearly white bone protruding outside of her body. Even amidst the churn of the sea, she could see her own blood draining out of her. Her left arm was useless. She could no longer feel it, nor move it. Her head ached and throbbed. Had it not been for the abundant amount of hair that crowned her head, cushioning the impact to her skull when she hit the wall, she would have been knocked unconscious. Her prone body would have been tumbling beneath the powerful current streaming all around her and her life, as well as her sisters', would have been lost. She was thankful for her modest vanity. It proved to be a blessing and in her predicament, she needed every blessing she could get. Pushing through the various areas of pain that stabbed all throughout her feminine form, Sweetheart focused on the imperative task at hand.

Though she had stopped traveling downstream and was braced against the hospital wall, the wave was actively pulling her away from the hospital entrance. She needed to move beyond the center of the wall, closer to the half of the building that was nearer to the entrance. Once she reached that point, the current would stop pulling her out and the diverting columns at the entrance would start pulling her in. She had to move. If she was going to get to safety, she could not stay where she was. But, with two sisters and only one arm, that was easier said than done.

Sweetheart gripped the younger sister that she tenaciously held with her one good arm, as tightly as she could, then started to inch forward. She shimmied herself onward, slowly wriggling her body across the wall and relying on her legs to do the bulk of the work. Though her legs were badly injured, she did still maintain the use of them, albeit limitedly and painfully. Little by little, the golden queen crawled across the wall. The more she moved, the greater the aches and pains in her broken body felt. She had to stop, every few inches, to catch her breath and recover from her internal agony.

When before, she shook from fear, now her body shook from the torment her it felt as it was trying to keep itself whole. The only thing that kept her from giving in to her suffering and allowing the sea to digest her and smother her life, was the precious life she held by way of her infant sisters. They were the force driving her onward and it was for that reason why sheer horror poured into her when she realized the knot that was securing the harness nestling her tiny sister upon her back...

...was unraveling.

Sweetheart gasped. "No...no...no!" she breathed. Her eyes grew wide with distress and terror at the sight of the unraveling harness that was once securely fastened to her back.

Frantically, she looked around, desperately trying to find a way to stop the fabric from coming undone. Amidst a tumultuous tsunami, awash in the rushing waters of the salty sea, the only thing within reach were the walls of the hospital. Yet, even if there was something usable within range, Sweetheart had only one usable arm with which to grasp it. But, that one functioning arm was already sheltering one of her infant sisters. The other sister was on her back, slowly losing the security of her position on Sweetheart's back.

She looked down at the unwinding piece of tied fabric and knew that there were no viable options. She could either release the sister she held with her operative arm and save the one at her back, or she could do nothing and continue to hold the sister in her arm and sacrifice the life of the other. As it was, any decision that she made would be at the expense of the life of the discarded sibling. Of course, that was not an option, but, what could she do? What could she use to prevent her sister from being swept away? Was there no hope? Was there nothing she could do?

Watching the knot rapidly unfurl before her eyes, Sweetheart was gripped with fear of desperation. With no other way she could think of to save her sister, the golden queen lunged her head forward and grabbed remnants of the knot between her teeth, biting down as hard as she could.

It worked. Success. For the moment, it was enough. It was holding. Now she had to keep moving forward.

The water splashed and sprayed against the impenetrable wall and the trio of sisters that lurched across it. Over and over, the wave surged, covering Sweetheart's head before retreating away. The young lass had to suppress the urge to cough as water flowed passed her teeth and into her mouth while she clamped down on the harness' fabric. She could not spit the water out, so she slowly pressed it back out passed her shining white fangs. She knew that she could not open her mouth, for if she did, there would be nothing she could to stop her sister from being lost to the sea.

Thankfully, she could still hear her infant siblings crying. Whenever the sisters resurfaced after being submerged under water, she immediately listened for their irritable wailing. Each time, she was relieved to hear them cough for a bit, before resuming their cries of discontent. They were still with her. They were still holding on.

...then, another surge crashed against them.

The water once again covered the heads of the sisters, though this time, with more force than before. Sweetheart was swept off her feet and forced under. With the meager strength of her legs pushing her up and with the aid of the concrete walls of the hospital to brace her, Sweetheart was able to climb out of the water. Though she had managed to resurface, a great amount of water filled her mouth, so much that she could not force it out quickly enough. Salty sea water ran down her throat. Sweetheart desperately attempted to suppress her gag reflex, but the water that she ingested threatened to enter her trachea. Try as she might, she could not prevent her body's natural safeguard against choking and began to cough, violently.

Sweetheart was no longer holding onto the fabric via her teeth, but she knew that she needed to regain her hold, quickly, yet, she could not stop coughing. Water had made its way into her lungs and her body protested the intrusion, angrily. Her chest burned and she started to vomit. She was choking. She looked down at the knot as it slowly resumed its separation. She reached down and grasped the fabric once more, then immediately released it as she returned to forcefully coughing and gagging. She looked down once more and was relieved to see the tie was still intact. She started to reach for the harness, but her lungs halted her attempt in a violent fit of coughing, as they worked to expel the invasive salty water from within it.

Once she regained her ability to breathe somewhat normally, she looked at the fabric of the harness that was bound together...but saw nothing. Time stopped as Sweetheart stared in disbelief at the nothingness that was once a secure binding keeping her beloved sister safely on her back. She turned and looked over her shoulder, praying that somehow her sister was still there, but saw only her own golden hair swaying in the course currents of water.

"This cannot be..." Sweetheart whispered, as she returned her unbelieving gaze forward. Her eyes were wide with shock and devastation. "This cannot be... A nightmare...this a nightmare. Wake up, Sweetheart, wake up. Wake up... Wake up... Wake up... WAKE UP!" she screamed.

Slowly, she turned and looked over her shoulder once more, but the scene remained unchanged. Only the clear, blue water and the golden tendrils of her hair floating upon it made up the canvas of her sight. Sweetheart stared at the empty painting of tragedy before her, her gaze blank and glassy. This was unreal. Surely this was unreal. But, as she continued to stare at the rebellious sea and the feel of the warmth of her sister clinging to her back replaced by the cold chill of the waves beating upon her, Sweetheart was forced to face the painful reality before her. Her infant sister, the kitten she tried so hard to protect, the little one whose life had only just begun...was gone.

Warm, stinging tears poured from her eyes as a vice of anguish clamped down on her heart. The misery that swelled within her, the tragedy that was the loss of her sister, the agony of it all...there were no words to echo the feelings of remorse. The only word that came to mind was the only word that was the sum of her aching. It bubbled up within her, gathered in her throat and was expelled in a loud, mournful wail as she cried,

"FLORA!!"

Sweetheart's gaze remained fixated to the empty space at her back, the painful absence of her sibling. Her mind spun and a despairing nausea welled in her stomach. The ocean's wild current steadily pulled her away from her goal to reach the hospital's entrance. She didn't care. She had failed. A big sister's role was to protect her younger siblings...and she had failed. Flora was lost, never to return. Her beloved sister had only entered this world less than a month before...and now, she was tragically removed from it. Her life had barely begun, before it was already over. The tiny light of her young life had been snuffed out and it was only because of her inability to keep her safe that she was gone. Sweetheart sank into a deep despair and would have surrendered herself to the sea, had not a forgotten warmth pressed upon her.

Amber.

It was only for her, that Sweetheart summoned the strength to keep going. Slowly, she started to lurch along the wall, once more. Far more numb than she was when she first crashed into the hospital wall, she trekked along. She no longer heard the roaring of the sea that was all around her. She could only hear a constant replay of her own voice, crying her sister's name. Her eyes were swollen from the endless flow of tears that cascaded from them and her chest still burned from her earlier trauma. But now, her former hurt was joined by pain that was far greater than any physical pain one might suffer. The foregone aches her body had been assailed with moments before, had seemingly abandoned their brutality against her.

It was only because of her sisterly devotion, that Sweetheart had successfully crawled beyond the halfway mark of the unmovable hospital wall. The great wave had stopped pulling her away from the building's entrance and finally, she was being drawn to it. At last, rescue was in sight.

"...wait." she murmured, looking down at her surviving sister. Through all of the calamitous events she had just endured moments before, she hadn't noticed that the sunny gold kitten that she held tightly in her arm...had gone silent.

"No..." Sweetheart whispered. "No..." she whispered, again, looking ahead at how far the entrance was from where she stood. On a regular day, the distance wasn't that great. However, on this day, it was as though the divide was endless.

"...no." she said. "...no. ...not this one." she said, yet unlike the whispers she breathed moments before, this was not a silent prayer. This was a declaration.

Slowly, she began to walk, again. "I won't let you take her." she vowed, with determination and conviction, as she forcefully increased her pace. Her immobile arm dragged across the wall, painting the concrete red with her furious blood. "You will NOT take her." she hissed, her desperation displaced by a rising anger.

Once again, she forced her body onward, increasing her pace with each step. The flesh of her exposed limb began to tear apart from arm. If she felt the pain, she gave no indication that she had, as she plowed forward through the cool, raging water. The only pain she felt, was anguish over her sister, stolen by the unforgiving sea. Her grief fueled her anger and gave rise to a furious battle cry as she screamed, "YOU WILL NOT TAKE HER!"

All at once, as though hearing and understanding the eldest sister's command, the wave that came from the distant sea and had invaded the shores of Calico City, decimating its people...stopped. The flow of the water stopped so abruptly, that Sweetheart nearly fell over forward from the momentum she exerted.

"...it...stopped moving." she whispered. "It stopped moving."

It was unusual, if not impossible, but indeed the water that flooded Calico City had come to a complete standstill. Like a normal wave, the wave of a tsunami ebbed and flowed, moving forward onto a beach shore, then backward to return to the sea. Even during the directional transition, when the water changed its direction, it did not come to a full halt, it merely slowed down. Now, however, it was glassy, calm and at rest, like the serene waters of a quiet pond.

Whatever divine charitable spirit had bestowed upon her its blessing, Sweetheart genuinely did not care of which it was. Grateful for the torrential respite, the golden queen rushed forward, straight to the entrance of the hospital.

"Help me, please!" she shouted, as she dashed into the facility.

On either side of the hospital entryway, dividing sea walls kept the water from venturing into the hospital anywhere except where it was directed. The stream of water was guided through the building on a straight path leading from the front entrance, out to the other end of the building. Periodically within the canal, bollards were erected to catch debris and, more importantly, people that were fortunate enough to find themselves in the safe haven of healing. Doctors and nurses stood near the canal walls, catching people that happened by, dragging them out of the hazardous river and into the safety the dry side of the hospital.

Sadly, in addition to the living, the hospital workers also had to retrieve the dead, as their bodies were flushed through the water along with debris that traveled alongside of them. A precious few of the people that were retrieved were able to be revived and life was returned to the lifeless. Yet, tragically, despite their tireless dedication and effort, far more of the souls that were torn from their bodies, remained separated with painful finality.

"By the Great Spirit!" a nurse that answered Sweetheart's cry and hurried to her aid gasped, when she saw the savagery that was the eldest sister's ragged, nearly decapitated arm. "DOCTOR!" she called, "PATIENT BLEEDING OUT!"

"No, no!" Sweetheart protested, as medical staff pulled her from water. "Forget about me! My sister! Please, help my sister!" she begged, pushing the infant toward the nurse.

Without hesitation, the nurse accepted the kitten and quickly assessed her condition. "PEDIATRIC RESUSCITATION!" she shouted.

As if by magic, a barrage of doctors and nurses appeared and surrounded the nurse. While the physicians urgently attended the child, an additional triage team worked to secure Sweetheart to a stretcher.

"No!" she cried, struggling against the nurses working to get her onto the bed. "Please, my sister!"

"Miss, we are doing everything we can for your sister, but we need to get you to surgery." a doctor said. Gently, the doctor took her hand in his and gave it a warm squeeze. "I promise, we will do all that we can to get her back. Right now, you must give us your trust."

She looked up at the man who was speaking quietly to her, then over at the team that was working on her sister. She could not see her infant sibling through the blockade of medical staff, but when she returned her gaze to the doctor with the quiet voice, she knew that he was right. Deftly, she nodded her head and felt the doctor gently squeeze her hand, once more. No longer struggling against her diligent benefactors, Sweetheart was quickly lifted onto a stretcher.

"Clear a way to operation room C." a doctor said to a nurse. Obediently, the nurse hurried to carry out her orders. "We need to stabilize her. Get her to surgery immediately. She will need a transfusion. Obtain her blood type and get two units."

She could hear the doctors speaking, the sounds they made sounding alien to her, as she continued to look in the direction of her sister. She still could not see...or hear her. As she looked on, her eyelids became heavy. The blood loss was finally pushing passed the adrenaline that fueled her body into motion. She felt weak and tired, but no pain, only a full-body numbness.

A nurse turned her head away from viewing the area where her sister was being worked on and placed a breathing mask over her face. "You're going to feel very sleepy." the nurse said.

She was already feeling sleepy. She blinked, slowly and stared at the white tiles that made up the ceiling. "Mommy..." she thought, wishing that her mother was with her now. "Daddy..." she thought.

It was then that she remembered that her father was already at the hospital. Somewhere within the alabaster walls of the medical facility, her father was here. She was not alone. She was not a solitary victim in this healing home. Her father, the man that picked her up when she cried, that sang to her when she was sad, the man who made all the bad things go away, he was here. Somewhere, he was here.

Feeling a twinge of comfort knowing that he was safe, she stopped fighting the tranquil hand of slumber and slipped into a deep sleep, knowing that she was not alone. Had she been able to stay awake a bit longer, she would have had an additional assurance of her familial togetherness, for if she had stayed awake just a moment longer, she would have been greeted with...

...the sound of a baby's cry.