The sudden yank that removed her from the white tube was jarring.  A strangled cry of fear burst forth from her lips.  There was no way of knowing who was pulling on her or what they intended to do once she was freed from her small metal prison.  An intense sense of relief flooded her body as realization dawned that it was her brother who had wrapped those strong fingers around the stretcher to free her and not some wretched pirate with a nefarious plan on his mind.<br/><br/>Once her bonds were cut, she practically fell off the stretcher into the waiting arms of her little brother.  Her limbs were full of pins and needles from being bound for so long and so tightly, the sharp prickles of pain making her whimper quietly as she let him bear her weight.<br/><br/>Ryan flashed her a charming grin and nudged her in the ribs.  “I bet you thought we were never going to come but you know me, I like nothing better than to make an entrance...or a daring rescue.”  His expression and tone changed as he solemnly questioned his older sister. “Can you walk?”<br/><br/>Erin tested her legs, shifting her weight and shaking each foot in turn.  The pins and needles were still there but nowhere near as painful as they had been at first.  Clutching his shirt tightly in her hands, she looked up at her little brother and nodded.  After one more slow inhale to calm her nerves, she released the fabric from her clutches and took a few steps away from her baby brother.  Each step made her feet tingle but the strange feeling slowly began to dissipate the farther she walked.<br/><br/>Just as she was about to cross the gangplank onto the dock, she glanced back at her sibling.  He wasn’t following her.  A sorrowful expression stole across his boyish face.  “I can’t come with you, Erin.  You have to fly away home.  I’ll stay here to keep you safe.”  A short pause as a wistful smile formed and one hand raised to give a small wave.  “Come on now.  You know what to do.”<br/><br/>She did know what to do.  Tears welled in her eyes once more as she picked her way down the plank to the docks.  Looking back at her brother would hurt too much so she squared her shoulders, took a deep breath, bent her knees, and<i>pushed</i>off the wooden boards beneath her feet.<br/><br/>She took to the air, high into the sky and well above the trees. There was no lingering this time, no lazy swooping circles to feel the sun on her skin and the wind through her hair.  No, this time, she headed straight for the Tree in the center of Never Land.  It would not do to linger around the pirate ships.  Hooke might return without warning and Erin knew the Captain would be ruthless in any attempt to recapture her.<br/><br/>Straight to the Tree she went, zipping through the air as fast as she possibly could.  Her landing on the wide branch that held her home was rough, one that made her stumble forward a few steps until she caught her balance.  Erin hurried inside, hoping that her Sister was here or even the Hunter but the small structure was empty and had an air of abandonment hanging over it.<br/><br/>One ragged sob slipped out as she crossed the small room and crawled onto her bed, pulling blankets over herself and cocooning inside them.  She felt so utterly<i>alone.</i><br/><br/><hr class="bbc-hr"/><br/>It was late.  Sarah had already left, trying her best to hide yawns behind her hand or claiming she was “just resting my eyes” as her head bobbed up and down as she fought off sleep.  It had been Ryan who had finally stepped in and helped her request an Uber before gently shoving her out the door, promising he would stay with Chris and Erin as long as he could and yes, he would text if anything changed.<br/><br/>The little brother sat in silence next to her bed.  It was hard sometimes to keep up a cheery facade in the face of his beloved older sister attached to machines the way she was, especially this late at night.  He tried though, at least for Chris’s sake.  If anyone in the family could hold out hope, it was Ryan.  He had almost convinced himself that she was just pretending.  Erin’s ability to pretend to be asleep was legend in the Norton family.  You could poke her, tickle her, peel her eyelids open, try anything and everything to make her move but it never worked.  She was the best possum player Ryan had ever met.  She always managed to shout and grab him at just the right moment to scare him silly.<br/><br/>“C’mon, Erin.  Quit playing possum.  You win this time, you win all the times.  Just wake up.”  Not wanting her distraught almost-fiance to hear, he had leaned down to rest his forehead on her forearm, whispering quietly so she’d be the only one to hear what he had to say.<br/><br/>Just then there came a soft knock on the door as it pushed open.  “I’m afraid visiting hours are over.  You have to fly away home but I’ll stay here to keep her safe.”  The nurse’s words were directed at Ryan.  Chris, as her doctor, would be allowed to stay as long as he wanted even if the nurse hoped he’d go home and get some decent rest for once.<br/><br/>“Come on now.  You know what to do.  Just sit up and give us all a good scare.”  But, as always, there was no response.  The woman in the bed was motionless.  Ryan stood up and leaned over to kiss her cheek, just a gentle touch of his lips to her skin, not wanting to cause her pain.  He offered Chris a smile and a rough clap to the back before heading towards the door.  “I’ll see you tomorrow, Tool-man.”<br/><br/>The door closed quietly behind him as across the room, a tear rolled down Erin’s cheek.