Chain/Link
an excerpt

From about halfway through the story:

By the end of the week, I was going a little stir-crazy. I hadn't been outside in days, thanks to a steady drizzling rain, and I was feeling generally like crap because of my self-imposed exile from Skye. My head ached, by body ached, and I felt as if I were walking around in a constant haze.

On Friday, I decided enough was enough. Skye was in the office with the door shut, and I hovered in the hallway, soaking up his nearness. Even with a wall between us, it was a huge relief to bridge at least some of the physical gap. It was hard too, though. Being that close, I wanted more. I wanted to go inside where I could see him, smell him, touch him. The temptation was overwhelming. But I set my resolve firm and stayed planted in the hallway, counting the tiny gold fleur de lis in the pattern on the wallpaper to keep myself distracted.

Eventually, my headache disappeared, and all the other aches subsided. I felt clear-headed and energized for the first time in days. Deciding to take advantage of it, I marched downstairs and roused the boys from their perpetual video gaming.

"Come on, guys, before you start growing into the carpet," I said, grabbing our jackets from the coat closet.

"Where are we going?" Joey said, pausing the game. Alex's confused expression mirrored his.

"We," I said, tossing the coats at them, "are going outside."

"But... it's raining," Alex said, staring at the jacket in his arms as though he'd never seen one before.

"It is," I agreed. "But we need the fresh air. Come on!"

Reluctantly, they got up off the floor and followed me, casting forlorn glances back at the television. Once outside, I set off for the farthest reaches of the property -- farther than I'd ever ventured before. I figured we'd be safe enough -- if the Farmers figured out where we were hiding, they'd go to the house first. We actually might be safer beneath the shelter of the trees beyond the backyard.

It couldn't really be called a forest, but the trees were thick and tall and the foliage was dense. So dense, I could barely feel the rain. I wandered in between the trunks, picking my way over roots partially-hidden by a carpet of decaying leaves. I let my mind wander, too, enjoying the feel of being outside and away from the house. I knew I was getting close to the breaking point of how far I could physically be from Skye, but I wasn't in any pain yet, so I kept going. I could hear the boys trudging along behind me, still chattering about their game, but I tuned them out.

Finally, I noticed Joey calling my name over and over.

"Aunt Claire!" he said impatiently.

"What? Sorry," I said sheepishly. "I guess I'm a little distracted."

Joey rolled his eyes. "We were just wondering if we could go check out the creek."

I looked where he was pointing, several yards away, at the bottom of a shallow ravine. A thin stream was trickling along what looked to be a much larger creek bed. It wasn't big enough for me to fear either of them falling in.

"Sure," I said. "Just stay in this area, and don't go over to the other side. I'm not sure how far the trees go, and you could get lost."

The boys shrugged off my concern and dashed off, laughing as they slipped and staggered in the mud. I shook my head at them and looked around for a place to sit. I finally found a not-too-soggy log under a couple of trees that still had most of their leaves, and I perched on the edge of it, enjoying the calm and peace of the moment. I really needed to do some thinking about my situation with Skye, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. There seemed to be no way out of it -- we were soul mates, and that was that. I didn't get a say in the matter. But I just couldn't see how I could forgive him for what he did and move on.

Shaking off the creeping depression, I tried to focus my thoughts elsewhere, but they all just kept coming back to him. He'd said it was an accident, and maybe it was. He was concerned about me, he wanted to know what was going on in my head... so maybe his intrusion wasn't a conscious choice. Maybe it was simply an involuntary reaction to my pain. After all, even he, expert that he was, didn't understand everything about our Bond. I wondered --

"Claire! Claire!"

Alex's shriek stopped my blood cold. I was off the log like a shot and running toward the ravine almost before I had time to register the screams. The boys were less than twenty yards away, but it seemed to take an eternity to get to them. I finally reached the ravine and peered down over the edge. Joey was lying several feet away from the creek, his left leg bent at an impossible angle.

My knees were shaky as I scrambled down the side of the ravine, which was slippery with mud. "What happened?" I asked Alex, who had Joey's head cradled in his lap, and was watching him with panicked eyes.

"We were just playing," he said, voice trembling. "We were sliding down the side of the hill in the mud. But I think he hit a... a branch or something, and he fell."

"Joey?" I said, putting a hand against his cheek. It was clammy against my palm. "Tell me what hurts."

"My -- my leg," he said, wincing with the effort. His face and lips were white with pain. "It hurts, Aunt Claire."

The strain in his voice cut me to the bone. "I know, baby," I said, stroking his cheek and trying not to cry myself. "But we're going to get you home and take care of it, alright?"

He nodded weakly, and I tried to smile. "Okay. Now, let's think of what to do." I glanced back up the ravine, mind searching for a solution. I could have sent Alex back to the house to get Skye, but it was getting late, and I could already feel the chill of the evening setting in. I didn't want to leave him there any longer than was absolutely necessary.

"Okay," I said, making up my mind. "Alex, I'm going to need you to help me lift him. Do you think you can do that?" The boy's green eyes went even wider, but he just nodded solemnly and said nothing.

I took a deep breath. "Okay," I said again, trying to steady my shaking hands. "Joey, I'm going to have Alex help me lift you up, and then I'm going to carry you up the hill. It's probably going to hurt you, but I need you to be strong for just a little longer, okay?"

Joey nodded, though he looked uncertain. Giving him a reassuring smile I was sure didn't reach my eyes, I slid my left arm under his shoulders and propped him up.

"How's that?" I asked, watching his face carefully.

"Okay," he breathed, sounding anything but. I nodded, figuring the sooner it was over, the better. Bracing myself for his reaction, I reached my other arm under both his knees. He gasped, and I could hear the choked sob trying to claw its way out of his throat.

Heart constricting, I ignored the sound and looked over at Alex. "Alex, I need you to put both your arms underneath him, next to mine."

Nodding, Alex did as I asked. He looked down at Joey as he did so, and the other boy gave him a brave smile. I thought I heard a sniffle, but I wasn't sure which of the boys it came from.

Once we were in position, I explained to Alex and Joey what we were going to do. "I'll count to three," I said, trying not to jostle my nephew. "When I say 'three,' Alex, you help me pick him up. I'll need you to take as much of his weight as you can until I get my feet steady, okay?"

"Okay," Alex said, looking determined.

"Okay." I said a quick prayer that we wouldn't hurt him too badly, and that we wouldn't do any more damage. And then I began to count.

"One... two...."

I could feel Alex's arms tense next to mine.

"Three!"

Together, we hoisted Joey up, and I struggled to get my legs beneath me. At twelve, Joey was small for his age, but he was a far cry from the toddler I'd toted around on my hip while babysitting my way through high school.

Joey screamed as his leg shifted, and I clutched him as tightly as I could. "Alex," I gasped, trying to keep my knees steady. "Push him toward me." Alex obeyed, allowing the weight he was carrying to shift to my arms and chest. "You can let go now," I said, nodding when he looked at me uncertainly. "I've got him."

I did, but just barely. I was as slight as everyone else in my family, and had never been known for my strength or athletic prowess. I was holding him up, but walking with him, not to mention climbing up the ravine, was another matter entirely.

But I was wasting precious strength standing there debating the issue. Taking a breath and steeling my shaking arms, I took the first step. I made it a couple feet before starting up the steep incline of the ravine. The mud was slick beneath my feet, and I struggled to maintain my footing. My breath came in harsh, rasping little pants as I climbed, staggering and faltering under Joey's weight. Alex ran up the embankment and waited at the top, bouncing nervously from foot to foot.

"Get out.... of my way...." I gasped out as I neared the top. Alex darted to the left and watched anxiously as I somehow propelled myself over the edge of the ravine and onto the flat, even ground that stretched all the way to the backyard.

"Run ahead to the house," I said, trying to regain my breath. "Get Skye and bring him back as quick as you can."

Alex nodded and ran off in a flash, disappearing behind a tree. Taking another steadying breath, I looked down at Joey, pale and glassy-eyed in my arms.

"You doing alright, kiddo?" I said, trying to keep the worry out of my voice.

"Yeah," he said, in nothing more than a whisper. And then, "Hurry."