Disclaimer:I do not own National Treasure, just Elizabeth.

Chapter Twelve

All Elizabeth would remember about the next week would be snapshots she didn't understand. The first was in the ambulance: people passing bags of blood over her prostrate form. Then she was being pushed past doors that said 'ER' on them. The next was a mask being put over her mouth and nose.

She dreamed for a bit. She and Riley were cuddling on a couch when she felt pricks in her arms. Riley disappeared and she felt different arms envelop her; they were Ian's. The scene shifted abruptly to the deserts of Egypt. She felt as if she was being sucked into the ground. The last thing she saw before the sands enveloped her was a retreating Riley, Abigail, and Ben...
Then, the pictures came back.

A pure white room surrounded her body. Her senses slowly came back as well; she smelled flowers and tears, she felt a hand in hers at all times, and mumbles. The last picture she saw was of a hopeful Riley before her eyes slid close again and she knew no more.



To say that Ian was angry would be a rather big understatement. He was livid to the point where he would forget to breathe; his hatred for Ben, Riley, and the Chase sisters was so intense. He was sitting in a government-holding cell, all to his lonesome self: not that a holding pen with other criminals would be any better, but in his current rage, he didn't care. All he could think about was how to exact his revenge. Oh, it would be diabolical, and tear them apart at the seams. It would be grand and he would love every minute of it. But, first thing was first: how to escape the Federal government...



Abigail was an emotional wreck. Her sister had come close to dying from blood loss, but luckily, they were able to stop the bleeding. It really was only a matter of time until Elizabeth woke up. Nevertheless, the waiting was killing her. She glanced up through her fingers at Riley. He had fallen asleep in the chair next to Elizabeth's bed. He had been holding her hand since she had gotten in the bed. That was seven days ago. She sighed and sat, up disturbing Ben from his sleep next to her. Ben had been lying on a cot with Abigail sitting with her legs over the edge.


"You should really get some sleep. Riley will wake us if she wakes with his loud mouth. Please?" Ben asked her softly.

Ben had been watching Abigail and Riley wither away while they watched Elizabeth intently. He remembered when Elizabeth had opened her eyes for a moment yesterday but had closed them lazily. Riley just sat there but Abigail had burst into tears. It took so much persuasion to get either one to eat, sleep, or take care of themselves that he was exhausted.

"Alright." Abigail murmured.

She lay down next to him and closed her eyes.

'Please wake up soon Elizabeth, I can't handle not seeing your smiling face anymore.'



Elizabeth was in dreamland again. Her dreams were ominous and frightening, but she couldn't escape them. Ian kept popping up everywhere with a sadistic grin. Her mind tortured her with images of her loved ones being shot and thrown in jail on false charges. Elizabeth's fevered brain was slowly losing itself to the images, ripping her away from reality.



Riley awoke with a start. Elizabeth's hand felt like it was on fire, which couldn't mean anything good. He quickly felt her forehead but pulled his hand away quickly. She was burning up! Her face was flushed and her mouth was open, panting for breath. He raced out of the room calling for a doctor. Abigail and Ben awake to a scene of pandemonium. The three friends were shooed out of the room while doctors began to rush back and forth with ice to try to cool Elizabeth down.


It wasn't working.

Elizabeth slipped on into another existence.

Well that's it for this story, BUT don't kill me just yet. I have a sequel, which is finished. I'll start posting tomorrow. On a happy note, I've just recently found a script for Book of Secrets so I'm going to start writing that up. I hope you guys all enjoyed Treasure and a Cute Techie aka Success! Thanks for all the reviews!