To Hope Anew

Chapter 5

They had been walking for about ten minutes already, within theupper level of the pipe tunnels, Diana carrying two grocery bagstogether in a cardboard box, and Samantha holding little Jacob by thehand. She was letting the child practice his ever more confidentsteps on this mostly level area of the tunnels and found that shealmost needed to run to keep up with the little boy's eager mobility.

The wonder of the tunnels, their intricate twists and turns, thesoft glow of torches and candles, always seemed to carry Diana away.And the fact that Samantha was capable of finding her way around themwas just as miraculous. In another 20 minutes she would have them allsafely home.

Reaching one of the myriad iron stairways that led to each deeperlevel of the Underground, Samantha picked Jacob up. "I don't thinkyou are quite ready for these," she explained to the child, as shestarted carefully down. Diana, carrying the bulky box, took each stepslowly.

At the bottom of the stairway they reached the first level of thestone tunnels and negotiated a length of several hundred yards beforeclimbing down further on a second ladder. Intersecting paths were nowconstantly at hand and Diana marveled at Samantha's sense ofdirection here Below. At least, with her now more frequent trips,Diana was becoming somewhat familiar with their journey. The constanttapping on the pipes that ran along with upper edge of the rock wallshad become quite familiar as well.

Along with the notion that although in the city Above it was asweltering 92 degrees, the temperature in the tunnels remained at arather constant 52 - 56 degrees year round. That fact alone hadnecessitated that their thin summer clothes be swathed beneath alayer or two of long-sleeved shirts and sweaters.

They came to one more turn around a narrow length of tunnel whenSamantha suddenly stopped. Reaching her hand up along the wallclosest to her, Diana saw a look of alarm on the girl's face. Sheunderstood why when she showed Diana her hand. It was wet.

"These walls shouldn't be like this," Samantha observed, nowsearching the entire side of the small chamber which the turn in thetunnel had caused. Then she saw where the water was seeping in from-- high on the far side of the chamber wall.

"Is it a pipe burst?" Diana asked, setting down her box to run herown hands along the wall.

"I don't think so. There must be a lot of pressure to force thewater down here, more than just a single pipe."

The girl's knowledge of water pressure and seepage was notuncommon among the community in the Underground, Diana knew. Twothings were foremost dangers in their world -- fire, and cave-ins.Luckily, the former was almost unheard of, despite the everyday useof hundreds of open flames in candles and torches, due to constantvigilance from even the youngest of the children.

Cave-ins were another story. Sections of the tunnels were morethan a century old. The constant building and digging in the cityAbove could easily be the catalysts to destruction. As could bewater. The miles of tunnels meant miles of pipes in their upperreaches, many of them carrying water from one part of the city toanother. Heavy rains, too sometimes flooded whole levels of the lowerchambers. It was a constant battle against nature.

These past few weeks, nature had been too generous with the rains.That's why Diana and the children had reveled in the day Above -- ithad been the first truly sunny and hot summer weekend they had had inweeks.

"Could all of the rain have caused it?" Diana questioned.

"If that was the problem, the water should be coming from below,not above, on a dry day."

"Do we need to double back, do you think, Samantha?"

The girl never had a chance to respond. Her attention, andDiana's, was riveted to the tunnel ahead of them, as a deafening roarand shudder suddenly opened the ceiling of the chamber not fifty feetahead of them.

"Sweet Jesus!" Diana cried out as she realized a wall of waterfive feet high was about to crush down upon them. "Hold on to Jacoband don't let go!" she screamed to Samantha over the hellish sound.Wrapping her left arm around both the children, she hooked her rightarm onto a wrought iron torch holder attached to the rock wall infront of her. Then she leaned all of her weight against the children,holding them to the stone face of the chamber.

In a matter of seconds, the water hit them full force, along withthe rock, timber, and rubble it had carried along with it from thelevels above them. The icy current swept over them with a power thatcould dissolve the stone walls around them. The sound was asparalyzing as the force, primeval nature unleashed.

Diana fought frantically to keep her hold on the children,gripping Samantha's sweater fiercely. She watched helplessly as thegirl was slammed up against the rock wall even harder, unable to doanything to cushion her from the impact. Samantha's face betrayed herpain. But she still clung to Jacob with both arms, the anguish ofpossibly losing the child to the current as terrifying as her ownpain. Diana kept her grip on them both with an indescribablestrength.

Miraculously, they managed to keep Jacob between them, but thefrightened little boy was crying inconsolably as the frigid waterswept over him again and again.

Rocks carried along by the rushing current pelted Diana's legs.She could do nothing to protect herself. Sand and dirt were pilingaround her feet and ankles. Her right arm, hooked on the torchholder, was numb from the force working against it. She could feelher strength sapping from it, the metal knifing into her flesh, andprayed her arm would not completely break in two.

Then, a crushing blow from behind her legs knocked her feet outfrom under her. A huge timber that had braced a tunnel passageway waspropelled up against her. Diana felt her legs fold beneath her. Allof her weight was thrown onto her arm. It snapped as well. In amoment she was pulling the children down into the water with her, nolonger able to hold herself upright.

Trying to wedge her body between Jacob and the water as she fell,she felt her grip on consciousness begin leaving her. Pain wasengulfing her, everywhere. Icy water streamed over her. She sawSamantha's lips move silently in prayer as she, too, dropped into thewater as if in slow motion. Diana's last conscious thought was a pleato heaven as well.

"Please, God, let it be over with quickly. Don't let the childrensuffer any more."

Darkness was surrounding her. One final image fought its waythrough to her mind -- an anguished father gathering his lifelesschildren into his arms. "I'm sorry, Vincent," she whispered beforethe cold and dark overcame her completely.

There was one more step, and then the landing. Vincent forced hisaching muscles to one last strain and pulled his end of the huge,ancient generator up onto level ground. Cullen and Mouse followedbreathlessly with their end of the machinery, and then collapsed in aheap on top of it.

"It's days like these I'd give my eye teeth for a workingelevator," Cullen intoned in exhaustion. Vincent came to his side andeased down to the rock floor as well, leaning against the carryingcrate of the generator heavily.

The three men had been the last of the cleanup crew on the lowerlevels. The weeks of rain had flooded two separate areas of thetunnels, and for the past three days crews had been working non-stopto pump them out. Vincent, Cullen, and Mouse had been sloshingthrough the frigid and turbid water since seven o'clock that morning,finally getting ahead of the flooding in the last series of chambers.After hours of baling, diking, and reinforcing, they were still facedwith hauling their heavy pumps and power sources up two levels to themachine shop. There the equipment would be cleaned and stored, to beready for the next emergency.

"One freight elevator; that's all we need," Cullen continued histrain of thought.

"I'm inclined to agree with you," Vincent answered wearily.

"Mouse will come up with plans. Next project. Need to find theright hydraulics . . . " The young inventor in their midst wasquickly gaining a full head of steam with his idea, despite hisexhaustion, brightening visibly at the thought of a critical need andhow he could fulfill it, thinking his way through it out loud.Vincent knew the mushroom effect of Mouse's projects, even whilestill only on the drawing board. He needed to get a handle on thisone quickly.

"You must give yourself a bit of a rest, Mouse, before tacklinganother involved project."

"Rest? Who needs rest? Not Mouse. Elevator needed . . . Mouse rigsit up. Okay good, okay fine."

Vincent was too tired to even attempt a practical discussion withthe young man on the intricacies of hydraulics. It was Cullen whocame to the rescue.

"Listen, Mouse. Why don't we talk your plans over tomorrow morningafter breakfast? You'll need a fresh start to think things through.And I'll just bet William has saved us some of his dumplings and stewfor supper."

"Do you think so?" Mouse's hopeful voice at the mention of adelicious meal reassured them all that the elevator plans couldindeed wait till morning. Thankfully.

Vincent pulled himself up to his feet and extended an arm out toMouse to help him on his way. "We shouldn't keep William too long inthe kitchen. He deserves his rest as well."

"Right. Eat and sleep now, plan in the morning." Without anotherthought Mouse was off down the corridor heading up to the homechambers.

Cullen took Vincent's offered arm also, shaking his head. "Ishould know better than to say things like that around him" Vincentsmiled in agreement.

"But you must give him credit for his undying hope in all that ispossible."

"Possible, yes. Practical, I'm not so sure of."

Cullen's easy demeanor quickly vanished, though, when he took noteof the sudden anxiety playing across Vincent's face. "Is somethingwrong?" he asked, watching a shudder run through his companion.

"I don't know. I felt a sudden -- cold -- run through me." Vincenttried to clear his exhausted mind and focus on the sensation he hadjust felt, trying to pinpoint its source and meaning. The feelingseemed to be both a physical reality as well as an emotional one --the coldness, numbness, of -- fear.

"Jacob."

The soft sound of his young son's name forced the chill backthrough him. Vincent turned an agonized face to Cullen. "Jacob is indanger." In an instant, his renewed stride carried him in thedirection of the home tunnels, leaving Cullen far behind.

The gentle touch of a small hand on her cheek pulled Diana slowlyfrom the depths of unconsciousness. She fought to open her eyes,thought they were open, but couldn't focus on anything visible. Onlythat touch. Then Samantha's shaky voice, "Diana? Diana, are you allright?"

The darkness pulled back away from her slowly, and bit by bit shebegan to recognize the sensations reaching her: Jacob's little hand,frigid water, and -- pain . Finally she managed to clear her sight.

She called out hoarsely, "Thank God," when she saw both childrenstill with her, alive. But not unhurt. Diana's heart nearly brokethen, as well.

Samantha was leaning heavily against the tunnel wall, sitting upbefore it on the floor. The left side of her face, from the temple tothe cheek, was bloodied and bruising from abrasions. Her left armrested limply at her side. Jacob was crooked in her right arm,though, sitting in her lap. Diana judged the girl had not loosenedher hold on the child since the water first hit them.

Leaning over Samantha's arm, Jacob was reaching over to pat her onthe cheek. He was soaked, half-covered by the murky water even thoughhe was on Samantha's lap. But except for a few scratches and scrapeson his face and a cut on his right elbow, the little boy seemedwhole.

Diana moved to reach and touch her own hand to the children andfound herself wracked with pain. She'd been shot once, when she wasstill on duty in uniform, taking a bullet in the shoulder whilepulling a passerby to safety that had been caught up in a robberyshooting spree. That pain had been hot and fearful, causing her tomomentarily doubt her ability to survive. She thought that she mightdie then.

She'd thought that they'd all die in the pounding water. But herethey were, miraculously safe, if not whole.

On her left side, she was actually lying more or less, in thewater that had remained about a foot deep in the chamber, her headresting on a pile of sand and debris. She could not lift her rightarm and guessed it must have been broken.

Trying to pull herself up a bit more out of the water left-handed,Diana found that she was unable to move. She was pinned down by thebeam that had struck her. Both her legs, below the knees, weretrapped under the weight of the sodden wood, itself buried in a pileof stone and sand. She recalled feeling her right leg snap when thebeam had hit her. Swallowing hard, Diana thought of what her leg mustlook like beneath the surface of the dark water. But she actuallyfelt little pain from either limb. Not the best of indications.

She forced herself to focus on the children. "Samantha, how badlyare you hurt?"

The young girl attempted to pull herself away from the rock wall,but called out in pain. "I can't move my arm at all, not even liftit. And my head is so very heavy."

Diana had been unable to protect Samantha from the first force ofthe water hitting them, as she was attempting to keep them all frombeing swept away in the current. The child had been slammed upagainst the wall. From the look of her arm, she must have dislocatedher shoulder, and probably suffered a concussion as well.

"Do you think someone will find us?" Samantha asked in a verysmall voice. There was little of her natural positive outlook in thatquestion. On top of everything else, the poor girl had begunshivering also, her clothes plastered to her body.

Diana tried to gather her senses and took a mental survey of theirsituation. The water had collapsed the stretch of tunnel before themfor she couldn't guess how far. Piles of rock and sand had been leftaround them by the current. The turn of the tunnel in which they werecaught had become a small, half walled off chamber, pooling a foot ofwater still around them.

Anyone on the home chambers side of them would have to deal withthe tunnel collapse. She could only guess at the destruction that thewater would have caused in the opposite direction, too, the directionthey had already come down. It would be a long wait before anyonecould get to them, she knew.

Trying to set a somewhat hopeful tone of voice for Samantha,however, Diana replied, "Everyone is well prepared to deal withcave-ins down here. I'm certain they'll find us. It'll take a while,I'm sure, but we'll be all right."

"Can't you get up, Diana? You'll freeze lying in that water."Diana managed a feeble smile at the girl's concern for her, even inher own painful condition.

"My legs are caught under this timber."

"Vincent should be able to find us", Samantha said, trying toconvince herself as she spoke the words. "Jacob is with us." Shepulled the little boy closer to her. He had begun to shiver as well,and she tried to enclose the child in a warming embrace.

Diana knew what Samantha meant. Vincent and Jacob shared anempathic connection, from the moment the baby had been born. Hissense of Jacob's heartbeat had ultimately brought Vincent toCatherine's side moments before she died. He had been able to feelthe child's illness when Gabriel had kidnapped him. Surely Vincentmust have felt, by now, his son's perilous surroundings, even if he,himself, had come through the flood relatively unscathed.

But knowing Jacob needed help, finding him, and them, and gettingthem all to safety, were three distinct avenues of actions, eachfraught with their own obstacles. Diana knew they would need to dowhat they could for themselves, as best as they could while theywaited.

Working past her own pain, Diana forced her mind into survivalgear. She was a police officer after all. She'd had training in firstaid and emergency rescue procedure. She could do this -- get them ona more stable footing -- to await the hours she knew would passbefore their recovery.

Taking note that both the children were still battling the effectsof the cold water, Diana concluded hypothermia was one thing theywould need to keep at bay, ironically, even thought it was hot summerin the city above them. And sodden woolen clothes would not be of anyhelp. She needed to get the children dry.

Looking around the small chamber as best as she could, Diana notedthe numerous piles of debris that were left in the wake of thecurrent. One or two of the larger ones looked more solidly piledtogether.

"Samantha, do you think you can get up and move a bit?"

The girl gritted her teeth and forced herself away from the wall.Diana ached to reach out and help her, but she had only her words tooffer.

"Good. See that pile of rubble a little more into the curve of thewall? If you can climb up onto it enough to get yourself and Jacobout of the water, you can get dried off."

"I'll try," came the determined answer. Samantha turned Jacob inher lap and put his little arms around her neck. "Hold on, okay,Jacob? Samantha will get you to someplace that's not so cold."

The little boy easily clung to the girl's neck as she slowlyattempted to get to her feet. Once balanced upright, she took a fewdifficult, sloshing steps through the water to the island of debrisabout eight feet away, and climbed painfully upwards. There wasenough rock and timber piled into place to lift the childrencompletely out of the water when they sat on top of it.

Now we need to get you both warm. Those heavy clothes will neverdry. See if you can get your sweater off. And try to get Jacob downto his diaper and T-shirt. You'll both dry off easier in those lightcottons."

"What about you?"

Diana tried to reassure Samantha. "I'm all right. I'm not so coldyet. Don't worry." But inwardly she knew she could do little to freeherself from the weight pinning her down. She guessed that remainingin the cold water would probably numb the pain for her for a while,before the effects of exposure started taking hold. Or the effects ofwhatever state her legs were actually in.

Gently encouraging the injured girl, Diana watched as Samanthastripped the baby down to his underclothes with one hand. She managedto wriggle herself out of the sweater she had pulled on over hersummer jumper after a few moments of painful wrestling. Free from thebulky garment, Diana saw that the girl's shoulder was indeeddislocated. She must be in terrible pain. But she hardly let any ofit show in her movements.

Settling Jacob onto the rubble pile closest to the wall, Samanthaeased herself down into a semi-reclining position, acting as abarrier for the little boy. Jacob immediately crawled over beside herand nestled close. Samantha wrapped her uninjured arm around him andkissed him gently on his now gritty curls. "I'm so glad you're safe,"she said quietly.

Diana felt the tears fill her eyes. Where had that little girlfound the strength? She had kept hold of that baby throughout theirinundation. And how had she managed to hold them both safe from thecurrent? Perhaps they were not meant to be lost. Heaven had heardtheir prayers.

"Try to rest, Samantha."

"I wish I could help you get free, Diana."

"Don't worry. I'll be all right," she responded to the children,hoping that it would be the truth. Silently she wished she could feelsome of that white-hot pain from her past wound in her leg now, toconvince herself that her body would indeed remain whole.

Vincent was finally on the fourth level of the tunnels, the lowestone that still routed pipes, and a means of communications, throughit. Those pipes, he found, were a frenzy of tapping at the moment, asurgent messages were being picked up and relayed from one end of theUnderground to the other. Coming close to one of them, Vincentlistened carefully to decipher the coded words. His heart sank andhis fear grew with every tap.

"SOS -- collapse -- SOS -- collapse."

He closed his eyes tightly and forced his breathing to remainsteady. But his mind was locked onto one thought: Jacob.

"Vincent! I was coming to get you."

The young female voice was nearly breathless as he -- Jamie."There's been a collapse."

"I heard it on the pipes." Then, Vincent made himself ask thequestion. "Are Diana and the children Below yet?"

Jamie read the meaning in the words instantly. She heard her voicecatch in her throat. "I haven't seen them."

Vincent felt his blood turn cold. He reached a shaking hand out tothe wall for support.

Diana was to have taken Jacob and Samantha for their trip to thepark this morning. He had left the children in Mary's care beforehe'd headed down to his work crew. They'd been so eager for theprospect of spending time in the sunshine above, in Diana's welcomecompany.

It was her custom to have them all back by late afternoon on theSaturdays they spent Above; she was always happy to share her timewith the children, but so evidently anxious to take up her ownwelcome gift of time spent in the tunnels and chambers. It was her"recuperative down time" as she called it, the moments they'dactually be able to spend together in his world and sometimes evenfind ways of sealing the pain of the past far away from them for amoment or two.

Admitting to himself that he looked forward to those moments hadbeen as painful a reality as he could handle, where Diana wasconcerned these days. And now . . . if she and the children had beenanywhere near the collapse . . . The shudder of imminent anguishrunning through him was overwhelming.

Jamie could hardly bear the sight of the man she considered herdear and trusted friend, readying himself for a parent's mostterrifying fear, envisioning yet another blow of desolation to aheart yet so fragile and pained. She had to say something. Itcouldn't be true. "That doesn't mean they were anywhere near thatsection of the tunnels, Vincent. Diana probably has the childrensitting in your chamber right now, waiting for your return."

She saw the smallest flicker of hope light his eyes. "Where wasthe collapse?"

"West End. Below Durant. Helpers said there was a huge sink holethat took out part of the street. There was a fire in a warehousethat was being rebuilt."

"And the rains and all the water poured onto that blaze collapsedthe street."

"Looks like it."

"Diana would need to come in from the West End. They hardly evercome directly back from the park. They stop at her home, pick upthings to bring back with them." The words were soft, almost as ifVincent could not find the strength to utter them with morecertainly.

Jamie fought to keep from crying. "The emergency crews are settingup on Level 3, down past the second junction."

Vincent merely nodded his head. He could see the tears shining inthe girl's eyes. As he moved past her, he quietly said, "You'd bettertell Cullen what is happening." Then he disappeared down a turn inthe tunnel.

It was becoming increasingly difficult for Diana to keep her mindclear. Though she had no way of knowing for certain how much time hadpassed, she guessed that at least two hours had elapsed since thecollapse had isolated her and the children in the makeshift chamber.Two hours with that beam crushing her legs. Though she felt littlepain beyond the cold she was unnerved to realize there was bloodmixing in the murky water below her waist. Two hours lying in thatwater. She could feel her reserves of strength and will pouring awaywith hurtling abandon.

Samantha and Jacob had fallen asleep on their debris island.Uncertain as to whether the young girl had sustained a concussion ornot, Diana knew she had to attempt to wake her. As if reading herthoughts, little Jacob began to stir in Samantha's arms. With someeffort, his young guardian pulled herself to consciousness. Dianadrew in a relieved, but shallow breath.

"Are you doing all right, Samantha?" she asked, in a voicebetraying her own failing condition, despite her best efforts todisguise it. She didn't want the children to know how tenuous hergrip on survival felt at the moment.

"I'm okay," came the unconvinced reply. At least she and Jacobwere close to being dry, if not exactly warm. Then the brave words."They must be all looking for us."

"Of course they are, honey."

"Do you think we'll be dead before they find us?" The question wasstartlingly matter of fact. Diana worked against her own desire toslip away into painless oblivion, and fought to reassure the child.

"We're on a regularly used route in the tunnels, Samantha. They'llfind us. They'll know where we are."

"But will they be able to get to us?" That was the very real cruxof the matter, Diana knew, to their ultimate salvation. Tons of rockand earth could be blocking their rescuers' efforts. Perhaps havingsurvived the flood was not the blessing they believed.

Diana would not accept that scenario, however, at least not yet.

"Do you think Vincent will easily give up on us?"

Samantha shook her head. Diana saw the hope returning into theyoung girl's eyes. "He will give his last breath to reach us."

The destruction was mind-boggling. Vincent, flat on his stomach onthe rocky chamber floor, was peering into a gaping hole that cutthrough three levels of the Underground. Rocks, sand, wood, and metalpiled along the tunnel walls for hundreds of feet. More of the samethreatened to slide down into the hole from undermined areas aroundit. Vincent pulled carefully back from the edge of the collapse andjoined Father and the rescue crews further back in the tunnel.

"We can't risk going down through three levels in an unstablehole," he pronounced. Father nodded in agreement.

"There must be another way to access the area. The entire end ofthe Western route is washed away beyond the last stairway. But weknow that Level Four has held. Most of the water had drained into theriver from there."

Pascal joined the discussion. "What about the crawl space tunnelsthat run along the major pipes? They could have held up. They'resmall enough to resist collapse and run through solid rock."

Father ran an anxious hand through his hair. "If Diana and thechildren are in an area near an access space. But those tunnels arebarely the diameter of a man."

"A small man," Pascal observed, looking to Vincent forconfirmation.

"Or a small woman." Jamie had come to Pascal's aide and quicklyfollowed his train of thought.

Holding Vincent's eyes for a long moment, Father called back overthe crowd of frustrated rescuers. "Jeffrey. Run back to my study andbring us the master plans of the pipes in this area. They're in thetop drawer of the sideboard."

The boy was off even before Father could finish his sentence.

It was no use. Diana could not move the timber one inch off herlegs. Even if it were pinning her down openly on the ground, shecould never have moved it with all her strength and the use of bothher arms. As it was, the timber was anchored into its own pile ofrubble. It would take an able-bodied person hours of digging to freeit, and ultimately, her. If she wasn't further buried by the debrisin the process.

Besides, a black-humored particle of her mind told her: Therewould be little left of her to save. Her entire left side wascompletely numb from the cold and probably a lack of circulation aswell. If she survived the exposure, she still had an unthinkableweight crushing down on both her legs. Though the flow of blood hadseemed to stop staining the water around her, the very realpossibility existed that she might not find her limbs in any mannerof useful shape or form. That would be a damnable hell of a way tohave to live the rest of her life.

Diana forced a look to the children. She would not give in to suchthoughts. When she had laid wounded in that police gun fight for whathad seemed like hours before help had arrived for her and the youngman she had rescued, the only thing that had helped her believe inliving another day had been her whispered prayers and her ability tofocus on something away from the fear and pain.

Focus on the children, she told herself now. Think about them, andthe wondrous possibilities of their futures. Don't let yourself slipinto desperation. It could kill you as quickly as a bullet.

She began to softly engage Samantha in calculatedly upbeatconversation, despite the fact that her vision had begun to bluragain, and the sound of her own pulse in her ears was becoming arushing ache. Gently she coaxed the girl into talking about theirmorning walk in the park, what they'd seen and done, what they wereplanning for the evening Below. Anything to help the time pass andkeep their spirits up.

But they could hardly overlook the fact that their futures werevery surely in jeopardy. And as is often the case at such moments,their thoughts turned inwardly, towards hopes and dreams andpossibilities, challenges to be met and plans to be developed, thatmight now never see the light of day.

"Have you ever thought about what you'd like to do when you'reolder, Samantha?" Diana asked quietly. She tried to shift herself abit around to where she could see the children more easily but wassuccessful only in dislodging several small stones from the pile ofdebris she was near that plopped into the water.

A touch of color had come back into the young girl's face, whichDiana was able to note even in her constricted position. She wasthankful for that, and for the fact that Samantha's summer clothinghad dried. If she didn't move too much, the girl was able to keep thepain from her shoulder to a somewhat bearable level. And Jacobappeared secure and comfortable beside her, actually occupyinghimself with the buttons on the front of Samantha's jumper.

"I'm going to be a teacher in the community," came a certain anddetermined response.

Diana wasn't at all surprised at her companion's answer. She knewthat even at age eleven, Samantha was a gifted instructor andstudent. Vincent was justly proud of the girl, who attacked her bookswith the vivacious enthusiasm she held for everything she did. Still,she wondered if a child with such a promising future truly would wantto remain within the limited confines of the Underworld for herentire life. Again and again, Vincent had quietly offered the girlevery opportunity at experiencing the world Above, with Diana's help,wanting his beloved student to be able to make an informed choiceabout her future and all its possibilities.

Wanting her to be able to make the choices freely, choices he'dnever been able to make for his own life.

"Are you sure you'd want to remain Below and teach?" The girl wasso certain of her commitment, her path seemed so clear to her. Dianafelt a quiet awe for such a gift. There had been only confusion inher life lately, a chaos she ached to shed, a respite she longed toembrace. But it could only remain a dream, she knew.

"Oh yes. I'm going to begin leading a study group for the youngerchildren in literature next week. By the time I'm finished with myown studies, Jacob will be ready for school. He'll be one of mystudents, eventually. I'm so looking forward to that."

Diana was grateful for the chance the child had given her to turnher thoughts to the future, hopefully. Samantha's dreams needed tocome true, would come true, she let herself believe, the girl'sinnocent conviction so attractive to Diana's own tested soul.

"You've never thought about living Above?"

"I could never leave the tunnels." Samantha's response was filledwith certain determination. "Nowhere else could ever be home.Everyone I love is here."

Diana found herself clinging to the child's last sentence:"Everyone I love is here." It had been increasingly true for heralso, despite her best efforts to keep her heart shielded andresponsive to her force of will. Everyone she loved was here in thetunnels, those that easily returned her care to her in easyacknowledgment, and the one soul she would give up the entire worldfor. Still, she knew any sacrifice she'd be willing to make, hadalready been willing to make, would count little against a desolategrief destined to be unending. She tried to pull her thoughts awayfrom that reality.

"I know you are feeling that way now, Samantha, but the worldAbove could be a place full of wonderful opportunities for you." Shehad thought that once, herself, before she'd been forced to drag herunique abilities through the morass of humanity's darker nature.

But even beyond that plane of her life, even if she were to giveup her police work and settle into another career choice freed of thefrustrations and pain, the world Above would never hold the promiseof love and fulfillment for her. That elusive, beautifully maddeningdream would only be hers in the arms of a man never able to walk thecity streets freely in the light of day. No, there was little promisein that world now for her. She understood Samantha's response,totally.

"I realize the possibilities, Diana. Laura and Michael have goneAbove and are happy. But Laura has Jerry to be with her, and Michaelis working on his degree. Even he has said that he just might returnBelow once he has it. He misses Brooke, I'm sure. I know she misseshim, terribly."

The girl's words drew Diana back to the moment at hand. But theyoung police woman was startled to note that the pain of the coldaround her vulnerable body at that instant was hardly a breath of thepain that had begun to settle around her spirit.

"Yes, there is something about the tunnels here that reallyshelters the heart."

Samantha nodded decidedly. She seemed so wise a young woman,beyond her few years. Diana knew how much the special influence ofone particular heart had touched the girl's, how tender and open thatinfluence had left it, free to dream and care.

"Even with all its possibilities, Topside will never have what wehave here -- We have a place where no one needs to be afraid. We havepeople who will always be there to help each other. We have a lifewhere everyone matters. From what I've seen of the world Above, ithas very little I'd want to give up my home for."

The child's conclusions reached deeply into Diana's heart. She hadbeen feeling just the same way, for such a long time: her life hadbeen devoid of what really mattered, her attempts to bring justiceand safety to a terrifyingly brutal world had time and again left herwith bitter disappointment and pain.

A place of safety . . . People to love, and be loved by . . .Somewhere to find peace and shelter . . . Another heart free to touchhers in tenderness . . .

"Wouldn't you ever want to come live here Below with us?"

Samantha's question startled Diana. She had been thinking thatexactly, the promising lure of rest and peace so often manifestingitself in her life lately fully resting on that enticing possibility.She desperately wished to take hold of it, she knew. But there was somuch in the way yet, so much that would always stand in her way.

"It would be a wonderful thing for me to do with my life. But Ihave my work, and I have family, Above." The words sounded withoutconviction to even her own ears.

"But doesn't your work break your heart, Diana? Doesn't itfrighten you to look into someone's mind and see only blackness andevil?"

Diana took as deep a breath as she could, past the pain envelopingher body. She turned a bit more in Samantha's direction, needing tosee the girl's face at the moment. How was it possible that such aslip of a child could understand her own turmoil of heart?

She had set out to save the world. In her early hopeful idealism,she thought one person could make a difference. But the reality ofher life was the fact that she was called upon to use her sensitive,intuitive nature only to pick up the pieces after all hell hadliterally broken loose, frantically attempting to stay the spread ofmadness in a world all too ready to accept it and its consequences asfact.

"I would love nothing more than to help build up the good in theworld."

"Then come and live with us, Diana."

The simple request was so tantalizingly possible at that moment.To begin again, in a world receptive to her gifts. To create good andsee it flourish, instead of battle evil and be tainted by itshopelessness. To help a child grow, to ease a burdened heart. Lifecould offer her no greater gift.

"I'd miss my sister terribly," Diana voiced quietly, thepossibilities of a life Below still sweeping around her with gentleurging. The precarious nature of their present situation had all butvanished from her consciousness. She was in no danger, now. She wasonly attuning herself to accept all that had been in her heart fromthe first instant she had set eyes on an inexplicably familiar soulbrought within reach of her own by an indecipherable act of God.

Samantha was so receptive to Diana's suddenly revealed yearning.The girl's generous observation of her friend's heart over the pastyear had not been in vain. As one loving female soul to another, sheknew what her dear companion was truly in need of. And in taking holdof that need, that companion would be capable of resurrecting thepromise within another heart she loved as no other.

"Father might let you tell her about us some time. Then she canbecome a Helper, too. You wouldn't need to leave her behindcompletely, Diana. You could still come and live with us here."

The gentle color in the girl's face touched Diana. She was sowilling to believe that life could have its "happily every after"endings. Why shouldn't she? If she'd been left to herself in theworld Above, she'd long ago become a casualty of the streets, avictim of the very evil Diana had so long battled. Yet, here she was,a bright, confident, caring young woman with a startling grasp ofwhat was truly worthwhile in life: love, caring, making a difference,embracing the promise of the moment. She'd had her own happy ending,which was, in fact, only a beginning for her. Why shouldn't she wantto reach that hopeful promise to her friend now?

Still, there was so much uncertainty standing in the way, so muchDiana had very little control over. Reality was a sobering thing. Itbrought her back to the truth.

"It's a wonderful thought, Samantha, but a frightening one justthe same. Sometimes what can make us happy is also what can test usbeyond our hope. Maybe someday I'll be brave enough to find myhappiness here in your world."

Samantha looked down to little Jacob who was nestling close to herbody, having given up his exploration of her buttons. He was tired,cold, and hungry, but he seemed to know he was safe in Samantha'scare. Still, his little heart reached out to touch his father's. Ithad been too long since the child had felt himself wrapped in thatprotective, loving embrace, today. And his young nanny was suddenlytroubled, he felt, beyond the physical hurts she was enduring.

"I wish Vincent could find his happiness here again."

Usually his slight stature was a drawback, an obstacle he had tolearn to live with. At the moment, Pascal blessed the fact that hewas small enough to fit through the crawl space comfortably. For atleast 50 or 60 feet, he'd been following the old steam pipe along itscircuitous route between the walls of the tunnel chambers, easinghimself along on hands and knees, the light from his miner's helmetcasting only the shortest path of illumination before him.

The master maps of the pipes showed that this particular oneshould pull clear of the crawl space and into the open tunnel aboutanother 30 or so feet, where the West End route took a pronouncedturn on Level 4. Hopefully, that opening should put him clear of thecollapse debris.

Stopping for a moment to resettle the rope he was carrying coiledover his shoulder, Pascal listened and tried to orient himself in thesemi-darkness. The halt to his movements stopped the crunching ofsand and gravel under his hands and knees, and all about him wasquiet -- deathly quiet.

Pascal swallowed hard. He wasn't ready to think about thatpossibility. The lower levels had held, the flood waters weredraining into the river.

And no bodies had been found.

Diana and the children were simply cut off from their route home.In a little while, everyone would be safely back together again, andnot think twice about their past perils.

The barely disguised anguish in Vincent's eyes would turn torelief and joy. He'd been hoping that Diana had delayed her returnthrough the tunnels with the children. Cullen had even beendispatched to Diana's apartment from Above, to see if she was stillthere.

But Cullen had run into the building super who had informed himthat the young police officer and the children had headed out atabout four o'clock. The elderly gentleman had been quick to point outto the tunnel dweller that he was happy to see Diana with hercompany, that the children were always so "quiet and well-behaved.Never a complaint. Baby always bright and cheery and never heard himcry." Cullen's news of the departure had nearly felled Vincent like ablow.

It wasn't possible that Pascal's childhood friend was destined tobe shattered by yet another loss. It couldn't be true -- first hislove, then his child, and his friends. Vincent would never recoverfrom the pain.

Beginning his crawling trek once again, Pascal carefully movedpast one of the iron brackets holding the pipe up against the stonewall. The years of rust had corroded part of the bracket into a sharppoint jutting out towards him.

The momentary pause in his forward motion caused Pascal to listencarefully once again. He thought he heard it -- water drippingslowly, drop by drop and splashing into an accumulation below. Therewas a hazy glow, too, about 20 feet in front of him -- the crawlspace end was in sight, and not blocked, or so it seemed.

Then he heard the voices -- soft, familiar, and female. His heartleapt for joy.

"Losing someone you love, someone you've hoped and dreamed with --it takes a long time for a heart to recover from that. Some peoplecan never get past such pain. And even if they do, their hearts arenever the same again."

The explanation was meant as much for herself as it was for theyoung girl. Diana turned away from Samantha, the sudden lurch withinher heart threatening to become visible with the tears she felt wellup into her eyes. Her body felt leaden. She had slipped beyond simplyenduring the cold and wet. Now only a weary heaviness was slowlyenveloping her . . . beginning with her heart . . . at the sound ofVincent's name in their conversation.

To hear his soft, reassuring voice, look deeply into his eyes andread a bewitching honesty there, feel his strength and tender comfortwrap itself around her -- once -- just once. Then heaven or hellcould open before her and she could survive eternity on that onemoment.

She was able to find the courage to turn her head back far enoughto take in Samantha and Jacob resting on the pile of debris. Theyoung girl was gently rocking the little boy clinging to her side,despite her pain. She was smiling down at the angelic face liftedtoward her, but Diana caught the glimmer of tears in the girl's eyesas well.

Guessing they were not caused only by their present situation,Diana stated, quietly, "You love him very much, don't you?"

Samantha let the tears fall down her cheeks without embarrassment,knowing that the beautiful young woman there with her couldunderstand her heart completely. "He's the only real father I've everknown. I never knew my parents. They both died when I was aboutJacob's age. A Helper brought me here and everyone became my family."

"But Vincent loved you especially." Diana helped the girl put herfeelings to words, easily, in spite of her own mounting confusion ofbody and mind. Samantha nodded in agreement.

"He's always done the 'fatherly' things in my life, more so thaneven Father: Made sure I was finished with my school work before Iwent exploring with Jamie or Mouse, taught me how to swim, scolded mefor enjoying beating Jeffrey at chess too much. But it's always beenso much more than just that."

The love radiating out of the young girl's face was breathtaking,true, and so innocent.

"He's listened to you and helped you build your dreams and hopesand wiped away your tears and helped you feel like you could doanything with your life, be anyone you wanted to be.

"And in your most uncertain moments, you still knew that you couldreach back and find him there watching over you, ready to steady yoursteps or gather you up into his arms and keep you safe."

Samantha held Diana's eyes in wonder, noting as well, that thosegreen depths were shining with barely controlled tears. The woman hadput to words her own most heartfelt experiences of the extraordinaryman she carried within her very essence as the embodiment of"father".

The words were gentle, wonder-filled, tinged with Diana's ownmemories of growing up with loving care surrounding her, and yet,somehow, those same words were wistful and longing. These were notonly a father's traits they were describing between them. AndSamantha wasn't at all certain Diana was speaking only for herbenefit. She risked giving voice to all the rest of the pain in heryoung heart, for she believed, truly, that her dear friend needed tohear it all now.

"I was so happy for him when Catherine came into his life. He'salways giving so much to all of us in the community, always there tohelp us and encourage us. I thought, finally, there would be someonewho could give him something back, bring him the happiness hedeserved."

Stroking the curls of the little boy nestled close to her,Samantha continued softly. "I'd watch them sometimes when Catherinewas Below. There was always something so . . . beautiful . . aboutthe two of them together. It was like they were in their own world,shimmering with hope."

Samantha pulled her attention away from the baby and back toDiana. She looked so frightfully endangered, and by more than simplythe catastrophic destruction around them. Samantha knew she needed tocontinue her thought.

"But, Catherine would never stay. She would always return Above,always. And Vincent would never ask her to remain. I couldn'tunderstand it. I still don't. If he could never be a part of herworld, why didn't she ever come to share his life in our world? Whydid she always choose to leave?

"I would have given up anything, everything, to be with the one Iloved."

There was no getting around it, Diana thought to herself, asweeping wave of emotion linking itself to Samantha's pain from herown heart. The girl had reduced the very questions she had struggledwith to their simplest terms. She wrestled a moment with herconscience, eager to put herself into Catherine's place and answerthe girl's plaintive plea with some sort of balance and fairness. Butshe was asking those very questions herself, deeply within her ownheart, and not coming up with any answers she could fathom.

"Life is never so simple, Samantha, no matter how hard we wish itcould be. Sometimes it is very frightening when our dreams come true.We never expect them to, and we don't know how to get beyond thedreaming and on to the living." Still, within her own heart, Dianaknew she could harbor no fears herself, would tolerate no suchlimits. Her heart had instantly recognized what it had so longsought, in the solace of blue eyes that were so true they werespellbinding. The only thing keeping her from embracing her dreamswas the reality of what such questions had done to Vincent's ownheart.

Samantha would not accept the answer, though, her own tendernessfor her beloved teacher defending his pain with righteous outrage."Yes, but in spite of everything Vincent loved her with every bit ofhis heart, with more than just his heart. And he was so afraid to doso. He didn't let that keep him from giving Catherine everything hewas. I don't think he'll ever love anyone again as much as he lovedCatherine. And I don't think he'll ever find his happiness in ourworld again. All he has is pain, emptiness . . . And Jacob."

Samantha's tears flowed freely as both women fell silent, lost intheir own hurting perceptions of the true cost of love. One, a youngheart, open and receptive to life's tender possibilities, suddenlysaw only the pain that love could exact, pain unable to be shared andsurvived.

The other heart, itself battered and in turmoil, could never darehope of a place of solace shared in love with a kindred soul. Theburden of that truth was as heavy on Diana's soul as the fallentimber had become on her legs. There was no end in sight, in reality,for either pain, she conceded in desperation. The ache in her bodybegan to join with the one in her spirit, sucking the promise fromher.

It was suddenly hard to catch her breath, as Diana lost herability to focus away from the circumstances surrounding her, bothher deteriorating physical condition, and the aching hopelessnessthat had gripped her dreams. Like so much that had left its mark onher essence this past year, the reality of destiny's hand in herexistence had tantalizingly reached out promise and warmth to heronly to pull it away from her grasp with taunting cruelty. There wasnot going to be any happy ending to this fairy tale, she knew, evenif she were to survive the day.

Diana allowed her attention to be pulled away from the painfultruths she had caught a glimpse of within her soul, to a spot on thefar side of the tunnel wall. A shower of dust and gravel slipped downfrom the opening around the pipe running along the oppositeperimeter. Jacob's attention was also held. His eyes grew large withcuriosity. Another shower came scattering into the water trapped onthe chamber floor -- and the beam of a light glowing from around thepipe.

"Does anyone want to get home?" came the slightly breathless, andfamiliar sound of a man's voice -- Pascal's. In a moment his headpopped out of the opening up on the wall. It was greetedenthusiastically by Jacob and Samantha. Diana, too felt a surge ofrelief fill her at the sight. She was able to momentarily battle theweariness that was fast overtaking her.

"Thank God," she whispered, hoarsely.

"Is everyone all right?" Pascal asked as he surveyed the situationcarefully. Samantha was obviously injured, but safe with littleJacob, on a pile of stone and timber. Diana was half-submerged in thefoot of water that remained in the room, the light in her eyes unableto disguise her ashen features.

"Diana's legs are caught. But we're okay, Pascal," Samantharesponded. In a moment their rescuer was fixing his rope to the pipeon the wall, and then he was easing his way down it and into thetunnel chamber itself.

Vincent was not used to standing around and waiting when the livesof his loved ones were threatened. But he was forced to do just thatat the moment, left to peer anxiously into the dark that Pascal haddisappeared into several minutes before.

There had been some continued discussion as to the most practicaland quickest method of working past the collapse debris to search forDiana and the children. In the end it was deemed the crawl space heldthe most promise of success, but it was the avenue Vincent couldhardly pursue easily -- the tunnel around the pipe was barely apipe's width itself, and he was not exactly slight of build.

Another group of rescuers had attempted to make their way down theremnants of the West End tunnel but had been stopped by stairwellsthat were still completely inundated and more unstable areas thatwere in danger of collapse.

So Pascal had climbed into the small tunnel to make his way downpast the ruined passageways, and Vincent had been left behind to peerinto the darkness after him, praying.

And trying to make some sense of the emotions battling within him.

Jacob was alive. He knew that with certainty. He could feel thelittle boy's heart reaching to him. It wasn't a sense of fear orhurt, but one of . . . longing. "Oh, Jacob, if you only knew how Iache to hold you right now," Vincent felt his heart whisper. Thethought was no sooner formed in his mind than a gentle feeling ofcomfort touched him. Jacob knew it: soon his father's arms would begratefully enveloping him.

But what of Samantha? If Jacob was safe and feeling relieved andcomforted, wouldn't Samantha be in a similar state? Vincent was awareof how close the children had become in the past months. If Samanthawas in peril, Jacob would surely sense it, and his distress wouldconvey itself to Vincent's own experience of his son's emotions.

Yet, just because Jacob was not afraid for Samantha did notnecessarily mean the girl was completely safe. She could still behurt . . . or worse.

Vincent shuddered at the thought. The children were not the onlyones who had grown close over the course of the past months. Samanthahad been an invaluable help to him in Jacob's day to day care. Oh,all the women Below had been eager to give Vincent any of theirassistance at any time he found himself in need, where Jacob'srearing was concerned, especially, as always, Mary. But he had beensomewhat reluctant to impose on their generous help too often. Theyhad their own lives to lead, their own families to raise underdifficult circumstances, too, as Olivia and Lena did.

Samantha's generous young heart was eager to respond to his tryingsituation, though, he knew, a gift he could embrace with welcome.Jacob adored the girl, and Vincent was unshakable in his trust inher, placing his one joy in the world into her very capable younghands without anxiety.

Having Samantha's bright, hopeful spirit near his own so often hadhelped Vincent as well, he confessed to himself. She never avertedher eyes from him when he painfully spoke his memories of Catherine,allowing him the sweet agony of his remembered dreams without a needto mask the desolation in brave acceptance. He was able to hareJacob's day to day progression and growth with her easy enthusiasmand actually find promise in what the new day might have in store forthe child. And in her lively intelligence he was able to picture ahappy future for a least one person he loved in the world.

Now, God knows where she was, how badly she might be hurt. All hehad wanted to do for her was to give her an opportunity to delight inthe world as a child discovering the possibilities of life. He knewthat more than any of the other children, Samantha's heart wastotally, and completely rooted in her home Below. But, like his hopesfor Jacob, Vincent didn't want her to believe the world Above wascompletely devoid of beauty and promise. He had found Catherine inthat world.

And Diana had found him.

Though the children's safety was foremost in his mind, Vincentwould not deceive himself: The young policewoman's possible conditionat the moment was causing a cold and desolate feeling to surround hisheart.

The sudden thought of a life devoid of her presence wasstartlingly painful.

Vincent attempted not to dwell on the possibility, but heconcluded that with her tenacity, her strength of will and truecourage, if there was anything at all Diana might have been able todo to get the children back safely to their home, she would have doneso without a second thought to her own well-being. If they had beenlost from the community's safe confines for so long now, it wasbecause she was unable to do anything to help them on their way.

In the months since Catherine's death, Vincent realized hisfeelings for Diana were becoming powerful and encompassing in theirown right. But what exactly were those feelings?

Gratitude, surely. Without her, he would never have found Gabrieland Jacob; his own life would probably be forfeit as well.

Friendship, indeed -- one tested in fire and worthy of hiscomplete trust, for she had had a dozen opportunities to betray hisexistence and his world's to the powers that be Above and yet hadjeopardized her own position in her world to keep him and his homesafe.

But, wasn't there more to his experience of her than simplegrateful friendship? In his honesty Vincent had to reply, "yes".

With her extraordinary intuitive nature reaching out to him,Vincent had been able to touch his own pain and acknowledge theextent of its existence. He was able to share with her his deepestanguish without uttering a word, for she could read it within hisheart. He had felt, more than once, her own gentle essence reachingout to him, encompassing his heartache and making it her own, holdingout to him a quiet, uncertain tenderness that she never believed shehad a right to carry.

There was a frightening . . . melding . . . of their spirits thatVincent was startled to acknowledge. It was as if Diana was a part ofhis very nature that he had never known was lost to him, a mirror, anhonesty of conscience, that helped him understand his own soul. Hecould look into her face and see . . . love.

Pascal threw his wool tunic over Samantha's small shoulders andtucked Jacob close to her in the folds as well. "Don't worry, littleones, we'll get you out of here soon."

"We'll be fine, Pascal," Samantha returned in a voice filled withgratitude yet quickly shaded with concern. "But, Diana is trapped.You have to help her."

Sloshing through the murky water, Pascal had felt the cold griphim immediately. His legs were like ice in a matter of minutes. Theslender young woman at his feet had been lying in it for hours.

"Are you in much pain, Diana?" Pascal asked gently, as he camedown to her side. Her face was ashen and her eyes were dull with theanswer to his question. Still, she somehow managed to shake her headin response. That movement accentuated the growing rushing of herpulse pounding in her ears.

Pascal took one look at the pile of rubble holding the beam downon Diana and concluded it would be impossible for him to free heralone. Instead, he stacked several larger rocks immediately behindher and helped her get her upper body up out of the water a bit more.She began to shiver violently after the move.

"Diana, you take this. I don't need it." Samantha reached Pascal'stunic back to him. He draped it over the young woman as best as hecould, realizing that she was losing ground fast. Though usually shyand reticent, Pascal set a hand onto Diana's shoulder in reassurance.

"I'll bring Vincent back with me. We'll get you free. Try to holdon a little longer, Diana."

"I'll do my best," came the labored reply that caught at Pascal'sheart. He turned back to the children and gathered Jacob up into hisarms.

"We'll need to splint your arm before we can move you, Samantha.There isn't much room in that tunnel, and you could really jar yourshoulder, still. I'm going to take this little boy first, and be backfor you. Don't worry."

"I won't worry," came the determined reply.

In a moment, Jacob was tucked into Pascal's vest, his little armsholding fast to the man's neck as he took in the words being directedto him. "You and I are going on a bit of an adventure, Jacob. What doyou think about that? And at the end of our journey, your father willbe waiting to take you into his arms." The child's face immediatelybrightened, fairly glowed. For, as much as his little heart loved thetwo women who had kept him safe today from the flood, he neededdesperately to touch his father's spirit, be warmed by his tender andall-encompassing devotion.

Pascal had tied footholds into the rope he had fastened to thepipe along the wall, and managed to climb back up to the level of thecrawl space opening easily with Jacob as his precious burden. At thetunnel opening, he gently collected the boy out from his vest and sethim into the rock passageway. Then he pulled himself up into theopening.

"I'll be back with help in a few minutes," Pascal reassuredSamantha and Diana. Jacob held them both in a lingering blessing ofhis limpid eyes. "Now, Jacob," Pascal 's teasing voice took thechild's attention, "how about you and I have a race? I'll bet I can'tcatch you before you get to your daddy."

The sight of this grown-up on all fours was too much for thelittle boy to resist. He had played "catch me" with Samantha and therest of the children of the community constantly. Doing so with a bigperson was a delightful challenge to him now.

With a mischievous smile and a sweet giggle, Jacob was happilycrawling along the small tunnel. Pascal followed at a slower clip,urging the child onward to safety in the guise of a game.

It had been more than half an hour since the reconnaissancemission down the crawl space had begun, and Vincent had not left hispost at the mouth of the tunnel. Every father's anguish came tearingat his heart as the minutes ticked by, for, to feel his baby's littlearms safely wrapped around his neck would be the only balm to healhis fear.

What had Pascal found? Hand he been able to get through the crawlspace without further calamity? Did he find the children and Diana?And the question he feared most that yet would not be banished fromhis mind and heart: Were they all still alive and safe?

Father came up behind his son and set a calming hand on the great,broad back. Vincent turned to him, the unsheltered fear in his facerevealing his anxiety. "Such is a father's pain, my son."

Caring for his own child had given Vincent so much more of aninsight into his own father's spirit, realizing with guilt the manyinterminable moments the elder man must have suffered through becauseof him. He wrapped the physician in a grateful embrace. "I know thatJacob is well, but . . . "

" . . . But you won't believe it till you see him with your owneyes, hold him in your own arms." Vincent nodded gently and Fathersmiled in return. "I know."

Suddenly, the older man watched as a play of emotion rushedthrough his son's heart and revealed itself in his unique features:delight, joy, and total confusion. Vincent immediately returned hisattention to the crawl space opening and tried to catch his breath,but he had just heard it, as well as felt it -- a baby's giggle,tumbling through the dark passageway. then he saw a small, pale poolof light moving toward him. Jacob's chubby little form, stripped tohis diaper and T-shirt, hurtling towards him with sheet, joyfulabandon, was silhouetted in the light.

"Jacob!" The relief, wonder, joy and tears in that single wordmade everyone who had remained behind in vigil stop and catch theirown breaths. Vincent reached far into the tunnel opening as the lightcame closer, and was at last rewarded with the feeling of his littleson's body safely in his arms.

"Dada, dada." The little boy allowed himself to be scooped up intothe welcome warmth and power of his father's embrace. Vincent feltthe tears rush freely down his cheeks as he whispered a gratefulprayer.

It was echoed in Father's words, and in at least a dozen othervoices, "Thank God!"

"Here, Vincent," Mary handed the relieved father a small blanket.Vincent quickly wrapped the child in it and help him close to hisheart.

In a rush of baby words and descriptions, the little boy proceededto describe his past ordeal to his father. Two words were mostdistinct -- "Manta" and "Dina". As soon as Pascal had caught hisbreath, Vincent turned his concern to the fates of the two women.

"Boy, that child can move!" Pascal's observation lit up everyone'sfaces as they were momentarily carried into the delight of the firstrescue. Vincent helped his friend stumble out of the crawl spaceopening, never relinquishing his hold on his child. But, the joy wasonly temporary.

"What of Samantha and Diana?" came the concerned inquiry.

"The collapse caught them in that part of the tunnel where itturns west. Samantha's arm or shoulder is hurt, maybe broken ordislocated."

"And Diana?" Vincent forced his voice to remain even. Pascallooked down at his feet as he spoke, unable to hold Vincent'spleading eyes any longer than a moment.

"She's caught under a support beam and a pile of debris. Her legsare pinned. And she's been lying in a foot of frigid water all thistime."

Vincent did not have to ask his friend in what state the youngwoman could possibly be. His own anguished heart painted the picturefor him. Little Jacob reached a small hand up to his father's cheek,feeling the sudden distress in his heart. Vincent took the child'shand in his and kissed it softly.

Father ran his fingers anxiously over his beard, holding his son'sgaze with his own. "You'll need to immobilize her legs beforeattempting to move her through the tunnel," he instructed, never oncedoubting that Vincent would be heading through the passageway in amatter of moments himself.

"How can we get her through such a small space without causing herfurther injury? She's bound to have fractures, and a stretcher won'tfit the tunnel."

"But a back board will. You'll have to rig one up to get her intothe tunnel, then try to slide her along on it."

Half a dozen voices all joined in with additions to the plan,offers of setting up tools and supplies required, and observations ofnecessary inclusions to the rescue operation. In less than tenminutes, Pascal, Jamie, and Mouse were heading back down into thecrawl space, laden with tools, ropes, blankets, and a rigid stretcherboard. Vincent gently set Jacob into Olivia's awaiting arms.

"I'll take him to the hospital chamber. Father just want to checkhim over." The barely disguised pain in Vincent's face made Oliviareach out to him in her words. "You'll be able to help her and gether back to safety. Samantha, too."

"That is my prayer." Returning to the issue at hand, Vincentquickly pulled off his doublet and leather vest, and his woolensweater, keeping on only his knit undershirt. Freed from the layersof bulky clothing, he hoped he'd be able to negotiate the narrowwidth of the crawl space more easily. Turning once more to Olivia,Vincent set a gentle kiss onto Jacob's forehead.

"Be good for Olivia, my angel. We'll be back soon with Samanthaand Diana." Switching on the flashlight he carried in his hand, andpicking up Father's medical bag, Vincent pulled himself up into thetunnel opening. His muscular form all but filled it up.

"God speed," Father called out as the retreating figure of his sonwas soon swallowed up by the dark tunnel.

Samantha was afraid.

Just before Pascal's arrival, she and Diana had been quietlyspeaking together. She'd been aware of the effort that her dearfriend was making to remain detached from the pain she must have beenengulfed by: Diana's words had been obviously edged with growingweariness. When Pascal had left with Jacob, the girl was filled withrelief at their impending salvation. But, she noticed that Diana hadbecome very quiet in the ensuing moments, responding to her inquiresabout her state of health with only a word or two of strugglingreassurance.

In the sound of her voice, there was a touch of confusion, aslight slurring to the words. She sounded tired, so very tired. Andnot only bodily so.

"Diana, please try to stay awake. Pascal will be back with helpsoon. It won't be much longer." Samantha's soft voice, close topleading, broke through the fog in her mind momentarily, dragging herback to full consciousness -- reluctantly. She was so cold, shealmost felt like she'd been caught in a frigid snowstorm unprotected,the dirty water around her blazing to white in her pain-shroudedmind.

All she wanted to do was sleep, close her eyes and sleep. Leaveeverything else behind her. Jacob was safe. Pascal would be returningfor Samantha. There was no longer any need for her to hold on. Thechildren were safe. Now she could just sleep.

Or die.

"I don't think he'll ever love anyone as much as he lovedCatherine." The words echoed in her mind, off the weary hopelessnessblanketing her soul more and more. Those words were the truth, sheknew, a truth more powerful in their pain than dying. She'd never hadthe courage to utter them herself.

Yes, she could die now.

Would it be so frightening to die? Heaven would be a place ofpeace and rest, where suffering was no more, pain was no more. Shecould die now, yes.

But, she must not be on her way to heaven. The pain was still sopalpable that it knifed through her lungs, robbing her of breath: Thecold felt like it was tearing layers of her flesh away, inch by inch.Her head was pounding with the labored rushing of her blood throughher veins. And God only knew what her legs had turned into, beneaththe dark water.

Samantha's soft voice was trying to pull her back, but she wasready to leave, in truth, eager to leave, to die. The children wouldbe safe. They didn't need her any more. No one needed her any more.

Her struggle of spirit and conscience had all been in vain.

She would die alone, untouched, unclaimed by the one heart shewould have welcomed into the deepest recesses of her soul.

No, she would never be Catherine, would never want to beCatherine. She could never hold her heart apart from its yearned-forfulfillment. She could never be brave and accepting, shroud thetenderness of her hopes in layers of protective, stifling, suicidalfear. She could never hold her deepest, sweetest dreams away from thebewitching agony of love . . . loving him . . . loving Vincent.

Catherine had brought them together in her death. Catherine wouldalways keep them apart.

That realization would never change, its searing truth asresponsible for her faltering hold on survival as any physical injuryshe may have endured this day. Because of it, Diana was ready to walkthrough the gates of hell now, ready to endure everlasting pain,expecting to have to. Her anguishing eternity had already begun,months ago. She welcomed the darkness enveloping her.

Yet, something would not let her go.

Something was holding her above the dark, lifting her away fromoblivion with the barest trace of a touch, a caress, to her cheek.

A warmth was encompassing her gently, reaching out past the painand fear and utter hopelessness. Then a voice called her name, notSamantha's soft anxious voice, but a quietly insistent one.

Diana knew she needed to open her eyes, she was desperate to openher eyes, no longer eager to relinquish her hold on life. Sheconcentrated every last ounce of her depleted strength to clear hermind and walk her spirit back through to the other side. To life.

Slowly, maddeningly slowly, her vision cleared enough to help herrecognize she was no longer journeying to hell, alone, in pain.

An angel was holding her, resting a tender hand, warm and healing,onto her face, cupping it gently. Blue eyes that opened into thedepths of an extraordinary soul, held her own with a compellingrevelation of emotion, so very close to . . . love. It was a glimpseof heaven after all.

Vincent was wrapping a blanket around her now, holding her up outof the frigid water, cradling her. The sight of her had nearlywrenched his heart in two when he had come to her side.

He had actually felt her losing her hold on her mortality, or morecorrectly, letting go of her hold.

For an instant, he was on a windswept rooftop watching in agony ashis love took her last breath in his arms.

Catherine had fought against it with her final shred of courage:She would not leave willingly. But, Diana had nothing to hold on to,nothing to battle for any more.

He had been able to offer her nothing.

Until he had touched her.

And then, as the tears threatened to overwhelm him, he watched herstruggle back, cling to that touch as though to life itself. Half anhour before, he had attempted to weave his way through the labyrinthof emotions that he carried for this woman, this ethereal being thatseemed to have become so much a part of his existence, his very soul.Startled, in pain himself at the final revelation of those emotions,he was not yet able to acknowledge what was truly in his heart,suddenly overwhelmed by guilt and the sheer irony of it all.

She was burdened with no such struggle of the heart, he knew. Herway was clear. The pain-ravaged face she turned to him transcendedits desperation, to radiate nothing less than . . . love . . . total. . . unafraid . . . unashamed.

"Vincent." The sound of his name, barely above a whispered breath,was nothing less that a prayer on her lips, of gratitude. Ofresurrection.

He let his hand slip softly over her hair, damning himself to theache in her green eyes, resting his cheek suddenly, with terrifyinghonesty, onto the disarrayed silk that was her auburn hair.

"We'll have you free soon, Diana," he spoke to her gently, pullingaway from her frail form before his senses could totally stagger hisiron will of control. At that instant he knew it surely -- that hisheart was as entrapped as her limbs -- with no less threateninginjury looming as a result.

Jamie came over to her side, then, and Vincent carefully shiftedher slight weight over to the girl, who took Diana gently in herembrace. She could see that Diana's right arm was broken. Vincenthelped her tuck it close to her body.

"Just try to rest."

Diana looked up into the uniquely beautiful face gratefully. Itwas courageously tender, promising an end to her pain, though sheknew he'd always deny that truth to her, and to himself. She knew shecould close her eyes now and experience only rest. Nothing morefearful than that. She would not die alone.

Even if she would never be Catherine.

Vincent moved over to Samantha and the young girl broke intodesperate tears. Gathering her gently close to him, Vincent rockedher and stroked her long, disheveled braid. "It's all right,Samantha. You're safe," he assured her softly. "Don't cry." It wasdifficult for him to see the child cry, as Samantha was always quitea formidable young woman in her own right.

"Is Diana going to die?" came the sobbing question she had fearedto voice, barely a whisper.

Pulling himself away from the girl a bit, Vincent knelt downbefore her on the pile of debris she was still resting upon, comingto her eye level. He tenderly smoothed her hair back from her faceand wiped the tears streaming from her eyes with his indescribablehands.

"Diana is hurt, possibly seriously. We won't know how badly untilwe get her legs free. But I truly don't believe she is ready to leaveus just yet." He knew he would battle the devil himself before he'dlet her give up on life.

"She kept us safe, Vincent; you have to help her."

"We're doing just that. Mouse and Pascal are digging. And I needto help them. Will you be able to wait a little longer until we canget you ready to leave?"

"Don't worry about me, Vincent; just get Diana out of here."

Vincent touched a soft kiss to the girl's cheek. "As soon as Jamieis done helping us, she can get your arm bandaged properly."

In the interim, Pascal and Mouse had moved some of the smallerstones and pieces of timber from the pile of rubble Diana was trappedin. By the time Vincent rejoined them, they had cleared a shallowtrough around the huge beam that was pinning down her legs.

Leaning down to the wood, Vincent tried to assess where Diana'slegs were beneath the water level. They were not going to be able tolift the beam too far off without destabilizing the entire pile downon top of her.

Vincent took hold of a large crowbar that they had brought backinto the chamber with them. Placing it carefully next to the timberin the trough that was cleared, he instructed his companions, "If Ican lift the beam far enough for you to wedge some more rocks beneathit, we might be able to clear it enough to slip Diana's legs free."

"Right," Pascal answered, as he positioned himself with severallarger stones on one end of the beam. Mouse did the same on the otherend. Jamie wrapped her arms more closely around Diana, fearing thatthe poor woman would need to feel even more pain as her rescuersattempted to free her. Diana closed her eyes and mentally bracedherself.

Vincent planted his legs firmly on the rock floor of the chamberbeneath the water. Then he took hold of the bar and pulled with everybit of his already wearied strength. Some of the rubble pile began toshift and small rocks and sand splashed into the water. The beamitself finally lifted, a fraction of an inch, then an inch, then abit more. Vincent's arms shivered with the exertion.

Mouse was able to shove a large stone beneath his end of thelifted beam. There was still room for another wedge. Groping aroundquickly for the right piece, the young engineer finally found one andpacked it on top of the first stone just before Vincent had torelease his hold on the bar. The beam came down onto the newly placedrocks, and held.

Moving farther down the timber, Vincent replace the iron barcloser to Pascal. With another total effort, he lifted that side ofthe beam as well. Pascal quickly braced it as Mouse had done, withmore large stones. When Vincent felt the last of his strength leavehis arms, he allowed the beam to come to rest once more on top of therocks. One of the stones shifted precariously under the weight, butthen settled into place.

In the end, the timber was lifted off Diana's legs about 3 inches.

Suddenly, Jamie felt the woman she held shake violently. Dianaclutched at her arm with a fierce strength, born of sheer, physicalagony. "Vincent!" Jamie called out in alarm.

He was at her side instantly, and with some difficulty pulledDiana's gripping arm off Jamie's slender one, instead offering herhis own. Tears rolled down her cheeks and her teeth clenched. Vincentfinally realized what was causing her frightening convulsion.

The beam, and the cold water, had deadened her nerves enough toactually shield her from the full force of pain from her injuries.Now that the timber had been lifted from her limbs, she had beenbattered by the complete, excruciating reality of her shattered leg.

After an eternity of time, Vincent finally felt the grip on hisarm lessen. Diana had found some sort of momentary tolerance to thepain. Her eyes were sunken, beads of perspiration clung to herforehead. But she had not uttered a cry.

Trembling now as well, both from the force of Diana's agony andhis own heart's anguish at her pain, Vincent wished desperately thatFather might have been able to provide him with some sort of painkiller he could have injected the young woman with. But their storesof medial supplies were tenuous at best and Peter, Father's medicalcolleague and a trusted Helper, could not always provide them withsuch drugs without drawing attention to himself and possibly theUnderworld as well.

There would be even more pain for her, he knew. They hadn't evenattempted to move her yet. Mouse had gone completely white at thesight or her ordeal. Jamie was shaking, too. But Diana only turnedher gentle eyes back to Vincent with trust.

"We have to get this over with," he spoke with uncertainconviction, when he could finally find his voice.

Pascal nodded, but there was doubt in his face. "We don't havemuch clearance. We'll have to pull her free."

"I know," Vincent responded. "Jamie, I'll need to take her fromhere. Could you get Samantha's shoulder immobilized?" Casting amomentary look at the child, his assessment of her condition wasconfirmed. She was terrorized at her friend's suffering. Dear God, hewished they'd been able to take the time and get Samantha out beforethey needed to deal with Diana's peril.

Jamie understood what was needed and quickly embraced the childwith a hug, speaking to her softly. In a moment she was retrieving asling and bandages from Father's medical bag and caring for thechild's injury, eager to distract her.

Vincent returned his attention to Diana. There was going to beonly one way to completely free her quickly.

Kneeling at her side in the water, Vincent slipped his armsbeneath her back and as far under her legs as he could. Then hecaught her trusting, ravaged eyes with his and willed her a share ofhis strength. "Diana, I don't know how we can keep you from thispain, but it must be done. I am going to lift and slide you and Mouseand Pascal will slip your legs free."

Diana nodded her head ever so slightly, never once taking her eyesfrom Vincent's face. He prayed that he would be worthy of her sototal faith in him.

Holding her gaze for a reassuring moment, he called to Pascal andMouse, "On 'three', then. One, two, three."

With as much gentleness as he could manage under thecircumstances, Vincent lifted and pulled the young woman in his arms.But his efforts at deflecting the total anguish of the move on herbattered body were to no avail. The moment Mouse and Pascal drew herlegs to follow his lead, the pain engulfed her once more.

This time she could not bear it, nor in silence. A heart-wrenchingscream tore from her lungs to reverberate against the chamber walls.Finally her legs cleared the timber to rest out of the water, on topof the sand mound where Vincent had lifted her.

"Oh Lord!" Pascal called out hoarsely. Vincent pulled hisattention from Diana's face reluctantly. She had lost consciousness.Mercifully so. He followed Pascal's cry and caught sight of theextent of the injuries she was bearing. His chest began to tightenwith the realization.

Her left knee was darkly bruised and swollen. It must have hit therock floor first as she had fallen, now showing evidence of beingtwisted or sprained. That sight alone was enough for Pascal to haveturned away in distress.

But the state of her right leg was even worse, having born most ofthe weight of the timber: It was completely black and blue, from kneeto ankle, very nearly crushed in several places. Vincent made out acompound fracture halfway down its length, where a shard of bone hadbroken through her flesh and skin in a gaping wound now runningheavily with blood.

Vincent slid Diana out of his arms and rested her head on Pascal'sbundled up tunic. Then he grabbed the medical bag and came over toPascal's side in one bounding motion.

Every Underground dweller was well-versed in first aid, even thechildren. They had to be. The prospect of being hurt in a remote areaof their world was very real, and knowing how to handle injuriescould save lives. Father had made certain, though, that at least ahalf dozen of the community were also able to assist in more involvedcare, his own advancing age and hip problems making his quickresponses to distant emergencies at times unrealistic. Vincentthanked his parent for the training, now, as he worked to stop thebleeding from Diana's leg. Still, even with his considerable medicalknowledge he found himself praying, literally feeling the youngwoman's life hanging in the balance.

It took several long moments before the flow of blood was slowedand finally stopped again. The timber's weight had apparently workedas a tourniquet on the wound. Without it, Diana surely would havebled to death by now.

Carefully, the injury was bandaged so as not to disturb theprotruding bone too much. That would have to be left to Father'scare. Letting his hands run slowly along the length of Diana's leg,Vincent found at least two more breaks. With Pascal's help he set asplint to the entire limb, then bandaged the damaged knee on theother one.

With the wounds on both limbs more or less stabilized, Vincentthen ran a second splint between them and began to bandage both legstogether for complete immobilization, from above the knees to theankles. He could only guess with heartache at the pain the movementswould have engulfed Diana in, and he thanked heaven that she hadpassed out.

Finally finished with all he was capable of doing for her mostserious injuries, Vincent turned his care to Diana's fractured rightarm. It, too, was a vicious break, just below the elbow. Splintingit, he couldn't help but be overwhelmed by how frail that slenderlimb seemed, how vulnerable even her hand had become. The knuckleswere scraped and battered, too. He found an irresistible yearningrising up from within his heart to shelter her hand in his a momentbefore setting it to rest across her chest. He'd almost lost her,today. Not only had the children been in jeopardy; he'd almost lostDiana as well.

A startling pain knifed through him at the thought.

Mouse had begun rigging up the ropes necessary for them to lifttheir patient up into the crawl space tunnel. By now, Jamie had alsosafeguarded Samantha's shoulder. Her arm rested in a sling and thenwas completely bound to her body in bandages. The child was obviouslyweary, still on the verge of tears. Vincent packed away the last ofthe medical supplies and gathered the girl into his arms carefully."It looks like you are ready to go. Jamie, why don't you and Samanthastart off now? It will take us a few more minutes before we're readyto lift Diana."

Jamie easily pulled herself up the rope and back into the crawlspace tunnel. Thank goodness for her fearless expertise, Vincentfound himself thinking. Though Father had long ago despaired ofattempting to more completely "feminize" the girl, he knew that heradventuring heart and generous courage would always serve her, andthe community. Today's circumstances were no exception.

Noting that the girl was safely in position, Vincent gave Samanthafinal reassurance. "You'll be out in a few minutes. Jamie will helpyou along." Samantha rested her head wearily onto his chest,gathering her own strength.

Crouching down low beside her, Vincent then set her onto hisshoulder. When he pulled himself up again to his full height,Samantha was just short of reaching the crawl space opening.Carefully holding the child steady, Vincent climbed atop anotherrubble pile near the wall. It gave him enough extra height to liftthe child up to the tunnel level. Jamie took hold of her good arm,then her waist, and pulled the girl up into the crawl space besideher.

"Please bring Diana out soon," Samantha called out before turninginto the tunnel. Vincent reached his hand out to hers.

"We will. Don't worry. You must take care of yourself now." In amoment, leaning onto Jamie for support, the child was safely on herway.

"Mouse is ready, too," came the familiar broken-sentenced sound ofthe young man's voice. Vincent patted him on the shoulder gratefully,retrieved the rigid stretcher board, and came back to Diana's side.

With a smooth movement, he and Pascal lifted her onto the board.She weighed next to nothing, it seemed, so very fragile in comparisonto the chaos of stone and water she had been subjected to.

Though relieved that they had been able to free her and stabilizeher wounds, a nagging fear still remained with Vincent where Dianawas concerned: She didn't appear to have internal injuries, but hercondition, he knew, was precarious just the same. Even thoughfractures and injuries resulting from living underground were more orless common among the community, and Father was a thoroughlycompetent and experienced physician with more areas of expertise thanmost general practitioners in the world Above by necessity, Vincentfeared their little hospital chamber would be ill-equipped to handsuch a traumatic series of wounds. And getting Diana up to Peter anda hospital Above, in her present state, was out of the question.

To have literally pulled her free from death only to lose her to alack of resources would have been the ultimate blow to Vincent'sheart. To have his home, his source of life and existence be thecause of Diana's loss would be the last anguish he could face. Home,then, would truly become little more than a tomb for him once againas well.

Pascal set a hand on Vincent shoulder. "She'll be well, Vincent.Father will take good care of her. It won't be easy, but she will beall right."

Had his fears been so plain? Or had his childhood friendrecognized the turmoil he had been thrown in from the moment Dianahad entered his life?

"I'm trying to believe that, Pascal," came the quiet reply.Vincent then set about readying Diana for transport, pushing thefears from his mind and working only on sheer force of will. Hetucked a dry blanket over and around her completely, then strappedthe slight form safely into place with the belts, trying not toaggravated any other injuries on her battered body. Lifting thestretcher board together, Pascal and Vincent brought it over to Mouseand the ropes. The lift was attached to the board's handles.

Mouse clambered up the free rope and pulled himself into the crawlspace opening. In the chamber below him, Vincent and Pascal pulled onthe lift ropes slowly until the stretcher was above them and evenwith the tunnel entrance. Tying the ropes to lock the lift in place,Vincent then climbed up the small mound of debris by the crawl spaceentrance.

Gently guiding the suspended stretcher, he placed it within reachof Mouse's grasp in the crawl space. As Pascal fed him slack on therope, he pushed the board completely up into the small pipe tunnelsafely.

Pascal caught the lift ropes when Vincent tossed them down to himand coiled them about himself, readying for departure. Vincentretrieved Father's medical bags and the extra emergency supplies theycould carry, then cast a look about the chamber now empty of itsvictims.

In the water on the far side of the chamber, he noticed somethingbrightly colored and fabric, caught beneath an edge of anothersmaller timber. He reached the object with three long strides, andbent down to pick it up. It was the canvas tote Diana used to shuttleJacob's belongings between the Underground and her loft.

Pulling the small beam up, he was able to free the bag. How itever managed to keep from being swept away he could not fathom.Glancing at its sodden contents momentarily, Vincent let aninvoluntary sigh escape his lips. There was Jacob's little bunny,actually his own, in the bottom of the bag. It was wet and covered insandy grime, but it was safe, too.

A few of the tools they had brought with them they could stillcarry back this trip. Pascal had replaced them into his pouch. Whenhe caught sight of Vincent with the soaked bunny in his hand, hesmiled. "Looks like everyone is safe now."

"Yes." Vincent replied, swallowing hard. The realization had justabout hit him completely. He owed Diana for Jacob's life, again, andeven Samantha's this time. His debt to her was growing in fearfulstrides. She was proving herself, time and again, that very guardianangel of her Winterfest fable, watching over, protecting, healing.

It had always been his place.

Now, he was the recipient of the selfless care and protection, hisfamily was the beneficiary of her devotion. It was more than a littlefrightening to contemplate. Because within him there was more than alittle need to acknowledge the boundless, unashamed look of love sherevealed to him in her eyes an hour ago. He might not be able tooffer her what she yearned for, what she deserved, but he could lookupon the revelation of her heart and cherish it just the same.

Vincent tucked the little bunny into his pocket and pulled himselfup to the crawl space entrance where Mouse waited -- with Diana.Taking the little toy, then, he slipped it beneath the belt runningacross Diana's waist. One more little soul for her to watch over. Heknew she would welcome the task. Just as he knew he would not denyher the opportunity. For whatever unexplainable reason, the batteredyoung woman had become his own family's protector. He prayed for thestrength to allow her her work. And asked heaven for forgiveness.

It was damnably difficult to negotiate the cramped crawl spacetunnel with their fragile burden. Mouse was moving more or lesssideways, taking three or four small steps, then reaching behind himfor the stretcher and pulling it after him. Vincent was pushing theboard in front of him as far as he could reach, then working his ownbody along the narrow width of the tunnel mostly on his elbows andstomach. In his position, in the semi-darkness, more than once hefound himself hovering inches above Diana's body, his long hairactually falling over her face. It made breathing that much moredifficult for him.

When Mouse needed to stop a moment longer and find his momentumonce again, Vincent let his gaze rest on Diana in the sparse lightcoming from Pascal's helmet. A smudge of dirt had been lifted to hercheek from the awkward progress of their movements. He raised hishand to it without thinking and brushed it gently away. Her porcelainskin was ashen.

Mouse began his forward movement again. They had progressed thus,covering several dozen feet of distance, when the young man suddenlyhit his knee on a rather large rock that had dropped free from thesmall tunnel's wall and settled onto its floor. He had been caught atthe moment when he was balancing the stretcher behind him, and thesudden stop to his forward movement left him all but sprawling,causing him to lose his grip on one of the handles.

Even thought the stretcher was never really more than 3 or 4inches above the tunnel floor at any given time as they made theirway slowly along, the sudden drop threatened to tip it sideways andthrust Diana into the rough wall. Vincent automatically pushed hisbody between it and the board, hoping to keep the stretcher balanced.His own momentum, however, forced him hard up against the stone andthe aging pipe they were following. He felt a sudden burningsensation high on his shoulder that momentarily knocked the breathout of him.

Pascal, moving behind the stretcher bearers with the tools andmedical supplies, caught sight of the grimace of pain on Vincent'sface. "What is it?" he asked in concern.

"Nothing. Just a scratch," came the reply he knew he would hear.Then, "Mouse, are you all right?"

"Sorry. Stumbled. Diana hurt?" The young engineer could not makeout the faces of his companions because of the light beam shining inhis eyes.

"She is not hurt," Vincent responded, as he took a moment toobserve the fragile form on the board. Not even the jostling hadawakened her. He was grateful for that, knowing the pain she wouldhave to endure otherwise. But he locked his gaze on her breathing,the shallow rise and fall of her chest, to reassure himself she wasstill alive.

Once his knee stopped throbbing a bit, Mouse was able to renew hisprogress along the tunnel. Vincent eased himself from under thestretcher's side and resumed his own position. But when he reachedhis arms out ahead to move the board, there was another pang of painin his shoulder. He willed it from his consciousness and continuedonward.

Only Pascal could see the spreading dark stain on the back ofVincent's shirt. And he knew what Vincent had collided with on thetunnel wall: the broken iron pipe bracket, sharp and rusted. Justanother 25-30 feet of tunnel to negotiate. Pascal closed his eyesmomentarily and whispered a prayer.

The crowd that was still gathered around the mouth of the crawlspace entrance was subdued. Pascal's return with Jacob had setcollective hearts to soaring. Jamie and Samantha's appearance hadbeen greeted by relief. Mary had quickly spirited the child to thehospital chamber for medical attention, Jamie still at her side.

But Olivia, Cullen, Timothy and the others keeping vigil had felttheir blood grow cold at the sound that had reached them earlierthrough the narrow tunnel opening. It was not the delighted gigglesof a toddler reaching for his father's arms. It was, instead, aheart-stopping cry of agony. Jamie had been reluctant to offer anydetails beyond the fact that the men were laboring to free Diana andthat she appeared to be seriously hurt. No one pressed her furtherwith questions.

Then Olivia called out -- "The light . . . I can see the light."

Everyone moved farther away from the crawl space opening exceptCullen and Timothy. A few moments passed as the sounds of movementacross grit and stone came closer and closer, heralded as well by thebeam of light growing ever brighter.

Mouse's figure came scrambling through the opening at last. Cullenand Timothy helped pull the young man free. "Stretcher behind me.Careful," he admonished.

The back board supporting Diana then was pushed forward into thetunnel opening. Vincent waited until Timothy was able to grab hold ofthe carrying handles before he slowly and evenly moved the stretcherahead of him and out of the cramped tunnel. Reaching far out with hisown hold on the board, Vincent finally let Cullen pick up the weightof his end.

Turning a moment before whisking their patient away, Cullen toldVincent, "Father's waiting for her in the hospital chamber."

Mouse helped Vincent free himself from the confines of the smalltunnel. He, in turn, reached back to steady Pascal out of theopening, burdened with ropes and tools. But making a move to followCullen down to the hospital chamber, Vincent suddenly found that hewas light-headed and unsteady on his feet. He reached a hand out tothe wall for support. Olivia came to his side.

"Vincent, are you all right?"

Shaking his head to clear his blurring vision, Vincent managed tofocus on Olivia's concerned face. Before he could speak areassurance, Pascal cut in. "He's hurt, too, Livy. A broken pipebracket caught him in the back. He's bleeding."

Olivia swallowed involuntarily. Those were the last words sheneeded to hear. Father, Mary, and Terese would be occupied for hourswith Diana. Every member of the community was keenly aware of the onereal danger to Vincent's life -- any bleeding wound could becomefatal. With his unique physiology, there was no one to donate bloodfor a transfusion if one ever became necessary. It was Father'severlasting nightmare: watching his son bleed to death and beingunable to do anything about it.

"You're coming with me, " Olivia ordered, wrapping her arm halfwayaround Vincent's waist and hooking her hand onto his belt. About toprotest, Vincent finally allowed himself to be helped down along thetunnel. Olivia's willing shoulder was truly a relief, as were herwords: "Jacob is fine. Samantha, too. They are both resting. You cansee them in the hospital chamber. And I can take care of that wound."

The faintness that had assailed him, though, was not only causedby his injured shoulder. As he had lifted Diana into the morewell-lit passageway, he had caught sight of more than one shocked andpained expression on the faces of his friends at the sight of theyoung woman. They knew, too, he realized, how tenuous her grip onsurvival was at the moment. The truth washed over him with searingpain: He could very well still lose the young woman from his life.The pain had felled him as surely as any loss of blood.