DISCLAIMER:  I...do...not...own...them!!!! So there :P

Burning Confessions 1/1
~Montage~

Jessie coughed and choked as she inhaled the thick black smoke that
filled her room.  She opened her eyes, but quickly closed them again as
the smoke stung them.

The wallpaper peeled and melted from the walls as the smoke got thicker.

Getting over her initial panic, Jessie rolled from her bed and hit the
floor.  She made her way to the door on her hands and knees.  She
reached for the doorknob, but stopped when she remembered that the fire
could be even worse in the hallway.  She placed her hand on the door to
find it *very* hot.

Jessie crawled to the window and unlocked it.  She had to stand to lift
it, holding her breath against the menacing cloud of smoke.  The window
wouldn't budge.

She searched frantically for something to break the window with, but
didn't find anything through the blinding black mass that surrounded
her.

Panicked, she slammed her fist through the glass.  She was beginning to
get dizy from lack of oxygen.  She felt herself getting lightheaded. 
With all the strength she could gather, she threw herself out the broken
window and onto the ground outside.

The last thing she saw were the lights on the fire trucks; and then
everything went black.


The lights were blinding and the smell made her want to throw up.  Those
were the first things that went through Jessie's mind when she awoke.

She could hear voices; one was familiar...her mother.  She was crying as
she talked to a man; but who?

Jessie loked around her.  The room was completely white and immaculately
clean--a hopital room.

Her head throbbed and her whole body ached.  Her lungs burned with every
breath she took.  Shelooked down to find her hand wrapped in a bandage. 
She realized it hurt like nothing she'd ever felt before; like there
were little shards of glass inside of it.

Images of her hand going through the window and the fire invaded her
mind.

She tried to sit up, but laid back down when her head began to spin.

"Mom?" her parched voice was but a whisper.

Her mother continued to talk to the man outside of her room.

Jessie tried three more times to get her attention before she became
frustrated and threw a stethescope that had been left by her bed at the
door.

Estella VAlsques came running into the room, "Jessie, are you alright?"

Jessie nodded feebly.

"We were so worried about you.  The doctors said you might be in a coma
for the rest of your life; or that you could even..." she couldn't
finish the sentence, "I'm just happy you're okay!"

"Where's everyone else?  Can I see them?" Jessie whispered the
questions.

Estella pursed her ilps and tears ran down her cheeks, "I'm sorry,
Jessie."

Jessie looked at her mother, shocked, "For what!?"

"They...didn't make it out," Estella whispered.

Jessie's heart broke.  Her entire family had burned to death.  After all
they'd been through, a measly fire did them in.  She began to cry
uncontrollably.  Estella tried to comfort her daughter and hugged her,
but Jessie pushed her away.

"I wanna be alone," she said in a choked whisper.

Her mother nodded knowingly, "I'll be here if you need me," she said as
she left.


The funerals were small.  Only Doug Wildey, Pasha, Hadji's mother, and
the presidents of the USA and Chezk (sp) Republic attended with Jessie
and her mother.  Jessie had cried when they'd buried her father, Hadji,
and Benton.  But when they buried Jonny...she'd completely broken down. 
Estella couldn's understand why she cried harder for her best friend
thatn she did for her father.  When they got ready to go, Pasha held the
door open for Jessie.  She was about to climb into the jeep when she
suddenly turned and headed back to the cemetary.

"Jessie, what are you doing?" Estella called after her.

"I need to do womething.  I'll be right back," Jessie yelled over her
shoulder.

She approached Jonny's fresh grave solemnly, her eyes lowered.  She
stared at the headstone for a few moments and then spoke, "Hiya, Jonny. 
I just wanted to say I'm sorry.  Not that you died, I know that wasn't
my fault.  I feel bad that there was nothing I could do, but that's
life, I guess.  I never told you how I felt about you.  You were always
a good friend, we had some of the greatest times of our lives together;
but I thought of you as more than a friend.  I'm sorry I never got to
tell you.  Well, I guess this is good-bye...since we never actually got
to say it," she turned to go, fresh tears in her eyes, "I love you..."
the words were a whisper.

And with her last words to her best friend, she made her way back to the
jeep.

Comments welcome...please send them!!!

Always
~Montage~

(c) Montage 1997