London 2014

Doreen sat in the taxi ride straight from the airport to the hospital in a nervous mess. The call came in at 2am.

"Mom, are you awake?" Mimi sobbed.
"Mimi! baby its 2 am here in Chicago is everything ok?" Doreen asked sitting up quickly she turned on her table lamp and looked at the clock.

"Mom, its Tara!," she sobbed.

"Mimi, what happened to Tara talk to me hun," she heard Mimi struggling to talk and immediately Andrew was on the phone with her.

"Ms. Doreen, this is Andrew" he spoke quickly trying to calm Mimi down in the background.

"Andrew! what in the world is going on? What happened to Tara? she began to stand and put her robe on.

"Tara suffered an accicdent and she is in a medically  induced coma here at the hospital," Andrew spoke.

"What? what do you mean how did that happen? she began to rub her temple trying to make sense of what he was saying.

"Alright, Andrew listen to me. I am heading on the next flight out, you guys sit tight I will be there." she said quickly hanging up the phone and pulling her luggage from the closet.

Once she was dressed and pulling her luggage off the bed she made another phone call heading out the door.

"Ted its me Doreen, I have bad news." she pulled her luggage out to the hall way.

"Hey Doreen whats wrong, its 2am," he yawned.

"Its one of my girls, they are all on a senior trip and one of them is in the hospital. Im afraid I wont be able to assist the meeting or seminar this week."

"What? well thats terrible, which one of the girls is hurt?"  he asked concern.

"Its Tara she is in a coma, I dont know all the details , im taking the next flight out. Can you tell Shelly to clear my calendar and let Charles know. I will call you to let you know what all is going on," she pulled into an elevator.

"Yea sure I will let them know," he said.

"Doreen...?"

She listened to him call her name and waited for him to talk.

"Have you told Greg?" his voice went silent and waited for her to answer.

Silence was heard over both lines for a brief second.

"No.....I just got the call. Besides he hasn't been in her life since Nancy died.....and I don't see why telling him now will change anything," she said.

She listened as he sighed .

"But, Doreen!.... He is her father," he whispered softly.

"But, no Ted! I won't go over this again, Greg as far as we know is dead to us. He could not have made a better decision to stay out of her life, it saved her suffering. Now I will call you as soon as I land."

"OK... that's fine, I will go ahead and let Charles know and catch a flight back to New York in the evening after the seminar."

" OK ...good talk to you soon," she hung up quickly before flagging down a cab.

Now she sat worried and anxious to get to the hospital. She said a silent prayer that all will be well. Minutes had passed when the taxi driver pulled up outside of the hospital.

She thanked and paid him the fair and immediately  stepped out with her bag. Not wanting to waste another moment she dashed in a hurry to the reception desk and asked for information.

Walking in quickly she stood at the desk and waited for the nurse to attend to her.

"Good Morning, how may I help you?" she smiled at Doreen.

"Yes, Good Morning. I am wondering if you can tell me what floor is Tara Michaels on"  She stood and watched the young woman click through the computer screen before her.

"Ah! Yes, Miss Michaels is in 302D  it is on the 3rd floor to your right, coming off the elevator." She pointed towards the large silver doors down the hall.

Walking quickly she stood and waited for the doors to open. The moment it came down she smiled at those that stepped off before she entered and pressed the number 3 button. Leaning back against the wall she noticed how extremely exhausted she was. Turning to look at her reflection on the stainless steel walls she gently rubbed her face to erase the sleepiness now evident in her eyes. Finally the doors opened to the 3rd floor and she stepped out to her right reading the room numbers 302B, 302D!!!

Immediately she stopped at the open door and held her chest. She wasn't prepared for what she was seeing. Her throat constricted with view of Tara laying in the hospital bed, tubes and machines everywhere. Her heart felt heavy seeing her like this. She noticed Mimi fast asleep at her side, Andrew stretched out on the floor beside Carl who slept in a chair next to him. She rested her hand on Mimis head.  She stirred slightly and raised her head to look straight to Tara, confused that it wasn't her friend that touched her,  she looked to her side.

"Mom!" She whispered and immediately  stood and fell into her mother's embrace. She cried.

"Baby, what happened?" She asked.

Mimi stepped back with a saddened look. So much guilt was riding on her shoulders she wished it was she in that bed and not Tara. She looked away from her mother's eyes that still held hers for an explanation.

"It was my fault, I convinced  her to go with us out to a club," Mimis lips trembled then she continued telling her mother what happened until the end.

"The ceiling, Mimi? She fell through a ceiling?  What the hell were all of you doing in the countryside? You were suppose to be with your class." Her voice rose. By this time Andrew and Carl were awake and began to stand.

They looked at one another. They all knew they did wrong, the guilt in their eyes along with so much sadness stared back at her.
They stepped aside in silence  and watched Mimi's  mother get closer to Tara's bed. She looked down the length of her still form before gently pulling her hand into hers. She leaned forward and kissed her on her forehead and whispered gently.

"Tara honey, I am here." She leaned in close and whispered .

Mimi watched her mother gently caress Tara's cheek and kiss her forehead. She always held a special love in her heart for her. A sort of jealous feeling nagged at her about how even in the present situation she was here for Tara. Deep down she knew she wasn't suppose to feel this way. She knows that Tara's situation has always been different and special since they were babies. But, she couldn't help the fact that there was a possibility  that her mother cared for Tara more. Tears welled up in her eyes at the idea. Her thoughts were interrupted when the attending doctor entered.

"Good Morning, I am Doctor Mike Aldrich , I will be Ms. Michaels neurologist." he shook Doreens  hand.

She nodded 

"Good Morning  Dr. Aldrich, My name is Doreen Carlisle I am Tara Michaels aunt and legal guardian." She shook his hand.

She stood and listened to her prognosis all the while looking at her in the bed. She stepped aside to let him examine her. With heavy heart the word just hung in the air.

"We won't know anything until she is slowly weaned of the drugs and she awakens from the coma on her own, for now she is stable and healing. The swelling has gone down and she seems to be responding well to treatment. Until then we must wait," he said.

With that she nodded and he suggested she continue  to talk to Tara.

She slowly walked over to her and held her hand. One by one Andrew, Mimi and Carl walked out to leave her alone with Tara.

**********

Her body felt so heavy and the voices  she heard was so vivid. She tried so hard to open her eyes and move but she couldn't . The familiar voice had her heart thumping. She couldn't do anything and she was so upset.

"Doreen, please don't cry. I'm fine." Tara spoke but no one could hear her.

She felt her warm hands brush hers but she couldn't move to let her know she can hear her.

She was floating suddenly as if being carried. Slowly the voice began to fade.

"Wait please, I'm here. Why can't you hear me."

Frustrated that she could not be heard she began to cry. But as if something or someone was holding her she fought for control of her body.
Warm hands caressed her faced and begged her to wake up. The familiar voices began to blend then Doreens voice slowly faded in the distance as a male voice became more profound, strong and felt very close. His voice came in louder as she struggled to pull away from him.

"No! Please....I don't want to....." abruptly her eyes opened and she was face to face with Duncan. As he stopped mid stride and let her stand.

His gaze held hers.

She gasped and let out quick breaths shaking her head. He tried to calm her as she pulled him close by the tunic.

"Lass, it was but a dream," he tried to calm her down.

Shaking  her head, she knew it wasn't .  It couldn't  be.

"No, it wasn't a dream. It isn't a dream," she whispered.

She curled her fingers in his tunic frantic for him to understand. She could barely hold her head up with all the wine she had drank.

He looked at her very confused not able to understand a word she said.

He gently caressed her face and his stare became serious. He shook his head and asked how much wine she drank. It was the affects of the wine.

Agitated, she shook her head.  Closing her eyes she blew out a frustrated breath. It wasn't the wine she knew it wasnt.

She stared into his eyes with a silent plea to believe her.
She watched as he slowly caressed her cheek trying hard to understand what she was saying.

"You had too much wine lass, I think it has addled your mind," he said looking at the empty decanter tossed on the chair.

She frowned. Upset that he would contradict her.

"No, I know what I heard. What I felt," she struggled herself with the thought.

"I'm not...drunk," she said trying to pull away but he held her in place.

In truth she was very drunk. She felt so dizzy and light headed that standing straight was very hard to do.

She looked up into his eyes.

"You dont believe me do you?" Her eyes grew sad.

"That you are not drunk? Or that you can hear and feel your friends from another time?"

"Lass, I can't understand t'is simply not possible,"  he shook his head trying to explain himself.

"Then how do you explain me being here?" She asked.

He stood silent before her.

"I'm not from this time, Duncan." Her eyes began to fill with tears.

"I'm telling you, in my time I'm badly hurt and in a hospital. I hear everyone around me and I feel their touch."

He searched her gaze trying hard to see the possibility but it wasn't possible, he refused to believe it. And when she saw that her explanation  wasn't enough she continued.

"Then maybe I'm in a hallucination. Maybe your a figment of my imagination and I'm not really here. Maybe it's you and all of this that isn't real. Maybe just maybe I'm going insane" she whispered fiercely.

She watched his face turn serious.

"Nay lass, I am very real," he answered.

"How do I know if that's true. I had too much wine, my mind must be addled. Remember" she retorted.

He was trying his best to grasp the idea that she wasn't from this time. He wanted it be a lie because such talk could get her killed. He shook his head at the thought of letting anyone harm her. The fact that she threw  that back at him unnerved him. He was real and he wanted her to know that.

"I can prove that you are not insane and I am as real as they come." He whispered.

"How?" She swallowed hard.

He swiftly pulled her close against his body and lowered his lips to hers. He could taste the wine on her lips as they grazed hers. Holding her tight his warm hands caressed her back while his fingers dove into her hair and pulled her head closer.

He could feel her heart thumping  furiously through her clothing against his chest as she struggled slightly  in his arms then stiffened as his tongue slipped into her mouth and he deepened the kiss.

She was spiraling out of control in his arms and she had no idea how to stop.  His hold on her had her heart slamming in her chest. The moist heat of his lips left her more dizzy then anything. It was steady, dominant. Never in her life had she experienced such a feeling, or such....rapture!!!

Her mouth was warm, sweet, tender, and tantalizing. As he held her closer the feel of her slender body against his and the thrust of her nipples pressing against his chest through the thin fabric that clothed her, gave him an inevitable feeling that made his blood pound in his veins and desire grow in his loins. Aware of the sudden urge to take her, he loosened his grip on her.

As if he drew all the strength from her, she sagged against him.

Their eyes met and she was at a loss for words.

By giving into his desire to kiss her, he jeopardized his entire purpose of trying to stay away from her.  Thinking grimly, he fought down his arousal.
He stood looking at her now scowling, his muscled chest rose and fell with his uncontrolled  breathing.

"A word of warning, wench," he growled, "Lest you want to be hanged for being a heretic, do not speak of any this to anyone." With that said he turned on his heal and left her there.

As if she held her breath, it wasn't until the door closed she exhaled. In his wake he left her confused with her feelings, enchanted, trembling and alone with nothing but his warm lingering kiss on her lips.

At that moment she realized something that frightened her tremendously.
She liked it.

She was done for.