Disclaimer: Don't own it, made nothing from this or the song, expect NOT to be sued.
**Note: Text surrounded by this i and /i indicates the scene takes place in
the past...
Tumbleweed & Cactus Motel
Houston, Texas
Room 11
The door opened with a squeak, causing the bright street lamp's light to
spill into the semi-dark room with a vengeance. On the bed near the door, its
occupant stirred, covering his eyes at the offending light. Samantha Barnes
stepped inside, reaching for the light switch before she closed the door.
After turning the light on, she set the tray of food items down on the table
even as the bed's occupant sat up. She poured a glass of orange juice and, taking two
capsules of medicine in her hand, she walked over to the bed. "Hey, how are you
feeling?"
Jarod stared up at his host and friend, taking the juice gratefully from
her. "Horrible," he croaked, his voice rough from the bout of flu he'd been
fighting for about a week now. He took a long drink of the juice before he
noticed the medicine she held out to him. He'd been sleeping all day in-between
the times Samantha had come to bring him juice with the occasional bit of
medicine.
In a very motherly fashion, she touched Jarod's forehead. "Well your fever
has broken finally I think. Do you think you could eat a little soup?" Samantha
was the widowed mother of a 6-year-old daughter named Colleen. A few weeks ago,
Jarod had helped Samantha keep the motel that had been left to her by her late
husband. Jarod had planned to leave much sooner than this but then he had fallen
ill with the flu. When Samantha saw that he was sick, she had insisted that he
stayed there until he was better.
"I'll try," he said, pushing the blankets. He moved over to the table where
she'd set the food tray down. Samantha uncovered the bowl of soup, revealing it
to be chicken noodle. He began to eat the soup carefully as she made sure he had
enough orange juice to drink. "Samantha, thank you. I haven't had anyone to take
care of me like this in a long time."
"You're welcome. Honestly, Jarod, it's the least I can for you. Besides,
when you're sick, even when you're grown, you need to be babied by your mother,
or father, or wife, or husband or in your case by a friend!" she replied.
Jarod pushed the bowl of soup away, half eaten. "I'm getting nauseated
again. Guess my stomach is still to messed up right now." She made sure he made
it to the bed all right before placing a small trashcan beside the bed.
"Just in case you need to hurl again because I don't think Louise would
appreciate it if you weren't able to make to the bathroom again in time,"
Samantha said. She opened the door and held it open with her foot before picking
up the tray again. "I'll be back to check up on you before I head off to bed.
Get some more sleep."
"I will. Thank you again, Samantha."
Jarod watched her leave and then spent 15 minutes trying to fall asleep.
Sighing, he finally reached down beside his bed to pick up the silvercase that
contained the DSA player and the discs that were a record of his life. He
shuffled through the dics, searching for one particular one. After he found it,
he placed it in the player and after hesitating a moment, he pressed the play
button.
"Jarod?"
* * * * *
"Jarod?" Sydney said as he walked into the room. "Jarod, you need to finish
the simulation."
Jarod was supposed to have had the current simulation finished hours ago
but for some unknown reason he'd been unusually distracted today. Sydney
entered the room to see Jarod sitting at the table with his head lying on top of
his arms. He quickly walked over to Jarod and knelt beside the boy, touching his
arm and Jarod looked up at Sydney.
"Jarod, what's wrong?" Sydney asked.
"Sydney, I don't feel so good," Jarod replied.
Sydney touched his forehead. "You're burning up. Jarod, you've got a fever.
That's why you feel so bad. Come on, let's get you back to your room." He stood
up.
"What about the simulation?"
Sydney offered Jarod his hand. "It can wait. You're sick. Come on."
* * * * *
Jarod hit the stop button, pulled the disc out before closing the player. He
thought back to the scene he'd just watched, remembering one of the few times as a
child he had been sick. Yes, he had had all the childhood diseases like mumps,
measles, and chicken pox but he knew it had to have happened before he was taken
to the Centre. He was sure because he could vaguely remember his mother taking
care of him, telling him not to stratch the chicken pox or to go back to bed
when he was feeling better.
In this particular piece of footage of the DSA Jarod had the beginning
symptoms of the flu. He had felt AWFUL then, about as bad as he felt now. Sydney
had taken back to his room, making sure he settled into bed as soon as they were
there. Jarod fell asleep within moments of laying down. That had marked the
beginning of several days of drifting in and out of consciousness for Jarod.
Those days had been some of the worst of his life but were also some of the
best. . .
* * * * *
She took one last glance around as she exited the elevator. She rarely came
down this way as her getting involved in any way with the Pretender project was
frowned upon. The children who lived in this part of the Centre were kept here
for a reason she had been told. Since she never really cared what the powers
that be thought of her, she had decided to come here today.
Currently the Centre was housing two other children besides Jarod whom they
considered to have Pretender potential. When she exited the elevator she turned
left, heading for Jarod's room. She wanted to visit with the other two children
but she knew she'd only have enough time to see him. She knew he was bedridden
with a fever that had started out from the flu and had quickly turned in to a
bad case of pneumonia. She knew because she'd recently encountered a very
worried Sydney in the hallway.
She entered the section of the hallway where Jarod's room was located,
surprised to find that no sweepers were anywhere in the area. She was thankful for
small favors, even if she was the Chairman's wife she hadn't known if they would
allow her to visit Jarod or not. She entered the code that would unlock the door
to the room and she entered to a dim room full of monitors.
Catherine's compassion swelled in her heart as she neared Jarod's bed. He
was unconscious and she heard the evidence of the phlegm in his lungs, as his
breathing was loud, labored. She sat in the chair beside his bedside, and took
his hand in one of her own, while with her free hand she touched his fevered
brow.
"Hi, Jarod," she spoke softly, "My name is Catherine. You must wonder why I
am here to visit you. Well because I have a little girl who is a few years
younger than you and I didn't want you have to be alone right now. I know Sydney
is taking very good care of you but sometimes it helps to hear another voice, to
know you're loved. You are loved, Jarod. You have got to believe that. You've
got to come back." She fell silent after that and just held his hand for several
more minutes, touching his brow.
"Catherine?" an accented voice said softly from the door. "What are you
doing here?" Sydney asked as he entered the room.
Reluctantly, she laid Jarod's hand back down at his side and stood up. "I
couldn't stand the thought of him being alone like this." Even as she spoke, she
saw the weariness in Sydney's eyes that came from the vigil he had maintained
since Jarod had taken a turn for the worse.
"He's not," Sydney said and whispered the next sentence, "I won't leave him
alone like this." She knew then with all certainty that there were listening
devices in the room, possibly even a camera.
"I should go," she said. "Please, Sydney, will you tell me if there's any
change in his condition?"
He nodded. "I will, I promise."
"Thank you." After one last look at Jarod, she left.
* * * * *
When Samantha checked up on Jarod again, she found him sound asleep. She smiled
even as her mother instincts took over again and forced her to pull the
blankets off the floor where he'd kicked them. Tomorrow, she'd make sure he'd
moved to the other bed in the room so Louise could change this one. After
leaving a pitcher of cold water where he could easily reach it should he wake up
thirsty during the night, Samantha left him to seek out her own bed.
* * * * *
Catherine waited until Sydney had gone to another sublevel to consult with
one of his colleagues about Jarod's condition. Even now, as he slept, they
watched him with cameras. It wasn't right that they should watch the child
constantly. She had decided to move him to another part of the Centre where she
knew they couldn't watch him. His condition was worse, Sydney had told her, and
if Jarod died she wanted him to die in privacy and not alone.
No one deserved that, especially a young boy like Jarod. Even though she didn't
have the full story, Catherine knew how the Centre got their children. They were
stolen and she knew that is what they had done to Jarod. He had been taken from
his parents when he was little more than a toddler was. It broke her heart to
think about it.
She entered the room, and seeing that Sydney was gone, she motioned to her
partner to follow her in. "We need to hurry," Jacob reminded her as he entered
the room. "The security cameras will be restored any moment and my brother will
return momentarily."
"I know. Let's work quickly," Catherine replied. She helped Jacob to begin
unhook the wires attached to Jarod. They unhooked everything except for the IV
feeding him antibiotics. As soon as they finished, Catherine wrapped a blanket
around Jarod, breathing a prayer for them not to get caught in this. She nodded
to Jacob and he picked Jarod off his bed, carrying him towards the door.
Their journey took only moments to complete and Catherine returned to
Jarod's room to wait for Sydney's return. The cameras were still circumvented
for 10 more minutes and she knew she could trust him with Jarod's new location
in the Centre. She fingered her rosary lightly in her fingers, praying as she
waited for Sydney. . .
* * * * *
Sublevel 10
Room 1022
The Centre
"Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among
women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God,
pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen." Catherine began a
string of prayers for Jarod this way. She was seated by his bedside again,
having agreed to watch over him for a few hours in order to allow Sydney a
chance to rest.
The powers that be were not pleased that she'd moved Jarod to where he
couldn't be observed by their cameras. Still they hadn't ordered for her to
reveal his location in the Centre or from him to be moved back before he got
well again. She prayed, clutching the rosary, and closed her eyes.
"Mom?" Jarod's voice said, weakly.
Catherine's eyes snapped open and she looked at him. He'd been asleep for
over a day now, not stirring in the slightest after they had moved him. The
doctors had done everything they possibly could for him and now they said it was
up to him.
* * * * *
Samantha opened the door allowing her daughter to enter the room first. The
little girl carried an extra clean blanket neatly folded along with a sheet.
Louise followed in behind them, shaking her head at the mess the bedding was in.
"Jarod?" Samantha called out when she saw the bed was empty.
"I'll be out in a minute," his voice replied from the bathroom.
Samantha watched Colleen and Louise as she waited for him to come out.
Colleen helped Louise as best she could to make the bed but in the end, Samantha
called her daughter over to sit in a chair so Louise could finish up. She had
just finished making the bed and was leaving when Jarod opened the door. He came
out clean, having taken a shower and shaved. He was dressed, as though he were
ready to leave.
"Jarod?" Samantha asked.
He smiled at her. "I'm feeling much, much better now."
"Well you sound much better. Are you sure you're well enough to travel?" she
asked.
Jarod nodded as he packed the last of his belongings. "You've been
wonderful, Samantha. You and Colleen both but I need to get going." He debated
on whether or not he should tell her that she'd be getting some visitors after
he had left. He decided to tell her, knowing he owed her at least a warning
about Miss Parker and the Centre sweeper team he was sure would track him here.
"You're not on the run from the law are you?" Samantha said, glancing at her
daughter as she did. Colleen was seated at the table, coloring a picture she'd
been drawing since yesterday. She wasn't paying any attention to what they were
saying.
"No, I'm not a fugitive from the law, but there some people who want me
back," he answered. Samantha sat by her daughter at the table while Jarod had
chosen one of the beds where he had placed his packed bags. "It's a long story,
Samantha, but when I was a child, these people took me from my parents and until
a few years ago I was still with them."
"These people kidnapped you and now are chasing you? Why don't you go to the
authorities about them?" she asked.
"I can't."
"Why not?"
"There are... complications, I can't explain it further than that. Samantha,
listen to me very carefully. When a woman named Miss Parker comes here, it's
okay to tell her I was here but absolutely DO NOT repeat anything I just said to
her. It's important that the people she works for believe that you know nothing
about them because they are VERY secretive. Do you understand?" Jarod asked.
"I think so."
"Promise me you won't repeat anything I've said."
"I promise."
"Thank you, Samantha."
Jarod left shortly after that but not before Colleen gave him the drawing
she'd been working on. It was a "get well soon" wish, and after he'd tucked it
in with the rest of his belongings, Jarod left in a cab he'd called to take him
to the airport. Samantha and Colleen said their good-byes to him, Samantha
thanking him again for his help in keeping the motel.
He waited until they were a few miles down the road before he told the
driver to take him to the train station instead. Half an hour later, he was on a
train bound for the eastern United States. He was still a little tired from the
flu but he was on the mend. Still after an hour of watching the scenery from the
window, Jarod fell asleep even as he remembered Catherine Parker's voice as she
sung softly to him.
* * * * *
Baby mine,
Don't you cry.
Baby mine,
Dry your eyes.
Rest your heart close to
My heart
Never to part ,
Baby of mine.
Her voice was soft and gentle as she held him in her arms. Jarod had been in
an almost delirious state for an hour and after the doctor said there was little
more they could do for him, Catherine decided that he wouldn't die alone or
without feeling a pair of loving arms around him. She sat in his bed, cradling
him as though he were a small child.
"Mom, is that you?" Jarod said, his eyes closed.
Catherine fought the tears in her eyes from seeping through into her voice.
"Yes, sweetheart, it's Mom."
"Oh mom, I've missed you so much," Jarod's voice was weak.
"I know, honey. Hush, now and Mama will sing to you. Sleep now," she said
and waited as he quieted down.
Softly she began to sing again . . .
Little one,
When you play...
Don't you mind what they say.
Let those eyes sparkle and shine
Never a tear,
Baby of mine.
From your head
Down to your toes,
You're not much
Goodness knows!
But you're so
Precious to me,
Sweet as can be
Baby of mine!
About this time, Sydney had returned and fought tears in his own eyes as he
watched Catherine with Jarod. She looked up at him, motioning into the room.
Jarod was dying, she knew and she didn't want him to die thinking his father
wasn't there.
Sydney hesitated. "Catherine, I'm not his-"
"Sydney, please. He needs a father right now and besides they can't watch
right now. And I know that you love him. Don't let him die like this, Sydney,"
Catherine replied.
"Mom? Dad?"
"I'm here, honey," Catherine said.
Sydney hesitated only a moment more. "I'm here, Jarod." He sat down on the
bed after Catherine made room from him. He touched Jarod's hand as a tear escaped
his eyes. Catherine smiled at him, she too was crying.
"We're here, Jarod. We're both right here."
* * * * *
Miss Parker ripped open the latest gift from Jarod, pulling out a compact
disc. It was a DVD of the movie DUMBO. There was a note on it telling her to
play a certain number on the DVD. She left her office, carrying the DVD in her
hand, and she went to Broots' area.
"What's that?" Sydney asked when he saw the CD in her hand.
"Jarod's latest little gift," she replied, handing the CD to Broots.
"What do you want me to do with this?" he asked.
"It's a DVD. Doesn't your computer have a DVD player?" she asked, clearly
annoyed with him.
"Y-yes."
"Well play it then, Einstein," she replied. She told him which track to play
of the movie, not willing to sit through the entire thing just to get Jarod's
point. On the screen, it showed Dumbo going to visit his mother while was in
the isolation trailer.
"Baby mine, don't you cry..." Miss Parker paled at the song.
"Turn it off, Broots, I've heard enough," she said. But she didn't wait for
him to comply, but instead just stormed out of the room.
"Syd, what was that about?" Broots asked, stopping the movie.
"May I have that DVD disc, Broots?" Sydney asked.
"Sure." Broots gave him the disc and watched as he too left the room.
"What's wrong with them?"
* * * * *
Sydney retreated to his office with the DVD in his hand. He sat down heavily
in his chair, and leaning back he turned the movie over and over again in his
hands. While he knew why Miss Parker was so uncomfortable when she had heard
that song, he knew Jarod's intentions had been to send a message to him. His
phone rang, bringing Sydney out of his thoughts and reaching forward, he picked up
the phone.
"This is Sydney."
"Did you get it?" Jarod's voice asked.
"Jarod, are you all right? You sound a little hoarse."
"I'm fine. Just had a little bout with the flu."
"To answer your question, yes we got it. Miss Parker was as pale as a ghost
when she heard the song," Sydney said.
"I see. And you ?" Jarod asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Sydney, I remember a time I was very sick, at death's door. I remember
Catherine Parker singing that song to me. I also remember her saying she was my
mom, as I was delirious with fever. She was afraid I was going to die. But do
you know what else I remember?" Jarod asked.
"What?"
"I remember someone sitting at my side as Catherine held me close to her,
someone who said he was my dad. It was you, wasn't it, Sydney?" Jarod asked.
"Jarod, you're mistaken; it wasn't me but Jacob," Sydney lied.
"Thank you, Sydney," Jarod said, and hung up.
Sydney laid the phone back down, knowing he'd hurt Jarod. He picked up the
DVD again, staring at it. "I'm sorry, Jarod, maybe one day I'll be able to tell
you the entire truth."
FIN
**The song used above is entitled "Baby Mine" as sung by Alison Kraus. No
copyright infringement is intended by its use in this story**