Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.

Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.

6.2 Plots and Plans

James Lester turned the sleek jaguar off the motorway and started down a narrow country road. The long drive home on Friday afternoon gave him a chance to unwind a little. It made it easier for him to drop the mask… switch roles… ready to play his favorite part. He paused to wave his security badge at the entrance gate monitor. Slowly, it opened to let him move onto the driveway. He grabbed the files as he exited the car, wondering, would she be home tonight? He stood, twisting keys in locks, hearing the sound of excited chatter, footsteps pounding down the hallway. The door swung open wide. He was grabbed from all sides, voices calling, "Daddy!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x

Connor had finally been let out of the hospital Friday afternoon. He had come into the ARC, but Lester had told him no work until Monday, repeating what Matt had said in the parking garage nearly a week before, "No field work for you until the doctor says you are cleared."

Connor frowned remembering his first meeting with the doctor.

"I'll be the judge of that…," said the doctor. "Hmmm."

Looking up from his notes, the doctor spoke again "let me see if I've got this right… first… you were involved in a motor vehicle accident."

"Yeah," Connor replied monosyllabically.

"You were unconscious briefly then," said the doctor "just a matter of minutes, right?"

"Yeah," Connor replied again, and nodded for emphasis.

"Then later, you climbed up on some sort of machine… and fell… to the floor below," continued the doctor. "How far of a fall would you estimate that was?"

"Don't know," said Connor 'hit me head… was unconscious again."

The doctor sighed in exasperation. "Do you have any idea how long you were unconscious then?" he asked.

Connor thought. "Well," he began, "Abby said it was almost an hour before she saw me again."

"What?" exclaimed the doctor, "You were unconscious for an hour?"

"No," replied Connor. "After I fell, I woke up and there was a… a creature…" he shuddered at the memory. " I thought it was gonna eat me, but a wind came up and I dunno… the next thing I know I'm waking up again and Matt's there to help and then Abby came…"

"Right," interrupted the doctor, remembering the news of the day and all the patients in the emergency ward, "Three periods of unconsciousness today… and you said something about falling out of a tree a year and a half ago… hit your head then and were unconscious…"

"Yeah," replied Connor. Thinking it best to stick to one word answers… trying to explain seemed to make things worse.

"You weren't examined then…" said the doctor sounding puzzled. "But you were examined and treated for two mild concussions in the months prior to that…"

"Yeah," agreed Connor nodding his head yet again.

"And then, intracranial hemorrhage when you were thirteen," said the doctor. "Records indicate you were in a coma for three days… that right?"

Connor stiffened at the doctor's last comment. He shut his eyes tight at the memory. "Yeah," he said again. This time, he didn't move a muscle.

The doctor looked at him with an expression of sympathy. He made a decision.

"Right then, we'll admit you tonight for observation, I'll want an MRI tomorrow, and then we'll see where we go from there."

Connor sighed. The one night of observation had turned into a much longer stay… and multiple tests. Thank goodness the ARC carried a full coverage insurance plan for its employees he thought.

Mrs. Lester had called his mother… told her he had been admitted to the hospital, but little else. So, his mum had come rushing to London to check on him… he had tried to tell her it wasn't anything serious, and they stepped out for pizza. That had been a mistake.

Connor remembered the way his mum's face had changed expression when she heard the word concussion. "Doctors say that's a traumatic brain injury," she said worriedly. She couldn't wait to get him back to the hospital… ordering the waiter to box the pizza… she kept looking at Connor as if he would break.

The nurses hadn't been happy with him either. Apparently stepping out was frowned upon. They had tightened their watch on him, only letting him have limited visitation… they kept telling him to rest… and they had taken his pizza. Connor was sure they had eaten it themselves.

But, things were getting back to normal now… or at least the new normal… he chuckled to himself. When was anything ever really normal?

His mum had finally been satisfied that he wasn't going to fall apart, so she had returned home. His little sister had gone back to uni. He and Abby were adjusting to their new status as an engaged couple. They were hunting for a flat of their own. It was time. They certainly couldn't stay with Jess forever.

As he waited for Abby to finish up in the menagerie so they could leave, he turned the page of the real estate brochure… a familiar chirp sounded, a little green paw planted itself on one of the listings.

"What do you think Rex," asked Connor "this one maybe?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x

Matt watched as Abby and Connor left the ARC, chattering animatedly with their heads bent over a brochure of some sort… not even looking where they were going.

"Hey," he called loudly. The pair froze in their tracks. The panel van passed them with a rush of exhaust fumes. "What are you two doing walking out here," he asked "thought you car pooled with Jess…"

"She left for the grocers," Abby volunteered. Connor was still staring as the panel van turned a corner and disappeared from sight.

"I've seen that van before," he said.

Matt stiffened. He and Abby both spoke at once.

"What… where?"

"Yeah, Connor," said Abby rapping the brochure lightly across his arm "the phone company has vans like that all over London."

"But… but…" spluttered Connor. It wasn't a phone company van, their logo was different. He was sure of it.

"Do you two want a lift," asked Matt.

"No, looks like you are headed the opposite direction… and anyway, we thought we'd walk…" responded Abby happily. Waving the real estate brochure at him, she continued "a couple of these places are on the way to Jess' flat."

"Well then," said Matt unknowingly echoing Stephen's words from so long ago, "Stay out of trouble."

As he drove out of London, Matt wondered what he would find in the little town north of Aylesbury. The Lester's had been married there, and the vicar was going to let him have a look at the registry records.

-x-x-x-x-x-x