Chapter 2
Richie Ryan stood in the hallway on the entry level of Wolf Lake General Hospital, nervously staring at the door. It had been three hours since he'd made the phone call, and he'd been at his post for at least twenty minutes. Richie now prided himself on his potted plant impression; blending into the background as doctors, family members, and injured parties walked or wheeled by.
Finally, a familiar figure in a black trench coat slipped through the Emergency Room doors. The dark haired man made a beeline to Richie.
"Where is she?" Came the husky Scottish brogue.
That, more than anything, cut through Richie's numbness. Duncan MacLeod only slipped into his native accent when he was really shaken. Richie blinked back hot tears, pushing himself off the rough wallpaper. "She's in critical care. It was really bad, Mac. I've never seen… I mean, I've never been to war before. It's.."
Duncan didn't have to be asked, he enveloped his friend in a full hug, cupping the back of Richie's head. A few nurses raised eyebrows, but truly, Mac could care less. "It's not like we're used to. I know."
After a brief moment of comfort, Richie sniffed and pulled back. He composed himself quickly. "Were you able to get a hold of Adam?"
Mac nodded, "He jumped on a private plane the minute I called him. He's on his way over the Pacific. So it will take a while."
"Alright then, she's down this way."
Richie attempted to walk Mac into the critical care unit where he'd left Vivian. As they passed the nurses station, a red-haired woman in a nurse's scrubs blocked their path. "Gentlemen, I can't let you past unless you are immediate family."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Richie growled, "I was just back there with the Cates family. We are personal friends of Deirdre Cates."
"That may be," The nurse replied, "But that was before my shift. Right now there are too many patients in critical care and we are over-crowded. Safety regulations dictate that we restrict visitation to only immediate family members at this time."
Duncan stepped up to her. "We understand the regulations, ma'am. But I am here on behalf of Deirdre's father, while he is flying in from overseas. He has asked that Mr. Ryan and myself keep abreast of Deirdre's medical condition, and apprise him as needed."
The nurse clutched her clipboard to her chest. For a split second, Richie thought she would cave. Mac had that effect on women. Then she pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. "I'm sorry that won't be possible. Ms. Cates's family are already attending her. If her 'father' wants an update, he can speak directly to the family."
"Nurse Brinkley," came a voice from behind them. The sheriff was walking down the hall at a clip. "I've got it from here."
Richie gave Mac a relieved look as the redhead walked away. "Thanks, Sheriff. Mac, meet Sheriff Matt Donner. Sheriff Donner, my friend and Deirdre's teacher, Duncan MacLeod."
Mac held out a hand to Matt. The sheriff obliged him with a handshake. "Thank you for coming, Mr. MacLeod. I'm sorry to have to turn you away, but the nurse was right. The hospital simply cannot accommodate anyone who isn't Deirdre's direct family."
Richie's face screwed up. "What? What the hell, man? I stood next to you, fought next to you out there."
Mac's jaw set. "Sheriff, I have trained Deirdre for over a decade. I took her to get her driver's license. Both of them. We exchange gifts every Christmas and most birthdays. I am just as much family to her as anyone in this town can claim to be."
"Be that as it may, Mr. MacLeod." Matt nodded. "We cannot allow anyone in to see Deirdre, without her mother's permission, at minimum. And right now Mrs. Cates is in conference with Deirdre's doctors. You're welcome to wait in the lobby, until she can be reached. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to check on my own daughter."
With that the sheriff walked away, slipping past the door into the critical care unit.
"Prick." Richie muttered. "I wonder what he'll have to say when Adam shows up. Let them try and keep The Old Man away."
"Oh I don't think we'll have to wait for that." Duncan ground out through clenched teeth.
"What? You wanna sneak in?" Richie whispered incredulously. Looking around, he dropped his voice another notch. "Mac maybe I didn't make it clear enough over the phone. This town is full of werewolves. And let me tell you from experience, those claws hurt like a bitch."
Mac shot him a devilish smile. "But they can't kill you. Come on, Rich, where's your sense of adventure?"
Looking back and forth, Duncan pushed through a nearby door marked as a stairwell. Richie cursed under his breath, checked the hallway, and followed right behind.
After Luke and Vivian left the room, and while Richie Ryan waited on the arrival of his friend, Ruby Cates finally sat down for a much needed rest. John was busy dealing with rounding up any vampire stragglers left in town, and keeping Tyler Creed far away from the hospital. The stream of injured wolves that she'd been healing in the ER had ebbed to a trickle. The doctors thanked Ruby and sent her upstairs to check on her family.
She was so bone tired. After the battle, the healing, and the emotional strain of watching her little sister being hauled off on a gurney, Ruby could think of nothing better than to lay her head down and sleep. She plopped onto the waiting room couch that was positioned next to Sophia's chair, and curled her knees up to her chest, so her toes wouldn't dangle off the end.
Sophia turned toward Ruby in her sleep, giving a whimper like she was having a nightmare. The last thing Ruby did before dozing off herself, was to tuck Sophia's blanket around her and give her hand a reassuring squeeze.
As the blackness took Ruby, she felt a sense of vertigo; like she was falling. Her vision was blank like a chalkboard. When the dizziness subsided, Ruby's vision went from black to green. "What the hell?"
"Ruby?"
Ruby blinked a few times in the direction of the voice. "Sophia?"
Ruby felt a hand on her shoulder. Her eyes snapped open. When had she reached the forest? Dream. Ruby told herself. It must be a dream.
"That's what I thought." Sophia replied. "Until you got here."
Sophia offered Ruby a hand, and pulled the older woman onto her feet. "Do you recognize where we are? What part of the forest?"
"I dunno." Sophia said. "You've explored them more than I have. Besides, I've been walking around for a while and they kinda seem to morph around me. Like the forest is just some kind of a metaphor."
"So we are in a dream." Ruby confirmed.
Sophia flexed her arms and hands freely, demonstrating her distinct lack of injury. "I'm pretty sure. Yeah."
"Weird." Ruby offered.
"Even weirder," Sophia agreed, "I don't think it's my dream."
Ruby snorted. "Well it isn't mine. I just got here. So if it's not your dream, whose is it?"
"Deirdre's?" Sophia offered
"How do you figure?" Ruby asked.
In response, Sophia pointed through a pair of trees. Ruby looked, and saw a huge clearing with a great hill in the center. On top of the hill sat a tall, turn of the twentieth century Victorian house. It was completely out of place in the middle of the Pacific Northwest forest of Wolf Lake. Ruby had seen pictures of San Francisco's so-called "Painted Ladies" in art books at the Seattle Public Library. They were historical landmarks, and this one was a beauty. It had a bright purple exterior with white shutters and gingerbread trim work. It was breathtaking.
"I think that's Dee's house." Sophia offered.
"How?" Ruby croaked.
"I think…" Sophia stuttered. "I think it's me."
Ruby gave her a confused look. Sophia licked her lips and began to pull at her fingertips nervously. "You know how you can heal people now? And Deirdre can do, whatever it was she did during the battle...Reviving and putting the wolves to sleep?"
Ruby nodded, waiting.
"I think this is what I can do. I can join people's dreams. I did it once before when Dee first came to town, but I didn't know I was doing it. I thought it was my dream. Now I think it was Dee's. And now I've brought you into one."
"Okay." Ruby said slowly, feeling uneasy. "So I can heal wolves, Deirdre can..command them, and you can walk through their dreams?"
"See? Weirder." Sophia concluded.
"The Prophecy." Ruby mumbled.
"Huh?" Sophia asked.
"The Prophecy of the Trinity." Ruby replied. "It's something Sherman used to ramble on about when I first Flipped. My twin, Amanda, died around the same time. So I didn't pay much attention. Something about me being the first White Wolf born to the Pack in hundreds of years."
Sophia nodded, continuing the narrative. "Sherman came to me just after I flipped. He said White Wolves are born to keep the Pack safe. On the crossing from the Old World, the Pack had three. One of them Prophesied an age of great peril, in which three would be born to the Pack again. The Heart, The Mind, and The Spirit. You're the Heart, Ruby. You were born first, and you have the power to heal."
"And I'm pretty sure that Dreamwalking is a power only The Mind could accomplish." Ruby gestured around herself, then back to Sophia.
"Then, that would make Deirdre The Spirit." Sophia breathed. Without another word, she hopped the thicket and headed for the house.
"Wait!" Ruby shouted, following after her. "Where are you going?"
Sophia slowed to a power walk up the hill, so Ruby could catch up. "She's dying, Ruby. Deirdre is dying, which means The Spirit of our Pack is dying. If there was any reason why I started developing these powers now, it had to be to stop this."
"Alright," Ruby shrugged. "I'm in. You got a plan?"
They arrived at the door to the house in a flash. The forest closed in behind them, filling in the clearing and trapping them on the porch. Sophia shot a look to Ruby. "Um. I guess we knock?"
Ruby's eyebrows shot into her hairline. "Me?"
"You're older."
Ruby shot Sophia a nasty look. On the door of the house was a gargoyle faced knocker. The ring was clenched in the mouth of the gargoyle. Ruby picked up the ring, half expecting the gargoyle to eat her fingers. She slammed it down once, twice, then jumped back. The door creaked open on it's own, and Sophia and Ruby entered Deirdre's Dream House.
The house was just as beautiful inside as outside. Hardwood furniture accented warmly painted walls. The air smelled vaguely of lilacs. Sophia could hear a duo of tiny voices wafting in from another room.
You are my sunshine. My only sunshine.
You make me happy, when skies are gray.
You'll never know dear, how much I love you.
Please don't take my sunshine away.
Ruby opened a door to the side of the main staircase and motioned to Sophia. They entered the room to discover that it was a dance studio. Neutral toned walls held ballet barres. One whole wall was taken by mirrors. In the center of the smooth blonde hardwood floor, two tiny girls were dancing. Their hands clasped in one another's; they spun as they sang.
You are my sunshine. My only sunshine.
You make me happy, when skies are gray.
You'll never know dear, how much I love you.
Please don't take my sunshine away.
One little girl had long straight, honey brown hair. She was wearing jeans, and a sweatshirt that read "United States Navy" across the chest. Her blue eyes twinkled as she spun. The other girl's eyes were squeezed shut. Her long dark chestnut curls cascaded over her white easter dress while her patent leather shoes squeaked against the hardwood.
"Deirdre?" Ruby whispered. Her voice sounded almost haunted to Sophia.
The girls stopped dancing, and the girl in the white dress glared at Ruby with furious green eyes. "Go 'way Ruby. I don't wanna to play with you."
"Why not?" The other girl giggled. "Why can't they play with us?"
Little Deirdre turned to her friend. "Cause they want me to go back. And I just want to stay here with you, Allie."
Ruby knelt in front of Little Deirdre, prompting Sophia to do the same with Allie. Ruby scolded her little sister. "Deirdre, you must hang on and come back to us. We need you. The Pack needs you."
"Don't care what the Pack needs." Little Deirdre replied stubbornly, her lower lip jutting out. "I done enough. I want to stay here with my Allie."
"Okay. What if we stay here and play with you a while?" Sophia asked, turning to Allie. "My name is Sophia. It's nice to meet you Allie."
Allie stuck out a hand to Sophia, which Sophia shook dutifully. "Mama calls me Allie, but my real name is Alethia. That means Truth in Ancient Greek."
Sophia chuckled at the precocious little girl. "Good to know."
"No, Allie!" Little Deirdre stammered. She was on the verge of tears now. "You said you would stay here and play with me. Only me!"
"But there's so little time." Allie whined back at her friend. "And there's so much they need to know about what happened before."
"You promised you wouldn't tell about that!" Little Dee growled.
"No I didn't." Allie argued stoically. "You're the one who didn't want to tell. But they are your sisters. They need to know!"
Ruby and Sophia watched the stand off between the two little girls, who were anything but. Mini Deirdre crossed her arms across her chest and glared at Alethia. Alethia followed suit. They stood like that for what seemed like eternity before Deirdre let out a petulant whine. "Fine!"
"Fine!" Alethia countered.
"But I get to pick the game!" Deirdre insisted. "And I piiiiick…"
Little Deirdre ran up to Ruby and slapped her on the shoulder, shouting. "Tag! You're it."
Before she knew it, Allie had slapped Sophia on the knee, yelling. "Tag! You're it!"
The little girls ran through a door on the opposite side of the room. Ruby and Sophia exchanged a look and a shrug.
"Ideas?" Ruby asked.
"I don't see another way out. And we need Deirdre." Sophia reasoned.
"Tag it is, then." Ruby concluded.
Sophia followed Ruby through the same exit as the girls. It lead to an impossibly long hallway; one of those door-lined dream halls that expanded the further Ruby and Sophia ran after the giggling girls. At the end of the hall, Allie and Dee stopped to giggle at them. Then, Alethia ran through a door on the left, and Deirdre ran through the door on the right. The hallway stopped expanding, allowing Ruby and Sophia to reach the end panting.
"What now?" Sophia gasped.
"We go after them!" Ruby scoffed. "This was your idea!"
Sophia nodded. "I'll take Allie. You take Dee. We find out what they want us to know, then meet back here?"
"Solid." Ruby nodded. She turned to the door on the right, which began to glow red around the edges. Similarly, the door to the left began to leak yellow smoke around it's edges. Ruby laughed nervously. "Now that's not creepy at all!"
"We meet back here!" Sophia repeated. She didn't know whose courage she was trying to bolster; Ruby's or her own.
The White Wolves of Wolf Lake gave each other one last nod, opened their respective doors, and jumped through.
The yellow smoke threatened to envelop Sophia. She felt a tap on her back and looked down to see Alethia behind her. "Tag! You're still it!"
The little girl ran off into the smoke, and Sophia ran after her. As she ran, the air got stuffier, bodies seemed to appear out of the void. One here, another their, bodies of all shapes and sizes. Sophia could hear music playing, a gut busting drum beat backing up trance synthesizer.
The bodies were getting so crowded that Sophia had to push past them to keep up with Alethia. That's when Sophia recognized her surroundings. She was in a nightclub.
