Chapter 2
"Don't go. Stay. I think this is a mistake. I've got a really bad feeling about this."
"It's gonna be fine. I'll see you soon."
:
"Cutter?"
Someone was calling his name, and it wasn't Claudia, damn it. "Wha'?"
He'd promised that he'd see her soon and now she didn't even exist. It was his fault. Something he'd done, or not done, in the past. It had to be the biggest cosmic joke of all time.
"Come on, Professor. I've got snacks. You really should try and eat something." The owner of the voice was shaking his shoulder insistently.
They'd kissed with a passionate intensity he hadn't experienced in years. What he wouldn't give to have seen Helen's face right then. Must have been priceless. Hell, Claudia had taken him by surprise, never mind Helen. "Mmm."
"Cutter?" Another shake.
Bitch. Stephen wasn't wrong there. He'd resisted the idea as long as he could, trying to give his wife the benefit of the doubt. But he couldn't deny it any longer - everyone else was right and he was wrong. She really was the enemy. A wannabe Queen Bitch Of The Universe. Another cosmic joke. Thoughts of Helen finally got him moving. He really didn't want to think about her. Time to get up.
"Alright, alright. Give me a minute." He slowly levered himself upright, then immediately leaned forward clutching his head. His skull was pounding and his mouth was pasty. "My God, how much did I have to drink last night?" He cracked open his eyelids and started back at the image of Connor's face floating in front of him. The sudden movement aggravated his stiff neck. "Ow."
Connor laughed. "No such luck, I'm afraid. You passed out on me earlier. Well, not on me, obviously." Humour turned to worry. "Anyway, I think it was a combination of low blood sugar, dehydration and shock. You went out like a light. Scared the pants off me, to be honest." He turned and picked up something from behind him, holding it out to Cutter. "Come on. Water first, then food. There's aspirin if you want it."
Cutter blindly held out his hand for the glass, then downed the contents in one as soon as it was in his grasp. He leaned back on the sofa with his eyes closed. "Aspirin. Now," he ordered, holding out the glass in what he hoped was the right direction. He was willing to risk getting stomach ulcers if it stopped his head from splitting open.
Another glass of water, this time accompanied by a couple of painkillers, and he couldn't put off facing the world any longer. This world.
"How long have I been asleep?" He still felt tired, and Connor didn't look much better. He had the beginnings of dark smudges under his eyes. Cutter realised that he wasn't the only one who'd had a really long day – the whole team had. "Did you get any sleep yourself at all?"
"About 6 hours, and yeah, a bit. Then I woke up ravenous and went in search of sustenance. Brought some back for you. Better eat it quick, I'm still hungry," Connor joked and stood up, moving to sprawl on the sofa next to Cutter, a mug of tea in hand.
Cutter realised Connor had been sitting on a coffee table in front of the sofa. On it was a half-empty bottle of water, a bottle of aspirin, and a tray containing a plate of sandwiches, a packet of crisps, some chocolate bars, an apple, and another mug of tea. His insides chose that moment to make some obscene gurgling noises.
Connor grinned at him. "I think someone's trying to tell you something."
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TBC...
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