"Nothing happened?" Jack was astounded.
"Nothing happened here," Henry corrected. "Something could have happened somewhere else."
"What's going on?" Summer shook her head to clear away the fog in her mind.
"What do you remember?" Nathan gently sat her on the sidewalk.
"I was with Nick. We had just sat down at the table," Summer said rubbing her eyes.
"And then what?" Allison knelt down in front of her again.
"Nothing. It's black like I'm under anesthesia." She continued to shake her head.
"How are you feeling now," Allison asked as she looked into Summer's eyes. They looked as though they were brightened from within.
"Thirsty, dizzy, I cant see past a bright light in my eyes, but I can make out the sun."
"What happened?" Yeeling Lau, Nick's and Summer's employer hurried over to Summer followed by Eewan. "You get sick again, Summer?"
"Aye-ya, E! No, freakier than that," Summer said looking to them as four cell phones rang.
Allison backed off ad she, Henry, Nathan, and Jack answered their phones. Yeeling and Nick looked over Summer until they hung up.
"Summer was there anything strange that happened to you recently?" Jack squatted down in front of her as Henry left for his garage.
"No," Summer said shaking her head. "No, wait. Yesterday, just before Dr. Stark found me in the alley."
"You said it was your imagination," Nathan said looking at her.
"I thought it was, too. But after this, I don't think so."
"What happened?"
"There was a ball of light. I'm curious by nature, so I touched it."
"You touched a floating light?" Nick turned to her. "You're 32 and you don't know not to touch strange things?"
"I'm a 32-year-old science-fiction writer who works part-time as a waitress. A floating light that works its way up your arm and comfortingly settles into your brain? It's genius! It's a little scary, but it's good." Summer smiled in his direction.
"She's nuts!"
"We've known that for a while."
"You write science-fiction?" Allison sounded curious.
"From my imagination, which, of course, is extrapolated from reality. I never really thought was real, but after this, I will never be sure again." Summer sighed. "And can someone please tell me why I can't see?"
"We should get to Global," Allison said standing, taking Summer's hand and helping her up.
"I'm going with you." Nick took Summer's other arm.
"No."
"Yes," Summer said, effectively overruling Nathan. "As my only family in this town, Nick is my next of kin. He has to come with me."
Allison looked to Jack who shrugged. "She's right."
"If he doesn't come, he knows I'd rather go blind. We will leave by some way."
"He can come." Allison said as she pulled Summer towards her car.
Summer let out a sigh as Nick gently pushed their co-workers out of the way, with quiet reassurances that all would be well.
XXXXXX
"Tell me exactly what happened," Nathan said as he used a scanner over Summer's eyes.
"I was in the alley, the light came towards me. I touched it, it went through my hand, up my arm, and into my head, which is where you found me a few seconds later." She sat in the infirmary on a hospital bed. Nick had left with Jack to clear a few legal matters.
"And the light in your eyes?"
"Just after we sat at the table it came."
"How would you describe the light," Allison asked from over Nathan's shoulder.
"White with hints of yellow, orange, and tan. And it moved." She paused for a moment. "Actually, it's still moving."
"Behind your eyes?" Summer nodded. "Can you still draw?"
"I think you should just give me a hairball; it looks kinda like that, but moving."
Allison looked to Nathan. "Summer, we're going to need to do a few more tests."
"Will they help?"
"Maybe. We can't know until we do them."
Summer shuddered in her place, closing her eyes as if in pain. When she stopped shaking, she opened her eyes now glowing brighter than before. "That will not work," she said in a toneless voice.
"What?" Nathan shielded his eyes as he tried to look at Summer.
"Using this receptacle to gain the answers you need." Her eyes seemed to penetrate is soul as she looked him over.
Nathan lowered his hand and took the Artifact's hand in his. "It's killing him."
"I'm killing her. Time is now fixed. I will be removed from them both in time. Now you need to trust them."
"How long?"
"A few months," the Artifact smiled at him. "You will be surprised at how you will change in that time; and they will change with all of you." The Artifact slumped forward into Nathan, making him catch her before she fell off the bed.
He laid her on the bed as Nick and Jack entered, finished with their business. "What happened to her?" Nick pulled Nathan away from his resting cousin.
"I don't know, but we should let her rest."
"Tell me, Nick, what talents do you and your cousin have besides waiting and bussing tables," Allison asked as she pulled up another chair for herself as Nick sat himself in Nathan's previously occupied spot.
"I went to school for engineering, but had to stop when I divorced my ex-wife: lack of funds. Summer… She's very smart, and she can adapt. She's really good at many things but she's best in logic processing and handling younger kids."
"She said she writes science-fiction. What's her pen name?"
"Alice Meri Fox."
Allison stopped writing for a moment and looked from Nick to Summer and back again. "She's Alice Meri?"
"Yeah, why?"
Allison said nothing but snorted as she attempted to stifle her laughter. "I didn't think it was that funny," Nathan said looking at her confusedly.
"It's a woman thing. Watch this," Nick said before he leaned closer to Allison. "Fungi."
The single word sent every female in the infirmary bubbling up with laughter while the men stood back and watched them confusedly.
"What just happened?" Jack looked over the women worriedly.
"It's a term in reference to a section of Sum's books that deals with the term 'fungus', singular of the word 'fungi'. It makes women laugh whenever they hear it, if they've read the book."
"Dr. Blake." Fargo entered with a tablet and stylus. "I need your signature for Miss Steele and Mr. Meisner to stay in town."
"Thank you, Fargo." Allison took the tablet and signed her name.
"Summer said yesterday that the Lau's thought that Beverly Barlow was poisoning them," Jack said to Nick. "I want to go talk with them. Will you come with?"
Nick looked to Summer and then to Allison. "It's okay, Nick. She'll wake up and be seen by the doctors."
He nodded and kissed Summer's head fondly. "Be careful, Sum." Her response was silent but her head gave the most unnoticeable nod, as if she had heard him and would honor his request.
XXXXXX
A/n: I still don't know what exploded! And no I'm not going to explain "Fungi". People who wish to know can look up different species of fungus and figure it out. Sorry. Reviews are awesome!
