Crashing Down


"Now that is just painful." Ron said, looking as Bonnie's golfball described a beautiful arc….into the tiny "river" that flowed under the equally tiny "London Bridge".

"Hush, you." Bonnie said. "I'm still adjusting to the mystical power that now flows through my veins."

"And that explains you missed how?" Tara's newest date, Felix asked. Ron had met Felix a few days ago—a new student transferred in, who, like Kim, was confined to a wheelchair. Unlike Kim, he had been confined ever since he was four. Kim hadn't had a chance to meet him.

Or you don't want to, because of course it makes sense to feel guilty that you didn't get crippled until you were 12. Ron thought. Sometimes Kim could make you want to scream…or get a camcorder when she started babbling.

"So Tara…" Bonnie drawled. "Still doing the 'I can remember anything?'"

"No…" Tara said, flipping a lock of blonde hair back, "It made me remember too much, if you can believe it. My head felt stuffed. I stopped taking them yesterday."

"Well, from what you ate at Bueno Nacho…. Maybe it was. Stuffed, I mean.." Felix mentioned and Tara pouted.

"I let you date me, and this is my reward?" She said. Felix laughed and abruptly two metallic tentacles whipped out and pulled her on to his lap. Tara gave a squeak and then giggled.

With that, the teens continued on to the next hole on the miniature golf course. Ron grinned, this was fun. No wonder all big political deals occurred during a game of golf.

As the night continued, they laughed and kept an impromptu score of who was winning and who was losing. Ron and Felix got into a game of who could miss the hole most entertainingly, which had golf balls raining all over the course.

Tara, on the other hand, seemed to be more and more out of it, shaking her head occasionally like an irritated horse.

"What's wrong, Tara?" Felix asked. Tara blinked at him, looked at her putter in her hands like it had just appeared and shook her head.

"No…nothing, Felix…"

"OK." Felix said, but kept looking over at her, with some concern.

"I…" Tara shook her head again, and went blank.

"Tara?" Bonnie asked. "Tara!" She said, concern in her voice. Tara just stood their swaying slightly.

"What's wrong?" Ron asked.

"I don't know."

"You took my ice cream." Tara said, her voice higher pitched.

"What?" Felix said in confusion. Ron looked equally puzzled. Tara…didn't look like Tara right now, her face slack, eyes blinking in confusion…her posture was even different…less… skilled. Ron thought.

"Ice cream?" Ron asked.

"Who are you?" She said, in a high pitched confused voice. "Where's my ice cream?"

"Tara…what are you talking about?" Bonnie asked. Tara's eyes wandered, and fixated on Bonnie.

"You." She said, angrily. Bonnie backed up. Suddenly there was another expression on Tara's face. Rage.

"You…Took my Ice Cream!" She screamed, and before the stunned teens could do anything else, she leaped on Bonnie, hammering away at her best friend, with savage, but oddly uncoordinated blows.

"Tara!" Ron shouted as Bonnie screamed, hands up ineffectually to ward off the other girl. Bonnie could fight Tara…but wasn't trying to. Ron reached down and grabbed Tara, planning on holding her…and suddenly found his hands full in more than one way.

Tara was strong—you didn't become a cheerleader without a good deal of strength and coordination. The coordination had deserted her, but she was…strong. Stronger than she had any right to be. Stronger than him, Ron realized in horror, or at least stronger than he could deal with without hurting her. He winced as a flailing fist caught him on the cheek and then Felix was there, with tentacles of metal sprouting from his chair.

"Let me!" He shouted, Ron nodded, and let Tara go, still screaming about her ice cream in an oddly childish voice.

"Let me go! Let GO!" She screamed, "MOMMY! MOMMY!"

"Tara…what's wrong?" Bonnie said.

"Where's my MOMMY!" Tara shouted, "You ate my ice cream!" Bonnie blanched.

"What is she talking about?" Ron asked.

"I did eat her ice cream." Bonnie said in a faint voice, "And she did get really angry about it…when we were six."


Kim and her mother were nearly to the golf park, the brightly lighted front area and building that held the arcade familiar from many drives there.

The police cars and ambulance weren't familiar in the slightest.

"Mom?"

"It could be something else." Her mother cautioned. When she stopped the car, Andrea hurried out, immediately after putting the wheelchair to where Kim could get in it.

"Sorry lady, the parks closed. Some teen freaked out." A security guard said. Andrea pulled out her ID and held it up to him.

"I'm Dr. Andrea Possible, Chief of the Neurosurgery Department, at Middleton Regional Hospital." The guard looked at her, and nodded.

"Go on in, the Paramedics just arrived." Andrea headed in, after letting the guard know that Kim was also to come in. That got a raised eyebrow, but he let it pass.

Inside the main building, Andrea came upon two paramedics who were strapping a screaming, thrashing Tara, into a gurney. About the only words Andrea could understand were "Mommy" and "Ice Cream."

"Man, what did she take?" One paramedic asked, and turned to see Dr. Possible.

"Dr. Possible? What are you doing here?" Andrea didn't hesistate.

"I received information that this young lady may have ingested a drug."

"What type? LSD?"

"I'm afraid not. Some form of experimental drug."

"Jeez." Tara was arching her back, struggling against the restraints. The other three teens, faces the color of new milk, looked at Andrea.

"What happened?" She asked.

"Tara seemed to zone out…and then she jumped on Bonnie." Ron said quietly. "She's been like this ever since. She doesn't recognize anyone but Bonnie, and she's…pretty angry at her."

"I see."

"No, you don't." Bonnie said, "She's talking about how I took her ice cream but that was ten years ago—I didn't even remember it until she brought it up."

"And she only recognizes you?" Andrea said, a dreadful possibility beginning to rise in her mind.

"Yes."

"Hmmm…" Andrea looked over at Tara, and nodded to herself, as Kim came wheeling up.

"Young lady, stop this instant!"Andrea said, playing her hunch, her voice strong, commanding, and very familiar to Kim. Tara paused, and looked up at Dr. Possible. Andrea continued, in the same tone. "Or do I have to call your mother?"

"No." A tiny peep. "Where's mommy? I want mommy." Andrea leaned down and spoke in a much more comforting voice.

"I know, dear. We're going on a ride to see your mommy. You would like that, right?"

"Uh-huh…"

"Good. And Bonnie will come along with us." Andrea continued. Tara's face twisted in an oddly childish expression.

"She took my icecream!"

"I know. Bonnie's very sorry, aren't you Bonnie." Bonnie came up and nodded, jerkily.

"Um, yeah. I'm really, really sorry, Tara." Tara giggled.

"You look different!" She said, then looked confused. "Why? Andrea smoothly headed that off.

"Now Tara, Bonnie's so sorry that she's going to get you more ice cream when we go to see your mommy."

"Yay!" Andrea nodded, no hint of her concern and fear touching her face.

"Yes, so Bonnie's going to ride with us, but I want you to stay laying down. Can you do that for me?"

"Uh-huh…" Andrea smiled, and turned to one of the police officers standing by the paramedics.

"Do you have a stuffed animal?" The police officer nodded and quickly got the plastic wrapped teddy bear, carried in case a traumatized child might need something to hang on to. Andrea quickly unwrapped the bear and nodded to the paramedic who, with some reluctance, undid the bonds holding Tara's arms down. "Now Tara, I need you to hang on to Mr. Bear here." Andrea said. Tara reached up to grab the bear, and Andrea let her, but not before watching the coordination of her hands carefully, her lips tightening at something.

"Good. Ready for ice cream?" Tara giggled and nodded. Andrea nodded and gestured Bonnie into the ambulance and turned to Ron.

"Here are my car keys, Ron—why don't the rest of you come along, and we'll interview you at the hospital."

"Right Dr. P." Ron said. Moments later, the ambulance was leaving the parking lot, Bonnie and Andrea riding along inside it.

"I…" Felix shook his head. "What happened?"

"I think I happened." Kim quietly said, "I should have told someone the very instant I thought something was wrong!"

"Because you can see the future?" Ron asked quietly, "Let's find out what Dr. P thinks first, okay?"

"Yeah…" Kim said quietly. The teens quickly decamped to the van, where the wheelchair storage space also allowed Felix to come along without calling his mom. Moment's later, they were on their way, golf balls and clubs laying where they had fallen, forgotten.


TBC.