Part 4

" Toby?"

No answer.

" Toby Logan?"

Still no answer.

" Toby Logan gets his jeans from the kid section!"

" What?"

Oz rolled his eyes. " Oh, he hears that part. You're spacing out again, dude. You listening to something or something?"

Toby shook his head. " No. Actually, it's been quiet for quite some time now. Not a single thought can be heard at all..." Toby concentrated. Still nothing.

" Maybe people are getting stupid or something, eh? They just walk around with those dumbfound expressions like the zombies in 'Shawn of the Dead'. They looked dumb," Oz grinned, which made Toby grin as well.

" Right, Oz. People are getting more stupid. What was your mark on the medical exam again? I can't remember..."

" Oh, shut up. Just read my mind and you'll know".

Just for a laugh, Toby probed Oz's mind.

Only to find nothing. Not a single thought was going through Oz's mind.

" Uh... Oz. Are you getting stupid, too?"

" Why do you ask?"

Toby swallowed. " I can't hear what you're thinking. Were you thinking anything?"

Oz looked confused. " You wanted to know my medical exam mark, right? I was thinking about that. And that I could go for a taco right about now. I'm starved!"

" Yeah, that much I knew without reading your mind, Oz. You're always hungry, but I couldn't hear your mark. Think of something else," Toby pointed to his head.

" Okay... uh... Got it!" Oz wiggled his eyebrows.

Toby strained to listen, but no thoughts were coming from Oz's head. He felt another trail of blood flow from his nose.

" Whoa, Toby. Your nose is bleeding again. Want to go get it checked out?"

" Maybe I should. But I doubt the doctors have medication for a telepath who can't read minds at the moment".

Both he and Oz climbed out of the ambulance, and Oz placed a hand on Toby's shoulder.

" You weren't kidding, were you? You honestly can't hear anyone's thoughts?"

" Why would I kid about something as serious as this, Oz? This is a real problem for me. I'm so used to having the noise in my head that this silence is killing me, now. It feels weird," Toby turned to Oz. " How do you do it?"

" Do what? Not read minds?"

" No. Cope without having voices in your head. How do you do it?"

Oz rolled his eyes. " Well, Toby. If I was hearing voices in my head, well let's just say we wouldn't be having this conversation right now. I'd be in a room with white walls and wearing a comfy warm jacket that allows me to hug myself," Oz chuckled, then waved to Liv. " Hey Liv! Toby's nose is bleeding again. He wants you check him out".

" Correction, Liv. Oz wants you to check me out. I feel fine," Toby lowered his voice to a whisper. " Minus the fact that I can't hear anyone's thoughts today".

Liv raised an eyebrow. " And that's a bad thing?"

Toby nodded. " Yes. It is for me. Remember me? Toby Logan the mind reader?"

" I'm just saying, Toby. Last night you call me and ask me to come over because you can't sleep and 'all of Toronto' was keeping you awake. Remember that?"

Oz's eyes were raised in enthusiasm. " Really, now? You were over at Toby's last night? Did I miss anything?"

Toby rolled his eyes. " Yeah, Oz. We had a sleepover, braided each other's hair and did our toenails. The whole shebang".

" You did each other's nails? What color?"

" Good-bye, Oz," both Toby and Olivia said at the same time.

Oz raised his hands. " Leaving. I'm leaving. But call me the next time you two decide to have a slumber party, and I'll bring over my niece's Truth or Dare game. We'll have a ball!" he roared with laughter as he skipped down the hallway like a little girl. People stared as he went past, but he never seemed to take notice.

" So no thoughts at all?" Olivia asked between giggles. Oz had always been able to make her laugh.

Shaking his head, Toby took a stray strand of hair from Olivia's face and played with it. She blushed, and turned away from him. His eyes were a blazing blue today; she couldn't look at them.

" I want to know what you're thinking, Liv. Tell me..."

" Not what you're thinking, Toby. I can't come over tonight. I have to work all night until 5. Maybe some other time?"

The PA system came on. " Dr. Fawcett to Examination Room 3. Dr. Fawcett to Examination Room 3".

Olivia groaned. " If I have to go in there and deal with Barry one more time, a needle in the arm is the least of his worries," she smiled at Toby. " Talk to you later, okay?"

" Yeah. Okay". Toby hated her leaving him so vulnerable like this. He was having a problem, and she just left him there like it didn't matter. It felt like everyone was leaving him. First his mother, his brother, Ray, and now Olivia.

Toby placed his head on the cold counter-top and groaned. He had no idea how to cope with these changes, or how to get back to the way he was before. With exactly no one to talk to who experienced the same thing, Toby was truly alone in this. He had to find a way to control this change, or it could expose him for what he really was.

A voice made him lift his head and look around. As he glanced towards the emergency exit, he saw a dark blonde head disappear out of it. It seemed oddly familiar to him.

" Hey! Excuse me!" he rushed to the door and emerged outside. The person was walking swiftly towards the bus stop. Toby could tell right away that it was a woman. Her small figure made it obvious, but that wasn't what bothered Toby. It was her hair.

It was the woman from his dream.

" Hey! Stop for a sec! I just want to talk to you!" he walked faster, trying to catch up to the woman, who was at the bus stop back on to him.

***Oh no, please. Don't follow me, baby, I beg of you. Turn around and go back in; they're watching you.***

Toby stopped in his tracks, stunned by the voice that he heard and knew really well. After hearing it in so many dreams and all the small memories, he could only imagine her face.

" ... Mom?" he whispered

A loud horn brought Toby back to his senses. He saw the bus coming towards him, but his feet were frozen in fear. As if it could protect him, he raised his arms over his eyes and braced himself for the impact.

Only two things could be heard. Toby's heartbeat was pounding in his ears, and his mother's voice was calling his name.

***WILLIAM!!!***