Oh my, it's getting amost too weird for me now. I may have to rein in the Twilight Zone-esque-ness in the next chapter....but there's plenty in this one!! Enjoy and please review!

"What exactly did you say to the doctor?" Meg asked as Gene drove at breakneck speed away from the cemetery and back to the hospital. After his revelation, she had abandoned her plans for a peaceful stroll around her, apparent, final resting place and agreed to accompany him back. "Though I'm not quite sure what you expect me to do," she had said.

"I don't know," he muttered, his eyes focused on the road ahead, "'e said she might need to be looked at by some 'ead doctor and be admitted for examination."

"Well, that doesn't mean she's been sectioned. Besides, don't you 'ave to be family to agree to that?"

"I'm the closest thing she 'as to family."

Meg didn't reply. It hadn't escaped her notice that his immediate overriding concern was for Alex's wellbeing and not for the fact that his dead lover had just materialised in front of him, notwithstanding the brief moment earlier when it was quite obvious they could have jumped on each other.

"I'm sure she's fine," she said as positively as she could. He didn't respond, but she noticed that when he moved to change gears, his eyes would flicker down to where her leg was mere inches from his fingertips. The rest of the journey was undertaken in relative silence, Gene occasionally shouting at other drivers who got in his way or were driving too slow for his liking. "Your driving 'asn't changed at any rate," she said lightly, trying to ease the tension, the root of which she couldn't quite pinpoint. "I preferred the Cortina though."

"Yeah well, bigger, better model and all that."

Another crack in her heart. "I suppose so." She closed her mouth. Even if he hadn't meant it in the context in which she heard it, it still hurt.

Mere minutes later, they arrived back at the hospital. Gene parked the car in the first available space and jumped out, forcing Meg to follow suit. He strode towards the entrance of Accident and Emergency and she was forced to run to keep up with him. It wasn't easy, what with her leg still hurting and her palms and knees still raw. Not to mention she couldn't help feeling this strange sensation around her neck…almost as though her throat was closing…

"Excuse me," she caught up with Gene as he accosted the first person he saw in a white coat, "'as Alex Drake been admitted yet?"

"Sorry, you'll have to check with the front desk," the doctor replied, scuttling away before Gene could continue. Ignoring the helpful hint, he pounded his way round the corner to the bed where he had left Alex but, instead, came face to face with a woman old enough to be her great grandmother.

"I left 'er right 'ere," he said to no-one in particular, doubling back on himself and causing Meg to jump to one side to avoid being crashed into.

Or not.

"Oi doc!" he hurried forward, "Where is she?"

The doctor Gene had spoken to earlier looked at him uncomfortably, "Ah…Mr Hunt. We were wondering where…"

"I left 'er sleeping right there," he pointed back without looking and Meg jumped to avoid his finger.

Or not.

"I'm afraid that there was a slight complication after you left," the doctor was explaining. "After you left, Miss Drake couldn't be roused and we've had to move her upstairs to be monitored. I can have a nurse show you the way."

"Couldn't be roused?" Gene echoed and, once again, Meg saw fear and concern in her face.

"She's unconscious," the doctor explained, "Upstairs in the intensive care unit. She's being closely monitored…"

"Where?" Gene demanded.

"Fourth floor. Like I said, I can have a nurse…" Gene didn't let the doctor finish. He turned quickly and hurried back out of the immediate area towards the lifts. Meg paused, about to thank the doctor and offer an apologetic smile for Gene's brusqueness, but he simply turned and walked away from her. Sighing, she made to follow Gene, managing to slide into the lift just before it closed.

"You ok?" she asked, glancing at him as he stared fixedly on the numbers on the panel as they rose. He didn't reply and she could almost hear the crack of another splinter in her heart. The tightness returned to her throat and she coughed, as if there was something lodged in it, but it made no difference. She cleared her throat twice more which caused Gene to turn and look at her, an irritated expression on his face. "Gene…" she wanted to say so much to him but was prevented by the lift doors pinging open and Gene striding out ahead of her.

Meg trailed behind, losing sight of him as he pushed through a set of double doors into what was clearly marked as the Intensive Care Unit. Pausing, she glanced down at her raw palms and clenched her fists, as if the pain was a sign that this was all really happening, took a deep breath and followed him inside. At first, she couldn't see him. The light in the ward was much more muted than it had been in Accident and Emergency and she was struck by the quietness. Walking forward, she realised that her shoes made no noise on the linoleum and nurses and doctors glided past her, oblivious to her presence. A lot of people might have enjoyed being somewhat invisible, but it was started to grate on her now.

"What's wrong with 'er?!"

She turned sharply to her left and saw Gene standing at the side of one of the beds, practically pinning a doctor to the wall.

"At the moment, we're not sure," the doctor was saying, "we're running tests but really, you shouldn't be in here. It's family only."

"I am family," Gene growled.

Meg shifted her gaze and looked down to see Alex lying in the bed. Her eyes were closed, there was a tube protruding from her mouth and a constant bleeping sound from the heart monitor machine next to the bed.

"Yes…well…" the doctor mumbled, "Like I said, we're waiting for some results. If you want to stay, I suppose I can't stop you." Gene stepped back from him and Meg saw the younger man visibly relax. "I'll just…" he stepped past Gene and walked quickly out of the ward and through the double doors. Meg watched as they soundlessly swung into place behind him and then turned back to where Gene was standing glaring at her.

"What's 'appened to 'er?" he demanded.

"Do I look like a doctor?" Meg tossed back, her temper finally breaking.

"No, you look like a bloody ghost so tell me what the sodding 'ell is going on!" After speaking, he glanced around to make sure no-one had heard him, but there were only two other nurses in sight and they were at the far end of the ward.

"I don't know!" she replied viciously, "I told you earlier I don't understand all of this. I'm just 'ere to…"

"Guide Alex, I know," he interrupted, slightly quieter. "Not doing such a brilliant job though are you? Look at 'er!" He gestured to the motionless form in the bed in front of them.

Meg winced. He was right.

"The last thing she was talking about," he continued, "was about being pregnant in 1983." He looked expectantly at her.

"I didn't know about that."

"What do you mean you didn't bloody know!" he threw back at her, "You must 'ave known!"

"The first I 'eard of it was when she came out me dad's bathroom mumbling about it! I'm 'ere to 'elp 'er find 'er way, Gene, not drip feed 'er the answers! I don't know them!" Meg glanced around, "And you might want to keep your voice down unless you want the doctors to section you for fighting with thin bloody air!"

Gene sighed heavily and turned away from her, sinking down into the chair beside Alex's bedside. Meg hovered beside him, desperate to put her hand on his shoulder, to crouch beside him and turn his face to her, to kiss him…she shook herself and coughed again as her throat tightened once more. Her gaze eventually fell on the bag containing Alex's personal belongings. Lifting it, she started looking through it.

"Do you think you should be doing that?" Gene asked, watching her.

"I don't think she's going to mind, do you?" Meg replied, making a face at him.

"No, but other people in 'ere might think it a bit strange to see a bloody levitating bag!"

Meg dropped the bag on the bed and looked around. No-one appeared unduly concerned with what was happening at Alex Drake's bedside. "Do you think that's what they can see?" she asked.

"You're the ghost, you tell me." He rubbed his hands over his face and she distinctly heard him mutter, "Can't believe I'm talking to you…bloody mental...not even 'ere..."

"Like I told Alex," she said, ignoring him, "I 'aven't finished reading the manual yet. Sod it," she lifted the bag again, "if anyone says anything, just make something up. You always were good at making excuses for me in the old days."

He looked up, a small smile playing at the corner of his mouth. She returned it, and for a moment they held each other gazes, as if suspended in time and space, sharing a common memory of happier times. Finally tearing her gaze away, Meg rifled through Alex's belongings until she came across a tiny notepad stuffed between her jeans and that hideous blue top. Dropping the rest of the items back onto the bed, she opened the notepad. Most of the pages were blank, but on one of them, Alex had jotted something down in her spidery handwriting.

"What's that?" Gene asked.

Meg held out the notepad, "1983," she quoted from what Alex had written. "She was going on about that the other day." Gene took the notepad from her and she stretched over to tap the page. "Who's Vinnny Richards?"

1983

"About the baby!"

Baby? Baby? What in God's name…? Where am I? I'm back here. I'm back here again. But I was in the hospital. What happened in the hospital? How much time has passed?

Alex forced herself to focus and the first thing she saw was the look of surprise on Gene's face directly in front of her as the echo of Sam's words died away. "Baby…" she echoed, without meaning to.

"Shit…" Gene said.

"But I'm not…I mean, I can't be…" she fought for what she really wanted to say, but although her brain knew the right words, her mouth wouldn't formulate them. "I'm not pregnant. I'm…not here. This is…this is not real. 1981…I'm in 1981…I…"

Sam glanced at Gene, struck by the look of devastation on his face. "What's she on about?"

He shook his head, "These last few days…I've thought…maybe…" he sighed, "It can't be 'appening again, Sam, it can't be. I'm not sure I can take it."

"What can't be 'appening again?" Sam asked.

"She's been fine. She's been…stable…"

"Gene…" Alex looked at him again, but now he wouldn't meet her gaze, "Gene I'm not pregnant. I can't be pregnant. I'm not even really here…I can't be. You're dead…" she gestured with her head towards Sam, "and I'm…I'm in a hospital in…in 1981. You think I'm going mad and…"

"What's going on?" Sam demanded. "What do you mean, she's been stable?"

"Alex, did you take your medication?" Gene ignored him, looking at her once again.

Medication? "What medication?" she asked.

"Did you take it? This morning, did you take it?" he repeated.

"I'm not on any medication. I'm not pregnant. I'm not here." She tried to reassure herself. "This is a test. Meg's set me a test, I know she has. It's all part of finding out how I get home. That's it." She looked around, expecting to see the younger woman appear. "That's all it is."

"Did you say Meg?" Sam asked.

"Any minute now, she'll come and help me. She'll get me back to 1981. We were just there," she looked at Gene, "We were. We were at the hospital. You were worried about me because of what had happened at Ted's house in the bathroom. About me seeing Meg…about what Wallace did. It's going to absolutely fine because I am going to get back there any minute now. All of this is just another one of my constructs. I've constructed 1983 from my construct in 1981." She waited, waited for something to strike her. Waited for Meg to appear, but there was only silence.

"We 'ave to get out of 'ere," Gene said quietly, his tone slightly panicked. "She obviously 'asn't taken her medication. I should 'ave been watching 'er. I'm supposed to watch 'er…"

"What medication?" Sam asked. "What are you talking about?"

"I don't 'ave time to give you a bleeding summary of the last two years, Tyler…"

"Try!"

"She's schizophrenic, ok? 'appy now? She's on medication which she's supposed to take every day to keep the hallucinations at bay…"

"Schizophrenic?" Sam echoed.

"I am not schizophrenic!" Alex said derisively, "That's just typical of you men. You don't understand a woman so you label her with a mental illness! Jesus, Meg's going to love this when I tell her."

"They said she could 'ave 'ad it for years, but the symptoms really appeared after she was kidnapped by Wallace. She started having hallucinations about being from the future and 'aving to get back there. Then she claimed she could see Meg," Gene continued, "Then there were the mood swings…" he broke off, "she's been stable for over a year since they found the right mood stabilizers for 'er. She's been back at work, she's been fine…"

"Shut up! Shut up!" Alex shouted, "I am not schizophrenic you idiot!"

Gene opened his mouth to reply, but the sound of a loud bang made him close it again.

"'e's back," Sam said. "We 'ave to work out what we're going to do and fast."

"We 'ave to get 'er out of 'ere," Gene said.

"'ow do you propose we do that?" Sam demanded, "In case you 'adn't noticed, we're a little bit tied up at the moment!"

There came the sound of a heavy metal door being pulled back.

"'e's going to kill us," Sam said, "'e is going to kill us now!"

Pain suddenly shot through Alex's body and she cried out with the ferocity of it. It was as though she was being ripped in two. Struggling with her restraints, she cried out again as her head began to pound painfully.

"Alex? Alex, look at me!"

She could hear Gene's voice, but she could no longer see him. Her vision had gone. Everything around her was completely black.

"Alex? Alex, do that again!"

She tried to ask him what he meant, but his voice faded and was replaced by a rushing noise, coupled with the relentless pounding and beating in her head. The pain was unbearable and before she could say or do anything more, she blacked out.

1981

"Vinny Richards is a drug dealer, pure and simple. Scum of the earth. A complete toe-rag. Tosser, idiot, twat…"

"I get the point," Meg said, though her words came out slightly strangled. The pressure on her throat was increasing and she was starting to find it difficult to breathe. "Is it just me or…"

"Why would she write 'is name down?" Gene asked, oblivious, looking intently at the notepad. "And why next to 1983...? What does it mean?"

"Gene…" Meg tried to interrupt, coughing again. She swallowed hard but it only seemed to make things worse. It was as though there were hands around her neck, crushing her windpipe, stopping the oxygen to her brain. She pitched forward, grabbing onto the rolling bedside table. "Gene…I can't…"

But he wasn't listening to her. "Alex?" he had dropped the notepad onto the bed and was stretched over towards where she still lay motionless on the bed. "Alex, can you 'ear me? Alex, do that again!"

She couldn't breathe at all. Her windpipe was closed. The oxygen was gone. She sank to the floor as her peripheral vision began to close in on her. Darkness closing in on darkness. This was it. Again. She had failed. Failed to help Alex and failed to help herself. She was returning to that eternal blackness where she had been, all alone, for so long.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Bright light suddenly blinded her and she screwed her eyes up to try and avoid it.

"You can't leave now! You haven't helped my mum."

Bit by bit, she felt air begin to return to her lungs. Small breaths became bigger breaths until she felt herself breathe normally again. The light faded slightly and she opened her eyes to be confronted by the sight of a young girl sitting on the edge of the hospital bed watching her.

"Alex! She's awake. She's awake!" She watched as Gene moved away from the bed and hurried over to where one of the doctors was standing a few feet away. "She opened 'er eyes!" The doctor followed him back over to the bed and bent over Alex, shining a light in her eyes.

"You haven't helped my mum," the girl repeated, forcing Meg to look at her again. "You haven't helped her find out where she should be. You can't go yet. It's not allowed."

Meg put her hands to her throat and swallowed a few times, relieved to find the choking sensation gone, but unnerved at the figure before her. "Who…?"

"I'm Molly," the girl said, "and you have to help my mum."

"Your mum? But…"

"Get up Meg," Molly said, "it's not over yet."

Obediently, Meg pulled herself to her feet, "I don't understand. How are you…? What are you…?"

"My mum's not the only one who needs help. You do too. But you have to help her first. That's how it has to work." Molly climbed down from the bed and stood in front of her. "She's awake now."

Meg looked away towards Alex who had turned her head and was staring unblinkingly at her. Even though she couldn't talk for the tube in her mouth, Meg felt her thoughts. The fear and confusion. The not knowing. The need to talk to someone who might understand.

"I'm trying. I promise I'm…" she turned back, but Molly had vanished. "I'm trying," she finished. She looked back at the bed and saw that Gene had joined Alex in looking directly at her.

"So," he said quietly, so as not to alert the doctor who was hovering a few feet away. "Now what?"