Chapter Eleven: Parallel Worlds

I was still lying on my back in the harbour of Portwenn, the sound of sirens were buzzing around my head and the constant compressions on my chest were beginning to hurt me. Where was I?

'Louisa, do not leave me'

A grumpy, mumbled voice shakily declared as I lay amongst the floating sea of my village. Why was I here?

Martin? Martin, the doctor, yes that's right, the general practitioner of my village… that's his voice right there isn't it? I am totally confused. Oh, wait a minute; there is something that I quite like, his voice, and his presence? But how can he be present if I am… wait… is he lying next to me in the motion of the water?

Why isn't anybody telling me what is going on? I can feel the vibrations, is that a fishing boat sailing past, it's engine rattling beneath the sea, as the salted water eroded its rusty exteriors. It must be around evening then? If the fishing boats are coming into the harbour, it must be evening. For some reason I cannot gather my thoughts… what is that constant pressure on my chest?

I am trying to listen, is that the voice of the GP man? Wait what's his name again? Ellinton? Ellingston? Ellsham? Ell…Ill. All? I have simply forgotten, its like when I've missed a few days of marking and I just cannot gather my thoughts on what the lesson was about since I usually have so much on my plate. Oh that's right, I'm a teacher, Headteacher! That I can remember… what is happening to my memory?

'Louisa!' a shout filled my ears and distracted me from my nonsense thoughts.

Yes? That's strange, I didn't speak? Yes… it doesn't work?

A sharp pain enters my chest and I feel myself taking in a large breath of air, my eyes roll back, but the compressions still don't end.

'She's coming round now' a female voice speaks. Who is that?

Its like I've entered another world and returned to earth completely swallowed up by the parallel experience, which confuses me when I'm back to normality.

'Heartbeats regular now, doctor' the woman speaks again.

'Good' I hear a males voice shakily answer.

That is Martin isn't it? OH! That's his name Martin, the doctor of Portwenn. Why am I jealous that there's another woman with him? Do they know I'm here? Is that his wife?

Martin… Martin Elling… Martin Ellingham! Oh yes, I remember, tall, grumpy expressive face, straight forward, moral, gruff, monosyllabic, well meaning and… rude. I've said that before? He's my… my prince charming! Martin, yes, oh my gosh, how could I have forgotten my Martin? Oh dear, I am ever so sorry, hang on he doesn't know that I am listening to him… does he know if I'm alive or not, I really think he should tell me.

'Louisa, can you hear me?' he asks.

Yes I can. I can't talk, why can't I talk! This is so annoying! Now I know what my pupils feel like when they have to work in silence and copy off the board.

'Heartbeat?' he asks again, as though looking for reassurance.

'Normal, she should be unconscious with that. Wonder what happened then?' the woman asks, clearly confused.

'Not entirely sure, but from what I can merely gather is that the limited oxygen she encountered has put a strain on the heart. Initially cerebral hypoxia tires the heart from elevation of the heart rate and in some cases, such as we have just experienced, stops beating, we were lucky to bring her back round again. Also her brain may not be functioning up to standards, since it has been starved of oxygen, resulting in the messages not transporting directly to the heart' Martin's deep, shaky voice answered thoroughly.

I couldn't comprehend what he was explaining and I couldn't remember how I got into this. I understand that I am no longer in the sea… did they rescue me from the sea? Did I fall off the rocks into the sea, or a boat?

I felt something grasp my hand and squeeze it.

'So, are you two, erm…?' the female voice questioned.

'Erm…' Martin stumbled, 'Well I suppose we are, sort of, yes'

We were together? He admitted that we were together, my Martin Ellingham was actually confidently saying that we were an item, a couple, in a significant relationship. Even though my brain isn't at all up to the right frame of mind to remember everything or even to analyse the situation I am now in, but I certainly now remember our little merry-go-round of a relationship. Maybe I should tell him how I feel? Or have I already done that?

I feel a soft touch on my hand as though he had kissed it. I wish I could open my eyes now, I wish I could know what was going on.

'I wondered that's all, since you were pretty anxious and emotional about the whole situation' the woman said.

'Well, to be honest, I couldn't lose her'

'Well, of course you couldn't, I mean if you two were –'

'We weren't together then' Martin interrupts her, 'We have always been on and off, actually we have never been in an actual relationship, but I do love her'

Oh! I could cry right now.

'I sensed that when you were doing CPR, the tension was unbearable' the woman gasped.

CPR? Isn't that what happens when you nearly die? Isn't that the type of thing they do on Casualty? Did I nearly die?

'I just hope she remembers who I am? The thing with shortage of oxygen, brain damage is normally a definite outcome, especially since her condition has grew worse over the time she's been in this ambulance'

I'm in an ambulance? I may have brain damage? Well that explains the sirens. Maybe that's why I thought I was in the seam due brain damage? That's why I cannot remember the recent events of such extremism that has put me in this position.

The vehicle stopped and I felt Martin's hand leave mine. There was a plastic thing on my face that, every few seconds blew a load more air into my mouth and nose.

There was a clicking noise and then a rush of voices.

'Nurse, if you keep an eye out on that machine there, while I carry on with the oxygen' the same woman's voice orders.

'Right' a strong Cornish accent replies.

I feel the motion of moving again and I now know where I am. Thankfully, I have managed to work out that I am being taken to hospital? I don't know if I'm right, but from my knowledge I can relate an ambulance to a hospital. I am still confused though. All I want to see is my Martin, looking down at me, I want to hug him tightly, tell him that I love him more than anything in the world. All I can do is wait until I have come through this awful experience, if I do come through this experience.

The immediate sound of bleeping and pacing of footsteps was recognised as we must have entered the resuscitation unit.

'A female trauma here!' a woman shouts, 'Miss Louisa Glasson, just experienced what seemed like a cardiac arrest, five minutes of CPR was needed to bring her round again. Heart rate seems normal –'

'Classic signs of cerebral hypoxia and perhaps hypothermia hence the tin foil wrapped around her!' Martin interrupts with his barking voice.

'Is this the woman who was kidnapped?' a softer female voice asks

'Yes,' Martin replies

'We've been expecting her' she says and then calls out to what I can sense is a team of doctors and nurses surrounding my bed, 'OK everybody! On the count of three, we need to hoist the patient onto the bed and do a thorough examination, then apply the necessary medication you have all been indicated!'

This was scary, I could feel myself tensing. My heart elevates yet again and my breathing increases, but it doesn't seem urgent, since nobody has mentioned it.

'One, two, three!' the voice shouts.

Just then I sway in the air until dropped down onto a bed.

'Mr Ellingham, you are not permitted to be involved in the treatment she is getting right now,' a voice was trying to calm Martin down from his barking and ordering occurring in the background of the panic around me.

'Doctor Ellingham!' he replied, 'Do you all even now what you are doing?'

'Yes, we do' the same calm voice replied, 'I am Sally Lutterworth, currently in charge of what you are seeing before you, doctor. Now I know that you previously worked in the vascular sector of medicine, but right now, I know that you don't have any recent experience in the A and E department. I can assure you that if anything crops up, to do with the heart then your assistance may be necessary, but we do have our own vascular specialists in the hospital. If you continue to order my team around, I will dismiss you until further notice. You cannot come into a hospital with that high level of arrogance because not only are there other ill patients around, but this woman here, as you know is in a critical condition and you are not helping'

Martin didn't reply. Only if I had the patience and confidence to say that to him every time he dropped and clanger in our circulating thing we had going on, then we would probably be moving forward now rather than just having the memory of two kisses.

'Well you just continue then, but I cannot see any progression with the way your doctors are playing around her' he said, sharply.

'I know that you think you are the bees knees and you probably will be the best vascular surgeon ever that has walked the planet, but I know what I am doing right now Ellingham and if you push my buttons then I will ask you to leave and not come and visit this woman any more until she leaves the hospital' she told him forcefully.

'You can't do that' he replied, knowingly.

'Say one more thing and find out' she said, icily.

She sounded fairly evil, however, I liked what she was saying and it did make me feel as though I was getting the best care as possible.

Many scratches and sharp pains were prickling my arms as the doctors addressed the medication needed. I heard that many blood samples were being whizzed off to the laboratories and morphine because apparently I had damaged my diaphragm and broken my metatarsal bone in my foot preferably from walking in my heels for several days.

An IV line was being inserted on my hand, it hurt more than the rest, as it dug into my vein to feed a saline solution into my body to increase my unbalanced salt concentration and also a glucose supplement was being addressed.

The voices still rose in volume around me and I felt the large mask be replaced with a smaller tube, which rested underneath my nose where oxygen was being directed straight into my nostrils. It was a weird sensation.

My eyes still were shut; I must be asleep somehow. I can hear everything around me.

'Louisa' Martin's voice was heard again as I felt him stand next to me, his hand resting on my shoulder.

'OK, I think we've got her in our hands' the doctor in charge ordered, 'All doctors please vacate, any nurses willing to change the patient into suitable garments, please can you stay here and I will organise something'

I heard footsteps fade and I knew that it was only Martin and me left in the bay.

'Louisa?' his voice said.

I tried to answer. Nothing.

'Louisa, you're OK now' he told me and stroked my cheek.

I want to talk. I can hear him, but I don't think I am conscious to reply.

'You're being given fluid by a drip, its just a matter of waiting to see if you come round' he sighed.

Thank goodness! It was comfortable here though, I wasn't on that spine board any more, it was a flat bed, with pillows either side of my arms that I rested on. Martin stood beside, talking to me and it was nice.

'I know that you wasn't in that fridge long enough to develop severe complications' he explained, 'You gave me a fright in that bloody ambulance! I could never lose you Louisa'

It felt like years that I waited for someone to get me.

'Louisa, can you hear me?' he repeated, placing his hand on my forehead.

Yes I can! How do I tell him? I tried squeezing his hand, opening my eyes and moving, but I couldn't. I feel so exhausted.

'I'm going to stay here' he said, 'I'm going to be here all of the time, I promise'

He is? Will he actually not do that?

I felt like smiling, but again nothing.

'Please wake up soon' his voice pleaded, 'I'm not going to leave until you open your eyes'

Well in that case, I will never open my eyes.

'Thank goodness we found you in time' the words blurted out form his feelings.

Is he actually saying this words?

'I was worried about you, Louisa. You probably think that I wasn't as worried as I was, that I was too busy with appointments and the running of my surgery. That was no the case. I closed the surgery for two days, PC Penhale wanted to cancel the search, but I wouldn't give up' he said as he let out a few sobs, 'I love you, Louisa. Don't forget that, I know I have said things previously, but I do. I can't bare to be without you –'

He was interrupted by the pattering of feet as another person entered the room.

'How is she?' a female voice said.

Martin cleared his throat, probably embarrassed at his tears.

'Good' he said, bluntly.

'Are you?' the woman asked.

'Erm…' he stuttered.

Actually what were we? He just professed all his feelings, sort of, so were we? In the ambulance he said we were together…

'I know' the woman replied, 'I'm one of the nurses, I'm here to change Miss Glasson out of those clothes, but I'll give you some time'

Her high heeled shoes clanged against the floor as she exited.

'Sorry, I didn't know what to say,' he spoke to me, 'Are we something? I'll have to wait until you wake up, I mean you're probably still angry with me since the last time, when we were drunk… lets not talk about that'

No, I wasn't! I need to wake up.

'Louisa, you are the one person in my life that I would never live without' he declared, 'I just hope that this hasn't caused any major alterations between us, I mean if you were to have brain damage or memory loss then you… you may not share the same feelings anymore'

There we go, the normal Martin, turning a nice moment into a medical fact. He was right, but I could remember him, I could feel the same flutters of excitement that I felt whenever we bumped into each other. I still loved him.

'I just wished you could hear me' he said, 'What a useless bugger I am, saying all of this to you when you don't even know I'm saying it, but when you're awake I cannot simply bring myself to declare it all, apart from consummation of alcohol'

There was nothing that could break up this moment right now. Not even if the world came to an end, it was so perfect, maybe a bit clinical however.

'Aunt Joan is worried about you' he sighed, 'She saw the impact this had on me. I couldn't sleep for the nights you were gone, I just tried to validate all the evidence and finally boiled it down to where you were'

He was so clever! How on earth he did that was probably beyond PC Penhale's head. I still didn't know who that policeman really was.

'Please wake up Louisa, I need to see you' he said, emotionally, 'I didn't get to tell you that, well here goes, you're so beautiful, you really are, I meant it that night, never mind the intoxication, I meant it. The way you're hair sways from side to side when you walk, the twisting of your handbag, the smile which broadens whenever you feel like it, which I could never do' he pauses as though gearing up the strength to carry on, 'There is no one more beautiful than you on the earth as far as I'm concerned. Inside and out. Catching a glimpse of you everyday is what makes me carry on in that gossiping, imbecilic village. I often stand outside on a sunny day during my break and simply gaze over at the school, imagining what you're doing and it feels me with pleasure of picturing your face'

I need to see him! Come on, open your eyes!

'I suppose, I'll have to wait some time to see you again. I miss you Louisa' he sobs, 'You can fight this, you can get through this'

By some means, I get my strength and squeeze my eyes together. It works! I slowly lift them as though they are being weighed down my tonnes of bricks, but I am doing, I want to.

'Louisa?' his voice almost jumps for joy.

There is a layer of water resting on the bottom of my eyes, it is blurry and there are bright lights everywhere, it seems all white. I can see Martin's arm reaching across my face to touch my cheek.

'Nurse!' he shouts as he realises that I have awoken.

I can now make a clear sight. Martin is sitting beside me and I am in a loud hospital, curtains drawn around me and the machines, stood around the bed, buzzing and displaying figures upon the screens.

Martin looked at me and I turned my eyes towards him. Sharp pains run to my head as the lights are too bright.

'It's alright Louisa,' he said, panicked, 'Nurse!'

A blue-uniformed woman came strolling in quickly, plump with blonde hair.

'Is she awake?' she asked, wandering over.

'Yes, her eyes are open' he told her, 'Go and get the senior doctor'

He removes his hand and begins to look at the machines.

'Still no change, but she is awake!' he seems to be rejoicing.

'OK, but he might be a while though' she explained.

Martin nodded and she strolled back out of the room again.

I manage to smile at him, my muscles feeling sore as I do so.

'Louisa' he said.

He puts his arm on the side of my face and I look at him.

'Martin' I manage to say.

...

I would like to thank you all who have taken the time to read my story. I hope that it hasn't been too horrific as I have tried to avoid it developing into a horror story, since I do not like that genre myself.

I appologise for not replying to your reviews, but I have been rather busy with other things and have only really had time to quickly upload my chapters, I hope you understand. I would also love to have the time to log in and review your fantastic stories as well, but unfortunately in the meantime that proves a challenge.

However, if I do get chance I will reply to you and review your stories as well. I mainly read them on my iPod as that is portable! So for now, to ALL of you, your stories are amazing and continue to write many more... :D

Thank you once again, I absolutely appreciate your time and consideration towards reading and reviewing 'Abduction' and I am thankful for your encouragement to allow me to write the upcoming chapters.

Hannah xxx