'Not Too Much Too Ask'

Interlude : "Senseless Acts of Beauty."

'Aren't you going to plant your flowers?'

His eyes drifted down to where some small flowering plants lay at his feet. All the petals were ripped from them and scattered across the floor.

'Oh yeah.' The girl said in disgust. 'You ruined them.'

'I didn't. . .' he protested.

'Yeah, just like you didn't put this here?'

Suddenly he noticed the blood pouring from a bullet wound to her right chest.

'We need to put in a well-placed chest tube.'

He was in Trauma One and she was lying on the table eyes wide open, staring at him.

'Dave.'

Elizabeth Corday was standing opposite him, hands behind her back.

'Dave. It's time for you to be a not much of a doctor and put in your well placed chest tube.' She told him.

He found a scalpel in his hand, and, shaking, made the incision.

'Wrong place.' The girl told him.

'You can't talk.' He muttered through gritted teeth. 'You're the patient. You don't know anything.' But he tried again.

'You're doing it all wrong.' Corday told him. 'You're not much of a doctor are you?'

'You do it.' He told her angrily. She shook her head. He reached out and pulled on her arms. They came around from behind her back to reveal that they stopped at the wrists. She had no hands.

'I have no hands.' Corday told him, matter-of-factly. 'I can't do anything.'

'Dave?' He turned to the gurney which was now behind him, to see Abby sitting up, the blood from her right chest staining her clothes. 'Dave, what are you doing?'

He turned and ran through the fields until he reached the wood behind his house.

'David! David! You can't hide forever.'

He found he favourite tree and began climbing. But, he couldn't get a foot hold. Suddenly the tree was smooth.

'David! Come here! Don't think I won't find you boy!'

He looked up, the tree was smooth as china.

'Where are my foot holes?' He asked her. She threw down a knife.

'You have to make your own.'

He held the knife while she climbed down and stood beside him.

'You have to make your own.'

He stared at her.

"David!"

Suddenly he stabbed her, the knife creating a small, neat hole through her right chest.

She looked up at him. 'You ruined your flowers.'

He stood beside her on a hill.

'I didn't mean to.'

He watched the purple petals float up and away on a breeze.

'I know.' He turned at the familiar voice.

'Abby? Why are you here?'

She kissed him, lightly on the lips. Then stood back. He watched as she began to float away on the breeze, piece by piece. First her skin and hair turned to dust, then her muscle tissue, her organs and then her bones, each particle falling apart from the others creating a mist around him.


Dave woke up to an empty room, his heart pounding against his ribs. He turned his head to see Abby lying beside him, sound asleep. Beyond her the clock showed it was 3:30am.

He brushed her hair gently and watched her sleep. She was peaceful. Too peaceful. He listened closely, strained his ears to hear her breathing. He rested his hand on her neck, waiting to feel the pulse. She was beautiful, so beautiful.