July 2019, Roswell, New Mexico
"Jack! Come on, dinner time!" called Isabel to her 9-year-old son.
"Coming!" said the boy. She was anxious, as they were having everyone over, Michael, Maria and their 8-year-old son Richard, or Ricky as they called him, Kyle and Tess and their daughters, Lisa, 7, and Anna, 4, and Max, who had remained single through the years. They knew he was waiting for her. For Liz. He still felt responsible and it was hard to see him in pain for so long. Hopefully, what Isabel had to tell them would comfort them.
A few hours later, as they sat in the dining room, which had once been so beautiful, now today, it had lost its shine, although Isabel tried to make it look happy with colors, she looked at them all, and decided she couldn't wait any longer.
"I have something to tell you." That got their attention.
"What is it?" asked her husband.
"Uh... Jack, honey, take the kids with you into your room, okay?" Jack nodded and he went to help Anna down from her chair. Once the kids had left the room, the others turned to Isabel.
"Something wrong?" asked Max.
"No, nothing's wrong. Actually, something might be... right," she let out with a slight smile.
"Well, come on, tell us," insisted Maria, who wasn't very patient.
"I did it," she simply said.
"Did... what?" asked Tess.
"You know how I've been trying to dreamwalk Liz to try to find her?" All nodded, and then stopped short when they had processed what she had just said.
"Wait... you mean?" started Kyle.
"I found her. Or at least, I made contact. I'm not quite sure where she is exactly at the moment..." She wasn't able to finish as the room erupted in a loud cheer. All of them looked like a huge weight had been lifted from their shoulders.
"Is she okay?" asked Max calmly.
"Well... she looks... different..." "What do you expect? I mean it's been 20 years," said Alex, just then realizing how long it had been. It still seemed like yesterday.
"So what now?" asked Maria.
"I'm gonna try contacting her again, tonight. She told me she'd wait for me."
*
"Liz? Are you here?" asked Isabel.
"I'm here," she said. Isabel smiled as she saw her.
"It's so good to see you," she said as they hugged.
"It's great to see you too. You have no idea."
"Sorry I couldn't stay longer last night. But now I'm all yours." Liz smiled.
"Where are you? What... city... what state?" She looked down. "Liz?"
"I have no idea."
"What?" She hadn't expected that.
"I know the place I am, but I don't know where that is."
"Where are you?" asked Isabel.
"Snowhill psychiatric institute."
"What are you doing there?"
"It's a long story, and I'd rather not talk about it."
"Okay," said Isabel, making a mental note to find out.
"So, tell me, how is everyone?" She seemed very eager to know how the others were, and she certainly wouldn't leave her in the dark.
"Well, Alex and I got married eleven years ago..." Liz smiled. "And we have a son. His name is Jack and he's nine."
"Wow... who does he look like?"
"Oh, he's his dad's spitting image," Isabel said with a smile. Both laughed for a couple seconds.
"What about Maria?"
"She actually got Michael to commit!" They laughed again. "Um, they got married nine years ago and have an eight-year-old son, Ricky." Liz was glad her friend was happy.
"And Kyle?"
"Married Tess ten years ago and they have two little girls, Lisa is 7 and Anna is 4. Anna looks so much like her mom..." Liz smiled once more.
"And Max?" she asked slowly.
"He's still waiting for you. He never married, never even dated, I think." Liz was shocked yet relieved a bit.
"So... how'd you end up in a psychiatric institute?" asked Isabel.
"I... I don't think I should talk about it here like this."
Isabel thought for a minute, then said, "If we can find you, would you come home with us?"
"I... maybe..."
"Then we'll do it."
"How?" asked Liz.
"We'll find you first, then we can figure out the rest."
*
"A psychiatric institute??" Maria nearly yelled.
"Keep your voice down! The kids will hear you," said Michael.
"Sorry."
"What is she doing there?" asked Max.
"She wouldn't say. But we have to find her and take her home." All agreed on that.
"Okay, then let's see if we can find this place," said Alex.
The next day, after hours of searching, something that wasn't very easy since the pulse had wiped out many records, Tess exclaimed, "I found it! I think..."
"Where?" asked Kyle.
"Um... Seattle..." she said.
"Okay then," said Isabel. She went to see the kids, who were playing in Jack's room.
"Hey, kids, pack your bags, we're going on a road trip."
*
Two weeks later, Seattle, Washington, Snowhill psychiatric institute
"Okay, you ready?" Isabel asked Tess.
"Yeah."
"Okay, do it." She nodded and closed her eyes, concentrating on making the woman at the front desk see something that would allow their plan to work. A few seconds later, she looked to the back and walked off.
"Okay, Max, go!" said Isabel. Max went off to do his part. He went and found Liz's record. It was hard, but he found it. She wasn't identified by name, so that took most of his time. When he found it, he opened it and looked through, when he found what he was looking for, he waved his hand over the paper and changed some of the entries. Quickly, he replaced it and went back to the others.
"Done." Tess dropped the warp, feeling a little dizzy, but okay.
A few minutes later, the woman came back to the front desk, and they went up to her.
"Can I help you," she asked.
"Who can we speak to about having a friend who... admitted herself released?"
Not too long after, they were seated in an office. A man in his late forties sat across from them. He was looking through Liz's papers.
"Alright, well, she'll have to go through an evaluation to see if she is fit to leave, but I don't think that'll be a problem. In all the time I've been here, I've observed her, and I don't see why she should stay here if she doesn't want to anymore. She looks perfectly sane to me."
*
One week later, Snowhill
They sat impatiently, waiting to hear if Liz would be released. All the adults sat on the edge of their seats, while the kids sat together, somehow enjoying themselves. Finally the doctor came in. The second he walked in, they all got up.
"So?" asked Maria.
"Congratulations. She was granted release." They just stood there for a few seconds, trying to process the news. And when they did, the room was filled with cheers so loud, they were sure Liz heard them.
"So where is she?" asked Max.
"She's saying goodbye to everybody. She's been here nearly two decades, you understand." And he left. All were in a bit of shock. They hadn't known how long she'd been there. That meant she'd been there practically the whole time.
Maria, Isabel and Tess went to their children, making sure their clothes were straight, their faces and hands clean, their hair neatly brushed.
"Mom! Stop it!" said Ricky. The men observed their families, with their backs to the door.
"Let go, mama!" said Anna. They heard a small laugh behind them and stopped cold.
"L... Liz?" said Maria, even before turning.
"Yes, it's me..." she said slowly, as they all turned to see her. They all stood in shock for a few minutes as they observed her. She did look different... mostly due to the big scar on her cheek... and her hair had gotten really long. Finally, Maria snapped out of it and went to hug her friend.
"I can't believe it's you," she managed to say through a sob.
"I know... I thought I'd never see you again..." said Liz, also crying. After a few minutes, Maria managed to let go of her. Alex was next. He went up to her, and observed her for a few seconds, before taking her into his arms. They remained in silence for a minute and then let go. Kyle came after.
"Hey, Liz," he said before hugging her as well.
"Hey." Tess was next. The two women stood in front of each other, unsure of how to respond to each other. Finally, Tess took a step forward and hugged Liz. Both knew the gesture was sincere and it was much appreciated by Liz, who smiled at her when she pulled back. Michael came next. He simply hugged her, although Liz noticed a small tear in his eye. She didn't say anything.
It was Isabel's turn. She took Liz and held her for a few minutes, as if to make sure she was really there.
"You never gave up, did you?" asked Liz, feeling a few tears coming.
"Never," said Isabel, not holding the tears back.
"I knew you wouldn't." When she let go, Alex took her in. Then at last, it was Max's turn.
"Liz," was all he could say.
"It's okay, Max." She knew what was going through his mind. He felt responsible. She reached up and wiped away a tear running down his cheek. They remained in silence for three minutes, before snapping back into reality.
She looked to the four children standing in the corner.
"Well, well, well... who do we have here? Wait! Let me guess..." She crouched in front of them. She looked to the tallest one, and Isabel was right, he was the spitting image of this dad.
"This must be Jack, right?" The boy nodded. "Well it's a pleasure to meet you," she said, shaking his hand. That got a smile from him.
"And... Ricky..." When he was correctly identified, his face lit up, and Liz finally recognized he was her best friend's son, because he had her smile. Then, she turned to the two little girls.
"And look at you... Lisa... and Anna... right?" The girls nodded. "You're both very pretty..." she started, then had to stop, overwhelmed with thoughts of her own little girl, who was grown by now.
"Why are you crying?" asked Anna.
"Because I'm happy to meet all of you," she covered. "Come on," she said, "Let's get out of here."
"Jack! Come on, dinner time!" called Isabel to her 9-year-old son.
"Coming!" said the boy. She was anxious, as they were having everyone over, Michael, Maria and their 8-year-old son Richard, or Ricky as they called him, Kyle and Tess and their daughters, Lisa, 7, and Anna, 4, and Max, who had remained single through the years. They knew he was waiting for her. For Liz. He still felt responsible and it was hard to see him in pain for so long. Hopefully, what Isabel had to tell them would comfort them.
A few hours later, as they sat in the dining room, which had once been so beautiful, now today, it had lost its shine, although Isabel tried to make it look happy with colors, she looked at them all, and decided she couldn't wait any longer.
"I have something to tell you." That got their attention.
"What is it?" asked her husband.
"Uh... Jack, honey, take the kids with you into your room, okay?" Jack nodded and he went to help Anna down from her chair. Once the kids had left the room, the others turned to Isabel.
"Something wrong?" asked Max.
"No, nothing's wrong. Actually, something might be... right," she let out with a slight smile.
"Well, come on, tell us," insisted Maria, who wasn't very patient.
"I did it," she simply said.
"Did... what?" asked Tess.
"You know how I've been trying to dreamwalk Liz to try to find her?" All nodded, and then stopped short when they had processed what she had just said.
"Wait... you mean?" started Kyle.
"I found her. Or at least, I made contact. I'm not quite sure where she is exactly at the moment..." She wasn't able to finish as the room erupted in a loud cheer. All of them looked like a huge weight had been lifted from their shoulders.
"Is she okay?" asked Max calmly.
"Well... she looks... different..." "What do you expect? I mean it's been 20 years," said Alex, just then realizing how long it had been. It still seemed like yesterday.
"So what now?" asked Maria.
"I'm gonna try contacting her again, tonight. She told me she'd wait for me."
*
"Liz? Are you here?" asked Isabel.
"I'm here," she said. Isabel smiled as she saw her.
"It's so good to see you," she said as they hugged.
"It's great to see you too. You have no idea."
"Sorry I couldn't stay longer last night. But now I'm all yours." Liz smiled.
"Where are you? What... city... what state?" She looked down. "Liz?"
"I have no idea."
"What?" She hadn't expected that.
"I know the place I am, but I don't know where that is."
"Where are you?" asked Isabel.
"Snowhill psychiatric institute."
"What are you doing there?"
"It's a long story, and I'd rather not talk about it."
"Okay," said Isabel, making a mental note to find out.
"So, tell me, how is everyone?" She seemed very eager to know how the others were, and she certainly wouldn't leave her in the dark.
"Well, Alex and I got married eleven years ago..." Liz smiled. "And we have a son. His name is Jack and he's nine."
"Wow... who does he look like?"
"Oh, he's his dad's spitting image," Isabel said with a smile. Both laughed for a couple seconds.
"What about Maria?"
"She actually got Michael to commit!" They laughed again. "Um, they got married nine years ago and have an eight-year-old son, Ricky." Liz was glad her friend was happy.
"And Kyle?"
"Married Tess ten years ago and they have two little girls, Lisa is 7 and Anna is 4. Anna looks so much like her mom..." Liz smiled once more.
"And Max?" she asked slowly.
"He's still waiting for you. He never married, never even dated, I think." Liz was shocked yet relieved a bit.
"So... how'd you end up in a psychiatric institute?" asked Isabel.
"I... I don't think I should talk about it here like this."
Isabel thought for a minute, then said, "If we can find you, would you come home with us?"
"I... maybe..."
"Then we'll do it."
"How?" asked Liz.
"We'll find you first, then we can figure out the rest."
*
"A psychiatric institute??" Maria nearly yelled.
"Keep your voice down! The kids will hear you," said Michael.
"Sorry."
"What is she doing there?" asked Max.
"She wouldn't say. But we have to find her and take her home." All agreed on that.
"Okay, then let's see if we can find this place," said Alex.
The next day, after hours of searching, something that wasn't very easy since the pulse had wiped out many records, Tess exclaimed, "I found it! I think..."
"Where?" asked Kyle.
"Um... Seattle..." she said.
"Okay then," said Isabel. She went to see the kids, who were playing in Jack's room.
"Hey, kids, pack your bags, we're going on a road trip."
*
Two weeks later, Seattle, Washington, Snowhill psychiatric institute
"Okay, you ready?" Isabel asked Tess.
"Yeah."
"Okay, do it." She nodded and closed her eyes, concentrating on making the woman at the front desk see something that would allow their plan to work. A few seconds later, she looked to the back and walked off.
"Okay, Max, go!" said Isabel. Max went off to do his part. He went and found Liz's record. It was hard, but he found it. She wasn't identified by name, so that took most of his time. When he found it, he opened it and looked through, when he found what he was looking for, he waved his hand over the paper and changed some of the entries. Quickly, he replaced it and went back to the others.
"Done." Tess dropped the warp, feeling a little dizzy, but okay.
A few minutes later, the woman came back to the front desk, and they went up to her.
"Can I help you," she asked.
"Who can we speak to about having a friend who... admitted herself released?"
Not too long after, they were seated in an office. A man in his late forties sat across from them. He was looking through Liz's papers.
"Alright, well, she'll have to go through an evaluation to see if she is fit to leave, but I don't think that'll be a problem. In all the time I've been here, I've observed her, and I don't see why she should stay here if she doesn't want to anymore. She looks perfectly sane to me."
*
One week later, Snowhill
They sat impatiently, waiting to hear if Liz would be released. All the adults sat on the edge of their seats, while the kids sat together, somehow enjoying themselves. Finally the doctor came in. The second he walked in, they all got up.
"So?" asked Maria.
"Congratulations. She was granted release." They just stood there for a few seconds, trying to process the news. And when they did, the room was filled with cheers so loud, they were sure Liz heard them.
"So where is she?" asked Max.
"She's saying goodbye to everybody. She's been here nearly two decades, you understand." And he left. All were in a bit of shock. They hadn't known how long she'd been there. That meant she'd been there practically the whole time.
Maria, Isabel and Tess went to their children, making sure their clothes were straight, their faces and hands clean, their hair neatly brushed.
"Mom! Stop it!" said Ricky. The men observed their families, with their backs to the door.
"Let go, mama!" said Anna. They heard a small laugh behind them and stopped cold.
"L... Liz?" said Maria, even before turning.
"Yes, it's me..." she said slowly, as they all turned to see her. They all stood in shock for a few minutes as they observed her. She did look different... mostly due to the big scar on her cheek... and her hair had gotten really long. Finally, Maria snapped out of it and went to hug her friend.
"I can't believe it's you," she managed to say through a sob.
"I know... I thought I'd never see you again..." said Liz, also crying. After a few minutes, Maria managed to let go of her. Alex was next. He went up to her, and observed her for a few seconds, before taking her into his arms. They remained in silence for a minute and then let go. Kyle came after.
"Hey, Liz," he said before hugging her as well.
"Hey." Tess was next. The two women stood in front of each other, unsure of how to respond to each other. Finally, Tess took a step forward and hugged Liz. Both knew the gesture was sincere and it was much appreciated by Liz, who smiled at her when she pulled back. Michael came next. He simply hugged her, although Liz noticed a small tear in his eye. She didn't say anything.
It was Isabel's turn. She took Liz and held her for a few minutes, as if to make sure she was really there.
"You never gave up, did you?" asked Liz, feeling a few tears coming.
"Never," said Isabel, not holding the tears back.
"I knew you wouldn't." When she let go, Alex took her in. Then at last, it was Max's turn.
"Liz," was all he could say.
"It's okay, Max." She knew what was going through his mind. He felt responsible. She reached up and wiped away a tear running down his cheek. They remained in silence for three minutes, before snapping back into reality.
She looked to the four children standing in the corner.
"Well, well, well... who do we have here? Wait! Let me guess..." She crouched in front of them. She looked to the tallest one, and Isabel was right, he was the spitting image of this dad.
"This must be Jack, right?" The boy nodded. "Well it's a pleasure to meet you," she said, shaking his hand. That got a smile from him.
"And... Ricky..." When he was correctly identified, his face lit up, and Liz finally recognized he was her best friend's son, because he had her smile. Then, she turned to the two little girls.
"And look at you... Lisa... and Anna... right?" The girls nodded. "You're both very pretty..." she started, then had to stop, overwhelmed with thoughts of her own little girl, who was grown by now.
"Why are you crying?" asked Anna.
"Because I'm happy to meet all of you," she covered. "Come on," she said, "Let's get out of here."
