Chapter 9: Recalling Future Horrors
A/N: First of all, thanx to the one and only reviewer for chapter 8, and that was Jen. And here's chapter 9 anyway. I'm not sure if you've given up reading this or just reviewing it, but here's nine anyway. Secondly, the reason Carter remembers what he does and blurts out that name is revealed in a later chapter. Well, sort of.
"Peter! Have you seen Carter?" Carol asked, nervously. Peter turned to her with concerned eyes.
"Carol, you were in there with him a while ago, what happened?"
"Well, we were talking, and I was really tired. He saw that and said it would be OK if I fell asleep; that he could find something else to do. I disagreed, but I was so tired, then I must have dozed off and now I can't find him! Where did he go?"
"Damn it!" Peter swore, "Today is not a good day!"
"Morning, Peter," Carol corrected, pointing at her wristwatch. It was now 1:00 AM and there was still no sign of Dave, Luka, or Lucy and now Carter had disappeared as well.
"Whatever!" Peter threw his hands in the air, "Just find him! I'm going to go talk to Mark."
"Yes sir!" Carol saluted him like a soldier and left. Peter entered Elizabeth's room.
"How's she doing?" he asked Mark.
"No better, no worse, no change," Mark sighed, sorrowfully. Peter noticed he was holding her hand, firmly.
"We're very shorthanded right now. What with Lucy, Dave and Kovac gone, Corday down, Abby mentally unstable and Carter miss- I mean, and Carter with memory loss that-"
"I understand, what do you need?"
"For you to stay here with Elizabeth," Peter replied.
"What?"
"Well, someone has to be here when she wakes up."
"If she ever *does* wake up..." Mark looked sadly at her.
"Hey," Peter laid a hand on Mark's shoulder, "She *will* wake up. You can count on that," it was a promise he wasn't sure he would be able to keep. After tonight, he wasn't sure he'd see many of his friends again. Either the way he knew and remembered them, or maybe not even at all.
Jing-Mei opened the door to Abby's room and was shocked to find her co-worker, John Carter, hanging on her every word. But Abby stopped talking when she saw Jing-Mei.
"Carter..." she said slowly. Carter turned around.
"Are you Randi or Dr. Chen?" he asked. Jing-Mei looked at him, shocked for a minute that he had confused her with Randi. Then, she remembered Kerry saying something to her about Carter having memory loss and sighed.
"I'm Dr. Jing-Mei Chen," she said, formally, as if to a patient, rather then a friend, "You used to refer to me as Deb. Seeing as you probably wouldn't remember, you may call me what ever you see fit..." she trailed off. Carter's face had gone blank. Abby smiled.
"He's remembering you, Dr. Chen!" she said, happily, "He does that a lot. Whenever I say something, it triggers a flashback or a memory. It's happening more frequently now."
"Deb? Deb..." he said uncertainly, studying her. She smiled. Was he really remembering her? This could be a big break through. Maybe now, they could destroy the wall that had surrounded Carter's mind ever since the accident.
"Carter?" she said, tentatively.
"Deb!" he said excitedly, "You? You're the one scaring Abby? She wouldn't hurt you, Abby, you know that!"
"How do you know?" Abby asked, with the slightest accusing tone, "You shouldn't even remember her!"
"I sort of do... And other things..." he fought hard to remember and also started remembering something that hadn't even happened.
Music is playing. Loud. I can see Kerry come in. She asks about something, but I can't hear her voice. All I hear is music. I look around and see hearts and other Valentine's Day decorations. I follow Kerry down the hall. She talks to Pablo and then goes to see a man in a Cupid's uniform. She's now searching for something. I still can't hear what she's saying. She runs into Deb in the hall and has a brief conversation silent to my ears. She then looks down and sees a bloody footprint on the floor. She opens the door near the footprint. All I know is I do not want to see what was behind it.
Carter pulled himself out of the 'memory.'
"Carter?" Abby said, "You were in that memory for a long time. Are you all right?"
"I... I'm fine... What happened last Valentine's Day?" he asked.
"Valentine's? Why?" Jing-Mei asked.
"I just had the strangest memory..."
"Valentine's Day... '99?" Carter nodded. Jing-Mei tried not to grin. At the word Valentine's Day, Carter remembered more.
I see Kerry open the door. She gasps. I look over her and see what she's gasping about. I almost faint. What I see is horrible. Lucy and I are laying on the floor, bleeding. Lucy and I. Us. What could have happened? How? Who? Lucy...
"Carter?"
"Is she dead?" Carter asked suddenly.
"Who?"
"The other girl. The one you found with me on the floor."
"Carter, there is no other girl. Lucy called you in. She saw you get hit by the car," Jing-Mei informed him.
"Not the accident, Valentine's Day!"
"What?" Abby and Jing-Mei exclaimed, simultaneously.
"When that woman with the crutch came in and found us on the floor... Lucy and I..."
"Carter... If you mean what happened between you and Lucy last year, don't worry! We all understand-"
"Understand what?" Carter asked.
"We understand why you two did it!"
"What did we do? Kill each other?"
"God no!" Abby said, "Maybe it's best you don't remember..."
"No! I saw her there! On the floor! I want to know if she's alive or if she didn't survive!"
"Who, Carter?" Jing-Mei and Abby were completely lost.
"Lucy! In my memory! She was on the floor, we both were! And then, that woman came in and found us! We were bleeding!" Jing-Mei and Abby stared.
"W-Why were you bleeding, Carter?" she asked.
"I think... Maybe... We were shot? Or stabbed? Yeah, maybe we were stabbed... I don't know!" Jing-Mei put her hands on Carter's shoulders.
"Carter... You and Lucy... You were never shot or stabbed... Not that I remember, anyway. What you think was a memory... Maybe it was all just a bad dream..." *A dream...* Carter thought. He knew that had what he felt when he had experienced this.
"It wasn't a dream!"
"Abby, I'm sorry, but I think Carter's remembered enough for one day-"
"Crowe!" Carter blurted out.
"What?" Jing-Mei asked.
"I... I have no idea why I just said that..."
"Come with me, Carter," Jing-Mei led him out of the room. On her way out, she ran into Carol.
"Oh thank God you found him!" Carol gasped, "Where the Hell did you go?"
"He went to visit Abby. I think he should come back after he gets some rest. Apparently, they enjoy each other's company. Abby'll barely speak to anyone else but him! And Carter's remembering a lot!"
"Really? I think that's the best thing I've heard all day!" Carol sighed, "I can take him from here," And she took him back to his room.
Dave descended into the cold, dank cellar. He couldn't see anything. Everything was black. Suddenly, the trap door fell closed on him.
"What're you doing with that?" Jacob asked as he came down the stairs.
"Uh, nothing..."
"Where's your officer friend?" Jacob questioned, looking around.
"He decided to look in the garden... He thought that maybe, if she did run away, that she could be hiding out there."
"I don't have a garden..." Jacob's eyes narrowed.
"Oh, well, then he went to check behind the house."
"Like Hell he did!"
"Where's your cat?" Luka asked, changing the subject.
"Killed her," he said, "Her name was Cara."
"Cara? Interesting name for a cat... Why'd you kill her?"
"She meowed and wailed all the time just because I'd forget to feed her. When I offered her food she denied, when she learned in return she had to let me rub her stomach. So she died," he said this so casually it irked Luka.
"So... You let her starve to death just because she wouldn't let you pet her?"
"Yes," he replied simply, "Is it a crime to want to stroke your cat?"
"Well, no..."
"You'll be happy to know I've got a new cat," he said.
"Really?" Luka tried to smile and sound interested. Only now did he realize how sick this person really was. And how much trouble he had gotten Dave and himself into.
"Yeah."
"What's his name?"
"Her," Jacob informed him.
"Another her?"
"I like females. Males don't do much for me."
"So... What's her name?"
"Her name, my friend, just happens to be Lucy."
A/N: First of all, thanx to the one and only reviewer for chapter 8, and that was Jen. And here's chapter 9 anyway. I'm not sure if you've given up reading this or just reviewing it, but here's nine anyway. Secondly, the reason Carter remembers what he does and blurts out that name is revealed in a later chapter. Well, sort of.
"Peter! Have you seen Carter?" Carol asked, nervously. Peter turned to her with concerned eyes.
"Carol, you were in there with him a while ago, what happened?"
"Well, we were talking, and I was really tired. He saw that and said it would be OK if I fell asleep; that he could find something else to do. I disagreed, but I was so tired, then I must have dozed off and now I can't find him! Where did he go?"
"Damn it!" Peter swore, "Today is not a good day!"
"Morning, Peter," Carol corrected, pointing at her wristwatch. It was now 1:00 AM and there was still no sign of Dave, Luka, or Lucy and now Carter had disappeared as well.
"Whatever!" Peter threw his hands in the air, "Just find him! I'm going to go talk to Mark."
"Yes sir!" Carol saluted him like a soldier and left. Peter entered Elizabeth's room.
"How's she doing?" he asked Mark.
"No better, no worse, no change," Mark sighed, sorrowfully. Peter noticed he was holding her hand, firmly.
"We're very shorthanded right now. What with Lucy, Dave and Kovac gone, Corday down, Abby mentally unstable and Carter miss- I mean, and Carter with memory loss that-"
"I understand, what do you need?"
"For you to stay here with Elizabeth," Peter replied.
"What?"
"Well, someone has to be here when she wakes up."
"If she ever *does* wake up..." Mark looked sadly at her.
"Hey," Peter laid a hand on Mark's shoulder, "She *will* wake up. You can count on that," it was a promise he wasn't sure he would be able to keep. After tonight, he wasn't sure he'd see many of his friends again. Either the way he knew and remembered them, or maybe not even at all.
Jing-Mei opened the door to Abby's room and was shocked to find her co-worker, John Carter, hanging on her every word. But Abby stopped talking when she saw Jing-Mei.
"Carter..." she said slowly. Carter turned around.
"Are you Randi or Dr. Chen?" he asked. Jing-Mei looked at him, shocked for a minute that he had confused her with Randi. Then, she remembered Kerry saying something to her about Carter having memory loss and sighed.
"I'm Dr. Jing-Mei Chen," she said, formally, as if to a patient, rather then a friend, "You used to refer to me as Deb. Seeing as you probably wouldn't remember, you may call me what ever you see fit..." she trailed off. Carter's face had gone blank. Abby smiled.
"He's remembering you, Dr. Chen!" she said, happily, "He does that a lot. Whenever I say something, it triggers a flashback or a memory. It's happening more frequently now."
"Deb? Deb..." he said uncertainly, studying her. She smiled. Was he really remembering her? This could be a big break through. Maybe now, they could destroy the wall that had surrounded Carter's mind ever since the accident.
"Carter?" she said, tentatively.
"Deb!" he said excitedly, "You? You're the one scaring Abby? She wouldn't hurt you, Abby, you know that!"
"How do you know?" Abby asked, with the slightest accusing tone, "You shouldn't even remember her!"
"I sort of do... And other things..." he fought hard to remember and also started remembering something that hadn't even happened.
Music is playing. Loud. I can see Kerry come in. She asks about something, but I can't hear her voice. All I hear is music. I look around and see hearts and other Valentine's Day decorations. I follow Kerry down the hall. She talks to Pablo and then goes to see a man in a Cupid's uniform. She's now searching for something. I still can't hear what she's saying. She runs into Deb in the hall and has a brief conversation silent to my ears. She then looks down and sees a bloody footprint on the floor. She opens the door near the footprint. All I know is I do not want to see what was behind it.
Carter pulled himself out of the 'memory.'
"Carter?" Abby said, "You were in that memory for a long time. Are you all right?"
"I... I'm fine... What happened last Valentine's Day?" he asked.
"Valentine's? Why?" Jing-Mei asked.
"I just had the strangest memory..."
"Valentine's Day... '99?" Carter nodded. Jing-Mei tried not to grin. At the word Valentine's Day, Carter remembered more.
I see Kerry open the door. She gasps. I look over her and see what she's gasping about. I almost faint. What I see is horrible. Lucy and I are laying on the floor, bleeding. Lucy and I. Us. What could have happened? How? Who? Lucy...
"Carter?"
"Is she dead?" Carter asked suddenly.
"Who?"
"The other girl. The one you found with me on the floor."
"Carter, there is no other girl. Lucy called you in. She saw you get hit by the car," Jing-Mei informed him.
"Not the accident, Valentine's Day!"
"What?" Abby and Jing-Mei exclaimed, simultaneously.
"When that woman with the crutch came in and found us on the floor... Lucy and I..."
"Carter... If you mean what happened between you and Lucy last year, don't worry! We all understand-"
"Understand what?" Carter asked.
"We understand why you two did it!"
"What did we do? Kill each other?"
"God no!" Abby said, "Maybe it's best you don't remember..."
"No! I saw her there! On the floor! I want to know if she's alive or if she didn't survive!"
"Who, Carter?" Jing-Mei and Abby were completely lost.
"Lucy! In my memory! She was on the floor, we both were! And then, that woman came in and found us! We were bleeding!" Jing-Mei and Abby stared.
"W-Why were you bleeding, Carter?" she asked.
"I think... Maybe... We were shot? Or stabbed? Yeah, maybe we were stabbed... I don't know!" Jing-Mei put her hands on Carter's shoulders.
"Carter... You and Lucy... You were never shot or stabbed... Not that I remember, anyway. What you think was a memory... Maybe it was all just a bad dream..." *A dream...* Carter thought. He knew that had what he felt when he had experienced this.
"It wasn't a dream!"
"Abby, I'm sorry, but I think Carter's remembered enough for one day-"
"Crowe!" Carter blurted out.
"What?" Jing-Mei asked.
"I... I have no idea why I just said that..."
"Come with me, Carter," Jing-Mei led him out of the room. On her way out, she ran into Carol.
"Oh thank God you found him!" Carol gasped, "Where the Hell did you go?"
"He went to visit Abby. I think he should come back after he gets some rest. Apparently, they enjoy each other's company. Abby'll barely speak to anyone else but him! And Carter's remembering a lot!"
"Really? I think that's the best thing I've heard all day!" Carol sighed, "I can take him from here," And she took him back to his room.
Dave descended into the cold, dank cellar. He couldn't see anything. Everything was black. Suddenly, the trap door fell closed on him.
"What're you doing with that?" Jacob asked as he came down the stairs.
"Uh, nothing..."
"Where's your officer friend?" Jacob questioned, looking around.
"He decided to look in the garden... He thought that maybe, if she did run away, that she could be hiding out there."
"I don't have a garden..." Jacob's eyes narrowed.
"Oh, well, then he went to check behind the house."
"Like Hell he did!"
"Where's your cat?" Luka asked, changing the subject.
"Killed her," he said, "Her name was Cara."
"Cara? Interesting name for a cat... Why'd you kill her?"
"She meowed and wailed all the time just because I'd forget to feed her. When I offered her food she denied, when she learned in return she had to let me rub her stomach. So she died," he said this so casually it irked Luka.
"So... You let her starve to death just because she wouldn't let you pet her?"
"Yes," he replied simply, "Is it a crime to want to stroke your cat?"
"Well, no..."
"You'll be happy to know I've got a new cat," he said.
"Really?" Luka tried to smile and sound interested. Only now did he realize how sick this person really was. And how much trouble he had gotten Dave and himself into.
"Yeah."
"What's his name?"
"Her," Jacob informed him.
"Another her?"
"I like females. Males don't do much for me."
"So... What's her name?"
"Her name, my friend, just happens to be Lucy."