You'll be in my heart, part 4, "MEMORIES"
When he opened his eyes he saw clouds. Where was he? He looked around. As he saw a stewardess selling snacks he realised he still was in the air on the plane. But where was that guy, Phil?
He sure wasn't sitting next to him babbling on and asking questions. In the seat next to him, where this Phil Patterson was sitting only a few seconds ago, an elderly man was snoring loudly.
Doug looked around but there was no Phil anywhere.
Where'd he gone? he thought.
If it was just a dream why where he on a plane to Chicago 5am? He opened his bag. Didn't he bring the newspaper? Yes, there it was. When he looked at the front page he realised it wasn't a dream, not all of it, this Phil thing was still bothering him tough.
On the front of the paper there was a large picture of the twins and there was written "missing" above.
Doug could feel the pain in his heart. He looked at the picture remembering when it was taken.
--------------flashback----------------
Once when Carol, Kate and Tess were visiting him in Seattle, they'd decided to take a bush walk. The girls were about 7 years.
"Daddy, Mummy, I'm tired". Tess stopped and sat down on a big stone.
"Yeah, me too", Kate said and sat down next to her sister.
Both Carol and Doug turned around looking at their daughters.
"I know you are but it's not that far away from home. We'll be there any minute now", Carol said.
Tess looked at her parents with sad puppy eyes and curled her lips like she was about to cry even though she wasn't. "I'm still tired".
"Ok. You know what we're going to do?" Doug asked.
"No".
"What about we take a picture of you that we can send to your grandmas? They'll be very happy to get a picture of their favourite grandchildren".
Kate got up. "Okay. What do we have to do?"
"Sit next to each other on the stone, smile and say 'cheese'".
"That's so boring, Daddy", Tess tried to explain her father
"Well, say Doug's the coolest Daddy is the whole world then".
When Doug said those words Carol interrupted. "Calm down, you!" she laughed and turned to the girls. "Why don't you show your grandmas how strong you are for instance?"
Both girls brightened up. "Yeah!" Kate cried. "Then they'll see how strong we are and that we can survive everything".
"Exactly. Because we have powers no one else have, and we'll never die", Tess continued.
Doug took the camera ready to take the picture. "Let us see some muscles, girls! Is that it? Come on. I know there's a lot of muscles in you two".
Tess and Kate smiled at the camera as they tensed their muscles.
------------------end flashback----------------
The picture turned out to be a great picture, in fact one of the best he'd taken of the twins together. It was both Carol's and his favourite picture of their two daughters. He'd gotten it enlarged and framed, and now it was hanging in his bedroom in that way that he could fall asleep every night watching his girls. He could feel a tear flume down on his cheek.
"Sir, are you alright?" the stewardess asked as she passed him.
"I'm. . I'm okay. When do we arrive in Chicago?"
"About an hour".
"Thanks".
-------------------------------------------------
I will protect you
From all around you
I will be here
Don't you cry
---------------------------------------------------
In Chicago Carol couldn't stay still. She walked around in the living room a couple of times before she went to the bathroom a few second and then heading to the kitchen and the living room again. The pain she felt inside only became bigger. Mark , who'd decided to stay with Carol till the twins were back, tried to calm her down, unsuccessfully. He knew that no matter what he'd say would help her. Not knowing anything made her restless. She wanted to go looking after the girls but the police wouldn't let her. They said she could come later. She had to stay at home waiting. Carol was sitting at the couch looking at a picture of Tess and Kate when the doorbell rang. She ran immediately to the door.
"Doug!" she exclaimed before hugging him. He dropped his bag and took her in his arms.
"Oh Carol!!"
"I'm so sorry. . . I'm sorry. . . ", she cried having her head on his shoulder.
"It's not your fault, Carol. Don't ever think that".
They stood there a while hugging before they managed to face reality. Hugging each other wasn't helping very much.
Doug took Carol's hand and led her to the couch. "Now, tell me in every detail. What happened?"
"I didn't come home from work before 6pm and I was just sooo tired. The girls wanted to go swimming and I said they could if they were home by 8pm. Then I fell asleep only a minute after they'd left and didn't wake up before 11pm".
"And they still weren't home?"
"No".
"Continue, Carol".
"Well, after waking up I checked their room in case they'd seen me sleeping and didn't want to wake me. You see, they have done that before but they weren't home and then I called Mark and Elizabeth, and Mark came".
"Where is he now?"
"He went home to get some clean clothes and to see Ella and Elizabeth before came back. Anyway, none of their friends had seen them and then we went looking in Pontague but it was no one there. It was 00. 30 am when we called the police and they've been looking since. They didn't allow me to participate in the searching. All I can do is to stay here and wait".
"They say that for a reason, Carol", he wiped away some of her tears.
"I. . I know".
"Look, let's have something to eat and then we'll go down there".
"I'm so scared, Doug. If something has happened to them I'll never forgive myself".
"I'm scared too but you've got to stop saying it's your fault because it's not".
"But, Doug. . ". She looked at him with tears in her eyes.
He took a finger on her lips. "Don't ".
After forcing some food down they drove to Pontague where the police now owed the place. There were little orange men everywhere in the bushes and on boats on the lake. Carol realised that her favourite place in Chicago now was her nightmare. The girls had loved the place since they were little but now it was frightening just hearing the place's name. The place that used to be a quiet and unknown family place was now known in every home in America.
"Hey, any news yet?" Doug asked one of the officers.
"Unfortunately not. Who are you, if I may ask?"
"The girls' father. Doug Ross".
"I'm sorry. You have all my best wishes even though this looks even more bad as the hours have gone by".
"I know".
The officer could see how afraid and sad Doug was and he felt sorry for him and Carol. Not knowing where one's children is must be the worst experience parents can have.
After being there a couple of hours, without any sign of Kate and Tess, Doug got Carol in the car and they drove home.
As the hours went by, Saturday morning became Saturday night. The girls had now been missing for 24 hours. Carol and Doug had barely slept at all that night. They were sitting in the kitchen talking, constantly watching and waiting the phone to call. Carol had told the others at County not to call her because she was afraid she'd not get an important message if the phone was in use.
"Do you remember that time when the girls were about 4 ½ and asked us where babies come from?"
"Yeah. . ", Carol said, almost whispering, ". . I remember".
----------------flashback----------------------------
"Mummy, Daddy, where do babies come from?" Kate asked.
"Um. . well. . I. . So, you want to know where babies come from?" Doug trembled surprised over Kate's so sudden question.
"That's the question. Give me the answer", Kate said.
Tess joined them. "Come on, Daddy. Where do babies come from?"
"Well, you know that. . . that. . . um. . ".
"Daddy! Where do babies come from!" Both girls were impatient.
"Okay", Doug started, "You know that to make a baby there have to be a Mummy and a Daddy, right?"
Kate nodded. "Yeah, but what do they do?"
"They. . .they. . Why don't you girls ask your mother while I make dinner".
Carol grabbed his hand and made him sit. "You're not going anywhere, mister. Girls, a Mummy and a Daddy. . . Well, when a man and a woman want a baby they make one", she said hoping the conversation was over now she'd answer a part of the question.
"How?" Kate asked.
Doug looked at the girls before he looked at Carol and then the girls again. "How?"
He repeated.
"You heard her", Carol laughed. "She wants to know how. Tell them, Doug".
"Yeah, tell us, Daddy", Tess said.
"You know what? I'm really getting hungry. Why don't we make dinner?" Doug asked trying to get away with it.
Kate shook her head. "No! Come on, Daddy! We know you know!"
Doug took a deep breath before continuing what he barely had began. "Ok, here it goes. When a man and a woman love each other very much the man asks the woman if she wants to get a baby and when she says yes, they get one".
"We already know that, Daddy. How do they get the baby?" Kate said while rolling her eyes.
"I'm sorry, girls. You have a right to know. I'll tell you. Come here".
He lifted the girls on his laps. Carol looked a little nervous at him. "Doug, you're not going to tell them, are you?".
"Every little detail", he said jokily.
"Doug!"
"Don't worry. Well, one more try. When a man and a woman love each other they can have a baby if they both want to. . and", he said quickly before Kate and Tess managed to interrupt him, "they get the baby by loving each other. It's very simple and that's not always good because sometimes a man and a woman get a baby when they don't want it too".
Tess thought about it a little. "Did you and Mummy want us to come?"
"Of course", Doug said and kissed her and Kate.
"Were you happy?"
"We've never been so happy before, sweetie", Carol said and smiled at her daughters.
"Why?" Kate wanted to know.
"The 4 year old period really is the big why age", Carol laughed. "Because you're special, that's why".
Tess brightened up. "We are?"
Doug tickled her. "Sure you are. You are two of a kind".
"Alright!!!" Kate burst out smiling. She started laughing and then Doug began tickling her. Then Tess had started tickling Doug, and soon they all lay on the floor tickling each other and laughing.
-------------------------end flashback----------------------------
"We had a great day, didn't we?" Doug said.
"Yeah, we did".
--------------------------------------------
And you'll be in my heart
Yes, you'll be in my heart
From this day on
Now and forever more
--------------------------------------------
When he opened his eyes he saw clouds. Where was he? He looked around. As he saw a stewardess selling snacks he realised he still was in the air on the plane. But where was that guy, Phil?
He sure wasn't sitting next to him babbling on and asking questions. In the seat next to him, where this Phil Patterson was sitting only a few seconds ago, an elderly man was snoring loudly.
Doug looked around but there was no Phil anywhere.
Where'd he gone? he thought.
If it was just a dream why where he on a plane to Chicago 5am? He opened his bag. Didn't he bring the newspaper? Yes, there it was. When he looked at the front page he realised it wasn't a dream, not all of it, this Phil thing was still bothering him tough.
On the front of the paper there was a large picture of the twins and there was written "missing" above.
Doug could feel the pain in his heart. He looked at the picture remembering when it was taken.
--------------flashback----------------
Once when Carol, Kate and Tess were visiting him in Seattle, they'd decided to take a bush walk. The girls were about 7 years.
"Daddy, Mummy, I'm tired". Tess stopped and sat down on a big stone.
"Yeah, me too", Kate said and sat down next to her sister.
Both Carol and Doug turned around looking at their daughters.
"I know you are but it's not that far away from home. We'll be there any minute now", Carol said.
Tess looked at her parents with sad puppy eyes and curled her lips like she was about to cry even though she wasn't. "I'm still tired".
"Ok. You know what we're going to do?" Doug asked.
"No".
"What about we take a picture of you that we can send to your grandmas? They'll be very happy to get a picture of their favourite grandchildren".
Kate got up. "Okay. What do we have to do?"
"Sit next to each other on the stone, smile and say 'cheese'".
"That's so boring, Daddy", Tess tried to explain her father
"Well, say Doug's the coolest Daddy is the whole world then".
When Doug said those words Carol interrupted. "Calm down, you!" she laughed and turned to the girls. "Why don't you show your grandmas how strong you are for instance?"
Both girls brightened up. "Yeah!" Kate cried. "Then they'll see how strong we are and that we can survive everything".
"Exactly. Because we have powers no one else have, and we'll never die", Tess continued.
Doug took the camera ready to take the picture. "Let us see some muscles, girls! Is that it? Come on. I know there's a lot of muscles in you two".
Tess and Kate smiled at the camera as they tensed their muscles.
------------------end flashback----------------
The picture turned out to be a great picture, in fact one of the best he'd taken of the twins together. It was both Carol's and his favourite picture of their two daughters. He'd gotten it enlarged and framed, and now it was hanging in his bedroom in that way that he could fall asleep every night watching his girls. He could feel a tear flume down on his cheek.
"Sir, are you alright?" the stewardess asked as she passed him.
"I'm. . I'm okay. When do we arrive in Chicago?"
"About an hour".
"Thanks".
-------------------------------------------------
I will protect you
From all around you
I will be here
Don't you cry
---------------------------------------------------
In Chicago Carol couldn't stay still. She walked around in the living room a couple of times before she went to the bathroom a few second and then heading to the kitchen and the living room again. The pain she felt inside only became bigger. Mark , who'd decided to stay with Carol till the twins were back, tried to calm her down, unsuccessfully. He knew that no matter what he'd say would help her. Not knowing anything made her restless. She wanted to go looking after the girls but the police wouldn't let her. They said she could come later. She had to stay at home waiting. Carol was sitting at the couch looking at a picture of Tess and Kate when the doorbell rang. She ran immediately to the door.
"Doug!" she exclaimed before hugging him. He dropped his bag and took her in his arms.
"Oh Carol!!"
"I'm so sorry. . . I'm sorry. . . ", she cried having her head on his shoulder.
"It's not your fault, Carol. Don't ever think that".
They stood there a while hugging before they managed to face reality. Hugging each other wasn't helping very much.
Doug took Carol's hand and led her to the couch. "Now, tell me in every detail. What happened?"
"I didn't come home from work before 6pm and I was just sooo tired. The girls wanted to go swimming and I said they could if they were home by 8pm. Then I fell asleep only a minute after they'd left and didn't wake up before 11pm".
"And they still weren't home?"
"No".
"Continue, Carol".
"Well, after waking up I checked their room in case they'd seen me sleeping and didn't want to wake me. You see, they have done that before but they weren't home and then I called Mark and Elizabeth, and Mark came".
"Where is he now?"
"He went home to get some clean clothes and to see Ella and Elizabeth before came back. Anyway, none of their friends had seen them and then we went looking in Pontague but it was no one there. It was 00. 30 am when we called the police and they've been looking since. They didn't allow me to participate in the searching. All I can do is to stay here and wait".
"They say that for a reason, Carol", he wiped away some of her tears.
"I. . I know".
"Look, let's have something to eat and then we'll go down there".
"I'm so scared, Doug. If something has happened to them I'll never forgive myself".
"I'm scared too but you've got to stop saying it's your fault because it's not".
"But, Doug. . ". She looked at him with tears in her eyes.
He took a finger on her lips. "Don't ".
After forcing some food down they drove to Pontague where the police now owed the place. There were little orange men everywhere in the bushes and on boats on the lake. Carol realised that her favourite place in Chicago now was her nightmare. The girls had loved the place since they were little but now it was frightening just hearing the place's name. The place that used to be a quiet and unknown family place was now known in every home in America.
"Hey, any news yet?" Doug asked one of the officers.
"Unfortunately not. Who are you, if I may ask?"
"The girls' father. Doug Ross".
"I'm sorry. You have all my best wishes even though this looks even more bad as the hours have gone by".
"I know".
The officer could see how afraid and sad Doug was and he felt sorry for him and Carol. Not knowing where one's children is must be the worst experience parents can have.
After being there a couple of hours, without any sign of Kate and Tess, Doug got Carol in the car and they drove home.
As the hours went by, Saturday morning became Saturday night. The girls had now been missing for 24 hours. Carol and Doug had barely slept at all that night. They were sitting in the kitchen talking, constantly watching and waiting the phone to call. Carol had told the others at County not to call her because she was afraid she'd not get an important message if the phone was in use.
"Do you remember that time when the girls were about 4 ½ and asked us where babies come from?"
"Yeah. . ", Carol said, almost whispering, ". . I remember".
----------------flashback----------------------------
"Mummy, Daddy, where do babies come from?" Kate asked.
"Um. . well. . I. . So, you want to know where babies come from?" Doug trembled surprised over Kate's so sudden question.
"That's the question. Give me the answer", Kate said.
Tess joined them. "Come on, Daddy. Where do babies come from?"
"Well, you know that. . . that. . . um. . ".
"Daddy! Where do babies come from!" Both girls were impatient.
"Okay", Doug started, "You know that to make a baby there have to be a Mummy and a Daddy, right?"
Kate nodded. "Yeah, but what do they do?"
"They. . .they. . Why don't you girls ask your mother while I make dinner".
Carol grabbed his hand and made him sit. "You're not going anywhere, mister. Girls, a Mummy and a Daddy. . . Well, when a man and a woman want a baby they make one", she said hoping the conversation was over now she'd answer a part of the question.
"How?" Kate asked.
Doug looked at the girls before he looked at Carol and then the girls again. "How?"
He repeated.
"You heard her", Carol laughed. "She wants to know how. Tell them, Doug".
"Yeah, tell us, Daddy", Tess said.
"You know what? I'm really getting hungry. Why don't we make dinner?" Doug asked trying to get away with it.
Kate shook her head. "No! Come on, Daddy! We know you know!"
Doug took a deep breath before continuing what he barely had began. "Ok, here it goes. When a man and a woman love each other very much the man asks the woman if she wants to get a baby and when she says yes, they get one".
"We already know that, Daddy. How do they get the baby?" Kate said while rolling her eyes.
"I'm sorry, girls. You have a right to know. I'll tell you. Come here".
He lifted the girls on his laps. Carol looked a little nervous at him. "Doug, you're not going to tell them, are you?".
"Every little detail", he said jokily.
"Doug!"
"Don't worry. Well, one more try. When a man and a woman love each other they can have a baby if they both want to. . and", he said quickly before Kate and Tess managed to interrupt him, "they get the baby by loving each other. It's very simple and that's not always good because sometimes a man and a woman get a baby when they don't want it too".
Tess thought about it a little. "Did you and Mummy want us to come?"
"Of course", Doug said and kissed her and Kate.
"Were you happy?"
"We've never been so happy before, sweetie", Carol said and smiled at her daughters.
"Why?" Kate wanted to know.
"The 4 year old period really is the big why age", Carol laughed. "Because you're special, that's why".
Tess brightened up. "We are?"
Doug tickled her. "Sure you are. You are two of a kind".
"Alright!!!" Kate burst out smiling. She started laughing and then Doug began tickling her. Then Tess had started tickling Doug, and soon they all lay on the floor tickling each other and laughing.
-------------------------end flashback----------------------------
"We had a great day, didn't we?" Doug said.
"Yeah, we did".
--------------------------------------------
And you'll be in my heart
Yes, you'll be in my heart
From this day on
Now and forever more
--------------------------------------------