This is a work of fiction. The characters aren't mine, and I do not lay any claims on them. This is the first part of a story that will be updated. I can't tell you how much trouble I've had with this………….every time I try to put it up, the damn thing deletes itself. But enough about that.
I hope you like, and please, don't hesitate to read and let me know what you think. Thanks………Kiva: )
**************************************************************************************Rachel was dreaming. She wasn't sure how she knew that, just that she did.
She slowly became aware of a loud ringing, that seemed to be invading her dream. As she made the shift from sleeping, to the waking world, she realised it was the phone.
She groaned, silencing the racket by picking up the offending object, while taking the time to look at the bedside clock, through blurry, sleep filled eyes.
It read 1:30 am, precisely. Biting back a rather uncharitable remark, and a lengthy lecture on disturbing sleep [both reserved for the person on the other end of the line] she rolled over, putting the phone to her ear.
"Hello?" she said.
There was a prolonged moment of silence, in which Rachel began to get increasingly angry at being woken for a crank call.
The voice was so low at first, that she had to strain to make it out.
"Rachel?" the voice said.
Rachel was a trained professional, she was good at picking things up. Gestures, movements, voice inflections. And the pain in the vaguely familiar voice, drove spikes of fear through her.
She quickly ran through the reasons that someone would have to call her at this time of night.
Rachel knew that her daughter was safely tucked up in bed.
* Was safely tucked up* Rachel thought. She had believed that they were over that period of trouble, but Kat had snuck out before.
"Rachel, it's Alex," the voice continued.
She felt the breath quicken in her throat. She kept telling herself that it would do no good to get hysterical, but she couldn't calm the pounding of her heart.
"Alex honey, it's alright. Just, tell me what's wrong, did something happen?"
She listened closely as Alex took a steadying breath.
"We were………..we were researching that case, the demon, do you remember?"
Rachel found herself nodding, even though she knew Alex couldn't see her.
They were interrupted when the door to Rachel's room slowly opened.
Rachel reached over and switched on the bedside lamp, wondering why she hadn't thought to do so before.
"Mom?" came the tired voice of her daughter. "What are you doing
Rachel gestured for quiet, as Kat came over and sat on the edge of her mothers bed.
"Yes Alex, I remember. Did something go wrong ?"
"You could say that," came the reply, sounding slightly bitter.
"Can you come to the hospital?" she continued.
Rachel tried to quell her panic.
"Of course, are you hurt?"
She had already guessed that Alex wasn't the injured party, but she asked anyway.
The silence stretched, and Rachel fought the urge to scream aloud.
"It's Nick, Rachel………..the demon, everything went wrong, and it's bad. They won't let me see him, and…………." the rest dissolved into soft crying.
Rachel felt cold. The thought of one of her best friends, lying in the hospital, possibly near death, was simply terrifying.
She felt the tears running down her face, but managed to make her voice work, even though it was quiet shaky.
"Alex, I'll be right there. Stay right where you are, okay? I'll be right there."
She vaguely heard Alex thanking her, the sound muffled by the tears she was shedding, but understandable just the same.
She replaced the receiver, and it was then that she remembered her daughter.
Kat was looking up at her mother, fear in her big blue eyes.
"Mom, what is it? What did Alex want?"
She tried to hide the tremor in her voice, but Rachel heard it.
"I'm not too sure, honey, but Nick's in the hospital." She did her best to smile reassuringly.
"Alex is a little upset, so I'm gonna go to her. Now, I don't want to leave you here, so you'll have to come with me, okay?"
Kat nodded, her eyes filling with tears.
"How bad mom?"
Rachel got up, ushering Kat to the door. She briefly debated whether or not to tell Kat everything that Alex had relayed to her, but decided that she didn't want Kat to worry any more than she already was.
"Er, you know, Alex didn't really say, so why don't you go and get dressed, and make it as quick as you can, okay sweetie?"
Rachel congratulated herself on keeping the smile plastered on her face, but the instant the door closed behind Kat, the smile vanished.
Kat was obviously worried. Rachel recalled a conversation they'd had , back when they had been patching things up. In it, Kat had disclosed that she didn't consider it 'grown up' to be called pet names by her mother all the time. And yet, Rachel had just called her 'honey' and 'sweetie', both in the space of a few minutes, and Kat hadn't protested. Which meant she was definitely scared.
She moved quickly, gathering clothes, throwing off her pyjamas as she went.
As she was getting dressed, a thought occurred to her. Why hadn't Alex mentioned Derek?
Usually it would be their Precept making such a call. If he could.
Now adding Derek to her list of things to worry about, she gathered her keys, calling out to Kat on her way out of the room. Aware of her daughter trailing behind her, she got into her car, making sure they were both securely strapped in, and then starting the ignition, began the long trip to the hospital.
**************************************************************************************
I hope you like, and please, don't hesitate to read and let me know what you think. Thanks………Kiva: )
**************************************************************************************Rachel was dreaming. She wasn't sure how she knew that, just that she did.
She slowly became aware of a loud ringing, that seemed to be invading her dream. As she made the shift from sleeping, to the waking world, she realised it was the phone.
She groaned, silencing the racket by picking up the offending object, while taking the time to look at the bedside clock, through blurry, sleep filled eyes.
It read 1:30 am, precisely. Biting back a rather uncharitable remark, and a lengthy lecture on disturbing sleep [both reserved for the person on the other end of the line] she rolled over, putting the phone to her ear.
"Hello?" she said.
There was a prolonged moment of silence, in which Rachel began to get increasingly angry at being woken for a crank call.
The voice was so low at first, that she had to strain to make it out.
"Rachel?" the voice said.
Rachel was a trained professional, she was good at picking things up. Gestures, movements, voice inflections. And the pain in the vaguely familiar voice, drove spikes of fear through her.
She quickly ran through the reasons that someone would have to call her at this time of night.
Rachel knew that her daughter was safely tucked up in bed.
* Was safely tucked up* Rachel thought. She had believed that they were over that period of trouble, but Kat had snuck out before.
"Rachel, it's Alex," the voice continued.
She felt the breath quicken in her throat. She kept telling herself that it would do no good to get hysterical, but she couldn't calm the pounding of her heart.
"Alex honey, it's alright. Just, tell me what's wrong, did something happen?"
She listened closely as Alex took a steadying breath.
"We were………..we were researching that case, the demon, do you remember?"
Rachel found herself nodding, even though she knew Alex couldn't see her.
They were interrupted when the door to Rachel's room slowly opened.
Rachel reached over and switched on the bedside lamp, wondering why she hadn't thought to do so before.
"Mom?" came the tired voice of her daughter. "What are you doing
Rachel gestured for quiet, as Kat came over and sat on the edge of her mothers bed.
"Yes Alex, I remember. Did something go wrong ?"
"You could say that," came the reply, sounding slightly bitter.
"Can you come to the hospital?" she continued.
Rachel tried to quell her panic.
"Of course, are you hurt?"
She had already guessed that Alex wasn't the injured party, but she asked anyway.
The silence stretched, and Rachel fought the urge to scream aloud.
"It's Nick, Rachel………..the demon, everything went wrong, and it's bad. They won't let me see him, and…………." the rest dissolved into soft crying.
Rachel felt cold. The thought of one of her best friends, lying in the hospital, possibly near death, was simply terrifying.
She felt the tears running down her face, but managed to make her voice work, even though it was quiet shaky.
"Alex, I'll be right there. Stay right where you are, okay? I'll be right there."
She vaguely heard Alex thanking her, the sound muffled by the tears she was shedding, but understandable just the same.
She replaced the receiver, and it was then that she remembered her daughter.
Kat was looking up at her mother, fear in her big blue eyes.
"Mom, what is it? What did Alex want?"
She tried to hide the tremor in her voice, but Rachel heard it.
"I'm not too sure, honey, but Nick's in the hospital." She did her best to smile reassuringly.
"Alex is a little upset, so I'm gonna go to her. Now, I don't want to leave you here, so you'll have to come with me, okay?"
Kat nodded, her eyes filling with tears.
"How bad mom?"
Rachel got up, ushering Kat to the door. She briefly debated whether or not to tell Kat everything that Alex had relayed to her, but decided that she didn't want Kat to worry any more than she already was.
"Er, you know, Alex didn't really say, so why don't you go and get dressed, and make it as quick as you can, okay sweetie?"
Rachel congratulated herself on keeping the smile plastered on her face, but the instant the door closed behind Kat, the smile vanished.
Kat was obviously worried. Rachel recalled a conversation they'd had , back when they had been patching things up. In it, Kat had disclosed that she didn't consider it 'grown up' to be called pet names by her mother all the time. And yet, Rachel had just called her 'honey' and 'sweetie', both in the space of a few minutes, and Kat hadn't protested. Which meant she was definitely scared.
She moved quickly, gathering clothes, throwing off her pyjamas as she went.
As she was getting dressed, a thought occurred to her. Why hadn't Alex mentioned Derek?
Usually it would be their Precept making such a call. If he could.
Now adding Derek to her list of things to worry about, she gathered her keys, calling out to Kat on her way out of the room. Aware of her daughter trailing behind her, she got into her car, making sure they were both securely strapped in, and then starting the ignition, began the long trip to the hospital.
**************************************************************************************