Chapter 9
Coming Home
Springfield Ohio: 3am: the phone rang.
In a daze she reached for the phone. She griped the handle and picked it up placing the cold surface to her ear. She flinched slightly and cleared her throat.
"Hello?"
"Alice." A familiar voice said.
"Yeah," she replied still a little tired.
"Alice, we need your help." Alice's eyes opened wide.
"Kristen?" she asked in disbelief.
"Alice, it's not over." She slammed the receiver down and moved away from the phone.
"No!" she said out loud. "It is over."
The phone rang again and Alice flinched. She sat there for a moment, considering letting the machine pick it up. On the third ring however she changed her mind and picked it up. "What!" she demanded. "Alice Johnson?" a different voice asked.
"Yes, who is this?" She replied uneasily.
"Ms. Johnson, I'm sorry to disturb you at this hour but it's important."
"Who is this!" she demanded again, her panic growing.
"Nurse Foster, I'm calling from the Springwood Regional Hospital." She replied. Alice swallowed thickly.
"What do you want?"
"It's your Father Ms Johnson." Alice's heart fell. "He's here at the hospital and has insisted I call you to come pick him up. I insisted he call someone closer, but he wants.." There was a fumble for the phone.
"Alice baby," her father asked.
"Dad, what is the matter?" Alice asked feeling better to hear his voice.
"Hey Honey, how's Jacob?" he asked making his voice more calm and smooth.
"He's fine daddy, He's asleep."
"Baby, I just really need to see you. I feel.I feel like I've seen a ghost."
"I'll be there as soon as I can. Let me call a sitter for Jake and I'll be on my way."
It took her about an hour to get ready, reassure Jake that she would be back soon and explain to her neighbor she had a family emergency. Mrs. Bishop was very understanding and told her that she would be fine with her son, and asked she call as soon as she got in town. It then took her 2 hours going at speeds that should never be attempted, to get to Springwood. When she got to the hospital her father sat in the waiting room in a cast. She walked briskly up to him and kissed his cheeks.
"Daddy, what's wrong?" she asked. Her father, his hair peppered with grey hair looked even older from his fear.
"I fell this evening going downstairs. I was here getting my arm bandaged up when.I swear I heard your brother." Alice shook her head.
"No daddy, you didn't hear him."
"I know that I didn't, but.I got this feeling of dread and, I had to call you." Alice hugged the tired old man and sighed. Her father was concerned for her. She had avoided him and the town for so long, he was lonely for her.
"Its okay daddy," she said softly, "I'll take you home. And what do you say I stay a day or two, and maybe take you home with me for a while, and you can spend time with Jake." Her father smiled kindly and nodded. She turned with him to leave.
"I left my keys in the room." He noticed.
"I'll go get them and we can come back for the car in the morning. You just go wait in my car." He nodded and walked out the automatic doors. Alice turned back to the nurse's desk and saw the nurse behind the counter was the one who had called her. "I'm sorry about that; I've just been away for a while."
"No need to explain, my dad does it to me sometimes, it's just a cry for attention, same as with your kids." Alice nodded in agreement.
"He said he left his keys in the room in the back, can I go get them?" she asked
"Sure, just go through that door; He was in the on down to the right." There was a slight buzz and the door unlocked. Alice thanked her and headed through the door.
The emergency room had the same sterile smell all hospitals have. The oxygen enriched air was cold and the floors spotless. She glanced around as doctor's charted patience and nurses patched up random injuries in other rooms. Softly she stepped past them so not to disturb. She walked down the hall and into the room the nurse had specified. Sure enough her father's key lay on the floor, just slightly pushed under the bed. Alice knelt down and picked them up and put them in her purse. She stood and dusts herself off. It was then she heard her name called from another room. She froze for a moment and turned around. 'I should just leave' she thought.
But she couldn't. She walked out of the room and down the hall where she had heard the voice. She paused a moment and listened and again heard her name. She turned to the room it came from and saw a teenage girl wrapped in towels and blankets. She stepped closer to her as she lay there almost as if she were dead. Her skin was white and pasty. She noticed her eyes. "We've got matching luggage." A voice said. She flinched. "Kristen?" Alice whispered. But the girl in the blankets was not Kristen. Her hair was brown, damp and long. Suddenly her eyes opened revealing white filmy eyes. "Alice." A voice said coming from the girl's throat, but it wasn't the girl's voice. It was her brothers. Alice put her hand to her mouth to fight off a scream. Tears came to her eyes and she turned to run only to run in to a woman at the door. Alice stumbled a moment and took a deep breath to control her nerves.
"It's okay." The woman said. "She does look awful." Alice looked back and the girl was laying there with her eyes closed again. "Do you know Melissa?" the woman asked.
"Ah.no." Alice stuttered.
"She's my daughter."
"I.I'm sorry." said Alice sadly. "What's wrong with her?"
"Oh, I'm not sure, although I would think I should."
Alice placed her hand on the woman's shoulder as she looked at her daughter. "It's okay; we can't know everything that is wrong with our kids."
"But you see, I should. I'm a Doctor and I don't know."
"What is your profession?" she asked.
"Psychology."
"Well there is your problem." Alice replied lightly. "I don't think this is something you could have prevented."
"I could have if I had been home." The woman said sadly. "But no, I was at work, going over cases, not knowing my own daughter needed me. All those other kids not sleeping, and mine not being able to sleep either." Alice's blood went cold.
"Sleep?" she asked her voice fearful.
"Yes, I'm Dr. Keller." The woman said offering her hand. "I came here to help with them at the sleep clinic."
"How many cases?" Alice asked.
"Only 2 right now, but then again I probably shouldn't tell you that."
"Oh, it's okay. I won't tell on you." Alice said jokingly hiding her fear. "But what happened to Melissa?"
"Well from what the doctors have figured she hasn't been sleeping." She replied. "And when I came home this evening I found her in the hall. She was burning up. They had to put her in ice to get the fever down. But we don't know why she's sick." Alice looked back at the girl, the dark eyes, pale skin. Her eyes moved violently beneath her eye lids. 'She's dreaming!' she thought. "We've only been in this town for a week and she is in the hospital. I don't understand it." The woman's voice broke then. She turned away hiding her tears.
"It will be okay, Dr Keller." Alice said trying to comfort her. "It will." Dr. Keller sighed. "Yes, well... Thank you." Alice turned silently from the room and walked quickly down the hall and out the door. Once out side she breathed a deep breath. 'It's happening again!' she thought panicked. 'Oh God please, not again.'
Coming Home
Springfield Ohio: 3am: the phone rang.
In a daze she reached for the phone. She griped the handle and picked it up placing the cold surface to her ear. She flinched slightly and cleared her throat.
"Hello?"
"Alice." A familiar voice said.
"Yeah," she replied still a little tired.
"Alice, we need your help." Alice's eyes opened wide.
"Kristen?" she asked in disbelief.
"Alice, it's not over." She slammed the receiver down and moved away from the phone.
"No!" she said out loud. "It is over."
The phone rang again and Alice flinched. She sat there for a moment, considering letting the machine pick it up. On the third ring however she changed her mind and picked it up. "What!" she demanded. "Alice Johnson?" a different voice asked.
"Yes, who is this?" She replied uneasily.
"Ms. Johnson, I'm sorry to disturb you at this hour but it's important."
"Who is this!" she demanded again, her panic growing.
"Nurse Foster, I'm calling from the Springwood Regional Hospital." She replied. Alice swallowed thickly.
"What do you want?"
"It's your Father Ms Johnson." Alice's heart fell. "He's here at the hospital and has insisted I call you to come pick him up. I insisted he call someone closer, but he wants.." There was a fumble for the phone.
"Alice baby," her father asked.
"Dad, what is the matter?" Alice asked feeling better to hear his voice.
"Hey Honey, how's Jacob?" he asked making his voice more calm and smooth.
"He's fine daddy, He's asleep."
"Baby, I just really need to see you. I feel.I feel like I've seen a ghost."
"I'll be there as soon as I can. Let me call a sitter for Jake and I'll be on my way."
It took her about an hour to get ready, reassure Jake that she would be back soon and explain to her neighbor she had a family emergency. Mrs. Bishop was very understanding and told her that she would be fine with her son, and asked she call as soon as she got in town. It then took her 2 hours going at speeds that should never be attempted, to get to Springwood. When she got to the hospital her father sat in the waiting room in a cast. She walked briskly up to him and kissed his cheeks.
"Daddy, what's wrong?" she asked. Her father, his hair peppered with grey hair looked even older from his fear.
"I fell this evening going downstairs. I was here getting my arm bandaged up when.I swear I heard your brother." Alice shook her head.
"No daddy, you didn't hear him."
"I know that I didn't, but.I got this feeling of dread and, I had to call you." Alice hugged the tired old man and sighed. Her father was concerned for her. She had avoided him and the town for so long, he was lonely for her.
"Its okay daddy," she said softly, "I'll take you home. And what do you say I stay a day or two, and maybe take you home with me for a while, and you can spend time with Jake." Her father smiled kindly and nodded. She turned with him to leave.
"I left my keys in the room." He noticed.
"I'll go get them and we can come back for the car in the morning. You just go wait in my car." He nodded and walked out the automatic doors. Alice turned back to the nurse's desk and saw the nurse behind the counter was the one who had called her. "I'm sorry about that; I've just been away for a while."
"No need to explain, my dad does it to me sometimes, it's just a cry for attention, same as with your kids." Alice nodded in agreement.
"He said he left his keys in the room in the back, can I go get them?" she asked
"Sure, just go through that door; He was in the on down to the right." There was a slight buzz and the door unlocked. Alice thanked her and headed through the door.
The emergency room had the same sterile smell all hospitals have. The oxygen enriched air was cold and the floors spotless. She glanced around as doctor's charted patience and nurses patched up random injuries in other rooms. Softly she stepped past them so not to disturb. She walked down the hall and into the room the nurse had specified. Sure enough her father's key lay on the floor, just slightly pushed under the bed. Alice knelt down and picked them up and put them in her purse. She stood and dusts herself off. It was then she heard her name called from another room. She froze for a moment and turned around. 'I should just leave' she thought.
But she couldn't. She walked out of the room and down the hall where she had heard the voice. She paused a moment and listened and again heard her name. She turned to the room it came from and saw a teenage girl wrapped in towels and blankets. She stepped closer to her as she lay there almost as if she were dead. Her skin was white and pasty. She noticed her eyes. "We've got matching luggage." A voice said. She flinched. "Kristen?" Alice whispered. But the girl in the blankets was not Kristen. Her hair was brown, damp and long. Suddenly her eyes opened revealing white filmy eyes. "Alice." A voice said coming from the girl's throat, but it wasn't the girl's voice. It was her brothers. Alice put her hand to her mouth to fight off a scream. Tears came to her eyes and she turned to run only to run in to a woman at the door. Alice stumbled a moment and took a deep breath to control her nerves.
"It's okay." The woman said. "She does look awful." Alice looked back and the girl was laying there with her eyes closed again. "Do you know Melissa?" the woman asked.
"Ah.no." Alice stuttered.
"She's my daughter."
"I.I'm sorry." said Alice sadly. "What's wrong with her?"
"Oh, I'm not sure, although I would think I should."
Alice placed her hand on the woman's shoulder as she looked at her daughter. "It's okay; we can't know everything that is wrong with our kids."
"But you see, I should. I'm a Doctor and I don't know."
"What is your profession?" she asked.
"Psychology."
"Well there is your problem." Alice replied lightly. "I don't think this is something you could have prevented."
"I could have if I had been home." The woman said sadly. "But no, I was at work, going over cases, not knowing my own daughter needed me. All those other kids not sleeping, and mine not being able to sleep either." Alice's blood went cold.
"Sleep?" she asked her voice fearful.
"Yes, I'm Dr. Keller." The woman said offering her hand. "I came here to help with them at the sleep clinic."
"How many cases?" Alice asked.
"Only 2 right now, but then again I probably shouldn't tell you that."
"Oh, it's okay. I won't tell on you." Alice said jokingly hiding her fear. "But what happened to Melissa?"
"Well from what the doctors have figured she hasn't been sleeping." She replied. "And when I came home this evening I found her in the hall. She was burning up. They had to put her in ice to get the fever down. But we don't know why she's sick." Alice looked back at the girl, the dark eyes, pale skin. Her eyes moved violently beneath her eye lids. 'She's dreaming!' she thought. "We've only been in this town for a week and she is in the hospital. I don't understand it." The woman's voice broke then. She turned away hiding her tears.
"It will be okay, Dr Keller." Alice said trying to comfort her. "It will." Dr. Keller sighed. "Yes, well... Thank you." Alice turned silently from the room and walked quickly down the hall and out the door. Once out side she breathed a deep breath. 'It's happening again!' she thought panicked. 'Oh God please, not again.'
