I Thought It Was You 6

Sorry for the curve ball! Seriously, this story has a life of its own – don't know how it ended up in San Diego. Nat must want a vacation. I have an idea of where it wants to go, though I don't know how it ends up (Jolie, JoReaper, Natalie being free, a new man?). Natalie is just really sick and tired of dark, gloomy Llanview and all the drama that never results in reward – she's gotten the short end of the stick since McBain came to town. (Or is that just me that feels that way?) She's on a bit of a rebellion right now. If it starts to suck too badly I'll just give the story up.

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Chapter 6
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A dark weight was pressing in on her as she struggled to awareness. Her throat felt sore and more aches and pains made themselves known as she rose towards wakefulness. Still, she kept her eyes closed as she tried to loosen her limbs under the sheet of the hotel bed. She didn't want to open her eyes until she felt the ocean breeze across her hot face. Yet, as consciousness pulled all she smelled was stale air.

Darn. She had left the sliding glass door open to the breeze when she had given in to the exhaustion dragging at her body that afternoon and checked into her ocean front hotel. She went to sleep content with the knowledge that it would all be there waiting for her later and tomorrow and the tomorrow after that; for as long as she wanted.

But in the stale air, the bitterness of the past clawed at her, threatening to take her new found freedom away.

"Natalie."

The unexpected voice startled her and she opened her eyes into unexpected brightness and the sight of Paige, her uncle's girlfriend, looking down at her.

"How did you?" Natalie tried to ask, but broke off when all that came out of her sore throat as a croak.

"You're in the hospital. We pumped your stomach, that's why your throat is sore."

"San Diego."

"What about San Diego?" Paige asked.

Natalie ignored the question and struggled to sit up. She felt twinges and aches in her body that she couldn't correlate to anything in her memory.

Paige gently helped her rise to a sitting position and handed her a cup of ice chips.

Natalie took the cup and looked around the room. She was in a hospital room. What the hell had happened now? She asked this out loud as soon as she could get the words through her throat.

"What is the last thing you remember?"

"I remember being in San Diego and going to bed in my hotel room. Apparently, that was just a dream." Natalie sighed and looked down at the ice chips. "Before that I remember." Natalie broke off as the events of the past evening crowded into her mind. Her hand began to tremble as the image of Candace in the fryer and finding John in the park crowded into her mind. She pushed the images away.

"I don't remember anything after Antonio taking me home. What time is it? What day is it?"

As she asked the last question, Bo walked into the room.

"It's Friday afternoon. You came back to the station late last night and passed out."

"Why did I pass out?" Natalie grimaced and put the cup of ice onto the beside table.

Paige and Bo exchanged a glance.

"Just tell me."

Bo put his hand on Paige's neck and took his niece's hand.

"We think you were poisoned."

"What?"

"We haven't been able to find any other reason for you to have lost consciousness. The symptoms you exhibited indicated that poison is a possibility. We're going to run some more tests and so is the crime lab," Paige explained.

"That's why my stomach was pumped." Natalie smoothed out the sheet covering her lap.

"It was just a precautionary measure," Paige said. "I'm going to finish my rounds."

"What are you not telling me?" Natalie asked her uncle after Paige had left.

Bo looked at Natalie worriedly. She was still pale, but her apathy worried him more.

"Nothing. There's nothing I'm not telling you."

"Where was I when I passed out?" Natalie asked, finally turning her head to look at him.

"You were in John's office."

Natalie's lips pressed together and she worried at the sheet with her fingers.

"Do remember?"

Natalie shook her head, frustrated that she couldn't remember. Even more frustrated that, once again she found herself in crisis in front of John.

"I'm sure it will come back to you."

"You don't know that. I just don't understand why these things keep happening to me. What did I do to deserve this life?" Natalie looked up; there were tears in her eyes.

"Ah, Honey. You didn't do anything." Bo sat down on the edge of the bed and took her into his arms. "I guess life just knows that you're strong enough to take anything that's thrown at you."

"I don't feel strong." Natalie began to cry.

Neither heard John McBain enter the room with a bunch of hospital gift shop flowers in his hand. His lips parted in surprise at the sight of Natalie breaking down. Torn between giving her privacy and his need to comfort her himself, he just stood there until his brother Michael came and put his hand on his shoulder and pulled him out of the room.

"What are you doing, John?" Michael asked.

John looked at his brother, his face pale with shock.

"John?" Michael thumped his brother on the chest. "Hello?"

"I…I..." John closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"John, you're freaking me out, here."

"I'm freaking myself out here." John opened his eyes. "I love her, Michael. I love Natalie."

Michael looked grim at the news, but not surprised.

Neither saw Evangeline Williamson standing just a few feet away

End…for now