The Road Not Chosen
by Joan Powers
Chapter 9
(Bess Martin)
Alonzo's odd behavior was scary. Unfortunately, with each passing hour, his condition showed no signs of improving. We could only comfort ourselves with the vague belief that he wasn't getting any worse. Yet, in a day or two, he'd regain most of his physical strength. In his current state of mind, I was scared to consider what he was capable of doing to get what he wanted. Even the typically calm Dr. Heller seemed worried about that situation.
Alonzo's condition had distracted me. Morgan was feeling poorly, but I told myself that it was just a cold, maybe even a light fever. He'd be okay. Relying on his own resourcefulness in the woods might even be good for him. I was anxious for him to return home to support me.
I should've been more concerned about my husband.
XXXXXX
"Okay Julia, we're all here. What's so damned important that we have to discuss it before I could finish breakfast?" Danziger grumbled as he straddled a crate and pulled it up closer to the makeshift table, where he'd parked his mug of morning coffee. Noticing Uly's presence, he tactfully suggested to him, "Maybe you should go check on your mom?"
"No John, we need him here. He's part of this." Dr. Heller was firm. She took a breath and began to explain, "We have to talk about Alonzo. I think what's been happening to him is related to something he experienced on the Dream Plane. In order to develop a treatment for his condition, I needed to know more about what he saw. Uly volunteered to help me."
"Can I tell them about it now?" Uly interjected.
"In a minute." She turned to direct her comments towards Danziger and Yale. "For the past few days, the local Terrians have been trying to show Alonzo something over the Dream Plane. He didn't tell me much about his experiences because he felt it was extremely important to keep them private -- at least until he learned the entire story. To cut to the chase, I asked Uly if he could get us more information."
"Julia! How could you have acted so irresponsibly?" Yale gasped, "If the Dream Plane in this area affected Alonzo so drastically, just think what it might have done to a child."
"Don't you think I considered that? There's more to it than that Yale, just hear me out. Have a little faith in me," she objected with irritation. "All I asked Uly to do was to talk to his Terrian friends. That's all."
Danziger turned to the boy, "What happened?"
"I met my friends. You remember, the tribe that we helped at Independence Colony -- the ones who cured my mom. They've been following us since they don't want to stay on the land that made them sick. They know there's something special about this area, but they can't tell me about it. They're not allowed to. Another tribe watches over it. So they took me to dream with those Terrians. They call them 'the guardians'."
"Ulysses, that could have been extremely dangerous. Those Terrians might be causing Alonzo's problems." Yale admonished while glaring at the doctor.
The boy guiltily replied, "I know. Julia already yelled at me for disobeying her, she made me swear not to go see them."
"So why did you?" Danziger asked, his curiosity was aroused.
Lacking any delusions of grandeur or self importance, he simply stated, "I had to, otherwise Alonzo might not get better. They didn't mean to hurt him. They're confused about how he reacted when they dreamed with him. They won't give me their message. They say they have to finish the dreaming with Alonzo, but they aren't sure how to continue."
"I wonder why you weren't affected by your visit like 'Lonz was?" Danziger rubbed his chin as he thought.
"I think it's 'cause I'm part Terrain," the boy volunteered.
The mechanic considered it. "Could be."
Yale was trying to understand what Uly was saying. "So they want Alonzo to go back to the Dream Plane so they can finish their message to him?"
"Yeah," the young boy nodded.
"Is that advisable Julia?" Yale inquired, "Don't you think another visit would only make his condition worse?"
Obviously torn, Julia replied, "All of my medical knowledge suggests another Dream Plane experience could kill him. But Uly is convinced that his Terrian friends could help the two of them to complete the visit."
"How?" Danziger challenged.
The doctor explained, "Based on Alonzo's accounts, I don't think that the Dream Plane in general is harmful to him. He seems to be contacting a specific substance which is causing the harmful effects. After dreaming with the Terrians, Uly's given me some information which supports my theory. Now that they're aware of how it may be affecting humans, they could attempt to prevent him from contacting the substance. It might be worth a try."
"Why are we even considering this? Our first priority should be getting 'Lonz out of the woods. They should wait and tell him their message when he's better," the mechanic argued.
Julia countered, "That was my gut reaction too. But Alonzo's been so insistent about the importance of this message. He was convinced that it would help us learn more about the planet. At one point he thought it might even be some sort of test -- the Terrians telling us information about the planet, then waiting to see how we use it."
"We should focus on healing him first. Going back there could only make it worse." Danziger wasn't convinced.
Julia hesitated, "That's a possibility. But Alonzo and Uly both believe that the message is crucial for understanding that western passage that we're considering. The passage where two of our men are currently located."
"C'mon, those men haven't had any problems. That area appears to be perfectly safe. That's not an issue here," Danziger stated.
"The dreaming might help Alonzo get better," Uly said with sincerity.
"I don't know why, but part of me believes that too," Julia admitted.
Danziger disagreed. "My vote is still no. We shouldn't try it now. There's too much risk involved. Alonzo's not strong enough. The Terrians might be able to protect him with using the information Uly gave them, but they might not. Do you wanna take that chance? What guarantees do we have? We shouldn't pursue this now. What do you think Yale?
The tutor answered, "I agree with John. Alonzo's condition is too unstable. We shouldn't push him. But if Julia could manage to stabilize him, then improve his condition, it might be worth pursuing."
Julia eagerly volunteered, "I think I've found a way. Contact with the Dream Plane substance triggered a specific biological response in Alonzo. I'm going to inject him with synthetic derivatives that will mimic some of those responses, but to a lesser extent. I'm hoping it'll relieve some of his symptoms, while not exacerbating the problem."
"Ahh, something like the old fashioned use of methadone with heroin addicts." Yale nodded with approval.
"Exactly."
Yale was encouraged. "That could be promising. Let me know when you plan to test it."
XXXXXX
"Morgan Martin, where have you been?" Bess snapped at her husband over her gear set. "I've been trying to contact you for over half an hour." She stifled a yawn. Since four people were out on scouting trips, and Alonzo and Devon were both out of commission, the remaining Eden Advance members were pulling double duty. She'd done her usual cooking and firewood collection, along with shifts of watching Uly and True, and performing nursing detail. All of this, along with her nagging concerns about Morgan, hadn't been conducive for a good night's sleep.
"Uh, sorry," he stammered. He looked worse than yesterday. His face was flushed and his hair was unruly. But most disturbing of all were his eyes. Rather than the sparkle of wit and intelligence she was used to seeing, dull and unfocused orbs greeted her.
"Have you started back yet?" she asked impatiently.
"Back where?" He replied with a vacant expression.
"Morgan, don't play games with me. I'm not in the mood," she scolded
"Okay," he meekly responded.
Trying to reign in her temper, she mentioned, "I thought you said you'd started the return trip."
He had to take a minute to think about. "...Yeah, we did...yesterday."
A chill ran down her spine. She could always tell when Morgan was lying to her. But it almost appeared as if he himself wasn't sure of his actions that day or the previous one. Her stomach tightened in knots, "How's your cold? Are you drinking lots of water? Do you have a fever?"
"I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Beth..er...Bess," he quickly correctly.
Did he actually just mess up her name? He must have a fever, she concluded. She'd seen signs of this yesterday. Maybe she was being paranoid, but she quickly devised a test to further examine his memory. "You know honey, I really miss you." She reached inside the top of her blouse to pull out the bait, her wild flower pendant, which she held up to her gear eye piece. "Do you remember giving this to me?" She made herself smile lovingly as she paused, forcing herself to wait for his response.
Practically everyone in the camp knew that pendant was a treasured gift from her father. In fact, Morgan had never cared for it. He'd been extremely annoyed that she'd traded with the Grendler using the jewelry that he'd given her, rather than that pendant. But it was all she had left to remind her of her father, who was light years away.
After a few moments, he tentatively answered, "Yeah, how could I forget giving that to you."
Swallowing hard, she told him in mushy tones, "Every time I look at it I think of you." She became more focused, "What are your coordinates Morgan? Read them off your gear for me."
"Why?"
"It's part of my job - remember? Keeping you safe, knowing your location..." Reluctantly he relayed the requested information. Her eyes got wider as she heard the coordinates but she didn't comment on them. With a hint of urgency in her voice, she asked, "Let me talk to Walman."
"Huh?"
"C'mon Morgan, put him on," she insisted.
"He's asleep. Why do you wanna talk with him anyway?"
"Go wake him up and have him contact me. I'll keep my gear on and stay on the outskirts of camp. Do it," she stressed.
He shrugged his shoulders, "Okay."
Her eyes became shiny with tears, "I love you Morgan."
"Love you too," he parroted.
XXXXXX
"What Bess?"
Julia hadn't been paying attention, she'd missed the question. She had joined Bess, Denner and True about the campfire, with the assumption that some friendly banter might distract her. Over an hour ago, she'd given Alonzo a compound which could soothe his 'withdrawal' symptoms -- if there was any credence to her theory.
It'd been difficult for her to approach him to inject the substance, Cameron and Yale had to assist her. Even then she'd been afraid that the pilot would grab her again. Julia was literally counting the minutes as they sluggishly crawled by. Soon, she'd allow herself to return and check on her patient. It was a waiting game which she hated, thus she was lousy company.
"I asked if memory loss was associated with fevers." Bess clearly enunciated.
Automatically, Julia rattled off, "Certainly with a high fever. Delirious patients often have no idea what's going on around them. In fact, if the patient's body temperature doesn't decrease after a prolonged time period, some brain damage may ensue."
She re-qualified her question, "What about someone with a mild fever?"
Julia wondered why on earth was that woman asking those types of questions. Losing patience, she snapped, "Bess there are dozens of symptoms associated with multiple types of fevers. If you want an exact diagnosis, you'll have to give me specifics."
Bess frowned and didn't respond.
Trying to change the subject, Denner suggested. "Tell us about Morgan and Walman's latest report. I can't wait to get out of these mountains."
"Julia!" Cameron shouted, "Come here -- you gotta see this!"
The women rushed over to the Med-Tent. As they piled up at the entrance, they could see that Alonzo was awake, but a miraculous transformation had taken place. He was still restrained to his cot, yet the snarling, violent maniac had been replaced with a happy go-lucky Casanova.
Alonzo flashed his patented flyboy grin affectionately towards the women. He lifted his chin, beckoning towards Julia, "Hey gorgeous. Where ya' been? Gonna bunk with me tonight?" His words were slurred, as if he were drunk, and his body movements were slow and exaggerated as well.
Almost dizzy with relief, Julia sank down beside his cot and activated her diaglove to examine him.
Undeterred by her activity, the pilot flirted with her, "C'mon Doc, you know all work and no play isn't any fun. Giva guy a chance."
Cameron raised an eyebrow and tactfully suggested to the others, "Maybe we should leave these two alone."
Slightly red cheeked, the doctor eagerly agreed, "Yes -- I think I can handle this." Giggling amongst themselves, the others discretely slipped out of the tent.
Alonzo tried to move his hands beneath his restraints. "Why I am tied up? You surprise me Julia -- is this some sorta game? Prisoner and interrogator?" he asked with a broad suggestive grin.
"No." She quickly denied, as her color rose.
"Whadda ya gonna do to me if I refuse to talk?" he leered provocatively.
She was thrilled that the therapy seemed to be working, but she was having difficulty dealing with his sudden personality change. Her relief at catching a glimpse of the old Alonzo -- her Alonzo, and her exhaustion threatened to cloud her judgment. She struggled to remain professional and stick to business, "How are you feeling?"
He cranked his infamous charm up another notch, "I'm great -- I feel wonderful. If I could just get ridda these restraints and have ya here beside me, everythin' would be perfect."
Even though he seemed inebriated, he was hard to resist. She had a compelling urge to loosen his bonds and head straight into the comfort of his arms. Instead, using every ounce of self-control, she forced herself to stay focused, since she wasn't sure how long his euphoric state would last. "Alonzo I know it's difficult -- but can you try and concentrate? I need to know what happened to you -- on the Dream Plane."
It took him a moment, but he remembered. "Oh yeah -- I found those bubbles again. Julia the energy I feel when I touch one -- the rush -- it's incredible. I've never felt anythin' like it. It's even better than flyin'. Ya hafta try it."
Very cautiously, she asked, "What about what happened with the Terrians?"
Her question didn't trigger the hostile response he'd exhibited earlier that day. He seemed to be recalling his experience. "I grabbed a blue one. It was gorgeous --- all sparkly and shiny -- just like your eyes. I started to feel this surge of power tingling through my body. Then the Terrians threw me out." He was disappointed by this.
"Uly's been talking with the Terrians. He thinks he and his friends could mediate between you and these local Terrians so they could finish giving you this message, yet protect you at the same time. It could be dangerous -- do you want to do this?"
"Yeah. I wanna go back." He responded with eagerness.
She was apprehensive. Did he know what he was saying? Was his response due to his desire to contact those bubbles again? Or had his present dazed state influenced his thoughts? His smile seemed too broad, his eyes too bright. She wasn't sure what to believe. She was fully aware that she hadn't eradicated Alonzo's problem, she'd just initiated the first of many treatments. "This is important Alonzo. Do you think you can return and not touch the bubbles?"
He looked at her incredulously. "Why would I wanna do that? They're so beautiful."
Dr. Heller sighed. Evidently, this was a decision the pilot couldn't make on his own.
XXXXXX
TBC