Chapter 37: Not a Dream
*****Monday Morning*****
Lauren walked into Neptune High surprised that she was actually happy to be there. Staying home because she was sick was not fun. Ryan had insisted that he and Brad would pick her up. Of course, Ryan's girlfriend Kristen was with them. It may have looked like they were two couples, but Lauren knew for a fact that they were not. Although she was glad that Brad cared about her and enjoyed being with her, the kiss they shared was never out of her mind. Being around him just made it worse. She really wanted to talk to someone about it. Mac had tried right after it happened, but Lauren wasn't ready. Now that she was, neither sister was around. Mac had stopped by for a short visit after visiting Parker in the hospital. She shared all the news she had—she had a lot. Then she left without a private word between them. Madison had yet to make it back from her trip with James. She only had one class on Mondays, so her mom wasn't surprised that she wasn't back yet.
Several people said hello to Lauren, which freaked her out. She was used to being practically invisible. Sure, whenever she had a stay in the hospital with her cancer, people stared and whispered. Now, however, the greetings seemed genuine. She glanced up at Brad and sighed. Oh, yeah. How could she forget? She was walking with Brad. People probably heard about him carrying her out of Hey Day. Everyone probably thought they were dating. Lauren knew she'd have to clear up that misconception right away. Spotting Scott, she threw a careless goodbye over her shoulders and walked toward his locker.
"Hey, Scott," she said, giving him a shy smile.
Scott smiled warmly at her. He thought she'd be mad that he left her at the hospital, but she'd called and thanked him. Their first date had ended badly, but he was hopeful they'd get another chance. She was very sweet and talented. She was also extremely cute but didn't seem to realize it. Scott didn't understand how two of the most popular boys in their grade could spend so much time with her and not want to date her, but he was glad.
"Hi, Lauren! How are you feeling?" he asked.
"Tired of that question!" she replied, smiling so he'd know she wasn't upset. "I'm much better. My energy level is way up, and I'm not in pain like I was. I'm still taking the meds, but there shouldn't be any reoccurrence of yellow me!"
"Yellow looks good on you," Scott said with a wink.
Lauren wrinkled her nose in distaste. "So not true, but I'm glad I didn't scare you away completely," she said.
"Not at all. Maybe we can try again for this weekend," Scott suggested.
Lauren gave him a wide smile. "I'd love that!" she enthused.
Scott smiled back and held out his hand. "Can I walk you to class?" he asked.
Lauren happily took his hand and felt for the first time since she attended Neptune High like she finally had a place.
Brad, Ryan, and Kristen watched the scene with interest—as did just about everyone. The rumor that Lauren was dating Brad was being wiped away exactly as Lauren wished. However, a few noticed that Brad seemed less than pleased with the new development and quickly left to spread the gossip. Lauren would be happy to note that her classmates no longer found her an object of pity but one of interest.
Ryan was pleased that Scott hadn't been scared off by his sister's illness. He had thought of Lauren as one more newly discovered sister from the beginning—a new sister he actually liked, unlike Madison who he had no real attachment to. "Good. Scott isn't going to let Lauren's health scare frighten him off. I might've had to hurt him if he did," Ryan said.
"They're very sweet," Kristen agreed, just relieved that Lauren really didn't seem interested in Ryan, a fact Kristen had a hard time accepting. Ryan was so great that she thought everyone had to want him if they knew him. However, Lauren really didn't seem to see him as a guy. Only Brad did she favor with any real attention. Kristen couldn't blame Lauren, though, for not wanting to be another notch on Brad's belt. Nor did she want to cause problems between the two friends. If Brad dated Lauren and treated her the way he treated other girls, Ryan would kill him. Scott was the safe bet.
Brad was silent as he watched Lauren interact with Scott. When she gave him that smile—the one Brad thought she reserved for him alone—his expression darkened. How could she still like that guy? It had been Brad who'd kissed her.
Then he'd ignored her and made her think he was disgusted by it. When he showed up at her house, he knew that he'd hurt and disappointed her, but she'd easily forgiven him. She was still his friend.
It looked like that was all they were going to be. And that was fine. It was what he wanted.
Even as he told himself that, Brad walked in the opposite direction, trying not to imagine Scott teaching Lauren other things. He silently cursed Dick Casablancas for putting ideas in his head.
*****Hearst*****
Thea had not made it back to Neptune until Sunday night. She'd missed her siblings so much and had wanted to spend as much time as possible with them. Wallace had stayed in touch and told her about Jessi's, Parker's cheerleader friend's death. When he'd told her about Parker getting shot and Joseph killed, she'd almost came back early. However, her ticket was already bought, and she knew that Parker had plenty of support. Wallace called her several times a day. She knew that he was a wreck over what had happened. He blamed himself for Joseph's death. He hadn't said the words, but he'd said enough that Thea knew.
She met him in front of the library. He was waiting on a bench. When he saw her, he jumped up. Thea melted like she always did when he touched her. He hugged her tightly. "God, I missed you!" he exclaimed. Then he was kissing her.
Public displays of affection were normally kept to a modest display between them. She was too new at having a boyfriend, and Wallace was mostly casually affectionate. He saved most of his moves for their bedroom. Now, however, it seemed he was only thinking of how much he missed her. A loud cat call and whistle drew him back.
"Sorry," he said, giving her a sheepish look. "I knew I should've stopped by your sorority house last night to see you!" There was absolutely no privacy, however, at the house.
Thea smiled. "It's okay. I missed you, too. It's strange. I never knew how difficult it'd be to be away from you until I was hundreds of miles away," she said.
"I'm glad to hear it wasn't easy," he said. He took her hand and led her to a bench. "Next time, I'm coming with you!"
"I'd like that," she said, meaning it. She wanted her siblings to meet him. They were all full of questions and jokes. There had been a few comments about him being far from Greek. One of her sisters had trouble believing she'd fallen for a jock. They didn't get how sweet Wallace was, how perfect he was. He made her feel like nothing and no one ever had. It was hard to put into words without sounding silly. She'd tried, but they'd laughed, unused to hearing their brilliant sister gush about a guy.
"How's Parker?" Thea asked.
"She's okay. Two of her ribs are broken as well as her collarbone, and she's paralyzed. So mostly, she's miserable," Wallace said with a grimace.
"Take me to see her after class?" Thea asked.
"Of course. Jason and Jazmin's dad Sebastian's in town. He's not leaving until the cops release Joseph's body. They'll have the funeral back in Chicago," he said.
"Do you want to go to it?" Thea inquired.
"I should, don't you think? We were friends. I spent a lot of time with him at work. He was brave enough to do what I didn't," Wallace said, looking miserable.
Thea put her hand on his cheek. "Wallace, you have nothing to feel guilty about. Ninety percent of all people would simply duck and cover when gun shots break out. Where you the closest to Parker?" she asked.
"No. But I didn't try to save anyone. I just fell to the ground," Wallace said.
"You can't save anyone until you save yourself, honey. This was a tragedy. Joseph was standing closest and tried to protect her because he saw that she'd been shot. Jason was closest to the door, and he pushed Veronica back. He's not to blame for not thinking of his friend any more than Duncan is to blame for not doing what Joseph did," Thea replied.
Wallace hadn't thought about how Duncan must feel. He had been on the other side of Parker. It must be awful for him. "I hadn't considered that. Duncan might feel like I do," Wallace said.
"And if he said something like this, what would you tell him?" Thea asked.
"I'd tell him that he couldn't possibly be to blame," Wallace acknowledged, feeling like a weight had been lifted. He gave her a brilliant smile. "You are so incredible. You know that?"
Thea smiled. "Well, I'm not so sure about that, but I'm glad I could help," she said.
He leaned over and kissed her again. "I love you so much," he told her.
"I love you, too," she said. She knew that the dark times weren't over, but it was good to know that the two of them could turn to one another for strength.
A few buildings down, Logan was walking his wife to class. Amid the awful things that were going around them, they were full of joy at their pregnancy. Logan was ignoring the panic that wanted to creep in. The center of his world was pregnant and vulnerable while a killer was on the loose. Instead, he was determined to give them this time to simply be happy about the news.
He put his hand on her stomach. "Now, I want you and junior here to be good and stay out of trouble," he told her, grinning.
"Don't you know his name is going to be Trouble?" Veronica replied with a mischievous grin.
Logan laughed. "No doubt that will be his middle name! He's our son. The poor boy! His fate's sealed!" he said. He kissed her softly, resting his forehead a moment against hers. "I love you so much."
"Not any more than I love you," she said. She cupped his cheeks and placed another quick kiss on his face. Then she walked into her class.
Logan waited until she was out of sight and then walked into the building next to hers, heading to his Milton class.
A morose looking Jason was sitting next to Daisy. Logan sat down in the seat in front of Jason. "Hey. How are you holding up?" he asked. "I'm surprised you even came to class."
"You know my dad's in town. I can't give him an excuse to force me back to Northwestern," Jason said.
"Did you hear the news? Veronica's pregnant," Logan said proudly.
"We did," Daisy said, happy for them. "Mac and I figure the baby shower should be at the end of the semester!"
"Congratulations, man," Jason said, patting his shoulder. "I'm really glad something good is happening to someone."
"We're going to find this freak show and put him out of his misery," Logan said confidently.
"We're working the case every spare moment. One thing is clear. Max isn't our guy. Not only does the man have no idea how to shoot a gun, he's terrified of heights. He'd never get up on a roof," Jason said.
"He also would never hurt Parker. She's a friend of Mac's. I know evil. He's so not," Logan said with conviction.
Logan noticed a large man in the back of the classroom and frowned. "Who's the lurker?" he wondered.
Jason turned his head and winced. "Oh, well, he's my fault—the bodyguard I hired to follow Daisy around. Dad was getting one for Jazmin, so I figured I'd make sure Daisy was just as safe," he said.
"Good idea," Logan said. "I hired some for Veronica freshman year when the rapists were stalking Veronica. She about had my balls in a sling."
Daisy snickered. "Yeah, I wish I'd been here," she said.
"It made her feel creeped out. Or rather me not telling her they were there on my behalf added to her growing terror. She thought they were the rapist. I basically terrorized her with my good intentions," Logan said sheepishly.
"Well, I know he's there, and it makes me feel safe," Daisy said.
"Maybe if Veronica knows they're there, she'd be more willing to revisit the idea. It can't hurt," Jason suggested. "Now that she's pregnant, she may be more willing to put up with the paid stalkers."
Logan smiled. "Maybe," he said. It was a good idea. He was trying not to freak about her being pregnant after her miscarriage. A psycho targeting female students—one that had shot up his house—only made the entire pregnancy more of a potential nightmare. He couldn't lose her. This baby was important to them both, but nothing was more important than her.
*****Neptune Memorial Hospital*****
Mac had stopped by to check on Parker before class. They hadn't had a chance to talk alone. She thought Parker might want a friend to talk to right about now.
"Good morning," Mac said, smiling at her friend, who was awake and without a visitor.
"Hey," Parker said listlessly.
"I brought you a few donuts. I wasn't sure if they'd give you something sweet like that," Mac said.
"That's great. Thanks," Parker said.
Mac sat down in the chair by the bed and looked at Parker closely. She wasn't as pale as she used to be. That had to be a good sign. "So how are you feeling?" Mac asked.
"I've been better. It hurts to move. They're going to make me start physical therapy later today. It's going to hurt a lot," Parker grimaced.
"Seriously? So soon?" Mac asked in concern.
"They said I need to start getting up in some turtle shell and sitting in the chair right away. I won't be doing much else, though," Parker explained.
"I guess that's not too bad, right?" Mac said.
"I don't know. Probably not," Parker said with a sigh.
Mac wasn't sure what to say. They sat in silence for a few minutes. Finally, Mac said, "Well, I better head to class. First day back."
"I'm going to be so behind," Parker groaned.
"We'll make sure you get notes," Mac said.
"Yeah, Duncan said he'd go see my professors," Parker said.
"I'm really glad you have him," Mac said.
"I don't think this is what he signed up for," Parker said, a note of bitterness in her voice.
"Why don't you let him be the judge of that? If it was him in this hospital, would you want him any less?" Mac asked her pointedly.
"Of course not," Parker said. "But I may never walk again. What kind of mother can I be if I can't even take a walk with my child?"
"Well, you can wheel along just fine," Mac said with wink.
"Not funny," Parker said sourly.
"It will be an adjustment, but you can do it. Besides, the doctor said your injury was incomplete, so there's a good chance you'll recover," Mac reminded her.
Parker sighed. "Yeah, I know. I'm just having trouble," she said. "You can't know how awful it is, Mac. I keep pulling back my covers and looking at my legs to see if they're really there. It's like their some type of foreign attachment or something. The worst thing is last night I had a dream that I was at a game cheering and jumping around. Duncan was playing. Then I woke up and couldn't feel my legs. Can you imagine how that felt? It was like losing them all over again. The dream was so real. My brain remembers moving, but the reality isn't there. It's horrible."
Mac felt sympathy and was at a loss. How do you begin to reassure someone who was dealing with this? "I know," she said. "I'm here for you." In the end, it was all she could say. She got up soon after to head to campus.
Her mind full of Parker and the things she'd shared, Mac wasn't mindful of her surroundings. She never noticed the man watching her from two cars down. When he pulled down his ski mask to cover his face, she was opening her car door, so she was completely caught unaware when the man grabbed her from behind, spinning her to face him. Before she could react, his hands were around her throat.
They began to squeeze.
******Across Town******
A man was taking his dog for an early morning walk when the dog started walking and ran ahead, barking furiously. His owner quickly moved to see what had his dog so excited. It looked like something had washed up on the beach. When he got closer and looked down, he gasped in horror. Then he turned his head and threw up.
A young woman's body had washed up on the beach. Her bloated and deformed face and vacant eyes stared up at the man. He reached for his cell phone.
"There's a dead woman on the beach!" he told the operator.
******To Be Continued******
I don't claim to be an expert in medical field, so please be gracious. However, I do have firsthand experience having a friend become paralyzed after her first year of teaching second grade. So I will be using some real life stuff when it comes to Parker. Things she said to Mac in this chapter are actual things my friend said after being paralyzed in a car wreck. My friend was up in a chair wearing the turtle shell before her body had a chance to heal. It's incredibly painful. However, my friend was back teaching in the fall from her wheelchair, and her husband was just grateful that she was alive (car wreck).