Chapter Two

Steve waited anxiously in Rudy's office while Jaime had a thorough check-up. As soon as Michael walked in, Steve was on his feet. "How is she?"

"You look like you could definitely use some good news," the young doctor said, "and I have some. Physically, Jaime is fine. Rudy's checking her bionics now."

"What would bionics have to do with her nightmares?"

"Nothing whatsoever," Michael confirmed. "We're stalling. I called Allison Taylor the minute I heard you were bringing Jaime in; she'll be here any minute."

"Or now," Allison said from the doorway. She shook hands with both men, then got right down to business. "How many of these episodes has she had, Steve?"

"Just two, last night. Jaime normally doesn't even have bad dreams, though, except when her parents died and when she had her accident, and even those were just dreams. These were...something more."

"So in the past, the only bad dreams she'd experienced had known causes."

"Right. But last night - I've never seen anything like it. The first time, around 3am, she woke up screaming, but after a few minutes she said it was nothing and we should go back to sleep. I didn't, but she thought I did. I watched her once she fell asleep again, and around 5am she started breathing really hard and way too fast."

"Hyperventilating."

"Yeah. When I tried to wake her up, I couldn't. Her heart was pounding so hard, I almost called the Medivac. She said she couldn't breathe, and then she finally woke up. She tried to play it off like it was nothing, but she was terrified."

"She's demanding to go home," Rudy announced, joining them.

"I'd like to keep her for 24 hours, for observation," Michael told them.

Rudy agreed. "So would I, but as of right now, there's nothing wrong with her."

"My turn," Allison announced.

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"Good morning!" Allison said brightly to a glowering Jaime. The doctor noted that she'd already changed back into her street clothes and was seated in a chair next to the exam table.

"I wanna go home," Jaime insisted. "Now."

"Well, that's a pleasant greeting," the doctor said with a cheerful smile.

"Good morning," Jaime said grudgingly.

"Jaime, what happened last night?"

Jaime shrugged. "I had a couple of bad dreams, that's all. They can't make me stay here, and neither can you." Her voice was dripping with hostility, but there was genuine fear in her eyes. "They put me through my paces. I jumped through all of their hoops." Jaime stood up. "Now, I'm leaving."

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"Now there's a woman with some serious control issues," Allison remarked to the other two doctors, after Steve and Jaime were gone. "I think I'll hang around here for a couple of days. They'll be back."

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Steve pulled the car into the garage, and Jaime jumped out and ran into the house before he had even shut off the engine. He found her sitting on the sofa, her knees drawn up to her chest, hugging a pillow.

"Do you think I'm crazy, too?" she asked as he sat down beside her.

"Sweetheart, no one called you crazy -"

"They didn't have to. They called in the damn shrink!"

"You like Allison," Steve said gently.

"I...don't wanna talk about this anymore."

"Jaime -"

"Leave me alone!" She threw the pillow across the room and stormed out, slamming the back door as she went. She didn't get very far. Steve was right behind her. He gently turned Jaime around, wrapping his arms firmly but tenderly around her. She looked into his face, so kind and loving but so worried, and her anger dissolved into tears.

"What's happening to me, Steve?"

"Let's go inside. You can rest a little, I'll make some lunch, and we can talk. Ok?"

Jaime nodded. "I think," she said very slowly, "maybe I do need Allison."

"I'll call her. C'mon, Sweetheart." Steve led her back into the house, retrieved the pillow and helped her get comfortable on the sofa. He leaned down to kiss her, but her eyelids had already fluttered closed. Jaime was asleep.

Steve picked up the phone in the kitchen and dialed Rudy's complex. "Michael, is Doctor Taylor still there?"

"Funny you should ask," Michael replied. "She's on her way to your house right now. She thought Jaime might be more comfortable talking on her own turf. And I was just about to call you. I'm supposed to tell you to give Jaime some good, strong coffee. Whatever you do, don't let her go to sleep."

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