Aftermath

By Ann3

Writer's Note: Okay, here's one more wee chapter to tide you over until I get back from my hols. Word of warning, though, you may start feeling very, very sleepy while reading it, so keep the coffee handy... :o)

See you soon - and in the meantime, enjoy !

Chapter Nine

Sanctuary

"I'm going to start to take you under now, Carson, just try to relax now… that's it, good, just relax… keep your eyes on the watch, Carson… watch it spin… recognise that it's helping you go to sleep… let yourself go to sleep now, Carson… just let yourself relax completely, let yourself fall asleep…"

Relax…? Go to sleep…? How the hell could he sleep, knowing the terrors that awaited him there...? What on earth was he doing here, lying in bed while this vaguely familiar voice told him to go to sleep…? Why did he feel so damn weird…? And why was a golden pocket-watch spinning in front of him…?

Carson had to admit, though, that it was a beautiful watch. A thing of delicate, unthreatening beauty. In fact, the more he sleepily thought about it, the less reason he could find to tear his eyes away.

That voice, too, its gentle insistence for him to obey it, was proving just as impossible to resist.

"Alright, Carson, you're going to go to sleep now, so close your eyes for me… that's it, Carson, that's good... just relax now, that's it... keep taking long, slow breaths… feel yourself relaxing more now, as your mind takes you to sleep… you're sleeping in your mind, Carson, but you can still hear my voice… you can still respond to it… I want you to respond to it now, Carson, so that I know you understand… can you do that for me…?"

The voice which finally answered her was soft, thickened by sleep into a charmingly tumbling burr – but it was still reassuringly calm.

"'ye, lass… yes, I – I can hear ye… st'll un'erstand what – what you're sayin'…"

"That's good, Carson… yes, it's good that you can hear my voice, because it's very, very important. It's taking you on a journey now, Carson… in your mind, my voice is taking you somewhere safe... a place where you'll be completely safe… where there isn't anything, or anyone, that can hurt you… find that place in your mind, Carson… find that place in your mind, then tell me where it is…"

Frowning briefly, Carson then smiled, in deep contentment, at the subconscious beauty around him.

"Gl'ncoe… 'm – 'm walkin' in Glencoe…" he murmured at last, sighing once more in pure pleasure. "Jus' – Jus' outside th' village… s'mmer day, nice – nice an' hot… sun's even shinin'…"

"Sunshine in Scotland…? I didn't think that was physically possible…" Rodney muttered dryly – at serious risk of landing himself in the Infirmary too, now, as a gently slapping hand re-found his head.

With one fiercely patriotic Scot unable to defend his homeland, it was left to another to do so instead – Kate Buchanan's glare instantly ending all further wisecracks over that homeland's infamous weather.

Perhaps thankfully oblivious to the playful insults around him, Carson sighed deeply in his sleep – settling himself, with amusing determination, into a more snuggly spot in Laura's arms.

"Ha'e to bring ye h're one day, La'ra… ma'be when I t'ke ye b'ck home, to – to meet mum…" he mumbled, resting his head into the crook of her shoulder – the drowsy smile on his face growing wider as Laura's voice ghosted lovingly through his mind.

"I'll hold you to that, Kilt-Boy…"

It was a precious, cherished moment between them, greeted with rolled eyes by some and laughter by others – one broken, eventually, by Kate Heightmeyer's voice as she steered her patient, very gently, back on track.

"Yes, Carson… yes, I know how much you love this place… how much you love to walk here… in fact, I want you to start walking through it now, Carson… start walking through it in your mind… imagine that you're walking for miles and miles, into this most beautiful place of safety and peace… the further you walk into it, Carson, the safer you'll be, so keep walking into it, as far as you can go… in your mind, you're walking for miles, in a place you love, into a place of complete and utter peace… that's it, Carson, that's good... yes, that's it, keep listening to my voice as you carry on walking… keep my voice in your mind, Carson, as you walk… keep walking, Carson, as far as you can go…"

Even as she fell silent again, Kate Heightmeyer kept her eyes trained on the face in front of her – taking in every telltale change in Carson's expression, noting each sign of its slow relaxation into deepest possible peace.

She didn't rush this passage. She made no attempt to break, or disturb, its most vital progression. Instead she kept watching Carson's face, looking away only to check the monitors at his bedside.

Heart rate – normal. BP – normal. Delta waves – stable.

Carson Beckett was as ready as he'd ever be

Finally, acknowledging Kate Buchanan's 'go ahead' nod, she did the same and looked up again – meeting six anxiously expectant faces with as much hope as she could professionally manage.

"He's ready…"