Long Ago and Far Away

Chapter 3 – Stirring Echoes

Shortly after lunch, Magnum arrived, bringing with him a handful of newspapers and a crossword puzzle book for Rick. They sat at one of the tables on the deck overlooking the ocean.

"So, how's it going?" Thomas asked, "Did you talk to her?"

"I talked, she listened." Rick answered, "Thomas there's no way Mia is involved in the attacks on her family. She is totally catatonic."

"Well maybe she's just pretending. Are you sure she couldn't be getting out?"

"Thomas." Rick said in an aggravated tone, "I'm telling you it's not her."

"Can you stay a little longer just to make sure?"

"This isn't a resort, Thomas." Rick argued. "I'm not having fun here."

"I know, I know. I talked to her step-mother this morning and she said that last night someone tried to break into her house, I just want to be sure. Brooke is really scared that someone is trying to kill her."

"Brooke?"

"She asked me to call her by her first name," Thomas explained, "she said being called Mrs. Metcalf just reminds her that she's a widow."

"Sure."

"So will you stay a little longer, make certain it's not Mia? Please?"

"Stop begging, I'll stay a couple more days but no promises after that."

"Thanks Rick, I owe you."

"You owe me big for this one, Thomas."

"She was relieved to know that you're here, keeping an eye on Mia."

"Who?"

"Brooke. She wanted to know what I was doing and I told her you were here, helping me out."

"What if it's Brooke?"

"What if what's Brooke?"

"What if she's the killer?"

"Come on Rick, don't be cr… that's ridiculous." He looked at his watch, "Umm, I'm supposed to pick up some stuff for Higgins in town," he got up, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Hey, bring me a copy of the Sun next time." Rick called.

"Will do." Magnum waved and he was gone.

Rick found Dr. Harrison's office easily, he was disturbed to find Marcus would be sitting in on the session, "Just a formality required by law." Dr. Harrison has assured him. "Dr. Collins suggested that you might be suffering from a manic crisis."

"I don't know what that is, Thomas seemed to think I was having some problems just because I haven't been sleeping much lately."

"Do you think you have a problem?"

Rick hesitated, glancing nervously at Marcus and then to the doctor who seemed to be amused by Rick's discomfort. "I'm okay." Rick replied.

"Do you take any over the counter medications to help you sleep?"

"No."

"Do you drink alcohol?"

"Not much, I have a drink now and then."

"Socially?"

"I have friends."

Harrison smiled, "Do you drink more socially or when you're alone?"

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"It's just a question, you don't have to answer if you'd rather not." Harrison wrote something in the file on his desk. "Why did you agree to come here?"

"They thought I should."

"Who are 'they'?"

"The doctor at the hospital and my friends."

"Do you trust their judgment?"

"I said I'd try it for a couple of days, I didn't make any promises after that."

"Do you feel like people are out to get you?"

Rick laughed, "No."

"Do you hear voices?"

"Just yours."

Dr. Harrison didn't seem to find Rick's reply amusing. "Dr. Collins reports that you are having trouble sleeping."

"I have bad dreams, it keeps me awake." Rick admitted.

"What do you dream about?" The doctor asked.

"I don't know, I can't remember."

"Are you falling in your dreams? Are there people hunting you?"

"People 'hunting' me?"

"It's a common theme in nightmares," Harrison explained, "Most people have nightmares are being pursued by strange, threatening people."

"I'm running in my dreams but I don't know why."

"Where are you in your dream? Are you alone?"

"I don't know." said Rick, irritably, "It's a dream, I don't remember details."

"Would you be willing to try hypnosis?"

"No." Rick replied quickly.

Harrison scribbled something in the file, the pen seemed to be louder than anything. "I'm prescribing some medications for you, one that you will take at dinner will help you sleep, and another in the morning to alleviate depression."

"I'm not depressed," Rick insisted. "I just can't sleep."

Harrison smiled, "Insomnia is often linked to depression. We'll try this and if in a couple of weeks you feel you don't need it, you won't have to take it anymore."

"Alright."

"I'd like you to try keeping a journal of your dreams, try to write them down after you wake and then we can discuss them."

"What if I can't remember what I dreamed?"

"If the dreams are so disturbing that you can't sleep properly you should be able to remember some details."

"I'll try."

"Good." He closed the file and Rick wondered what he'd been writing besides the medications. "We will meet every afternoon, talk about how you're feeling." Harrison's smile looked forced, "and see if you're making any improvements."

Rick was relieved that the meeting was over, the doctor's questions made him nervous and having Marcus hovering behind him did nothing to ease the anxiety. Walking back out to the gardens, he silently cursed Thomas for talking him into helping. He had to be crazy to have agreed to pretend to be crazy… there was a thought that was a contradiction - crazy to be acting crazy.

Seeing Mia alone by the fountain in the center of the garden brought a sad smile to his lips, if there was any reason to stay here, the girl was it. She sat in the wheelchair, slender hands in her lap, were it not for the slow blink of her eyes, she might have been mistaken for one of the statues that ringed the garden.

He took a seat on the edge of the pool, facing Mia. "It could use some goldfish," he observed, "or koi, don't you think?"

Mia was as quiet as she had been that morning, but he didn't mind. "Maybe a turtle?" He reached over and plucked a flower from the water. "I suppose there's probably some kind of ordinance against keeping turtles in a medical facility." He shook the water off the flower and tucked it gently between Mia's fingers. "At least we have beauty." Her fingers curled a little and Rick gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

"I knew you couldn't resist the Rick Wright charm." He smiled at her, certain that her eyes held a spark of awareness even if it was buried.

"Julie said you'd probably be out here with Mia." It was Susan. "It's nice that she has someone to visit with her."

"Her family doesn't come to see her?"

"Her step-mother comes by sometimes but she never stays long and she mostly talks to Dr. Harrison." Susan unlocked the brakes on the chair, "It's time for dinner, are you hungry?"

His stomach was still in knots but he nodded, "Yeah."

"Good." Susan said, pushing Mia back into the building, "We're having tiramisu for dessert tonight."

He tried to eat, but his stomach was just too nervous. Susan was distracted by feeding Mia and Rick was able to make it look as though he'd eaten as long as no one checked in the wadded up napkin. He didn't really want to take the medication Dr. Harrison had prescribed for him but Susan hadn't taken her eyes off him until the tablets had been swallowed.

"You'll sleep better tonight and that will make you feel better in the morning."

Back in his room he tried to do one of the crosswords in the puzzle book Magnum had brought but the words kept blurring and he gave up and lay down.

For the first time since he'd agreed to help Thomas, he slept the entire night. If he dreamed, he did not remember them.