Author's note: In order to fully understand the premise of The Event, reading the information posted in my profile is essential!

It was very quiet when Linda regained consciousness. The murmur of voices and the rustle of cloth were gone, as were the curtains and the high arched ceiling. As she slowly opened her remaining eye, she found herself lying on a full soft bed in a handsomely furnished room. A dim lamp sat on a low table in the far corner, illuminating a blurred figure sitting in an armchair. The figure moved as Linda stirred, but she ignored it for the moment, looking around. She barely noticed she was no longer covered in bandages. Her left eye was still dead, but the burns were completely healed.

"John…" she whimpered.

"Your husband and son are asleep in the next suite, Linda," a soft gentle voice replied. "And your daughter is right upstairs. Everyone is fine. You should be very proud of them. They saved many lives."

"What?"

"The prophesy that your daughter wrote down. The numbers were locations to areas where people were still alive in your world. We were able to save them right before their shelters failed. About five hundred men, women, and children."

Linda blinked. The numbers saved lives? That didn't make any sense.

"Your husband promised to explain everything when you awoke," the voice assured. "But the hour is late, and you still need rest. You have been very ill."

"How long…?"

"You have been asleep for almost three days," the voice replied.

Three days. Anything could have happened in that time. Linda trembled, raising a hand to feel the left side of her face. The skin seemed whole and unmarred. The pain was gone.

"We could not save your eye," the voice said sadly. "But the rest of your burns healed well."

"What about Sheba?" Linda begged weakly. The exhaustion was steel chains on her shaking limbs.

"Her burns healed as well. She improves slowly."

By now, Linda could tell the voice was coming from the figure that now stood right next to her bed. It was too dark to make out her features, though she could tell it was a woman. She tried to sit up, to see more, but a gentle hand gripped her shoulder.

"Tomorrow, Linda," the woman said gently. "Tomorrow. You need to rest now."

Linda wanted to protest. But a sudden wave of weariness was filling her, killing all desire to argue. She slumped back onto the pillows, drifting off into a deep, quiet sleep.

When she awoke again, bright sunlight was flickering in through the wide open windows, casting light over the sheer grandeur of the room. There was more gold and fine silk on her bed alone than she had ever seen before in her life. But Linda could not focus long on the details. The light was sending bolts of pain straight into her skull. She winced and turned over, burying her face into one of the pillows.

"Mrs. Koestler?" a voice asked, different from the previous night. "Are you alright?"

"Shut the curtains," Linda begged, not even starting at the voice's use of John's last name. "Please…"

There was quick soft footsteps echoing from the door to the windows, and the soft 'whoosh' of fabric as the curtains were pulled shut. The room was cast into a soothing green-tinted shade. Linda sighed in relief and raised her head, rubbing her good eye. The new figure looked to be a young maid. She wore a knee-length green dress with a white apron over top, and had her hair cut very short. She was looking at her nervously, as if unsure of what to do.

"Are you alright?" she repeated softly.

"No," Linda moaned. Her stomach was starting to twist and roll painfully. She gritted her teeth and turned onto her side. "I feel…sick…"

A small basin sat on the floor by the bed. Whether or not it was for this purpose, Linda did not know or care. She grabbed it desperately and bent over it, her body shuttering as she started heaving. But after three days of unconsciousness, her belly was empty. Nothing came up, and the effort drained what little strength she had regained overnight.

When her stomach finally calmed, Linda rolled onto her back and groaned. The maid was gone, possibly scared off by the episode. She rolled her eyes wearily and pressed her hands to her head.

"Linda?"

The same voice from the previous night was quickly followed by the appearance of a tall red-haired woman. There was a look of concern on her beautiful face. She quickly approached Linda's bed, a cool hand settling on her forehead. Linda sighed in relief when she felt a soothing warmth flow through her, ebbing the nausea.

"I am sorry, Linda. I should have remembered," the woman said. "Some of the injured treated with the Wizard's salve have shown this uncomfortable side effect. But it will not last long."

Linda nodded. She felt completely exhausted again, but fought to suppress it now. It was morning. She had to see her family.

"John. Caleb. Sheba…" she began, but the woman held up a hand.

"Your husband will be here shortly," she assured. "And we will set up a second bed for your daughter in here this afternoon."

For a moment, there was silence between them. Linda wanted to start asking questions, but she barely had strength to think. It took several moments of concentration to focus on the most important one.

"Are they alright?"

"Your family is fine," the woman replied with a smile. "Your Caleb is becoming a big favorite here. Such a charming boy."

"I know," Linda said, smiling slightly herself. "I think…"

But she did not finish. At that moment, John entered the room. He was wearing a handsome green suit-vest and trousers, and looked as though he had gotten a professional shave and a haircut. A very dashing appearance overall.

"Lady Glinda, may I speak to Linda alone for a moment?"

"Of course," the woman replied.

When the woman was gone, John sat down on the bed next to her. Linda immediately reached for his hands, smiling.

"What's the occasion?" she asked.

"Would you believe this is the way people normally dress here?" John replied, also smiling. "There's a lot I have to tell you. You won't believe half of it until you see it."

Linda blinked. John seemed to be in an overwhelmingly joyful mood, happier than she had ever seen him. She gave him a confused look, and he gripped her hands tightly.

"Linda…" he said. "I wanted to ask you about us."

"What about us?" she asked.

John pulled something out of his vest pocket.

"I wanted to make it official," he said, slipping something cool and metallic onto her finger. "I want you to really be Mrs. Koestler."

Linda looked at her hand. A delicate silver ring glistened on her finger. A small line of emeralds studded the polished surface, just big enough to reflect the dim light. Linda gasped, her mouth opening in shock.

"John…" she whispered. Tears flowed from her undamaged eye again. "John…I…"

She paused, closing her eyes for a moment. Then, she slowly sat up, struggling slightly with the effort, and looked John directly in the eyes.

"We were married in fire, John," she said, a smile finally forming on her face. "We've only known one another for a month. But it feels as though you've always been there for me. You do not have to ask. I am already your wife."

John's face seemed to light up as bright as day at her words. She raised her hands to grip his face gently, the same way she had done the night before the end. The kiss they shared was gentle but passionate, John wrapping his arms around her and pulling her to his chest. When they parted, Linda leaned against him, resting her head on his strong shoulder.

"The numbers were good this time?" she asked. She had to hear the truth from him before she believed it.

"Very good," John confirmed. "Five hundred and twenty one people. And there were forty three with us initially."

"Five hundred people saved," Linda replied, gripping him more tightly. "Five hundred out of six billion…"

"There were other gateways made that day," he said quickly. "The totals are still being gathered, but they're expecting at least two thousand."

"Two thousand…" she whispered.

John sighed, kissing her forehead.

"I know," he whispered back.

He helped her to settle back onto the bed, propping the pillows so she could sit up a little more. He remained by her side, gripping her hands, as the red-haired woman reappeared.

"How are you feeling?" she asked kindly.

"Much better," Linda replied, smiling slightly.

"I am very glad to hear it," the woman said. "But one more day in bed will not hurt, if you are willing."

"If my daughter is to be brought to me, I will be patient. Is she alright?"

"She has recovered a little," the woman confirmed. "She has asked for you a few times."

Linda felt her heart flutter. Sheba had been literally out of her mind for months, ever since the first time she had scrawled the first series of numbers on the back of an old tax form. She had not been able to recognize anyone, or process anything, since then.

"Is she sensible?" Linda asked eagerly.

"A little bit," John replied, making the universal so-so motion with his hand. "She nearly gut-punched the Wizard yesterday, which I think is an improvement."

"Who?"

John laughed.

"Like I said, you probably wouldn't believe me if I told you where we are right now."

"Ooh! Can I tell her, Dad?"

Caleb had appeared in the doorway, a wide grin on his face. Linda smiled at him, and John and the red-haired woman laughed.

"Sure," John said.

"Awesome!" Caleb replied, beaming. He leaned out into the corridor. "Let's go, boy!"

A moment later, he re-entered the room, a small black dog in his arms.

"How cute," Linda crooned.

The dog perked its ears and wagged its stubby tail. Caleb set it on the bed, and Linda raised a hand to scratch it behind its ears.

"Mom," Caleb began, and a wave of affection for the boy flooded Linda's heart at the word. "This is Toto."

Linda chuckled.

"Adorable," she said. "This dog's owner must be a fan of The Wizard of Oz."

Caleb, John, and the woman promptly burst out laughing. The dog cocked its head and gave her a confused look. Linda glanced from the dog to Caleb, and then to John, growing more perplexed by the second.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"That is Toto," John replied between chuckles.

Hmm...methinks somebody is about to realize that they "aren't in Kansas anymore"!