Chapter 20. Revelation

Sarah heard his voice calling her. "Sarah. stay with me, Sarah." She tried to answer, but words would not form. Nor, if formed, could any pass the blockage in her throat. Still, the voice called. "Sarah, come back to me." The darkness was foggy and she could smell something offensive. 'Bog of stench' her mind told her, 'I'm near the bog.' She tried to stir. 'Jareth, where are you?' she opened her eyes, fighting to focus her blurred vision. She only stopped fighting when the face came close. She looked at him, and relaxed. He had kept his promise. He had come when she'd called. He had saved her. She closed her eyes and allowed the darkness to embrace her.

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Mayfaire stayed at her side as she was admitted. He stayed at her side in the emergency room as they finished pumping the contents of her stomach and gave her something to counteract the drugs. He only left her side to speak to her parents and inform them that the girl was going to live. Then he returned to the doctors working on her. When they moved Sarah into a private area of the recovery section, he sat with her parents, keeping watch.

Karen had called Linda the moment the call came in that Sarah was being taken to the hosptial; she stood up as the mother of her stepdaughter came into the room. She held out her hands to her. "I'm so glad you came so fast."

"Thank you for calling me," Linda hugged the second Mrs. Williams. "How is she?"

"Not good." Karen admitted.

Mayfaire moved in. "She's been poisoned."

Linda looked toward her ex-husband. "Who would want to poison our little girl?"

Mayfaire began to explain the story as he understood it. He looked at the girl lying so still in the bed when he finished. "She's fighting a very difficult battle."

Though the night they stayed, keeping vigil.

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Sarah's eyes fluttered open; she looked at the three faces that were at the side of her bed. Her father, and on either side of him, his two wives; "I'm dreaming." She whispered hoarsely.

Mayfaire looked at her vitals and sighed. "She's passed the crisis." He stood up. "She'll need rest now, don't ask her too many questions. Her throat will be sore for some time to come."

Linda looked over at the man, "I understand."

Karen wiped tears from her eyes. "We'll take care of her."

Robert leaned back. "How long does she need to stay here?"

"Three days of observation," Mayfaire noted. "Then, total bed rest for a few days at home." He picked up his suit jacket, and casually hooked it over one shoulder. "The physician on staff here will be in to speak to you. Good luck."

Linda followed him out of the sick room. "Excuse me, Doctor, but do I know you?"

"No," He said quietly. "You don't."

"You seem… familiar." Linda said. "Sarah will be asking about you, after all you saved her."

"Sarah needs medical doctors right now, not a psychiatrist." He stated firmly. "I'll see Sarah when she's better." He turned to leave, but paused, "She's very fragile right now, don't press."

"Of course not," Linda said peacefully.

Mayfaire had taken a few steps when he found Terry pacing near the nurses station. She looked at his weary face and thought the worst. "Oh God, is she dead?" she asked.

Mayfaire touched her face. "No, and thanks to you, she won't die." He looked at a woman standing near the elevator doors. "What you did was very brave, Terry. Because of it, Sarah won't die and the one's who abducted her will be punished." He patted her shoulder. "Why don't you go see if the Williams need anything, coffee.. tea… anything." Terry nodded as he stepped toward the opening doors of the elevator and the woman who entered quietly at his side.

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When next the girl opened her eyes, she was disappointed not to see the eyes she'd been dreaming of. She hid that disappointment and accepted the love being lavished on her by her mother, her stepmother, and her father. It seemed surreal for a bit, with her parents and stepmother being so nice to each other.

When they spoke about the incident, Karen was ready to take the blame for it happening. "I should have never agreed to you going out of the house with that girl." She lamented.

For a moment the old Sarah reared her ugly head, but the more mature girl in the hospital bed refused to allow her to take the blame. "No, Karen." She said firmly. "This one is on me. If I'd told you what I suspected, you'd have never let them on the stoop, let alone let me out the door with them. No, this was my fault for… keeping secrets."

Linda, standing behind Robert and his new wife, looked at her daughter with questioning eyes. When the pair stepped out for a breath of air, Linda took a seat on the bed. "Planning on telling them what you saw?" She asked.

Sarah shook her head, "There's keeping secrets and there's being tactful. Daddy doesn't need to be hurt because you and Jeremy are lovers. That's your business. I kept secrets about my business and that's what I meant," she motioned her hands. "No, they don't need to know that, and you don't need the grief. The important thing is I am not going to bury it in my subconscious where it can create a problem. You and Jeremy are lovers."

"Were," Linda corrected.

Sarah stared at her hands, not quite able to look her mother in the eyes. "I thought at one time you might marry him."

"God forbid!" Linda laughed, it sounded like quicksilver. "Sarah, I'm not meant to be married. I'm far too selfish."

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When they at last released her from the hospital and she returned home, she was surprised that her first visitor was Terry. The mousey girl timidly entered Sarah's bedroom, "May I come in?"

Sarah sat up, nodded, and waved the girl in. "Come in, Terry."

Taking a seat on the bed, the girl looked up at Sarah. "I'm a coward," she admitted. "I let Meg order me about, and I did terrible things just to be accepted."

Sarah held out a hand to the girl.

Terry retreated a few inches, sitting with her face inclined. "I'm not asking to be forgiven," she sniffed lightly. "I don't really care what you think of me." She raised her eyes to meet Sarah's. "I never was interested in being friends." Sarah could see a shield going up in Terry's eyes, Terry telling a lie in order to protect herself from the rejection that she's expecting.

Sarah, hearing the words spoken a bit differently than the last time, and in a less gruff voice, sighed softly. "I forgive you, Terry."

The mousey girl blinked, not quite sure she'd heard correctly. "You do?"

Sarah nodded. "Yes, I do." She pushed her pillow to sit up better. "You came through when I needed you." She shrugged. "You were and are my friend. And, you're not a coward." Sarah whispered. "It took real guts to stand up to those three."

Terry looked down at the hand that was holding hers once more. She looked up through a bushy brow and squeezed the hand holding hers. "Is there anything I can get you?"

"Just stay and keep me company." Sarah asked. "It's not been much of a Christmas with me just coming out of the hospital."

"I'll stay as long as you need me." Terry promised.

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January 5th 1987

Sarah sat in the passenger seat of her father's car, watching the houses pass as they rolled down the road toward the school.

"Would you like me to go in with you?" Robert asked as he pulled the car to the curb.

"No, Daddy." She said confidently. "I'm a big girl now. I can even cross streets by myself." She regretted the harshness of her words and smiled softly at her father.

"I know," he mused, "but sweetie, there's sure to be talk."

"I don't care. I can face anything." She boasted, then shut the door and waved him off. "I'm the girl who beat the Labyrinth." She said to herself as she walked up the walk to the entrance of the school.

There was a crowd of female students gathered at the door of the Headmaster's office. Sarah wondered what was happening, and if it had anything to do with Meg and Lana having been hauled off to jail with Hank. She had a feeling that Mr. Henderson had made a complaint against her even with her in the hospital. She moved toward the crowd only after she'd put her coat in her locker. "What's going on?" She asked.

Terry moved out of the office toward Sarah, her face happy and looking not so mousey. "Sarah, isn't it wonderful?"

"Isn't what wonderful?" Sarah asked as the crowd parted. Terry pointed to the couple standing in the office. Miss Shelton was showing off the very large, but very tasteful, diamond ring on her hand. Sarah looked at the man standing at her side, looking so proud and so handsome and she felt the world fall down around her. Sarah's face went from incredulous, to barely-for-a-second being crestfallen. The next instant she picked her self off the ground emotionally to give Mayfaire and Shelton a warm smile of congratulations that sparkled from the depths of her green eyes. Mayfaire having observed the reactions, gave her a nod of approval, he could emotional maturation setting in. He turned and looked at her, and his smiled broadened as Sarah entered the room and Miss Shelton moved forward to embrace her.

"Here's my little guiding angel now!" She hugged the girl tightly. "Why, if it had not been for you, I'd have never met the man of my dreams."

Sarah blushed. "You're welcome, I guess." She took the woman's hand, looked at the ring and sighed. "Congratulations," She looked at Mayfaire, "To you both." She cleared her throat, "So when is the big event?"

"May first, May Day. Isn't that just perfect?" Miss Shelton announced. "Oh Sarah, do say you'll be one of my brides maids, my junior bridesmaid!"

Sarah nodded, "Sure, why not." She looked at the doctor and nodded again as if making sense of something no one else was aware of. "Well, I have to get to class. I'll see you Friday at four, right Doctor?"

Mayfaire nodded, surprised by the girl's attitude. "Yes, Sarah, Friday at four."

Sarah turned to Terry, "Lunch?"

Terry nodded excitedly.

Sarah Williams left the commotion of the happy couple and moved toward her first class of the day. She didn't look back, for the only thing that mattered now, was the way forward.