QUEST FOR THE LUNATI TREASURE
Episode #19
"Rush Hour"
The bright daylight shined through every window of the Hartford mansion. The sun was so bright that it appeared to be shining directly in front of the house. The double doors of the front entrance burst open and a large shadow could be seen, completely surrounded by the light.
The figure stepped forward, entering the mansion. The Red Ranger's suit became much more visible inside the mansion. It seemed to shimmer as the sunlight reflected off of it. The Red Ranger stepped into the middle of the foyer and glanced around the seemingly empty house.
With a deep breath, he reached up to his helmet, slowly removing it. The Red Ranger held the helmet tight under his left arm, as he glanced around the house once more, with unobstructed vision. Ian Hartford, the man beneath the suit, smiled widely as he took in the view.
He placed his right hand on his hip and breathed in the glory of the daylight, standing tall as a hero in his own home. But as the time passed, he realized just how empty his home was.
"Spencer?" he called out.
There was no response. Ian's smile began to fade.
"Maggie?" he called out for his wife, who had always promised to be there for him.
There was no response. Ian frowned, as his eyes conveyed a deep confusion beginning to set in.
"Chris?" he yelled out.
There was no response. Ian began to shake his head, as panic arrived inside of his head. Something wasn't right. It wasn't right at all.
Ian's eyes popped open, as the fleeting vision disappeared from his mind. He glanced down and saw that he was still in his wheelchair. He looked forward and saw that his son was still unmoving.
Ian had only been sitting at the side of the gurney for a minute or two since he had been given his son's devastating prognosis. Ian could hear heavy breathing coming from behind him.
"I'm so sorry, again, Dr. Hartford," the female doctor spoke, but Ian did not hear her.
Spencer Kingston, who was standing at her side, stopped her as she started to walk towards Ian. Spencer glanced at her name tag. She was Doctor M. Grant.
"Dr. Grant, perhaps we should give him a moment alone," Spencer said, still distraught himself.
"I'm not alone," Ian said, his voice dark and heavy with emotion.
"Of course not, sir," Spencer said. "We're all here—"
"I want him put on life support," Ian said, his voice a bit louder.
Dr. Grant appeared confused and walked closer to Ian.
"But there's no use," she responded. "As I tried to explain to you, your son has major brain damage. His brain isn't sending the proper signals to his body. That's why it shut down."
"I want him on life support!" Ian shouted. "Now! If you won't carry out my wishes, I will buy this hospital and find a doctor who will!"
Dr. Grant was utterly stunned by his order. She took a defeated breath and exited the room, beginning to gather assistance.
Spencer walked up to Ian and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Sir, take a moment and think about what you're doing—"
"Leave me alone, Spencer," Ian said, casting his anger down upon his butler.
Without another word, Spencer stormed out of the emergency room. He didn't bother to look back.
Ian's gaze rested on Chris's face. There was still life there, he vowed.
The moment the Aurora Public Library opened, Bishop & Addie Malcolm entered. Addie was practically dragging her brother to a directory that helped her locate the section she was looking for.
Bishop glanced around and was happy to see the library was not populated at all this early in the morning. He saw a few librarians glancing in their direction, but they didn't seem to panic, which was a good sign.
"Look, Addie, you should be resting," he whispered to his sister.
"I don't want to rest," she said, with a quiet determination. "I want to find out what this thing is inside me and this is the only place I know to start."
Once she noted the location of the History and Reference sections, she pulled him along as she headed to the second floor.
"Do you realize how huge this library is?" Bishop said, continuing to protest. "There's no way you're going to find what you're looking for."
"I have to try," Addie said, as she stopped for a moment to stare into her brother's eyes. "I have to try."
"Listen to me, Addie. This is hopeless," he said.
Addie shook her head.
"I remember the statue," Addie said. "If I can find out more about it or where it came from, I might find the answers I need. Our parents went to Egypt to find it for a reason. I want to know what made it so valuable."
Addie continued on her way, no longer tugging on his arm to force him to follow her. Bishop let out a deep sigh and went after her.
Jessica Laurie sat still in her seat in the emergency room waiting area with her head lowered, still processing the events that had transpired. Then, she saw a paper cup filled with coffee waving in front of her. She looked up to see Detective Stephen Garza, holding the cup.
"Thought you could use this," he said, somberly.
"I'm not thirsty," she said, as she sat back in her chair.
"You can't keep going like this," Garza said, as he sat down next to her. "At least go home and get some rest. There's nothing more you can do here."
"I don't want rest," Jessica said, shooting him an annoying glance. "If you want to go, no one's asked you to stay."
"I know you're hurting," Garza said, as he leaned closer, putting an arm around her.
Jessica immediately jumped out of her seat and cast a dark stare upon him.
"Don't," she protested. "You wouldn't want someone to see."
Jessica stormed off, leaving Garza sitting alone with two cups of coffee.
Chris's eyes began to flutter open, as he felt the intense pain coursing through his head. He instinctively grasped at his skull, as he tried to move his head. As his eyes opened, he could see the brightness of the sun beaming into his corneas. He squinted in response to intense light but before he could cover his eyes with his other hand, a head appeared over him, with a look of pure shock.
"Holy crap, Hartford! Are you all right?" the baseball coach yelled.
Chris tried to move and the coach helped him to sit up on the dirt. It was then that he glanced around and realized where he was. The baseball diamond was staffed with players, most of which were wearing blue and white uniforms. Chris looked down and saw he was wearing his burgundy and white Seminoles uniform.
"Hartford, answer me!" his coach yelled again.
"What happened?" Chris asked, still groggy.
"You took a ball right in the head," the coach explained.
A few other players ran out to the field, helping Chris to his feet. His coach now had his eyes on the pitcher.
"I want him out!" he yelled to the umpire. "He could have killed my star player!"
The pitcher didn't seem to care much. In fact, as Chris looked over at him, he saw a familiar smirk. Chris's eyes narrowed on the fellow in blue.
"Evan," he grunted.
Chris was escorted off the field, but continued to watch Evan Yukito on the pitcher's mound, as he was berated by the Seminoles' coach and the umpire, who tossed him from the game for his unsportsmanlike behavior. He heard the rival team's coach call the pitcher Vance, but that couldn't be right, Chris thought. Chris entered the dugout and saw Evan storm over to his team, where one of the cheerleaders ran over to him, graciously hugging him. She somehow looked familiar too.
At that moment, Evan looked directly at Chris and smiled widely. The cheerleader in her powder blue uniform looked exactly like Miko. She joined her comrade in a chuckle at Chris's expense.
"What is going on?" Chris said, as his head continued to pound.
His eyes veered into the stands and it was then that he saw her sitting there, amongst the crowd.
"Addie," Chris uttered.
The pounding got so strong that he could no longer take the pain and fell over, once again falling into unconsciousness.
Ian Hartford continued to stare at his son, who was now fully connected to life support. Dr. Grant stood at the side of Chris's bed, checking to see that the machines were working properly.
"Dr. Hartford, I know this is devastating," she said. "But your son's brain damage won't get any better like this. You're only prolonging the inevitable."
"That's what life is all about," Ian mumbled. "Prolonging death."
She lowered her head in frustration.
"I'll call a grief counselor. Someone can be here within the hour and—"
"I don't need a grief counselor," Ian said, his voice still low. "I need to be left alone with my son."
Dr. Grant sighed and left Ian alone once again.
Ian's chair drifted closer to Chris's bed.
"This isn't the way it's supposed to be," Ian said, staring directly at his son. "I should have told you to go back to school. It's my fault you got involved with this. Even after what happened to me, I didn't let it stop you."
He placed a hand on his son's chest, feeling it move through artificial means.
"I wish you could scream at me now, yell at me for what I've done. I learned to tune you out because it hurt so much," Ian said. "But nothing can hurt me more than I am now."
Ian leaned over, placing his head on his son's hand. It was then that he felt the crumpling paper in his pocket. He had forgotten the letter was there. He pulled the envelope from the pocket of his blazer and stared at it for a moment. It was addressed to Christian Hartford. Ian shed a tear, as he placed the envelope on the table next to Chris's bed.
"You have to read that," Ian said, sadly.
Bishop gave a frustrated sigh, as he thumbed through the stacks of books. He peeked around the bookcase, glancing in the direction of the entrance to that area of the library. He was glad that no one used this area much. He turned around and looked at his sister, kneeling on the floor surrounded by books. Bishop shook his head, as he saw her toss another book onto the floor.
He turned back to the shelf he had been looking under. His finger ran past several books, one black, one brown, another black, one grey. He pulled an Egyptian history book with a cream-colored cover from the shelf and began thumbing through it. Bishop still felt it was hopeless. He didn't even know what they were looking for.
Bishop hated thinking back to that day. He could still hear the sound of the ruins collapsing with his family inside. He could remember Addie's scream. As Bishop continued to flip through the book, he reached a chapter with photographs of different statues. He took a chance.
"Addie, check this out," he called over to her.
Addie walked up beside him and began looking at the different statues and their descriptions. She shook her head, as she turned each page.
"I don't see it. It's not one of these," Addie said. "Keep looking."
She returned to her pile on the floor and continued her search. Bishop groaned as he put the book back on the shelf.
"Addie this isn't gonna work," Bishop said. "Do you see how many books there are in here? There's no way you're gonna find what you're looking for. Hell, you don't even know if that statue exists."
"It exists!" Addie snapped, as she shot him a furious glance. "I'm not crazy. It had to be in my dreams for a reason."
Bishop took a deep breath.
"That still doesn't help us find a book," Bishop said. "It's not just gonna fly out and volunteer to help."
It was then that Bishop's eye was drawn to the shelf he had just been looking through. The book with the brown cover was gone. He saw the empty space where the book was a minute before. Bishop was confused. He peeked around the stacks and it was then that he saw the book on a table on the other side of the shelf.
"How did—"
Bishop wandered over to the table and read the title of the book, Spiritual Mysteries.
"Addie? Check this out," Bishop called over to his sister.
"What?" Addie said as she saw him standing several feet away.
"This book," Bishop said, as he picked it up. "It was over there on the shelf and then it like moved over here."
"By itself?" Addie said, sarcastically.
"I'm not crazy," Bishop said, repeating his sister's words.
Addie sighed as she walked closer to the book. As she got within touching distance, she reached out her hand, only for the book to levitate out of Bishop's grasp and fly across the room.
"What the hell?" Bishop said, looking stunned. "It's like it's trying to move away from you."
Addie felt something strange inside of her.
"Or…whatever's inside of me is pushing it away," Addie said, appearing more terrified. "You have to get that book."
Addie tried to calm her spirit and push the demonic force back down into the depths of her soul, where it couldn't control her. But Addie had no idea how long it would remain there. She closed her eyes tight, hoping her efforts would work. She needed that book.
"Okay," Bishop said, as he sat down at the table and opened the book. "You're gonna have to look at this. I have no clue what we're looking for."
Addie nodded her head, as she slowly opened her eyes and looked at the book. Bishop had a tight grip on it and it didn't appear to be moving. Addie continued standing on the opposite side of the table as she glanced at the pictures while Bishop flipped the pages. She gasped when she caught sight of the statue from her dreams.
"Stop," Addie called out. "That's it."
"Are you sure?" he asked.
Addie nodded.
Bishop began reading the passage that pertained to the statue.
"It's called the Setesh Idol," Bishop revealed, as he read. "According to this, it holds the ancient spirit of Sutekh."
Bishop looked up at his sister and she was instantly afraid. He looked as if he had seen a ghost.
"What? Who's Sutekh?" Addie asked, impatiently.
"The God of Evil," Bishop said.
Chris Hartford began to stir in his bed. As he realized he was asleep, he could feel his head still pounding. He instinctively rubbed his hand across his forehead, as he opened his eyes. Chris sat up in his bed and looked around the room curiously.
"This isn't my bedroom," Chris said, as he surveyed his surroundings.
The small room had two beds and two desks. In fact, there were two of everything. When he spotted his baseball jacket hanging on a chair, he realized that he wasn't home at all. He was back at school.
The last thing he remembered was the baseball field and his strange encounter with Evan Yukito, only he apparently wasn't Evan. Chris shook his head, wondering if he was still dreaming. It was then that he felt a leg rubbing against his. He heard the feminine moan coming from under the blankets and realized he wasn't alone.
As the girl threw the blankets off of her and looked up at him, Chris's eyes grew wider than they ever had before. He almost fell out of the bed, as he scooted away from the blonde.
"Jessica?!" he called out in shock. "What are you doing?"
He got to his feet, still holding his head.
"Jessica?" she said, her accent as strong as ever. "Okay, I'll forgive that mistake this time, but only because I know you lost a fight with baseball."
"I don't understand," Chris mumbled, as he looked around, trying to figure out what was happening to him.
"You're still groggy," she said with a grin, as she reached out a hand. "Come back to bed. Let me finish nursing your wounds."
As she laughed playfully, Chris got even more unsettled. He scurried out of the dormitory room as fast as he could, slamming the door behind him. As two male students passed by and gave him strange looks, he realized he had exited the room only wearing his boxers. Chris closed his eyes and tried to ignore the pain in his head.
"What is going on?" he said aloud.
"Hartford!"
Chris's eyes popped open as he heard the yell coming from down the hall. He got even more nervous as he saw Bishop Malcolm coming straight for his position, staring a whole right through him. Chris stretched his hands out in front of him, as if he could push away the incoming attack. But instead of attack, Bishop began to laugh.
"Dude, what are you doing out here?" he asked. "Your company gone already?"
"Company?" Chris said, confused.
"Yeah, roomie. You called and told me to take the long way home cuz you had a guest coming over," he responded. "Am I still early?"
"I—I—roomie?" Chris said, looking completely stunned.
"Is it the head, man?" Bishop said. "I heard about what happened on the field. I told you not to mess around with Vance's girl, but you didn't listen. The Hart Breaker strikes again."
At that moment, the door to their room opened and Jessica came out, now fully dressed. She looked a bit annoyed, but kissed Chris on the cheek anyway.
"I got to go. Call me when you're feeling better," she said, before glancing at Bishop. "Bye, Johnny."
He smiled as she passed him by.
"Bye, Laurie," he said, as he watched her walk away. He whistled, as he looked back at Chris. "I got to hand it to you. You've got great taste. It's too bad she's taken too. I have a feeling you're gonna be in even more trouble. Didn't that baseball to the skull teach you anything?"
Chris couldn't fight his confusion anymore. He didn't understand what was going on. If he was back in school, what were they doing there? Why was Jessica calling him Johnny and why was he calling her Laurie? And how did he get back to Florida? He continued to shake his head, wondering how he could figure out this strange world.
The small chapel inside of Silver City Metro Hospital was unoccupied, except for the lone individual who sat in the wooden pew in the middle of the chapel. He stared straight forward. His gazed never wavered from the cross hanging on the wall in front of him. Although he heard the double doors open behind him, he didn't turn to see who entered. Even as he heard the footsteps getting closer to him, he did not move. Despite the smell of her identifying perfume, Spencer didn't acknowledge her presence.
Jessica sat down next to him and gently rested her head on his shoulder. After a minute of silence, she spoke to him.
"Is it helping?" she asked.
"I don't believe anything can help," Spencer muttered.
"I'm so sorry," Jessica said, her voice quivering with sadness. "You've known Chris since he was born. This has to be like…like losing your own child."
"If you're referring to the hole in my heart, you've got it right," Spencer said, his gaze still unmoving. "Do you know Dr. Hartford told me to leave…to leave him alone."
Sensing his heightened emotions, Jessica looked over at him. She took his hand in hers.
"He's just upset," Jessica said. "He didn't mean anything by it. He couldn't."
"Today was the first day in over twenty years that I've not felt like a Hartford," Spencer said, solemnly, as he finally looked over to Jessica, showing her his eyes. "They were supposed to be the family I never had."
If his eyes were a window to his soul, then she could see the tidal wave of tears building inside him.
"You tried to keep this family together through devastating times," Jessica said. "No one could have asked for more."
"She never did," Spencer said, as he thought of Maggie Hartford. "But I promised her anyway. I promised her that I would look after them both. I failed."
"No, you didn't," Jessica said, trying to sound more forceful. "It was never your job to make them get along. The only thing that could destroy the Hartford family was the Hartfords themselves."
"And they are destroyed," Spencer said. "If Maggie Hartford was the heart of that family, then Chris was its soul."
"He's on life support," Jessica said. "He's not gone yet and I have a feeling that Ian won't let that happen."
"I won't let it happen," Ian called out, getting both their attention.
Jessica & Spencer both turned in the pew and saw Ian's chair sitting in the doorway of the chapel. They weren't sure how much he had heard but he appeared to be holding his emotions in check.
"Jessica, I need you to do me a favor, fast," Ian said. "It's gravely important."
"Anything," Jessica said, as she stood up.
Ian gave her a thankful smile.
As the hot water of the shower rained down on his head, Chris tried to remember where he was before he was hit in the head with that baseball. He didn't remember suiting up for a game. He didn't remember anything…except for her face. After exiting the shower and drying himself off, Chris glanced into one of the mirrors in the bathroom. He stared into his own reflection, unable to shake the sense that something wasn't right. Steam from one of the other showers caused the mirror to fog up.
He grabbed his towel and wiped the mirror down and then he saw her face again in the reflection behind him. Chris turned quickly, but there was no one there.
"Addie?" he called out.
He went over to the one shower that was still turned on. He pulled the curtain and found it was empty. He turned to the doorway and saw a shadow exiting quickly. Chris ran out of the bathroom only to find the hallway empty.
"What is happening to me?" he muttered to himself as he headed for his dorm room.
He grabbed the door handle and opened the door only to be promptly punched in the face. Chris doubled over in pain, holding his jaw, where the punch had landed.
"I'm not done with you yet!" the man shouted, as he grabbed Chris by the neck and slammed him against the wall. "You think you can mess around with my girl and get away with it, rich boy? Huh!"
It was then that Chris realized his attacker's identity. It was Detective Garza.
"What?" Chris said. "I don't know what you're talking about. Let me go!"
"You don't know?" Garza said. "You don't know?"
Garza used one hand to grab the pink bra that was lying on Chris's bed.
"I guess you don't know anything about this either?" he said, as he shoved it into Chris's face.
"Of course," Chris said, sarcastically.
With one swift motion, Chris kicked Garza in the chest, knocking him into his desk. Garza screamed out in anger, as he grabbed Chris's desk chair, swinging it at his head. Chris ducked and used his legs to sweep Garza to the floor.
"I'm really starting to hate this place," Chris grunted, as he got to his feet, only to be pushed from behind.
Garza knocked him into the wall once again and began punching at his kidneys. Chris cried out in pain, as his roommate came running in, along with a few other dorm residents, who pulled the two apart.
"Get a hold of yourself, Steve," Johnny said. "Get him out of here."
The other residents dragged Steve out of the room, but that didn't stop him from screaming out.
"I'll get you back for this, Hartford!" he yelled. "You're gonna pay, big time!"
Johnny took a deep breath, staring at Chris.
"Man, you are losing it," he said. "If you keep this up, you're gonna get yourself killed."
It was that last word that seemed to echo inside of Chris's brain.
'Am I dead?' he thought to himself. 'Is this hell?'
He knew one thing for sure. This world was definitely not heaven.
Spencer walked through the hallway of the hospital, getting closer to the intensive care unit when he was flagged down by Chris's doctor.
"I'm sorry to bother you, but Dr. Hartford said you were family when he came into the ER," Dr. Grant said. "I was hoping that I could convince you to speak to him about his son's condition. We don't honestly believe that Chris can make any kind of recovery on life support."
Spencer took a deep breath. He wasn't quite sure how to answer her.
"Dr. Grant, when Ian Hartford gets something into his head, I'm afraid there's no one that can change his mind," Spencer said. "It's taken me a long time to resign myself to that fact."
"But I'm sure he trusts you, more than me," she said.
"I'm not sure he trusts anyone now," Spencer said.
Another female doctor tapped Dr. Grant on the shoulder. She turned her head to her colleague.
"Sorry to interrupt. Maggie, I was hoping you could give me a second opinion on this patient who just came in," the second doctor asked.
Spencer was stunned at what he heard.
"Your first name is Maggie?" Spencer said, interjecting himself into their conversation.
Dr. Grant looked back at him and nodded. Something inside of Spencer began to tingle at the revelation.
"Thank you," he said, as he looked up to the sky.
He was a man who believed in signs and this was a clear one.
Down in the adjoining corridor, Jessica Lorrie stepped off the elevator, carrying her large purse. As she headed towards the ICU, Stephen Garza appeared and grabbed her arm. She looked at him for only a second.
"Let go. I have to see Dr. Hartford," she said, impatiently.
"I need to talk to you," Garza said.
"Not now. What are you even still doing here?" Jessica said. "I don't need you."
"I think you do," Garza said. "And I want you to know that I'm not going anywhere."
"Won't they be asking questions about where you are down at the police station?" Jessica said, sarcastically.
"I don't care," Garza said. "I don't care!"
His voice was so loud that it caught the attention of all those in the ICU waiting area. Even Spencer and the two female doctors had heard them. Spencer began walking in that direction.
"Jessica, I think I'm falling in love with you," Garza said, nervously.
Jessica was surprised by his admission and for the first time in several hours, she wasn't thinking about the Hartfords.
Garza pulled her in for a kiss, which drew several sounds from all of those around them who were all staring at the deep and passionate embrace of the two. Spencer took a deep breath, as he saw them. Several feet behind them, Dr. Grant didn't seem to care much but the female doctor who had flagged her down for a second opinion did seem interested. She squinted her eyes a bit as she realized that the man doing the kissing was very familiar.
Chris stood outside of his dormitory, holding tight to his cell phone, almost wishing it was his tracker instead. He looked through the speed dial and didn't recognize any of the numbers, most of which were tagged with female names. He realized he had to take matters into his own hands and began to manually dial his home phone number on the other side of the country. Chris listened impatiently, as the phone rang repeatedly until a female voice answered.
"Hello, Malcolm resident," the woman said.
"What?" Chris said, incredulously. "Did you say Malcolm residence?"
"Yes," the woman replied. "This is Dr. Terry Malcolm. How can I help you?"
Chris hung up instantly. He held his head, wondering what was going on. He looked at the number again and it matched his home phone.
"This is too crazy," Chris said. "I don't belong here."
He looked up and it was then that he saw her again. Addie was walking quickly through the dormitory parking lot.
"Hey!" Chris shouted. "Addie, wait!"
Chris took off running in her direction, but he noticed that she didn't stop. She continued walking at the same pace, never turning back to face him.
Chris practically pushed a jogger out of his way, causing him to shout at Chris, cursing him. Chris continued running, as a car sped towards him. He turned just in time to see the vehicle, which seemed to be trying to hit him. Chris rolled over the hood of another car to avoid being hit.
As he got to his feet and walked around the car, he saw the bright blue corvette with dark, tinted windows. Chris walked slowly towards the car's driver side. The windows lowered and it was then that he saw Evan Yukito in the driver's seat, with Miko at his side.
"It's a pity you moved!" Evan said.
"Are you insane?" Chris said. "You could have killed me!"
"Oh well," Evan said, with a laugh as he looked over at his lady. "That's the price you pay when you mess with the wrong man. First you try to steal my girl and then you get me kicked off my baseball team! I say you had it coming."
"You're the one who hit me with a baseball, you psycho!" Chris shouted.
As more students began to gather in the area, a campus security car rolled by, making Evan more nervous.
"Let's go Vance, baby," Miko said from the passenger seat. "It stinks around here."
She sneered at Chris.
"Yeah," Evan replied. "You better watch your back, Hartford."
Chris watched as the Corvette sped out of the parking lot. He took a deep breath and turned, trying to figure out where Addie could have gone. When he caught a glimpse of her about a block away, he began running after her again.
Inside of Chris Hartford's hospital room, his father sat at his bedside. He was holding the vase of Lunati water that Jessica had delivered to him only a minute beforehand.
Ian couldn't help but stare at his son, lying on the bed, motionless, with his breathing being caused by machines. It wasn't right, he thought.
"I'm so sorry, Chris," Ian said. "I hope this will help you see that I would sacrifice anything to get you back. You're not just my son. You're not just the last living connection I have to my Maggie. You're the future and this world needs you, maybe more than you think."
Ian took the cork out of the bottle and slowly began to pour it into Chris's mouth, despite the breathing tube that was also in his throat. Ian emptied the vase of water and he waited. He watched the monitor that displayed his son's very low blood pressure.
After several minutes passed, there was no change on any of the monitors. Chris's eyes didn't open and he still didn't move. Ian took a deep breath, never allowing his eyes to leave Chris's body. He was going to move, Ian thought. He was going to wake up.
He had to.
Bishop took Addie's hand and led her towards the exit of the Aurora Public Library. She was still shaken up by the information they had found regarding the Setesh Idol. He had tried to assure her that there was no way the spirit of the god of evil was inside of her.
Addie, however, had remained rattled and unfocused. Bishop had hoped she was just concentrating on keeping the spirit within her dormant, no matter what it was. As they approached the exit of the library, Addie stopped.
Bishop looked at her.
"Addie, come on. Let's get out of here," Bishop said. "Are you okay?"
Bishop had grown more nervous every time they passed someone in the library. He was sure that it wouldn't be long before someone recognized her from the destructive scene downtown. He didn't want to stay in public for much longer and test the odds.
It was then that Bishop noticed Addie staring at something. She let go of his hand and walked over to a stack of newspapers that had just been laid out. They were all today's edition and on the cover were photographs of the damage downtown. Bishop grimaced, as he saw her looking at the front page.
As Addie read the article, she saw something that made her blood run cold.
"What?" she said, unable to process it. "Chris—he was hurt in the attack."
She looked up at Bishop, who shifted his gaze away from her.
"You had no control over what happened," Bishop said.
"This says that he was taken to the hospital near-death. He wasn't breathing," Addie said, almost in a panic. "Did I do this?"
She glared at Bishop, but he was still unable to look her in the eye. Addie walked over to him, shaking the newspaper in his face.
"Did I do this?" she said, her voice growing louder.
Bishop finally looked his sister in the eye and she had her answer. His look had said everything she needed to know.
Addie felt like she couldn't breathe. She dropped the newspaper and ran out of the library, with Bishop on her tail. She got about a block away, before he stopped her, pulling her into a deserted alley.
"You were at the mercy of something evil," Bishop said. "You couldn't control it. What happened was not your fault."
"What if it comes out again?" Addie said, as she began to cry. "I know what it wants. It wants to kill everyone. It may have already killed Chris."
"They have the water," Bishop said, grabbing his sister's shoulders. "They'll give him the water and he'll be fine."
Chris spotted Addie running into one of Florida State University's libraries and he was in hot pursuit. He burst through the doors almost bowling over the tall, stocky janitor.
"I'm sorry. Sorry," Chris said, as he looked around, not seeing Addie anywhere in the deserted building. "I lost her."
"You know it's very rare to see the school's sports elite here in the library," the janitor spoke.
Chris instantly recognized his voice.
"Spencer?" he called out.
The janitor looked up at Chris.
"Not quite," the janitor said, despite looking exactly like the Hartford's butler.
Chris walked over to him, as he continued to mop the floors.
"I'm looking for someone. I saw her come running in here. She's a little shorter than me, with long, dark hair," Chris said, describing Addie.
"This library's been closed since this morning. I haven't seen a soul since you walked in just now," the janitor said, as his gaze returned to the floors.
As Chris heard him start whistling a tune, he knew he wasn't going to help him. Chris turned his back on Spencer and took in the large library. The janitor was right. In all his years at the college, he had never entered one of their libraries.
"But you know," the janitor said, not stopping his chore. "I've always believed that if you want something bad enough, it's never difficult to find."
Chris glanced over his shoulder as the janitor went on with his mopping, continuing to whistle. Chris took a few steps forward and when he looked up, he saw her, standing at the top of the staircase.
"Addie!" he shouted, causing her to walk away.
Chris ran up the stairs, heading into the library stacks. As he entered, he could hear a distinct cry. It was Addie. He peeked around each of the shelves until they started to disappear into darkness. As he followed the sound of her cry, all of his surroundings grew darker until they had all fallen into shadows.
"Addie?" he called out.
"You're here," she spoke through the darkness.
Chris turned around and he saw her getting closer to him.
"Why were you running away?" Chris asked.
"I wanted you to find me."
"Find you?" he repeated, curiously.
"Here. It's so lonely in here," she said, as she gave him a sad look. "I wanted you to find me."
"Well, come on," Chris said. "Let's get out of here."
"I can't leave here," Addie said.
"But I saw you out there at the stadium and at the dorms," Chris said.
"I don't want to be alone," Addie said. "I need you to stay with me."
"I don't understand," Chris said, becoming even more confused. "What is this place?"
"It can be our place," Addie said, as she caressed his cheek. "Together, forever."
Something inside of Chris wanted to take her hand and truly give in. But even as he contemplated it, he could feel a slight burning on his back. He turned around to see it was a slight beam of light, focused on him.
"You can stay with me forever," Addie said, as she tried to turn his head away from the light.
Chris couldn't help but notice the light was getting larger, and brighter as it got closer to him.
"What is that?" he asked her.
"They're trying to take you away from me," Addie said, crying. "Please don't leave me here alone in the dark."
Chris saw the terror in her eyes in that moment. He could feel her hand grabbing his arm tightly. As he turned back to the approaching light it was larger than ever. It had gotten so close that he could make out a face within it. He felt his heart beating even faster as he recognized her face.
"Mom," he muttered.
She smiled upon him within the light. Dressed purely in white, she reached out her hand.
"Come with me, my son," Maggie spoke. "It's time to go."
Chris wanted to take her hand, but he felt Addie's grip tighten even more around his arm. He looked back at her crying face.
"I'm so lost here," she said. "I can't endure the darkness alone for much longer. You can't leave me."
"Come with me," Chris said, sincerely. "Just come with me."
"I can't," Addie said.
"Yes, you can. Just take my hand," Chris said, smiling.
He looked back at his mother, who was still smiling at him, holding out her hand, waiting for him to take it. He grabbed hold of her hand with his left and looked back at Addie, reaching out for her with his right. But he could no longer see her now. All he could see was the darkness of the shadows.
"Addie?" Chris called out, as his smile faded. "Addie, give me your hand."
There was no response.
"It's time to go, Christian," his mother said.
"What about Addie?" Chris said. "What about Addie?"
Before his mother could provide an answer to his question, the darkness was all slowly absorbed into the light, leaving none behind.
"Why isn't it working?" Jessica spoke, as a tear ran down her cheek.
She had been standing outside of Chris's room for almost two hours with Spencer by her side.
"The water should have taken affect by now," she said, shaking her head in confusion.
"I don't know," Spencer said, sadly. "I hope that Chris has not given up."
Spencer lowered his head.
"There is no quick fix," he said to himself.
I'm holding on your rope,
Got me ten feet off the ground
I'm hearing what you say
But I just can't make a sound
Ian sat still in his wheelchair, still not moving, still staring at his son lying on the bed, unmoving, except for the slow, steady, artificial heartbeat of the life support system.
You tell me that you need me
Then you go and cut me down, but wait
You tell me that you're sorry
Didn't think I'd turn around, and say
The tears began to flow from Ian's face as he realized that the water was taking too long to work. Chris was still not waking up.
"I'm so sorry, son," Ian said.
That it's too late to apologize, it's too late
I said it's too late to apologize, it's too late
Just outside the door, Spencer stood, listening to Ian's sobs, which caused the emotions within him to begin to boil once again. Standing at Spencer's side, Jessica placed an arm around him.
I'd take another chance, take a fall
Take a shot for you
And I need you like a heart needs a beat
But it's nothing new
Inside the room, Ian grabbed hold of Chris's hand tightly, begging, pleading for him to wake up. Ian silently cursed the Lunati water. It was supposed to save him. It was supposed to give him a second chance.
I loved you with a fire-red
Now it's turning blue, and you say
Sorry like the angel heaven let me think was you
But I'm afraid
Spencer & Jessica held each other a bit tighter, as Ian opened the door to Chris's room. He glanced over at the nurse's station, where Dr. Maggie Grant was standing. They locked eyes and she instantly knew what he was telling her. She lowered her eyes and walked into the hospital room
Ian, Spencer and Jessica were all standing inside, as they watched Dr. Grant turn off the machines and disconnect them from Chris.
It's too late to apologize, it's too late
I said it's too late to apologize, it's too late
Ian closed his eyes, as all sound inside the room ceased. Dr. Grant left them alone and Jessica followed her out, sobbing.
Spencer placed a hand on Ian's shoulder, as he tried to stand tall and reign in his emotions.
Ian's eyes veered to the table next to Chris's bed and he saw the letter addressed to his son. He took the letter and placed it in Chris's hands, folding them over his chest. Ian turned his chair, preparing to leave the room with Spencer, when he heard he heard something behind him. It sounded almost like a low murmur.
"Dad."
Ian and Spencer both turned simultaneously, to see Chris's hands moving, gripping the envelope a bit tighter. His head turned to the side, as his eyes opened further.
"Dad," Chris said, extremely groggy. "What happened?"
Ian couldn't help but smile through his tears, as he heard his son's voice. He placed a hand on Chris's head, gently rubbing it.
"It doesn't matter," Ian said. "You're okay now. You're okay."
"I thought I saw mom," Chris said.
Ian's eyes fell on the envelope he had placed in Chris's hands.
"She brought you back to me," Ian said, smiling. "I'm so sorry for everything, Chris, really. I got you into this and I'm sorry."
Chris nodded, as he took more deep breaths, trying to regain his bearings.
"Happy Birthday, Master Chris," Spencer said, proudly.
Jessica was beaming, as she told Garza all about how Chris had woken up and appeared to be doing much better. Garza gave her a hug.
"If you want to take back what happened earlier, I'll understand," Jessica said, coyly.
"I'm not taking anything back," Garza said, with a smile. "I don't regret kissing you. I'm tired of regrets."
"Good," Jessica said.
"I don't want to wake up one day and realize that I made the biggest mistake of my life," Garza said.
Jessica's face contorted.
"I'm not sure how to take that," she said.
"I would have made a fatal mistake if I let you walk out of my life," Garza clarified.
"I like the sound of that," she said, as she kissed him again. "I'm going to go check on Spencer."
Garza nodded as he watched her leave, unable to hide his smile. Someone tapped him on the shoulder and he turned around. Once he saw her, his smile faded.
"Hey," he said, surprised to see her.
"Hi there, stranger," she said, with a smile. "I caught the show earlier. She's beautiful."
"Uh, thanks," Garza said, nervously. "Look, Megan, I—"
"Don't worry about it," she said, graciously. "I know we're not really friends anymore with the divorce happening. I didn't expect to be informed of your new lady love."
"That's not it," Garza said. "No one really knows. I was trying to keep things quiet. Jessica works for Ian Hartford and he's not one of Jimmy's favorite people."
"Oh, I got it," Megan said, with a smile. "Well, you don't have to worry about me telling him. The only thing I want to talk to Jimmy Durst about is finalizing our divorce."
"Yeah, I was sorry to hear about that," Garza said.
"Well, I was sorry to hear about Sienna. The divorce is not your fault, that's for sure," Megan said. "Just be careful. Jimmy & I got so wrapped up in our jobs that we forgot how to be a couple. Take care of what you got or you just might see it slip through your fingers."
Garza took in everything she had to say.
"I hear you," Garza said.
"It's still so good to see you," Megan said. "How's your mom doing?"
Garza's face went cold, as he thought about his mother and the last time he had seen her. He gave Megan a somber glance.
"There's been no change," Garza said, sadly. "After eighteen years, I'm not sure there ever will be."
Inside of his hospital room, Chris Hartford opened the envelope his father had given to him. He unfolded the piece of paper inside and saw that it was a letter.
Dear Christian,
I asked your father to keep this letter until you were old enough to understand it. I'm not sure when that will be because I'm not sure if any child can understand the loss of a parent. You're so important to me, even now. I can see in you the curiosity and love of life that I've had since I was a little girl.
I really hope you carry it with you into adulthood, especially since I won't be there to guide you myself. I'm writing you this letter because of that very reason. I can't be there the way I want to be. I had so many plans for you since the day you were born and now I'll never be able to see if they'll come to light.
My father told me that it was the job of every parent to have high aspirations and dreams for their child, even if it was only to watch them completely shatter so your child could build their own life and follow their own dreams. He said if we hope for the best, it will make it that much sweeter, even if our children don't follow our plans.
When my doctor told me about the cancer I was crushed, more for you than for me. You've shown such a subtle strength of spirit and character, even as a boy, that I'm so afraid I'll destroy it by leaving you. I don't want to take anything away from you but I scared because I'm ripping away one of the biggest parts of your young life.
Of course, by the time you read this, you may be a fully grown man with a life of his own. You may be the man who has moved beyond his grief and found the strength to survive. You may be the man who decided to never let anything stand in the way of his dreams and his love of life. That's my hope. I know you'll have so many supportive voices in your life and they'll guide you the way I can't.
Just don't let your father take too much control. He means well, but I have a feeling this will be hard for him. I know you two will be there to keep each other going with your love. There's nothing that can tear that apart, so hold on tight to him. He's all the family you'll have left and it's so important that you remain connected. Nothing could hurt me more than if you two lost touch.
I'll always be watching over you. I promise.
With all my love,
Mom
Chris took a deep breath as he finished reading the letter. As he closed his eyes, he could see his mother's face. She had guided him. He knew it now. After his experience, Chris had finally found his home. He knew that there was still so much left for him to do in this world and there was someone still in the darkness that he was determined to bring into the light.
THE END
MUSIC GUIDE - Episode #19
"Apologize" - OneRepublic (cd: Dreaming Out Loud)
Next time on
Quest for the Lunati Treasure
The Ja'Vey are back with a vengeance and
looking for their final showdown with Garza.
After his romance with Jessica becomes
public knowledge, Garza finds his job and
Jessica's life are both on the line as the
Ja'Vey seek to destroy him, once and for all.