Megan found herself stepping out of the elevator and back into her work routine. More autopsies, more discussions with Peter about legal investigations, more calls back and forth with detectives about the most recent developments in the various cases she was assigned to. It all seemed to go by in a blur.

Kate appeared in the doorway of her office with a concerned look on her face.

"Listen, Megan, I know that this is hard for you… are you sure you don't want someone else to… take care of her?"

Is she talking about Jenny Thompson?

"No, it's fine, really. I can handle it."

Kate sighed, walked over to Megan and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Megan, I think you really should just go home, or go be with your mother, or someone. You shouldn't have to handle this alone."

Handle what? This is my job; what is she talking about? There's something she's not telling me.

"Is there something I'm missing? Sure, maybe doing an autopsy on a 15-year-old girl is hard. But someone has to do it. All I'm concerned about is making sure she's put to rest properly." Kate stepped back from Megan and looked at her firmly.

"Megan, it's obvious to me that you just aren't yourself. I completely understand. I wish that you never had to go through this. I had hoped that we could have brought her to a different ME's office, but no others were available, so she had to come here."

With an impatient sigh, Megan brushed past Kate and headed to the morgue at a brisk pace.

"Just please let me do my work, I'll worry about my feelings later," she called back.

"Megan, wait…"

Why is she trying to stop me from doing my job? I thought we were over this.

After putting on a pair of gloves, Megan carefully lifted up the white sheet from the teen's body.

I'll prove to Kate that I can handle this case as efficiently as all the others. I don't know why she doesn't have any confidence in me… the case is almost closed, anyway.

However, she was stabbed through with horror when she saw the girl's face.

It wasn't Jenny Thompson's body on her table. It was Lacey's.

She let go of the sheet and staggered backwards, staring in shock at Lacey's body.

There was no laceration across her throat. But her eyes…. Her eyes were wide and rolled back in her head, just as Megan remembered from her dream the night before.

That was just a dream. This can't be real, no, this isn't, it can't be…

A split second after the enormity of that discovery hit her, Megan felt her whole body jerk, and she found herself back in her bedroom in the dark. Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest, and she was breathing hard. She found that she was crying. It took her a few seconds to recall what had just happened in her dream. She winced as she remembered the startling scene.

Oh yes. Lacey. It was another nightmare. Just a dream.

Megan turned her light on and sat up in her bed as she tried to get ahold of herself. She brushed the tears from her face and took a few deep breaths.

Why is this theme chasing me in my sleep? I wish I could just shake it off…

Megan suddenly remembered that she was alone that night. Lacey was staying at a friend's house… just like Jenny Thompson had been when she…

Nothing's going to happen; this is just a bunch of stupid dreams. Relax, Megan...

She felt like a child, trying to figure out what was real and what make-believe.

Jenny Thompson is real. Lacey is real. My mind is just trying to paste those two things together. But it's just a dream. It's fiction, it doesn't have anything to do with reality…

Megan got up from her bed and walked over to Lacey's room. She flipped the light on and sat down on her bed. She glanced down at Lacey's bedside table and saw the beginnings of a portrait.

That looks like me, thought Megan. She's good with art.

Suddenly Megan felt completely drained.

Too many late nights… and too many nightmares. I wish I didn't have to sleep at all.

Megan yawned and stretched out on Lacey's bed.

Maybe I'm trying to empathize with Mrs. Thompson too much and that's why I keep having these dreams. Maybe I need to take a vacation from work for a while…

Megan's speculative thoughts didn't last very long. Soon after she rested her head on Lacey's pillow, she fell into a deep, peaceful slumber.

[Thank you all for your reviews! I appreciate each one of them. If you have ideas for future stories, I would appreciate those also.]