Chapter Four: "Get Me Back"
Saturday, December 14, 2013, 3:13 am
"It's called a television," Abbie said as she watched Crane looking wide-eyed at the screen.
He shook his head slightly as his mind tried to grasp the concept. "Yes, I had one of these things at that motel."
"Right," Abbie answered.
Then Crane added, "But as you hit that thing…"
"The remote control," Abbie interjected.
"Ah, yes, the remote control," Crane responded, drawing out the word remote control, "It gives you different moving pictures on it. Some are color and some are black and white."
"The older ones were not filmed in color," Abbie responded, hoping he would not ask why because she really didn't want to have to go into the history of film production—not that she was really well versed in that subject.
"Oh, I see," Crane said, still trying to grasp this complicated subject.
Abbie could tell that he was trying to understand but, as usual, left him alone with his thoughts. He was an intelligent man, but everything about their culture had to be incredibly confusing to him. But he often said very little, not wanting to draw attention to himself and his lack of knowledge. "Oh, It's a Wonderful Life!" Abbie exclaimed.
"Why yes, Miss Mills, if anything my experience has taught me, then it is definitely that life is wonderful."
"No, I mean the movie."
"Oh," Crane answered.
"I love this movie. It's almost over, but let's watch the ending. It's so moving."
Crane eased himself into a seated position on the bed Abbie had instructed him was his. She chose for him the one closer to the wall away from the window in case Morales tracked them to the motel. He was at least safer there with Abbie and her sidearm blocking him from the entrance.
They watched in silence for a while, Crane leaning his back against the headboard of his bed and Abbie sitting between the two beds with her feet propped up on her bed. She felt a twinge of emotion as George Bailey ran from the bar with his busted lip. Coming unto the bridge, George pleaded, "Clarence! Clarence! Help me Clarence! Get me back! Get me back! I don't care what happens to me. Get me back to my wife and kids. Help me Clarence. Please. Please. I want to live again. I want to live again."
Abbie felt emotional and turned to look at Crane. He had a perplexed expression on his face. She then asked, "Did you and Katrina have children?"
Crane's eyes darted quickly over to her. He hesitated before answering, "No, Miss Mills, we did not." He then looked down at his hands resting on his lap.
Abbie couldn't tell from his tone of voice how he felt answering such a personal question. So, she kept prying, "You want to go back to her, don't know?"
"I try not to agonize over that which I know is not possible," Crane tentatively responded, realizing that he might be prodded into disclosing more than he was comfortable with.
Abbie continued staring at him, trying to determine whether or not she should call him out. She decided not to this time.
They then both turned their attention back to the movie to watch the final scene. Abbie's watch beeped to remind her that it was time for her to administer the potion the Nurse had given her.
Crane wasn't aware of that plan. His memory of the incident had not been restored.
"I need you to drink this," she directed as she handed him the small Styrofoam cup.
"And what pray tell is this?" Crane asked.
"It's supposed to heal you."
Crane gave her a confused look.
"The nurse…guardian…whoever the hell she was…gave it to me for you…. One quarter cup every hour for the next 12 hours. She says it will wreak havoc on your system, but after the last dose, you should be all better."
Crane was wide eyed and seemed to be weighing the situation. He then leaned back and swallowed the liquid in one gulp. "Oh dear God!" he exclaimed. "This is horrendous!"
"Just 11 more to go," Abbie retorted.
Crane turned abruptly and gave her a sour expression. "Let's see what else is on this television while we wait out the spell."
Abbie got the remote and started going up and down the dial. She would pause momentarily to check Crane's reaction to certain shows before moving on to the next. Toward the top of the channel selection as she turned toward Crane, she could tell that the healing potion was beginning to take its toll on him. His head was completely back as he grasped the edge of the bed. "You okay there Crane?"
Saying nothing, Crane raised up his index finger as if to tell her to give him a moment.
"Do you need something? Can I get you water…or maybe you want to lie down?"
"Yeah…maybe I need to lie back," he answered.
Abbie got up and realized that he was sweating and his skin coloring had become pale. She reached up to touch his forehead to determine if he might have a fever. He felt warm to the touch so she went to the bathroom for a washcloth. When she returned, she saw that Crane was asleep with his hands gripping his head. "Crane?" she asked quietly.
No response. She then laid the washcloth on the night stand.
"It's a Wonderful Life" began over again, so she decided to start from the beginning as she took her seat beside Crane on the chair between the two beds. She felt secure with her gun in her lap, but she knew how difficult it would be to actually have to shoot Luke. Crane continued making grumbling noises, alternating his arms from his head to his stomach. His breathing was louder and more intense. The next thing Abbie became aware of as she half-watched the movie was her watch beeping to remind her that the next hour was ready for her to administer the potion. "Crane?" she said a little louder than before. She took the washcloth that had become cold and dabbed at his face and forehead.
Crane opened his eyes and turned up the corners of his mouth slightly at her.
"It's time for your next dose," Abbie said.
Crane drew in a deep breath and began inching upwards on the bed. "Zu Zu's petals?" he questioned.
Abbie was confused for a moment until she realized that he must have been able to hear what was happening in the movie. "Yeah, Zu Zu's petals. Cute, eh?"
Crane smiled again at her then took the cup from her and as before, swallowed the potion in one gulp. He shuddered with the taste and scowled up at Abbie. He wanted to ask if this was absolutely necessary, but he knew that she wouldn't be doing that to him if she didn't believe it was. "You've taken quite a leap of faith, Miss Mills," he declared.
Abbie stared at him.
Smiling broadly up at her, he then added, "Of course at my expense."
"Couldn't have happened to a better person," Abbie joked. She hoped the light hearted bantering would help keep his mind off of what was happening to him. She could tell the potion was too strong for his system, causing him to feel sick. "It will be worth it in the end, you know?"
"I surely hope so," Crane responded.
Abbie watched as cold chills enveloped his body. Nausea must have also taken over as he gripped his stomach with his arms. She continued watching "It's a Wonderful Life" as she could tell the sun was on its way into the morning sky. Some of its rays escaped through the thick aluminum blinds in their room. She was getting tired of the movie and turned to look at Crane. It was curious to her how quickly they had formed their bond and how much she had come to care about him. He was quite odd…but she was also very fascinated by him. After all, no one else before him would have followed her into her dream to help her battle an evil sandman. So she figured they were stuck with one another, and for the first time in her life, she felt as though she actually had someone she could fully trust.
Crane opened his eyes and saw her looking at him. "A sight for sore eyes," he mused.
"Yes," Abbie confirmed. "And believe it or not, but it's almost that time again."
Crane began sitting up in anticipation of taking the Styrofoam cup from her to swallow down the bitter potion that was supposed to heal him by the 12th hour. He was a believer, so it was not a stretch for him to trust that a guardian had come to take care of him. And he was happy that Abbie had come to that place in her mind.
Minutes after swallowing the potion, the room started to spin at an incredible rate of speed. "Miss Mills," Crane faintly said, "I can't get my bearings. This damn room won't stop swirling. It is making me feel quite ill in my stomach."
"Hang in there, okay?
"Another vernacular?" he asked.
"Ah, yes. Just try to endure through it. Maybe close your eyes. Try to sleep through it."
Crane wanted to mock the impossible suggestion that sleep would come, but then as he started to speak, he felt sleep over coming his mind. The next thing he became aware of was Abbie making circular motions on his shoulder.
"Hey, it's that time again," Abbie said.
Without any hesitation, Crane sat up, took the potion in one gulp, then lay back down in the bed. They continued that regimen to the last dose.
"This is the last one, thank God," Abbie declared as she waited for Crane to sit up.
"Well, I was getting rather used to the gut wrenching concoction. Perhaps we can seek out our guardian for some more in case we ever desire a night cap."
Even though his words were often laced with sarcasm, Abbie could tell that he was way past his tolerance and patience for this situation. However, she could also tell that with each dose, he was able to sit up quicker and with fewer and fewer groans of pain. The bruising had faded significantly, now only a slight reminder of the whole incident.
"You know we're vulnerable…or as you would say, we're sitting ducks…staying here all this time?" Crane asked.
"Yeah, been thinking about that, too. I just don't know what else to do. We have four or more hours left until the spell is broken…assuming the point of infection was nine last night." She didn't hear a response from Crane, so she turned to look at him.
He appeared to be deep in thought.
"Let's get through this next dose then we can talk some more. She handed Crane the cup and sat back down on the chair beside him.
"Why is it that every time I awake, I see Mr. Bailey?"
"It's called a marathon. TV stations re-run shows over and over, especially at Christmas."
"Interesting," Crane responded. He then tipped back the cup and took the last of the potion.
Abbie took the cup from him and discarded it in the garbage can. She could hear Crane taking a deep breath in as if he were preparing for a great battle. Looking back at Crane propped up against the headboard, shirtless and shoeless, she had never seen him looking so vulnerable. She wanted to say something to him, but as she searched her mind, nothing immediately came to her.
Crane saw her staring at him, "I know…I am in that home stretch of yours…whatever that really means."
"Yep…you're definitely in the home stretch," Abbie answered, even though she felt that the next four hours were really going to be more of a challenge. Sooner or later, Morales would figure out where they were hiding. There weren't that many motels in Sleepy Hollow.
"Oh God, Lieutenant, my gut feels as though it is on fire and my head will explode."
Abbie went to the sink and freshened up the washcloth. She came back to Crane, who was again gripping the sides of the bed. She patted his face and neck with the cool cloth. His skin was hot to the touch. Sweat continued rolling from his head and chest. "Is this helping at all?" she asked, hoping that what she was doing was not making him feel worse.
Crane opened his eyes halfway and nodded.
Abbie continued applying the cool cloth until she could hear his rhythmic breathing.
"God, I hope this is over soon," he whispered aloud as he continued looking up at the ceiling.
"It will be," she affirmed. She then went and freshened up the cloth and put it back on his forehead.
Crane continued staring at the ceiling, watching the shadows of George Bailey and Bedford Falls dance on the ceiling tiles above. He trusted Miss Abigail Mills and believed her when she said that all this would be over soon. His mind became tranquil, and he dropped off to sleep.
Abbie exhaled a pent up breath as she saw him relaxing and giving in to sleep. She could hear Zu Zu telling her daddy that the bell ringing meant an angel was getting his wings. "Okay," she said aloud to herself, "I think I have finally had enough of you." She then took the remote and turned off the television, laughing to herself when she recalled Crane trying to wrap his head around how a remote control could change channels. Even though it was late in the day, the room was dark with the drawn blinds. She decided to give herself a little natural light, so she cracked them a little to allow the sun to peer through. As she made her way back to her chair, she stared at Crane's sleeping form, wondering what her life would be like if their fates hadn't been intertwined. "Certainly not half as entertaining," she mused, even though entertaining was quite a stretch for how her life had been altered. But as she watched him sleep, she realized that at that moment, she could not imagine her life without him in it. She smiled down at him then sat back down on her chair, pulling her gun back onto her lap.
TBC
