**Author's note: I'm sorry it's been so long since I've posted a new chapter on this. Unfortunately, reality got in the way. I hope you enjoy this next chapter. I will try to get more out to complete the story as soon as I can. Thank you for your patience. :) **
Opening her eyes, Rachel took a moment to focus on her surroundings. She was back in the city of voices. She dreaded searching for Toby once again. She was hoping he was still at the park. It felt like she spent hours searching for him earlier.
Toby sat on the park bench listening to his surroundings. The voices seemed just as loud as they had earlier in his day. Focusing on several voices he worked at making them silent with meditation. The last one he focused on was a teenage boy. He had listened to him talk about the lady that came to talk with him. He was very descriptive and was glad to have the boy's voice silent. Removing one voice at a time hardly felt like it was making any difference. It felt like hours since Rachel had disappeared with Oz. He recalled her telling him that if she left that she would return, he was becoming doubtful of this.
It didn't take long for Rachel to find the park. Quickening her pace, she noticed Toby was still sitting on the bench.
"Toby," she said gently approaching from behind him, "I'm sorry I was gone for so long. I'm sure it felt like hours."
"What took you so long?" he questioned turning to face her. "I was beginning to wonder if you were coming back."
Walking around the bench, she sat next to him. "It really wasn't that long. I think it took me longer to get back to the park than when I was back with your friend."
"I feel like I'm going crazy," Toby said standing up. "It's taking too long to get rid of these voices." Shoving his hands in his jacket pockets, he began to pace. "And who are you anyway?" he abruptly asked. "How do I know you?"
"You don't Toby," she confessed glancing up at him. "I'm Rachel," she spoke in a soft voice.
"Why are you here?" he asked returning to the place next to her on the bench.
"You asked me to find you." Drawing in a deep breath she began to recall the last 24 hours to him. "Yesterday I heard you. You were yelling, you broke through. That hardly ever happens."
"What do you mean I was yelling?"
"That's what it sounded like. You kept repeating the same things, your name, that you were a paramedic, uh, where you were and a couple of names. Do you remember that?" Toby shook his head, unable to recall what she was telling him. "Anyway, you kept repeating yourself, over and over again. I'd say it was at least half an hour of this. You said that you knew someone could hear you. But you know," she paused. "You just stopped after a while. I couldn't hear anything from you." She looked at the pond, the water was as still as glass.
"How did you find me then?" he questioned.
"I listened. I walked around the hospital, listening to people. Eventually I found Dr. Fawcett and your friend Oz. They were talking about you. You have some great friends, you know that?"
"Yea, I'm pretty lucky."
"They don't trust me, except Oz. He does, I don't know why."
"He's a good guy with good instincts." Toby noticed sadness in her eyes. "Why would you help me? You don't know me."
"I couldn't, not help you. Not hearing the desperation in your voice," she paused. "I'm sure you've helped someone for no apparent reason other than to help, haven't you?"
"Yea," Toby nodded. He knew exactly what she meant. There had been many times where he would help a total stranger, just because he could. "So now we need to figure out how to get me back to normal." Toby stood and turned to her. "You know, all these people I can hear, but there was one that I saw that wasn't saying anything."
Toby headed toward the crowded street. There seemed to be even more people than before. The park seemed to be the only place of solitude. Looking back, he saw Rachel following him.
"Where are you going?" she asked catching up with him.
"I need to check something out," he said continuing on his way. "None of this makes any sense. There has to be a reason for all of this." Toby walked through the crowd, increasing his pace as he avoided contact with the people.
Rachel tried to keep pace with him as he rushed through the strangers. People surrounded them, making her feel a little claustrophobic. She started to lose sight of Toby in the crowd as people wedged their way between the pair.
"Toby! Wait!"
Toby could barely hear her. Turning around he could no longer see her. The crowd had become thick with loud booming voices. Some were yelling, some whispering. None were able to help him figure out any of the mystery he was stuck in.
Rachel could no longer see what direction Toby was headed in. Panicking, she started to push her way through the crowd. To her surprise, people began to disappear. She stopped abruptly. Was this all it took, she wondered. She pushed at a lady in a blue robe; she slowly dissipated, as if she were a cloud.
"Toby! I figured it out!" She yelled in excitement. "Toby?" she continued forward, working her way through the crowd as they disappeared. She had completely lost sight of him when she began to hear a voice she recognized.