sorry the story is taking so long, but we've had three power-outs, during which my manuscript was wiped out. Every time! Working on number four now.

Hmm, I am very intrigued by this. I wonder what is going on.
As to the diary, it depends on what you want to do. Since the story is mainly about Kay you might want to stick with just her diary writing.

i have some pictures and such. i wanted to know... would you prefer the chapter spread out over a while, but with regular intervals? or would you rather two or three chapters in two or three days, and then a while with nothing new?

Whatever floats your boat.

Chapter 3 - Missed Chance
Part One


BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Beth dragged herself out of bed, pulled on some jogging clothes, and made her way to the bathroom, still half asleep. She brushed her teeth, and as she stared aimlessly into the mirror, she noticed a note on the mirror –

Kay. 10:00. Reddington Hospital.

“Holy sh*t!” yelled Beth, spitting the water and toothpaste into the sink. “Kay!”

And then she was running, shaking Jaye up, slamming on his clothes. Cursing herself for not arranging for one of the other preschool moms to pick Jaye up. Stuffing last night’s cold spaghetti down her throat while Jaye, maddeningly slowly, ate his oatmeal. Getting him in the car seat, driving to school, not even kissing him goodbye.


After a maddingly long intersection, Beth finally was at the front desk, asking (well, screaming was more like it) what room Kay was in.
“Rec-room 319, third floor." calmly answered the receptionist. "But you’re going to have to wait. She’s in testing. Why don’t you just sit over there?” she suggested, motioning with a graceful hand to the small waiting area. Sighing, Beth sat down. She watched the clock on the wall tick, tick, and tick for what felt like hours until a bell jingled and the most gorgeous man Beth had ever seen stepped through the door.


He was dazzlingly beautiful. She watched with great interest as he walked up to the receptionist, murmured something unintelligible, and then walked over to the waiting area and sat down.


“Er… hello.” The usually articulate Beth found herself at a loss for words in front of this handsome new arrival.
“Hello.” A strange accent, almost British, but with a hint of Australian came from the stranger’s lips. And oh, what lips they were! She would love to get him on a date…
“Nothing too serious I hope.”
Worried, Beth looked around. Had she spoken out loud? Then, realizing that he was referring to her reason for being in the hospital, she responded.
“No, just visiting a friend.”
“Oh, a social call then?” God, he was gorgeous. And funny too!
“No… Actually, I’m a bit worried. She’s in a rec-room now, but I’m not too sure she should be. I think she needs more attention than that."
“A rec-room. Floor three, then?”
Beth was surprised that he knew his way around so well. Maybe he had a sibling here. Maybe she would see him again before Kay got well!

“How coincidental. I, too, am going to see someone on the third floor. Perhaps I could walk you there?”
Beth could have fainted with delight.
“Oh… sure!” she was squeaking like a little girl on Christmas morning. “That would be great!”
Laughing, the handsome stranger stood up and offered his hand to Beth.
“Come,” he said, smiling. “Our elevator awaits!”
Side by side, they walked down the hallway to the elevator. It looked like it was barred shut, but at the touch of a button the doors slid smoothly open to reveal a room quite unlike what you’d expect an elevator to be.

Instead of the small, metallic, cramped space Beth was used to, a moderately large room lined with wooden floors and mahogany walls greeted her. Three chairs were lined along one side, most probably for making the ride more comfortable.
“I got the nice elevator.” He interrupted her thoughts. Then, he turned towards her. “And the slow one.”

And then he was kissing her, and it felt so amazing… after only a second though, she pulled away.
“Not that I didn’t enjoy that… a lot.” she began. “But I don’t even know your name!”
“Oh. Yes. Sorry about that. I know this is corny, but I just can’t really hold myself back. You’re just… so beautiful…”

He gently put his hand in Beth’s. She felt as though her body was aching to fly, and the only thing holding her to the earth were his fingers, touching her so tenderly.
“And you don’t even know me.” With that sudden realization, he pulled his hands away.

“Er… Jacob.” he said.
“What?”
“That’s… that’s my name. Jacob Russel.”
“Jacob…”
“Yes?”
“No, I was just testing how your name felt on my tongue.”
“And how does it feel?”
“Snug and warm, Jacob…”

“And yours?”
“My what? Oh, my name. Beth Guthern. Jacob… Jacob…”
“Testing my name again? How it feels on your tongue?”
“No. Wondering how you would feel there.”
The next few minutes were devoted to figuring out the answer to that question. Eventually, they pulled apart, smiling.

Jacob was the first to talk. “Beth…”
“Yes, Jacob?”
“Beth… I need you…”
At that, he started kissing her recklessly, like it was the end of the world, and these were their last moments together.
“Beth… please, Beth…”
“What?”
“Do… is your house nearby?”
Beth wondered why they hadn’t arrived at the third floor yet, and then noticed that the Up button had never been pressed. She knew she should press the button, but all she could think about was getting Jacob home before he changed his mind.
“How does the back of a taxi for 20 minutes sound?”
“But… we can’t…”
“My house is twenty minutes away, Jacob. Twenty minutes. All I ask is twenty minutes, and then we will…”

“Fine. But it starts now,’ Jacob insisted, scooping her up and carrying her through the door.

Chapter 3 - Missed Chance
Part Two


Everything was blurry. So blurry. “Where am I?” she thought. Slowly, things began to register. White walls, white floors, a scratchy pink dress. “A hospital?” She thought. “Why am I in a hospital?” Then she remembered. She remembered the book, the story, the memory, so sudden and in such force. There was a blank space then, and she couldn’t remember anything except walls of pain, closing in on her, choking her…


A door opened, and a young man came in, dressed all in white. A doctor, Kay guessed. She tried to sit up, but she couldn’t do much more than slowly stretch her fingers. She tried to croak a hello, but all she could manage was a whisper of a mumble. The doctor, however, didn’t need her to acknowledge him. After glancing at a screen, he asked aloud, “Awake, are we? Open your fingers for yes, close them for no. I would assume you can’t move anything else, correct?”

Open.

“Have you been awake for more than a few minutes?”

Closed.

“Do you know where you are?”

A pause, then: Closed

“You are at Abington Hospital. Do you know where that is?”

Open.

“Do you know why you are here?”

Closed.

“Well, we will address that later. Do you think you can rest some more now?”

Kay almost kept her hand closed, but then she realized how tired that small effort had made her, and opened her hand again.

“Good girl. The more you rest, the quicker you will heal. I will be back in two hours to check up on you again.”

Dimming the lights, he stepped out, and Kay beckoned to the waiting darkness.

Great job! Loving the Jacob and Beth inter-action. Poor Kay! Can't wait for you to update.

Hmmm, interesting. I am interested still to find out why Kay passed out. And what the memory is.

Same here great update

Interesting....Great update.

WARNING: PG-13 (probably) CONTENT AND CENSORED CURSING AHEAD



I know I don't really need to do that, but I guess I should. Okay, without much more ado, CHAPTER 4 (part 1)!








While Kay was waking up, disoriented and alone, Beth was making out with a stranger she’d met in the lobby of the hospital.
“Jacob… Jacob…” she whispered his name fervently, like she was reciting a prayer.
“Beth… Beth…” he whispered her name urgently, like he couldn’t get enough of it.

They climbed out of the taxi and it drove away, eager to escape the kissing couple. Pulling away from Jacob, Beth ran up the driveway and into the house, laughing. Jacob lit up and tore after her, running into the house. He had to look in half the rooms before finally finding her in the master bedroom, already in her underwear.


“You look so beautiful.” He told her, scooping her up for the second time that day. “Now, it’s time-“
He was interrupted by the phone ringing, too loudly not to be noticed.
“Leave it,” she told him. “They’ll call back.”


“He nodded, agreeing, and began kissing her. The third time the phone rang, however, she gave up and slid out from under him.
“I’ll just be a second.” She told Jacob. Then, picking up the phone:


“Hello?”
“Is this the Gurthern residence?”
“Yes.”
“Is this Beth Gurthern speaking?”
“Yes.”
“Are you the Beth Gurthern who checked a Ms. Kay Noel into Abington Memorial Hospital?”


“Yes. Yes! Why? Is she okay? What happened to her?”
“Calm down, Ms. Gurthern. Ms. Noel is fine, physically. In fact, she just woke up from the medicine we gave her. She’s sleeping naturally now.”
“Who is this?”
“Dr. Watson. The doctor you spoke to when you were here last night?”


“Yes. I remember you. And Kay. Is she fine?”
“Ms. Noel is sleeping peacefully now.”
“So why did you call me?”
“Well, while she was asleep under sedatives, she was very active, mentally.”
“What do you mean, ‘mentally active’?”


“She repeatedly called out in her sleep the same few phrases. We were wondering if you might be able to tell us more. Why she might be saying what she was saying, for example.”
“What did she say?”
“She first called out only the name ‘Ana Po’. She then began crying, and saying ‘my poor little girl’. The two phrases, ‘Ana Po’ and ‘my poor little girl’ were repeated often, occasionally interspersed with ‘Ari’ and ‘Ariana’. The fit lasted only about fifteen minutes, around five in the morning. Other than that, she was completely calm, almost unmoving, the entire time. Do you have any idea what those phrases might mean?”


“No, I can’t imagine. Unless… ‘Ana Po’ might have been the book she was reading, when... you know. I remember picking it up. I should have it in my kitchen. Would you like me to go check?”
Beth was reluctant to leave Jacob, but she knew she had a duty to Kay. She walked into the kitchen, spotted her bag, and pulled a book out.
“Got it. Yes, the name of the book is ‘Ana Po’. She must just have been thinking about her most recent memories, you know?”


“Yes. The subconsciouses of patients unable to talk are often the most active. Thank-”
Beth interrupted him. “Unable to talk?! Is she really that bad?”
“It’s probably not permanent, by any-“
“PROBABLY NOT PERMANENT?!?!?!?!?!? What kind of f*cking doctor ARE YOU?”


Jacob wandered in, confused by all the yelling.
“What’s going on?” he asked Beth.
Slamming the phone down, she turned to him. “THE F*CKING DOCTORS AT THE HOSPITAL ARE F*CKING IDIOTS! That’s what’s going on!”


He reached forward to comfort her, and she gladly took the hug, sobbing into his shoulder. She’d known him for what – an hour? And already, it felt like she’d known him all her life.


“Wha – what am I going to do?” she asked him, still sniffling. “She needs me, bu – but I need y – you!”
“Shh, baby,” he crooned. “It’s all going to be fine. We’ll put our clothes on, and we’ll go down to the hospital, and we’ll go see your friend, and everything will be okay. There’s no need to rush things. I’m here today, and I’ll be here tomorrow, and I’ll be here as long as you still want me.”

Beth looked up into his eyes, and suddenly realized how fond she had become of him, even in such a short period of time. “I love you,” she whispered, and as soon as she said the words, she knew they were true. She leaned into him and kissed him, and in the milliseconds before their lips met, he whispered back. “I love you too.”

More hints as to what's going on. Interesting.

very very interesting not really sure what to expect. Great update.

Kay leaned into her pillow, wishing someone would come in to check on her. She’d been awake for hours, it felt like, and yet she knew she’d had a good, deep sleep too. There was nothing she could do to pass the time except for to stretch her fingers. Her goal was to turn over onto her back, but even thinking of doing that was a heroic effort. As of now, all she could do was slowly open and close her hand.


Pushing with all her strength, she managed to lift her forearm off the bed by about half an inch and hold it there for a few seconds before it crashed back. She set a new goal – survive the next 24 hours. She was just contemplating how to do this when the door opened.


“The doctor!” she thought. “Finally!”
“Hello, Ms. Noel,” he said, “I’m going to monitor your signals, while-” He had noticed Kay’s forearm hovering above the blankets.

“Good job, Ms. Noel. But you should really use your strength for a different cause. I know how annoying lying in one position can be, – I’m assuming that’s why you’re stretching – but I need you to concentrate on breathing into this tube. Now, would you like the information?”

An open hand.


“That’s my girl. Keep breathing. Now, I can see that you slept for a good hour and a half. That’s great. Everything here is great, especially your nutrition balance levels. You must lead a very healthy lifestyle to have such perfect amounts of vitamins in your body.”

The hand closed and opened again. Another yes.

“Good for you. The only problem is that the balances are starting to go down. I assume you don’t feel hungry?”

The hand closed and opened.

“You won’t be hungry until about 9:00 tonight. When we give you the sedatives we did right after you arrived, you won’t be hungry for about twenty hours. That’s good, because we don’t want to give you an IV unless we have to.”

The door opened again, and Kay wondered who it could be. The doctor was the only one who had been here when she was awake, with the exception of a young nurse. Maybe that was she now?
Indeed it was. Although Kay could not see her – the doctor’s head blocked the view – she recognized the lilting voice.


“Matt? I’ve got two visitors for Ms. Noel here. Is she well enough to see them?”

Kay was pleased to hear that she was.

“Why, sure. She could use some company. Bitter lonely I should think, with only me around.” He laughed. “Come on in. Now, please be quiet. And remember, she can’t talk right now. In fact, all she can do is open and close her hand, so use that as yes and no. Two-choice answers only, please. Don’t stress her. We’ll leave you alone now.”


He and the nurse left, and Kay could finally see my visitors in. All she saw or heard of the man was his gasp, and then she heard him move to her other side.
“I guess I look pretty bad,” thought Kay. “I’ll ask for a mirror once I can finally talk again.”

Then Kay saw who her second guest was. Beth! Noticing the happy glint in Kay’s eyes, Beth ran over.


“Kay! How are you?”

Kay winced.

“Too loud?”

Kay smiled a bit, and then opened her hand.

“A yes, then?” she laughed, and then got quieter. “How are you? Oh, I mean, are you fine?”

Yes.


“Really? Did they pump you full of medicine to make you fine?”

Yes.

“Stupid doctors.”

Kay tried to laugh, but it hurt too much.

“Sorry. Hurt to laugh?”

Yes.

“Sorry. Is there anything I can get you? Food?”

No.

“What about some water?”

No.


“I guess the medicine takes care of that.” She fell silent for a moment. “Are you sure there isn’t anything else I can do? Are you cold?”

No.

“Hot?”

Yes.

“Oh, good. I mean… well you know what I mean. Would a wet washcloth feel good?”

Yes.

“I’ll take that as a yes and as a thank-you, too. Jacob, could you grab Kay a wet paper towel or something?”

Oh, so that was what his name was.

“Sure.”

Wait a second. Kay knew that voice. She knew it. But from where… She reached back, far back into her memory. Where was it? Suddenly, she found it.

And she knew who was standing next to her.

Great update! Ooooh....I hope Jacob isn't a bad guy!

me too, rawr. me too.

i wonder where she knows him from....Great update.

Oh shiz! It's Henry!

Oh wow, mystery!

there's a problem with my computer. (waah!) now we have a choice. do you want the next chapter without pictures, and they can come later? or do you want me to PM you when the next chapter is up? If you want me to PM you, you have to post saying so, or I won't know.

I would say just wait until you can fix your computer. No rush
I always come in and check the stories I read anyway, so need to PM me

thanks, Danirawr. (such a unique user name! :D)

Same here

Wait till the computer is fixed rather then rush :D

This is mostly to get the story back on the first page of the story forum, but it also has another purpose - to tell you guys that my computer is fixed, I have all my CC back, and I've written up to chapter seven! I'll do my best to get in the next chapter ASAICTTP, as soon as I can take the pictures. Yay! :elephant::elephant:

Yay for you, Kyle! Sorry about the links, I will try to fix them later.




"Henry!"

That was the very first thought in Kay’s mind. She would have liked to yell it, so scream it loud and clear. She would have liked to jump out of bed and shriek at him and run out of the room. But she couldn’t do anything.

And now all her secrets bubbled up out of her, from a dark place inside. They flowed like rushing water into her mouth, and she voiced them like that would cancel all her sins. But all that was inside, unarticulated, for all she could manage was, “Aarrrm.”

At that, she could see Beth get worried.


"Kay? Kay! Are you alright? Kay, speak to me! Kay!”

Not matter how wide open her friend’s hand was, Beth kept screaming and screaming until the doctor came in, and calmed her down.

"Ms. Gurthern! Are you alright?”

“Yes, yes of course. It’s Kay!”

“What about her? She seems fine to me…”

“She… she was choking! She made a horrible sound!”

He looked over at me.

“No, she’s fine. Look, she can’t be choking. The sheets are too loose for that, and she’s not wearing any jewelry. What made you think she was choking?”

“She spoke, but it wasn’t talking. It was horrible, like gargling, like she was drowning or something.”

"Drowning?" It was Henry now, and Kay was surprised at the softness in his voice when he turned to Beth. “Beth, why don’t we leave Kay alone now? I’m sure all this noise can’t be good for her head.” Seeing what he was getting at, the doctor added,

“Yes. In fact, I’m afraid it’s time for another nap now.” He tilted his head apologetically. “You can come visit tomorrow, right Kay?”
He winked at her, and she opened her hand quickly. Then, sagging her eyelids to make it look as if she were exhausted, she dropped her hand and head. Still not quite smiling, but at least reassured, Beth left the room with Henry.

“Come on, Jacob.”

Then Kay realized that Beth wasn’t calling him Henry.

Hospital Journal 1
I’ve decided to continue my journal while I am in the hospital. Because I cannot write for more than a minute or so, I am vocally dictating it into a recorder. When I get home, I will write it all down.
Oh, I suppose you know this, but I can talk. I can only whisper, but the doctor said that the recording won’t distinguish between whispering and yelling – they all come out sounding the same. That’s good, because I cannot talk in a regular voice for more than a couple of seconds, but I can whisper for up to five minutes.
Now, here’s a very important matter. I saw, or rather, heard Henry today. Yes, the Henry. The Henry of seven years past. The real problem is that Beth keeps calling him Jacob. Maybe he told her a fake name? I don’t know. All I do know is that I must address this as soon as I can. I might even need to tell Beth the whole story. But I must put it to one side for now. After all, what can I do when I can hardly talk? The doctor will take care of me until I can, but once I regain full vocal power... Henry had better watch out! Alrighty now, here’s an account of what happened.

After Beth and Henry left, the doctor turned to me and winked.

"Unfortunately, it's not actually time for a nap. A little white lie, eh?" Actually, I want to do some exercises.” He said. “Stretch your arms out for me, okay?”

After an hour of stretches, my body feels like hell. But I can walk as long as a lean against a wall! Not for very long, but I could walk to the bathroom by myself by the end of the session. Thank goodness for that! Going with a nurse the last time had been quite embarrassing. Now I am resting, and dictating. I am tired now, so I will say good night for now.