Visions
in the Night
by Audrey Brackett (WolfLynneKK@aol.com)
It was just another day in the emergency department. That was all it should have been. That was exactly what it wasn't. Kate Michaels sighed heavily. The day had been busy, but not overwhelming.
Mike Morton came by, interrupting her musings.
“Got a patient coming in, Kate…” Mike told her. “MVA. Doesn’t look good.”
Kate bit her lip. Trauma victims were always so difficult, mainly in that they often didn’t survive. The human body could only take so much before it called it quits. “Got the stats?”
“Yeah…male, about 53…BP’s 90/40, pulse 110, resps about 6 and shallow.”
“Damn, he’s shocky,” Kate muttered, knowing she was stating the obvious. “What’s their ETA?”
“You got 5 minutes,” Mike advised. “Trauma 2’s ready, we’re putting him in there…you want to assist?”
“Why not?” Kate muttered. Truth be told, she didn’t…she didn’t like the sound of it; she didn’t like the sudden, sick feeling that this patient wasn’t going to survive. She was a nurse, an ER nurse! She wasn’t supposed to get so wrapped up in the plight of every orphan soul wandering through the doors.
But she did, dammit.
The next five minutes flew by quickly, almost as if no time at all had passed. Kate ran over to meet the gurney, and recoiled in a combination of shock, worry, and horror. “Johnny!”
Mike tossed a fleeting glance in the direction of his head nurse--he knew full well just how much Kate and Johnny meant to each other, even if neither would admit it. “Kate, you okay?”
“I can handle it,” she replied firmly. Knowing that this was her “Johnny Angel”, she couldn’t very well have imagined herself any place else. “Hang in there, Angel…” But this was Johnny. Johnny Gage, who seemed to be made of foam rubber…the veritable human Slinky (fell down stairs, without a care…). He’d bounce back; he always did. Hmm…the virus, getting hit by a car, falling down more flights of stairs than most people had walked up and down in their lives…and of course, trapped in burning buildings. Poor Johnny. He really wasn’t that accident-prone; he just got caught in the wrong place at the wrong time--usually because someone else’s safety had more priority to him than his own.
It was a fight from the moment he'd come in to save his life...broken ribs, severe concussion...good chance of a pnemothorax...Kate tried to shift her focus from the long recovery ahead of Johnny to the here and now--saving his life. Mike's expression was more grim than usual--a bad sign.
But Gage arrested again, and no amount of electricity was going to change it this time. Death had finally gotten sick of John Gage ringing the doorbell and running. There was a chink in his armor, and it had finally been found.
"Call it," Mike said flatly, his voice devoid of any emotion. Kate knew he was trying to be calm for her sake; she could see the sense of loss in his eyes. The Tin Man really did have a heart.
As another nurse announced the time of death, Kate's world crumbled. Dammit! How could she have been so blind! Why had she and John been so stupid?! They loved each other, but marriage scared them both. So they hadn't tried to overcome the fear, they'd just accepted it. They'd played an on-again off-again game for 16 years...and what had it gotten her? An empty house...a broken heart.
She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. She wanted the world to end.
"Johnny...no...NO!" Kate leaned against the wall, sobbing. A raven flew overhead, but it didn't strike her odd...it should have, but it didn't. All that mattered was that Johnny was gone.
******************
Kate bolted awake. "Johnny!"
She glanced around her bedroom for a moment, too shaken to even move.
Once she regained some sense of coherence, she looked at the clock.
He wasn't there, of course he wouldn't be. The radio had been left on the night before as she'd drifted to sleep--the volume was low, but she was able to catch the song.
"Johnny must not reason why; he knows he's got to go. Fight for power and glory--Johnny, go to war. And if a hundred boys should die, we can send in a hundred more."
Kate's instinctive reaction was to cringe. "No Tears For Johnny". Despite the fact that she used it to tease Johnny sometimes, Kate really hated that song. Not caring about her feelings, the song droned on.
"No tears for Johnny--people, don't you cry. No tears for Johnny, just because he's gotta die..."
She felt silly, but Kate glared at the radio, wiping her own tears away. "I don't care if I'm not supposed to cry! It's Johnny!"
It was Monday; Johnny was off Monday...she decided to call him for her own piece of mind. He was usually up by five...Kate grabbed the phone and dialed the number she knew by heart. It rang. And rang. And rang.
"Hey, this is John. You know what to do."
So much for that. She smiled slightly at his answering machine message, as she always did, and sighed softly. "Johnny, it's Kate. Please...just call me when you get this; I have to talk to you." She hoped she didn't sound too panicked. The song on the radio had changed.
"No more will my green sea go turn a deeper blue; I could not foresee this thing happening to you..."
"Paint It Black". Even though she actually liked the song, the implications chilled Kate almost to the bone. Maybe she was just letting that stupid dream get to her too much. Or maybe something really was the matter. She knew Johnny believed that dreams, for better or for worse, could sometimes be prophetic visions sent by the spirits. Having been raised Catholic, Kate had a harder time accepting the spirit world...but she sometimes wondered if maybe, just maybe, he was right. She called his cell phone.
"Um...yeah, hang on a second here...hello?"
"It's Kate."
"Katie-bear...what's up? Up a little early for an off-day, aren't you?"
"I could say the same thing about you, Angel. I...couldn't sleep." Kate hesitated to tell him about the dream, not knowing how he would take it. "Where are you, anyhow?"
"Down near
"I'm just a little shook up, that's all." She could never lie to him.
"Bad dream?"
"How'd you know?"
"You always act like this after you've had a nightmare..." Kate heard him laugh, then turn down the radio. Strains of the Eagles' "Take it Easy" faded into the background. "So, tell me about it."
"It's...nothing..." Kate stammered. "Silly, really." A minute of dead silence told her that she wasn't going to squirm her way out of it this easily. "Okay...I had a dream...that you were in an accident, and..."
"Aw, Katie..." She could almost hear the smile in his voice. "I'm okay. I'm all right. I'll swing by your place on the way back for proof, if you like. It was just a dream..."
Kate blinked in surprise. "But you always say..."
"Forget what I 'always say'...there don't seem to be any really odd elements...were there? I mean, even Freud said that sometimes a cigar is just a cigar...sometimes a dream's just a dream."
Well, that made her feel a little better. "Okay...hurry up and get here, though."
"You betcha."
******************
Sweet dreams and flying machines
In pieces on the ground...
The flames rose around her, but she felt no heat. Her only focus was on the downed plane, and one of its passengers. The thick, acrid smoke hung in the air. She could smell it, feel it...but it wasn't the cause of the tears in her eyes.
Hopelessly, helplessly, she kept up her search. He had to be there; he had to be alive. Maybe he had taken a later flight. Maybe he'd been laid over somewhere. Maybe her search was for nothing, because he was safe somewhere. Yeah, that was it. Any minute now, he'd come along. He'd take her into his arms, hold her close, and tell her not to worry about him.
She could almost hear his voice now. "Don't be silly; I'm fine."
But her heart told him her hopes were flimsy. He was in there, somewhere in that smoldering wreckage. She'd had a bad feeling about it from the beginning; why had she let him go? Couldn't he have skipped this trip, or gone another day? But she'd let him go. And now...he was...
No, no, he couldn't be. He meant too much to her. He was far too tough for that. The man she knew and loved would send the Angel of Death running for cover before he'd give in.
But how many times could the people she loved knock on Death's door and run?
Another piece of metal overturned, nothing found. As she turned to walk away, the explosion knocked her to the ground. Suddenly, she became all-too-aware of the smell of jet fuel that filled the air as well. She turned to look back, afraid of what she'd see. And it was true, all of it.
"No," she whispered softly, as she watched the inferno consume what little the crash had left behind. "No!"
And the one who owned a very large portion of her heart and soul had been left behind. She couldn't save him. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, visualizing his face, seeing herself in his arms. Anything to take her mind off the terrible emptiness in her heart. Tears blurred her vision as she opened her eyes again. A large part of her hoped something about the scene had changed, that she'd simply been imagining it. But no such luck.
He couldn't be gone. He couldn't be!
She fell to her knees in despair, screaming his name into the warm October night. "KEL!"
******************
Kelly Brackett woke abruptly--probably because his wife was
screaming his name in his ear. Startled at first, he pulled back, then
frowned in concern as she struggled against some nightmarish enemy. "
Her blue eyes snapped open, looking about wildly. "Kel?!" She clung to him for a while, mumbling incoherently, then looked back up again, hesitant. With a cry of pure joy, she pulled him to her again in a hug. "You're alive..."
"Well, of course I am," he whispered soothingly, rubbing her back to calm her.
"But...I...I thought..."
"Shh..." he soothed, rocking gently with her as she clung to him for dear life. "It was just a dream, Dix." He wasn't entirely sure why she'd dream such a thing, but the human psyche still held many secrets. "You won't get rid of me that easily."
"I love you..."
"I love you too." Kel kissed her forehead, wrapping his arms around her more tightly. "And I'm here, right here. Everything's okay..."
I shouldn't have let you go..." she vowed, still not quite able to shake the nightmare.
"Go where?"
"Michigan."
Kel bit his lip. "Dix, I don't leave for Detroit until next week."
"You can't go!"
Kel pulled her closer, and glanced at the clock. Just past six...no sense in trying to get her to go back to sleep now. "Why can't I?"
"The plane..." Dixie sighed. "It...crashed..."
So that's what this is all about. "C'mon, Dix...it was just a dream, sweetheart. I'll be fine...this conference is really important. I don't particularly want to go..."
"Then don't."
"I could take you with me..."
"No," Dixie protested, frustrated that he wasn't seeing her point. "You can't go. At all." She bit her lip. "I know it was a dream...but...I have this feeling, too...that something's going to happen."
"Dixie, it's the ACHE conference..." ACHE was the acronym for American College of Healthcare Executives. Their big conference was held in Chicago each year, usually in March, but smaller conferences were all over the country all times of the year.
Dixie looked at him askance. "But you don't even like healthcare executives."
"What does that matter? They're making me go."
“But…I…” Dixie sighed. “I can’t lose you.”
“You’re not going to,” he assured her, wrapping his arms around her a little tighter.
Dixie remained unconvinced. She’d never had a dream before that was so vivid, so real…it frightened her to the very core. She felt silly, but she wasn’t going to take chances. Not when it was Kel who was involved. “Please, Kel…for me. Don’t take that flight.”
Kel sighed softly. When she asked him that way, it was hard to refuse her anything. “I’ll try to see if I can get someone to take my place, all right?”
It wasn’t all she’d hoped for, but it made her feel a little better. “Okay.”
“I can’t promise anything, though…” He had to warn her, knowing that finding someone to go to a conference like this on such short notice wasn’t going to be particularly easy. But for her, he’d try.
“Just as long as you’re safe.”
“Well, with all the new security precautions, I think flying’s safer than ever.” As usual, Kel was the logical one, holding fast to facts. Dixie was much more intuitive, though--which made for some interesting times between them. Like now.
“Security, yeah.” Her eyes held an uneasiness he hadn’t seen there before and it worried him. “But security can’t prevent circumstance, or human error, or…I love you too much to lose you, Kel. Please, just this once, don’t go.”
“I’ll do what I can,” Kel promised. He hoped it would be enough.
******************
"It's not the plane," Dixie whispered softly, later that day.
"It isn't?" Kel asked. He was in the middle of trying to rearrange his travel plans. Papers and tickets were strewn all over the kitchen table.
"No," Dixie answered. When she looked up, her eyes held a firm resolve. "It's the fire."
Kel was starting to wonder where she was getting all of this from--Dixie had never been prone to astrology or silly notions. "What makes you say that?"
She looked up from the book she was reading--an old psychology text. "Dream analysis. Some things are more significant than others."
"So the fire's important." Kel sat down, deciding to humor her.
"It could be. I don't think the plane has anything to do with it." Dixie took his hand. "Please...just...don't go."
"Larry might be able to cover for me," Kel told her. "I don't know for sure yet, though. If he can't--I've got to go. It won't be more than a couple of days, Dix. I promise I'll be careful."
"I hope that'll be enough." Dixie seemed rather unconvinced. "I...I need you. Kel, you're...you're a part of me."
He raised her hand to his lips, kissing it gently. "And you're a part of me. I love you...and I'll come back. No matter what, I'll always be with you."
"Promise?"
"Always." He leaned forward to kiss her--feeling slightly guilty over the fact that it was partly to distract her from her concerns for his well-being.
In any case, it worked.
******************
Kate was sitting in the passenger's seat of Johnny's pickup truck, much more introspective than usual. "Johnny?"
"Yeah?" The change in her demeanor hadn't gone unnoticed by him.
"I just...no, never mind; it's not important." She waved a hand dismissively, then decided to change the subject. "You know, I miss that old Land Rover of yours sometimes."
Johnny smiled faintly. "Me too. But it finally gave out...and I couldn't find another good one for the price I was willing to pay. But it was a great truck. Or Jeep. Whatever it was." He patted the steering wheel. "This thing isn't bad, though." He leaned forward, switching the radio on.
"I see a line of cars and they're all painted black...with flowers and my love both never to come back..."
"Paint it Black", again. Kate's jaw set in frustration. "You know, I'm really starting to hate this song."
Johnny looked at her in surprise. "I thought you liked it." He frowned slightly, reaching for his keys. "Is this about that dream you had?"
"Sort of," Kate admitted. "It just seemed so...real. More real than any dream I've had in a long time." She tossed a lock of dark hair away from her face. "I...I don't want to lose you."
"I'm not going anywhere," Johnny assured her. "You're stuck with me for a long time, babe."
She forced herself to smile. "That's comforting." As they pulled out of the parking lot, she watched him, as though memorizing every movement. She still couldn't shake the feeling of impending doom. "That bird, though...the bird was weird..."
Johnny frowned. "There was a bird?" Certain types of birds were symbolic in dreams--she may have been onto something. "What kind of bird?"
"A raven, I think..." Kate recalled. "It was...big. And black."
Johnny bit his lip. Ravens often came in dreams as a sign of injury or death. Kate's dream could still be nothing, but the raven was suspicious. The raven could be a trickster, though...
Either way, he wasn't going to mention it to Kate. It wasn't that Native American spiritualism meant nothing to her; in fact, she was very respectful of his beliefs, even though they weren't her own. He just didn't want to worry her. It was much more rare for a non-believer to have a prophetic dream like that. It could have been nothing...
As easily as it could have been something, a voice in the back of his head reminded him. He tucked the thought away for future reference and decided to carry on.
******************
"I'm almost afraid to ask..." Jake Brackett began, "but...uh...what's up with Mom? She's kind of...edgy."
His sister shook her head slowly. "That's an understatement. She had some nightmare last night involving Daddy...she's been like that ever since. She doesn't want him to go to Detroit next week."
"Ah...I see." Jake nodded, then frowned. "That's not really like her, though, getting so freaked out over a dream."
"Tell me about it." Sophie shrugged, turning back to her laptop. "But she's pretty spooked, so I would just avoid the subject."
Jake sat down, watching her for a moment. "Yeah..." His eyebrows rose slowly. "Still, that's weird. It's not her style at all."
Sophie continued to type and talk to him--she was on a deadline. "I know, but I've learned not to question it when she gets in a strange mood. It'll pass, and she'll be back to normal soon."
"Or what passes for it," Jake teased gently.
"Around this place, normal is extremely relative," Sophie agreed. She shrugged, pausing to review the last few paragraphs she'd written. "I wouldn't worry about it too much...we both know that Mom's always been pretty intuitive. Sometimes more so than others. Like now."
"What's Dad think?"
"I'll give you three guesses," Sophie responded. "And the first two won't count."
"He thinks she's overreacting." Jake answered his own question. "I assume he's still trying to cancel the trip to Detroit, if only to make her happy." He grinned. "Not that he wanted to go anyway."
"You got it." Sophie smiled, silently blessing her ability to touch-type. "It is sweet, that he'd do that for her, though...I need someone like that..."
Jake grinned at her affectionately. "You'll find someone someday--and he'd better be Prince Charming, or I'll have to kill him."
Sophie laughed, her grey eyes sparkling. She shot him a look of gratitude. "Yeah, thanks...I love you too. You don't have anything to worry about for now, though--right now I'm too busy to even worry about kissing more frogs!"
******************
October 23
Johnny sighed, heavily. Kate was still edgy, and he was still not sure what was causing it. There didn't seem to be anything unusual going on...she hadn't mentioned having any more dreams, either. Of course, if she had, she probably wouldn't have mentioned it to him, so that didn't really tell him anything. He just wished there were something more he could do.
The raven, a voice in his head reminded him. What about the raven?
What about it? he answered himself. It's just a stupid black bird...maybe with me, it's more...but...Kate doesn't know anything about the Spirits...
And maybe that was just it. Maybe her lack of knowledge made her a prime suspect for a bored spirit who wanted to play some mind games. A believer would have caught on right away, but Kate could possibly have been strung along for a long time...long enough to drive her right out of her mind.
Which won't be long if this keeps up!
He determined to talk to the Spirits about it later.
******************
"Kel...I'm still not sure about this..." Dixie's voice was faltering.
Kel hugged her quickly. "Shh...relax, Dix...I'll be fine. I love you. I'm sorry I couldn't get someone else to take my place..." He glanced at the clock. "I've got to go." The taxi was pulling up outside. "Take care."
Dixie hugged him tightly. "I...I love you too, Kel." She kissed his cheek. "Be careful. Just...be careful."
"I'll try." Another quick hug, and he was out the door. Dixie remained in the doorframe, watching the taxi pull away until it was out of sight. She prayed it wasn't the last time she'd see him. She was still having the dreams, every night. They'd changed, though, it was definitely a fire now. She sank onto the couch, desolate. Sophie wasn't even home for her to talk to--she'd gone out with a friend. Rags came over, meowing, and settled into Dixie's lap. Dixie ran her fingers through the long calico-colored fur. "Yeah, babe...looks like it's just us..." She frowned, having a sudden idea. "Maybe not." At a time like this, a girl needed her best friend. Besides, she knew that Kate was having nightmares lately, too, though they concerned Johnny rather than Kel. Gently easing Rags aside, Dixie stood up.
After all, she mused, a bit morbidly, misery loves company.
******************
Mike watched Kate carefully as she turned back to her paperwork, shaking his head. The nurse had been on edge all week--nearly jumping out of her skin when an MVA was called in. He hadn't the slightest idea what was causing her to act this way...well, except maybe Halloween's approach. But even then...she hated working Halloween, but she'd never been like this before. Halloween...was a Wednesday...amused by an old memory, Morton smiled. They say Wednesday is the weirdest day of the week...well, it should be downright interesting this year! First full moon Halloween since 1955...it's gonna be wild.
"Hey, Mike," a voice greeted him from behind.
The doctor turned and smiled. "Dix! How are you?" Ever since she and Kel had retired, Mike hadn't seen nearly as much of them as he would have liked to.
"I'm...all right..." Dixie shrugged.
"How about Kel?"
Dixie blinked, as though startled. "What about him?!"
This is just plain weird...Dixie too? Mike held his hands up helplessly. "I was just wondering how he was--didn't he leave for Detroit today?"
Dixie relaxed visibly. "Oh...yeah, he's fine..." She looked around. "Kate here?"
Mike glanced around. "I think she just went into the lounge."
"Okay, thanks, Mike." Dixie nodded, and headed into the lounge. "Kate?"
Kate glanced up from where she was consoling a cup of coffee (not that it needed the comfort near as much as she did). "Dix! Hi...what brings you here?"
"Kel just left for the airport." Dixie's voice was flat, and she sank down into a chair beside her friend. Kate was the only other person besides Kel that Dixie had confided in about her dreams. "I keep telling myself that I'm being silly, but...I'm really worried about him, Kate."
"I know you are," Kate assured her. "He...we gotta believe he'll be okay, Dix. Like Johnny..."
"Yeah," Dixie agreed. "They'll both be fine."
"Speaking of which..." Kate remembered, "I've got to ask Johnny whether he's working or not Halloween night--if not, I can probably talk him into helping me out here with the kids from peds..."
Dixie smiled. "You know, I do miss that. The parties up in the pediatric ward..."
"And your own kids," Kate finished.
Dixie nodded. "They grew up so fast! But it's nice getting to know them as adults, too...I guess it all works out..." She shook her head softly.
Kate patted her hand, then stared into her coffee for a few more moments, as though expecting it to provide her with some great revelation. "I need your help."
"Sure."
"What kind of candy do kids like?"
Dixie shrugged. "I don't know."
"But you're a mother."
"My kids are 25 years old!" Dixie grinned. "I'm not an expert on small children's opinions anymore...but I'm sure you could find someone who would know..."
"I'll just ask Johnny," Kate decided. "He's pretty good at being able to think like a child sometimes."
"Hey!" Johnny walked into the room. "I resent that!" He kissed her cheek. "How're ya doing? Oh, hey, Dix."
Dixie waved; Kate shot him her most endearing look. "Angel?"
An expression so sweet...a question so innocent. She's up to something. "Yeah?" Gage asked cautiously.
"Are you working Halloween night?"
"No, bless the Spirits..." Johnny answered. "Why?"
"Can you help us out around here?"
Johnny smiled. He loved working with the kids in pediatrics, and he knew that's what she wanted him to do...it was always fun, and very rewarding. "Sure!"
"You have a costume?" Kate asked, wondering if she was going to have to find something for him.
"I'll come as a Pilgrim," he answered dryly.
Dixie burst out laughing. Kate wasn't sure if he was serious or not. "A...Pilgrim...?"
"I was kidding." Johnny smiled tenderly at her. "I'll find something."
"Maybe you should go as Peter Pan," Dixie teased.
Johnny pretended to consider it for a moment. "Sure...but only if I can find Chet Kelly and make him play Tinkerbell." His pager went off. "Oh...great, it's the Chief...I have the strangest feeling I might end up working today after all...see you later." He left toward the payphone bank to answer the call.
Kate giggled at the mental image. "Chet as Tinkerbell?"
Dixie shrugged. "You know...knowing Johnny...he might just be able to pull that off."
******************
That evening...
Johnny opened his eyes, coming out of the trance he'd let himself slip into. It was how he communicated with the Spirits--he'd been hoping for some serious answers. Instead, he'd been left with more questions. Then again, that was the way it usually went. He blew out the candles, and settled back.
Kate was standing in the doorway to his bedroom, watching him. She hadn't wanted to disturb him. She didn't quite understand his beliefs, but she respected them--and vice versa. "The Spirits tell you anything interesting?"
Johnny shook his head. "Not really...I was only talking to Puma this time." Talking was a relative term--the communication wasn't quite in spoken terms.
Kate nodded. She'd heard the reference to the name before; she knew Puma was Johnny's totem spirit...and happened to be a mountain lion. "So did he tell you anything useful?"
"She," Johnny corrected. "Puma is female--at least for me. And, no, I didn't get much."
Kate sat down next to him. "I thought the Spirits were supposed to have all the answers."
"They do," Johnny explained. "They're just not always cooperative in divulging what they know. They have the answers, but they don't always provide them. And I think Puma is in a mood, anyway. Besides...they sometimes figure that there's some things we might be better off not knowing ahead of time."
"What fools we mortals be, huh?" Kate joked, running her fingers through his hair.
Johnny grinned at the mangling of Shakespeare, kissing her cheek. "Speak for yourself, Katie-bear. I kind of planned on living forever."
"You'd better." She mock frowned at him, and then smiled again, affectionately. "So did you find out anything worth mentioning?"
Well, there had been something, but Johnny hadn't really wanted to worry her. "Well...there's tough times coming, she says. But, with a few serious balancing acts, we'll be able to get through them. Unless she was hiding it from me, I don't think my life is in danger." He knew she was worried about Dixie, too, and the dreams she'd been having about Kel. "Or anyone else's that we know, for that matter." He stroked Kate's cheek with the back of his hand. "We'll be okay. Puma says there may be a few rogue spirits on the loose, too--I couldn't get anything definite from her on that. But if there are, that could be causing your dreams. And Dixie's. The fact that she didn't warn me specifically of anything is good, though."
Kate stood up as he did. "So what you're saying is that what we don't know can't hurt us?"
"Actually, sometimes, what you don't know can hurt you a lot," Johnny replied, "but this isn't one of those cases."
"Good." Kate walked over to the radio. "You wanna dance?" Anything at all to distract her would be good.
"Sure."
Kate flipped the radio on, hoping it would be a slow song.
"I look inside myself and see my heart is black..."
Kate snapped the radio off. "That damn song!"
Johnny came over to her, pulling her into a hug. "Doesn't mean anything, Kate."
Kate looked up at him, a defeated look creeping into her green eyes. "Didn't mean anything when Christine played 'Pledging My Love', either, Angel."
Johnny chuckled. "C'mon, Katie, grab a CD and we'll go cruise somewhere for awhile. Take your mind off things."
"Okay..." She shrugged. "Yeah--let's just go." Biting her lip, she headed for the door. "I hope Kel's okay..."
"He's tough." Johnny smiled. "Believe me, the Kelly Brackett I know would send the Angel of Death running for shelter before he'd give in. He'll be fine."
******************
October 29
Ritz-Carlton Hotel lobby
Dearborn, Michigan
Dearborn was about 15 minutes from downtown Detroit...Kel was somewhat relieved not to have been thrust into the heart of the action. He loved Los Angeles, but sometimes a reprieve from the hustle and bustle of a major city was nice. He looked around the lobby. Nice...
At least the organizers of the conference had seen fit to put them up in a plush hotel. Well, they usually did (the Hilton in Chicago, for example...talk about elegance...even though he hated Chicago), but this time, he really hated being here. Yeah, he'd run an emergency room for over 20 years. Yes, sure, he'd retired as the administrator of Rampart General (and probably would have passed on that offer if he hadn't been convinced that he could do a better job of running the place than the yahoo who was also up for the position). But he didn't need to go to every damn conference in the country. Especially not when Dixie was so edgy. He wanted nothing more than to be home and comfort her...then again, she wouldn't have been edgy if he hadn't gone to the conference at all. At least he was getting on a flight home in just a few hours.
A woman, appearing to be in her mid-thirties, approached him. "Hello."
Kel smiled. "Hi."
She appraised him with a glance. "You come here often, or are you not from around here?"
"I'm from LA."
"Pity. What do you do there?" She smiled at him dazzlingly. She glanced over at the conference literature in his hand. "You a doctor?"
"Yes." Kel could tell what she was up to--and was flattered. But a flirtatious woman was the last thing he needed right then.
She looked him over again. "Well, if you don't mind my saying so...I could use a little...emergency care."
Kel tried not to smile. "I certainly don't mind..." He held up his left hand, allowing her to see the gold band of his wedding ring. "My wife might, though."
"Damn," she swore softly, shaking her head. "The good ones are always married..." She walked away.
Kel could have sworn there was someone behind him, but all he saw was a tall man walking casually across the lobby...no one else was around.
You're slipping, Brackett, he sighed to himself. Maybe you need to be back with Dixie more than you know!
******************
At the airport, Kel reached for his wallet to get his ID--the hotel had provided a shuttle to the airport.
His wallet wasn't there.
"Great," he sighed, "just great. Now what do I do?!" His ticket and ID were both in there...he still had a credit card, but how far would that get with without ID? At least he could make a phone call.
I can see it now... he mused, while walking to the bank of payphones. Yeah? Hi, Dixie, I had my wallet stolen while trying to avoid flirting with a woman at least 30 years younger...no, really, nothing happened...except I'm stuck here...
He got the voice mail and sighed. "Hi, Dix...it's me. I'm going to be a little late getting home..."
******************
Roy DeSoto shook his head as he left the counseling office of Wilson Senior High School in LA. He'd adjusted well to being a counselor, once his fire department career had been ripped from him due to an injury that he wasn't able to bounce back from as easily.
Ah, just one missing kidney, and they throw a fit. He amused himself with the thought. But counseling wasn't bad, either--both careers had their pros and cons. Firefighting and rescue was in his blood, though--there were times when he missed it more than others...such as when he heard sirens in the distance...or just a whiff of smoke...
"Ah, missing your other low-paying job?" his co-worker teased. Carmen Rodriguez had known Roy back when he was working for the department, and knew how much it meant to him. "At least you're not risking your butt every day with this one. Well, except when you walk into halls and stuff. I mean, I'd hate to think what would happen if someone brought a frog to school anymore. It might get shot, stabbed, beaten...or otherwise mutilated. And we deal with the troubled ones, don't we? Makes you feel real secure, si?"
Roy chuckled. "Yeah, Carmen, but we aren't green."
"It ain't easy bein' green..." Carmen sighed.
Roy grinned at her. "Sometimes...I swear I can smell the smoke...like now..."
Carmen sniffed the air. "Dios mio...I hate to break your heart, DeSoto...but that is smoke!" She looked around...and down the hall to the biology lab. Smoke was pouring out of it. Some students were crying, others calling for friends still inside. The fire alarm began to sound.
Rescue was in Roy's blood. He motioned to Carmen. "Go--get out! I'm gonna see if I can help."
"Are you crazy? You haven't been inside a fire since '87!"
"Go, Carmen--I know what I'm doing!" He raced down the hall.
******************
"Someone want to tell me why it seems that someone has to screw with the Bunsen burners in the bio lab at this school at least once every few years?!" John Gage was not amused. "Usually, it's some little thing that's out by the time we get here...I knew they'd really do themselves in someday! There are instructions on those things for a reason! And fire blankets! A novel idea--does anyone know how to use one?!" Having issued the necessary orders already, Johnny had some time on his hands to rant about the current situation. Danny Watkins, his engineer, just listened, silently nodding in agreement. Fortunately, the fire was contained...his firefighters could handle it, and only 4 people had been reported missing. With 4 paramedics available to him, 2 EMTs on loan for training purposes--and transport capabilities for 4 people (it was nice having ambulances of their own...big ambulances)--Johnny's station had it under control. He flipped the switch on the mic inside the engine. "Dispatch, this is Engine 51...we've got things under control here; you can cancel the other units."
"10-4, Engine 51," Evelyn Travis's smooth voice replied, just as the final flames were extinguished, and Paramedic Mike Harris escorted the biology teacher from the building.
Evelyn's a great gal, but I miss Sam...
Johnny jumped up, hurrying over to check out the situation as two of his paramedics emerged from the building, with two coughing, but otherwise okay, students. He pulled some O2 tanks off one of the ambulances and handed it to them.
Liz Kenzington nodded gratefully, and offered the oxygen to her patient. She continued to assess the girl's vitals. "Looks like she's gonna be okay...how's your patient, Jen?"
Jennifer DeSoto finished taking the boy's pulse. "He'll be fine, too...this is my dad's school, too...good luck trying to find him in this craziness...my God...Daddy!"
John's head snapped sharply as his paramedic Gary Rivera carried Roy out of the building. He was unconscious. "Roy!" This was '87 all over again--hopefully, it was just a case of smoke inhalation, but... He raced over. "Whatcha got?"
"I think he's eaten a lot of smoke...there's nothing else wrong with him..." Gary nodded. "It would make sense, too, they say he was in there awhile, helping to get some of the kids out..."
That's Roy for you... "Okay, listen, take good care of him, okay?" Johnny knew he was rambling, but he didn't care. He sensed Jen at his side. "He'll be okay, Jen, it looks like he just forgot what it's like to be in a fire without SCBA..."
Gary hadn't recognized Roy at first, but it all fell into place at once for him. "Oh, yeah...he's got the best of care!" He grinned, continuing with getting the O2 in place...then frowned. "Dammit, man, don't stop breathing on me now! That ain't right!" Gary's methods were a bit unconventional at times.
"What?!" Jen was normally composed, but when her father was the patient even she faltered.
Was the raven really for him? Johnny couldn't help but wonder.
******************
Fortunately, Roy was only without air for about 45 seconds...all signs indicated he was going to make a complete recovery...
While Mike Morton was looking Roy over at Rampart (and wasn't this just like old times?), Johnny slipped into the lounge. Jen was waiting outside the treatment suite, unwilling to go any further than that. Johnny figured he'd get her some coffee--Joanne had already been called and was on her way, though relieved that the prognosis was so good.
Johnny had expected to be alone in the lounge, since Kate was assisting Mike. Instead, he found another old friend. "Hiya, Dix."
"Hi...any luck finding Chet?" she teased, attempting to lift his spirits.
"Nah...I...Dix, I never got used to it when we were partners, and I sure can't get used to it now! I can't stand it when Roy's hurt like this!"
Dixie moved over to sit next to him. "You shouldn't have to...but he's gonna be fine, Johnny...you heard that yourself. He got some smoke--10 to 1 he'll be out of here sometime tomorrow..."
"But he stopped breathing...man...that freaked me out..." He shook his head. "It was a rough minute or so..."
"It bet it was." Dixie smiled. "He's still your best friend--it's natural to worry. But the important thing is, he'll be all right."
"Yeah." Johnny nodded, reassured. It was feeling like back in the old days. He gave Dixie a quick hug, and had a flash of inspiration. “And Kel will be okay too.”
"I hope you're right." Dixie shook her head slowly. "You probably are." She started to smile. "He'll be home by tonight, anyway...then I can relax..."
"See? What'd I tell ya?"
Jen stuck her head in the doorway a moment later. "He's okay! He's awake...and he wants to see you..." She nodded to Dixie. "Both of you."
"Shall we?" Johnny offered his arm to Dixie. She grinned and joined him as they left to see Roy.
******************
Roy had never taken well to becoming a patient--now was no exception. But he decided he could afford to be reasonably pleasant to his two visitors. "Gee...Morton takes care of me, then you two come strolling in here...I could swear it was the old days again...you know, back when my kid out there was still knee-high?"
Dixie laughed. "Believe me, I know the feeling."
Johnny glanced back over his shoulder to the blonde woman who'd just come back into the room. "Yeah...doesn't seem possible...Jenny's all grown up!"
Dixie was determined to get the whole story one way or another. "So, Roy are you going to tell me what happened or not?" Her retirement hadn't affected her patented of course you're going to tell me because I'm not giving you any other choice glare. She still put it to good use when necessary. Like now.
"If you don't, I will!" John threatened.
"It was...nothing..." Roy sighed. "I just...there were some kids still in the lab, so I just showed them the way out...they're not used to trying to work in a haze of smoke..."
"And neither are you!" Jen insisted. "Not anymore..."
Roy held up his hands in mock defense. "Point taken...I promise, next time they set the biology lab on fire, I'll be more careful."
Dixie shook her head. "I'm glad to see you'll be okay...I'd better get home...you all be careful, okay?"
"Okay." Roy grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "You too."
"Yeah." Johnny gave her a quick hug. "Lemme know when Kel gets in...I can tell Kate; she'll want to know too. And, uh...thanks."
She smiled back at him, returning the hug. "Yeah, you too."
******************
Dixie collapsed onto her couch when she got back home. She wanted a few minutes to relax, at least...she completely ignored the newscast on the television in the other room--about a 3-alarm fire at a hotel in Michigan...a few hours ago. That is...she ignored it, until she heard the hotel's name. Ritz-Carlton...
No...Kel! No, this can't be happening! Somewhere, deep in her heart, she knew he was in trouble. Her dream...the fire...
No, he's all right...he promised. He would've gotten out, and in the confusion, he hasn't called. That's it.
Satisfied with the answer she'd provided for herself, Dixie snapped off the news broadcast and left the room.
Kel's fine...just fine...
She had to believe it. To do otherwise would be maddening.
******************
October 30
The next day at Rampart seemed to be business as usual--at least to the general public. They'd heard about the fire in Michigan, thought it a shame, and went on with their lives.
However, for a few of the staff members (and former staff) of that hospital, business was anything but usual. They were all a bit tense.
Some more so than others.
Roy had heard of the fire, but didn't know that Kel had been staying at the hotel...or that he wasn't home yet. He smiled at Dixie as she joined him and Johnny as they walked down the hall. He'd just been released and was about to head home, but a chat with a couple of old friends was incentive enough not to rush. "Hey, Dix. How's everything?"
Johnny instinctively cringed, causing Roy to shoot him a "What did I do?" look.
Dixie startled a bit, then frowned. "Kel's fine. He's fine. Just fine! Of course he is...he promised me everything would be okay. He's just hung up, that's all. You see, he'll be home soon."
What happened? Roy asked Johnny silently. Expressions had always been an effective means of communication for the two of them.
I'll tell you later, Johnny's slight shrug seemed to reply.
Dixie, having finished her rant, had grown introspective and unnaturally quiet again. She'd been like this since word of the fire had gotten to her.
"Wandering around the house like a lost orphan," as Sophie had put it. "I hope we find out something soon...the wait's killing me. Her. Hell, all of us."
That's the truth, kid, Johnny thought, shaking his head slowly. They stopped by the nurse's station in the ER, waiting a moment for Kate. When Dixie stepped away for a moment, John took the opportunity to explain. "Roy, you hear 'bout that fire in Detroit?"
Roy nodded. "Yeah...awful, that...guess they're still looking for people...they got all the firefighters accounted for, I heard..." He'd been listening for that--after a long career with the department, how could he not?
"Well, yeah..." Johnny sighed. "One of the people at that hotel was one Dr. Kelly Brackett."
Roy stared at him. "You're kidding."
"I wish I were."
******************
The clicking of the keyboard was coming loud and fast. Sophie must have
been extremely enthusiastic about her current article. Dixie laughed
softly to herself as she closed the door to her favorite reporter's
office. It had rather surprised them all when Sophie had decided to
become a journalist...but as long as she was happy with what she was doing,
Dixie wasn't going to complain.
The ringing doorbell caught her attention. Sighing, she threw her folded towels in the linen closet, crossing to answer the door. Laundry had been keeping her busy, keeping her from going crazy worrying about Kel. Now, who could that be?
"Mrs. Brackett?" the police officer asked.
All day she had been fighting off an ever-increasing sense of uneasiness.
Thoughts of the worst possible scenario had already begun to form in her
mind. This cannot be real.
"I need to speak with you...may I come in?"
Dixie immediately felt her hands get cold and the bottom drop from her
inside. As she stepped aside to allow the officer to enter, her legs
weakened with the weight. "Who are you? What do you
want?"
He supported her as he led her to the couch. "My name is Andrew
Ball, Pasadena PD..."
"Oh, no." The tears began to fill her eyes. "It's
Kel. Oh, God, it's Kel. What's wrong? What's happened to
him?"
He put his hand on top of hers. "I'm sorry, ma'am...there was an
accident..." Ball pulled a wallet out and handed it to her.
"The car caught fire...this was the only ID we had. The car was a
rental…the Detroit police ran a check on it. It was in your husband’s
name." Rather than sit down, he stepped to her side after watching
her for a moment. "I'm sorry. Do you recognize this wallet,
ma'am?" He really despised this part of his job.
Dixie’s voice failed her--it was Kel's, down to the initials engraved in the
leather. She simply nodded, tears flooding her vision. After a
moment, she recovered her voice. “Yes...it's my husband's.
It's Kel's…a fire?” She had heard little of the officer’s explanation,
fixated on the wallet in her hands…the pictures inside…singed, but not
destroyed.
"Car accident..."
"But how did...what?" Her first impulse was to call for Joe
Early, though that was impossible. “I need him..." was all she could
mouth momentarily. She stood up, intending to cross to the phone, but her
knees went weak as reality registered in her mind.
"Ma'am, I think you'd better...let's sit down." He guided her to the couch again. “Is there someone I can call for you?"
Tears were streaming down her cheeks. "I...I don't know...oh, God,
he can't be gone..."
Sophie was still in the back room, Dixie knew…but she wasn’t sure where Jake
might have been. “I...want...I need to talk to my kids…” Dixie
sobbed uncontrollably. Never before had she felt this alone.
“No…this can’t be happening!”
Sophie came out of her office, then rushed over. "Mom? What’s
wrong?!"
Dixie tossed Sophie the wallet. Her tears filled in the rest of the
story.
Either Jake or Daddy... Sophie bit her lip…she didn’t think she
could really stand to lose either of them, but her guess was that it
was--"Oh...God, no."
Dixie reached for her daughter, who didn't resist.
"Is it...Daddy?" Sophie asked.
Dixie remained quiet within the veil of her tears.
The officer spoke "Are you her daughter?”
Sophie nodded. "Yes."
"It's my sincere regret to have to inform you that Kelly Brackett was
killed yesterday afternoon in a car accident." There were never any
perfect words. He knew he sounded like a form letter. Ball really
hated his job at these times.
Sophie broke down into tears. "No, no...Daddy!"
"Come...come sit down." Ball gently lead her to the couch.
She looked to the officer. 'Please. There must be some ...mistake?" Her premonitions had told her that this would end much differently.
"I wish I could say there were..."
Dixie dropped her head into her hands, trying to wish herself out of the
situation. This isn't real. It can't be real. It's just another
horrible nightmare. It had to be a bad dream, all of it--even the
raised hairs on the back of her neck. Any second, the alarm's gonna go
off, and I'll wake up and Kel will be asleep next to me...
The door was still open a bit; Dixie hadn't closed it. Jake stuck his
head in, then hurried over, seeing his mother and sister in tears.
"Mom? Sophie?"
For the first time, Jake's resemblance to his father truly chilled his mother
to the core. Dixie pushed against the thought that she would never see Kel
again.
"Daddy was in an accident," Sophie managed between breaths.
"He--"
"Oh, no..." Jake shook his head, not wanting to believe
it. "No...he...he can't..."
The officer looked to the young man across the room. "'Is there
someone I can call for you...a relative? A friend?"
"Um...no one I can think of..." Jake stammered. "I...I
guess we should call a few people..." He was forcing himself to keep
it together for Dixie and Sophie. He could fall apart later.
"I'll call them...I'd rather they heard it from us..."
Ball nodded, then bit his lip slightly. "Ma'am...I'll need access to
your family's dental records..."
"We'll send those over." Dixie had become unnervingly
calm. "Thank you, officer..."
"Dental records...?!" Jake exclaimed. "What--why?"
"There wasn't..." Ball stopped himself.
Jake understood enough to figure out what the end of that sentence might have
been. "You mean I--we can't even see him? How are we
supposed to say goodbye? I need to see him...to talk to him. This
is...you don't understand. It's my dad! I need to be with
him...just for a little while." This was unthinkable. Absolutely
unthinkable and unacceptable. "No. This...this just isn't
real. No God I could believe in would do this to us--to him..."
"I'm sorry." He shook his head. "They've made
arrangements to have the body flown to LA..."
At the term 'body', Jake felt an insuppressible wave of nausea and left the room. This was simply too much.
Dixie stood up, calling on her last reserves of
strength. "Officer Ball...when my husband's body arrives at the
airport, I--and I assume my family--would want to be there to...receive him
home. Please find out the specifics for us."
He nodded. "I sure will, ma'am. I'm so sorry about
this..."
She nodded. "Me too."
Jake looked up in the other room as he heard the door close with Ball's
departure--and Dixie's strangled sob a moment later.
"Kel...oh, Kel..." She kept repeating his name, as if it would
bring him back.
Silently, Jake said a prayer that it would--that someone would wake up and this
entire catastrophe would end.
******************
Dixie eventually exhausted herself and drifted to sleep. Jake pulled a
blanket around her, kissing her forehead gently. He hung around in the
living room, trying to decide what to do with himself, until Sophie retreated
to her room, claiming she needed to be alone.
There wasn't really much point in postponing it any longer. Jake picked up the phone and dialed. "Johnny?"
"Who's this?" Johnny didn't recognize the voice at
first.
"It's Jake..."
"Jake, do you have a cold?" Johnny asked, frowning.
"You sound horrible--"
"No..." He choked back another sob. "It's just been
a horrible day."
John sat upright. "What is it? What's wrong?” This
did not sound good.
"My dad..." Jake couldn't stand to think about it--it was much
harder to talk about it.
"I'm listening..." Johnny didn't like the sound of this at
all, especially not with Kel missing.
"He was in an accident..." There. He'd said it.
"What?!" John stood and began pacing. "Where...where
is he? Is he going to be all right?"
"He's dead." Jake's voice had gone flat.
"Jake? Wha-- You're sure?"
"Police just came by," Jake answered. "Gave us his wallet..."
At his ranch house, Johnny put his hand over the
phone. "Katie!"
Kate had been in the living room, waiting for him to get off the phone.
She came running over. "What is it?!" The sense of
urgency in his voice had been alarming.
"I'll--we'll--be right there," Johnny said into the phone.
"Okay...thanks...I gotta call Liz...I need her..." Jake
was rambling at this point, and didn't care. He hung up shortly.
Johnny grasped Kate's arm. "We've gotta go. That was
Jake." He paused; the direct way was the best way. "Kel
was killed in an car accident."
"Oh, no." Kate shook her head. "Dixie's been so
worried about him..."
He ran a hand through his dark hair, biting his lip nervously. "I
know. I'd better call Roy before we go. He'll need to know."
He picked up the phone again and dialed.
Roy picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Roy? This is John... Look.." He didn't know where to start. Closing his eyes, the words spilled out. "I just got off the phone with Jake Brackett. Kel's been killed in a car accident."
"Oh, my God...when?"
"I don't know..." he stammered. "I'm--we're headed over
there now."
"I'll be there too. Dixie's gotta be a wreck..."
"Well, Jake sounded like he was in a bad way himself. I'll see you
there."
******************
How am I supposed to carry on,
When all that I've been living for is gone?
Jake met them at the door. He looked pale and his eyes were red-rimmed
from crying.
Johnny's sympathy met him at the door. His primary thoughts poured out.
"God, Jake...I'm so sorry. I don't know what to...where's your
mom?"
"In the bedroom..." Jake motioned down the hall. "She's not doing too well."
In his years of experience, Johnny had come to prefer just about any physical
impairment or condition to someone's tears. He found them to be an
insurmountable force to reckon with...and Dixie's would be much
worse. He hadn't come to terms with Kel's death yet, how was he
supposed to help Dixie do it? Battling a touch of nausea, he knocked on
the bedroom door. "Dix?"
"Come in." Dixie reached out to Johnny for comfort--hope of any
kind.
"Hey." He took her hands, sitting down on the bed, next to her.
"I don't know what to do without him." Dixie clutched a pillow
to her chest--Kel's pillow. The faint scent of his cologne was still on
it.
Johnny simply touched her shoulder. She welcomed his embrace. Not
knowing what to say, he offered, "God, Dix...I'm so sorry. I can't
believe it either."
She forgot the pillow and clutched him, sobbing into his chest.
He held her close, hoping to give some comfort to the friend in his embrace.
She looked back up at him. "I'm sorry to be falling apart on you
like this..."
Johnny lifted her chin to his, looking into her eyes. "Listen. You
two are my friends...it's my honor to be here while you fall apart...all over
me, if you want."
Dixie slumped into his embrace, weeping freely.
"Go ahead and fall apart," he whispered soothingly, rubbing her back. "You deserve that much."
"I loved him so much..." Dixie choked out between sobs. "I
don't think I ever told him enough." She leaned into the
embrace. "He was my world...everything that means anything to me in
my life came from him..."
"Honey, I don't think anybody knew that any more than Kel did."
John hugged her tightly, unable to even imagine what she must have been going
through. "And I don't need to tell you how much he loved
you..."
"And now he's gone," she whispered.
"Only if you let him go."
"I'll never see him again." Dixie looked sorrowfully for a
moment at the wedding photo sitting on the nightstand. It had only been a
couple of weeks ago--if that--that they'd celebrated their 25th anniversary,
and now he was gone.
Johnny looked down. How could he respond? "I know, Dix.
I'm so sorry..."
"I don't know how to live without him," she admitted, her voice
barely above a whisper. It scares me, but I've found myself wondering if
there's even any point..."
"Shh...you'll find a way to go on." He held her, offering what
little he could. "It may take a lot of time and hurt like hell...but
Dixie McCall will find a way."
******************
I can't let go...
That evening found Dixie nursing a glass of Scotch, sullenly contemplating on the situation she'd found herself in. She'd taken a couple of shots earlier, but they'd hit her more quickly than she'd expected--probably because she hadn't eaten all day. Once numb, she found herself enjoying the temporary respite the alcohol provided. She'd poured another glass and was working on it now. The lights in the room were dim, though not completely out. Dixie hadn't made any move to change the lighting level, though--which was why she was surprised when the room suddenly brightened. "What the--?" Her words had begun to slur to some extent.
"Mom?" Sophie crossed over, kneeling down in front of her mother. She looked to the glass. "How much of this stuff have you had?"
"Few shots. Not nearly enough," Dixie replied, turning away. She finished the rest of the glass in her hand, then looked around for the bottle.
Sophie stopped her. "Don't do this to yourself." She sighed. "I...I know...well, I can see where it'd be tempting, but..."
"Tempting?" Dixie raised an eyebrow. "Hell, yeah, it's tempting. What, you want a drink? Go ahead; you're old enough. Then leave me alone."
Sophie leaned back slightly, surprised. She wasn't so much taken aback by the fact that her mother had just offered her a drink...it was more the realization that her mother seemed to have reached the point of not caring. "I don't want anything. What I want is for you--"
"Don't tell me what I should do." Dixie looked up at her.
Sophie decided to try another approach. She took Dixie's hand. "This isn't going to solve anything."
"I know that...but it sure as hell numbs things up."
"Until tomorrow," Sophie insisted, trying for a more logical approach.
"Don't you think I know that?!" Dixie's voice was anguished.
Sophie hugged her, tears welling up in her eyes. "I know...it's not gonna be easy...but we've just gotta get through this, somehow."
"How?" Dixie demanded, finally surrendering. She leaned into the embrace.
Sophie's voice betrayed her for a moment before she was able to continue. She offered the only honest answer she could think of. "I don't know yet. I really don't know."
******************
I wonder why the stars don't seem to guide me...
Kate knelt down beside Johnny as she approached him. He was sitting on the back porch of his ranch, staring up at the stars. "Angel? You okay?"
"I don't know." He shrugged, reaching out to pull her close to him. "I guess I'm still trying to make sense of everything."
"I think we all are." Kate rested her head on his shoulder.
Johnny's eyes met hers. "I can't believe Kel's really...I mean, if it had to happen, I never pictured it happening like this..."
"I know," she agreed. "It's going to take Dixie--and the kids--a long time to deal with this."
"I'm worried about her," John admitted. "They were always so close...so much a part of each other..." Suddenly, anger sparked in his dark eyes and he looked up sharply at nothing--no one--in particular, then back to Kate. "Puma said it wasn't going to be anything we couldn't handle!"
Kate held him. "Maybe this was the part she never told you about."
"Yeah..." His expression was sullen. "Sometimes, what you don't know hurts you a whole lot."
******************
The ghost of you and me--
When will it set me free?
I hear the voices call...
Following footsteps down the hall...
Trying to save what's left of my heart and soul
The kettle in the kitchen began to whistle for attention. Slowly, almost in a calculated way, Dixie stood up and went to tend to it. She picked the kettle up, almost grateful for the distraction, and began to pour the water into a coffee mug when her anger suddenly flashed. "It's not fair!" Blindly, she flung the kettle away from her, taking a sort of satisfaction in the sound it made as it hit the wall and clattered to the floor.
Sophie heard the commotion, and ran in--only to find her mother in the process of destroying the kitchen. "Mom! What's going on?"
At the sound of her daughter's voice, Dixie suddenly stopped, and sank to her knees, sobbing. Sophie didn't like this at all.
"Mom?" she asked gently, coming over to put a tentative arm around Dixie. She was still having a hard time handling all of this, herself...she didn't know what to do to comfort her mother. She didn't even know what to do to comfort herself.
"It's my fault," Dixie sobbed, reaching out to cling to her daughter. "If I'd made him stay, it would have been so different...he's gone," she continued, holding Sophie tightly. "He's gone, and it's all my fault..."
Sophie's eyes widened. "Mom...it's...it's not your fault..." Tears filled her grey eyes as she wrapped her arms more tightly around Dixie. Right then, she needed her mother as much as her mother needed her.
Dixie didn't say anything more; she just continued to cry.
Sophie was at a loss. She couldn't believe it. She'd just lost her father--and now her mother, who'd always been a pillar of strength, was coming unglued. "Mom..." She didn't know what to do. After a moment, she disentangled herself and crossed to the phone. For a moment, she considered calling Jake, but he probably wasn't going to be in any better shape to handle this than she was. She dialed Roy's number.
"Hello?"
"Roy?" Sophie glanced over her shoulder to check her mother's condition again. Dixie hadn't moved from where she was sobbing in a heap on the floor.
"Sophie, what's wrong?" As if he had to ask.
"I need help."
It took him all of about two seconds to respond. "I'm on my way."
******************
Kate was updating some patient files in the computer, taking advantage of a slow day in the ER to catch up on her paperwork. It kept her occupied--she made a mental note as well to check up on Dixie on her lunch break. Even a phone call would make her feel a little better. She looked away from the computer screen, sensing that someone had approached. "How can I--Jake, you really don't have to be here. We can handle..."
Jake shook his head. "Kate...I do have to be here. I've got to keep busy. If I'm at home, I'll have too much time to just think about...about it, and I'll go crazy." He was in the middle of an emergency department rotation--and had been enjoying it, even if he did have to struggle with his father's shadow.
"I understand." Kate patted his hand, smiling. Mike Morton had given her a quite similar speech that morning when she'd wondered why he'd come in. "If it gets to be too much for you, though, feel free to leave anytime. We'll understand."
He nodded. "Thanks..."
Kate looked to Mike after Jake had headed down the hall. "Mike...I figure we should keep him occupied...but with something fairly simple? I don't know how much he can handle, honestly..."
Morton nodded. "I agree. How about patient histories? Simple enough, necessary information...and it shouldn't stir up too many memories or anything."
"Perfect." Kate smiled.
******************
Patient histories proved to be the ideal distraction. Jake smiled, knowing he could have done this in his sleep--but also appreciating the mindless component it had to it. People with difficult names had even been so kind as to volunteer the spelling.
So had some people without difficult names.
Jake looked the man in front of him again, scribbling down some basic details on the form. Male, Caucasian, red hair, green eyes... "Your name, sir?"
"Dave Brown," the man replied. "That's D-A-V-E B-R-O-W-N."
Oh...right. Like I couldn't have figured that out. Jake noticed his own irritability right away, and tried to calm down. "All right, Mr. Brown...your address?"
"Oh. 8333 First Street. That's F-I-R--"
Jake tossed him a look of disgust, forgetting about reigning in his temper. "You know what? Bite me. That's B-I-T..."
Brown held his hands up, suddenly. "Geez, I'm sorry. Was I spelling everything again? I've got a five year old kid...guess I just get used to..."
Jake shook his head. "No...I'm sorry. Really. I've just been a little tense lately. You said that was First Street?"
"Yeah."
Gotta watch yourself...you'll never survive the day if you keep this up... Jake shook his head and finished filling in the pertinent information.
Since Dave Brown was the last of the patients in the waiting room for the time being (for which the triage nurse was eternally grateful), Jake wandered back down into the "core" of the emergency room to see what was going on.
Harold Capp had worked for a short time at Rampart General, and had been a friend of Kel's at Hopkins. He'd been in the neighborhood and decided to stop by...see if he could find out how things were going. He smiled, spotting Jake. "Jake!"
Jake turned, taking a moment to recognize the man, but finally placing him. "Dr. Capp?"
Capp assessed the young man in scrubs before him. "Following in your father's footsteps, I see."
Jake shrugged slightly, managing a weak smile. "I try."
"How is he, anyway?"
That was the last question Jake was prepared to answer. He bit his lip suddenly, looking for the nearest place to make a quick exit...but he had to answer the man. Jake let out a heavy sigh.
"I'm sorry," he choked out, trying to get this over with before he completely fell apart. "This just doesn't get any easier...Dad was killed two days ago in a car accident."
Capp shook his head. "I'm sorry to hear that. If there's anything I can do..."
"I know...thanks." Jake forced himself to take a deep breath. "I...could you excuse me just a minute?"
"Of course." Capp nodded, watching as Jake disappeared into the nearest empty treatment room.
Mike looked at Kate. "Maybe I should--"
Kate nodded. "You should. But give him a minute first."
******************
I miss you...
And I wish you were here with me
So we could laugh and talk again...
When Mike went in, Jake was stalking about the room, ready to throw anything not nailed down. Fortunately for damage control, the current object of his wrath was a pillow.
"Dammit! It's not fair!" The meeting with Capp had just reinforced the reality of his father's death. "Why'd this have to happen?!" He hit the pillow again with his fist before flinging it away. "Why?!"
Mike crossed over, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Jake..."
At the touch, Jake's fury lost its force. He tried to fight it, but a tear slipped down his cheek, followed quickly by another. Finally, he gave up and sank back onto the treatment table, crying. "I'm sorry...I..."
Mike moved in, putting an arm around him gently. "Jake...go home."
"I thought I could..."
"I know you did." Mike nodded sympathetically. "But you need some time to grieve...go on home. Everyone will understand."
"I miss him so much," Jake whispered, wiping away the tears.
"I know..." Mike nodded again. "It's okay...just get it out of your system..." He sighed. "We'll all miss him, believe me. Listen...I'm taking off for lunch in a couple of minutes. Why don't you let me drive you home?"
******************
November 1
“I do not believe him…I just don’t.” Liz Kenzington sighed, shaking her head. “Jake actually decided he was going to drag himself into the hospital yesterday…”
Her partner shrugged. “He probably just wants to keep busy.”
“That’s exactly what it is, you know…” Liz sighed, playing with her engagement ring for a moment. “I’m worried about him, Jen. He’s trying to keep it together for his mother and Sophie…but inside, he’s a complete wreck. It’ll come back on him someday…”
Jennifer sighed, finishing typing the last of her incident reports into the computer. “I know that it’s tough watching him do this to himself, but it’s just his way. He’s always been like this--you can’t really do much to change him now…”
“I know,” Liz allowed, a bit reluctantly. “I just…well, you’ve known him since you were kids. What do I do?”
“If I knew, I’d tell you. I guess the best thing is to just be there, and--” She was cut off by the station tones.
Liz stood up, heading for the vehicle. “They’re playing our song.”
“Yup,” Jennifer agreed. “That’s our job--they call, we haul.”
“Unknown medical…how helpful. Probably some drunk face down in his Fruit Loops.”
“It takes all kinds, Elizabeth.”
“Yeah-and why do we always get the nutty ones?”
“Because it takes a definite sense of humor to survive in this line of work.”
Liz chuckled slightly, shutting the door of the medic unit. “That’s the truth.”
******************
The way it all would end
The way it all would go...
Dixie was sitting on the edge of the couch, staring at a photo album. She kept flipping through the pictures, cherishing each one...remembering a much happier time. She didn't seem to be paying much attention to those surrounding her.
Kate sighed heavily, worried about her best friend. Rather than getting stronger as time went on, Dixie seemed to be slipping further into her depression. She recalled her conversation with Sophie earlier, before she and Jake had left for a few minutes to pick up a couple of things.
"I don't know, Kate...I'm worried. Really. I can’t lose her too. I know she wouldn't actively try to kill herself...but she doesn't sleep, she won’t eat unless I remind her...she's going to fall apart eventually..."
Johnny and Roy were there, too, not that they were able to help much. No one was anymore. At first, Dixie had wanted--needed--someone with her to hold her while she cried. Now nearly all her tears were gone and she was simply withdrawing.
"You want me to get you anything, Dix?" Johnny asked. The tension was really starting to get to him. He'd been scheduled to work that day, but he took the day off--he felt Dixie needed him, and he wanted to be there for her.
She shook her head. "No. Thanks...I'm fine."
No, you're not fine, Johnny wanted to tell her. You're falling apart. He hated watching it, especially since he couldn't seem to be able to do anything about it. Without Kel, Dixie seemed to have lost all interest in life. Johnny had known they'd loved each other...but he could never have guessed at how deeply that love ran. He sat next to her. "Well, just remember...we're here..."
Dixie nodded, her eyes falling upon the wedding ring on her hand. "I...I can't believe he's gone...and I haven't heard from the police, either! I need a body! I need a funeral...I need to say goodbye."
Roy put a hand on her shoulder. "I know, Dix--we all do."
"No! You can't know!" Dixie snapped. "This...this is hell! I've got to try to find some way to go on without him--and I don't know how to do it! He's...he was...the other part of me!"
They were a bit taken aback by her outburst...she'd been unnervingly quiet up until then.
She shook her head. "I...I'm sorry..."
"Don't be," Roy assured her. "You need to deal with your feelings...holding them back won't help."
"You sure sound like a counselor," Dixie sighed, looking away again.
The door opened in the living room, but they pretty much ignored it. It was probably the twins coming back in.
******************
Kelly Brackett got out of the taxi, frowning at all the cars in the driveway. At this time of day...in the middle of the week? It wasn't a time that Dixie would be throwing a party. He stepped inside, finding the living room empty.
That's odd... The living room was the usual gathering place; no one was in the kitchen either. Kel was beginning to worry as he headed back to the bedroom. It's so quiet in here...with so many people here...oh, God, what if something's happened to Dixie or the kids?! He quickened his pace.
The sight that met his eyes confirmed that something was horribly wrong. Dixie was sitting on the bed, her back to the door. From the way her shoulders shook, she appeared to be crying. Johnny was sitting next to her, seeming at a loss. Roy was on Dixie's other side; Kate was hovering nearby. They all looked shaken.
Oh, no...the twins... Kel felt his heart sink, remembering when he'd come back from a conference to find Sophie fighting for her life after a car accident. Her car was outside...but...so many other things could have happened...and it could have been Jake...
Once he'd come back to his senses for a moment, Kel realized Johnny had wandered away from Dixie's side and closer to the doorway Kel was standing in. Johnny was staring, his face a bit pale. His mouth was moving, but nothing was coming out.
Kel chuckled slightly. "What's wrong, John? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Johnny still stared, but finally found his voice. "I have!"
"What?" Kel was confused, stepping into the room. "What's wrong?"
Roy and Kate turned at the sound of his voice, both gaping as well.
Dixie's head raised, but she didn't turn. She could have sworn she'd heard Kel's voice...but it had to be her imagination. She tried to think of what he'd say next--what she longed to hear him say.
"Dix? Honey, what's wrong? Don't cry..."
That'll work. She forced herself to turn around, to prove to herself that it wasn't real. Her jaw dropped as she saw him in front of her.
"Kel?" Her voice was almost a squeak...she was amazed she could speak. "Is it...what're you doing here?"
"Last time I checked, I live here." Kel smiled at her, wiping away her tears. "What's wrong, Dix?"
"You were...I thought..." She was staring in utter amazement, her hands running over his face. "You're here..." She kept her eyes on him, as though fearing that he would disappear if she looked away. "You're real..."
"Well, of course I am, love. Who did you expect?"
"She...well, we...all of us..." Johnny stammered.
Roy jumped in to save them. "We thought you were dead."
"Thought I was what?!"
"The police...they brought me your wallet..." Dixie was clutching him for all she was worth. "You...they said you'd died in an accident..."
Kel suddenly understood. His expression softened from confusion to apology. "Oh, Dixie...I'm so sorry you had to go through that..." He held her for a moment. "My wallet was stolen...it's taken me a couple of days to get home. Didn't you get my messages?"
"There weren't any messages!" Dixie looked up, her teary eyes meeting his. "I must've checked the answering machine a thousand times..."
"I never got the answering machine," Kel replied. "I left them on the voice mail..."
"Oh, that old thing," Dixie sighed. "I never..." Her eyes widened. "I never thought to check--oh...oh, I guess it doesn't matter now. Thank God you're all right!" She pulled him back into a fierce hug.
Johnny slipped an arm around Kate, still shocked, but recovering. He was smiling widely--everyone in the room was. "Well, how 'bout that?"
Kate smiled up at him. "Looks like maybe your spirit friend was right after all."
"Puma has her moments." Johnny watched the Bracketts for another moment, enjoying the reunion.
Roy's grin widened. "Well, this is nothing I'd have expected today...but I wouldn't trade it for anything."
"Me either." Johnny shook his head.
"I may just never let you out of my sight again," Dixie whispered to Kel.
"I may just not argue," he replied, leaning forward to kiss her. The kiss quickly deepened, gaining passion by the second.
After about twenty of those seconds, Roy found himself checking his watch. He glanced to his side and noticed Johnny doing the same thing. Kate was looking around, pretending that her focus wasn't on the couple in front of them.
Another ten seconds passed, and the kiss didn't show any signs of letting up. Smiling, Roy looked over at Johnny and Kate. "Um...Johnny...weren't we going to get lunch...?"
Johnny looked back at his watch. "It's 4 PM!"
"A late lunch, then." Roy shrugged. "Let's go."
The trio slipped out, unnoticed by Kel and Dixie...who found no one more fascinating in the world than each other.
******************
Johnny smiled as Kate as he parked his pickup truck in a somewhat secluded park that they frequented. "Guess you can have a happy ending sometimes..."
"Yeah." She grinned as she reached for the radio, then stopped. "If I turn on this radio and that song is on..."
"Never know until you try," he teased. "Let's tempt fate."
Kate tossed her ponytail over one shoulder, shrugged, then flipped the radio on.
I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints...
Kate looked surprised for a moment, then burst into laughter. "'Only the Good Die Young'."
Gage's deep brown eyes sparkled with pure mischief as he turned to look at her. "Well, in that case, honey...we're gonna live forever."
She snuggled closer, as best was possible given their surroundings. "Might not be such a terrible prospect. So...you think the dreams are going to go away now, huh?"
"They should. Things seem to have quieted down. The rogue spirits usually get coralled in pretty quick." He leaned forward, kissing her lips gently--right as a thought occurred to him. "Hey, wait a minute. Shouldn't someone tell the twins that Kel's really alive?"
"Well..." Kate wasn't sure whether to smile at his thoughtfulness or frown in annoyance at the tender moment which had been broken. "Don't you think Kel and Dixie would take care of that?"
"Good point." Johnny nodded, then cupped her chin in his hand, drawing her face closer to his. "In that case...where were we?"
******************
A kiss.
Another, returned with slightly more passion than the first.
Another kiss.
A question that finally couldn't be ignored any longer. "How did you get home?"
"Hmm?" Kel murmured, running his fingers through Dixie's hair. They'd wandered into the living room to make a few phone calls, since the phone in the bedroom was acting up. However...they'd gotten somewhat distracted...
Dixie stole another kiss before she raised the question again. "How'd you get here?"
"A cab." Kel smiled and gazed at her, taking every feature in. He'd missed her, a lot.
"You took a cab from Michigan?"
"Oh...no...not from Michigan..." One more quick kiss, while he was at it. "From Colorado Boulevard. I shared a car with a guy...that was as far as he was going..."
Dixie let her curiousity get the better of her, but not before returning the last kiss. "Oh? Who was that?"
"Guy from Palm Springs...had an important meeting in Pasadena today...missed his flight...decided to drive it..." The sentence had been punctuated with Kel's quick kisses to her neck--one of the many spots he knew that really turned her on. "We met up...both needed to be here...shared a car..."
Dixie wondered if he knew just how crazy he was driving her--and suspected the answer was 'yes'. Not that she wanted him to stop. "I see...what about your wallet? The credit cards..."
Kel grinned as inspiration struck. He swept her up into his arms, carrying her to the couch. "I canceled the cards..." He laid her down gently. "I only had a couple of dollars cash left in the wallet--and some pictures I have doubles of...I figured I could report it from here if I had to...I just wanted to get home."
Dixie smiled and kissed him firmly on the lips, pulling him closer with one hand on the back of his neck. Her free hand started to open the buttons on his shirt. "I'm glad you're back."
Kel raised an eyebrow at her playfully. "If this is how you're going to welcome me home, I should leave more often!"
"Don't you dare." Dixie raised her shoulder to help Kel as he tried to get her shirt off of her. "Oh...God, the kids! Someone should tell them..."
"Relax." Kel smiled, kissing her again. "Johnny and Roy have probably taken care of that...or Kate..."
"Good point," Dixie replied, smiling in anticipation. "So where were we?"
******************
Jake frowned slightly, glancing over at his sister as he pulled his car up in front of their parents' townhouse. There had been several vehicles there earlier--now the only ones around were the ones that 'belonged' there. "Where'd everyone go?"
Sophie shrugged. "Maybe Mom finally chased them off. She's wanted to be alone a lot lately..."
"Yeah," Jake agreed. "I wish there were something more we could do for her..."
"I don't think there is, though," Sophie replied, "short of bringing Daddy back." Her voice trailed off as she paused for a moment next to Kel's Pathfinder. She glanced inside, to the items littering the front seat...the picture on the dashboard...small things, really, but they were pieces of her father, who he was. Her eyes filled with tears. "Oh, Jake...I miss him so much..."
Jake crossed over, pulling her into a hug. "I know you do. Everyone does." He held onto her for another moment, stroking her hair, then sighed softly. "C'mon, let's go inside."
Sophie nodded, and followed her brother in. She wasn't watching what he was doing, and narrowly avoided colliding with him when he stopped suddenly. She looked over at him curiously, and followed his stare to the couch. "Oh, my God! Daddy?! Mom?"
Kel and Dixie hadn't noticed the twins coming in before, but Sophie's voice startled them. Dixie looked up too quickly, and threw herself off balance. She tumbled gracelessly to the floor, quickly clutching the blanket to cover herself. She tossed a slightly sheepish grin to Sophie and Jake. "Hi."
Kel, meanwhile, was hanging onto what was left of the blanket, desperately trying to preserve what was left of his own diginity.
Jake was still staring. "Mom?! Dad?!" He ignored the soft 'thump' beside him.
"Yeah." Dixie smiled brightly. "Can you believe it? It was all a mistake! His wallet was stolen..."
Jake tuned out the rest of the explanation for a moment, sure he'd have a chance to hear it again later. He wasn't sure which he found more shocking--the fact that his father was still alive, the fact that he and Sophie had walked in to find their parents rather...intimately connected, or the fact that their mother seemed strangely unbothered by this. "Um...wow. This is...wow."
Kel chuckled slightly, more in a nervous sort of way, then glanced to his daughter. "Isn't anyone going to help her...?"
Jake suddenly realized that his sister had been far too quiet during this whole scene. He turned to look at her, and found her on the floor. She'd fainted--which, after some thought, Jake figured was probably the 'thump' he'd heard. He half-grinned. "Um...sorry, sis." He picked her up, lying her on the loveseat across the living room.
Sophie was just beginning to stir. "Hmm...what happened?" She looked around before anyone could explain. "Oh...I see..." She shook her head as if to clear it, and stood up. "Before anyone says anything--I'm just going to believe that the past few days have been some kind of horrible dream. None of it ever happened, as far as I'm concerned. I'm going to go upstairs...and when I come back, hopefully I'll find everyone fully clothed and resuming their customary roles. Thanks." Without another word, she turned and headed for the stairs.
Dixie and Kel exchanged a glance, smiling. Dixie shrugged. "I gotta admit, I kind of like the way she thinks." Well, except maybe the 'fully clothed' part.
Jake held up his hands in front of him. "I'll...uh...see if she needs any help up there...you two can, uh...well..." Not trusting himself any further with anything he might say, Jake made his own retreat.
Kel looked down at Dixie, grabbing the extra blanket that was near the couch. "We'll have to, uh, finish this some other time."
She stole a quick kiss before standing up, wrapping herself in the blanket she held. "Oh, definitely. Now come on. I think we've scared the kids enough for one day."
******************
The next day...
Mike Morton frowned in confusion as he approached the nurses' station. His head nurse was chatting with John Gage, and both appeared to be in a very good mood, as opposed to the funereal air that seemed to have settled over everyone the past few days. Even he was having trouble shaking it. He'd talked to Dixie for awhile the previous morning, but she had been inconsolable--not that it surprised him.
Kate laughed, leaning across the counter to kiss Johnny's cheek. "Oh, you. I'd better get back to my paperwork."
John raised an eyebrow, baiting her. "Admit it, Katie-bear. You just don't love me anymore."
She laughed. "Believe me, if that was the case, Angel, you'd know. I'll see you tonight."
"Count on it." Johnny kissed her cheek and left.
Kate turned to grin at Mike as he came closer. "It's a friendly world--don't you think so, Michael?" She loved every opportunity to tease him. Rule Number One of the ER, she thought. Sanity is maintained by harassing one's coworkers as much as possible...
Friendly, my ass. Morton just shook his head, amazed by her suddenly cheerful mood. "Well, Kate, it seems you've discovered Prozac in the handy patch form--now where can I find some?"
Kate shrugged, trying to hide a grin. "Prozac--who needs Prozac? I'm doing just fine without the one-eyed happy pill." She took in his confused expression, and suddenly figured things out. "Wait a minute...you don't know, do you?"
"Know what?"
This time, she couldn't have hid the smile if she'd tried. "Kel's alive."
"He's what?" Mike seemed hopeful, but wary to believe.
"Yeah--it's amazing, huh? His wallet was stolen. Apparently, it was the guy who stole his wallet who bit the dust."
"Wow, that's...that's incredible," Mike said after a moment. "You're sure it's true?"
"Saw him myself." Kate laughed. "Of course, shortly after, we found it in our best interests to...um, leave...considering..."
Mike held up his hands. "I don't need any more details, thanks."
"TMI?"
"Definitely," he replied. 'TMI' (Too Much Information) was a common acronym around the emergency room--brought into common usage by a resident several years before, who had asked a simple question of a patient and learned far too much in the answer.
Kate nodded. "Okay, point taken." She heard footsteps coming down the hall. Normally, it was a sound she'd trained herself to ignore, but the voices accompanying the footsteps caused her to look up. "Hey, Mike, you want proof? There you are."
Mike glanced down the hall, and broke into a grin and Kel Brackett walked up to the desk, one arm around his wife's waist. "Kel!"
"Hi, Mike." Kel smiled.
"You don't know how good it is to see you..." Mike began, shaking his head slowly.
Kel laughed softly. "It would seem that reports of my death have been premature."
"Fortunately," Dixie interjected.
Kel pulled her closer.
In the short silence that followed, the paramedic radio crackled to life, as a patient in a room down the hall started screaming that he "wouldn't answer no questions" until he'd talked to his lawyer. A frazzled student nurse was arguing with a patient who insisted on tapping the tubing of her stethoscope as she tried to get a blood pressure reading, and two EMTs had to leave the treatment room before they started cracking up at their teenage patient's explanation of how she'd gotten herself into that particular predicament. Kate half-shrugged as she turned to answer the radio, tossing a "you-know-how-it-is" expression to the couple in front of them. "Just another day in paradise."
They knew how it was, indeed. Dixie shook her head in amusement as she and Kel walked outside together. "There are days I actually miss it, you know..."
"Enough to go back?" Kel teased.
"Hardly." Dixie laughed. "I rather enjoy having you all to myself."
"Well then, lady." Kel raised an eyebrow, then kissed her forehead quickly. "Let's go home."
The world is such a wonderful place to wander through
When you've got someone you love to wander along with you.
The End
