turned to me and winked before walking out the front door.
Brand calmly closed the door and stood there for a moment, staring down at the doorknob still gripped in his hand.
“What did he say to you?” I asked, worried now by Brand’s continued silence.
My question seemed to break his trance, and he finally looked at me.
“I’d rather not say, if that’s ok with you. He’s just jealous.”
Brand came to me like a broken man and hugged me close. I wasn’t sure what was wrong. I did the only thing I could think of to make him feel better.
“I love you,” I said, hugging him as tightly as I could.
He pulled away from me just enough to look at my face, as if searching my eyes, almost expecting to see some doubt of my feelings for him there.
“I know,” he whispered. “I love you, too.”
“Then stop looking so sad.” I cupped his face in both my hands, bringing his lips down to mine. It was the only prodding Brand needed in order to find his way back to where we left off before Malcolm’s interruption.
We spent the rest of the night at Brand’s house.
While I was taking my bath the next morning, I wondered where Will and Tara had phased to the night before. I could only assume Will had spent the night helping Tara forget about Simon. I was curious to know where he had taken her, though. When I stepped out of the shower and toweled off, the steam in the room was making it hard for me to see. I went to the small window by the vanity and opened it.
It was a beautiful late September day. The sun danced across the surface of the calm lake waters. The sweet sound of birds singing wafted through the window as a gentle breeze off the lake helped dissipate the steam in the room. It was an almost perfect morning. I quickly changed into the clothes I’d brought into the bathroom with me, and set about drying my hair with my towel.
The buzzing of a bee next to my ear first alerted me to its presence. As it flew past my face, I saw it was a yellow jacket. I swatted at it, trying to get it to go back out the window, but it nimbly avoided my hand. Before I knew it, the bee stung me on the side of my neck and promptly flew out the window. I looked in the mirror to see how bad the sting was. I could see the puffy red spot where it stung me, and watched in horror as it bulged into a large black polyp that soon disappeared as if it had been completely absorbed by my body. Once it was gone, you couldn’t see any indication that I had been stung at all.
I felt the first effects almost immediately. My vision blurred and my head felt like it was about to explode off my shoulders. The last thing I remembered was hitting my head against the tub as I fell unconscious.
Nothing made sense after that. I felt completely paralyzed. I couldn’t hear, see, or feel anything around me. I had no concept of time. It felt like I was locked inside a dream with no way to wake up. I wanted to cry, but couldn’t even find a way to do that.
After a long, long time, I finally saw Malcolm appear to me. He stood out like a beacon in the darkness of my mind. I wanted to run to him and ask him what was going on, but knew I didn’t actually have a physical form to do such a thing with.
“Lilly?” he asked. “Are you here?”
I wanted to yell to him that I was here and to keep talking to me, but I couldn’t.
“Listen, I’m not even sure this is working, but I had to try. We have you in the hospital. You’re in a coma.”
A coma?
“Dearest, try to tell me what happened. I pray you can see me now. I’m trying to share a dream with you. Honestly, I feel a bit stupid at the moment, but I had to try something. We can’t figure out what’s wrong with you. Brand found you lying on the floor of his bathroom a few days ago.” The look of anguish on Malcolm’s face told me that the situation was worse than I could have imagined. “The doctors here say you only have a few more days to live if they can’t find out what’s wrong.
Brand calmly closed the door and stood there for a moment, staring down at the doorknob still gripped in his hand.
“What did he say to you?” I asked, worried now by Brand’s continued silence.
My question seemed to break his trance, and he finally looked at me.
“I’d rather not say, if that’s ok with you. He’s just jealous.”
Brand came to me like a broken man and hugged me close. I wasn’t sure what was wrong. I did the only thing I could think of to make him feel better.
“I love you,” I said, hugging him as tightly as I could.
He pulled away from me just enough to look at my face, as if searching my eyes, almost expecting to see some doubt of my feelings for him there.
“I know,” he whispered. “I love you, too.”
“Then stop looking so sad.” I cupped his face in both my hands, bringing his lips down to mine. It was the only prodding Brand needed in order to find his way back to where we left off before Malcolm’s interruption.
We spent the rest of the night at Brand’s house.
While I was taking my bath the next morning, I wondered where Will and Tara had phased to the night before. I could only assume Will had spent the night helping Tara forget about Simon. I was curious to know where he had taken her, though. When I stepped out of the shower and toweled off, the steam in the room was making it hard for me to see. I went to the small window by the vanity and opened it.
It was a beautiful late September day. The sun danced across the surface of the calm lake waters. The sweet sound of birds singing wafted through the window as a gentle breeze off the lake helped dissipate the steam in the room. It was an almost perfect morning. I quickly changed into the clothes I’d brought into the bathroom with me, and set about drying my hair with my towel.
The buzzing of a bee next to my ear first alerted me to its presence. As it flew past my face, I saw it was a yellow jacket. I swatted at it, trying to get it to go back out the window, but it nimbly avoided my hand. Before I knew it, the bee stung me on the side of my neck and promptly flew out the window. I looked in the mirror to see how bad the sting was. I could see the puffy red spot where it stung me, and watched in horror as it bulged into a large black polyp that soon disappeared as if it had been completely absorbed by my body. Once it was gone, you couldn’t see any indication that I had been stung at all.
I felt the first effects almost immediately. My vision blurred and my head felt like it was about to explode off my shoulders. The last thing I remembered was hitting my head against the tub as I fell unconscious.
Nothing made sense after that. I felt completely paralyzed. I couldn’t hear, see, or feel anything around me. I had no concept of time. It felt like I was locked inside a dream with no way to wake up. I wanted to cry, but couldn’t even find a way to do that.
After a long, long time, I finally saw Malcolm appear to me. He stood out like a beacon in the darkness of my mind. I wanted to run to him and ask him what was going on, but knew I didn’t actually have a physical form to do such a thing with.
“Lilly?” he asked. “Are you here?”
I wanted to yell to him that I was here and to keep talking to me, but I couldn’t.
“Listen, I’m not even sure this is working, but I had to try. We have you in the hospital. You’re in a coma.”
A coma?
“Dearest, try to tell me what happened. I pray you can see me now. I’m trying to share a dream with you. Honestly, I feel a bit stupid at the moment, but I had to try something. We can’t figure out what’s wrong with you. Brand found you lying on the floor of his bathroom a few days ago.” The look of anguish on Malcolm’s face told me that the situation was worse than I could have imagined. “The doctors here say you only have a few more days to live if they can’t find out what’s wrong.
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