courage I had to speak his name. "Noah." I didn't want him to react. I didn't want it to be true. This couldn't possibly be him.
His breathing paused for a moment. He blinked once then returned to his previous state. It was definitely a reaction, but I wasn't sure exactly what it was a reaction to.
"Noah, it's Adelaide." Again he paused. I thought I saw activity behind his eyes as though he was processing the information, but it had no impact and his breathing pattern reverted to its first state. My voice was a little more urgent, "It's Addy, Noah."
Once more he paused. When he began breathing again though, the breaths were more accelerated. His eyes moved around but still seemed unfocused. He was thinking. It was clear, he was thinking about something. "Addy." He didn't look at me. "Addy?" His breathing paused again. A pained look covered his face and he slowly turned his head to look at me.
I wanted to cry, and I wasn't sure if it was due to joy or pain. "Yes, it's me, Addy." I tried to look kind and smile, but I was sure I was failing.
"Addy." he said again. He looked more intently at me, like he was trying to see something in my face. "Why are you familiar?" He looked me up and down then focused on my face again.
"Because we're friends. We've been friends for five years."
His expression changed to one of distrust. "An impossibility."
"Well, I mean, we were friends. Many years ago." From his point of view it would've been.
He looked me over again. "You are far too young to be a friend of mine. And you certainly are not from Salem." His gaze wandered around the room. "What is this place? I wish to return to my home."
"Noah, this is your home."
He stood up from his chair and yelled, "My name is not Noah!"
I could almost hear the gasp I tried to subdue echoed in the other room by Jim. This was Noah. There was no doubt about that in my mind any more. But it seemed like trying to convince him of that was a pointless cause. Instead I thought I'd play along for now. "Then who are you?"
His breathing was still heavy with anger. "My name is Doctor Montgomery Welsher. And I demand that you return me to my home."
My brain tried to grasp this new information. Montgomery Welsher was the name Noah used on missions. It was the same as the gardener's. He used it because it was familiar to him and for most missions he'd been on, time period appropriate. I couldn't think of anything else to say and hoped my legs would hold out as I stood up from the chair. I wanted to stay on his good side at least. "I'll see what I can do."
Jim was waiting outside the door. "We need more information. How did he get here? What does he remember? What has he been doing these past seventy-two years? We need a general timeline of his life to get an idea for where things went wrong."
I flattened my hand against the wall for support. My head was spinning. How could Noah have forgotten who he really was? "Jim, I need a minute."
"Of course." He put his arm around my shoulders and led me to a bench a little ways down the hall. He produced a glass of water from thin air and handed it to me. I tried to steady my breathing and drink the water. "You realize you're the best person for this task."
I nodded. From what I had seen, I was the only person Noah had spoken anything coherent to so far.
"We have to be better informed before we can decide what to do next," Jim said.
I nodded again.
"Find out what he remembers."
I finished my water and handed the glass back to Jim before rising and going back to the door. The guard opened it and I took a deep breath before going in again.
Noah had been rocking in his chair with his arms wrapped around him. When I entered the room his rocking paused, but he kept his arms wrapped around himself. He looked at my warily. "Are you going to send me home?"
"It's not my decision." I sat down in the chair at the table again
His breathing paused for a moment. He blinked once then returned to his previous state. It was definitely a reaction, but I wasn't sure exactly what it was a reaction to.
"Noah, it's Adelaide." Again he paused. I thought I saw activity behind his eyes as though he was processing the information, but it had no impact and his breathing pattern reverted to its first state. My voice was a little more urgent, "It's Addy, Noah."
Once more he paused. When he began breathing again though, the breaths were more accelerated. His eyes moved around but still seemed unfocused. He was thinking. It was clear, he was thinking about something. "Addy." He didn't look at me. "Addy?" His breathing paused again. A pained look covered his face and he slowly turned his head to look at me.
I wanted to cry, and I wasn't sure if it was due to joy or pain. "Yes, it's me, Addy." I tried to look kind and smile, but I was sure I was failing.
"Addy." he said again. He looked more intently at me, like he was trying to see something in my face. "Why are you familiar?" He looked me up and down then focused on my face again.
"Because we're friends. We've been friends for five years."
His expression changed to one of distrust. "An impossibility."
"Well, I mean, we were friends. Many years ago." From his point of view it would've been.
He looked me over again. "You are far too young to be a friend of mine. And you certainly are not from Salem." His gaze wandered around the room. "What is this place? I wish to return to my home."
"Noah, this is your home."
He stood up from his chair and yelled, "My name is not Noah!"
I could almost hear the gasp I tried to subdue echoed in the other room by Jim. This was Noah. There was no doubt about that in my mind any more. But it seemed like trying to convince him of that was a pointless cause. Instead I thought I'd play along for now. "Then who are you?"
His breathing was still heavy with anger. "My name is Doctor Montgomery Welsher. And I demand that you return me to my home."
My brain tried to grasp this new information. Montgomery Welsher was the name Noah used on missions. It was the same as the gardener's. He used it because it was familiar to him and for most missions he'd been on, time period appropriate. I couldn't think of anything else to say and hoped my legs would hold out as I stood up from the chair. I wanted to stay on his good side at least. "I'll see what I can do."
Jim was waiting outside the door. "We need more information. How did he get here? What does he remember? What has he been doing these past seventy-two years? We need a general timeline of his life to get an idea for where things went wrong."
I flattened my hand against the wall for support. My head was spinning. How could Noah have forgotten who he really was? "Jim, I need a minute."
"Of course." He put his arm around my shoulders and led me to a bench a little ways down the hall. He produced a glass of water from thin air and handed it to me. I tried to steady my breathing and drink the water. "You realize you're the best person for this task."
I nodded. From what I had seen, I was the only person Noah had spoken anything coherent to so far.
"We have to be better informed before we can decide what to do next," Jim said.
I nodded again.
"Find out what he remembers."
I finished my water and handed the glass back to Jim before rising and going back to the door. The guard opened it and I took a deep breath before going in again.
Noah had been rocking in his chair with his arms wrapped around him. When I entered the room his rocking paused, but he kept his arms wrapped around himself. He looked at my warily. "Are you going to send me home?"
"It's not my decision." I sat down in the chair at the table again
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