Just a mini post, NOT part of the story, but wanted to post to keep everyone in the loop that I am planning on continuing the story soon. I just need to read it again myself. Come by and check out the new layout.

-Cathie

Continued...


Speculation ran wild about the young girl who'd been seen thrashing about in the hallway for well over 2 weeks after the event. It was primarily thought to be believed that she was a mental patient. Everyone knew that the hospital wasn't just for pregnant young girls who all claimed to have conceived by immaculate means. No one talked about who the other people there were, though. Sahirah knew some were mental patients just by talking to other girls, and she figured, after seeing the young girl 2 weeks previous, that they were all wards of the state.

The windows were repaired within the first 24 hours after the incident. Nothing was explained to anyone, but instead it was totally ignored as though it had never happened.

Continued...
Sorry this took so long...


The medication that had been pumped into Shahirah was still working its magic. If she dreampt that night, she had no recolection...which was just what she wanted. She woke to the smell of bacon and orange juice, and the flash of light that came streaming into her room through the curtains as they were thrown open. Jan perched on the edge of Sahirah's bed, eager to hear what kind of dreams she'd had or even if she had had one. Sahirah confirmed that she didn't and pushed her food around on the plate, then slid out from under her covers and crossed off a few days from her calander.

"At least this month isn't a full month, right?" Jan said, as she looked at the February page that Sahirah was marking dates off, on.

"Yeah...only about 3 and a half months left to go."

"D-Day..." Jan quiped.

"D-Day." Sahirah repeated. The sound of breaking glass caught their attention.

In the cooridore at the end of their hall a girl was weilding a chair and smashing it into the glass doors while screaming. Blood was dripping down from her hands and wrists, and 4 men in white were clamoring to contain her, without hurting her further, or being hurt themselves. Sahirah and Jan watched in horror as the girl managed to fling the chair like it was nothing at one of the guards, who ended up being thrown, himself, back against a wall with the force of the hit. The girl couldn't be more than 12, long straggly blond hair, in a white tank top and white capri pants. The blood had stained them in patches. Everyone was staring out their doors to see what the comotion was.

One of the men went in to grab the girl now that she no longer had the chair. She was punching at the glass trying to smash through the metal mesh that run all through it. The instant the man laid his hands upon the girl, she turned on him and began her smashing as though he were the door. In moments the man was curled up on the floor, nose broken and bleeding, and probably his jaw. This gave the last 2 men the time to seize her arms. She screamed, enraged like a berserker, kicking and flailing like she were on death row and this was her last chance to escape. The 2 grown men were struggling to haul the child away from the broken glass, shouting for a nurse or a doctor, which was apparently not coming fast enough.

The man who'd been assaulted by the chair came-to and went to the aide of the 2 who were barely managing. Sahirah and jan clung to their door and door frame, jaws dropped. The young girl didn't appear pregnant.

"Do you know her?" Jan asked Sahirah.

"No...she must be from another ward..."

At that moment, the lights in the building went out and the red flashing lights that lined the halls flipped on. The speaker system came on, telling everyone to return to their rooms and to lock their doors until further notice. This seemed to enrage the child who was beginning to sob with her struggles. Shaking, Jan and Sahirah did as the announcement said, locking their doors, and themselves in. Sahirah pulled her robe on while Jan slinked over to the couch and slid down onto it. Sahirah sat beside her and they listened to the pleading child as her voice tapered off and finally went silent.

To Be Continued...

Continued...

Amy and Mark had decided to stay in a local motel. Since the bus ride was long, and they'd only bought one way tickets, not knowing how long they'd be, it made more sense. Anyway, a snowstorm had hit and was dumping snow over their area. A 12 car pile-up had been reported on the news. Sahirah stood at the payphones, watching the whiteout snow as she talked to Jamie.

"Mark wouldn't cheat on you, Sahirah. That guy's obsessed about you."

"I know but it still makes me paranoid."

"I'll tell you the one you gotta look out for...Amy."

"Why? She's my best friend." She felt a little deffensive and could already hear herself repeating all of this back to Amy.

"Jasmine's boyfriend, Blake, I guess Amy and him were flirting a shit-load in the lunch line. Amy was all laughing, and Blake just kept on with it. When Jasmine found out, she was so pissed, but Blake assured her nothing happened."

"I'm sure he was just telling a joke or something."

"Have you heard Blake ever tell a joke? You're lucky if he cracks a smile when someone stuffs Benny in a locker." Jamie snickered.

"Jamie, he doesn't laugh at that because it isn't very funny..."

"Whatever, my point is that Amy was putting the moves on him. And she's been hangin' out a lot with Mark. Haven't you noticed the new way Mark's been dressing?"

Sahirah had to stop and think a moment. His usual dress included kahkis, a t-shirt, and a button up that hung open over the t-shirt. He was wearing jeans today when he visited, and a sweater over a turtleneck...wich he hated usually.

"That doesn't prove anything." The phone beeped. "Hey I gotta go. Keep a listen for anything going around would you? Especially when it comes to Crystal and Mark."

"Sure. See you soon."

They said good-bye and both hung up. Jan stood waiting to hear what was going on with baited breath. Sahirah related all of the information to her, and for now, decided that she wouldn't tell Amy, even though she wanted to originally. If Amy was messing around with Mark or vice versa, she wanted to know. And if she told Amy now, she may never know. She climbed into bed, rubbing the needle site with the bandaid over it. It was already starting to bruise. She was beginning to feel scared that this pregnancy might have a lot of complications. Slowly she felt herself drifting off into sleep. Hoping it would be dreamless.

To Be Continued...

Continued...

That night, as Sahirah lay in the bed reading through a magazine slowly, her door opened and in walked both Mark and Amy. Sahirah set the magazine down and tried to sit up but her body was like lead.

"Don't try to sit up, just relax." Mark said as he sat on the edge near her.

"How'd you guys find out?" Sahirah asked.

"I got a phone call and called Amy. We can't stay more than 2 days so we'll need to go back tomorrow, but I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Sahirah nodded gently. Amy sat in a chair, setting her bag underneath. She didn't want to interrupt but she desperately needed to talk to Sahirah. School had been strange the last few days. Sahirah had been in this hospital for Thanksgiving, and she wanted to go home for Christmas...Amy knew that she wouldn't able to get home though, and that's why the rumors were being spread...or rather why there were rumors. When she felt there was a decent break in their conversation, Amy told Mark to go get food, and closed the door behind him when he left.

"Sahirah, there's some stuff being said at school. I think Crysta Baldwin is spreading it but I don't know. I'm a little out of the loop without you around. You generally found out everything and then told me, or ..."

"Amy..."

"Right. Crysta's spreading the rumor that she and Mark have been having an affair...now I didn't see anything and can't find anyone who did, but I thought you should know that that's being said."

Sahirah just sat there. Amy kept expecting the big bang or something, but nothing...Sahirah mulled this information over in her mind. On the one hand, she couldn't imagine that such a thing could be true. On the other hand, Mark had accused her of cheating on him and this could be some sort of twisted pay back. But then again...it could very well just be a rumor. Finally she sighed.

"Amy, I'm too sick to deal with it right now. I don't think it's true anyway. But after you guys go home, make sure you tell me everything."

She finished in time for Mark to knock and come in with a tray of food. Amy helped clear the bedside table to put the tray on.

"I don't think I can eat." Sahirah insisted.

"You need to. The nurse outside told me to try to get you to eat." Mark replied.

Fortunately, it wasn't the average hospital food. Sahirah was glad of that at least. She'd been in the hospital before...same dry chicken...same runny oatmeal or gritz...same nasty undercooked eggs. This was pancakes with butter and syrup, 2 slices of bacon which had the grease blotted off, a tall glass of orange juice...no pulp...and a short glass of ice cold milk. It all sounded good to her but she she just wasn't in the mood to eat. Still...she managed to eat one pancake, a piece of the bacon, and drank most of the juice, leaving most of the milk.

That day went by fast for Sahirah. After she'd eaten she had recovered some of her strength and by night, she'd eaten a nearly normal dinner and was up and around. She still had to report back to the hospital wing for tests. The virus that had attacked so quick, had left the same way...there was virtually no trace of it in her blood by that night. She was thankful...no more needle pricks and the IV could come out. Jan was being monitored for signs of infection but so far, nothing. She was welcomed back into her suite by Jan that evening, along with Amy and Mark. Sahirah couldn't shake the feeling though that the dream had left with her. And she was being botherred by Amy's words about Mark. She decided that when they left, she would call Jamie from her squad and ask if she'd seen or heard anything. Jamie knew Crystal more than Sahirah did. If anyone would know, she might.

To Be Continued...

Continued...

* * *

Mark thanks Jan for the information and hung up the phone, throwing together a duffel bag of clothes. He picked up the cordless and dialed Sahirah's mother to let her know what was going on, then went downstairs to find his own mom. She was sitting amidst a group of planners. She never worked...but on occassion, she would have contractors over and they would go over blue prints and various plans, awaiting her approval. Not such a bad job. He waited a few moments until he felt he could interrupt and then broke in, telling his mother that he had to get up to Havenridge to see Sahirah. His mother called the bus station, appologizing to the contractors, and put a ticket on her charge card.

Sahirah's mother pulled up into the driveway and honked her horn, waiting for Mark. It would be a long bus ride, but at least he'd have company. He'd called Amy to tell her what was going on and she had trushed to get things together to go. Mark climbed into the warm car, tapping the snow off his shoes before putting his feet in, and they headed for Amy's house.

When they arrived, Amy was out on her front porch, sort of jogging in place to keep warm. She ran up to the car, threw her backpack in and slid into the back seat. By then the car was really nice and warm, and against the dry cold air, it was very welcoming to numb fingers and cold wet toes.

"Did they say what was wrong?" Amy asked as they were driving.

"Just that she's sick and has a high fever. She was hallucinating from it." Mark replied.

"That doesn't sound too good."

"It's not. A high fever can cause serious problems for her and for the twins. I hope she's all right. You two will have to call me and let me know. I can't come up there because of work." Sahirah's mother was visibly scared for her daughter's life.

* * *

Sahirah rolled her head to the side, opening her eyes to the sound of a beeping machine. She laid there and watched the green line bouncing in rhythm. Another machine caught her attention and she could hear two fast beating sounds, like race horses. She realized, slowly that she had on an elastic belt with monitors on her stomach to keep track of her babies' heat rates. How she'd gotten there, she couldn't figure. She remembered the burse coming into her room and being sat in the wheelchair. They had taken her into that old corridore; the medical wing. But shortly after that, things went fuzzy and then she woke up. She tried to sit up but a nurse had noticed that she was awake and hurried in.

"Don't sit up Darlin'. You're hooked up to gizmos and gadgets and we wouldn't want to disturb them just yet."

"What happened?" Her voice was dry and parched sounding.

"You have some kind of infection or virus. We're not sure yet but they're working on it." She put a thermometer to her ear and it beeped when she was through. "Here," the nurse handed her a glass of ice water. "Drink some water. Your fever's gone down to about 101 degrees now. It was a lot higher though. Have you been in any contact with sick people recently?"

"No. Not that I can think of. How long did I sleep for?"

"About 6 and a half hours. We put in an IV so you didn't dehydrate. Your babies' heart rates have been steadily improving as your temp's dropped."

"Will they be okay?"

"Probably. Why don't you try to rest for a few more hours. You look like you could nod off any minute."

Sahirah nodded her head. She was exausted and her whole body felt heavy to move. Her eyes were itchy and dry, making them hard to keep open. She laid her head back down on the pillow and quickly drifted back off into sleep.

To Be Continued...

Continued...

The call to Mark took about $4 in change and the word at the hospital got around quick that she was expecting a boy and girl. Mark was thrilled though Sahirah knew that he still harbored reserved feelings about the whole situation. Johnathan Michael Bendel...Sahirah decided not to argue with Mark about the name. She didn't mind Johnathan but the middle name didn't seem to fit. Keona Lelia Bendel...she'd chosen the girl's name...if he got to have Michael, she got Lelia. She always loved the name Keona Lelia. It seemed so...poetic. She hung up, sadly out of change to feed the hungry phone, and headed back to her room. She was tired again. She couldn't shake it.

Jan was sitting at a laptop computer, that she'd received in the mail from her father, when Sahirah walked in. She all but collapsed onto the couch. It had been about 4 hours since the ultrasound and she was exausted from the lengthy phone conversation. Her shoulders were hurting too. Jan looked up when she saw Sahirah rubbing them.

"You feeling okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, just tired and achy. New computer?"

"My dad sent me it. I was hoping to be able to hook up to the internet...cruise around online and find out information about pregnancy and stuff. Plus I'm seriously missing my books. I've got nothing to read here."

"I've only used the internet at school."

"I practically lived online. I've been going through withdrawl from it lately. You know, you're kinda pale."

"I have a headache. I've been tired and my shoulders are hurting."

"Sounds like you're coming down with something. Might want to go get checked out."

"I think I'll take a nap first." She got up and headed into her room, laid down, and drifted into sleep.

Sahirah looked around at her surroundings, not knowing how she got there. She was sitting on a patch of soft green grass on the shore of a cold clear pond. A small waterfall fell into it, feeding the bitterness and chilling the bone when felt. From out of the water popped a young girl with long black hair. She climbed out of the water, grabbed up a towel and plopped down beside Sahirah, chatting away about how cold she was, shiverring the entire time. Sahirah felt numb and felt the words tumble out of her mouth.

"You'll warm up soon. Just keep the towel around you and drink some warm cocoa." She handed the girl a cup of freshly poured cocoa.

Sahirah watched the, perhaps, 12 year-old girl as she drank from the cup. She then realized that it was Keona. This was the same girl from one of her previous dreams, only a little older. The girl set the cup down carefully, as Sahirah realized all of this and looked at her.

"Yes, I am." Keona smiled, and suddenly everything in the dream world was no longer part of that frail dream reality. "I wanted to meet you now...to see what you were like. We didn't have much time last time."

"You mean in the park?" Sahirah was confused.

"Yeah. Johnathan was picking on me...I was too young at the time anyway, and you had company."

"I don't know who he was."

"A messenger of sorts. Not someone to worry about."

"Need I worry about anyone?"

"I don't know." Keona relied as any 12 year-old might.

Sahirah had forgotten that she was so young. The people in her dreams were never what they seemed. She looked around for Johnathan.

"He's not here right now. Just us. I got away for a while."

"Got away?"

"Nevermind. I really don't have much time left. You need to go get help...you're sick. If you don't, we'll die."

Could she have been more blunt? A shock ran through Sahirah at these words. What did she mean "...we'll die."?? Sick? She didn't feel sick...

"You're forgetting how you feel in the world when you're awake. Here..." She dumped the cocoa from her cup out and rinsed it in the water, then refilled the cup with the cold water. "Drink this. You have a fever."

Sahirah took the small cup from Keona and put it to her lips and sipped. It was icy cold and immediately she could feel its effects taking over her body.

"What will happen now?" She asked.

"You'll wake up. But listen, don't trust anything my brother says to you. He'll try to tell you things that aren't true..." Keona's words droned out and were replaced by Jan's.

"Sahirah...you're sweating...wake up. You need to go to the doc." Jan was blotting at Sahirah's forhead with a cloth.

When she opened her eyes, they burned. She could feel the fire in them, and felt the heavieness of her limbs. Slowly she rolled out of bed. Jan helped to steady her and then buzzed the nurse. Sahirah wanted to crawl back into bed.

"Keona said I could die..." Sahirah murmured.

"You're halucinating Sweetie just rest okay?" Jan was hurrying around getting the door open for the nurse.

She finally relaxed when the nurse took Sahirah away in one of those wheelchairs.

To Be Continued...