Chapter 5

Gale hit the road two hours earlier from his original schedule. All because he couldn't stop thinking about the dream he had last night. He was scared but also curious. He never had such dreams before. It was always him and him alone; talking to himself, talking about Ava Shelley and how he was desperately in love with her.

Last night, it was different. He saw a woman. He heard a voice. And he can't forget about them.

How slender the woman's figure;

How melodious her voice.

It drives him crazy.

He jerked out of his reverie when he heard his phone ringing. He slowed down the car and look at the caller while still focusing on the road.

Incoming Call Finn Wade…

Gale took a deep breath and released it before answering.

"Hey, what's up?" Gale said as nonchalantly as possible. He smashed the loudspeaker icon and placed the phone onto the phone holder.

"Hey. Where are you? I'm in front of your apartment." Finn said, his tone confused.

"Oh shit. Sorry, Finn! I forgot you'd bring me breakfast. I'm on my way to Golden already." Gale explained guiltily.

"What?! Why? Is something the matter? Did you have any breakfast yet?" Finn asked, perplexed. Worry etched in his voice.

"Nothing. Everything is fine. And yes, I had bread and coffee." Gale tried to assure Finn but his voice betrayed him. He sounded dejected.

"No, you are not. I can hear it in your voice. You said you'd go at nine, now is only eight o'clock." Finn pressed, clearly annoyed with the situation.

"I'm sorry, Finn." Gale sighed. "It's just... I..."

"Gale, I'm not forcing you to tell me what's on your mind. But you do know I will gladly listen to whatever that's bothering you.” His voice was annoyed but he also sounds concerned then he paused. “Now I have to eat all of these by myself. Damn you, Blackwell! You certainly want to ruin my diet."

It made Gale snorts at how Finn change so fast from being seriously worried and sympathetic to being irritating in a matter of seconds.

"You don't have to worry about your diet. Your body is always in a good shape." Gale commented.

"Don't pretend you didn't hear what I said before I mentioned about my diet," Finn interjected.

"I know, I know!" Gale answered hastily. "I was woken up at four because I had a dream."

A pause from the other side of the line. "Okay, and?" Finn asked attentively.

"I couldn't go back to sleep."

"Yes. That's not new, you told me about it. So, was this dream about Ava Shelley?"

"Yes."

"What happened in that dream? I sense there's something more to it than the previous dreams because you seem..."

Before Finn could finish talking, Gale cut him off. "I saw her."

"Come again?" Finn asked in disbelief.

"I said I saw her! I heard her!" Gale exclaimed inside of his car.

1... Silence.

2... Silence.

3... Silence.

4...

"GALE BLACKWELL! THIS IS HUGE! What did she look like? How did her voice sound like? You have to remember them, so it'll be easier for you to find her. Tell me all the details! Her colouring, her face shape, her body shape. Everything! So, I can-"

"Stop, stop, stop! Wade, slow down!" Gale interrupted Finn's rumbling. Gale look around the street and decided to pull over because he certainly can't focus on driving while talking about this. "Hold on. Let me pull over."

"Sorry, I'm just so excited for you! I didn’t mean to be nosy." Finn's voice sounds so bright.

Excited? Finn is excited because of this?

What Gale felt when he woke up from that dream was anything but. it was dominated with trepidation. It made him uncomfortable to the point that he got a panic attack. He even vomited after his simple breakfast in which Finn doesn’t have to know. How could Finn feel excited about this? This is terrifying for Gale.

He sighed loudly as he turned off the ignition.

"Whoa... I think our feelings are not mutual?" Finn asked questioningly, definitely heard the sigh.

"No," Gale answered curtly.

"What's wrong, Gale?"

Gale didn't answer right away. He gnawed at his bottom lip while looking blankly at his steering wheel. He hesitates. It doesn't feel right to share this dream. He had shared his previous dreams with Finn since June. They had talked about what happened in those dreams which were always the same thing with different scenarios. Gale talked to himself and said that he's in love with Ava Shelley.

This dream, though. This isn't like anything he ever had. It felt so intimate. It's...

"Vivid." Gale suddenly chimed after a long silence. "The dream was so vivid. But at the same time, it felt surreal. It almost felt like it wasn't a dream. It was like..."

A memory? Gale finished his sentence inside his head.

It does feel like a memory. But was it a real memory? Was his brain made it up to feed his curiosity of Ava Shelley?

"Gale?" Finn called softly. "Are you okay?"

"It was like a memory, Finn." Gale whispered, but it’s loud enough that Finn still could hear him.

"Then, wasn't it supposed to be a good thing? That's what you want, right? What we all want. Maybe your memory starts coming back to you."

"I thought so too. But when I woke up this morning, I was... Finn, if that dream was a memory; that means Meryl was right. Ava is out there and I didn’t know. I left her – I left Ava alone." Gale rambled as he leaned his forehead against the steering wheel.

"Gale, calm down! Are you sure you'll be alright to continue the trip? If not, you better come back to your apartment, and we can talk about this face to face. I'm still at your apartment's lobby."

No, he can't let this disturb his trip. Gale wants to go. He needs to go.

"I'm fine. I've been driving for an hour already. The traffic is not bad either, it'll be alright. Speaking of which I better continue driving." Gale said as he turns on the ignition and drives away from the side of the road.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Wade."

"Okay. Do you still want to talk about the dream or should I just leave you alone?" Finn proposed.

"I think I can use some chat? Will it bother you?"

"No. I have time. My first patient is at ten o'clock." Finn assured Gale. "So? Do you want to share the details? Not that I am being nosy but… I’m a bit curious honestly."

"It feels wrong to tell this to you but – yeah, I think I'll share."

"I'm not forcing you. Whatever makes you feel comfortable only, Gale. You don’t have to go on full details on what happened." Finn suggested.

"Yes. Alright. So..."

Gale told everything that he felt in the dream. What he saw, what he heard, what the wind feels like, the rocky mountains, the trees, the birds, and Ava Shelley.

He told Finn about how she glanced up and appreciating the tree in front of her. How her glorious long red hair that adorned her head fall gloriously behind her back. He told him how slim her body was but she also looked strong in her hiking gear. How her voice travelled through the air and how the sound of it made him felt a shiver down his spine.

"If she's real, that means I left her. This is so messed up, Finn." Gale concluded weakly.

"Well, that's not necessarily true since we don't know the real nature of your relationship with her – if she's real at all. I mean, it could be that you know her but she doesn't know you." Finn answered.

"But the dream..."

"Might be contorted. I'm not trying to discourage you. But let's think logically. Yes, we get more clues. It narrows the search to red-haired women which are very few if we only count natural redheads but still, don't put too much hope in this. All we know; the possibility that she's real is 50:50." Finn countered.

Finn was right. Just because Gale always dreamed about Ava Shelley and in those dreams he said he loves her; that doesn't mean that she loves him back. Not to mention that the possibility of all this just his imagination. He should not dwell in panic. He must think straight and be rational.

Gale nodded his head, not realizing that Finn couldn't see him from the other side of the line.

"Gale? You still there?" Finn called when Gale didn't respond.

"Yeah, yeah! Sorry, I only nodded my head in response to your remarks. I'm dumb." Gale sighed. “You're probably right. Thanks, Finn. I feel so much better now. This morning was a bit brutal if I’m being honest…"

"Alright," Finn replied kindly.

"What time is it?" Gale asked as he glanced at the clock on his dashboard. It was already nine past ten. "You better go now. Don’t neglect your patient because of me."

"You don't have to remind me. I already at the hospital parking lot. Still inside my car; trying to calm my stomach after eating all the food that was supposed to be our breakfast. I'm so fucking full, and it's all because of you."

Gale laughed, finally feeling more at ease. "I said I was sorry! Whiny!"

"Whatever. Careful on the road Gale! Inform us of your whereabouts, okay?" Finn requested.

"Sure. Tell Meryl I'm on the way already."

"Of course. Don't worry, I will. Bye now!" Finn exclaimed cheerily and Gale could hear he opened his car door and closed it again, noting that Finn already walks toward the hospital.

"Bye."

The call ended, leaving Gale alone with his still reeling mind but resolved resolution. He tried to think about the dream again and this time, he thinks with a clear mind.

That was the first time he ever dreamt like that. A dream that feels so much like a memory buried deep within him for all these years and finally emerged. What made it different? What has caused it? There must be some kind of trigger that snapped loose. He tried remembering the things he did the previous day that might be the cause.

Yesterday – Thursday; he went to work as usual – his last day before the break. He had an appointment with one of his patients and got back home early around two o'clock and once he got home, he started cleaning his apartment. Then he chooses clothes to bring until finally, he gave up because he can't decide which ones he should pack. He called Finn and asked for his assistance and by four o'clock, he came to the apartment along with Meryl. They helped him pick the clothes and after that, they just hang out for a couple of hours with Netflix and food to share.

Nothing comes to Gale's mind of what could trigger the dream-like memory. He talked with Finn and Meryl and Oh-

Ben called...

He had called when Finn and Meryl already went home. The conversation was mundane; talking about the trip preparation, make sure everything was set and safe. When they were about to end the call, Ben suddenly mentioned something about how he can't wait for Gale to arrive. He said that he wanted to bring Gale to hike. Ben said Gale used to hike while admiring the view whenever he visited Golden.

Well, Gale of course didn't remember that. He did hike with Finn and Meryl every once in a while after the accident but it was more for an exercise rather than admiring the view.

That must've triggered the dream. At least that explains the place where he was in the dream – Toronto doesn't quite have a view like that. Golden does.

But that doesn't explain the sight of her. Was she Ava Shelley?

He did think it was her voice inside of his dream – he said it himself; Ava's voice sounds like a song for me and I sing to it. But that doesn't prove anything. Like Finn said; the dream might be contorted and mixed with other things Gale was yet to understand.

Once again, his focus was disturbed by the sound of his ringtone blaring inside the car. He didn't look at the caller id and answer right away.

"Gabriel Blackwell," he said stoically.

"Molly Ledford." The woman on the other side of the line replied teasingly.

Gale snapped his head to his phone screen and saw Molly's name then he smiled.

"Hey, Molly! Sorry, I am driving at the moment and didn't see the caller id." Gale said while chuckling.

"Already?" Her voice sounded surprised.

"Yup. I've been driving for three hours," Gale said as he checked the clock, it’s already past ten o’clock. He lowered his window and the breeze welcoming him immediately.

"You got everything with you? clothes, food, water? Don't forget to dehydrate, Gale." Meryl inquiries.

"Don't worry. I bring them all. And no, I haven't. Thanks for reminding me." Gale took the little water bottle he already prepared to drink while driving and took a few big gulp without diverting his eyes from the road.

"Good," Molly said happily. "What about your passport? Do you bring it with you? In case you have to take another route when you're going back to Toronto and should pass US borders, you'll need it."

Gale laughed. Molly always showered him with motherly affection since the first time they met. Right now; was one of those moments where she acts like she was his mother; worrying about everything and making sure he got everything that he needs.

"Yes, I have it in my bag," Gale assured Molly.

"Are you sure?" She asked, unconvinced.

"Yes, Molly!" Gale answered while snickering.

"Okay, if you- oh hey, Denise! It's so good to see you! Please wait a sec let me end this."

Gale listened as a woman's voice he doesn't recognize replied to Molly. "It's so good to see you too, Molly. Yeah, of course."

At the same time, another voice spoke to the stranger woman. "Who is it, D?" That voice sounds quite familiar...

"Gale?" Molly called him and cut his concentration to remember where he had heard the voice before.

“I have to go. I bumped into my old acquaintance and I’d like to talk to her. Is that okay?” she asked.

"Go on, Molly. I'll call you later." Gale said.

"No. I will call you later. Be careful! Drink frequently and take a rest every few hours. Don't push yourself. We want you here fresh and healthy! Talk to you later!" The call was cut off before he could conjure a reply.

Driving with average speed, Gale decided to put on some song on Spotify. He thinks about how much longer the drive will last; 36 hours? Or maybe another 40? There's no traffic by far but maybe he will be in one in a couple of hours. Not to mention if he gets tired and needs to rest.

He sighed.

His mind was pulled back to the woman's voice he heard from Molly's call.

He shook his head and closed his eyes for a brief second as crazy thoughts seep into his head.

That must be just a coincidence.

He thinks so much about Ava Shelley and the dream from last night. It made him imagining things. Yes, the woman's voice sounded identical to Ava's voice in his dream. So what? That doesn't mean the woman was Ava. That's too good to be true. Too easy to be true.

He kept driving for another two hours until he decided he needed to stretch. His muscle starting to feel sore.

He couldn't wait to get to Golden.