The next morning, the Doctor wakes us up. I notice the black eye on Derek's face. He doesn’t seem to mind. He smiles at me gently. Derek traces his finger around the outline of my face.
"I'm sorry I failed at protecting you. If I hadn't been so busy sulking we wouldn't have gotten separated."
"Derek don't..."
"Shhh....no don't. If I had thought about my actions, we would have been linked together and never been separated. Now, you have a black eye on your beautiful face and you've already been through enough."
"Not to interrupt but I need to check him out and Meril is wanting to see you." the doctor says.
Meril's house is about thirty minutes away. The house is a little farther north than I care for and, even though it is only fall, it’s freezing. The house itself is too big, for a couple with no children. It’s more like a mansion. I didn't think that doctors made that kind of money. It has ten bedrooms, two kitchens, seven full bathrooms, three half bathrooms, a large dining room, a small dining room, a theater room, two living rooms, a game room, a six car garage, a five in a half acre back yard with a heated pool. Every room has a walk in closet and a bathroom. The closets have shoe organizers and the attic is the length of the house. The attic is tall enough that Meril has made it into a workroom. At first, we are so
Before we are finished, we are both panting and sweaty. He took me to heights that I had never been before. I don’t know if it is because of the mutual feelings, or if he seemed to improve since the last time, but that was the best I’ve ever felt. I lay in his arms, trying to control my breathing, with a huge grin on my face while Derek is attempting to stay awake. The phone is ringing and, a few moments later, Liz knocks on the door. I groan internally. I do not want to move from this high. "Alayna, Meril is on the phone. Are you awake?" Derek and I smile at each other before I unwillingly answer.
While Liz and I wait for Derek in the truck, she apologizes again. I tell her that it’s okay, but secretly I’m really embarrassed and thankful that it didn't get much farther. The rest of the ride to the house is quiet, except for the music. I sit a little distance from Derek, but hold his hand. I’m so ambivalent with how I want to spend these last few moments that my own head is spinning. I’m not sure I have a choice anymore, emotionally, but my head keeps screaming at me. When we arrive, Liz walks straight to one of the rooms to get into her bathing suit. I laugh. I don’t think that she’s going to last long out in the sun with that burn. I ask Derek to find us a room and to put our bags up. He perks up with word ‘us&rsq
The following morning, is rainy and gloomy. Everyone is feeling just as bad as the weather, but we go back to work. I skip breakfast, which infuriates Derek, and start working on the project. I can tell that he wants to say something but he doesn’t. He just shakes his head and walks off. Meril and I finish putting it together before lunch. For some reason, Derek is upset with me and I am having trouble figuring out why. Liz believes it’s because he didn't get much sleep due to my tossing and turning all night. That makes me feel even worse because he made me breakfast and I didn't even bother to eat it. I
Derek and I spend all night pleasuring each each other. We finally pass out from exhaustion, fully spent. So, the alarm clock screaming at me jolts me awake. My head is pounding, body sore, and my muscles ache. I groan as I reach up to turn it off the annoying sound. Derek grabs a hold of my wrist before I can get out of bed. I turn to look at him. My heart plummets as I see the look in his face. He’s looking at me with sad desperation. I wrap him up, in the fiercest hug that I can manage, and wait for him to finish crying. I hold back my tears, knowing that it would only make it w
Derek and Liz are watching us intently. I turn and grab Derek’s hand. I’m so furious and he can see it in my face. When I grab his hand, he flinches. I’m too upset with Meril for sleeping with Liz and his mistake to care why Derek flinched. I have to fix my mistake and seeing my father's handwriting made it much more important. I let go of his hand, feeling frustrated and desperate. Before I make it to the machine, Derek grabs a hold of my waist. "Wait, Baby Doll! Not like this. Calm down, look at me." He whispered while into my neck.
I set the date and time, grab a hold of Derek’s waist, and wait for him to push the button. I almost fall and Derek catches me just before the blackness consumes us. This time, I don't feel like I’m falling and Derek doesn’t get sick when we land. Something isn't right, though. I remember Meril saying that he didn't land in the right spot, but we landed in my original spot. "Derek, something doesn't feel right." I whisper. "How so?" "The air smells of death and fire."
Wow, my head is pounding. What the heck happened? For that matter, where am I? With great reluctance, I open my eyes. I’m lying in a cell. Oh, great! Was my whole rescue a dream? My breath hitches. I can feel the tears spill over my eyes as I think about the wonderful dream that I had. Where I met a handsome, genuine man, and started developing real feelings for him. I heard a shuffle and looked up, wiping my eyes, afraid to find out who was with me. That's when I spot him, Derek, and he’s in chains with fresh cuts and bruises."What happened?" I ask, my voice raspy."Don't say anything, Baby Doll." He whispers back."No, I want to know what's going on?" I insist.