“Can you think of a word which combines: nervous, anxious, scared, and excited?” Neal chuckled and it sounded off even to his own ears.
“I think I’d call that human! You’re doing the right thing, Neal. Dr. Gascon is very well respected in the psychiatric community. I did quite a bit of research on him last night and even your dad was impressed with his list of accomplishments. The biggest hurdle is your willingness to participate and, since you’re here, then I think you’ll do just fine.”
“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” a man interrupted them as he stopped in front of them and held out his hand to Neal. “I’m Dr. Gascon and I’m assuming you must be Neal?”
Neal scrambled to stand up and shake the doctors hand as he said, “Yes, sir. I’m pleased to meet you, Dr. Gascon. This is my mother, Jessica Taivas.” He nodded down to where his mother was still seated.
“A pleasure meeting you,” Dr. Gascon said even though he made no gesture to shake her hand or even to look at her past a brief glance. In fact, he had no interest whatsoever in anyone other than Neal and he made his opinion quite obvious. Still looking at Neal he said, “Come on back and we’ll get you set up in your room. I’ve arranged your first session in fifteen minutes.”
“Great! Come on, Mom,” Neal said as he picked up his carry-on and started to follow the doctor who had already started across the lobby.
“I’m sorry, Neal, no visitors are allowed. Your mother will have to say goodbye to you out here.” The doctor stopped to wait for them to comply with his order.
Neal became flustered for the first time. He had imagined his mother would accompany him to his room and be able to see the facility where he would be staying. He had no idea they would be separated so soon and he felt his heart race as he began to have a panic attack.
“It’s okay, Neal. I should be getting to the hotel before they give my room to someone else. I’ll come by to see you tomorrow,” Jessica said reasonably as she leaned forward to hug and kiss him.
“I guess I didn’t make myself clear regarding Neal’s treatment. He will not be allowed any visitors until I have determined his mental status. If you will not abide by my rules, then you will have to seek alternative mental health care.” He looked down at his watch and sighed at how long this distraction was taking.
“Oh,” Jessica said with a slightly affronted tone at the insult. “Of course we’ll agree. We just weren’t told any different until right this moment. I love you, Neal. Do your best and we’ll have you home in no time.” She gave him another quick hug for good measure.
“I love you too, Mom. I’ll do my best.” He already felt bad for the way they were being separated and he really did not care for the tone in which the doctor had spoken to his mother. Without wanting to delay the doctor any longer he turned and met the doctor who then resumed his brisk pace until they reached the elevator.
Dr. Gascon silently appraised his new patient as he pressed the button for the elevator. He could tell Neal would be headstrong and possibly difficult to work with. He began revising his initial plan of action even as the doors opened and they stepped into the small interior space. The doors shut leaving the two of them alone together.
“You didn’t have to speak like that to my mother, you know.”
“I don’t have time to worry about people’s feelings getting hurt. My only concern is for your mental well-being and I can only take care of that by having our sessions begin.”
Neal frowned slightly at the doctor’s explanation. As a psychiatrist he should understand the interpersonal relationships of a family would be highly beneficial to a positive outcome. If the doctor were willing to separate them so brashly, then did he really have his best interest in mind? His mother would be in town until the end of the week and Neal decided he would leave the facility if it were not as he expected, after all, it was not as if he were being committed.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
AMANDA SET HER telepod down in the Port of Cresdon landing field. She had sent a message ahead letting Barla know she was coming in for a visit so she was pleased to see Barla waiting for her on the edge of the field. As she walked away from the telepod, she hit the cloaking button on her remote.
Barla came forward and gave her a warm hug which Amanda gladly reciprocated. She kept her arm around Amanda’s waist as she turned them toward home and began walking. “I’m assuming you’re here to make arrangements for Vinia to meet with her children?”
“Something like that. I also have a proposition for you as well. We can talk about it more once we get back to your house.” Amanda looked around casually to make sure they were out of earshot of anyone else.
Barla nodded approval of her caution and changed the conversation. “How are your children adjusting to their new life with you and Riccan?”
“They’re remarkable, Barla. They haven’t really missed a beat even with their whole lives being turned upside down. I don’t think I could do as well!” Amanda shook her head in wonder as she thought of her girls.
“I thought so as well when I was raising them. I never knew what they were going to get into, but they were so fun to watch. Most of the time I didn’t even have the heart to punish them when they really got into things,” Barla chuckled as she recalled their antics.
They both were laughing as they went up the front stairs to Barla’s house. Just as Barla reached to open the front door it opened for them. Barla looked slightly guilty as she smiled at Vinia and said, “Surprise! Amanda came over to see you.”
“I wondered why you had to leave so suddenly. Come in, Amanda! Please tell me you have news of my children,” she gushed as she stepped to the side so the two other women could enter the house. She shut the door behind them and almost walked on their heels as they went down the hallway and into the living room.
“I do have news for you. Maybe not everything you wanted, but it’s a start for sure.” Amanda sat down in one of the wing chairs by the fireplace and waited for Vinia to sit down across from her before she continued. “Valentina and Behn are going to meet with you. They haven’t told Jon anything about their past or you because he doesn’t remember anything from that time. You’ll recall he was very ill when you sent him to Earth and it seems he had a fever which made it hard for him to recall anything of when he was young.”
“Oh my goodness. Do you think Val and Behn will let me see him eventually?” Vinia held her hand over her mouth in anticipation of hearing Amanda’s answer.
“Most likely. Valentina isn’t convinced you are their mother and she doesn’t want to get Jon’s hopes up for a false alarm,” Amanda explained.
“That’s understandable I guess. When can I go to meet with them?” She was ready to jump up immediately and go if Amanda said the word.
“I wondered if you would want to come back with me today. I’d understand if you wanted more time to think about it and to make arrangements for Danika.”
“No, I want to go now. Barla?” She turned to face her host and said, “You offered to watch Danika when the time came. Are you still okay with that arrangement?”
“Absolutely! Don’t worry a bit about me or your baby.” Barla smiled at the idea of taking care of another youngster by herself.
Vinia stood up and said, “I need to get some things together so we can go!”
Before Amanda could stop her, she was already out of the room. The two women smiled at one another as they could hear her loud footsteps on the stairs as she raced up them two at a time. “I guess that went well. I only hope she’s not too disappointed when she finally meets her children. They’re not the little kids she remembers from an anon ago and Valentina is really angry with her for sending them away. She doesn’t understand why their mother would do that to them. She won’t listen to my explanation. Vinia definitely has an uphill battle to win back their affections.”
“It’ll all work out, I feel confident about it. While Vinia’s away, tell me how your search for the other samaras is going.�
�
Amanda was not expecting the change in subject and blurted, “Riccan brought one home this morning!”
“Really? Whose is it?”
“We don’t know yet. Daven and Nena are going to come over after Riccan gets off of work and we’ll probably figure it out then.”
“Are you bringing Vinia back home before then? Would it be wise for her to see the samaras?”
“One of them was in her care, but I see what you mean. I can arrange for Vinia to be with her children when we’re working with the new samara. If not, then I’ll figure something else out. Besides, I don’t think Vinia will be thinking about much of anything other than her missing kids.”
“You’re right about that, she’s been walking on eggshells since your last visit. It will be a relief for her to be able to have some closure in the matter.”
“Speaking of closure, Barla, I wanted to ask you a question. Do you want to come to Earth as well to meet with my mother? She has been asking if you would come.”
“I don’t know, Amanda. The thought of traveling through the veil still scares me. What if I were to lose my memory of my time here? I’m not sure it would be worth it.” Barla shivered at the idea of not remembering her husband, son, daughter, and life as she knew it in Tuala. She had the perfect life and she had never regretted staying in Tuala even though her family had believed she had drowned so long ago.
“Rasa has assured me you’d be safe from that issue since you have received your birth crystal,” Amanda pointed out.
“Thanks to you and your generosity,” Barla replied with a delighted grin on her face as her hand automatically went up to the special crystal-laden tree-of-life pendant suspended from her neck.
“I only asked for it. Jehoban was the generous one for granting my petition,” Amanda demurred.
“Even so, I’d like to think on your proposal for a while longer yet. You understand, don’t you?” Barla entreated her.
“Absolutely, Barla. I don’t want to pressure you, I just want you to know you have a standing offer to come over whenever you decide. Please don’t let fear keep you from having everything. Jehoban wouldn’t have given it to you if he didn’t want you to have everything back in your life. You know that, right?”
“I do in my heart, but my mind is still fearful. I’m sure given a bit more time for adjustment and then I’ll be able to take you up on your offer. Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome. You were very kind to my children and you are my aunt, after all. We are family!”
“It’s still so hard to believe. I’m so thankful.” She smiled endearingly to Amanda.
Vinia came bursting back into the room with her travel bag in hand. Slightly breathless from the quick trip, Vinia announced, “I’m ready to go!”
Amanda could not help laughing at her eagerness. She shook her head and said, “The kids are still in school for a few more hours. We have some time yet.”
Vinia looked crestfallen and her shoulders drooped with disappointment.
“We can still leave now if you want. I just wanted you to know the kids won’t be waiting for us when we get there.”
Eagerness returned to her expression and she said, “I’d like to go now. I’ve been worried about Petre ever since I saw him in the market. The sooner I get some distance from him, the better I’ll feel. I’d say Earth is a pretty big distance, wouldn’t you?”
Barla and Amanda both began laughing until they cried. Vinia eventually had to laugh as she realized how silly her statement had been even though she had not intended to be funny in any way. By the time they all were able to look at one another without beginning another round of giggles, the mood in the room had lightened.
Amanda stood up and said, “Okay, let’s get you to Earth. Thank you, Barla, for everything. I’m not sure if it’ll be tonight or tomorrow before I bring Vinia home. Will that still work for you?”
“Take your time and don’t worry about me. Send me a message if you get delayed.”
“Sounds good,” Amanda said as she gave Barla a quick embrace.
The three of them walked to the front door where Barla stayed behind to watch over the sleeping Danika. Amanda and Vinia continued down the front steps and up the road to get back to the landing field. They were talking excitedly about their journey.
Neither woman noticed the man watching them from the distance.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
THE FLIGHT HOME had been uneventful for Amanda and the scariest, longest ride ever for Vinia. She had not known the flight would be longer due to the difference in the two worlds. When they reemerged into the garage she cried out in relief.
Amanda looked over at Vinia to see what happened. The look on her face told her everything she needed to know. Amanda immediately said, “Oh, Vinia! I’m so sorry. I forgot to tell you this trip would be longer. You must have thought we were going to be lost between. It was so careless of me. Please say you’ll forgive me.” She swiftly unbuckled and turned in the seat to face Vinia.
Vinia took another couple of deep breaths to compose herself. She finally nodded and said, “There’s nothing to forgive. I’m sure all of my chatter kept you from even thinking of telling me. Besides, here we are.” She looked around the bleak concrete structure of the garage and wondered what type of world she had sent her children into.
Amanda also looked out and realized what Vinia must be thinking and she started to laugh. “Don’t worry, Vinia. This world looks much nicer than the inside of this building. Get unbuckled and I’ll show you around the estate.”
Vinia complied immediately. The sooner she felt comfortable in this world, the easier it would be to concentrate solely on her children when they came to see her for the first time. At least she assumed they would come see her, maybe Amanda had arranged another meeting place. She was about to ask when she changed her mind. She would wait for Amanda to tell her.
They left the telepod and the garage. Vinia was much more impressed with the interior of the house. It was by far the most elegant and luxurious place she had ever seen, even better than Captain Ahn and Barla’s house. She had always thought they were rich beyond anything she could ever hope for herself.
Amanda enjoyed showing Vinia around the house, but she was even more excited to show her the grounds outside. She knew the money Riccan had spent on landscaping had made a spectacular paradise and she eagerly anticipated Vinia’s reaction to its beauty. When she opened the side door off of the living room, Vinia reacted even better than Amanda could have imagined.
“Do my kids live in a place which looks like this?”
“No. Their house is very nice, but there aren’t many places around here which are quite this nice. Riccan has outdone himself on creating this oasis.”
“Oh,” Vinia said simply.
“Do you swim?” Amanda hastily asked, wanting to change the subject before the mood became awkward.
“I haven’t for a very long time. Besides, I didn’t think to bring a bathing suit.”
“That’s no bother. I have lots of them. We could take a quick dip, then relax in the warm sun while we wait. It’ll help pass the time.”
“Okay, it sounds like fun.”
They returned to the house where Amanda brought out several suits from which Vinia could choose. Once they were both properly attired, Amanda had towels for both of them, and they went outside to get some sun.
Vinia turned into a young girl again as they splashed around in the pool until they were exhausted. After longer than Amanda would have guessed they dragged themselves out of the pool and practically melted onto the lawn chairs to let the sun dry their bodies.
Amanda had closed her eyes since the glare of the sun made it hard to keep them open. The slight breeze and the heat from the sun seeped into her body making her quite relaxed and sleepy. After some time had passed Amanda saw Vinia had in fact fallen asleep. She did not want her to get a sunburn so Amanda got up and quietly covered Vinia with a towel and repositioned the
beach umbrella stand so it shaded her face and torso.
Amanda realized she had some details to take care of so she went into the house. She dug in the drawer for a piece of paper before she picked up the phone and dialed the number of the school from the flyer. The receptionist answered her call on the second ring.
“Hi. This is Amanda Stel. I’d like to speak with my daughter, Juila Stel. Yes, I know she’s in class right now. Yes, this is an emergency. Thank you, I’ll hold.” Amanda rolled her eyes at the receptionist’s stupid statements and waited for Juila to be taken out of class. Several minutes passed. Amanda kept watching Vinia outside to make sure she stayed asleep.
“Mom? Are you okay? What’s wrong?” Juila asked.
“Hi, honey. It’s okay, nothing’s wrong. The receptionist wouldn’t get you out of class unless it was an emergency, which I guess it technically could be. Anyway, I have Vinia here at the house. Can you get Behn and Valentina to come home with you to meet her?”
Juila gasped at her mother’s news. When she had told her mother the night before that Valentina had agreed, she had no idea that Vinia would come so soon. Even so, she could not find any reason to delay the meeting so she answered, “I’ll let them know. I hope everything works out okay. Thanks, Mom.”
“I know you have to get back to class. Sorry I worried you. Have a great rest of the day. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Amanda waited until she heard the line disconnect on the other end before she pressed the end button on her receiver. She looked over at the clock and knew there were still several hours to go before they would be home. After grabbing two glasses of ice water, Amanda returned to her spot in the sun and took a nap alongside Vinia.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Juila had a hard time finding the right time to tell Valentina about the upcoming meeting. Mostly she did not want to have to deal with the scene she was certain Valentina would make. She took the coward’s way out and asked Behn if they were planning on coming over to study after school. When he told her that was their plan, she was vastly relieved.
Levels of Ascension BoxSet Page 73