CHAPTER TWENTY
I jump, scared at first. Then my sleepiness fades, and Tara's face comes into focus. “Hi sleepy head. Are you coming down for dinner, or do you want to sleep more? I texted you, but you didn't write back. I was a little nervous about coming into your room. I thought that I might walk in on you and Laden doing... you know. Although seeing him naked is a huge fantasy of mine, I really don't care to see you naked.”
“Ok, ok, I'm getting up. Just give me a minute.” Trying to stop her from rambling on and on, I get up and go to the bathroom, and close the door.
I catch myself, all through dinner, from losing myself in a stare. No matter how hard that I try not to, I can't stop thinking about Laden coming to my room tonight. The anticipation is wearing on me. I can’t even suppress it for Todd’s sake; I’ve tried. I know he feels it. I also know that he must be hurting, and angry.
Sherri leans across the table, and in a whisper she says, “I won't read you tonight, but if it's anything like last night, then I can't wait to read you tomorrow!” I shake my head, and turn a lovely shade of red, but smile a wicked sexy smile at her anyways. “Ooooo girl! You be like a cowgirl on a bucking bronco for me, ok?” I can't believe she said that.
The rest of our meal goes by somewhat normal, except for the few looks that I’m get from Todd. I pretend that I don’t notice, that way, maybe he’ll quit trying to make me feel like an ass.
Before we leave the dinner table, I announce to everyone, “Expect a text from me tomorrow morning, so that we can meet up before breakfast. I'll probably have more information.” My eyes meet Todd's, but I look away quickly. I can't bear to see the hurt in his eyes anymore.
Tara, Sherri and I hang out for a few hours after dinner. Sherri tells us about her first time with a guy. Her experience was pretty lousy, worse than Tara’s. It was his first time too, and it was over in about ten seconds, and it hurt, a lot. She says that she’s never bothered to have a second time, and has no interest unless she finds a man that is worthy of her body. She says that she’s in no hurry.
Listening to that, I am really happy that Laden was my first. He knew exactly what he was doing. He was extremely gentle. Everything was perfect. He made the whole night very pleasurable for me. My happiness was what he wanted, not just his own.
I look at the time, and realize that Laden is going to be in my room in half hour, and I promised that I'd be ready and naked for him. So I'd better prepare.
“Girls, I gotta go. He'll be in my room soon, so I'd better be there too. Um, do me a favor Tara, no drifting in… Sherri, no reading tonight! Tara, that was not cool that time I felt you once before, and don't try to deny it.” I hop off Sherri's bed, and head back to my room, a smile permanently glued on my face.
I grab a quick shower and light the candles, then climb into my bed, and wait for Laden. At 10:00 pm, I'm up pacing from my desk, to my bathroom and back. Where is he? I've texted him five times, and he hasn't texted me back. If he's working still, he won't have his phone on him, I know that, but I keep trying anyways. He said that he'd be here. He has never gone back on a promise, not yet, anyways.
Then it hit me like a ton of bricks, and my heart sank, he went to the ‘Restricted’ area to snoop around. What if they caught him? Would they keep him there against his will? I have to do something, but what can I do. It's not like I can just go and knock on the ‘Restricted’ door, and ask for Laden.
I'll wait another fifteen minutes. He might just be working overtime. Maybe one of the patients had some kind of a horrible accident, and they need his help. That must be it, I have to calm down.
By 10:30 I can't take it anymore. I text Tara, and within seconds she's bursting through my door. I fill her in on what's happening. She immediately texts the rest of the group, and tells them all to come to my room, right now.
I realize that I'm only wearing my bathrobe, and decide that it's probably best I put some clothes on, before they all get here. I can hear people coming through my door, asking questions in whispering voices, before I am even out of the bathroom.
Tara fills everyone in on the situation, while I go around blowing out the candles. Todd is leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, obviously upset about the whole situation, and not caring what might have happened to Laden.
Jessy, who's already seated on the floor, looks up at Tara. “You have to drift to the ‘Restricted’ area again. You have to at least zoom around, and see if you can find him anywhere.”
Sherri looks at Jessy, then me. “He has a point. There's no sense in everyone getting all in an uproar just yet. Maybe Laden is just working overtime, I mean, people work overtime, and sometimes can't get to a phone to call home. My dad used to be like that all the time.”
Reilly chimes in too, “Yeah Laura, you said that he doesn't carry his phone on him when he's working, right? So he probably just hasn't had a chance to get to his phone, and check his texts. Maybe he doesn't realize the time.”
Todd sticks his two cents in as well. “Or maybe he's just an asshole, and decided that since he already got what he wanted from Laura, he's done with her. Did anyone think of that?” Everyone glares at Todd. “Sorry, but we do have to consider that as a possible reason for the no-show.”
Everyone turns and looks at me. “No way!” I look directly at Todd, and figure that I'll just fire right back at him, hurt him like he’s trying to hurt me. “After the amazing night we had last night, and with what I promised him for tonight, he'd be a fool not to come back. If it had of been you, wouldn't you come back tonight Todd?”
“I'd be here in a heartbeat, and you know that. It would take me being dead to stop me from coming back to you. But that's just me. So... where is he?” Todd is just trying to hurt me now. I have to ignore him. There are more important things to deal with right now than his ego.
“Tara, do you think you're up to trying to drift tonight? I know that you're tired, but this is important.” I am really hoping that everyone can just shift their focus back to finding out what happened to Laden.
“Definitely! I’ll do anything to get away from this tension.” Tara says as she's flopping out on my bed, and telling everyone to stay quiet with her shushes. “Laura, I'll need you to do what you did last time, if I tell you to, ok? Maybe if I wrap my arms and legs around him, I can not only bring him back, I can get a cheap thrill too.” She winks at me. I know she's only joking around. She would never betray me like that… it’s not in her nature.
I smile,and nod, remembering that I'll have to shake her to bring her back. She closes her eyes and puts her arms at her sides.
Sherry quickly asks Tara “Is it ok if I latch on and watch what you see? I really want to see what's behind that locked door. I'll try not to drain your energy, I promise.”
Tara nods, so Sherri lies back on the floor and stretches out. With her having practiced her skills, she doesn't even have to touch Tara to be able to follow her. She just closes her eyes, and somehow, she can see through Tara’s eyes.
Tara begins her deep breathing. Todd, Reilly and Jessy are all staring at her, waiting to see something happen. They’re afraid to blink; for fear that they might possibly miss seeing her soul levitate from her body, or something. I want to giggle, but I remember back to when I watched Tara do this for that first time; I don't think I blinked either.
A few minutes later, Tara's body begins to vibrate, then completely relaxes. Tara whispers, and everyone, except for Sherri, who's in her own trance, moves in closer to hear her. “I'm in the ‘Restricted’ area. I don't see anyone. Not even a nurse at the nurses’ station. I can see Mabel, so I'm going in to try and talk to her.”
Reilly moves as close to Tara as he can, desperate to feel closer to Mabel, somehow. I whisper softly, careful not to wake up Tara or Sherri. “Reilly, don't touch Tara, it'll wake her up." I take Reilly's hand in mine, trying to comfort him. "You're going to hear her having a one-sided conversation, she'll fill us in on what Mabel,
or anyone else says, when she comes back.”
Tara interrupts, with her conversation with Mabel. “Mabel, wake up Honey. Have you seen a male nurse called Laden?” A pause for about fifteen seconds, then Tara continues, “So do you know where he is now?” Another pause… “Can you tell me what they were arguing about?" She pauses for a few seconds. "Did Doc Turner leave with Laden?”
My stomach feels like it just sank right out of my body. I can feel the blood leaving my face. So it's true? Doc Turner must have discovered Laden snooping. I must be squeezing Reilly's hand hard, because he gives a quick squeeze back. I look at him and apologize. I blink away tears.
“Yes, Reilly knows where you are; I told him. We're all trying to figure out a way to get you out of here... He knows that, but I'll tell him anyway... What? ... No, Laura is fine. She's not even in the room next door. I have to go, but I'll be back very soon, I promise.” Tara's very quiet for a good long minute. “Laura, the room next to Mabel's is still empty. I'm going to keep looking around... I see Doc Turner! I'm going to go see what he's looking at. It's a folder for some new guy, I think. I've never heard of this kid. It says that he healed his broken femur in a matter of a few hours. Wow, that'd be cool.”
Todd asks Reilly, then Jessy, if either of them knows of a kid who can heal himself, but each of them shake their heads ‘no’.
“There is nobody else here.” Tara's eyes are fluttering and looking around the room as though she's searching for something. “Laden is not here, anywhere. I’ve done all I can do. I'm coming back now.”
I prepare myself to grab a hold of Tara's shoulders, and start shaking her, but I hold off. She told me only to do that if she asks me to. Instead I say, “Tara, Tara are you back? Come back Tara.”
With a gasping breath, Tara flips her eyes open, then runs from the bed to throw-up in the toilet.
“Does she always hurl after a drifting session?” Jessy is holding back a gag of his own from hearing Tara hurl.
I shrug my shoulders. “I think it depends on how fast she comes back to her body. I really don’t know. We should ask her.”
Sherri pops up from the floor, with the biggest grin on her face. “OhmyGod! That was so cool! Now I know what it feels like to fly, to be totally weightless. Absolutely amazing!” Sherri's eyes meet Reilly's. She slides over to wrap her arms around him.
Immediately, Reilly's eyes filled with tears that soon fountain down his face onto Sherri’s shirt. He swallows hard. “What did she say?”
Sherri, still smiling, says, “She wants to tell you that she misses you, loves you and would never, ever hurt you.” Tears are streaming down Reilly's face, so Sherri hugs him again, for longer this time.
Tara comes walking out of the bathroom, looking really pale. “Laura, I looked all over in the ‘Restricted’ area, but I couldn't find any sign of Laden. Sorry, I was hoping I'd see him.” She comes over and sits on the bed to hold my hand, probably because I'm crying like a baby.
Pain! Sheer, agonizing pain! My head is going to explode. Remembering that the medicine Doc Turner prescribed me for the pain is in my backpack, I reach out to grab it, but fall face down on the floor. The last thing I remember seeing is Jessy trying to grab me on my way down. Then… blackness.
Colours In Blackness - A New Life Page 20