Disclaimer: In first chapter.

Chapter 12

Hours later, Miss Parker slowly began to stir in bed. Opening up her eyes, she found the room to still be dark. Rolling on her side, she glanced over at the alarm clock. "8:02am," she muttered to herself. Flopping down on her back, she looked around the bedroom to find all the blinds and curtains shut. 'Hmm, that's odd, when did I do that?' she thought to herself. Shrugging off the memory lapse, she rolled over to the opposite end of the bed, lying on her stomach as she hugged the pillow underneath her head.

She wanted to go back to sleep, but her thoughts kept going back to the crazy dream she had about Jarod. The two of them married, having children, a dog, and a white picket fence was ridiculous. Why on God's green earth would she have a dream about sharing a family with Jarod of all people? It was just too preposterous.

Of course, Sydney would have a field day with this. She could just picture the wheels turning in that inquisitive little mind of his. Smirking to herself, she snuggled more deeply into the pillow, hoping that sleep wouldn't evade her.

Miss Parker was just on the brink of falling asleep when she heard a soft, rattling noise by the side of her bed. Remaining ever so quiet, she slowly let her right hand search under the pillow, hoping to find her trusty Smith & Wesson. However, it was nowhere to be found. Beside her, she could hear someone getting up and shuffling on his or her feet. Miss Parker could feel her heart pounding in her chest as the seconds slowly ticked by. What the hell were they doing? Waiting for the second coming.

Even though it was only seconds, it felt like an eternity for Miss Parker as she continued to play the waiting game with the intruder. After some time, the intruder made the first move as she felt the edge of the bed slightly dip. Her breath caught in her throat as she felt and heard the intruder sniffing around her face. 'What the hell is with this guy, is he some fetish freak?' she thought to herself. She then let out a startled gasp as she felt herself being licked on the face by the intruder. Not able to take anymore of this, her eyes flew open, ready to strike out at this whack job.

When she reached out to grab him, she was surprised by what she felt. Well the intruder, had a furry face and floppy ears, plus he had a real bad case of doggy breath. Reaching over to the lamp, she turned it on to find Buddy staring up at her. "What the hell?" she muttered to herself as she scrambled away from the dog. "No this can't be happening, it's just a dream, just a dream," she kept rambling as she fell over the edge of the bed, crashing onto the floor

Quickly standing up, she looked around the room, just now noticing that it was not hers, but someone else's. Glancing over at the dresser, she found a picture of Josh, Sarah, and Brandon. "No…" she trailed off as she brought a trembling hand up to her lips. "This isn't real," she kept repeating as she slowly backed away from the dresser. Just then, the bedroom door flew open. Startled, Miss Parker quickly whipped around to come face to face with a very worried Jarod.

"Are you okay? I heard a loud thump from downstairs," he asked.

"I…I'm fine," she replied as she ran her hands through her hair. "Well, besides the fact that I might be going crazy, I'm just peachy." Jarod didn't say anything, just stared at her with probing eyes, looking for something that only he knew. Feeling uncomfortable, Miss Parker wrapped her arms around herself as she walked over to one of the windows. Reaching out, she threw the curtains open, revealing the bright glare of the morning sun. Shielding her eyes with her right hand, she squinted down at the backyard, revealing the same lawn she ran through after the fight with Sarah.

She could hear Jarod taking a couple of steps towards her before stopping a few feet behind her. Clearing his throat he said gently, "I should've known this might happen. Confusion isn't uncommon with amnesia patients."

Miss Parker turned her head back, glaring at him. "How many times do I have to say it, I don't have amnesia," she snapped. Turning back around, she continued to gaze out the window as her thoughts wondered back to yesterday evening.

She remembered going to Lexington to capture Jarod, but of course, he ran off into the sunset. Once she got home and cleaned up, she went downstairs to get a drink, only to be surprised by a mouse scurrying across the floor. The next thing she remembered was spinning wildly as she fell down to the ground, then everything went black. That's it! Her mind screamed at her. Maybe this was some crazy Centre plot to make her go crazy. Who knows, maybe her sick freak of a brother was in charge of overseeing her demise in the Renewal Wing, taking delight in screwing up her mind. Turning around, she screamed out into the invisible air, "Wake up, Parker! Wake up now! Wake up, damn it!"

Jarod came to her instantly. As she continued to scream, Jarod gently grasped her shoulders and began shaking her, trying to get her attention. "Parker, it's okay, just listen to me." But Miss Parker ignored Jarod's words as she continued to scream out, hoping to somehow wake herself up. "Parker, you're becoming hysterical," Jarod shouted over her screams. He shook her shoulders more vigorously, but Miss Parker was stubborn as she continued to ignore his pleas.

Jarod knew he had to something to calm her down. Taking a deep breath, he wrapped his arms around her, saying soothing words as he tried to comfort her. "Everything is going to be okay. You're safe. You're not going crazy, you're brain is just having a hard time remembering things, but I know you'll remember."

"Let go of me!" she cried out as she struggled against him, trying to free herself from his strong arms. She could already feel the frustrated tears building in her eyes, but she had to remain strong. The last thing she wanted was to be weak in front of Jarod.

"No," he replied back in a simple manner as he held her more tightly. After a few more seconds of ceaseless struggling, Miss Parker finally stopped. When she stopped, Jarod didn't let go. He slowly rocked back and forth with her as he ran his right hand up and down her back, trying to reassure her that everything would be all right. Feeling her tears on his shirt he whispered to her, "I hope you let us help you. I know you're strong, vibrant, independent, and full of life, but you always have a tendency of keeping things to yourself. I just want you to know that me and the kids will be here to help you anyway we can."

Miss Parker just nodded against his chest as a few more tears ran down her cheeks. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, inhaling the smell of his aftershave. She always loved that smell, even though she would never admit that to anyone. Whenever Broots, Sydney, and she would show up late to one of Jarod's lairs, she was always blindsided by the smell of him that lingered in those places. They always brought her a strange sense of comfort, and now was no exception.

After a few more moments, Miss Parker finally extracted herself from Jarod's arms. Feeling embarrassed at showing her vulnerable side, she looked down at the ground as she twiddled with her fingers. Quickly tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, she muttered a passing, "Thank you." Turning on her heels, she walked briskly to the bathroom and closed the door. Once she was inside, she closed her eyes, letting out a heavy sigh as she leaned back against the door.

On the other side of the door, a small smile graced Jarod's lips. However, the smile was short lived as his thoughts went back to the threatening letters he received seven months ago. He had to protect her and the kids. They were his life. If anything bad should ever happen to them, he would never forgive himself.

XXXXXXXX

To Be Continued….