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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Ok, I’m convinced that you need more. Hope you like. ;-)
The Saddest Little Valentine
She felt consumed by a great void, a dark and silent abyss as terrifying as the grand palace around her. But somewhere in the chilling blackness she caught a glimpse of a light. She remembered a time the precocious little girl with a heart full of fire, a soul inflamed by passion and a smile that could melt winter into spring. But the light was gone. The flame had died. Her past was taken from her by the soldiers of the great palace. She would continue searching, hoping to rekindle the fire. Until then, she would always be the Saddest Little Valentine.
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Two months ago, 23:00
Sydney frowned when he noticed the caller. He had not heard from her in three weeks and he had not expected to hear from her this soon. Knowing that Miss Parker wouldn’t just call for a social chat, he leaned back into the chair and answered. Silence greeted him and he waited until at last she sighed and then asked, “Do you think we made a mistake…with Jarod, I mean.”
“I don’t understand. What do you mean by mistake, Miss Parker?” Sydney asked, although he had a fair idea what she had meant by her question.
“Sydney, you were there. What we witnessed, did he really…,” she couldn’t even bring herself to say the words, not even a month after the event.
It was Sydney’s time to be silent while he worked through his emotions of that day. It still hurt so badly but he had learned to deal with the emotional pain.
“Sydney?”
“I’m sorry, Miss Parker. Denial is a normal response to grieving. There was nothing any of us could have done.”
“But are you hundred percent certain?”
“I saw the autopsy file on Jarod. There is no doubt.”
He was still waiting for her response when the dialling tone sounded in his ear. Reminded of the many times that Jarod had done it, he smiled sadly at the fond memory. He worried for her. Her questions reopened memories of the file he had read that he would have gladly forgotten. Now it made him wonder…what if they had made a mistake.
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The next morning, 8:00
Miss Parker had cried herself to sleep, clutching one of Tommy’s shirts to her chest. That piece of flannel was her life preserver and it had kept her floating for the past month. Her conversation with Sydney had not strengthened her belief that Jarod was dead. She still clung to a hope that somehow the pretender had managed to escape the clutches of Hades. Then there was the man she had met last night. It wasn’t just the physical features but also some of the mannerisms that reminded her of Jarod. But John had not seemed the least bit intimidated by her, nor had it seemed that he had recognised her at all.
She wanted to investigate further. She needed to find the truth behind the mystery of why John was there last night. She had never believed in coincidences and she wasn’t about to. If John was by some miracle Jarod, she needed to know.
A knock on her door brought her from her spiralling thoughts.
“I thought a good breakfast could help.”
She smiled her thanks as Ben entered her bedroom with a tray. She could smell the bacon and egg and her stomach rumbled. Embarrassed, she shifted on the bed.
“Mmm, it seems that your appetite is returning.”
“Once again, thank you Ben for putting up with me.”
Ben smiled, crinkles forming around his warm eyes. “Your mother would have wanted me to. Besides, it brings some life back into this house.”
Hugging herself, she returned his smile. Ben left her and she ate in silence, enjoying the warmth of the food. As she ate, she mentally made a list of things to do for the day. She felt more upbeat and she didn’t know whether it was the fact that she had something more to do than stay at Ben’s place. All she knew was that despite her conversation with Sydney last night, she still had hope and for now, that was all she needed.
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St Catherine’s Hospital
Doctor Mary-Elizabeth Walker turned from the nurse’s station with a file in a hand and didn’t notice the person who had stood behind her. She was a slender woman in her mid forties with dark, curly hair that flowed in waves down her shoulders. Her brown eyes were deep in thought while a thin line of worry creased her mouth when she finally managed to pick up all the scattered pieces of paper and rearrange them in the correct order back in the folder.
“I wonder if you could help me.”
Glancing at the woman she had bumped into, she absent-mindedly indicated the station. She was surprised when a hand stilled her forward movement. Taking a closer look, she noticed the expert make-up that hid the puffiness that she had come to associate with grief.
“Please.”
“Very well, follow me.”
She could feel the woman’s frustration at being commanded but she was too busy to cater for politeness. She entered her office down the hall, holding the door open until the woman had entered. Closing it behind her, she seated herself behind her desk.
“What can I do for you, Miss…” she had noticed no ring and she assumed that the person was not married.
“Parker. Thank you. I need some information on a patient that you had treated.”
Surprised, Dr Walker took a closer look at the woman that sat across from her. “You do know that patient-doctor confidentiality prohibits me from disclosing any information to anyone except family.”
Miss Parker nodded. She had decided to go for the truth and if that was not successful, she knew what door to open tonight if need be.
“I know this will sound crazy, but I met John Hutching last night and he…,” for a moment, what she was about to say sounded even unbelievable, but she took a deep breath, “he reminded me of someone I used to know. A friend who… passed away about a month ago.”
“I sympathise Miss Parker, but what do you want me to do about it?”
“I need to know when John Hutching was admitted. His injuries are so similar that I just want to make sure that…”
“that he isn’t your friend by some fluke.” Dr Walker scrutinised the woman in front of her. She understood the policy regarding privacy but she also had a compassionate heart and the answers she could provide could clear up any misconceptions the other woman might have.
“I’m sorry, Miss Parker. I can give you a number of a family member you can contact. Beyond that, I cannot help you.”
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2 hours later
The wind was blowing gently, whispering promises of the coming winter. Pulling the blanket tighter around her, she enjoyed the feeling of the sun in contrast to the biting cold. The number was burning a hole in her pocket but she had not yet managed to scrape enough courage together to phone.
Dammit.
She could run blindly into a building, searching for the lab rat but she couldn’t even pick up a phone to dial a number. Shifting slightly on the porch swing, she eyed Ben’s phone lying next to her on the seat.
Her hand was actually reaching out, to pick up the phone when it rang. Not expecting the phone to ring, she jerked her hand back in fright before it was almost immediately replaced by anger. Her usual answer had more venom behind it then she had intended. That changed when she heard his voice.
“Miss Parker?”
“Jar…um, John. How did you get this number?”
“Am I disturbing you, Miss Parker?”
Closing her eyes, she leaned her head against her hand. That voice. Another call and she was reminded about the phone still pressed against her ear.
“No. It’s fine. What can I do for you?” Mentally berating herself for sounding like a second-hand car-salesman, she decided that it would be better for her to end the call as soon as possible.
“Well, I was wondering whether you wouldn’t like to have some coffee with me.”
“Coffee?” For a moment she was almost speechless.
“If you don’t drink coffee, you can always drink tea. They have these great fusions at the place I know that would bring you back for more.”
Tea? Thinking about the scotch she had kept at work and her sessions at bars, she grinned. This man had no idea that she wasn’t exactly a candidate for housewife of the year award. Or maybe he does. Deciding that she wouldn’t find any more information about the man unless she continued to meet him, she agreed.
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Late afternoon
“This is for you.”
Looking up from her book, she took the small packet wrapped in brown paper from him. Wondering who it would be from, she frowned when she saw the familiar handwriting on the front. She wasn’t even aware that Ben had left her, as with trembling hands she removed the packaging.
It was a shoe box. Lifting the lid, she was greeted by an envelope, two pez dispensers and a thick folder that looked official. Leaving the dispensers in the box, she opened the envelope and extracted a sheet of paper. When she read the first line she placed her hand in front of her mouth, in the hope that she would be able to keep her grief inside. Jarod had addressed it in her name. The name that she had shared with him once in a cold simulation lab. She couldn’t stop the tears from escaping and they ran freely down her cheeks while she read and reread the letter.
If you read this then I apologise. Know that I wish that you would never have to read this letter with all my heart. In the folder you will find my last will and testament. I’ve decided that since you’re the most constant person in my life, it would only be appropriate to send this package to you. Also, I don’t really have an address for my father, and although Sydney had fulfilled that role most of my life, I wanted you to have this.
“You run, I chase.” Do you remember when you had said that to me after the island? I had thought about it over and over. Our relationship had always been complicated by outside influences except for that brief moment that it had been just us in Ocee’s house. For that moment I had felt closer to you than ever before. You have no idea how much I had wanted to complete that kiss.
I wonder if I ever would complete it. I can only hope. My only wish is that you would be free. Free from the Centre and its influence over you. To that goal I had provided a bank account to be used by you as well as a new identity in the hope that you would take my offer.
Go in peace and know that I had never forgotten about the girl that had given me my first kiss.
Jarod
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Reviews are really welcome…
Ok, I’m convinced that you need more. Hope you like. ;-)
The Saddest Little Valentine
She felt consumed by a great void, a dark and silent abyss as terrifying as the grand palace around her. But somewhere in the chilling blackness she caught a glimpse of a light. She remembered a time the precocious little girl with a heart full of fire, a soul inflamed by passion and a smile that could melt winter into spring. But the light was gone. The flame had died. Her past was taken from her by the soldiers of the great palace. She would continue searching, hoping to rekindle the fire. Until then, she would always be the Saddest Little Valentine.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Two months ago, 23:00
Sydney frowned when he noticed the caller. He had not heard from her in three weeks and he had not expected to hear from her this soon. Knowing that Miss Parker wouldn’t just call for a social chat, he leaned back into the chair and answered. Silence greeted him and he waited until at last she sighed and then asked, “Do you think we made a mistake…with Jarod, I mean.”
“I don’t understand. What do you mean by mistake, Miss Parker?” Sydney asked, although he had a fair idea what she had meant by her question.
“Sydney, you were there. What we witnessed, did he really…,” she couldn’t even bring herself to say the words, not even a month after the event.
It was Sydney’s time to be silent while he worked through his emotions of that day. It still hurt so badly but he had learned to deal with the emotional pain.
“Sydney?”
“I’m sorry, Miss Parker. Denial is a normal response to grieving. There was nothing any of us could have done.”
“But are you hundred percent certain?”
“I saw the autopsy file on Jarod. There is no doubt.”
He was still waiting for her response when the dialling tone sounded in his ear. Reminded of the many times that Jarod had done it, he smiled sadly at the fond memory. He worried for her. Her questions reopened memories of the file he had read that he would have gladly forgotten. Now it made him wonder…what if they had made a mistake.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next morning, 8:00
Miss Parker had cried herself to sleep, clutching one of Tommy’s shirts to her chest. That piece of flannel was her life preserver and it had kept her floating for the past month. Her conversation with Sydney had not strengthened her belief that Jarod was dead. She still clung to a hope that somehow the pretender had managed to escape the clutches of Hades. Then there was the man she had met last night. It wasn’t just the physical features but also some of the mannerisms that reminded her of Jarod. But John had not seemed the least bit intimidated by her, nor had it seemed that he had recognised her at all.
She wanted to investigate further. She needed to find the truth behind the mystery of why John was there last night. She had never believed in coincidences and she wasn’t about to. If John was by some miracle Jarod, she needed to know.
A knock on her door brought her from her spiralling thoughts.
“I thought a good breakfast could help.”
She smiled her thanks as Ben entered her bedroom with a tray. She could smell the bacon and egg and her stomach rumbled. Embarrassed, she shifted on the bed.
“Mmm, it seems that your appetite is returning.”
“Once again, thank you Ben for putting up with me.”
Ben smiled, crinkles forming around his warm eyes. “Your mother would have wanted me to. Besides, it brings some life back into this house.”
Hugging herself, she returned his smile. Ben left her and she ate in silence, enjoying the warmth of the food. As she ate, she mentally made a list of things to do for the day. She felt more upbeat and she didn’t know whether it was the fact that she had something more to do than stay at Ben’s place. All she knew was that despite her conversation with Sydney last night, she still had hope and for now, that was all she needed.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
St Catherine’s Hospital
Doctor Mary-Elizabeth Walker turned from the nurse’s station with a file in a hand and didn’t notice the person who had stood behind her. She was a slender woman in her mid forties with dark, curly hair that flowed in waves down her shoulders. Her brown eyes were deep in thought while a thin line of worry creased her mouth when she finally managed to pick up all the scattered pieces of paper and rearrange them in the correct order back in the folder.
“I wonder if you could help me.”
Glancing at the woman she had bumped into, she absent-mindedly indicated the station. She was surprised when a hand stilled her forward movement. Taking a closer look, she noticed the expert make-up that hid the puffiness that she had come to associate with grief.
“Please.”
“Very well, follow me.”
She could feel the woman’s frustration at being commanded but she was too busy to cater for politeness. She entered her office down the hall, holding the door open until the woman had entered. Closing it behind her, she seated herself behind her desk.
“What can I do for you, Miss…” she had noticed no ring and she assumed that the person was not married.
“Parker. Thank you. I need some information on a patient that you had treated.”
Surprised, Dr Walker took a closer look at the woman that sat across from her. “You do know that patient-doctor confidentiality prohibits me from disclosing any information to anyone except family.”
Miss Parker nodded. She had decided to go for the truth and if that was not successful, she knew what door to open tonight if need be.
“I know this will sound crazy, but I met John Hutching last night and he…,” for a moment, what she was about to say sounded even unbelievable, but she took a deep breath, “he reminded me of someone I used to know. A friend who… passed away about a month ago.”
“I sympathise Miss Parker, but what do you want me to do about it?”
“I need to know when John Hutching was admitted. His injuries are so similar that I just want to make sure that…”
“that he isn’t your friend by some fluke.” Dr Walker scrutinised the woman in front of her. She understood the policy regarding privacy but she also had a compassionate heart and the answers she could provide could clear up any misconceptions the other woman might have.
“I’m sorry, Miss Parker. I can give you a number of a family member you can contact. Beyond that, I cannot help you.”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 hours later
The wind was blowing gently, whispering promises of the coming winter. Pulling the blanket tighter around her, she enjoyed the feeling of the sun in contrast to the biting cold. The number was burning a hole in her pocket but she had not yet managed to scrape enough courage together to phone.
Dammit.
She could run blindly into a building, searching for the lab rat but she couldn’t even pick up a phone to dial a number. Shifting slightly on the porch swing, she eyed Ben’s phone lying next to her on the seat.
Her hand was actually reaching out, to pick up the phone when it rang. Not expecting the phone to ring, she jerked her hand back in fright before it was almost immediately replaced by anger. Her usual answer had more venom behind it then she had intended. That changed when she heard his voice.
“Miss Parker?”
“Jar…um, John. How did you get this number?”
“Am I disturbing you, Miss Parker?”
Closing her eyes, she leaned her head against her hand. That voice. Another call and she was reminded about the phone still pressed against her ear.
“No. It’s fine. What can I do for you?” Mentally berating herself for sounding like a second-hand car-salesman, she decided that it would be better for her to end the call as soon as possible.
“Well, I was wondering whether you wouldn’t like to have some coffee with me.”
“Coffee?” For a moment she was almost speechless.
“If you don’t drink coffee, you can always drink tea. They have these great fusions at the place I know that would bring you back for more.”
Tea? Thinking about the scotch she had kept at work and her sessions at bars, she grinned. This man had no idea that she wasn’t exactly a candidate for housewife of the year award. Or maybe he does. Deciding that she wouldn’t find any more information about the man unless she continued to meet him, she agreed.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Late afternoon
“This is for you.”
Looking up from her book, she took the small packet wrapped in brown paper from him. Wondering who it would be from, she frowned when she saw the familiar handwriting on the front. She wasn’t even aware that Ben had left her, as with trembling hands she removed the packaging.
It was a shoe box. Lifting the lid, she was greeted by an envelope, two pez dispensers and a thick folder that looked official. Leaving the dispensers in the box, she opened the envelope and extracted a sheet of paper. When she read the first line she placed her hand in front of her mouth, in the hope that she would be able to keep her grief inside. Jarod had addressed it in her name. The name that she had shared with him once in a cold simulation lab. She couldn’t stop the tears from escaping and they ran freely down her cheeks while she read and reread the letter.
If you read this then I apologise. Know that I wish that you would never have to read this letter with all my heart. In the folder you will find my last will and testament. I’ve decided that since you’re the most constant person in my life, it would only be appropriate to send this package to you. Also, I don’t really have an address for my father, and although Sydney had fulfilled that role most of my life, I wanted you to have this.
“You run, I chase.” Do you remember when you had said that to me after the island? I had thought about it over and over. Our relationship had always been complicated by outside influences except for that brief moment that it had been just us in Ocee’s house. For that moment I had felt closer to you than ever before. You have no idea how much I had wanted to complete that kiss.
I wonder if I ever would complete it. I can only hope. My only wish is that you would be free. Free from the Centre and its influence over you. To that goal I had provided a bank account to be used by you as well as a new identity in the hope that you would take my offer.
Go in peace and know that I had never forgotten about the girl that had given me my first kiss.
Jarod
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reviews are really welcome…
