PART 4

Joe had a horrible morning at home. The washing machine went on the fritz and he scrambled through the suds and water covering the floor to get the thing unplugged. He unhooked the water hoses and of course they sprayed him full of water. He sighed and raced upstairs to change his shirt. He trotted down the steps tying his tie and walked into the kitchen to say his goodbyes. Joey ran up and grabbed his father’s legs covering his pants with peanut butter from his breakfast.

Debbie blushed. "Sorry, Dad!" She grabbed her brother’s hands. "Let’s get you cleaned up, kiddo."

Joe grumbled. "Why? Just let him use the rest of my pants!" He ran upstairs and changed his pants.

Without another thought other than he was going to be late for work, Joe ran out the door to work. He never made it Below. On his way in, he remembered he was supposed to go tell Vincent and Jacob the news. "How could I have forgotten?" he wondered. He chuckled. "5 girls and a kid like Joey..." he wondered how he had survived the morning. He glanced at his watch and decided he would head Below at lunch or maybe after work. Things exploded at work and he ended up working way past 10:00.

He was packing up files to take home and looked up at the clock. "Damn, I’ll have to go Below tomorrow morning."

He thought briefly about heading down this late but he felt horrible about leaving the kids alone all day. Debbie had handled everything with the washing machine repair man and had to break up a fight between Joey and Maria.

Joey had accidentally fallen and upset Maria’s bowl of cereal lying on the floor in the living room. Maria smacked her brother angrily and the force of her strike sent him tumbling into the end table where he promptly banged his head. Debbie had to sit with him and hold an ice pack to the goose egg that appeared. Kelly cleaned up the mess and disciplined Maria who wasn’t supposed to have food in the living room to begin with.

Then Kelly reluctantly called to tell him that Brittany had started her period. Joe shook his head ruefully. Of all the times that a 13 year old girl could have gotten her period, she had to pick the time while her mother was away. Brittany was the tomboy of the girls and of course was devastated that this had happened to her. Debbie watched the other kids while Kelly had a talk with her but Brittany still had cramps and was bloated. Kelly had called to ask Joe if it was okay to give her some Midol.

He chuckled when he thought of his response. "How the hell should I know! Good response, Maxwell. I should give parenting advice..."

Kelly hung up saying she would give her sister the medicine.

Joe knew it couldn’t be helped, he had to get home.

 

*********************************

 

They next day came and Joe finally headed Below. He tapped out a message announcing his arrival then walked into the library to find Father, Vincent and Jacob waiting there.

Vincent stood and shook his hand. "Good morning, Joe."

Joe looked nervous. "Morning, Vincent. He nodded to father. "Father, hey Jacob."

Jacob smiled. "Hey, Uncle Joe."

Joe sat down and played with the rubber band that was around his wrist. "I wanted to thank you guys for helping me out yesterday. Man what a day from hell! I got up..."

Vincent interrupted him, knowing that whatever prompted his friend’s visit was troubling him greatly. "Joe, you are always welcome to our help. You’re our friend. But, you didn’t call us here to thank us."

Joe blushed. "I didn’t. No...um I have a story to tell you and I need everyone to just kinda keep quiet so I can get it all out."

The men looked from one another and Jacob shrugged. "Okay...shoot."

Joe took a deep breath. "Well, you know about Devin being in the crash and you know that he was okay, broken bones, stitches, nothing big...What you don’t know is that Devin was rescued by a young girl. She’s eighteen and she lives with her mother, secluded up in the mountains in Washington."

Joe paused for a second, grappled with his emotions and continued the story. "It seems like the mom went through a very traumatic time giving birth to her daughter. A driver in a semi truck found her on some back county road wandering around and about to give birth. He delivered the baby and then brought them to live with him in Washington. Something happened and the mom didn’t wake up for the first four years of the girl’s life. The guy raised her daughter and took care of the woman that whole time. One day, she finally woke up but the trauma that she suffered through messed with her mind somehow and she didn’t remember anything. Not her name, where she was from, nothing."

Father grimaced. "It’s a coping mechanism. The mind shuts down on that which it can not deal with. It’s a sad story, Joe, but why are you telling us this? Does the woman require our help?"

Jacob looked at his grandfather then over at his uncle. "Yeah, is she looking for some type of compensation for taking care of Uncle Devin?"

Joe balked under the questions. "Um...yes, Father, the woman needs our help but no, Jacob, she doesn’t need our money."

Vincent leaned forward, knowing his friend hadn’t finished. "Joe, there’s more..."

"Yes, oh boy...is there more!" Joe rubbed his hands across his face. "Okay, um...here we go...Devin saw this woman and her daughter and recognized them. He was worried about the mental stability of the mother so he had Peter fly out to help him tell this woman about her past."

Father nodded. "Peter mentioned he was going to Washington, he didn’t say why."

Jacob leaned forward. "Uncle Joe, is it someone we know?"

Joe looked at each of them then reached out a hand and placed it on Vincent’s arm. "Yeah, Jacob. It’s your mother." He looked up to read the shock in his friend’s eyes. "Vincent, it’s Catherine. She’s alive."

Vincent shot to his feet. "No!"


Joe nodded. "Yes, she’s alive."

Vincent paced furiously. "No! I saw her! I sat with her for over six hours! She was dead, Joe!"

Jacob stood up angrily. "Uncle Joe, this is crazy!"

Joe stood up as well and held his hands out pleading with them to listen. "I guess this trucker guy found her on the back roads in upstate New York. She had track marks up and down her arms. He thought she was a drug addict. He delivered the baby and let them fall asleep in the back of his cab. He took them home and the woman didn’t wake up for four years. He raised her baby for four years without any help..."

Father interrupted, suspiciously. "Why? Why would this man take a woman who he thought was a drug addict into his home and raise her child?"

Joe closed his eyes. "Because he thought the woman had gotten herself into some kind of trouble. He was worried that if they saw the baby they would take her away from the mother."

Vincent heard the words and they took a second to register in his mind. He looked at Joe warily, a sinking sensation in his stomach. "What do you mean they would take the baby if they saw her? Why would they take her?"

Joe looked at him. "Because she has her mother’s green eyes but she looks exactly like her father. She looks like you, Vincent."

Vincent shuddered and sat down heavily. "No. It can’t be. There must be some kind of mistake. I felt Jacob, I knew he was there, needing me. I felt no other heartbeat."

Joe sat down. "A local doctor confirmed that Catherine had been given a lethal dose of morphine. The doctor said and Peter concurred that with the changes that a woman’s body goes through during birth the effects of the morphine...stopped somehow. Having the second baby saved her life."

Father reached for Vincent’s hand. "So you’re saying that Vincent has a daughter?"

Joe nodded and looked at Jacob. "Your twin. You have a sister that looks just like your father."

Jacob was shocked. "I still can’t believe it."

Father shook his head as well. "Is Devin sure? Is he possibly delusional from his injuries?"

Joe dug into his pocket and produced the print from his computer. "This is who Devin found."

He pushed it across the table. The picture sat in front of Vincent. He picked it up and stared at the photo. His roar echoed through the chambers as he put his head down and began to cry.

Father gasped as he too viewed the photo. "Oh, my God! It’s true!"

Jacob sat there quietly, leaned over and looked at the picture, then finally turned to Joe. "So, what now?"

Joe blew out his breath. "Catherine has been ill. Every time your mother has some type of a reminder of her past she experiences intense pain. We think it’s because she suffered so much at the hands of Gabriel that her mind built in a protective mechanism that prevents her from remembering your dad or this world. Peter and Jenny went out there to see her, to see if they could help her find her identity. The second your mom saw them she remembered everything about her life..." Vincent looked up hopefully as Joe continued. "Up until a few nights before she met your dad."

Vincent’s sat back heavily as Jacob continued to ask questions. "So..."

"Well originally they thought it was going to take a couple of days to recover from the shock. I guess some past journals indicate that every once in a while she would just shut down for anywhere between 3 days to a week. This time she recovered quickly. She wants to come here to remember the rest. She still thought she worked for her father at his law firm...they had to tell her he had died."

Vincent scowled as he remembered helping Catherine through her grief when her father died. "She had to grieve for him twice."

Father leaned forward. "Joe, will she come here? Will she come back home to New York?"

Joe nodded. "Yes, I’m sorry, I was supposed to tell you yesterday morning, but the kids.... Anyway, they’ve rented an RV. They’ve been on the road for close to twenty four hours already. I guess another 3 to 4 days and they’ll be here."

Jacob suddenly stood, needing some time alone. "I...I need to go."

He rushed from the room and ran through the tunnels. Vincent was in a daze and didn’t even notice Jacob was gone.

Father motioned for Joe to follow him out of earshot. "Joe, could you please check on, Jacob? I want to sit with Vincent."

Joe grasped Father’s arm. "Sure, Father. Don’t worry, I’ve been through my share of teenage dramas."

He left as Father walked over to comfort Vincent.

Vincent shook his head in exasperation. "Father, she’s alive! She’s coming back." He picked up the photo. "With our beautiful daughter!"

Father leaned over and kissed Vincent’s forehead. "She is beautiful! God look at her eyes." He laughed. "You know, she’s much more attractive than you."

Vincent chuckled as tear fell down his cheek. "I feel like I failed her. I should have felt her, known she was there."

"Vincent, you were sick."

Vincent sighed. "Father, what if Catherine chooses another life. I won’t live through losing her again."

"I know, but you must think positively."

****************************

Joe caught up to Jacob in Vincent’s chamber. Jacob turned and looked briefly at Joe then turned back to look at the picture painted by Christopher Gentian.

"She’s coming here."

Joe nodded. "Yeah."

"I wonder if she’ll remember."

Joe shrugged. "I don’t know, I think she will."

"How will we meet her?"

"I don’t know?"

"How will she react?"

Joe sighed. "I don’t know."

"What if she doesn’t like me?"

"Jacob, she’ll love you."

"What about my sister?"

"What about her?"

Jacob shrugged. "Nothing, never mind."

"Jacob, spill it!"

"Well she already has my mother’s love and I can tell my dad is already searching for her within himself. She’ll have both of their love and where does that leave me?"

Joe was confused but he knew from his own kids how they sometimes felt unloved. "Your parents will love you both equally. I promise. I’ve got six and I love them all the same."

Jacob looked over at him. "Really?"

"Yeah, really."

"How’s my dad doing?"

"Shocked!"

Joe watched as Jacob pulled himself together. Jacob turned to face him. "Let’s go see him."

Joe put his arm around Jacob and led him back to the library. "You’re an incredible kid, you know that?"

Jacob rolled his eyes and said nothing.

Father smiled as they walked in. "Jacob, we were just commenting on how pretty your sister is."

Joe smiled. "I should have told you, her name is Jennifer."

Vincent cocked his head and lovingly said his daughter’s name for the first time. "Jennifer."

Jacob grinned. "After Aunt Jenny."

Joe nodded. "Yep, your mother mentioned the name Jenny to the driver. He called her Jenny for four years then when your mom woke up it became painful for her so they called her Jennifer."

Father grimaced. "She went through so much to protect our memory."

Jacob looked over at his father. "Dad, how do we meet them?"

Vincent shrugged and held his hands up by his sides. "I don’t know. Perhaps Peter knows..."

Father nodded. "Yes, she’s sure to have another relapse if she sees you or this world. We need to prepare, I’m going to read some of my medical journals and see if there are any other cases like hers."

Jacob stood. "I’ll go get a chamber ready for them."

Vincent stopped him. "Jacob." He lowered his head. "Your mother may not choose to live Below. She must be allowed to make her own choice."

Jacob’s eyes grew angry. "As long as you make it sound like you don’t want her here she will choose Above!"

Vincent growled angrily at his son. "Jacob, I would wish for nothing better than a life with your mother but I won’t force her to come back to me!"

Jacob blinked in surprise, never before having been at the other end of his father’s anger. "I..."

Vincent came over swiftly and hugged him. "No, it’s I who am sorry. Look, we’ve both been blindsided with this news. Let’s just sit back and think about if for awhile."

Joe laughed. "Well, make it quick! Hurricane Cathy will be here in four days."

Father chuckled. "Yes, I remember wondering the first time she came into our lives how someone so tiny could cause such an uproar."

 

*******************************

Across the country, the RV carried the group mile after mile. Peter had started driving the day before and drove several hours before Jenny took over. He went and rested while Jenny drove. Catherine kept her company in the seat next to her up in front. Devin sat reading maps, trying to find a route that would coordinate with several state parks. He wanted to give Jennifer a chance to stretch out at night and walk freely in the fresh air.

Last night, they had spent a peaceful night in a secluded park. The same routine was established on their second day of travel. Peter and Jenny alternated more frequently and they were making good time. Catherine prepared most of the meals and pondered about her extra quiet daughter.

Jennifer sat quietly on the long couch. She was trying desperately to concentrate on a book but since an hour or two into the trip she had been feeling sick to her stomach. She assumed it was a bout of car sickness. She had never traveled this far before and she decided it didn’t agree with her. She sat staring at the same page as strange feelings swirled around in her head. She decided she would lie down for awhile, hoping that sleep would bring her some relief.

She climbed up into the upper bunk. She had voluntarily taken the hardest one to get into knowing that she was the most limber out of the group. She closed the privacy curtain and gasped in pain. She tried to not draw attention to herself, she didn’t want to inconvenience anyone anymore than she already had. If it wasn’t for her they would be flying back to New York and would have been there yesterday.

She closed her eyes and soon fell into a delirium tossing and turning as fever overtook her body. She shivered with cold although her body temperature sky rocketed. For hours she silently lay there, coping with her misery.

The hour was late when Peter pulled them into another secluded park. Jennifer felt the camper come to a stop. She didn’t have the strength to get herself up.

Catherine came over and tapped on the wall outside her curtain. "Jennifer, we’ve stopped for the night." When her daughter didn’t respond Catherine went up on the tips of her toes. "Jennifer?"

She opened the curtain and her daughter angrily growled at her. Catherine backed up looking at her daughter who was still snarling angrily, her face covered in perspiration.

Devin shot to his feet and approached her cautiously. "Hey, jelly bean. Are you okay?"

Snarls answered him as Peter also joined his side. He looked at Jennifer who was now trapped in the back corner of her bunk, snarling at them looking both frightened and menacing at the same time.

Catherine grabbed his arm. "Peter, what’s wrong with her."

Peter grimaced and looked at Jenny. "Find my bag, Jen."

Jennifer growled again and Catherine stepped forward. Devin grabbed her arm and Catherine whirled on him. "She needs me!"

Devin looked at Peter, who nodded his assent. He released his hold.

Catherine stepped towards Jennifer. "Baby, its Mom. Jennifer? It’s just me..."

Jennifer shook her head vigorously trying to dispel the madness swirling within her. She looked pleadingly at Catherine. "Mom!" she gasped.

Catherine held her arms out and Jennifer came slowly out of her bunk. Peter guided Catherine over to the couch. Catherine felt the heat radiating from her daughter. She looked up at Peter.

He opened his bag and knelt down in front of her. "Jennifer, can you tell me what you’re feeling?"

Jennifer looked at him wearily and gasped. "I...I thought I was car sick. I keep feeling funny inside."

Peter took her temperature and then listened to her heart and lungs. He frowned and reached inside of his bag. "I picked up some of these in case this happened. It’s just an over the counter medicine for travel sickness. It should help."

Peter didn’t believe she was car sick but the pills certainly wouldn’t hurt her so he gave her two. Jennifer took the tablets and chewed them. Devin brought her a glass of water and Jenny brought over a rag with cold water and handed it to Catherine. She took it and wiped off Jennifer’s face.

Jennifer shyly looked around. "Sorry, I don’t know what came over me! I’ve never acted that way before."

Catherine put a second cool rag on Jennifer’s neck. "You scared us. Next time just let us know that you don’t feel good."

Jennifer smiled weakly. "Okay, I just didn’t want to be a nuisance."

Devin laughed. "You’re not a nuisance."

Jennifer looked up at him, and decided to confide in him. She gave him a meaningful look. "I’m going to go outside. Would you like to sit with me out there?"

Devin blinked in surprise, but he had understood the look she gave him and nodded. "Sure!"

Peter had caught the look and touched her shoulder. "I’d like to stretch my legs, too. Mind if I come?"

Jennifer thought then nodded. "Sure, that’s a good idea."

Jenny took the lead. "Your mom and I will get dinner together. We’ll call you when it’s ready."

 

**************************

The three walked outside and went to a picnic table, far from earshot. Devin sat down and put his crutches off to the side.

He patted the seat next to him and looked up at his niece. "Spill it!"

Jennifer sat and looked down at the ground. "I can’t explain it but I don’t think it’s got to do with motion sickness. Something else is very wrong with me."

Devin put his hand on her knee. "Can you describe it?"

Jennifer grasped for the words. "It’s like I lost myself. I was watching myself react and couldn’t stop it. Something is...like...building up inside of me."

Peter groaned as he realized he had heard those words before. He took her chin in his hand. "Jennifer, you must tell me exactly what you’re feeling. Exactly!"

She nodded, suddenly becoming scared. "What’s wrong with me?" Peter looked away and Jennifer started to panic. "Please! Tell me!"

Peter smiled, realizing she didn’t understand how much she sounded like her father. "Jennifer, I can’t be sure but your father went through very similar episodes like this twice in his life."

Devin scowled behind her as Jennifer became curious. "What happened to him?"

Peter sat down. "I want to be as honest with you as I can. He went to hell and back."

Jennifer rolled her eyes. "That helps, thanks!"

Devin looked over at him. "She deserves the truth, Peter."

Peter sighed. "The first time he was in his teens. He became so violent that your grandfather and I had to restrain him to his bed. It was touch and go there for awhile but one day the fever broke and your dad was okay."

Jennifer pondered that for a moment then nodded. "And the other time?"

"The other time, was worse. He was lost to himself. He suffered in your mother’s apartment for three days before he went back to the tunnels Below. He...snapped...down there and hid himself away, that’s when your mother went to find him."

Jennifer looked from Peter to Devin. "So this is the same thing he went through...the same sickness that took away his memories of her?"

Devin nodded and Jennifer suddenly stood. "I need to walk."

She took off into the trees and was so distracted that she didn’t realize that she had whistled loudly. Devin’s heart flipped, he knew she would soon realize that her wolves wouldn’t come to her, she would be alone.

He turned to Peter. "Are we going to be in some trouble?"

Peter shook his head. "I don’t know. I wasn’t there in the beginning with Vincent’s illnesses. When he was a teen, I sat in for Jacob sometimes but nothing substantial happened while I was there. Of course, Jacob ran his treatment options past me but I couldn’t offer any other opinion."

Devin nodded. "So the only person who knows what Jennifer is going through is like what...25 hours away?"

Peter sat quietly when a thought struck him. "Yes, but he’s only ten minutes away on a cell phone!"


He walked to his bag and picked up his cell phone. He dialed Jacob’s number but it rang and switched to voice mail. "Damn! He’s not answering."

Devin chewed his lip thoughtfully. "Well, you can’t have him call back in case were inside. Send him a text message and have him communicate that way."

Peter looked at him ruefully. "You forget my age. I’m lucky I can answer this thing! I don’t know how to text."

Devin sat and typed a text message. Jenny came outside and walked over as he was hitting send.

"Hey, just wanted to let you know that dinner’s ready." She looked around the clearing. "Where’s Jennifer?"

Her cell phone rang at that exact moment. She opened it up. "Hello?"

Joe’s voice carried over the airwaves. "Hey, babe!"

"Hi, honey. How’s the kids?"

Devin shot to his feet and took the phone. He looked apologetically at Jenny’s surprised face. "Sorry." He put the phone up to his ear. "Joe, its Devin. I need you to get word ASAP to Jacob. Have him get his dad and grandfather together have them text me." Devin listened for a second to the response. "Yeah, it is!" More silence. "I’ll tell her. Thanks."

Devin handed Jenny the phone. "He left to get the message to Jacob. He said he would call you back."

Jenny was concerned. "Devin, what’s wrong?"

Devin looked at Peter who sighed. "I’m probably just being over concerned. I want to talk to Vincent about some of Jennifer’s symptoms."

Jenny knew they were withholding information from her but she figured Peter was just being cautious. "Oh, well dinner’s ready."

The three went in to join Catherine.

 

*****************************

In the tunnels Below, Vincent was getting his dinner tray. On the way back to the table he shared with Father and Jacob, he was overcome with an odd feeling. He paused and searched, trying to determine the source. Suddenly, he dropped his dinner tray and grabbed his head. He couldn’t control the surges flowing through him.

Father dropped his fork and made to get up while Jacob flew to his father’s side. "Dad!"

Vincent stood panting heavily. He pushed Jacob away, afraid he would lash out at him. "Stay back," he roared.

Jacob backed away while Father approached cautiously. "Vincent?"

Vincent doubled over, holding his head, grimacing in pain. A second later, everything had passed.

Father noticed the change and put his hand on his son’s shoulder. "What was that all about?"

Vincent shook his head as he straightened up. "I...don’t know."

Father grimaced. He looked around the room at the concerned faces of the community, he knew everyone would want to see if Vincent was all right and they wouldn’t leave him alone.

Father wanted to get to the bottom of what had just happened. "Perhaps we should go to your chamber."

Vincent nodded. "Yes."

Father and Jacob followed Vincent to his chamber. Vincent sat down heavily on his bed. Father had seen a similar look before. He smiled ruefully about how quickly the bond had returned after hearing the news of Catherine. "Was it, Catherine?"

Vincent shrugged. "No...at least I don’t think so."

"Are you sure?"

Vincent sighed. "Father, I have no idea. I can only say that I have never before experienced what I just felt."

Jacob received a message asking for him to come to the 9th sentry post to receive a message. He turned to his father. "I’ll be right back. Will you be okay?"

Vincent nodded then waited until he left to turn to Father. He looked at him gravely. "It felt like before...like in the beginning."

Father groaned. "Oh, no!"

Vincent grabbed his hand. "No, this time it was different. I was on the outside of the feelings. Father, what could that mean?" Vincent sat up straighter and looked out into the air, almost like he was listening. "No!"

Father leaned forward. "Vincent?"

"Father, it’s not me these feeling come from! It’s Jennifer!"

"Jennifer?"

"Father, she’s in trouble!"

"Vincent, are you sure it’s Jennifer. You’ve never even met her."

"I never met Jacob either. This afternoon I was working when I felt a strange heartbeat. It was the same feeling I had when I found out about Jacob."

Father nodded. "Okay, we need to figure out..."

Jacob came running into the room. "Dad! Uncle Devin needs us to call him right away! We have to get to Uncle Peter’s for phone reception. Can you come?"

Vincent shot to his feet and looked at Father. "You should come, too."

"Sorry, Grandfather! Uncle Devin asked for you too."

Father grabbed his cane and began to follow quickly behind them. It wasn’t ten minutes later that they stood in Peter’s kitchen. Jacob dialed the phone and waited.

 

*****************************

Devin’s phone rang at the table while they were eating dinner. He smiled nervously and looked to see who was calling. He answered it on the third ring. Not wanting to let them know who was calling he spoke quickly.

"Hey, Heather. How ya doing babe? Look I’m inside and I need to go outside to hear better, give me a sec..."

Devin blushed as he struggled out the door then hobbled over to the picnic table.

Peter wolfed down his meal then stood. "I’ll go call for Jennifer again."

He raced out the door and Catherine, wondering about everyone’s strange behavior, turned to Jenny. "So, do we smell or something? Maybe we should hook up to water and take extra long showers tonight."

Jenny laughed at her joke but wondered what was being said outside.

Devin lifted the phone. "Jacob, put the phone on speaker setting."

He heard Jacob doing it and as Peter walked up, he did the same.

"Okay, Uncle Devin."

Devin spoke. "Vincent, we have a slight problem with Jennifer."

Vincent answered quietly. "I know, I just felt it. She was...lost for a second."

Devin chuckled. "So you bonded with her that quickly, huh?"

Vincent shook his head then realized what he was doing and that Devin couldn’t see him. "No, it just came upon me about a half an hour ago. I can’t really describe it."

"Vincent, its Peter. Try to explain. Was it anything like you felt...you know...before?"

So, Peter thought the same thing. They heard Father in the background. "Oh, dear God!"

Devin smiled. "Hi ya, Pops! Don’t worry, my niece is in good hands."

Vincent smiled. "There’s comfort in knowing that Devin. I think she’ll need it. Peter? To answer your question, it did feel somewhat like it did for me, in the beginning."

Peter grimaced and Devin asked the questions. "What should we do?"

Father stepped forward. "You should keep a constant watch on her. Monitor any changes. Where is she now?"

Peter saw a flash out in the trees. "She went for a walk. She knows a little bit about her situation."

Vincent sighed. "She must hate me for putting her through this."

Devin smiled. "She doesn’t hate you. She’s just as worried about you accepting her as you are about her."

Jacob finally spoke. "Why wouldn’t we accept her?"

Father had an idea that instantly popped into his head. He wondered why he had never thought about it before. "Peter, both times Vincent experienced this anomaly he was under extreme emotional distress."

Peter frowned. "You think they brought on these episodes themselves."


Father sighed. "I only know that it was after Lisa’s rejection that Vincent had his first episode and it was after Paracelsus tricked him that he had his second. That paired with Vincent’s growing relationship with Catherine and his inability to...er...commit to her made the second episode that much worse."

Peter nodded in agreement. "Now, Jennifer has had her entire world shattered and she’s trying to stay strong for her mother despite the fact that she is unsure of where her own feelings lead."

Vincent interrupted. "Why we are having these feelings in unimportant, you must get Jennifer here quickly. I can feel her control slipping."

Devin agreed. "We’re still about 23 hours away. We’ve stopped for the night."

Vincent tightened his hands into fists, frustrated by his inability to help. "Is there no one who can drive?"

Devin looked at an exhausted Peter. He had put in the last 6 hours. "I tell you what, I’ll give it a try...Maybe if I can go 5 or 6 hours Jenny and Peter can get some rest."

Peter expelled a long breath. "We’re going to have to give some explanation to Catherine and Jenny as to why we’re not stopping."

Vincent thought for a moment. "Tell Catherine you spoke to Jennifer’s father and he suggested you get back."

Father frowned. "Peter, you’re going to have your hands full."

Peter quietly answered. "Yes."

Vincent’s voice came again. "Father, Jacob and I will stay Above at Peter’s house. If you need to reach us for any reason we will be here."

Jenny and Catherine were exiting the trailer. Peter spoke quietly. "The girls are coming. We’ll call later."

The line was disconnected.

 

*********************************

Catherine looked at the two men. "No sign of Jennifer?"

Devin began to call her name. "Jennifer! Jennifer!"

Catherine didn’t like the look she saw on Peter’s face. "Peter, I know it’s been awhile since I saw you but anyone would know you’re upset about something."

Peter pulled Catherine over to the bench. "Cathy, something is troubling me. I would like to leave as soon as Jennifer gets back. I think we should get back to New York as soon as possible."

The mother’s instinct in Catherine took over. "What’s wrong with my daughter?"

Peter smiled at her ability to decipher things so quickly. "I’m not sure."

Catherine’s brow furrowed. "You’ve never seen this happen to anyone before?"

Peter couldn’t lie. "No...I’ve seen it happen before, it’s just not real common."

"Well, how many times have you come across this kind of case?"

"Just twice."

Catherine gasped. "Twice?! How did you treat it?"

"Um...I didn’t...it kind of ran its course."

Devin nodded. "I can drive for awhile. Jenny and Peter can get some sleep." He looked at Catherine. "Do you think you can keep an eye on Jennifer?"

Catherine looked at him oddly. "Why wouldn’t I be able to watch my own daughter?" She thought back to earlier. "What’s going on? Why is this happening to her?" At their continued silence she exploded. "Damn it, I want to know!"

Peter sat her down and Jenny came up on her other side. Catherine wouldn’t be coddled and threw off their attempts to console her. "My daughter is in some kind of danger and the two of you want to treat me like I’m some kind of mental patient. Other than forgetting some three odd years of my life, I’m fine. So spill it!"

Peter sighed. "It’s about those three years, and who and what happened during that time."

Catherine shook her head. "Well, let me guess! I met some guy he got me pregnant and somehow I got away from him. That takes care of two years, the other year I hope was spent dating the guy! Was he abusive? Is that why I’ve blocked out his memory?"

Jenny shook her head. "No, Cath. That’s not it at all."

Devin stood in front of her balancing on his crutches. "Jennifer’s father has been through this kind of thing before."

Catherine suddenly got an odd look on her face. She held her hand to the side of her head and had a twinge of pain. She shook it off. "Does he have a name?"

Jenny nodded. "Vincent."

Catherine had no reaction. "Does Jennifer look like this Vincent?"

Peter took her hand. "Yes, very much so."

She began to pace furiously. "Look, even if we get her there, how do we know he’d be willing to help out with her?"

Devin stopped her in her tracks. "Vincent would die for her. If he had known about her he would have searched for her until he found her or it killed him."

Catherine stood there and debated about what Devin said. She looked at Peter and Jenny. "You two believe that?"

The both nodded. Jenny came over to her. "Cathy, Vincent is a great guy. I promise with a pinky swear that you won’t be disappointed if we go to him."

She closed her eyes in resignation then opened them. "Okay, I can’t deny the powers of the pinky swear. I’ll trust this guy. Do you know where to find him?"

Peter nodded. "Yes, he’s waiting for us. That was him on the phone. He was the one who suggested we get back as soon as possible."

Catherine watched as her daughter came into the clearing. She looked bedraggled and exhausted. Catherine turned to the others. "Let’s go."

They packed up camp and Devin started to drive. Jenny helped him work the pedals and once out on the empty highway he put it on cruise control and started to eat away at the miles.