Newsgroups: alt.ql.creative Subject: There But For the Grace of God, Part 2 Message-Id: <1pj80s$egv@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu> From: eah4@po.CWRU.Edu (Elizabeth A. Hlabse) Date: 3 Apr 1993 05:40:44 GMT Reply-To: eah4@po.CWRU.Edu (Elizabeth A. Hlabse) Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA) Nntp-Posting-Host: slc8.ins.cwru.edu Lines: 111 Sam was sleeping soundly when Al made his eappearancein Janice's bedroom. He looked down at his friend, a very worried expression on his face. He turned to look at an empty space beside him. "He doesn't remember, Bena. thank God for little favors. Maybe it'll be all right." He shook his head at the answer he received. "He had a look once that I thought was going to lead to the memory, but it Swiss-cheesed. And I'm sure as hell not going to remind him." Al patted his arm and a woman suddenly appeared next to him as his hand touched hers. "I just hope he never remembers what that nozzle did to him." The woman nodded and took her hand off his arm, disappearing the minute she did so. Al looked back down at the sleeping man and frowned. Sam was beginning to move restlessly, head moving from side to side. He was mumbling words that Al couldn't make out. Al moved closer to the bed, kneeling at it's side. "Oh, Sammy, please don't remember. You don't need the grief." The expession on the normally hard face softened at the words. He reached out a hand to touch Sam's hair and pulled back when he remembered the touch was impossible. "I'm doing the best I can." Al started at the words coming from Sam and looked up. "Bena, you still there?" A slight pause. "He's remembering. What do I do?" A longer pause this time. "What do you mean, 'nothing?' I can't just sit here. There has to be something I can do." Al looked back down at Sam while listening to Dr. Beeks's answer. "You know I'll stay with him. He doesn't have to ask and he won't be able to chase me away." Al jumped back reflexively when Sam suddenly sat upright in bed, eyes staring and glassy. His breath was coming in gasps and Al wished he could put his arms around the younger man and drive the demons that were tormenting him away. He caught his breath and leaned back so that he was eye level with his friend. "You okay, Sam?" The question didn't really need an answer. Sam just shook his head, bewildered and a slightly lost look reflecting in his eyes. "Just a bad dream," he mumbled. From the look on Sam's face, Al knew that it was more than just a bad dream. "Want to talk about it?" "No! Just go away, Al. Leave me alone," Sam snapped at him uncharicteristically. "It was just a bad dream." Sam fell back on the bed and turned his back to Al, pulling the cover up tohis chin and burying his face in the pillow. "Forget it, Sam. I'm not leaving. I can probably guess what the dream was about." Al moved around to the other side of the bed so he could face his friend. "Now talk." "It was nothing," Sam insisted, a hint of tears in his eyes. "Nothing at all." "Wrong, kiddo. I bet I can guess who the main players were." Sam gave him a disbelieving look. "Yourself and a certain Professor Sebastian Lonigro. Am I right?" Sam nodded, pullinghimself up into a seated position. "I was hoping you wouldn't remember this, kid. I'm sorry." "Why? You weren't even there." Sam's voice was low and his eyes were focused on his hands. Al could see that his friend was headed for a major case of dpression and knew he had to snap him out of it quick or he'd be no good for the rest of this leap. "No, I wan't, but that sort of thing shouldn't happen to a kid, especially one like you," Al answered just as softly. "What do you mean, 'like me?'" "You were sheltered, Sam. Probably nobody ever raised their voice to you when you were growing up. And I bet your folks didn't believe in corporal punishment, either." Sam nodded at that. "What Lonigro did to you was criminal. If I'd been there, I would probably have taken his head off." Sam smiled grudgingly at the picture that brought to mind. "It wasn't that bad, Al. There were other people there who supported me." Sam was carefully examining his fingernails. "He never really hurt me." "Bull shit, Sam. He hurt you. It may not have been physical, but he _did_ hurt you. He was just plain jealous of your smarts and took it out on you the only way he could." Al took a deep breath to calm himself. "He could have totally destroyed you, Sam. Broken your spirit, that part of you that wanted to travel in time. And that's wrong." Sam looked up at the older man, eyes bright. "He didn't though, Al. Isurvivied and proved my theories. He said that they would never work and yet here I am, travelling in time. I proved him wrong." "Yeah, I know." Al leaned over and looked closely at his friend. "You going to be okay, now, Sam? I...We were kind of worried." Sam smiled at the slip. "This could make this leap more difficult than others." "No, Al. It'll make it easier. I'd forgotten what it was like, but now that I remember, I'll know how to handle it." Sam let loose with a face splitting yawn. "I'm real tired. Mind if I get a little sleep?" he asked as he snuzzled back down under the covers. "No, I don't mind, pal," Al said softly as Sam's eyes closed in sleep. to be continued..... (if I'm not killed for _really_ messing around with Don't universe) -- Beth Hlabse eah4@po.CWRU.Edu Assistant Sysop The Science Fiction and Fantasy Sig (GO SCIFI) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vampires and Holograms have a lot in common. --Sam (Blood Moon)