Friday January 18th, 2013 - 1:30 A.M.
Samantha's Hospital Room
Klyde's humming had bled into the beeping rhthym to Samantha's left, which seemed to knock her out. For the most part, she and Layla had been asleep for the majority of the night, at least Layla was. A slight chilliness lingered alongside her monitor, bringing Samantha back out of her slumber. Is that you Dianne? Her eyes were stinging with fatigue; she vaguely made out the sheet that had been strewn around her. "Are you there Sam?" The distinct voice of the woman she came to love more and more, broke her out of her stupor. Klyde had faded back into a solid view as well, but she kept her full attention on Dianne.
Her slender hands; those long, thin fingers; how they ran up and down her arm. It was pure love from a mother, laced with just a touch of excited ecstasy. "C-Can my friend hear me?" Dianne shook her head in return. "Rest your body honey, you're gonna need it." Just as this statement swam through her, the softness of her pillow wrapped its clutches around her head. For that short bit of time, relaxation set it. A sigh of relief exited her lungs, and then she peered down at her father figure. Klyde's arms were folded; his mouth had that half smirk that she was growing fond of. "I know that I-I said that I was up for this, b-but…" That man wasn't providing her with the encouragement she sought.
Try Dianne. She may be more understanding. Sure enough, those warm fingertips rubbed happily against her scalp. They massaged her worries away, giving her just that small cluster of seconds she needed to feel calm again. "I know you are worried about this, and so was I when Klyde first told me." Samantha felt these words yanking her eyes open, like a verbal crowbar. "Look at me." How is it that she can say anything, and her voice acts like a magnet for my face? Though she gave this woman her undivided focus, Samantha still let that voice in her head run wild. Is; Is she crying? Dianne nodded in return.
"I'd stroke your cheek or; or something, b-but my arms lack the strength. My energy is so far gone, it's unbelievable!" "Don't worry about moving right now, girl. You're gonna need to muster your strength for our journey ahead, especially with a new life growing inside of you." She felt her stomach turn instantly as vomit began to do its thing, running up her throat and burning every inch of it. "I'm g-gonna be s…" "Honey, get this girl a bucket!" Dianne interrupted her. "Sorry for that… He should be back soon…" Samantha watched this woman look all over, after her husband disappeared behind the curtain.
Just as he reappeared, and tossed the bedpan over, the bile behing held at that back of Samantha's throat, blew from her. The splashing sound it made only caused her sickness to strengthen as she continued to puke. "P-Please, could you s-stroke my hair again? It always c-calms me d-d-down." She poured all of the worry from her out into those already water drenched eyes that sat before her.
She didn't even think twice! I love how she tends to me the way that she does. Samantha wanted to purr, or even groan a bit from the attention she got. It took all of the remaining energy she had to not do this, as she didn't want to feel any more embarrassed than she already was. "Honey, you don't have to be embarrassed in front of us, okay? You're pregnant; morning sickness is a part of the beginning process…" She heard Dianne's voice trailing off, watching as she and Klyde locked a gaze of their own. He nodded and then took over the conversation.
He's nervous again. Look at the way he's tapping the end of my bed with his thumbs. I used to do things like that, especially if I felt uncomfortable around people. "You're right, girl. I am nervous, because…" He drooped his head, just like he did back in that basement torture room they were in not so long ago. "You're stalling again, Klyde. Just tell Samantha what's on your mind." "Ugh. Thank you!" Samantha didn't know why, but a wave of giggles erupted from the pit of her stomach. It must be the way I said it, or the timing, but I can't stop laughing! She was relieved that Dianne was the same way; they were both just laughing, and grinning at each other.
"What's so funny?!" Tears were running down Dianne's face; Samantha felt her own as well. "Please don't sit there, laughing at me, without even giving an explanation. I deserve at least that much respect," Klyde muttered. It wasn't until she saw him drooping again, that the fits of laughter escaped her. "Hey, I'm sorry; and I won't be apologizing as much as I was back in my dream." He looked up at his protégé; Dianne's laboring breaths had calmed back down to a normal rate.
Samantha didn't tell either of them, nor did she allow the thought for she didn't want to ruin what they had. She was happy for the first time since that night back at the college. Not even Layla, who was sleeping so lovingly like an adorable little girl on her lap, was able to calm the flames that took place in her heart. "What's on your mind Klyde? I'm not a mind reader; you should know that by now." "You're right, darlin'. There is something on my mind and for a short while, I've been debating whether or not I wanted to reveal it. My wife believe we should, so after much bickering, we came to an agreement."
He had slid around the edge of the bed, stopping just beside his wife. When their hands met and when they stopped to just breath each other's air; that was what broke Samantha down. Her heart twanged; her palms grew sweaty and her heart thumped a beat of passion. "I love seeing you two together," She muttered. The couple gazed back at her now; their hands still held tightly together. Klyde cleared his throat, and started to shake his wife by the shoulder. "Do you wanna start it?" The woman laughed and snorted embarrassingly. She's as giddy as a school girl. "The voice in your head is correct Sam, I am giddy! I'm as nervous with him now than I was back when we first met. Ohhhh, those were the days!"
Samantha felt something shake a bit, bringing her focus onto Layla. Thank god, she can't hear us… "Are you… sure that she's unable to hear what we're saying? It's not right to wake her, especially if she'll just see me talking to myself. I mean, I know I can see you, but she may not be able to."
Dianne's free hand had slid into Samantha's vision. She could practically count every line on her palm. No explanation needed. She slid her own hand into the warm, grasp. The heat spread from their touch, up through her arm and throughout every inch of her body. "What's up?" Dianne just smiled again. She's so good with that; the whole, grinning to soothe those around her thing? "Yes, and for now one we'll continue this conversation in your head, just to make you feel at ease." Dianne's voice had bounced around inside her head, followed by her husband's. "Let's start the story honey!" "Alright; alright! Geez! Anyway…"
Samantha could feel her eyes drying out, instinctively she blinked, but other than that, she felt so out of her body. It was the most abnormal out of body experience she ever had. And I've tried acid before; it's nothing compared to how I feel now. I can see you two staring at me; I can feel Layla breathing on my legs, but I also feel as if I'm just floating outside my body and not in this bed. It's so hard to explain… "Sam, allow me to continue the story, so you don't go and get lost in your words. I know it's weird, but try and stay with us."
Like before, she knew she was agreeing; nodding all the while, but she was so lost in her head. "It started back in nineteen seventy-two. Klyde had just enlisted into the Army and was about to be drafted…" "You're damn right I enlisted! Who am I to deny my country who needed me so?" Dianne sighed. It was like a hissing pipe echoing in Samantha's brain; she just bypassed it, despite the stoic statue like stare Klyde was displaying.
She actually felt herself coming alive again, and realized she was giggling. Klyde joined in, chuckling a bit and even her left ear felt the muffled laughter of his wife. "Continue Darlin'." There I go; whoosh, like a gust of wind I'm back in my head again. "Right, welcome… welcome back." Dianne was struggling to get over their goofing around. "Right, anyway, Klyde fought like hell. He gained both the Purple Heart and the Medal of Honor, for the people he saved and the sacrifice he made." The man's silence in their invisible conference was somewhat disturbing; Samantha slid around in her bed. I still don't know how I'm doing this. I-I'm not even truly there anymore, yet my body keeps on moving.
She was unable to stop the future events from unfolding. Everything around her became obscured, other than the two before her; they became more sharp by the second. A darkness spread, allowing only a light to shine off of the lovers, as they were drawn into a slumberous meeting. She saw that Klyde had changed his outfit, bearing a long sleeved shirt and jeans. Dianne did as well, though she was wearing a short skirt, with a semi-tight t-shirt. "Sorry I'm only wearing a hospital gown." The two of them said nothing, pulling her into their arms.
The darkness spread on and on, as she peered outward between their shoulders. Both of them kept rubbing her back; she tried to force the shiver away. "It's alright, girl! Just stay with us okay?" The masculine tone of Klyde's voice wrapped around her right ear. A sniff was what she did in return, backing away from the two. She saw the excitement; it practically blew away from the man's face.
At this point, Dianne had begun developing a slight pink hue to her cheeks. Read the body language Sam; what is she saying with her movements? All of the nervousness that came to her on a normal basis, was drained completely. The feeling of passionate romance boomed off these two, pounding in her chest and ears a soliloquy of visual bliss. "Okay. Over time, I rose up in the ranks a little bit anyway, until one fateful night. An explosion went off nearby my tent, thank god I was inside of course, but since it was so nearby, a piece of metal ripped through the wall. It tore into my eye, blinding me instantly."
"Jesus!" Why'd you go and say that for? That was awfully rude! Samantha's thoughts were clashing. She was yanking at her hear, not even feeling the pain until a clump had nearly been torn from her scalp. That shakiness in her hands only poked fun at her, as her legs followed suit. Had it not been for her teachers, she would've fallen onto the unseen surface below their feet. Dianne spoke up now; Samantha saw the woman's eyes as they were now just an inch or two away. Her shuddering breath could not be combated away, though she wanted it to leave so badly. "You have to get a hold of yourself honey. You'll destroy your psyche if you keep allowing that voice in your head to control your every move."
"Right, okay… Ohh lord, alright; good. I'm good! Continue." Those thick wet lips met her forehead, warming her back up as Dianne stepped back over to her husband. "Go ahead hon," She stated. They kissed, and embraced each other's pain away, before giving their student what she came for.
"I had to get surgery to fix my eye. Low and behold, Dianne here, my lovely angel of a surgeon here, fixed me up good as new! Did you know…?" Klyde had grasped her shoulder, as fatherly as possible. "That this young and exceptionally beautiful woman went to Harvard Medical School? She even graduated at the young age of twenty one!" "Is; Is he serious?!" The woman's rapid nodding, lit a fire under Samantha's feet. She leapt towards Dianne, hugging her as hard as she ever hugged a person before. "I know it's late, but this is so cool to hear! I'm so proud of you and I'm happy you two were able to meet, even under the circumstances of course."
The familiar pressure from Klyde's fingers, drew her back to the story at hand, though she did feel the urge to wink towards Dianne, who laughed in return. "I didn't know that at the time either, and I believe that I remember the exact phrase I said to her. I said, 'My GOD woman! How in the good Lord's name above, did you graduate at such a young age? Why, you're a medical marvel!'" Without hesitation, Dianne burst into a fit of laughter; her cheeks were burning deeper than before. The longer that the three of them stood there, the more comfortable Samantha felt herself become.
"Anyway," Klyde began, as he grabbed hold of his wife's hands once more. "I had to go out with her, I just had to. I wouldn't take no for an answer and finally worked up the nerve to ask her out. I asked if we could go to the beacch and just talk…" "I played hard to get of course," Dianne interrupted playfully. "Of course you did! I do the same when a guy asks me out. It's something about how worried they get, you know?" A light flickered on, inside Samantha's head.
Dianne even nodded, snorting again as well. "Or how they walk away with their hands in their pockets, staring down at their feet?" "I know, right?! It makes you feel guilty as hell, but you can't help yourself!" They were continuing a conversation on as fluidly as she and Layla used to; it brightened everything around her. Not even the darkness could penetrate this bubble that surrounded her feelings. Klyde coughed, immediately interrupting them. Their laughter didn't disappear altogether though. It took some time to finally chip away, until Samantha turned her gaze onto the brown eyes of that loving man.
"Right, well… You did well darlin'. She did play me like a fine fiddle. It took me so very long for her to finally say yes to me. The only way she would agree was if I shaved my mustache off! I said, 'By god woman! I've had this mustache since I was seventeen!" Dianne just snorted again. Samantha was unable to stop herself; she joined in just as easily as earlier. "Believe it or not. The very same night we were to go out, he came back clean shaved." "Well that's because I had to have you!" Klyde pulled her close, latching his mouth onto hers.
"You two are so adorable! And you, Dianne; you're incredibly intelligent! Becoming a surgeon in your low twenties means you must've graduated high school at thirteen! My god, I thought that I was intelligent! I mean, I was, but I always quit things… That seems to be what I'm good at now; quitting things." She didn't want to say another word, as her mind took over once more. At these times, it was only her thoughts that seemed welcoming to her.
Her lip quivered; her feet became spotted with drops of depression. Had it not been for her teachers, she would probably have killed herself by now. What with the rape, the pregnancy…? Not pressing charges on a man who deserves to be punished? "I know you're feeling down. Why don't you explain to us what you meant by quitting? Oh Dianne. You seem to be the one thing that can poke a hole in all of this sorrow. You're that arrow that's tied around me, hoisting me ever so high into the sky, where not a single chunk of my mind can get me. "Alright," This word took most of her energy to even mutter.
It wasn't until now, that she realized her knees were painfully holding her up on the invisible ground. All of her hair shrouded her face, and that was all she wanted. "The quitting started back when my mother was terminally ill…" "Shhh. Do not speak, unless you truly wish to." It was Klyde this time who spoke the words of soothing. He alongside his wife were on their knees now, giving her more energy to look at them. Both, wore the pain that she felt ravaging inside of her. "First of all, I appreciate your sympathy, but I must continue. These words may make you two reconsider having me as your protégé. When my mom was diagnosed, I didn't know what to do. I lost interest in everything. Athletics, Math, Science… The only reason I was able to graduate was because my Mom pushed me to work hard and who was I to deny a dying woman's wish?!"
"You did it for her, darlin' and that's more than enough," Klyde replied. She realized that Dianne was staying silent throughout most of this, but her attention had still been on her, and nothing else. "Right, I did it for my mother, but after she died I tried working at a factory. My father was having a hard time financially, so I did what I could to assist him and for a while it went well! I had been there for a couple months; I was making good money and great friends; I had it all! I even had a place all to myself, yet that wasn't enough to keep me going. The longer I went there, the more I began dwelling on my life. I knew of my intelligence, and it hurt me knowing that this was where my life was going. I wondered, 'was it worth it? Where is my life going?' Of course I had no shred of responsibility and I quit after the first couple of months and was forced to move back in with my father in our old apartment building."
The unknown voice from before bounced around, from behind her. "She still seems stabilized, though I don't know why she's staring over to her left…" Everything was shattering before her very eyes, forcing Samantha back into the real reality that was her life. She felt her head jarring a bit, before she realized the doctor had vanished once more. Layla began stirring a bit, but quickly slipped back into a peaceful sleep. Without any thought, Samantha felt herself being filled with the urge to groom that girl's curly hair, which she did. Dianne's cooled breaths ran over her unoccupied side, bringing her full attention.
"Don't worry, she can't hear you. I think you need more light on your face anyways," The woman stated. Klyde was nodding all the while, so she went on. "My father never questioned me. He never judged me either and for that, I loved him so much. But what I really needed there was a good kick in the ass. I needed some tough love, but never fought the kind I was getting. Over time, I wanted to go to college with the idea of becoming a Detective. I passed the first two years, getting my Bachelor Degree in Criminology. After going through a year and three and three quarter semesters, I was doing great! I just needed to pass my last final to get my Bachelor Degree in Psychology. It just hit Monday; the last day before the final… Well, you both know the rest."
"May I say something?" Dianne was consoling, rubbing her arm. "I thank you for this, and of course!" Samantha replied. "You've quit things because of your mind. Think about it this way. Other than what that sick pig did to you that night, the rest of your quitting was due to anxiety. You didn't like being trapped on a road going nowhere, so you left. Have you been hired and left other jobs?" Samantha just realized that her bottom lip had been hiding behind her teeth. For no reason, irritation ran wild. Another nervous habit; let's count how many I can get! Perhaps we should do a drinking game! FUCK! Why am I so irritated by something so trivial? It makes no sense.
"I've been relentlessly picked on by this girl named Lizzie Grace. She's some blonde girl from college who's been obsessed with me ever since fucking high school. It's because, before that time, she had the most amazing body. Every guy wanted her, that was until I hit my growth spurt. Of course, I had to grow taller than her, and get longer, thicker legs; and of course I had to grow these; these GIANT things!" Her breasts felt thick and warm under her cupped hands. "These were the main cause of her torment! She wanted to have a rack like mine and knew it would never happen, so in return, she bullied me for years and YEARS! Jesus… She never, EVER stopped!"
"Top of the Dean's List eh? I got up there myself!" Dianne's choice to ignore the hatred that Lizzie had, was easing that welling pain in Samatha's stomach. A certain fondness formed; she began to become attached to these two, even moreso now. "It's just that, ever since she died, I felt lost. Then whenever I'd work somewhere, even if it was actually okay, I felt stuck. I felt like I was on a conveyer belt that wouldn't stop moving. No matter how hard I ran, more and more obstacles pushed me back until I fell off. Now I've been raped and I lost all my will to finish college, even though I was so close. SO, very close… And now… I'm fucking repeating myself!"
Please, Dianne. I'm in my own mind; I'm trying to force you two out of it so I can at least have some thoughts to myself. If you two care about me, please… Just hug me. I need to be loved. P-Please? The two of them were already wrapping their arms around her. She had already been hoisted partially off her bed; that's all it took. Fight the tears Sam; damn you! You're stronger th-than this… awww… She broke down, despite her efforts. Dianne and Klyde; they, alongside Layla were the only ones she had left in her life. They were the last remaining chains that anchored her brain from snapping into pieces.
"I think that I need some time to rest. I've been through so much and I'm just so tired." Her bed agreed, as it held her like her pillow. Klyde cleared his throat, finally breaking his silence. "It's okay! We know you've been through a lot; you need your rest." He and Dianne, gave her one last look over, before disappearing. The heaviness of fatigue finally arrived as it nearly knocked her out cold. Her hand still held onto an unseen, slender set of fingers from another. She heard the cooing voice of Dianne just so far away, but close enough as it helped her tiredness lull her nearly off. I can feel the purpose now! It's like a spark that's lighting my ambitions. Had it not been for these two… I'm; I'm beginning to love them like I did my parents. She felt her lips tightening as her old smile came back. I know now that I truly will never, ever quit again. Her brain blacked out and she was gone.