"Daphne," she exclaimed as she stepped out of the metal doors.

I bolted up from the seat.

"Yes?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Hanson pulled through, they'll be ok," she smiled.

"And," I started.

"We are still working, the younger siblings pulled through better, I don't understand why we're having difficulties with," she paused.

"What?" I asked as a lump rose in my throat.

"I can't be sure yet, I have to go back in," she said quietly as she turned and went back inside the metal doors.

I sat back down in the chair. The cold metal against my back. I was still wearing the evening dress I had put on over twelve hours ago. I swallowed hard. The knot in my throat was agonizing.

"Daphne," Fox said as he stepped out of another set of doors.

"Yes," I exclaimed standing up again.

"Shiye just went into labor," he exclaimed as I stepped forward.

"It's premature, by," I started.

"By a month, yes we know, she's still unconscious, we're going to have to perform a C section," he explained.

"Will she be ok?"

"We think so, I just wanted you to know what was happening."

He went back inside.

I closed my eyes. So much hung in the balance. Right now nothing else mattered, Freezer Burn, Amber, Cristin, none of that mattered. Right now Zac, Will, I swallowed again. I had to stop dwelling on what could happen and just pray. I rested my head back against the wall. I remembered sitting in Johnny Rockets with Zac, arguing over who was paying. I smiled as I remembered the cool ocean waters around us when we snuck out that night at the hotel to go skinny dipping. I yawned. I was so tired. I heard a door open and bolted up again but realized it was just another doctor going inside.

I still wasn't sure exactly what had happened to them. I had heard mutterings of something called the MAST. I heard them saying something about their memories. But it didn't seem to add up. I closed my eyes and tried to relax. I knew tensing up wouldn't help.

*          *          *          *          *

"Daphne," I quietly roused her.

"Daphne wake up," Daphne opened her eyes and glanced around.

"What?" she blurted as she registered where she was.

"Come here," I pulled her up to her feet and took her down a side hallway to another door.

"What's wrong," I heard her voice crack.

"There's someone who wants to see you," I smiled as we entered the room.

"He's still very weak and disoriented. If he seems to be foggy on who you are or anything like that don't worry, it's temporary," I exclaimed as she walked up to the bedside.

*          *          *          *          *

I watched him, his eyes were shut until I was beside him. They opened and he looked over at me. Instantly he smiled.

"Hey Daphy," he whispered quietly.

"Hey," my voice cracked as a tear ran down my cheek.

"What a ride," he sighed as he blinked slowly.

"You feeling any better," I asked.

"I feel stoned right now, everything is all numb and weightless," he sighed.

"It's the IV drip," Fox whispered from across the room.

"It's the medication," I said quietly.

"Oh," was about all Zac replied.

"Mom and Dad are ok," I said quietly.

"Yeah they told me, and Shiye had a baby," he smiled.

I glanced over at Fox.

"A boy," he smiled.

"And Shiye?" I asked.

"She pulled through, but she's still unconscious, she came to for about ten or so minutes," he exclaimed.

"They told me Ike just pulled out of it," Zac whispered.

I looked back at Fox.

"Yeah, he's not as with it as Zac though."

"What about?" I started to ask.

"Yeah, what about Taylor?" Zac asked looking over.

"He's," Fox started as someone stuck their head in the room and muttered something to him.

"He just came up, just now," Fox exclaimed with a smile.

The person whispered something else and Fox's face seemed to fall.

"What?" I asked feeling scared suddenly.

"Nothing," he started.

"Bullshit," Zac whispered.

"No, it's really nothing, I have to go find out some more before I say anything," he said as he stood up.

"I'll be right back, just stay relaxed and don't try to move too much," he said as he stepped out of the room.

"It's Will," Zac sighed.

"Huh, why do," I started but stopped when I saw Zac's eyes welling up.

"It's ok," I whispered running my fingers through his hair.

"He's slipping further," Zac's voice cracked, even in a whisper.

"Shhh, don't strain just relax," I tried to calm him as the lump in my throat swelled larger.

I remembered Will and Tay explaining how Zac had always known when something was wrong in the past. I only hoped for once he was wrong.

*          *          *          *          *

"What is it?"

"Fox, it's bad," Dana exclaimed as she closed the clip board in her hands.

"How bad?"

"His brain activity has dropped to just barely over four percent," she said with a pale face.

"Oh no," I sighed.

"We had to put him on full life support and respiration," she exclaimed.

"There has to be something we can do," I started.

"Fox," she whispered shaking her head.

"I've made contact with his mother, and they are about to wheel Taylor into his room," she said glancing down at her feet.

"Dana, no you can't be serious," I said in shock.

"It's that bad, you better get Daphne, I'm not sure about Zac though, it might upset his condition, I've also got Chaplain O'Leary on his way," she said glancing up at me.

The tears in her eyes told me, it was that bad.

*          *          *          *          *

Fox walked back into the room. I knew instantly something was wrong.

"What?" I asked before he could start.

"Come here," he said asking me to step away from Zac.

"No, I want to know too," Zac exclaimed looking over at him.

"I, Zac I can't risk upsetting you," he exclaimed.

Involuntarily my hand covered my mouth as I felt a moan almost burst from my mouth.

"You don't have to tell me what I already know," Zac sighed quietly.

Fox looked down at his feet.

"We're going to bring you both into his room," he started.

I wanted to ask but I knew it was coming.

"Will's brain activity is almost nonexistent; he's on life support and respiration, right now. The only thing keeping him alive is the machines," Fox said quietly looking at his feet.

I sat back against the bed as I felt the tears pouring down my face. I felt Zac's hand squeeze my arm.

"We've contacted his mother, she'll be here very soon," each word stung my ears.

"Take us to him," Zac exclaimed.

*          *          *          *          *

I swallowed over and over. I kept taking deep breaths. Each step though, managed to shake me to my core. I squeezed Zac's hand as his bed approached the doors. They swung open and I clenched my fists to keep from crying out loud.

There in the center of the room was Will. Quiet and motionless on the bed. All the doctors had stepped off to the sides in the shadows. The only noise was the beep of the heart monitor and the quiet whoosh and squish of the respirator as it rose and fell in the small cylinder beside the bed. I heard a noise behind us and glanced back to see Taylor's bed being rolled in. His eyes were half open, and he seemed to be extremely disoriented. I realized I couldn't feel my hands. I had been hyperventilating and had to force myself to stop breathing so fast.

The silence was broken when Taylor's bed was rolled up beside Will's so they could face each other.

Taylor stammered and whispered quietly, but it was almost impossible to understand him. I turned and pressed my face against Zac's chest and tried not to cry too loud.

"Daphne, I tried to explain to Taylor what was wrong. I tried to explain what was happening, but I don't think he understood me," Dana said quietly as she stood beside me.

I glanced up and saw Taylor reaching for Wills hand. A tear fell from his eye as Will didn't respond. He glanced around and looked at me.

"Daphne, why won't he talk to me?" Tay whimpered quietly as he squinted his eyes and stared at me with a confused sleepy look on his face.

I walked forward. I didn't know how to do it, how could I do it? How do you tell anyone that the one you love, your other half is dying? You can't put that into any kind of way that won't devastate them.

"Taylor," I started quietly.

"Taylor, babe, listen to me ok," I said pulling his face towards me gently with both hands.

"Uh huh," he sighed.

"I know you can hear me in there, I know you're there," I whispered as I watched his eyes doze around.

"Come on, you have to listen," I whispered.

"Ok," he said as he squinted his eyes and then opened them wide for a moment.

"Taylor, Will," I started as I bit my lip and turned my head for a moment.

"Taylor, Will isn't doing so well right now," I started. The words just wouldn't come out.

"He's gonna be ok, right?" Tay asked quietly his eyes falling shut briefly then reopening.

"No sweetie, he isn't," I swallowed hard my voice cracking.

"Why?" Taylor breathed quietly looking over at Will.

"It's so complicated to explain babe, but his mind is gone, it's gone to sleep," I tried to explain. I knew if I told him that Will had lost almost all his brain activity, and that the only reason he was alive was because of the life support Taylor would only get more confused.

"He will wake up, won't he?" Tay asked looking at me pleadingly.

"They don't think so," I cried quietly, I couldn't hold it in anymore.

"But I see him breathing, he's ok," Tay tried to explain.

"Sweetie, he's not breathing, the machines are making him breath," I struggled. I didn't want to say it.

"But, I don't understand," Tay exclaimed as he took a breath.

"Taylor, Will is gone," I cried quietly.

"Gone?" Tay asked looking at me, some of the fog seemed to have cleared.

"Yes, his body is alive, but everything about him, it's gone," I cried as I turned my face to the side. It hurt too much to look at him.

"No," Taylor exclaimed sitting up suddenly catching me off guard.

"No, he's not gone, he's right here," Tay groaned as he pushed himself forward and grabbed Wills hand.

"Taylor," I covered my mouth trying not to scream with pain.

"Will, wake up," Tay cried pulling Will up to a sitting position.

I turned to Dana and gasped. Will's mother Lee was standing there. I had only seen her in photos, but I knew it was her. She was almost identical to Will, she was older than I had seen, but still just as beautiful. I glanced back to Taylor.

"Wake up," Taylor almost screamed at Will who slowly leaned forward and fell against Taylor.

"Wake up, please wake up," Tay cried in agony.

A nurse pulled Will back gently, stabilizing his mouth piece.

"Please wake up," Tay cried quietly as he pressed Will's hand to his face.

"Dana," Fox suddenly blurted as they turned to the side wall.

"Oh my God," one of the doctors exclaimed.

I jerked my head to the side and looked. A screen on the wall, that I didn't remember doing anything showed a series of lines in the middle starting to ripple and move.

"What?" Will's mom asked.

"That's the alpha waves in Will's brain," Dana gasped in shock.

"Meaning?" Zac asked sitting up.

"Brain activity up to fifteen percent," someone called out from another monitor behind us.

"I don't believe it," another doctor gasped.

Other screens started to flash on with lines and numbers flashing across them.

"Alpha waves rising, activity at twenty nine percent," a woman off to my right exclaimed as she read a screen behind us.

"I think we've got REM," the nurse beside Will said as she pulled out at tiny flashlight.

"That's a positive, rapid eye movement," she exclaimed with a smile as she shined the light into Wills eyes which were now moving around beneath the lids.

"Activity to fifty eight percent."

"He squeezed my hand," Tay gasped tears pouring down his face.

"Will," Tay cried.

"I'm reading trauma on the bronchial sensor."

"Get it out of his mouth," Dana exclaimed as she rushed forward.

"His heart rate is rising."

"Don't get too excited yet, this could be a heart attack," Fox whispered quietly. I covered my mouth. Some how I knew there was going to be a miracle.

"Respirator is disengaged; he's breathing on his own."

"Activity reaching eighty percent."

Will's eyes flew open, I was sure everyone in the room jumped.

"Taylor," he groaned his voice sounded like tires on gravel.

"Will," Tay cried as he crawled up over the rail into Will's bed.

"Heart rate is stabilizing."

"Blood pressure is rising."

I heard Zac chuckle.

"That's pretty normal," Fox smiled at me.

"Is it safe to exhale?" I asked Dana.

"Appears so, I think this is a medical, no, this is a miracle," she smiled.

The room burst into applause.


On to Chapter Thirty-Six

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Memories ... Of A Forgotten Past is Copyright © 2000 by Taylor W. Quest.
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