Chapter 30C: And the World Turns - Again

We were alone. I could sense it, but we were still in the park, and the animals took what food we offered as we watched the storm clouds gather.

"Should we seek shelter?" Einstein asked as a bolt of lightning hit the lake much too close for comfort.

I smiled and kissed him. "You goofball," I said. "We can't die here. Remember? We're already dead."

Einstein smiled his understanding and we watched as the animals scattered, then the blanket and food disappeared, as did our clothes.

I smiled at him, sitting there in his glory and then pounced on him, planting kisses over every exposed inch of his body till we were finally joined as one, making love on the grass in the park as the rain pelted us, lightning lit up the sky, and thunder shook the ground beneath us. I was on top, riding him towards a glorious orgasm. I could feel his body tense as he reached his own climax, and as we peaked together, we began to float. The sensations were overpowering as jets of his semen spurted inside of me, and in my own lingering orgasm, a bolt of lightning struck us... and the pain hit like I've never been hit before.

My body spasmed, then fell back as I gasped in a great lungful of air and coughed it out again.

I opened my eyes and looked at the doctor, who was standing there with a shocked look on his face, the paddles high in his outstretched arms.

"Hey, Igor, enough with the lightning, already!" I rasped through a dry throat, then closed my eyes again.

"Doctor, we have a pulse!" I heard two voices exclaim, and I smiled as I lay there feeling my body start up.

"Pulse 70, BP 100 over 80," the voices continued, then a finger peeled back an eyelid, and a bright light practically blinded that eye.

"Dammit, Patti, did you leave a wake up call?" Einstein called peevishly.

"Yeah, but this is a bit overboard," I replied just as I heard a door slam open and a familiar scream of joy, then a body jostled the hands from my face and soft lips were pressed to mine. I opened my eyes properly this time, as I wrapped an arm around the familiar form. "Hi Honey, I'm home!"

Wendy looked down at me, relief evident on her teary face. "I knew you wouldn't go," she said, "but they wouldn't believe me!"

"Not in a million years," I smiled at her.

"Get her out of here!" the doctor cried, trying to move her aside.

Einstein and I looked at the frustrated man, and we said in unison, "No. She stays."

He just stared back and forth between us as I said to Wendy, "Honey, why don't you go say hello to Patrick while Viktor here feels me up."

She moved aside and I smiled up at the doctor who now looked both angry and embarrassed. "Smile, Viktor!" I said in a horrible mock-German accent. "You haf succeeded where so many before you haf failed!"

His mouth goldfished a couple of times, then said, "My name isn't Viktor!"

"It is now," I grinned, then looked at the other doctor. "You can put them down now, Igor." He blinked as he realized he was still holding the defibrillator paddles, and turned to place them carefully on the machine.

Just as Viktor put his hand on my chest, the emergency room doors again banged against their stops, and a furious-looking Dr. Parker marched in, flanked by Linda and Julie.

"Why have you stopped?" he demanded angrily, then looked in stunned surprise as I pushed myself up on one elbow.

"Lie down!" Viktor yelled, pushing on my shoulder.

He suddenly saw everyone in the room staring at him, and he pulled his hand off me as if burned. "Err, young lady, you've been very sick, please lie down?"

"But I'm feeling much better now," I said calmly. I turned to Dr. Parker and gave him my best little-girl smile. "Dr. Parker, this man was going to feel me up!"

He closed his mouth, blinked a couple of times, opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by a voice from the other gurney.

"You think you got it bad? I got someone feeling me up too, and it's a man!"

Doc Parker closed his eyes for a moment, and I saw the worry and tension just drain away. When he opened them again, the familiar smile was back. He turned to Linda and Julie saying, "Nurse Linda, go feel that young man up, Julie, you'd better go tell everybody they're both okay." He then grinned as he held up his hands and wiggled his fingers at me. "This one's mine!"

I closed my eyes and lay back on the gurney, still holding Wendy's hand, as Dr. Parker and Viktor started exchanging high-speed gibberish while they examined me. Thirty seconds later, the doors banged open again, and I heard Viktor say irritably "This is a turning into a Goddamned circus!" Raising his voice, he said "I will not have..."

I yanked hard on a fold of his white coat, forcing him to look at me, and again, Einstein and I said in unison, "Yes you will!" Releasing him, I went on. "Mom and Dad need to see we're all right."

He stared at me for a moment longer, then looked toward the doors. "Immediate family only! Get..." he cut off and looked at me, swallowed, and went on, "Ah, please request every one else to leave. Everything is under control here."

Moments later, Mom was dripping tears on me as she kissed all over my face and hugged me tight. I put my free arm over her back and held her to me, letting her calm, feeling her relax. Not far away, I knew Einstein was doing the same for Rita.

Finally, Ann stood back a bit and looked at me, her hand gently smoothing the hair back from my forehead. "You had us so worried honey, are you okay?"

"Yes, Mom, we're okay, really, and I'm sorry you were so worried. It won't happen again," I added seriously.

"You two are very lucky, young lady," Victor said officiously. "You both arrived here in total cardiac arrest!"

I pushed up to a sitting position and swung my legs off the gurney as I stripped the pulse sensor off my finger, noticing Einstein do the same. I looked at Viktor for a moment, then at Einstein as if puzzled.

"He said we was dead, Patti." he explained, deadpan.

I looked back at Viktor. "We was - I mean, we were?"

He nodded, but I saw some uncertainty on his face.

"Do you remember what happened, honey?" Mom asked.

I saw I had everybody's attention as I said slowly, "Well, I was walking off the plane and I slipped, and I guess I fell down the stairs, 'cause the next thing I know I'm here and Igor is doing his best to light up my life,"

"Igor?" several voices asked simultaneously.

"Yeah, the guy with the electric iron thingies," I said, smiling and giving him a little finger-wave. "Thanks, Igor, you done good!" Then I held my arms out to Mike and he wrapped me up, holding me tight. When he released me, I reached to brush the tears from his eyes. "Love ya, Dad" I whispered, and he just nodded, not trusting his voice.

I turned to Dr. Parker, "Umm, I don't want to be a bother..."

"But could we have some clothes?" Einstein finished for me. All I was wearing was my sensible white panties - and incongruously, one left sock - while he was in his boxers.

"And can we go home now?" I asked, knowing the answer but wanting to see the look on the doctors' faces.

Heads snapped around to look at us - Viktor looked positively horrified, even Dr. Parker looked startled, while Einstein grinned behind their backs.

"Err, Patti," Dr Parker began, "you had a nasty tumble out there, and Patrick had at least a massive electrical shock, so I think we'd better keep you overnight," - he glanced at Viktor - "maybe two..."

Einstein couldn't hold it any longer and burst out laughing.

"Oh, no!" Dr Parker groaned, "Suckered! Walked right into it!"

They 'dressed' us in those disgusting hospital gowns, and as they were putting us into wheelchairs, I remembered something. "DARN!" I exclaimed.

"What is it dear?" Mom asked.

"I just realized - its semester break, and I'm back in the hospital again!"

Robert Denure had already made arrangements for large private rooms for both of us, but both Einstein and I insisted we be allowed to share the same one. This caused more than a few raised eyebrows, but we were insistent, and they quickly switched us to the best semi-private room available. Seems that having been declared dead had some advantages, and it was about then that I discovered we had been rushed to University Hospital, barely a mile from St. Ursula's.

I knew what Ann was thinking, and in a way I couldn't blame her. I wasn't allowed to date till I was 16, but here I was, demanding to be in the same room with a boy!

"I'm sorry, Mom," I said, "but jees, give us a break! Really, you have got to allow me to start dating!"

"Mrs. Johnson," said Father Ed, who I hadn't even seen come in, "there is little opportunity for Patti to date at school, and I think we all know who she wants to go out with if you give her permission."

"Who's that?" asked Einstein from the other side of the room. "You got somebody in mind, Patti?"

With a growl I grabbed my pillow and threw it at him, just missing Wendy who was sitting between us.

"I'll even volunteer to chaperone," said my sweetheart.

Ann just shook her head. "I'm outflanked, outgunned, and outnumbered. I guess we can drop the age for dating, at least for Patrick."

"See how diplomacy can work for you, Patti-cake?" asked Dad.

"What about me?" Einstein asked Tom and Rita.

"Well, son, I guess we never thought about you dating," said Tom.

"You've been so busy with your studies and working and involved with Patti and her team mates... I suppose we've sort of assumed you had a relationship already," added Rita.

"Come on, Mom," I said. "I'm not asking for permission to do anything wild or to go to parties, it's just that every once in a while Wendy and I would like to see a movie and for some inexplicable reason, I just want Patrick to be there with us."

An expression I couldn't interpret crossed her face, then she smiled and said she understood, and since I was talking about Patrick she had no problem with it. She looked back at Mike before looking at me again with a questioning look. "But I thought you were..."

"I will neither confirm nor deny rumors or speculation without some shred of evidence, nor will I dignify that question with a response," I said smiling at my blushing Wendy.

Dad laughed. "You know Patti-cake... You should consider going into politics!"

We had a few more minutes of family time before Doctor Parker came in to see us with Linda and Julie trailing behind.

"Good," he said. "Everybody who I need is here. Unless there is an objection from any of the parents, I would like to take over the role of primary physician for all of your children."

Ann, Mike, Tom, and Rita all nodded or voiced their consent, and Doctor Parker said he would require signatures, but they could wait a few days. Linda assured him that she would get all medical records from our own family doctors transferred over, and that she would pick them up herself and deliver them.

"What's up, Doc?" I asked. "You running low on patience?"

More than a few groaned at my pun, but I could see his real curiosity. He knew Einstein and I had had simultaneous heart failure and simultaneous recoveries. Why... how could that happen? I wondered just how far doctor-patient confidentiality went, and if we could trust him.

"Good," he said, "Because I've already started giving orders. I have two nuns who will tear my arms off if they can't see our patients today, and a few of your teammates who will make short work of the rest of me if they also can't spend a few minutes. I'm limiting all visits today to ten minutes, but I'm keeping at least one of these nurses here for the duration to make sure nothing flares up. Brett Faison and Jim Blake both want to see that Patti is still fit and healthy, and both have promised not to turn this into a miracle story for the news. They are only here as friends of the patients. Mothers and fathers can stay longer, but understand that I want these two to get some rest. I'm also allowing Wendy to spend the night here with them, to help out the nurse on duty and because she is very close to both of them. Robert has arranged for a daybed to be brought up for her. Now, are there any questions before I go back to the ER and try to downplay this with my colleagues?"

"Just, how?" asked Tom.

"And why?" added Mike.

"That's what I'm hoping to find out," said Doc Parker, looking at us. "It appears these two have some unusual link or bond, something that medical science has no easy answer for. My advice is to learn to accept it." With that he left the room and Sister Elizabeth and Sister Gabe entered.

"Thank God you are both all right," said Sister Elizabeth. "We prayed for both of you to survive, and it seems you have, and also surprised the medical staff here with no evident effects from your ordeal."

"Many are calling it a miracle," added Sister Gabe.

"It's no miracle, Sister," I said. "You told me that I had a destiny to fulfill, and it seems that God agrees with you."

"Can I ask - did you see anything on the other side, Patti?" This was from the highest-ranking nun in the city.

I looked at Einstein and he looked at me. Could we tell what happened? How She appeared to us in female form dressed in jeans? Doctor Parker had already told us he was trying to quell rumors of miracles.

I sighed. Then I saw Father Ed looking with a bit more than mild curiosity, and it dawned on me he was feeling old and working very hard not to doubt his faith. The room grew extremely quiet, and with one more look at Einstein, we said gently and in unison, "Close the door, please."

If there had ever been a captive audience hanging on every word, it was in that room.

I pressed the button to adjust the bed to a sitting position, knowing Einstein beside me was doing the same. Doc Parker was right - we did need some rest - but these people deserved at least some of their questions answered. Einstein was worried, I could feel it. He was afraid Tom might blame Mike for the accident, but I soothed him. "It was an accident, love. You could just as well blame Her for it" I told him in our thoughts, and he smiled.

"Father Ed," I said aloud, "where is the purple stole you were preparing while we were in the emergency room?"

Father Ed blushed, and patted his swollen jacket pocket where he had shoved the stole after the news of our recovery.

"Father," we said, "bless us that She might also bless you."

He stared at us, feeling the power of our words as Wendy backed her chair up. He then approached and placed his open palms on Einstein's and my foreheads.

We closed our eyes, Patrick and I, and we could feel each other's thoughts. We concentrated on our Holy meeting with the Goddess and felt Her presence still inside of us. We both focused on what we had seen and felt, being careful not dwell on who we had been or our past histories.

Father Ed's head tilted back as he felt some of the power of the Blessing given us, and we saw the tension and worry lines ease from his face, taking twenty years from his appearance. He looked at each of us and smiled, then reached and brought a small vial from his breast pocket. Wetting his thumb in the oil, he drew a cross on each of our foreheads as he intoned, "In the name of the Mother, the Son and the Holy Ghost..."

Sister Elizabeth gasped, and I reassured her, "That's how we saw Her, Sister.

Patrick continued. "After all, She is all things to all people."

Father Ed turned to face the room, and everybody stared at his face as he moved to the Sisters, Blessing each in turn. We heard Sister Elizabeth sigh and Sister Gabe murmur, "Oh, how beautiful!"

We smiled at our parents and beckoned them to us. When they were close, we gathered their hands in ours and kissed them, knowing they would feel the power and the understanding of the Blessing. When I released their hands, Mom and Dad embraced me, telling me how much they loved me. We knew that they, and Tom and Rita - who had never been church-goers - now knew there was a higher power, and of Her love.

Then our parents were embracing, and Dad was saying, "I'm sorry, Tom, we were in a hurry, and I was closing up when Patrick was..."

"It's okay, Mike, I know, it was an accident, I saw it." He shook his head in wonderment. "I mean, I really saw it, just now. Our kids are fine, I know that, and that's all that matters."

Patrick beckoned Linda and Julie over. I kept thinking what a preposterous idea, but wasn't sure where the idea came from. He told Linda and Julie to hold hands with each other and to take one of our hands then reached with his other hand for Wendy at the same time I did. We now had a full circle of the only people who knew the truth about us, and I felt the energy start to move in the circle. I visualized it as a comet of light that shot through all of us in ever-increasing speed, moving through me to Wendy to Patrick to Linda to Julie and back through me again. I gasped as the speed and information flew ever faster, then suddenly stopped, leaving the name 'Jo-Lynn' echoing in my mind.

Linda's eyes opened in shock and her mouth dropped open. Julie looked at her lover and smiled. "Tomorrow we'll check, okay Honey?"

Jo-Lynn Jackson, affectionately nicknamed JJ, was born, a healthy baby girl on October 15, 1976, weighing in at 8 pounds 3 ounces, 21 inches long at birth with slate blue eyes and a full head of hair which by her first birthday had turned to a corn-silk blonde. She had an angelic look that remained for years. Doctor Parker, who delivered JJ, said it was the easiest delivery he had ever seen. Linda never suffered from morning sickness nor did she experience any discomfort at any time during her pregnancy. Her labor was minimal and JJ arrived shortly after midnight, just a few hours after Linda's water broke.