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“He couldn’t tell you what day it was?!” Alex gasped.
The doctor shook his head.
“He told us he was exhausted,” Jake told him. “He didn’t sleep last night.”
The doctor sighed. “I prescribe rest for him, for at least the next few days. When you take him home, make him drink some juice; I took a lot of blood, to run some tests.”
“So do you think he does have a concussion, or what?” Alex asked.
The doctor shrugged. “I found no outward signs, but his not knowing what day it is—despite making three guesses—and seeming shocked at the year, not to mention seeming to guess at his own age…”
Alex and Jake looked at each other, nervously.
The doctor shrugged. “Take him home, keep an eye on him. Can one of you stay with him and wake him in the middle of the night, so that if he does have a concussion, he doesn’t slip into a coma?”
Alex nodded.
“Good.” The doctor sighed, with a shrug. “I’ll run the tests, and give one of you a call, if you give me a phone number.”
Alex reached out to take the pen off the clipboard the doc was still holding, and wrote it on the paper. “That’s my cell.”
“All right. He’s lying down in there, you can take him now.”
“Thanks, doc,” said Jake, as they passed him and went into the room.
Ardeth heard the door open, and peeked under his hand to see Alex and Jake come in.
“How do you feel, Frank?” Jake asked.
“All right,” he answered, sitting up.
“Come on, let’s get you home,” Alex said, taking his arm. Suddenly her cell phone rang, and she picked it up as they walked out the door.
“Alex! Did you take him to a doctor?”
“Yeah, Monica. They said he may have a concussion, they aren’t exactly sure. They took some blood to run some tests.” She waited while Monica repeated the information to Cody. It sounded to her like they were in a restaurant. “Don’t tell me you two got hungry again so soon?”
“Cody wanted ice cream,” Monica explained. “Tell Frank we said to take it easy. If you want me to come over and help you mother-hen, let me know.”
Alex laughed. “Okay.” She hung up the phone, as they reached the car.
Ardeth watched her put the phone away, amazed that people had such a capability. A telephone that can be brought everywhere you go? He was silent during the ride as he thought about the many changes he was seeing.
Alex glanced at him, seeing him fingering the site of his blood test while he stared out the window. “What are you thinking, Frank?”
Ardeth wasn’t sure how to answer, so he shook his head at her, as if to say ‘nothing’, before turning back to the window.
Alex looked at him for a few seconds, trying to figure out what was up with him. With a sigh, she looked back to the road.
She finally pulled the car into the parking lot of a tall building, and parked. As Ardeth got out, his headache increased, and his neck began to feel stiff. Is it possible that something is wrong with me—with Frank? I seem to be worsening, for whatever reason…maybe I should ask Alex to do again what she did earlier in Frank’s office.
Alex and Jake noticed him rubbing the back of his neck as they rode in the elevator; another thing that fascinated Ardeth.
“Your neck hurt?” Alex asked him, as they walked down the hall, Ardeth trying to stay behind them so they could lead them to the right door. “Even after my massage?”
Ah, that is what they call it. He nodded, carefully. “It feels…stiff.”
Alex shot Jake an apprehensive look. “Headache, stiff neck? Frank,” she stopped in the middle of the hall. “Are you sure you got hit? Those could both be symptoms of serious illness.”
Ardeth sighed, saying nothing.
Alex echoed the sigh as she stopped in front of a door, and unlocked it. Ardeth followed them in, trying not to look amazed at the surroundings in the apartment.
“Go lie down, Frank. I’ll bring you something to drink,” Alex told him.
Thankfully, Frank found the bedroom easily, and sat on the bed. Closing his eyes, he realized how tired he was. Maybe what I said is true, and Frank really did not get much sleep last night. Maybe I am just tired. He lay down, and was nearly asleep when he heard Alex come in.
“Drink it all,” she said.
Ardeth sat up, frowning at what she handed him. It was a tall glass of an orange fluid. He almost asked what it was, before realizing that if it was in Frank’s home, than Frank must like it. He took a sip, and was surprised to see that it tasted good. He obeyed Alex, and drank it all. As he handed her the glass, she refilled it, instead of taking it away. Looking up at her, she gave him a stern look, and he drank some of it, before handing it back.
“Good enough, I guess,” she said, putting the glass on the night table. “Hungry?”
Ardeth shook his head as he lay back down. After that meal, I do not think I shall be hungry again for a while.
“Take a nap,” she said. His eyes were already closed, as he did just that.
As they left the room, Jake said to Alex, “A headache and stiff neck could just be stress and tension.”
“But not when combined with such bizarre behavior,” she answered. “Do you really think he was hit, or do you think something’s wrong with him?”
Jake shrugged. “Wish I knew. He’s acting strange, no doubt.”
Alex nodded. “Yeah. I guess we’ll know eventually.”
********************
“Still not awake yet?”
Evy shook her head. “No.”
Rick knelt next to their fallen Med-jai friend, who was still out cold, showing no signs of waking.
“It’s been hours, Rick. I’m really starting to get nervous,” Evy said, as she wiped cool water over Ardeth’s forehead and face.
“Yeah,” he agreed. He looked up as Jonathan approached them; carrying the supper he’d cooked over the fire. Rick shivered when a breeze kicked up. “Help me move him closer to the fire,” he told his brother-in-law.
Nodding, Jonathan handed Evy the plates, and he and Rick carefully pulled Ardeth a little closer.
Rick studied his friend’s face, with the light from the flames. “Ardeth?” he said, tapping his cheek lightly.
He got no response.
“I don’t understand it,” said Evy. “His pulse is fine, his breathing is fine…he just won’t wake up.”
The three of them shared anxious looks.
“Come on, chaps,” Jonathan said. “I’m sure the old boy is fine. Like you said, Evy, his pulse and breathing are all right. It’s probably just a matter of moments before we hear him asking us what happened.”
“I hope you’re right, Jonathan,” Evy sighed. “I hope you’re right.”
********************
“Frank?”
Ardeth jumped, startled. Opening his eyes, he saw a woman looking down at him. She asked him a question, but he didn’t quite hear it, and went back to sleep.
Alex sighed, and looked at Jake, who’d likewise stayed the night.
“At least he woke up,” Jake said. “I mean, the guy’s tired, for goodness sake.”
Alex nodded, but sighed as she sat on the end of the bed. “I dunno, Jake, I just keep getting the feeling that something’s really wrong,” she whispered.
Jake echoed her sigh. Alex was an emotional woman, and a caring one at that. “Come on,” he said. “This is Frank Donovan we’re talking about, the ‘Man of Steel’.”
She half-smiled at him. “Yeah. But even steel can rust.”
********************
The next morning, the first sound they heard out of ‘Frank’ was a groan.
“Oh no,” said Alex, running into his room, from the kitchen. “Frank? What is it?”
Ardeth opened his eyes, to be greeted once again by the sight of the short-haired woman. Frank? He thought, confused. My name is Ardeth Bay. Who is…? Realization suddenly dawned on him. I thought it to be a dream, a bizarre dream. He sighed, feeling his head pounding and his body aching. But no, I am really here…and I feel horrible.
“Frank?” Alex repeated. “What’s wrong?”
Ardeth looked up at the two people staring nervously down at him. Remembering who they were, and where he was, he said, “Something is wrong with me.”
Alex and Jake looked at each other. For Frank to admit something like that, it had to be bad. Before either of them had a chance to say anything, Alex’s cell phone rang. When she saw what was on the caller ID, she hurriedly answered. “Hello? Yes…what?! What do we do?”
Jake stared at Alex, knowing it to be the doctor Frank had seen, and he’d obviously just told Alex some bad news.
Alex ran a hand through her hair. “All right. Thanks, doctor.” She hung up.
“Well?” Jake said.
“Frank has West Nile Virus!”
“What?!” Jake exclaimed.
West Nile Virus? Ardeth thought. A disease that will be discovered in the West Nile region of Africa? “What did the doctor say to do?” he asked, nervously.
“He wants us to take you back in, so he can have another look at you and give you medicine,” Alex said, taking his arm and tugging on it to get him out of the bed.
Ardeth blinked. “I can dress myself!”
Alex laughed, covering her mouth with her other hand. “I would hope so! I was just trying to help you up!”
Ardeth blinked again, feeling slightly embarrassed. “Ah.”
********************
When they arrived at the clinic, the receptionist took one look at them and ran down the hall to summon the doctor. Coming back quickly, she motioned for them to follow her. Watching as they went into the room, she didn’t prevent Alex and Jake from going in with ‘Frank’ this time. She sighed in sympathy to see the extremely good-looking man walking slowly, looking weak and obviously hurting, as his two friends held onto his arms.
The doctor came in, and they told him the new symptoms.
“This is the first time I ever saw a real human case of West Nile!” the doctor told them, almost excitedly. “It’s contracted by being bitten by an infected mosquito. Usually the people who actually get sick are very old, very young, or have compromised immune systems. You fall into that last category because you lack your spleen*, which would’ve protected you if you still had it. This explains why you couldn’t tell me what day it was, yesterday. West Nile can cause confusion and disorientation…”
Ardeth said nothing as the doctor blabbed on, wishing the man would just give him the medicine so he could feel better. Suddenly, something the doctor said stood out. “I have no spleen?” he blurted, without thinking.
Alex and Jake looked at him, in shock.
“See? It’s the virus talking!” said the doctor, still sounding excited.
Ardeth sighed. His whole body ached, especially his legs and neck. His head was throbbing and his arms felt too heavy. He felt cold, and was willing to bet that he had a fever. While I sit here dying, this doctor talks about my problem like some beautiful work of art.
His friends heard his sigh, and threw concerned looks at him.
“Doc,” said Jake. “Can you give us the prescription so we can get him home?”
“Oh! Yes, of course.” The doctor scribbled on a piece of paper, and handed it to him.
“Wow,” said Jake, as he looked at the paper. “Doctor writing that I can actually read.”
The doctor laughed. “Yes. Too often a patient gets the wrong medicine thanks to doctor’s chicken scratch. Follow the directions on the bottles, and he should recover.”
“Should?” said Alex, with a frown.
The doctor shrugged. “There’s no exact cure for West Nile. Those medicines will help to control the symptoms.”
“Oh,” Alex replied, sounding upset at the news.
“He should be all right, but if his fever rises, or he worsens in any way, then don’t hesitate to take him to a hospital,” said the doctor.
They nodded at him. “Thanks, doc,” Jake said, as they helped Ardeth off the table, keeping their hands on his arms as they left.
“Anytime,” the doc said. After they walked out, he shook his head. “West Nile Virus…I gotta report this to the Health Department!” he said, excitedly, running to a phone.
********************
Despite how sick he felt, Ardeth saw the one good thing about the situation. He now had a ‘reason’ for Frank to act uncharacteristic.
As he lay there in bed, he kept experiencing a disorientation he assumed to be from the illness. One minute he thought he was Frank, the next he knew he was Ardeth Bay. Perhaps Frank’s mind is still in this body, somehow? he wondered. Even with mine here? Before he had a chance to figure it out, he fell asleep.
“Poor Frank,” said Monica, as she and Cody had come to check on their boss. “At least now we know why he was acting so weird.”
“Yeah,” said Alex, as she turned the teapot off. “Thank God we insisted on having him see a doctor.”
“Hey, people,” they suddenly heard Cody yell. “You might wanna come in here!”
Everyone dropped what they were doing and ran into Frank’s room. They saw the problem without having to ask. ‘Frank’ was mumbling in his sleep. The odd thing about it was that they couldn’t understand the language he was speaking.
“La…” they heard. “Ash in-naharda itqatil bukra!”
“Wow,” Monica whispered. “What language is that?”
“I dunno,” said Jake. “Is he delirious, or just dreaming?”
Alex felt his forehead. “His fever isn’t high. Dreaming, I guess.”
“La!” Ardeth said again. Suddenly he seemed to grow agitated. “Nagga il bint, qatil il masikh!”
“Wake him up!” said Alex, as she started to gently shake him. It took a few tries before it worked, and Ardeth woke up startled, breathing heavily.
“Frank? Are you all right?” Monica asked.
Ardeth just stared at them for a minute, trying to decide who he was. My name is Ardeth Bay. No, it’s Frank Donovan! Ardeth didn’t answer at first; too confused. I am the leader of the Med-jai, in Egypt…no, I am the leader of an undercover unit in America…
“Frank?” they all said, in unison.
He took a deep breath, letting it out noisily. “I am all right,” he said.
“Were you having a nightmare?” Alex asked.
Ardeth thought back to his dream. It contained the events of when Imhotep had been raised the first time. I am Ardeth Bay… it all suddenly came back to him. I am stuck in Frank Donovan’s body! He abruptly remembered Alex question. “Yes,” he answered.
“What the heck kind of language was that?” Cody asked him.
“Language?” He hadn’t realized he’d been talking in his sleep; he knew that if he did it’d most likely be in his native Egyptian Arabic.
“Yeah, you were saying a bunch of mumbo jumbo,” Cody answered. “I know you speak a few languages, boss, but I never heard you say anything that sounded like that.”
Mumbo jumbo? Ardeth realized he needed to ‘play dumb’, and change the subject before they pressed him to find out what it was. Seeing the glass Alex had left on the night table, he reached for it to see if there was anything left in it.
“Want a drink?” Alex asked.
Ardeth nodded, and she left the room. “You do not all have to stay,” he told the team. “I am capable of taking care of myself.”
Cody started to laugh, and elbowed Jake. “You know, he’s right. Why don’t we leave the girls here to mother-hen, and we go find some girls to mother-hen us!”
Jake laughed, while Monica slapped Cody upside the head. “West Nile can be serious! Don’t you care?”
Cody pouted. “Of course we care! But he is a grown man…”
He was interrupted by Alex coming in again with a bottle of water and another glass of orange juice. “What’s this talk of grown men? I don’t see any,” she said.
Cody stuck his tongue out at her, and this time Jake slapped him upside the head. “Hey, don’t be rude to ladies.”
Cody shook his head. “What is this, ‘Pick on Cody Day’?”
Everyone laughed at him.
“I was telling them that you can all go home,” Ardeth told Alex, still smiling at Cody’s silliness.
Alex made a face at him. “Go home? You need someone to stay with you! People can die from West Nile!”
“People can die from the flu, too,” Ardeth countered. The ‘flu’? What is that? Is Frank’s mind really still here, and that was him talking? He suddenly had a scary thought. Could Frank’s mind fight for control of this body? If he does, and wins, what happens to mine?
Alex gave an exasperated sigh as she put the bottle of water on the night table, and handed him the glass. “Drink your juice and get some sleep. The sooner you get better, the sooner I’ll be gone.” She smiled at that last part, and everyone laughed again, knowing how much Frank hated to be mother-henned.
Ardeth sighed as he slowly sat up, to take the juice. He’d been hoping they would leave him alone so he could take a look at the file he’d brought home with him, so that he could at least pass for Frank Donovan when he finally goes back to work; regarding that case, at least. Why bother trying, he thought, if Frank’s mind is going to overcome mine? He had to force himself not to dwell on that thought, as it would do no good to get himself more confused and nervous then he already was. All he could do is wait to see if it happened, or not.
They heard his sigh and thought it was an indication of how sick he felt.
“Go to sleep, Frank. Maybe you’ll feel better when you wake up,” said Monica.
Ardeth nodded, as he put the empty glass on the night table. I shall have to find out if they sell this ‘orange juice’ in Cairo if—when—I get back…
********************
“Evy?”
Evy jumped slightly, from where she sat, as Rick scooted over to her. She was sitting next to Ardeth, worrying over him. It was the middle of the night, and the Med-jai was as motionless as ever.
Rick said nothing as he wrapped his arms around his wife’s waist. He knew how much Evy loved Ardeth—not a romantic love, he knew, but a love born out of gratitude for the help Ardeth had given them over the years; helping them get out of many, many scrapes, and saving their lives more then once. He sighed, Ardeth had become like a brother to him, too.
“Why won’t he wake up?” she whispered.
Rick shook his head, hugging her tight. “I don’t know, Evy.” He sighed again. “I don’t know.”
Suddenly Jonathan let loose with a loud snore, and Rick grabbed some sand to throw at him, but Evy stopped him. “No, why should he stay awake all night worrying too?”
Rick dropped the sand. “Yeah. Maybe his snoring will wake Ardeth up.”
Evy gave a short giggle at that, but stopped quickly, too upset to laugh.
“Come on, Evy,” said Rick, trying to cheer her up. “At least he’s alive! He can’t stay unconscious forever.”
Who’s to say he won’t? Evy thought. But she nodded, unconvincingly.
Rick pulled her down so that her head was lying on his lap, hoping that she’d eventually fall asleep. They said nothing more, as they both kept the vigil over their fallen friend.
********************
Ardeth didn't get to read that file until the third day of his illness, when Alex and Monica—who'd taken turns mother-henning him—finally left him alone, after seeing that he wasn't worsening. They told him he couldn't stop them from popping in to check up on him though, and Ardeth had given in to that, knowing that if he didn't, they'd probably never leave.
When Alex walked out the door, locking it tightly behind her, Ardeth heaved a sigh of relief. Alone, finally! He shook his head, wondering how Frank dealt with the two women. They are as bad as Evy, in the mothering department, he thought.
Reaching for the glass on his night table, he found that it was empty. I should have had Alex refill it before she left. Reluctantly, he got out of bed, and walked slowly into the kitchen, amazed that the illness could make his muscles ache so much. Looking around, he found that he had no idea where the orange juice was.
With a sigh, he leaned against the counter, looking around the strange kitchen. He saw what resembled the O'Connell's 'ice box'; only this one was huge compared to theirs, and it had two doors side by side. He went over and, being right handed, automatically opened the door on the right. There, in front of his face, was a container that read, 'Orange Juice'.
Ardeth smiled as he took it out, but it changed to a frown when he saw that there wasn't much left. He took it with him back to the bedroom, pausing when he passed the bathroom door. Putting the carton down, he went in the bathroom, and looked in the mirror.
To say that he was shocked when he first saw his reflection is an understatement. He stared at 'himself', still in utter amazement to see just how much Frank Donovan looked like him. The resemblance was exact; the only difference being that Frank had short hair. He shook his head as he left the bathroom, going back to the kitchen table to grab the file, and taking it and his precious OJ back to bed with him.
He drank the rest of the juice, putting the empty carton on the night table, and opened the file. He managed to read the first few pages, before rubbing his eyes, willing away the headache and the all-around foggy feeling. I should not complain, he thought. Frank's team believes that his strange behavior is due to this illness, I should be glad for the good timing. No matter how much he tried to convince himself of the fact, however, Ardeth Bay hated to be sick. But then again, who doesn't? With a sigh, he closed his eyes, intending to rest for a minute.
Alex unlocked the door to Frank's apartment, and quietly crept inside, holding a gallon of orange juice. She opened the fridge and put it inside, noticing that the carton that had been there earlier was gone. Tiptoeing into Frank's bedroom, she sighed to see him fast asleep with papers from the cop-killer's file strewn around the bed and on top of him. Shaking her head, she carefully picked them off him and put them back in the file.
As she carefully took one off his chest, Ardeth made a noise and shifted slightly. Alex froze where she was, paper half on, half off him, hoping that she hadn't woken him up.
Ardeth exhaled deeply and continued to sleep, and Alex let out the breath she'd been unconsciously holding. He can't leave the job at work even when he's sick, she thought, as she closed the file and put it on the night table.
Watching him sleep, she wished Frank wasn't so hardheaded. Why can't a man ever admit when he needs help? she thought. She felt horrible leaving him to fend for himself. West Nile Virus is not a mere cold. Unable to resist, she felt his forehead, and found his fever to be thankfully low. She took the empty glasses into the kitchen and washed them, throwing away the empty OJ carton. Grabbing a sticky note and a pen, she wrote, 'There's more OJ in the fridge' and snuck back into his room. Looking around, she tried to think of the most logical place to put it, where he would see it for sure.
Seeing the folder, she went over and stuck the sticky paper on it, pulling the file forward so that he couldn't miss it. She stood back and watched him for another minute, seeing that he appeared to be in a deep sleep. He'll be fine, you can leave him, Alex, she told herself. He has a phone; he can call if he needs anything. Going back to the night table, she took the folder, and added, 'Call me if you need anything' to the note, and put it back.
As she left the apartment, she thought back to when they'd first met Frank. He seemed to be a hard-nosed, no nonsense, by-the-book type, and they thought they would have a hard time dealing with him for a boss. They eventually found out that it was a front, while he tried to figure out who he was dealing with. Eventually Frank dropped the harsh exterior, and had been drawn into their tight circle. Truth be told, they couldn't have a better boss. He'd become their friend, and the four of them cared a lot for each other.
Alex smiled. She and Monica drove the three men crazy, with their mother-henning. Cody usually escaped cases unscathed, with his 'indoor' job, but Jake and Frank sometimes got hurt. Usually it was a minor injury, like getting a black eye or bruised up in some way…but other times it was more serious. Don't think about the 'other times', Alex told herself. Frank hated their mother-henning the most, always insisting he was fine, even when he was bleeding all over the place. She suspected that that was the reason she and Monica fussed over him more, because they knew that he wouldn't complain until pigs flew.
Looking at her watch, she saw that she had plenty of time to pick up a shirt she'd seen at Sak's before suppertime. She didn't know if Frank would get himself dinner, so she would bring it to him.
********************
While Alex was reminiscing about the past year and a half, Ardeth was dreaming about it.
"Take me instead!" he yelled, pointing a gun at a man holding a small child. The boy was obviously frightened, and Ardeth knew the man was kidnapping him. Suddenly Ardeth pulled the trigger, and the man fell. The child curled up on the ground, afraid to move.
Ardeth knelt beside the boy and unwound the duct tape from his wrists, before picking him up, and holding him close, in a comforting hug.
Suddenly, Ardeth was thrown from that instance to another; walking into a room where a man had a gun pointed at Alex, forcing her to give Ardeth his demands. Ardeth was unarmed, and wanted nothing better then to shoot the man obviously holding Alex against her will. He had no chance to do anything before Alex was forced back, out of his sight.
The scene faded, and was replaced by him standing outside, watching a group of men—Jake included—walk out of a building. Suddenly he was talking into a walkie-talkie, telling officers not to shoot the man in the black sweater, but it was too late; they had already fired, and Jake went down. He appeared to be unhurt, however, and ran back into the building, with others from the group of criminals.
Then, suddenly Ardeth was running after a man, through a trailer park. He jumped and tackled him, knocking the criminal against one of the trailers. But before Ardeth had a chance to grab him, a shotgun blast unexpectedly blew through the wall of the trailer, so close to where he was standing that he nearly had a heart attack as he fell back. The owner of the trailer obviously didn't like people fighting outside it. Ardeth tried to get up quickly as the man took off running again.
Ardeth woke with a start, still hearing the echo of the shotgun in his mind. He sat up, wiping a hand over his face. For a minute, he genuinely wasn't sure who he was. This is the body of Frank Donovan; year 2002. How can someone else's mind be in it? He shook his head. "Frank Donovan," he said. "Leader of a UC team in Chicago, Illinois. Hostage Negotiator, started career as a mere PD patrolman, worked my way up." He sighed, running his hands through his hair. I'm sick, he thought, was this whole Ardeth Bay thing a dream, a hallucination? Suddenly it felt like a ton of bricks hit him. "Ardeth Bay," he said. "Leader of the Med-jai, in Egypt, 1934…" he groaned when his head stared to spin. Who am I? he thought. Frank Donovan, or Ardeth Bay? Both, his mind told him. I am Ardeth Bay's mind, in Frank Donovan's body, and Frank's mind is still here, trying to overcome me, and reclaim himself. Ardeth couldn't blame him. If I knew how to go back, I would, he thought, wondering if Frank's mind could hear what he was thinking. It was obvious that Frank's mind was still independently capable of thought; Ardeth being confused over his true identity being a good indication. Is it possible that Frank's mind will take over? If so, then what happens to me?
The thought made Ardeth more nervous then he already was, and he sat up, on the side of the bed with a sigh. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the file he'd been looking at, and was confused for a minute, not remembering having put it there. But then he saw the note on the front, and couldn't help but smile. It must have been Alex, he thought, going into the kitchen and looking in surprise at the size of the orange juice carton in the fridge. He filled a glass and went into the living room, sitting on the couch. What if I am able to keep my mind in this body, and live the rest of my life as Frank Donovan? The thought of being stuck there, and never seeing his Med-jai friends and family or the O'Connell's again was too terrible for words. It is the year 2002; they are all most likely dead. He closed his eyes, unable to accept the situation. "No," he said. "Whatever sent my mind into the future, Rick and Evy will find out, and remedy." He nodded his head, sure of it. "They will not accept this, just as I can not." The thought made him feel a little better. Mentally, at least.
********************
“Rick! This is not normal!”
Rick sighed, in agreement. It was morning, and Ardeth still had not regained consciousness.
“I think we better get the old boy back to his camp,” said Jonathan, from where he knelt beside Ardeth.
“You’re right,” Rick agreed. “Come on Jonathan, let’s pack up the car quick.”
Jonathan leapt up and followed, grabbing stuff along the way.
Evy sighed, as she sat by Ardeth’s side. Checking his pulse for the umpteenth time, she found it to still be normal. Then why is he still unconscious? “Ardeth?” she said, lightly tapping his cheek. “Ardeth, please wake up!”
Nothing.
Evy sighed again, near tears. If only I hadn’t come to these ruins, she thought. Ardeth would not have come, and this wouldn’t’ve happened! She was so distraught, that she didn’t notice that her husband and brother had finished and come back, until they started to lift Ardeth off the ground. She stood and followed them to the car, where they placed him in the back, Evy cradling his head in her lap.
“Oh dear,” she said, suddenly.
“What?” Rick said, as he started the car.
“I know you intend to go as fast as this car can take us, but don’t forget about Ardeth’s horse,” she said, looking to the beautiful jet-black stallion, which they’d tied to the car.
Rick muttered under his breath, realizing that he’d have to go slow enough for the horse to keep up. Gently hitting the gas, he watched the horse as the car crept forward, hoping it would start to gallop.
It did, and Rick was able to increase the speed, until he felt it was a good speed for both them, and the horse.
“If you notice the horse having trouble, let me know,” he asked his wife.
“I will,” she said, knowing Rick might forget about the animal.
“And tell us if Ardeth wakes up, too,” Jonathan added, glancing at her over his shoulder.
She nodded back, with a sigh.
********************
By Monday, Ardeth was finally feeling better. He’d gotten tons of sleep over the past few days, and had enough time to read the file through a few times, and read the manual for the ‘cell phone’. He figured out how to dial it and how to find the team’s stored phone numbers, and left it at that, figuring that was good enough. He suspected that his mind was drawing on Frank’s knowledge, for he found to his shock that he knew the words to a song playing on the ‘tape deck’ in the livingroom, which he had figured out how to use.
I…sometimes wonder why
All the flowers have to die
I dream about you
And now, summer’s come, and gone
And the nights they seem so long
Come on over tonight
Come on over…
It’s gonna be a cool night*
Just let me hold you by the firelight
If it don’t feel right you can go…
Ohh, ohh, and a cool night
Brings back memories of a good life
When this love was not so old…
Ardeth was utterly shocked, and now convinced that Frank’s mind was still there, in his body. How else would I know the words to a song I’ve never heard before, played in America years after my existence? Sitting on the couch, he sat back with a sigh, hoping the virus would finish going away, and not linger. He was still tired and his head still ached, but not as badly, and his body was stiff from lying down for four days, but thankfully also not aching as bad. He started to fall asleep, before the words of the song now currently playing popped up in his head.
It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you…
There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa**
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had…
Ardeth smiled at that one. Africa. He sighed, feeling homesick.
The door opened, and in walked Alex and Monica. They were surprised to hear music, and went into the livingroom to see ‘Frank’ sitting on the couch, head back, asleep.
“Frank?” Alex whispered.
Monica sang along with the tape. “In your eyes***, the light, the heat…in your eyes, I am complete…”
Ardeth woke up, not surprised at all to find Alex and Monica hovering over him.
“Time for your doctor visit,” Alex said.
Ardeth groaned. He wasn’t looking forward to going back.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Through Another's Eyes - continued