Karen D. Badger - Yesterday Once More

by Karen D. Badger

  Andi examined the letter once more, noting the apparent age of the document and the faded print before she looked back at Kale. “There’s mention here about Jordan moving a well out of the north pasture. Didn’t you say Jordan was injured when her horse stepped into a well? I wonder if that’s why she wasn’t in her hover-chair in that dream.” Andi looked up. “What else did Jordan say about that dream?”

  “Jordan was alarmed when she realized the date was March 29, 2019—the day Maggie died. She rode out after Maggie but arrived too late. She found Maggie lying at the bottom of a cliff where her horse had thrown her. Jordan reached her in time for Maggie to die in her arms.” Kale stopped and inhaled deeply. “She was devastated, Andi.”

  Andi touched his arm. “You asked me to be open-minded about this. Now I’m asking you to consider the same.” She flicked her long hair back over her shoulder as she turned to face him. “Consider the possibility that she may have been in both dimensions at once—here in the physical, and there in the emotional. You’re a scientist. You believe in time travel. Open your mind and consider the possibility. Maybe physical time travel isn’t possible, but intellectual time travel is? Maybe Jordan was there. Maybe Maggie did write this letter.”

  “You’re kidding, right? Einstein’s theories of time travel all involve the possibility of transferring the human form from one dimension to another. There is nothing in his work that suggests the mind is capable of traveling through time all by itself.” Kale ran his hand through his hair and walked a few feet away from Andi.

  “All I’m asking is that you keep your mind open to the possibilities.”

  Confusion and concern clouded Kale’s features. “Okay. Let’s say intellectual time travel is possible. How the hell am I supposed to send only her mind through time and then manage to bring it back when she’s ready to come home? Shit! How would we even know when she returned? Would she be in some sort of trance while she was gone? Would she be in a coma? Would she suddenly wake up and say, ‘That was cool, let’s do it again?’ If she did go into a coma, how would we know it was because of time travel instead of something gone wrong during the attempt?” Kale dropped his head back and looked at the ceiling for a long moment before looking back at Andi.

  Andi wrapped her arms around Kale’s waist. “Sweetheart, everything you say may be true. I don’t know if the machine will work. I don’t even know where to begin, but I do know that Jordan appears to be very much in love with Maggie, and she must be dying inside knowing she may never get the chance to be with her. If you were Maggie and I were Jordan, I would do everything in my power to be with you. I couldn’t bear the thought of never touching you, never seeing you, never holding you in my arms, never knowing what it was like to make love to you.”

  Tears sprang to Kale’s eyes. He blinked rapidly and then lowered his forehead to Andi’s. After a few moments, he lifted his head and placed a gentle kiss where his forehead had just been. “You’re right. How can I deny her this? Come hell or high water, I will try to bring them together. I promise you, I will try.”

  “Well, no time like the present.”

  * * *

  Andi watched Kale as he slowly walked around the time machine, explaining his failed attempt to send the old boot back into time. As she watched, she admired the degree of passion with which he applied himself to his work. Once again, she thanked the heavens above that she had been given the opportunity to meet this extraordinary man.

  “When the boot failed to disappear, I carried out a controlled experiment with smoke to understand why, and I realized that there was a minute amount of gravity still remaining in the center of the sphere as it rotated. The amount of smoke that remained in the exact center of the sphere was so small it was nearly indiscernible, but still, it was there. In order for the machine to work, there has to be absolutely no gravity within the sphere.”

  “How do you plan to correct that problem?”

  Kale stopped and grinned at Andi. “I hope it’s already corrected. It was Jordan who came up with the solution. Can you believe it?”

  Andi smiled. “Jordan? Really?”

  “Yeah. When the experiment first failed, I was pretty bummed out and went into the house looking for sympathy. Of course, Jordan being Jordan, she was anything but sympathetic. In fact, her lack of compassion made me even more determined to try again. I discussed the results with Jordan, and she suggested I apply a counterforce to the spinning rings. That suggestion led to the idea of internal rotating rings. They should eliminate the remaining gravity, creating a black hole. But they should also cause this black hole to rotate. According to Einstein’s energy equation, rotating the black hole would finally give us the amount of energy we need to make time travel possible.”

  Andi looked skeptical. “You mean to tell me Jordan realized all of that?”

  Kale chuckled. “Hell, no! Jordan is a brilliant doctor, and she’s a whiz with computers, but she has absolutely no clue when it comes to metaphysical science. Her comments and suggestions did, however, prompt me to do the research I needed to come to these conclusions. Any way you look at it, she deserves a great deal of credit if we get this to work.”

  Andi clasped her hands together. “I totally agree, but let’s not put the cart before the horse. What do we need to do to get started?”

  “I’ve already fitted the second set of rings. The next step is testing.”

  “Okay, then,” Andi said. “Let’s get started.”

  “Before we conduct any experiments, we need to do another smoke test. If you don’t mind, I’d rather be fresh to do that. Let’s plan to start right after the crew leaves tomorrow. Okay?”

  Chapter 15

  Andi nudged the door to Jordan’s room open with her foot as she carried in a tray of breakfast foods. Kale had left early that morning to meet one of the technicians at the lab. Jordan was not only awake, but also not in her bed.

  “Jordan? Jordan, where the hell are you?”

  “In the bathroom.”

  Andi put the tray down on the corner of the dresser and ran to the bathroom door. “Damn it, you aren’t supposed to be getting in and out of that chair by yourself. Peter will have a conniption if he finds out about this.”

  Just then, the door swung open. “Well then, I guess he just doesn’t have to know.” Jordan grinned up at Andi, hoping to lighten the mood and get herself out of trouble.

  Andi put her hands on her hips. “And what excuse am I supposed to give him if your incision becomes infected because of foolishness like this, huh?

  Jordan grinned wickedly. “You could tell him it happened while you and I were having hot monkey sex.”

  Andi’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh, really? If you keep that up, I’ll ask Kale to inspect your incision from now on.”

  Jordan clutched at her chest. “Ouch! You really know how to hurt a girl’s ego.”

  Andi walked around Jordan’s chair and grasped the handles. She pushed Jordan to the bed. “Pull that stunt again, and I’ll hurt more than your ego. You got that?”

  “You’re no fun,” Jordan whined.

  “Now, how about we transfer you back to bed so you can get dressed before breakfast?” Andi suggested, stooping to move the footrests out of the way. She moved in close and wrapped her arms around Jordan. “Okay, put your arms around my neck,” she instructed.

  Jordan grinned slyly, knowing full well that she could transfer herself to the bed in the wink of an eye with little to no effort, but she kind of liked the special attention from Andi. She obediently raised her arms, wrapped them around Andi’s neck, and held on tightly as Andi deftly lifted her out of the chair and into a standing position.

  “Now, don’t let go. I’m just going to push your chair out of the way and then swing you onto the bed. Are you ready?”

  “Go for it, Captain,” Jordan said.

  Struggling to stay balanced, Andi pushed the chair away with her foot, then wrapped her arms tighter around Jordan’s waist and rotated her sideways
. With controlled movements, she slowly began to lower Jordan to the bed.

  The most efficient thing Jordan could have done to make it easier on both of them would have been to reach down to the bed behind her and brace herself with her arms as Andi lowered her to the mattress. However, Jordan had other plans. Andi’s load soon became unbalanced, and they both toppled to the bed with Andi lying directly on top of Jordan.

  Jordan looked into Andi’s face, which was a mere hair’s breadth away. “Now this is more like it,” she exclaimed.

  “Ahem! What’s going on here?”

  Andi’s and Jordan’s heads snapped around quickly at the sound of the voice coming from the doorway. Jordan was grinning from ear to ear. Andi was scarlet with embarrassment as they lay there cheek to cheek.

  “Sure, Jordan, I leave you alone for one hour with my girlfriend, and you manage to get her into bed!”

  Jordan’s grin broadened. “I’ll bet that beats your record.” Andi managed to break free from Jordan’s embrace. She scurried to the side of the bed. As she straightened her blouse, she looked apologetically at Kale. “I... er... it’s not what it looks like,” she stammered.

  Jordan propped herself up on her elbows to watch the exchange.

  Kale was barely able to contain his grin. He knew from the glimmer in Jordan’s eyes that his wicked friend had set up an innocent victim. Not wanting to end the fun too soon, he turned on his heel to leave the room and then stopped to look over his shoulder. “Do you want me to close the door so no one disturbs you for a while?”

  Andi looked aghast. “Kale!”

  Kale turned around and looked at Andi. “Yes? Is there something I can do for you?”

  Jordan said, “Yeah, I think she wants a threesome.”

  “Argh!” Andi reached for a pillow to beat Jordan with. “Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up!”

  “Whoa, now,” Kale said. He grabbed the pillow from Andi, who had already managed to get in a half a dozen good whacks. “Relax. We were just teasing,” he said.

  “Teasing? Is that what you call it? You two are totally incorrigible.”

  “Come on, sweetheart. Forgive me?” Kale tried to take her into his arms.

  “Yeah, let’s kiss and make up—all three of us,” Jordan suggested.

  Kale and Andi looked at Jordan, then Kale unceremoniously handed the pillow back to Andi. “Go for it,” he said.

  Jordan’s protests could be heard all the way to the kitchen.

  * * *

  Andi made her way into the kitchen, where Kale was pouring himself a cup of coffee. The morning’s interlude had left her shaken and a bit wary. “Do you two always act like that?”

  Kale feigned innocence. “Act like what?”

  “Never mind.” She did her best to straighten her clothing and smooth her tousled hair, and then she poured herself a cup of coffee. Trying to be a good sport, she changed the subject. “Did you get what you needed from the lab?”

  “Yeah, Chuck is setting it up now. I offered to bring him a cup of coffee, so I guess I’d better go give him a hand. Are you coming?”

  “In a few. Jordan is getting dressed, and I need to help her into the chair again.”

  “I can help with those things, Andi.”

  “No, you need to head out to the barn. I’ll take care of things here. One of these days... one of these days I’m going to get her back. You wait and see.”

  Kale wrapped his arms around Andi and kissed her tenderly. “Don’t let her get to you. She loves to tease, and she’s a huge flirt. Hell, we went out to dinner recently, and by the time we left she had the waitress’ airwave code. I don’t know how she does it, but she’s harmless enough. Just give it right back to her, and you two will get along fine. You’ll see.”

  Andi grinned. “She is kind of cute about it. I do admire how bold she is. Sometimes I wish I were brave enough to be like her.”

  Kale leaned in and kissed her again. “Don’t you dare ever change. I love you just the way you are.”

  Andi smiled. “Ditto. Now get your butt out there and help Chuck with those lab animals. I’m going spend some time with Miss Pain-in-the-Ass. I’ll join you when she’s napping. Okay?”

  “Okay, but before I go, I want to thank you for your help with the machine last night. I really enjoyed working on it with you. It was almost as though you could read my mind... like we share the same vision. It was pretty incredible.”

  Andi smiled. “I should be thanking you, Kale. It’s been a long time since I’ve been this excited about a project. It gets my juices flowing.”

  Kale grinned broadly, eyebrows dancing wickedly on his forehead. “Your juices, huh? Maybe we should use them to christen the machine before we test it.”

  Andi placed a long kiss on Kale’s lips. “That, lover, sounds like a plan. Now get your butt out to the barn before I say to hell with the machine and take you up on that offer right here, right now!”

  * * *

  Andi sat cross-legged on the side of Jordan’s bed. She helped herself to the bowl of fruit salad positioned between them. Jordan apologized to Andi for the morning’s antics.

  “I want you to know I really do appreciate everything you’re doing for me. I just couldn’t resist teasing both you and Kale. Kale is such an easy mark—and so fun to toy with. I didn’t have any siblings to play practical jokes on, so I guess Kale is the closest thing I have to that. You were simply collateral damage.”

  Andi looked at Jordan through raised eyebrows. “Collateral damage, huh? I’ve never been called that before.”

  Andi looked piqued, so Jordan batted her eyelashes flirtatiously. “You can’t possibly stay angry at little ‘ole me. Am I forgiven?”

  Andi grinned. She chuckled and responded in kind, “You’re damn lucky you’re so cute, you little shit. Okay, you’re forgiven, but I warn you, watch yourself. Payback is a bitch.”

  “Fair enough. I’ll keep that in mind.”

  Andi speared a strawberry with her fork. “So, are you excited about the new implant?”

  Jordan crossed her hands in her lap.

  “Are you all right?” Andi asked.

  Jordan forced a faint smile. “I’m fine, it’s just... well, I have to admit that I have mixed feelings about the new implant.”

  “How so?”

  Jordan reached for a container of yogurt, removed the cover, and dropped several small pieces of fruit into it. She glanced once more at Andi. “I’m excited that I’ll get my mobility back and get out of that damn chair, but at the same time, I’m a little wary about it failing again and landing me right back at ground zero. I’m not sure if I can handle a failure like that again. It took some hefty convincing on Kale’s part... as well as other things... to talk me into it again.”

  “What do you mean by other things?”

  Jordan frowned and looked down at the yogurt container in her hands. She was quiet for several long moments.

  “Jordan?”

  Jordan sighed deeply and leaned her head back against the headboard. She stared at the ceiling. “You wouldn’t understand.”

  “I understand more than you realize.”

  Jordan turned to look at Andi. “No, I don’t think you do.” Jordan turned her gaze back toward the ceiling and closed her eyes, trying hard to shut out the sorrow that threatened to drown her heart.

  “Tell me about Maggie,” Andi said softly.

  A flash of anger and indignation lit Jordan’s eyes. “Kale told you, didn’t he?” she said angrily. “He had no right to betray my confidence.”

  “Don’t be angry with Kale. In a way, you told me yourself.”

  “I don’t remember telling you about Maggie.”

  Andi repositioned herself beside Jordan so that she, too, leaned against the backboard, her legs stretched out before her. “I’m not surprised you don’t remember. You were half asleep.”

  “Okay... you’re freaking me out here. Explain yourself.”

  Andi grinned. “Relax. You didn’t gi
ve away any juicy secrets or anything. Just before dinner last night, you woke up in a daze and asked me where Maggie was. It was obvious to me that you weren’t aware of what you were saying.” Andi leaned over and bumped shoulders with Jordan. “Tell me about her, Jord.”

  “You wouldn’t understand.”

  “Try me.”

  “I’m sure Kale told you everything you need to know.”

  Andi frowned. “I promise not to judge you. Please trust me.”

  Jordan reluctantly turned her head so she could look directly into Andi’s eyes.

  Andi took one of Jordan’s hands and held it between her own. “Kale told me about your dreams, but he doesn’t know how you feel about Maggie. As a woman, I understand that you love her with all your heart. I understand that it’s painful for you not to be with her. I understand that almost any risk is worth taking to fulfill that love. Tell me about her.”

  Jordan broke eye contact and looked down at her lap again. “You’ll just think I’m off my rocker.”

  “Not a chance.”

  “She’s dead, Andi. How much weirder can you get than that?”

  “She may be dead physically, but she’s very much alive in your heart.”

  For several long moments, the women sat in silence. Jordan laced her fingers with Andi’s, gently squeezing their hands together in a bond of friendship. Finally, Jordan spoke. “Have you ever been so in love with someone that you finally realize the purpose of your life?”

  Andi’s smile widened.

  Jordan grinned at her. “Kale?”

  “Yeah.” Andi wiped her eyes.

  “That’s how I feel about Maggie. I can’t explain it any better than that.”

  “I understand, Jordan. I understand totally.”

  Chapter 16

  “Kale, this steak is perfect. How do you manage to keep it from drying out on the grill?” Jordan asked.

  “Easy. I spray it with water as it’s cooking. It’s a secret my grandma taught me.”