“I’m assuming you didn’t come over here to play with children. What’s going on, Alena?” Barla cut right to the chase. She poured a cup of steena tea for Alena and passed it to her.
Alena chuckled at Barla’s directness. She accepted the tea and answered, “I’m not sure. I just had this overwhelming feeling I should come out here to talk to you. I’ve learned, over time, to heed my instincts and act on them promptly. What do you think it means?”
“Well, let’s see,” Barla answered as she mused on the possibilities. “The last time we saw one another was when Jehoban brought us all together…”
“I was just thinking the very same thing as I was walking up to your house. I think it might have something to do with it.”
“Maybe, let’s focus on that train of thought and see where it takes us.” Barla leaned forward and asked, “Has Amanda come to you asking for any help?”
“Not to me, no. As you know, she asked Bryon to help her out with Vinia. I’m still amazed to discover Vinia is actually Jinya! All this time, I never knew that wasn’t her real name up until Bryon told me about it when he came home from helping Amanda. Now everything seems to be back full-circle with Vinia living with you. The only difference is that Petre isn’t after her this time, thank goodness.”
Barla shook her head sadly and said, “If only that were true.”
“What do you mean?”
“Petre spotted Vinia in the marketplace, and he’s been hanging around town trying to find her. Knowing him, he’s probably discovered she’s living here and is watching our house. I just can’t shake the feeling of being watched, but I keep telling myself I’m being overly paranoid.”
At Barla’s revelation, Alena’s hand came up to cover her mouth in dismay while her other hand began to shake enough for her to worry about spilling her tea. The first time around with Petre had been bad enough when the triplets were babies, but to have it happen again with another baby in the house was even more upsetting.
They were quiet for a moment while Vinia passed by the doorway on her way to putting Danika down for her nap upstairs. After she heard the footsteps on the stairs, Alena asked, “What are you doing about it?”
“Ahn has alerted everyone down at the docks to keep tabs on Petre’s movements. Hopefully, he’ll get tired of being blocked at every turn and decide to pursue other interests elsewhere.”
“I can’t see that happening after the last go-around with him.”
“I don’t know; he hasn’t been the same since your husband cold-cocked him and took him into the authorities. I don’t know if it were he being threatened with mind swiping or if Bryon knocked some sense into him, but he is definitely less devious.”
Alena did not comment, but one of her eyebrows rose in doubt of Barla’s assessment. “Not to change the subject or anything, but I have an idea.”
“What’s that?”
“What if we were to get everyone back together again and invite Amanda and Riccan to attend? It’s possible we could work together to figure out the prophecy or at least help move it along faster.”
“That’s true…” Barla began as her mind began to go through various possibilities. The logistics of bringing all of them together without Jehoban’s request were astronomical.
“I was thinking we’re far too busy in our ordinary lives to make proper time to address this project. Jehoban believed it was important enough to assemble us, so shouldn’t we do our best to honor his wishes to help Amanda?”
“You know what? You’re right. Let me send a message to Amanda and find out if she wants to do something like this. She has a lot going on right now, so maybe it would take some pressure away from her if she had all of us working as a team rather than waiting for her to come to us.” Barla rose from her chair and left the room.
Alena sipped her tea and stared into the unlit fireplace. The suggestion to gather everyone together felt right in her soul. This had to be the reason she felt drawn to Barla’s house. They were supposed to be doing more in assisting Amanda with the prophecy; otherwise, what was the point of Jehoban assembling them in the first place?
Vinia entered the room and picked up her cold cup of tea. She picked up the teapot and topped off her cup with the hot tea to make it slightly warmer. “Where’s Barla?” she asked as she took the seat she had vacated earlier. She kept her eyes on Alena while she lifted the teacup to her mouth and took a large sip of the minty beverage.
“She went into the kitchen to send a message to Amanda.”
“Oh, is she going to ask when my kids are going to come visit again?”
Alena looked at Vinia quizzically and asked, “What would Amanda have to do with that?”
“It’s a very long story, but the short version is that my kids live on Earth and they are friends with Amanda’s kids. Amanda reunited us and said she would work on a schedule where I could get to know them again.”
“Get to know them again? How long have they been on Earth?”
“Eight anons for them, only one for me.”
Alena shut her eyes and shook her head in confusion. “What are you saying? Why is the time different for each of you?”
“I had to send the kids away to Earth, but I didn’t know what would happen, so I accidentally sent them back in time eight anons.”
“What? They’re only eight anons old right now, are you saying that’s not right?”
“Exactly, they’re sixteen anons now. I’ve missed out on almost all of their childhoods by sending them away. I don’t want to miss another day, but I have to rely on Amanda’s generosity in being able to see them.”
“Wow, that’s so sad. Why don’t they just come home?” Alena asked in wonder.
“They have wonderful parents on Earth, great friends, and they want to finish going to school. They don’t remember much from here, and they’re adjusting to finding out how different they really are other than the adopted orphans they previously believed themselves to be.”
“Oh, that’s rough. I’m sorry, Vinia. You have been through so much. When will it get better for you?” Alena gushed.
“I wish I knew. I’m more than ready for my life to get easier. I thought it was getting happier with Nealan, but now he’s on Earth as well, and he doesn’t even remember me. I feel as though my life has been in a circular mode, repeating the same terrible things over and over.” Vinia held the cup of tea between both hands and stared down into the liquid as though it might contain an answer for her tragic life.
Alena didn’t know what to say in reply, so she kept silent. She felt so blessed in her own life, happy to have a husband, family, and career, none of which Vinia could claim for herself. She wondered why some people’s lives seemed destined to have so much sorrow while others hardly had to work at keeping their happiness.
Not wanting to take up too much of Barla’s day, Alena stood up when Barla entered the living room again. “I should probably get going, Barla. I’m really glad I got to visit with you and Vinia today. It has eased my mind to know we are still on the same page. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get together again real soon.”
Barla stepped forward and hugged Alena. “I’ll walk you to the door,” she said as she kept her arm around her back. When they reached the door, Barla whispered, “I’ll let you know what I hear from Amanda about the meeting.”
Chapter Twelve
“I’VE PAID YOU good money to deliver pictures to me every day,” Dr. Gascon screamed over the phone. “I expect today’s pictures to be in my hands within the hour. I don’t need your excuses; I need results. If you can’t deliver, then I’ll hire someone more capable.” He slammed down the receiver with his pent up frustrations.
After he had told the police who had been responsible for abducting Neal from his facility, he had expected Amanda to be hauled into jail when they apprehended her at the airport. He could not understand how she could have gotten away from him in Central Park and then again how she had somehow gotten out of New York entirely stil
l baffled him.
He needed the pictures from his private investigator to find out who had come and gone from the Stel residence the day before. When he had been told that the police had questioned Amanda at her home only an hour after she had abducted Neal from the hospital, he knew there had to be some kind of scheme going on to confound him. He needed to see for himself who had been posing as Amanda for the police so he could present the evidence to the police to get her brought in for him to question.
His phone rang again, and he picked it up with irritation as he spoke curtly, “Dr. Gascon.”
“Hello, Dr. Gascon. This is the Kendall District Police Department. We have an update on your missing patient, Nealand Taivas, Jr.”
“Yes, where is he? He needs to be brought back directly for evaluation.”
“I’m sorry, doctor, but that won’t be possible.”
“What? I’m his doctor, and he has left without being discharged. He is legally within my medical care, and I demand he be brought back to me at once.”
“Mr. Taivas has declined to return and has obtained medical treatment here in Kendall. Since we are in Florida, you have no legal right to have him brought across state lines to be returned to your care.”
“No legal right? Are you kidding me? When did you talk to him? Who’s his new doctor?”
“I’m sorry, Dr. Gascon,” he replied while looking through his notes to find the answers to Dr. Gascon’s questions. “We talked with him yesterday at 10:33 am. I am not at liberty to tell you his new doctor’s name as that falls under the doctor/patient confidentiality clause. Your only recourse now is to discuss this matter with the Taivas family. Have a good day, doctor.” The line went dead as the police department hung up.
Once again, Dr. Gascon slammed the receiver down even harder than before. This was certainly not adding up. There was no way they could have spoken with Neal at 10:33 am in Florida when he had been taken from his room at 9:45 am in New York. It was logistically impossible, and he felt as though somebody was lying to him. He would get to the bottom of this mystery if it were the last thing he ever did; nobody ever got away with trying to make him look stupid.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Before they had taken Neal up to be treated by Dr. Gascon in New York, Jessica had felt confident in her son’s full recovery. Now they seemed to have taken many steps backward in only a few short days. She watched her son sleep on the living room couch and wondered if he would ever be the same cheerful boy he used to be. The lines and wrinkles on his face troubled her more than anything since he seemed to be ten years older than he should be.
It was obvious that although Neal slept, he did not get any rest. He had lost weight again, and she was constantly worried about him. Now that he was home, she certainly did not want to let him out of her sight again. The world was too hard on him, and he needed to be protected at all costs.
The phone rang, and Jessica rushed over to answer it before the ringing woke Neal up. “Hello?” she answered.
“Is this Jessica Taivas?” a female voice asked.
“Yes.”
“Hi, my name is Dr. Jasmine Medin. I’ve received your phone number from Amanda Stel because she and I both believe I can help your son, Nealand. Is now a good time to speak?”
Jessica sank into the chair next to the phone and closed her eyes in fear. “Sure,” she replied softly.
“I understand you’ve had quite the experience with Dr. Gascon and I want to tell you how sorry I am that you and Neal had to go through that pain. I’ve worked for Dr. Gascon in the past, and I know his treatments can be rather…how would we say it…harsh.”
Jessica snorted at the understatement.
“I can see you agree with my assessment. Anyway, it’s really important that I can meet with Neal today. It would have been better had I been able to see him yesterday when he got home.”
“Yes, I’m sorry about that. After the police left, Neal was exhausted, and I didn’t have the heart to wake him up to talk to him about it. I got your messages, but I…I was scared,” she admitted reluctantly.
“As well you should have been considering what your son has been through this last week. I’d really like to help him get through the trauma and start him back on the road to recovery. Could you come to my office in an hour?”
Jessica felt panic rising in her at the idea of taking Neal outside of the house again. Yesterday’s breakfast had been a nightmare as Neal stared at her as though she had been a stranger. She did not want to have to take another chance with him in public.
“Time is of the essence in cases such as Neal’s, Mrs. Taivas. Please tell me you’ll bring him in to see me today,” Dr. Medin prompted when the silence continued.
“Where is your office?” Jessica asked with a resigned tone.
Jasmine almost fainted with relief as she hurriedly gave her address and directions to Jessica. For a moment there, she believed Jessica would refuse her offer to help her son. She had no idea how she was going to tell Amanda that she had failed.
“We’ll be there,” Jessica said and then she hurriedly hung up the phone without saying goodbye. She stared down at the paper with the address. She wanted desperately to rip the page to shreds and pretend the call had never happened. Then she could go back to her vigil of watching Neal sleep in the safety of their home and pretend nothing was wrong.
She returned to the living room and was startled to see Neal sitting up on the couch.
He turned his head at the sound of her footsteps and asked, “Who was on the phone?”
“Dr. Medin. She’s a friend of Amanda’s, and she’s going to begin seeing you in an hour,” Jessica replied with a flat tone.
“Good,” Neal replied brightly. “I want to get answers. The sooner, the better if you asked me!” He pushed himself up from the couch and began to leave the room as he said, “I’m going to take a quick shower, and then I’ll be ready to go.”
Jessica’s head was about to spin at the complete change in her son’s behavior. She had felt certain he would want to stay home. She dropped to the couch and tried to think about what could have caused this drastic change in Neal’s attitude. She took a huge breath and slowly exhaled as she realized this was one hurdle which seemed to have crumbled without any effort on her part. Maybe there was hope after all.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Neal showered speedily and got a change of clothes from the ones he had been sleeping in since the day before. His fingers noted the difference in the fabric of the unfamiliar outfit, and he wondered where it had come from. Maybe he would ask Amanda about it the next time he saw her. With one last check of himself in the mirror, he left his room and went back downstairs to get his mother.
He almost missed a step as he realized he remembered that she was his mother. Already he was making progress, and he had not even seen the doctor yet. He hoped this would have a much better outcome than their decision to see Dr. Gascon. Just the idea that this doctor was a friend of Amanda’s already gave her the proper endorsement where he was concerned.
“Hey, Mom, I’m ready whenever you are,” he said with a huge grin as he saw his mother’s expression change as she registered the meaning of his statement.
“Do you remember me now, Neal? Do you really? Is your memory coming back?” She rushed over to him and grabbed his arms in excitement.
“I remember that you’re my mom. That’s a start, isn’t it?” he grinned foolishly.
Jessica pulled him into a hug and about crushed his ribs in her enthusiasm.
“Hey, Mom, don’t smother me!” he chided gently.
“I’m sorry, Neal. I’m just so happy to have you back, even if it’s just a start!” She reached up and cupped his cheek lovingly with her hand. “I love you, Neal.”
“I love you, too, Mom. We should probably get going; don’t you think?”
With a lighter heart, she nodded and turned away before he could see the tears beginning to form in her eyes. Her hope returned for her son’s recov
ery. Yesterday had been wonderful and terrifying all at once, and today was definitely a new day with hope on the horizon. She grabbed her purse and led the way out the door to the garage.
They drove in silence and parked right in front of the doctor’s office. Jessica was first to get out of the car, and she shut her car door before she realized Neal had made no move to get out. She walked around to his side of the car, opened the door, and asked, “Are you having second thoughts?”
“No, I’m just worried, I’ll be fine. I need to do this,” he said with resolve as he swung his legs out of the car and stood up beside his mother.
She put her arm around the small of his back and gave him a little squeeze for comfort. “You’ll do fine; I have a good feeling about this doctor. I think you’ll like her. She sounded very kind and competent on the phone.”
“Are you trying to tell me she didn’t sound pompous and rude like Dr. Gascon?” he teased as he smiled over at her.
She laughed nervously and said, “Yes, that’s exactly what I was implying.”
“Good, then I think we’ll get along famously. Let’s get this started! Is it this door?” he asked as he lengthened his stride and went to the door in front of them and opened it for his mother after she nodded in affirmation.
The receptionist had them go back through the main door directly upon arrival. They had been expecting to have to fill out another round of papers and were relieved to be able to forego the task. They saw a woman standing outside of an office and figured she probably was who they were meant to be meeting.
Jasmine stepped forward and asked, “Are you Neal?”
“Yes and this is my mother Jessica Taivas,” he replied. He liked the look of this doctor very much. She was a young and very attractive woman whom he did not think he would have any problem interacting with for an ongoing treatment plan.
Ascension Vision- The Levels of Ascension Box Set Page 7
