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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Blackout
By Gemini-M
Chapter 3
"Crisis"
Author's Note: Thanks to all the readers for your wonderful reviews, and to Jaccione and Onisius for all their help.
Miss Parker was about to reach the last bedroom at the end of the hall, when she heard Broots' alarming screams. "Miss Parker hurry, I found Jarod" She turned around, brought out her gun, and ran towards the direction of Broots' voice. She felt as if she was moving in slow motion, she could hear her rapid heartbeat in her ears, and the anticipation of what was ahead terrified her. Down the hall she almost crashed into Broots who was running out of the dark room. She quickly pushed Broots out of the way and ran to the other side of the bed where Jarod lay on the floor. For an instant she was frozen. There at her feet lay Jarod motionless. He was on his side and in his hand he held a picture of his mother. Finally she brought herself back to reality when she heard Broots' trembling voice, "Miss Parker, is he....dead?"
"I don't know Broots", she said almost inaudibly.
Miss Parker slowly kneeled down next to Jarod and very slowly placed the tip of her fingers on his neck to check for a pulse. With a sigh of relief she said, "No, he's alive; He has a pulse, but very weak." She slowly turned him on his back and gently slapped his cheek a few times, "Jarod, Wake up." Jarod's eyes slowly blinked open. He tried to focus on her face, but there was no recognition in his gaze. He mumbled something incoherently and slipped into unconsciousness again. "Great! Jarod come on, stay with me!" She shook him gently but there was no response.
Miss Parker reached down and rested her hand gently on his forehead. "Oh my God, he's burning up! Broots come on hurry, help me get him on the bed." With great difficulty they managed to raise his limp body to the bed. Once on the bed, Parker started to shout orders. " Broots go find a container and fill it up with cold water, and see if you can find some towels or sheets. We need to lower his temperature." While Broots was gone, she quickly removed most of his clothes and covered him with a sheet. Jarod started shivering uncontrollably and curled his body tightly trying to get some warmth. She needed to find some aspirin to lower the fever and fast. "Great, now I have to play nurse maid." Hesitantly, she left his side for a moment and started to look around the darkened room for his duffle bag.
For the first time she noticed Angelo, he was crouching in a corner rocking back and forth. He looked panicky. She slowly approached the little man and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Angelo don't worry, I won't let anything happen to Jarod. I'll take good care of him" Angelo looked back at Miss Parker trembling, "Friend afraid... sad, wants to leave." Angelo's words shocked her deeply and for a moment she feared that Jarod could die. She blinked back the tears that had formed in her eyes and firmly promised Angelo, "Listen to me Angelo, Jarod is not going to die, I promise." Angelo finally met her eyes and smiled slightly.
When she finally found the duffle bag, she emptied all its contents on the floor and quickly found the aspirin bottle, "Good boy Jarod, I knew you would have some aspirin." She grabbed the bottle of water from the night stand and sat on the bed next to Jarod. She pulled Jarod up almost to a sitting position leaning against her. "Wake up Jarod", she told him tapping his cheek gently. His eyes fluttered open, but his delirious state of mind blocked his perception of the woman holding him. He whispered with difficulty, "Mom?" Miss Parker choked at his remark, but quickly regained her composure. "Here Jarod you need to take this aspirin to lower your fever....good. Here drink some water.... good." Slowly she lowered him back on the bed, covered him with a sheet and sat on a chair near the bed. His fever was still very high and he was shivering and coughing miserably. She looked at Jarod with deep concern and remembered the news from a few days ago about an epidemic of influenza that had caused hundredths of death in Europe. "Well buddy, it looks like you brought us quite a souvenir from your trip to Europe."
Suddenly Jarod's eyes flew open with panic and he sat in the bed screaming, "NO NO NO, DON'T LET THEM TAKE ME! PLEASE MAKE THEM STOP! I WANT TO GO HOME, SYDNEY PLEASE! WHERE IS MY MOM? MOM, MOM."
Miss Parker jumped out of the chair and ran to his side. She held his hands and gently pushed him back down, "Jarod it's OK. You're safe. Nobody is going to hurt you. You need to lie down and rest." After a few minutes he was back to a semiconscious state but still holding her hand tightly to his chest.
At the sound of the commotion, Broots came running back into the room. "What's wrong Miss Parker; What happened?"
"It's OK Broots, he was hallucinating due to the high fever. I already gave him some aspirin, lets hope it starts to work soon. He's really sick Broots... he might....die." Miss Parker was overwhelmed, and her eyes glistened with unshed tears.
Broots noticed the look of concern in Miss Parker's face and the way she repeatedly caressed Jarod's face. She cared for him deeply. The revelation both shocked and pleased Broots. This is why the pretender had eluded them for almost six years. She could never bring herself to take him back to that Hell. This almost made him jealous, but he could not hate Jarod. He was a friend and a good person. Broots had always hated the idea of hunting a human being, like an animal, to take him back to that house of horrors. He shook himself from his thoughts and approached Miss Parker.
" Don't worry Miss Parker, Jarod is strong and a survivor. He'll pull through. Here is the pitcher with water and I also found some blankets and towels. Miss Parker are you OK? You look very tired."
" Thanks, I'm fine Broots, don't worry. Can you please go back to Dover and get us some supplies. We will need some food, cough syrup, candles and plenty of drinks. We need to keep Jarod hydrated."
"Sure Miss Parker, what about Sydney? Do you want me to give him a call? He must be going crazy waiting for news."
"No, not yet. If we tell him the condition Jarod is in, he'll want to come right away. We cannot take that risk. If The Centre finds us here with Jarod ,we'll be permanent residents in renewal wing. I'll call him tomorrow morning. Now go. It's already 10pm and the grocery stores will be closing soon."
After Broots left, Miss Parker started to wash Jarod's face and torso with the wet cloth to bring down the fever. He continued to toss back and forth and the fever was not decreasing. All of the sudden Jarod's body began to convulse violently. "OH MY GOD!" Immediately she realized what was happening. He was having a seizure. Parker jumped on the bed and putting her arms around him she held him on his side to ease his breathing until the spasms ceased. During the whole ordeal, she kept whispering soothing words in his ear, "It's OK Jarod. You're going to be fine. Please Jarod, be strong. You can beat this. Oh God, make it stop." Finally the spasms ceased , his breathing slowed down and he had slipped back into unconsciousness.
During the whole episode, Angelo had jumped on the bed and held Jarod's hand pleading, "Don't leave. Not alone anymore. Friend need you." When it was over he moved to the foot of the bed and sat guarding his friend. At that moment, Miss Parker saw how deeply Angelo cared for his friend, and she knew this was a feeling she also shared even though she would never admit it to anyone. Memories of the three of them together as children at the Centre rushed into her mind, and a tear made a trail down her cheek. Their bond was something very special and would never be broken.
After what seemed like an eternity, Broots finally returned. Miss Parker was frantic, "What took you so long?"
" S...Sorry Miss Parker but most of the stores were closed and I had to drive further into town, but I got all the things you asked for and I also found some lanterns."
"It's OK Broots, I'm sorry for yelling at you. I'm just nervous and tired. Jarod is not getting any better and while you were gone he had a seizure." This was a side of Miss Parker he had never seen. She was frightened and vulnerable.
"Oh My God! Miss Parker don't you think he should be at a hospital?"
"Yes I know, but at what cost? If we take him to a hospital, The Centre will be there within minutes. Do you think he would want that?" Miss Parker's sadness became anger.
"No, of course not, but what if we cannot help him. He could....die." Broots words were almost a whisper.
"We'll wait until the morning. If by then, there is no improvement, we'll take him to the nearest hospital and hope that The Centre is not running a check on local hospitals for Jarod. Now lets give Jarod some of the cough medicine and some fluids. I hope you brought me some coffee. I have a feeling it's going to be a long night."
Before long, Broots had found a place to sleep. He was all curled up on a small couch and happily snoring away under a warm blanket. Angelo was fast asleep at the foot of the bed at Jarod's feet. He refused to move away from his friend. He kept repeating, "Friend wants to leave. Must help friend stay."
Miss Parker watched over Jarod all night. She tried to keep him hydrated by giving him fluids repeatedly, and continued her attempts to lower his fever by cooling his face and torso with the wet cloth. Jarod's tossing was worse and he had repeated coughing fits. She gave him more aspirin for the fever, but what he really needed was antibiotics. Parker worried that his condition was more serious than she presumed. Numerous times during the night he woke up with horrible hallucinations, screaming and then curling himself into a tight ball and weeping. She could only imagine all the demons that he was running from in his nightmares. His whole life was a nightmare. She shook her head sadly. She never thought that seeing Jarod like this would affect her so deeply. Finally to help him calm down, she laid next to him and tenderly stroked her fingers through his hair while reminiscing about childhood memories.
Jarod lay unconscious and unresponsive for hours, but just before daybreak she felt his forehead and smiled with relief when she noticed that the fever was breaking and his breathing was more regular. She laid her head back on the pillow and fell asleep instantly.
When the morning light began to brighten the room, Miss Parker opened her eyes and found herself curled up next to Jarod with her arm possessively wrapped around his waist. She smiled with embarrassment and slowly climbed out of the bed to avoid waking him and finding her in such a compromising position. She looked at her watch and it was almost 9:00 am Broots was still sound asleep on the couch and Angelo was gone. She quietly approached Broots and shook him, "Come on Sleeping Beauty, time to get up."
Broots woke with a start and gasped, "What... what happened? I...I don't know anything."
Miss Parker could not help but laugh at the look of shock on her friend's face. "Calm down Broots, They're not coming for you... yet."
"Oh My God, Miss Parker. All Night I had these nightmares about The Centre finding us and the horrible things that they did to us. I... I'm still shaking. Miss Parker how is Jarod? Is he better?"
"Yes Broots I think he is going to be fine. You were right about him. He is very strong." She smiled at him and squeezed his arm as a gesture of gratitude for helping her save her friend.
Broots looked around the room and whispered, "Where is Angelo"
"I don't know. When I woke up, he was gone. Don't worry, he'll come back or return to The Centre on his own. He is smarter that what most people think. Sometimes I think he is as smart as Jarod."
Miss Parker quickly went to her jacket I got some money from her pocket. "Broots can you get us some breakfast. I really need some coffee and also bring some baked goods, like donuts and bagels. I think our patient is going to be starving when he wakes up."
Broots quickly combed with his hands the few untidy hairs on his head and rushed out the door.
Miss Parker slowly scanned the room and noticed the chaos left from the night before. There were food containers on a small table, blankets and towels on the chair, and Jarod's clothes all over the floor.
Suddenly she noticed Jarod's duffle bag and all its contents scattered on the floor. Recalling Jarod's message about her mother's journal. She quickly checked through all the items looking for the journal. There was some clothing, a toothbrush , his cell phone, which was out of battery, a blank red notebook, some Pez candy dispensers, a small key, and a couple of pictures. These were the items that captured her attention. There was a picture of his mother, his brother and an old picture of both of them in one of the Centre's Sims lab. She smiled at the idea that Jarod had saved this picture of them. He definitely treasured their friendship. It made her feel guilty for being so cruel to him in the past, but deep inside she still considered him her best friend.
Not finding her mother's Journal was a disappointment, but Jarod had probably hid it somewhere safe until he could send it to her as promised. She would have to trust him this time. She put all his treasures back in his bag and went to check on Jarod. Broots would be coming back any minute with their breakfast.
Slowly she moved next to the bed. Jarod was still sound asleep. In the light of day she could see how fragile he looked. He was pale and had lost a great deal of weight. There were dark circles under his eyes and his hair was sticking up wildly. She almost laughed at his hair, but then realized how close she had come to losing him just a few hours ago. She sat down on the bed and rubbed his stubble covered cheek, tenderly and called his name softly, "Jarod, it's time to wake up"
Jarod opened his eyes slowly and blinked trying to focus on the face above him. As her face came into focus, he stared at Miss Parker wide-eyed and aghast. His lips started trembling and for an instant he could not find his voice, "M....Miss Parker!"
Before Miss Parker could reply to him, Jarod bolted out of bed and made a run for the door, stumbling. She tried to restrain him but instead landed flat on the bed. She screamed after him trying to make him stop, "Jarod wait!", but Jarod was in a total panic. A wave of dizziness made Jarod fall to the ground, but the adrenalin rushing through his system and his instinct for survival gave him the strength to quickly get up and keep running. By the time he reached the door he noticed he was only wearing his boxer shorts, but that didn't matter at the moment, his total focus was on getting out of that room and as far away as possible from Miss Parker.
As he opened the door, he glanced over his shoulder to check on Miss Parker's position. This was his worse nightmare. How did they find him? A dozen escape scenarios went through his mind in an instant. He had to get out of this situation alive. He made a dash for the exit and crashed right into Broots who was just outside the door carrying all their breakfast goodies. At the shock of seeing Jarod launch into him, Broots let out a terrified scream, "Ahhhhh!!"
Everything went flying. There was hot coffee and juice all over both of them, and donuts and bagels were everywhere. All Broots could say was, "Hot, hot, hot!!"
Jarod got up like a maniac and tried to run for the stairs, but tripped over one of Broots' legs and fell tumbling down the stairs. Broots in a panic tried to grab his arm, but it was too late.
At that moment Miss Parker came running into the hall and saw the mess all over the floor and Broots trembling by the stairs. "Where is...?, OH MY GOD! Broots, What happened?"
At the bottom of the stairs, Jarod lay unconscious.
" I...I'm sorry Miss Parker. I...I didn't meant to really. I turned and there he was. Then... Crash, and he tripped over me and fell. My God Miss Parker. I'm really sorry. I hope he's not dead."
Miss Parker shot Broots a glare that froze him in place, and started running down the stairs, "Just shut up Broots. Hurry, come and help me." She was hysterical and her mind kept repeating, "This is not happening. Please, please be OK."
When Miss Parker reached the bottom of the stairs, she knelt next to Jarod and immediately checked for a pulse. "Thank God, he's alive." Slowly, they turned him over and noticed all the blood running down the side of his face. Jarod had a nasty gash on his right temple and it was bleeding pretty badly. "Broots quickly, go get some towels, we need to stop the bleeding." After they managed to stop the bleeding, Miss Parker checked for any broken bones. Fortunately, he had escaped the fall with only the cut on his head and a bad contusion on his ribcage ,but he was out cold.
Once they managed to carry him back upstairs to the room, Miss Parker made sure that the pretender would not take off again like a mad man. She pulled out her handcuffs and cuffed one of Jarod's hands to the bed's headboard.
Again, poor Broots was sent to town for supplies, this time they needed some bandages and more food. While Broots was gone, Miss Parker just paced around the room waiting for Jarod to regain consciousness. She still could not believe what had just happened. This whole weekend was just a nightmare and it was not over yet. Knowing that Jarod could not go anywhere at that moment she decided to check the rest of the house for Angelo.
Jarod awoke feeling miserable. His whole body ached, especially his head and ribcage. Everything was blurry and turning his head made him dizzy. He struggled to sit up, but the whole room started to spin and he had to close his eyes and drop his head back into the pillow.
After the dizziness had passed he attempted to sit up again, but noticed with shock that he was handcuffed to the bed's headboard. The awkward position put strain on his ribs and he cried out with pain.
When Miss Parker heard his cry, she came running into the room. Jarod looked panicky and disoriented. She approached the bed and asked him calmly, "How are you feeling Jarod? You gave us quite a scare." Jarod just stared at her wide-eyed and speechless. With a smile on her face Miss Parker tried to ease the tension, " My God Jarod, you look as if you have seen a ghost. What's wrong?"
Jarod scanned the surroundings and asked cautiously, "Who are you? Why am I handcuffed to this bed? How did I get here?"
Now it was Miss Parker's turn to be shocked. Slowly in a daze, she lowered herself down into the chair next to the bed and stared at Jarod with her mouth open, " No, no, this is not happening."
Jarod watched her every move like a hawk.
With a sudden motion that made Jarod flinch, Miss Parker sprang from the chair in search of her cell phone, " I think I better call Sydney on this. Great! This is all I need. You losing your memory now."
"Hello, This is Sydney"
"Sydney is me, Parker."
"Thank God Parker. I was really worried. Did you find Jarod? Is he OK?"
"Yes and no Syd, but now we have another problem."
"What do you mean another problem?"
"Syd it's a long story, and I can't go into details right now. Jarod has lost his memory"
"What? How? What happened?" Sydney was totally confused and Parker was not making any sense. She was starting so sound like Broots.
"Jarod hit his head in a fall and now he can't remember anything. What should I do?"
"It sounds like Traumatic Amnesia Parker. It's a loss of memory, where the person forgets his identity and experiences occurring prior to the trauma. It may last a few hours or days. Parker, he needs medical attention, but right now you may have a bigger problem."
"What are you talking about Sydney?"
"Jarod was spotted in Dover Friday morning, and the search for him has intensified in that area. If you're near Dover get out as soon as you can."
"Thanks Syd" With that she disconnected the call.
At that precise moment, Broots came running through the door. "Mm...Miss Parker! Dover is crawling with sweepers. I barely got out, and I think they are headed this way!"
"I know, I just spoke to Sydney. We need to leave pronto! They both started running back and forth in the room gathering all their belongings. Jarod just sat on the bed looking at both of them nervously.
"Broots you go back to your brother's home and stay clear of the Centre as long as you can. Remember, you were out of town the whole time."
Broots was now in a total panic running around the room. "OK, OK, but what about you and Jarod? You don't have a car."
Miss Parker looked at Broots with a smile in her face and then started searching through Jarod's leather jacket. "Yes we do!" In her hand she held a set of car keys. "All I need to do is think like Jarod and find it. Jarod probably parked his car a few blocks away to avoid suspicion. And knowing Jarod, I could guess what kind of car he would have."
Broots looked at Miss Parker and then at Jarod in a state of confusion," Why don't you just ask Jarod about the location of his car?"
"Broots we have another problem. Jarod has amnesia."
"What?"
"Broots, I don't have time to explain now. I'll go find his car. You remove Jarod's handcuffs and help him with his clothes. I'll be right back. Hurry please." She gave Broots a small key, tossed on her jacket, grabbed the keys for the car and rushed out the door.
It was almost noon when Miss Parker came back with a huge smile on her face, "I found it. I parked it in the back of the house. Lets Go!"
Broots went ahead to put Jarod's duffle bag and DSA player in Jarod's car, while Miss Parker finished clearing the room of any clues that would lead back to them. If the Centre ever found out about their little rescue mission , they would never see the light of day again. The thought alone made her tremble with fear.
Miss Parker gazed at Jarod with concern. He was sitting at the edge of the bed in a daze. The mischievous sparkle from his eyes was gone. He looked so lost. She approached him slowly and said tenderly, "Are you ready Jarod?"
Jarod just looked at her and nodded his head sadly. When Jarod tried to get up a dizzying wave came over him and he fell with a loud thud to the floor. Miss Parker quickly helped him sit back on the bed. "Sorry Jarod, I thought you were strong enough to make it on your own. I guess that bump on your head was more serious than what I thought."
He met her eyes and smiled slightly. Jarod tried to get up again, but he was still very woozy. Miss Parker wedged herself under his arm and helped him walk out of the room very slowly. Once at the top of the stairs, Broots came running up and wedged himself under Jarod's other arm. Between the two of them they were able to guide Jarod safely down the stairs. By the time they had reached the bottom of the stairs, Jarod was staggering, his face was pale and covered in sweat, and he looked like he was about to black out again.
Miss Parker looked at Broots with fondness, reached over and grabbed his hand, "Broots, I don't know how I'll ever thank you for all your help and I'm sure Jarod feels the same way."
Broots smiled back nervously," It's alright Miss Parker that's what friends are for, besides I owed you and Jarod a couple of favors, I guess it was my turn to pay them back. Take care of yourself Miss Parker and please be careful. We'll be waiting for your call."
"Broots, tell Syd not to worry about his Lab Rat. I'll take good care of him. Heck, from now on you can call me Florence Nightingale" Broots just laughed back.
As they were about to exit through the same back door they had used the night before, they heard a commotion at the front of the house. Broots and Miss Parker looked at each other with terror in their eyes. "They're here!"
TBC
By Gemini-M
Chapter 3
"Crisis"
Author's Note: Thanks to all the readers for your wonderful reviews, and to Jaccione and Onisius for all their help.
Miss Parker was about to reach the last bedroom at the end of the hall, when she heard Broots' alarming screams. "Miss Parker hurry, I found Jarod" She turned around, brought out her gun, and ran towards the direction of Broots' voice. She felt as if she was moving in slow motion, she could hear her rapid heartbeat in her ears, and the anticipation of what was ahead terrified her. Down the hall she almost crashed into Broots who was running out of the dark room. She quickly pushed Broots out of the way and ran to the other side of the bed where Jarod lay on the floor. For an instant she was frozen. There at her feet lay Jarod motionless. He was on his side and in his hand he held a picture of his mother. Finally she brought herself back to reality when she heard Broots' trembling voice, "Miss Parker, is he....dead?"
"I don't know Broots", she said almost inaudibly.
Miss Parker slowly kneeled down next to Jarod and very slowly placed the tip of her fingers on his neck to check for a pulse. With a sigh of relief she said, "No, he's alive; He has a pulse, but very weak." She slowly turned him on his back and gently slapped his cheek a few times, "Jarod, Wake up." Jarod's eyes slowly blinked open. He tried to focus on her face, but there was no recognition in his gaze. He mumbled something incoherently and slipped into unconsciousness again. "Great! Jarod come on, stay with me!" She shook him gently but there was no response.
Miss Parker reached down and rested her hand gently on his forehead. "Oh my God, he's burning up! Broots come on hurry, help me get him on the bed." With great difficulty they managed to raise his limp body to the bed. Once on the bed, Parker started to shout orders. " Broots go find a container and fill it up with cold water, and see if you can find some towels or sheets. We need to lower his temperature." While Broots was gone, she quickly removed most of his clothes and covered him with a sheet. Jarod started shivering uncontrollably and curled his body tightly trying to get some warmth. She needed to find some aspirin to lower the fever and fast. "Great, now I have to play nurse maid." Hesitantly, she left his side for a moment and started to look around the darkened room for his duffle bag.
For the first time she noticed Angelo, he was crouching in a corner rocking back and forth. He looked panicky. She slowly approached the little man and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Angelo don't worry, I won't let anything happen to Jarod. I'll take good care of him" Angelo looked back at Miss Parker trembling, "Friend afraid... sad, wants to leave." Angelo's words shocked her deeply and for a moment she feared that Jarod could die. She blinked back the tears that had formed in her eyes and firmly promised Angelo, "Listen to me Angelo, Jarod is not going to die, I promise." Angelo finally met her eyes and smiled slightly.
When she finally found the duffle bag, she emptied all its contents on the floor and quickly found the aspirin bottle, "Good boy Jarod, I knew you would have some aspirin." She grabbed the bottle of water from the night stand and sat on the bed next to Jarod. She pulled Jarod up almost to a sitting position leaning against her. "Wake up Jarod", she told him tapping his cheek gently. His eyes fluttered open, but his delirious state of mind blocked his perception of the woman holding him. He whispered with difficulty, "Mom?" Miss Parker choked at his remark, but quickly regained her composure. "Here Jarod you need to take this aspirin to lower your fever....good. Here drink some water.... good." Slowly she lowered him back on the bed, covered him with a sheet and sat on a chair near the bed. His fever was still very high and he was shivering and coughing miserably. She looked at Jarod with deep concern and remembered the news from a few days ago about an epidemic of influenza that had caused hundredths of death in Europe. "Well buddy, it looks like you brought us quite a souvenir from your trip to Europe."
Suddenly Jarod's eyes flew open with panic and he sat in the bed screaming, "NO NO NO, DON'T LET THEM TAKE ME! PLEASE MAKE THEM STOP! I WANT TO GO HOME, SYDNEY PLEASE! WHERE IS MY MOM? MOM, MOM."
Miss Parker jumped out of the chair and ran to his side. She held his hands and gently pushed him back down, "Jarod it's OK. You're safe. Nobody is going to hurt you. You need to lie down and rest." After a few minutes he was back to a semiconscious state but still holding her hand tightly to his chest.
At the sound of the commotion, Broots came running back into the room. "What's wrong Miss Parker; What happened?"
"It's OK Broots, he was hallucinating due to the high fever. I already gave him some aspirin, lets hope it starts to work soon. He's really sick Broots... he might....die." Miss Parker was overwhelmed, and her eyes glistened with unshed tears.
Broots noticed the look of concern in Miss Parker's face and the way she repeatedly caressed Jarod's face. She cared for him deeply. The revelation both shocked and pleased Broots. This is why the pretender had eluded them for almost six years. She could never bring herself to take him back to that Hell. This almost made him jealous, but he could not hate Jarod. He was a friend and a good person. Broots had always hated the idea of hunting a human being, like an animal, to take him back to that house of horrors. He shook himself from his thoughts and approached Miss Parker.
" Don't worry Miss Parker, Jarod is strong and a survivor. He'll pull through. Here is the pitcher with water and I also found some blankets and towels. Miss Parker are you OK? You look very tired."
" Thanks, I'm fine Broots, don't worry. Can you please go back to Dover and get us some supplies. We will need some food, cough syrup, candles and plenty of drinks. We need to keep Jarod hydrated."
"Sure Miss Parker, what about Sydney? Do you want me to give him a call? He must be going crazy waiting for news."
"No, not yet. If we tell him the condition Jarod is in, he'll want to come right away. We cannot take that risk. If The Centre finds us here with Jarod ,we'll be permanent residents in renewal wing. I'll call him tomorrow morning. Now go. It's already 10pm and the grocery stores will be closing soon."
After Broots left, Miss Parker started to wash Jarod's face and torso with the wet cloth to bring down the fever. He continued to toss back and forth and the fever was not decreasing. All of the sudden Jarod's body began to convulse violently. "OH MY GOD!" Immediately she realized what was happening. He was having a seizure. Parker jumped on the bed and putting her arms around him she held him on his side to ease his breathing until the spasms ceased. During the whole ordeal, she kept whispering soothing words in his ear, "It's OK Jarod. You're going to be fine. Please Jarod, be strong. You can beat this. Oh God, make it stop." Finally the spasms ceased , his breathing slowed down and he had slipped back into unconsciousness.
During the whole episode, Angelo had jumped on the bed and held Jarod's hand pleading, "Don't leave. Not alone anymore. Friend need you." When it was over he moved to the foot of the bed and sat guarding his friend. At that moment, Miss Parker saw how deeply Angelo cared for his friend, and she knew this was a feeling she also shared even though she would never admit it to anyone. Memories of the three of them together as children at the Centre rushed into her mind, and a tear made a trail down her cheek. Their bond was something very special and would never be broken.
After what seemed like an eternity, Broots finally returned. Miss Parker was frantic, "What took you so long?"
" S...Sorry Miss Parker but most of the stores were closed and I had to drive further into town, but I got all the things you asked for and I also found some lanterns."
"It's OK Broots, I'm sorry for yelling at you. I'm just nervous and tired. Jarod is not getting any better and while you were gone he had a seizure." This was a side of Miss Parker he had never seen. She was frightened and vulnerable.
"Oh My God! Miss Parker don't you think he should be at a hospital?"
"Yes I know, but at what cost? If we take him to a hospital, The Centre will be there within minutes. Do you think he would want that?" Miss Parker's sadness became anger.
"No, of course not, but what if we cannot help him. He could....die." Broots words were almost a whisper.
"We'll wait until the morning. If by then, there is no improvement, we'll take him to the nearest hospital and hope that The Centre is not running a check on local hospitals for Jarod. Now lets give Jarod some of the cough medicine and some fluids. I hope you brought me some coffee. I have a feeling it's going to be a long night."
Before long, Broots had found a place to sleep. He was all curled up on a small couch and happily snoring away under a warm blanket. Angelo was fast asleep at the foot of the bed at Jarod's feet. He refused to move away from his friend. He kept repeating, "Friend wants to leave. Must help friend stay."
Miss Parker watched over Jarod all night. She tried to keep him hydrated by giving him fluids repeatedly, and continued her attempts to lower his fever by cooling his face and torso with the wet cloth. Jarod's tossing was worse and he had repeated coughing fits. She gave him more aspirin for the fever, but what he really needed was antibiotics. Parker worried that his condition was more serious than she presumed. Numerous times during the night he woke up with horrible hallucinations, screaming and then curling himself into a tight ball and weeping. She could only imagine all the demons that he was running from in his nightmares. His whole life was a nightmare. She shook her head sadly. She never thought that seeing Jarod like this would affect her so deeply. Finally to help him calm down, she laid next to him and tenderly stroked her fingers through his hair while reminiscing about childhood memories.
Jarod lay unconscious and unresponsive for hours, but just before daybreak she felt his forehead and smiled with relief when she noticed that the fever was breaking and his breathing was more regular. She laid her head back on the pillow and fell asleep instantly.
When the morning light began to brighten the room, Miss Parker opened her eyes and found herself curled up next to Jarod with her arm possessively wrapped around his waist. She smiled with embarrassment and slowly climbed out of the bed to avoid waking him and finding her in such a compromising position. She looked at her watch and it was almost 9:00 am Broots was still sound asleep on the couch and Angelo was gone. She quietly approached Broots and shook him, "Come on Sleeping Beauty, time to get up."
Broots woke with a start and gasped, "What... what happened? I...I don't know anything."
Miss Parker could not help but laugh at the look of shock on her friend's face. "Calm down Broots, They're not coming for you... yet."
"Oh My God, Miss Parker. All Night I had these nightmares about The Centre finding us and the horrible things that they did to us. I... I'm still shaking. Miss Parker how is Jarod? Is he better?"
"Yes Broots I think he is going to be fine. You were right about him. He is very strong." She smiled at him and squeezed his arm as a gesture of gratitude for helping her save her friend.
Broots looked around the room and whispered, "Where is Angelo"
"I don't know. When I woke up, he was gone. Don't worry, he'll come back or return to The Centre on his own. He is smarter that what most people think. Sometimes I think he is as smart as Jarod."
Miss Parker quickly went to her jacket I got some money from her pocket. "Broots can you get us some breakfast. I really need some coffee and also bring some baked goods, like donuts and bagels. I think our patient is going to be starving when he wakes up."
Broots quickly combed with his hands the few untidy hairs on his head and rushed out the door.
Miss Parker slowly scanned the room and noticed the chaos left from the night before. There were food containers on a small table, blankets and towels on the chair, and Jarod's clothes all over the floor.
Suddenly she noticed Jarod's duffle bag and all its contents scattered on the floor. Recalling Jarod's message about her mother's journal. She quickly checked through all the items looking for the journal. There was some clothing, a toothbrush , his cell phone, which was out of battery, a blank red notebook, some Pez candy dispensers, a small key, and a couple of pictures. These were the items that captured her attention. There was a picture of his mother, his brother and an old picture of both of them in one of the Centre's Sims lab. She smiled at the idea that Jarod had saved this picture of them. He definitely treasured their friendship. It made her feel guilty for being so cruel to him in the past, but deep inside she still considered him her best friend.
Not finding her mother's Journal was a disappointment, but Jarod had probably hid it somewhere safe until he could send it to her as promised. She would have to trust him this time. She put all his treasures back in his bag and went to check on Jarod. Broots would be coming back any minute with their breakfast.
Slowly she moved next to the bed. Jarod was still sound asleep. In the light of day she could see how fragile he looked. He was pale and had lost a great deal of weight. There were dark circles under his eyes and his hair was sticking up wildly. She almost laughed at his hair, but then realized how close she had come to losing him just a few hours ago. She sat down on the bed and rubbed his stubble covered cheek, tenderly and called his name softly, "Jarod, it's time to wake up"
Jarod opened his eyes slowly and blinked trying to focus on the face above him. As her face came into focus, he stared at Miss Parker wide-eyed and aghast. His lips started trembling and for an instant he could not find his voice, "M....Miss Parker!"
Before Miss Parker could reply to him, Jarod bolted out of bed and made a run for the door, stumbling. She tried to restrain him but instead landed flat on the bed. She screamed after him trying to make him stop, "Jarod wait!", but Jarod was in a total panic. A wave of dizziness made Jarod fall to the ground, but the adrenalin rushing through his system and his instinct for survival gave him the strength to quickly get up and keep running. By the time he reached the door he noticed he was only wearing his boxer shorts, but that didn't matter at the moment, his total focus was on getting out of that room and as far away as possible from Miss Parker.
As he opened the door, he glanced over his shoulder to check on Miss Parker's position. This was his worse nightmare. How did they find him? A dozen escape scenarios went through his mind in an instant. He had to get out of this situation alive. He made a dash for the exit and crashed right into Broots who was just outside the door carrying all their breakfast goodies. At the shock of seeing Jarod launch into him, Broots let out a terrified scream, "Ahhhhh!!"
Everything went flying. There was hot coffee and juice all over both of them, and donuts and bagels were everywhere. All Broots could say was, "Hot, hot, hot!!"
Jarod got up like a maniac and tried to run for the stairs, but tripped over one of Broots' legs and fell tumbling down the stairs. Broots in a panic tried to grab his arm, but it was too late.
At that moment Miss Parker came running into the hall and saw the mess all over the floor and Broots trembling by the stairs. "Where is...?, OH MY GOD! Broots, What happened?"
At the bottom of the stairs, Jarod lay unconscious.
" I...I'm sorry Miss Parker. I...I didn't meant to really. I turned and there he was. Then... Crash, and he tripped over me and fell. My God Miss Parker. I'm really sorry. I hope he's not dead."
Miss Parker shot Broots a glare that froze him in place, and started running down the stairs, "Just shut up Broots. Hurry, come and help me." She was hysterical and her mind kept repeating, "This is not happening. Please, please be OK."
When Miss Parker reached the bottom of the stairs, she knelt next to Jarod and immediately checked for a pulse. "Thank God, he's alive." Slowly, they turned him over and noticed all the blood running down the side of his face. Jarod had a nasty gash on his right temple and it was bleeding pretty badly. "Broots quickly, go get some towels, we need to stop the bleeding." After they managed to stop the bleeding, Miss Parker checked for any broken bones. Fortunately, he had escaped the fall with only the cut on his head and a bad contusion on his ribcage ,but he was out cold.
Once they managed to carry him back upstairs to the room, Miss Parker made sure that the pretender would not take off again like a mad man. She pulled out her handcuffs and cuffed one of Jarod's hands to the bed's headboard.
Again, poor Broots was sent to town for supplies, this time they needed some bandages and more food. While Broots was gone, Miss Parker just paced around the room waiting for Jarod to regain consciousness. She still could not believe what had just happened. This whole weekend was just a nightmare and it was not over yet. Knowing that Jarod could not go anywhere at that moment she decided to check the rest of the house for Angelo.
Jarod awoke feeling miserable. His whole body ached, especially his head and ribcage. Everything was blurry and turning his head made him dizzy. He struggled to sit up, but the whole room started to spin and he had to close his eyes and drop his head back into the pillow.
After the dizziness had passed he attempted to sit up again, but noticed with shock that he was handcuffed to the bed's headboard. The awkward position put strain on his ribs and he cried out with pain.
When Miss Parker heard his cry, she came running into the room. Jarod looked panicky and disoriented. She approached the bed and asked him calmly, "How are you feeling Jarod? You gave us quite a scare." Jarod just stared at her wide-eyed and speechless. With a smile on her face Miss Parker tried to ease the tension, " My God Jarod, you look as if you have seen a ghost. What's wrong?"
Jarod scanned the surroundings and asked cautiously, "Who are you? Why am I handcuffed to this bed? How did I get here?"
Now it was Miss Parker's turn to be shocked. Slowly in a daze, she lowered herself down into the chair next to the bed and stared at Jarod with her mouth open, " No, no, this is not happening."
Jarod watched her every move like a hawk.
With a sudden motion that made Jarod flinch, Miss Parker sprang from the chair in search of her cell phone, " I think I better call Sydney on this. Great! This is all I need. You losing your memory now."
"Hello, This is Sydney"
"Sydney is me, Parker."
"Thank God Parker. I was really worried. Did you find Jarod? Is he OK?"
"Yes and no Syd, but now we have another problem."
"What do you mean another problem?"
"Syd it's a long story, and I can't go into details right now. Jarod has lost his memory"
"What? How? What happened?" Sydney was totally confused and Parker was not making any sense. She was starting so sound like Broots.
"Jarod hit his head in a fall and now he can't remember anything. What should I do?"
"It sounds like Traumatic Amnesia Parker. It's a loss of memory, where the person forgets his identity and experiences occurring prior to the trauma. It may last a few hours or days. Parker, he needs medical attention, but right now you may have a bigger problem."
"What are you talking about Sydney?"
"Jarod was spotted in Dover Friday morning, and the search for him has intensified in that area. If you're near Dover get out as soon as you can."
"Thanks Syd" With that she disconnected the call.
At that precise moment, Broots came running through the door. "Mm...Miss Parker! Dover is crawling with sweepers. I barely got out, and I think they are headed this way!"
"I know, I just spoke to Sydney. We need to leave pronto! They both started running back and forth in the room gathering all their belongings. Jarod just sat on the bed looking at both of them nervously.
"Broots you go back to your brother's home and stay clear of the Centre as long as you can. Remember, you were out of town the whole time."
Broots was now in a total panic running around the room. "OK, OK, but what about you and Jarod? You don't have a car."
Miss Parker looked at Broots with a smile in her face and then started searching through Jarod's leather jacket. "Yes we do!" In her hand she held a set of car keys. "All I need to do is think like Jarod and find it. Jarod probably parked his car a few blocks away to avoid suspicion. And knowing Jarod, I could guess what kind of car he would have."
Broots looked at Miss Parker and then at Jarod in a state of confusion," Why don't you just ask Jarod about the location of his car?"
"Broots we have another problem. Jarod has amnesia."
"What?"
"Broots, I don't have time to explain now. I'll go find his car. You remove Jarod's handcuffs and help him with his clothes. I'll be right back. Hurry please." She gave Broots a small key, tossed on her jacket, grabbed the keys for the car and rushed out the door.
It was almost noon when Miss Parker came back with a huge smile on her face, "I found it. I parked it in the back of the house. Lets Go!"
Broots went ahead to put Jarod's duffle bag and DSA player in Jarod's car, while Miss Parker finished clearing the room of any clues that would lead back to them. If the Centre ever found out about their little rescue mission , they would never see the light of day again. The thought alone made her tremble with fear.
Miss Parker gazed at Jarod with concern. He was sitting at the edge of the bed in a daze. The mischievous sparkle from his eyes was gone. He looked so lost. She approached him slowly and said tenderly, "Are you ready Jarod?"
Jarod just looked at her and nodded his head sadly. When Jarod tried to get up a dizzying wave came over him and he fell with a loud thud to the floor. Miss Parker quickly helped him sit back on the bed. "Sorry Jarod, I thought you were strong enough to make it on your own. I guess that bump on your head was more serious than what I thought."
He met her eyes and smiled slightly. Jarod tried to get up again, but he was still very woozy. Miss Parker wedged herself under his arm and helped him walk out of the room very slowly. Once at the top of the stairs, Broots came running up and wedged himself under Jarod's other arm. Between the two of them they were able to guide Jarod safely down the stairs. By the time they had reached the bottom of the stairs, Jarod was staggering, his face was pale and covered in sweat, and he looked like he was about to black out again.
Miss Parker looked at Broots with fondness, reached over and grabbed his hand, "Broots, I don't know how I'll ever thank you for all your help and I'm sure Jarod feels the same way."
Broots smiled back nervously," It's alright Miss Parker that's what friends are for, besides I owed you and Jarod a couple of favors, I guess it was my turn to pay them back. Take care of yourself Miss Parker and please be careful. We'll be waiting for your call."
"Broots, tell Syd not to worry about his Lab Rat. I'll take good care of him. Heck, from now on you can call me Florence Nightingale" Broots just laughed back.
As they were about to exit through the same back door they had used the night before, they heard a commotion at the front of the house. Broots and Miss Parker looked at each other with terror in their eyes. "They're here!"
TBC
