More Than One: A Novel (25 page)

              “That is exactly right, but I don't understand how you would know all of that... That is astounding, you can see what she see’s and according to the reports on her sessions with Dr. Thompson, she can see what you see. I didn't think it went both ways,” he said with a sparkle in his eyes.

              “Okay, let's get back to the situation at hand. Do you know if she is involved or what?” Ash said still holding me.

              “It isn't possible. She is in her room every day, there is no way she could get out,” he said.

              “When was the last time you checked the recorded tapes,” I asked.

              “We check them every day. She does the same thing as usual.”

              “What about the overnight feed?” my dad asked.

              “Well, we haven't checked those. We used to, but all she did was sleep. We felt there was no need to check them. I still work at the hospital and it is hard for me to be as efficient as I used to be. But I seriously don't think she is capable of doing such a thing,” he said.

              We all looked at each other.

              “Jamie, has been getting letters from Rome, from a person named A. In all of the letters, she is telling Jay to be careful and to not trust anyone. Apparently, this A person feels responsible for the other clone. Do you know anything about it?” Ash asked.

              “No, I don't,” he said turning to me. “What else do the letters say?”

              I gave him a full run down on all the letters and what they read. I told him I knew the letters were coming from Abigail and his eyes got wide. At that point, I knew he really didn't know anything about it. I didn't mention anything Michael said to me. I didn't want to start trouble for him. I just kept it simple and summarized everything I knew.

              “I don't know what to say,” he said rubbing sweat from his forehead.

              “We need to get Dr. Lewis and Dr. Thompson over here right away. And then check the tapes to see if there is anything there to help us find out what's going on,” my dad said.

              “You're right,” he said standing up. “Come with me Martin, I want to show you something.”

              My dad got up, kissed my mom before coming to kiss me on the forehead, and followed Ash's father out of the room. Everyone else was sitting like statues, as if it would hurt to move.

              I didn't know what to do or think. This was finally out in the open and we were getting somewhere. I was happy, but my heart still hurt for Ash. This had to be hard on him as well. It was like we were destined to meet the way our lives overlapped each others. It’s a small world after all.

Chapter Twenty

While my dad and Dr. Dean were gone, Ash and I discussed what we thought about the situation. He was still distraught about the fact that his father had lied to him all these years. On the other hand, I was glad it was out in the open.

              Our moms were still sitting like statues, not saying anything. I got up and went over to my mom. When I sat down, it startled her. I wrapped my arms around her and tried to figure out what to say to comfort her. Ash went and sat down next to his mom and did the same.

              “Mom?” Ash said.

              She looked up with tears forming in her eyes.

              “Mom, did you know about this?” he said.

              She shook her head like she was trying to get some of the thoughts out of it.

              “Mom, it’s okay. I just want to know if you knew?”

              I seriously wanted to know what Ash had against his father at this point. He was so sweet and gentle with his mom. It just didn't add up. His father must have done something major for him to be so insolent toward him.

              “Ash, I'm so sorry. Your father told me that it would be a mistake if we told you. I didn't know you were going through so many things. Why didn't you just come and tell me?” she said.

              “I'm a guy. There are some things that I need a man's advice about. And the fact that I'm different... all I'm saying is, it would've been nice to talk to someone like me to help me understand what I was going through. Do you get what I'm saying?”

              “Yes. I am really sorry baby,” she said and started crying harder.

              As he consoled her, I turned to look at my mom. She was still staring in the same direction as before.

              “Mom, are you okay?” I asked.

              “Yeah, I'm fine,” she said still looking forward.

              “You're not acting like it. Do you need to talk?”

              “No.”

              “Are you sure?” I said squeezing her shoulders.

              She looked at me and smiled.

              “Yeah, baby, I'm sure.”

              I leaned my head on her shoulder. Everyone was quiet as we sat there and waited for the doctors to return. The time seemed to linger on forever until they finally came back.

              “Dr. Lewis and Dr. Thompson are on the way,” Ash's father said.

              “Okay, so did you guys look at the video tapes?” Ash asked.

              “Not yet,” my dad said.

              “Why not? What were you two doing then?” I asked.

              My dad came and sat down next to me.

              “I went to see her,” he said.

              Ash and I looked at each other and this time, I knew exactly what he was thinking. We wanted to see her, too.

              “Um, so, what is she like?” I asked.

              “She looks just like you. Well, her eyes are dark brown, but everything else is the same; its uncanny,” he said.

              “We want to see her,” Ash said.

              His father walked over and sat down next to Ash's mother. Ash looked back and forth between his father and me.

              “You will see her, but not right now. I think we should wait until Dr. Thompson gets here. They have gotten close over the years and I think it would be easier for her if she were here,” he said.

              I guess I could agree with that, but I was not leaving until I did see this imitation of me. Ash conceded as well and went back to comforting his mom. My dad took in my mom’s expression and went to sit next to her. The atmosphere changed once again. It wasn't over though; I knew we had a couple more emotions in us that would come out before the day was out.

              My dad was holding my mom and Ash's father was talking to Mrs. Dean; so we decided to sneak away for a minute. He came and grabbed my hand and we left out of the front door. He took a seat on the steps and I copied him.

              “So, what do you think?” he asked.

              “I don't know yet. What about you?”

              “Me either. I know I want to see this other clone, though.”

              “Yeah, me too,” I said.

              Ash started picking up rocks that were on the front porch and throwing them across the lawn.

              “Can I ask you something,” I said.

              “Sure.”

              “Why are you so mad at your father?”

              He threw another rock. I watched it as it sailed through the air and almost landed in the street.

              “I just am. He was never there for me. I only had my mom. I had to grow into a man all on my own. I wondered why he stayed in the lab so much, and now I know why,” he said.

              “But isn't there anything he has done that was good,” I asked.

              “He made me. The end. There is nothing else. I always felt like he was disappointed because I didn't want to be like him. Nothing I did was ever good enough. He always wanted me to try harder. My mom was the one who raised me. I was home schooled, you know,” he said.

              I felt so bad for him. He was taking this better than I expected, but I knew inside, he was furious.

              “I'm not saying that you don't have every reason to be mad at him, but all I know is, if it weren't for him, I wouldn't have you in my life. I am seriously thankful for that,” I said.

              He looked at me before he picked up another rock and threw it.

              “Yeah, I guess you're right. I just find it hard to love him like everyone says I'm supposed to. Maybe that will change over time, but for right now, I don't see it.”

              I knew there was no use in arguing and trying to persuade him to see my side, so I didn't say anything more.

              Just as he picked up another rock, two cars pulled into the driveway, one behind the other. I sat and watched as they slowly crept to a stop. I figured they were the doctors we were waiting for. I waited for them to get out of their cars and Ash continued to throw rocks. I guess it didn't matter to him either way; the worst was already behind him.

              Finally, the first car door opened and a long legged woman stepped out. I assumed it was Abigail. When she looked at me, she had a shocked expression on her face. She closed her door and quickly walked over to us. I stood up waiting for her to reach me. When she stood in front of me, she started examining me.

              “Jamie, I presume,” she said.

              “Yes and you are?” I asked although I knew the answer.

              “I'm Abigail Thompson. Nice to finally meet you,” she said.

              She shook my hand and looked at Ash. He was still sitting down tossing the rock he had in his hand back and forth.

              “Ashton, I don't suppose you remember me?” she said.

              He looked up briefly and then back down.

              “Yeah, kinda,” he said.

              He was being so rude to her. It made me think she had done something to him that I was unaware of.

              “Well, it’s nice to see you again,” she said.

              By this time, the other person had made it out of the car and was standing behind Abigail. When I took in his features, I recognized him from my dreams, as well. He had a worried expression on his face and it reminded me of the dream I had when I was hypnotized. He was the man that kept floating through my head and I was angry with him for some reason.

              “I know you don't remember me, but I worked with your father a long time ago,” he said. “My name is Dr. Mark Lewis.”

              “Hey,” I said turning to Dr. Thompson. “So, you've been writing me letters? Why?”

              She looked at Dr. Lewis, who had a surprised look on his face, and then back to me.

              “We should go inside and discuss this,” she said walking up the steps to the entrance. Dr. Lewis followed her.

              Ash shrugged and I pulled him up from the step and we went in soon after. Everyone was in the living room talking. My dad was getting reacquainted with Dr. Lewis and meeting Dr. Thompson for the first time. Ash and I stood in the doorway waiting for them to settle down.

              Once all the chatter was done, we took a seat on the floor near the fireplace. Ash's father stood up and looked around the room. It was like I was back in the classroom about to hear a lecture.

              “I'm sorry that this visit is not on pleasant terms; there is nothing I can do to change that. Right now, I just want to right the wrong I've done,” he said looking at me. “Jamie, I know there is nothing I can say that will take back what you have endured, but if I could, I would. And son, I never meant to hurt you. This whole time, I thought what I was doing was to better you. I apologize to you, as well.”

              Ash rolled his eyes and I just shook my head.

              “Abigail, Mark, I didn't get a chance to tell you everything that was going on over the phone, so you might be in the dark a little. This will all make sense in a minute,” he said.

              Ash leaned over and rested his head on my shoulder as we listened to his father tell Dr. Lewis and Dr. Thompson why we were there. He went through every account and even the suspicions we had. He talked about the murders and I closed my eyes and tried to black him out. I didn't want to hear about them anymore. When he stopped talking, I opened my eyes and everyone was staring at me.

              Ash lifted his head up and looked at me, too. I felt like I had missed out on something important. I started to ask why everyone was looking at me, but my dad stood up instead and took the floor next to Ash's father.

              “Like he said, my daughter has been having these nightmares and it is actually happening. What I need to know from you Abigail is what you talk about during her sessions? Has she demonstrated any odd behavior in the last couple of months,” he said.

              All eyes were on her. She cleared her throat and then pulled out a thick folder.

              “I've reported major changes in her within the last year. She seems to have  a split personality of some sort. She is back and forth. What I mean by that is, she is a different person every session. One day she will be calm and receptive, and then on others she is erratic. Then there are days where she is drawn in and we don't get much accomplished,” she said closing the folder. “I've tried to talk her through the feelings she has, but nothing seems to work.”

              “What feelings,” I asked.

              “Well, she hates everything. She talks about wanting to end her life, but in my experience, people who talk about suicide rarely do it; but when the feeling festers, it is projected in the wrong direction. As far as the murders go, I don't think she is capable of doing such a thing. I do believe there is someone she is secretly keeping in contact with. I don't know how, but when she is under hypnosis, she talks about someone that is unknown to me. Now, maybe she has made this person up, but it still raises some concern from my view point.”

              “So, why were you sending me the letters if you didn't believe she would do me any harm?” I asked.

              “Because it was better to be safe than sorry. I couldn't have that on my conscious if something happened to you. If she is some how communicating with someone other than us, then there is no telling what could have come of it. She is not in a good place mentally right now,” she said.

              “But why me? What did I ever do to her?” I said.

              “She is jealous. I understand that you are dreaming about her thoughts and things that happen to her. Well, it is the same for Elizabeth. There have been plenty sessions that were based totally on you. She can see some of the things you can see, as well. All the love and happiness, the fun and freedom; that is a part of her. Imagine what she must be going through.”

              I did imagine it a lot of times. I felt sorry for her, but I still didn't understand why she would want to harm me. I never knew she existed.

              “So, why do you keep her here, locked up?” Ash asked.

              His dad stepped in.

              “We needed to run test on her. She is the first after all, and we needed to know what limits she had, her brain capacity for learning and things of that nature. There was no way we could have learned what we know if it weren't for her and we are still learning. There are bigger things at work here son, and you will benefit from it,” he said.

              “What benefits and at what cost?” Ash asked.

              “There is no cost because she will benefit as well. I know you're mad at me, but you have no idea how much I've risked for you,” his father said in a stern voice. “Your life depends on the decisions I've made.”