Secrets Of Sanctuary Hospital Nightmare Of The Dark Shadows (2 page)

Suddenly, my surroundings change, my cozy
kitchen turns into a hallowed hall, cold and desolate, waves of
fear crash over me. I can’t breathe! Before I can even discern
where I am or what is causing my heart to be wrenched from my body,
a set of cool hands wrap themselves around my waist pulling me to
the present. Andrew’s beautifully chiseled chin rests upon my
shoulder. “That looks absolutely wonderful.” He gently nuzzles my
neck.

My heart continues to race like an out of
control freight train, but my fear evaporates as I turn to meet his
loving gaze. The feeling of safety and love each time I look into
Andrew’s eyes makes me extremely grateful for the one thing that
has not changed since I entered Sanctuary. His cool lips brush
across mine, causing an electrical surge throughout my entire
being. As I run my fingertips up his chiseled physique, he
shudders.

Reaching around, he picks up the cake,
placing it in the refrigerator. Returning, he takes my hand,
leading me downstairs, and out to the bench in front of the
residency. It is almost midnight. The stars shine brightly against
the onyx sky.

As I sit, he pulls me onto his lap,
encircling me in his embrace. My pulse quickens, igniting every
cell, overheating my very essence. Even after all this time, I
cannot stop my reaction to his touch.

His cool lips brush the back of my neck,
moving slowly to my ear. “Look up at the sky.”

The sky is ablaze with the natural fireworks
of a meteor shower.

“Do you remember the last time the sky lit up
for you?” His voice is soft, sultry.

Turning, wrapping my arms around his waist
and nuzzling his stone, cold neck, I answer. “That was the night
the most perfect angel promised to grace my life throughout
eternity.” His impassioned kiss sets my heart ablaze, fueling my
blood, my pulse is pounding in my ears and I barely hear Jackson as
he passes. “It’s a good thing you have a day before your flight,
you two just don’t have the restraint you did on your wedding
night.” He smirks.

I can feel Andrew’s lips turn up into a smile
as he withdraws them slightly from mine. “Let’s see how much
restraint you have when you see Eva in her latest purchase which I
delivered to your suite. I bet she is wearing it right now.”

A rush of winter air brushes my cheek as he
flies by us and I can’t contain my laughter. “I got the mail this
morning and there were no packages for Eva.”

A glorious smile alights his features, he
looks even more beautiful. “I know, but how else could I get him to
leave.” He jokes.

“He’ll be terribly disappointed.” I
retort.

Andrew’s splendiferous eyes sparkle
mischievously. “Don’t worry about Jackson he has a special gift for
seeing Eva in exactly what he desires. Besides, it wouldn’t be on
long enough for him to even register that it’s not new.”

Punching him in the shoulder, “You’re
awful.”

His cool lips glide across my jaw, stopping
at my ear. “I’m just a man in love with the most beautiful woman on
the planet.” He murmurs.

“Now who is using the art of delusion?” I
smile.

His lips move toward mine again, kissing them
softly as he rises with me in his arms, carrying me back inside.
Quietly, he places me on the bed. As his cool lips glide across my
neck, I feel his long arm reaching toward the floor. As he pulls
his lips from mine, I feel a touch as soft as silk brush across my
forehead, down my nose and across my lips. My heart drums as if
someone opened up the gears of a motor boat full throttle. He
gently places the velvety rose in my hand. Bringing it up to my
nose to smell its sweet fragrance, I glimpse a blush ribbon holding
a delicate gold and platinum, intertwined bracelet with the
children’s birth stones scattered in between and one stone which I
recognize as October, but cannot figure out the significance.
Andrew’s fingers deftly release the bracelet from its hold, placing
it on my wrist. Brushing my finger across the October birth stone,
my eyes shift from it to him. “What is this one for?”

He slowly brushes his soft lips across the
inside of my wrist, kissing it tenderly. “That one is for the day
you arrived at Sanctuary, awakening my heart and allowing my life
to truly begin after five hundred solitary years.” Remembering how
he was when I arrived, so lonely, so self-loathing, I know he still
holds some of his doubts, but am relieved that our life and family
have brought him happiness. “I know I fought against being with you
and my heart is incapable of truly beating, but that is the day
when I became whole and felt as if a ray of sunshine had touched my
vile existence. I can never fully explain to you what you brought
to me and then you kept giving me more than I could have ever
imagined, the dream that I thought our conversion forced me to
forever forego.”

Sincerity rings through every word, swelling
my heart, making me love him even more. Pulling his glorious face
towards mine, “you have given everything to me and opened up a
world of happiness that I never thought possible.”

After spending the night locked in his
amorous embrace, we celebrate the twin’s birthday before boarding a
plane with Catherine and Lucas and head toward England for my
father’s ceremony and to assist Jamison, an old colleague and
friend of Lucas with a new wing that his grandfather had donated to
an English hospital which Jamison is to head. Although Jamison is
an excellent physician, he knows nothing about administration and
called Lucas begging him to come over and assist in establishing
his records and the new terminal care ward.

After attending the ceremony for my father,
Catherine and I will set up and teach the administrative personnel
and staff the computer system that Catherine developed at Sanctuary
and show them how to secure additional insurance benefits for the
patients, while Andrew and Lucas coordinate and teach the staff the
best way to organize the patients’ rooms to ensure that the various
needs of the patients are met in the most cost effective
manner.

As we strategize, the children talk excitedly
about the prospect of seeing a new part of the world. I am
surprised to learn that this will be Lucas’ first time back in
England since fleeing from the family who transformed his life
forever.

Arriving at the hotel, my father is in his
suite and visits with the children. Lucas and Catherine rent a car
and head to meet Jamison.

The day goes by fairly pleasant and quick. My
father explains to Stephan and Andrew his progress on the synthetic
heart and the possibility of provisional approval to utilize it in
test patients if the dignitary’s son’s transplant proves to be
successful. Andrew provides my father with the name of a gentleman
who can provide assistance in wading through all of the extensive
paperwork in seeking approval.

As the evening draws near, we drive three
hours to the hospital. Our rooms are ready and the children quickly
enter dreamland after their long, exhausting day. Making a quick
cup of coffee, we join Jamison, Catherine and Lucas and begin
familiarizing ourselves with the seventy-four patients who were
transferred right after construction due to closing hospitals in
the area. As we go through the files, their non-conformity becomes
glaringly obvious.

“It’s quite a mess my grandfather hoisted
upon me. Do you think that you will be able to help me so that we
can run as smoothly as Lucas tells me that you run this type of
wing at Sanctuary?”

“It is just a question of getting everything
organized.” Catherine remarks confidently. “Once you are set up, it
will be much easier to arrange the patient’s schedule’s correctly
and determine if any additional staff is needed or if you just need
to reorganize the tasks of the present staff.”

Over the next few days, Catherine and I
import the files into the system that we currently utilize at
Sanctuary. Andrew, Lucas and Jamison assess the patients’ present
prognosis and classify them according to their future needs. They
also attend the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new wing and assist
Jamison in handling all of the publicity. Not until I see pictures
of Jamison, Lucas, and Andrew plastered on the front page of every
local newspaper in the region do I realize what a huge deal this
new hospital wing is. Clipping the articles, I place them in our
luggage.

The morning of the ceremony, we rise early
and leave so we can visit with my father. Lucas and Catherine will
meet us after the ceremony to take the children back to my father’s
hotel. Thereafter, we will return to the hospital for two more
weeks to ensure that the staff is comfortable with the new system
and techniques we have established.

We secure a suite so that we can all stay at
the hotel that evening and then return to the hospital after taking
my family to the airport.

The ceremony is very formal. I can tell from
my father’s expression that he prefers his work to the recognition,
but when the dignitary’s son makes a brief appearance to express
his gratitude, my father beams with joy.

We head over to the reception. Marie is not
feeling well and returns with Catherine and Lucas.

The dinner drags on and is exceptionally
formal. My father is fidgeting and anxious to leave. In truth, so
am I, but since he is the honored guest, we all put on our social
smiles and mingle.

As dinner is being served, my father receives
a call from a colleague. Before he even hangs up the telephone,
Andrew whispers in my ear. “The testing schedule has been moved
from the day after tomorrow to tomorrow at noon.” He excuses
himself. My father’s face reflects his extreme anxiety. Hanging up,
he excuses himself. Returning dismayed, he whispers that the
reservation attendant could only get him on stand-bye.

“Dad, I can take you to the airport.” I
murmur. “Maybe you will have better luck if you are there.”

Andrew returns sporting a don’t worry about
getting your father back, everything will be fine expression. I
cannot help but smile. “Dr. Angelis, you have a seat on the
midnight flight to Boston.” My father’s whole body relaxes in
relief. “We should get you to the airport.”

Rising, my father says his good-byes. The
dignitary requests to be kept informed and offers his assistance.
We drop Stephan off at the hotel and arrive at the airport just in
time for final check in.

Strolling back to the car, Andrew inquires
about one of patients whose record I reviewed. My head suddenly
feels as if it is swimming in an endless sea. A strong scent of
ether overwhelms my nostrils as I struggle to breathe the air
around me.

Andrew’s anxious voice calls to me, trying to
lead me back from my desolate chasm. “Mia, are you alright? Talk to
me!” Cool hands grasp my arms. My mouth is sealed shut as my airway
constricts closed, cutting off my oxygen supply! As my eyes roll
into my head, I see Nicole and Jacob’s faces flash before me,
followed by Nicholas and Kayla. From their quick, disjointed
movements, it appears as if they are struggling trying to avoid the
blue sacks being thrust over their heads, then everything is
black.

Coming out of this episode, I am in the front
seat of our car. Andrew is driving faster than he ever has, weaving
in and out of cars. One hand is on the wheel while his other
frantically hits two different speed dial numbers on the cell
phone, over and over again. He is becoming extremely agitated.

His head whips toward me and his voice is
strained. “Are you alright?”

From his driving and worrisome tone, I know
he is aware that the children are in trouble. “How do you know what
I saw?” I inquire, barely able to force the words past my
breathless lips.

“As I carried you to the car, you kept
screaming ‘take your hands off of the children.’” I called over to
Catherine and then tried Lucas, but neither answers. “Did you see
anyone?”

“I saw the children’s faces. They were in the
hotel room. I think someone used ether to knock them out. I smelled
it and saw a blue cloth being placed over their heads. I didn’t see
the faces of the ones who grabbed them, they were grabbed from
behind.”

“Did you see anything else?”

“No, everything went to black so quickly.
Should we call Stephan and the police?”

“No, not until we know what we are dealing
with. We don’t know if they are still there or what has them. We
don’t want to put anyone else in danger. We will be back at the
hotel in two minutes.”

My eyes move glance at the speedometer.
Andrew is driving over one hundred miles per hour.

“Mia, close your eyes and concentrate on the
kids. See if you see anything else or if you can feel if they are
alright. I know this is difficult, but try to clear your anxiety,
it will allow you to get a better read on them and their
surroundings.”

I know he is right. We discovered that in
addition to my being able to see things from the past and discern
things in my dreams that my connection to our children allows me to
sense when they are in danger or need me even without the use of
the protectionist spell.

As the car speeds through the darkness, I
offer up a prayer that this is a case where I have seen the event
prior to its occurrence and that the children haven’t been grabbed
yet, but from the lack of communication with Catherine and Lucas
and the actual sensing of what they were experiencing instead of
just seeing a flash, I fear that this dire event has already taken
place.

Closing my eyes, all I can see is the endless
blackness spanning before me. My anxiety turns to hysteria as I
become aware of movement, beyond that of our car. I feel as if I’m
being tossed around on a rickety rollercoaster and traveling even
faster, if that is possible. Blinded, I force myself to concentrate
on what my senses may reveal. My limbs are drawn tightly to my
torso as if I’m crowded and cramped. Concentrating harder, I hear
the rapid pounding of a heart besides my own and then finally
register all four anxious hearts. “They’re alive!” I hear myself
shout to Andrew and on some level hear his sigh of relief, but
force myself to concentrate so as not to break my connection. “They
are in transit, but they are either blindfolded or unconscious
because I can’t see anything.”