A Brief Moment in TIme (24 page)

Gavin put his thoughts on hold as people began flooding through the sliding glass doors that had just opened. He searched intently for a woman matching the description Adele had given, at the same time trying to calm his rapidly increasing jitters. By the time he found her in the crowd, she had already noticed him and was walking his way. As he watched the petite woman approaching, he assessed her and found himself relaxing a degree or two. He noted her pleasant appearance and professional demeanor.
She doesn’t look like a nutcase
. He took a deep breath, still feeling uneasy, and found an element of comfort in the hope that he would soon understand why his dream world had collided headlong with reality.

ADELE NOTICED HIM immediately. He was a large man and stood out not only because of his size but because he was incredibly handsome and well built. In the seconds it took to walk across the airport meeting area, she noted that he looked nothing like she’d expected. His face had a gentleness to it, a look that conveyed quiet compassion and affability. The smile that he offered as she neared added to his approachability, and she felt her anxiety diminish.

“Gavin?” She extended her hand and he received it. He nodded in acknowledgment, but the look on his face, now that she stood in front of him, told her that his curiosity over her rather abrupt intrusion into his life was beginning to outweigh his natural inclination toward courteousness.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t able to give you more information over the phone,” she said, addressing his obvious concerns. “Could we go somewhere to talk?”

“Sure,” he replied. “Do you have luggage?”

“Just this.” Adele patted her shoulder bag.

“Let me take that for you,” he offered politely.

As he led the way to the parking garage, she followed, silently rehearsing as she had on the plane. She’d known after talking with him on the phone that he would be able to help her, that Gavin was the man she was looking for. It was more than just a feeling; it was his silence in response to her revelation that had convinced her. Anyone else would have dismissed her as a lunatic. Furthermore, she suspected from his willingness to meet that Gavin had something to share as well.

In the car she took a deep breath and began her narrative. “I’ve known Kathryn for years. We’ve worked together, but she’s also one of my dearest friends. Four months ago, she was in a car accident—a very serious one,” she emphasized, trying to relay the facts without becoming too emotional.

“She’s on life support, Gavin,” Adele submitted gravely, “and her family wants to take her off.”

He shot her a quick glance and looked away, but it was enough to see the pain in his eyes. She knew beyond a doubt that her suspicions were correct. Not only did he know Kathryn, he was intimately connected to her somehow. Adele was eager to learn more and hopefully fill in details of the mystery that had unfolded in the past few days.

“Why me?” he asked simply, rightly wanting to learn what she knew of him and how.

“A week ago, one of the nurses asked if I knew anyone named Gavin,” Adele explained. “Apparently Kate said your name. I was excited when they told me she spoke; I was sure it meant she was going to be all right. Unfortunately, the doctor wasn’t as optimistic. He said it’s not uncommon for someone in a coma to utter a word or two.”

They arrived at a coffee shop and ordered drinks before they sat down. Gavin was quiet, apparently taking in all that Adele said but offering nothing. She hoped he’d be more forthcoming after she shared all she’d come to say.

“Of course I had no idea who Gavin was. I’d never heard her mention the name before. I was curious, but it wasn’t enough to go on.

“After the accident,” she continued, “I was at the hospital every day. Her family hadn’t arrived yet so the nurse gave me a box of Kathryn’s things to take home—items retrieved from her car.” Adele knew that what she was about to say would sound absurd, not to mention impossible. She decided that showing was better than telling, so she reached in her bag and pulled out a picture to show Gavin.

THE COLOR DRAINED from Gavin’s face as he looked at the photograph that Adele handed him. It was a picture of him with his family, taken at the prison. “But how did she…?” he could find no further words to sum up the mind-boggling thoughts taking shape in his brain.

“I don’t know how or why she had this picture with her things, but it helped me find you. Look at the inscription on the back.”

He turned it over and had he not been sitting might have fallen over from shock. Words in his mother’s handwriting said, “Thank you, Kate, for all your help and support in Gavin’s life.” She had signed it, “The McDermotts.”

“I didn’t find it until this week,” Adele explained. “I got a sudden urge to look through the box of Kathryn’s things I had at my apartment. The picture was loose in the box, and something’s been spilled on it, but I could make out the Swenton stamp on your shirt pocket.”

Gavin was speechless. He listened helplessly as Adele continued.

“That’s when I called the prison to inquire about you, and they told me you’d been released.” She looked at him, and Gavin saw tears form in eyes begging for his help. “I thought…I hoped...that maybe you could tell me more.”

Gavin knew it was his turn to speak. It would be easier now after the incredible things he’d just heard and seen; his own story didn’t sound so outrageous at all. After sharing what he’d experienced, both in the infirmary and since, he shook his head. “I don’t really understand what’s been happening between us. It’s obviously a lot more than I’d suspected. All I know is that we’re connected somehow, and it’s more powerful than anything I’ve ever known.”

He was almost certain now that he and Kate had been rendezvousing in a parallel reality. His dreams—most of them, anyway—were beginning to make sense. In recent weeks, he’d had the occasional dream that left him confused. Instead of learning from Kate or spending pleasant moments with her, he could feel the distance between them. She seemed far away, beckoning to him or calling his name. It pained him, but he couldn’t understand it.

As he shared the seemingly unrelated dreams with Adele, he suddenly knew what they meant. “She’s been asking for my help!” he exclaimed. “How can I help her? What can I do?”

“I wish I had the answers,” Adele sighed. “I don’t. But after hearing this, I’m even more convinced she’s been sending us both messages.”

“I’d like to see her.”

“I was hoping you would. Maybe hearing your voice, feeling your presence, would bring her back.”

“What about her family?” Gavin found it hard to believe they’d consider removing life support without trying everything that could be done.

“I begged them to wait a few more weeks before doing anything. They weren’t close. Kathryn hasn’t had much contact with them over the years, but unfortunately they’re her next of kin, and they have the right to make the all-important decision whether she continues to live.” Adele was crying now, and Gavin put his hand on her shoulder to try to comfort her.

After she’d composed herself, she added, “The thing is, the doctor told them that even if she were to come out of the coma, there’s a seventy-five percent chance she’d have permanent brain damage. I think that’s why they want to move on this. They don’t want the responsibility of caring for her long term. “But I can feel it, Gavin. I just know she’s okay, and she’s asking for our help.”

Gavin wanted nothing more than to leave that minute to go to Kate. He felt strongly, as Adele did, that he could make the difference. He’d sit and hold her hand, talk to her—whatever it took to connect with her and try to bring her back. But it wasn’t that easy. A number of restrictions applied to his parole, and traveling that distance was one of them.

He told her his concerns, but she wasn’t daunted. “I haven’t followed the lead all this way to be stinted now. This has to work out. Somehow, we have to get you there.”

Chapter 23

ADELE HAD SOME ideas about how she might get the restrictions temporarily lifted on Gavin’s parole, and she left him that afternoon with a promise that she would do all she could to arrange it. She’d been impressed by him, and now she contemplated again how the connection between Gavin and Kathryn, or Kate as he called her, had not only begun, but had become so powerful. Adele believed in the significance of past lives and the unity and connectedness of all beings, but she had never seen or had any firsthand knowledge of anything like what she was witnessing between her best friend and this man.

Although Gavin hadn’t said so in words, Adele could sense the depth of feelings that he had for Kathryn. And she obviously felt a powerful bond with him, to be calling to him from another realm.

What is she experiencing now?
Adele wondered.
Is she living in a parallel reality that involves Gavin? Has she found him there because of a connection they formed in previous lifetimes?

Those were definite possibilities, yet she was hardly an expert on the subject. She knew someone who was, however, and her first priority was to call him and ask his advice. They’d been friends in university and had even dated for a while. Her friend had gone on to study paranormal psychology, and although they hadn’t kept in touch over the years, she’d followed his work with interest. Now she hoped and prayed that he could help solve the mysteries she’d uncovered. When she got through to him on the phone, she explained the situation in detail.

“This isn’t as uncommon as you’d think, Adele,” he responded. “You’re absolutely right. A visit from this man could well be the impetus needed to draw her out of the coma.”

“Do you know why she’s choosing to remain there—if it
is
a choice—and what kinds of things she’s experiencing?” Adele couldn’t pass up the opportunity to learn more about a subject she found fascinating.

“Well,” he explained, “we’re eternal beings with an incredible ability to focus. It’s through focus and intention that we create our reality. For the most part, we’re not aware of it, but that reality is constantly shifting and changing; we’re constantly recreating ourselves.

“I know this is in line with what you teach, but we’ve found that creation can take place across realms. And not just the physical and nonphysical,” he clarified. “There appear to be layers of realms or realities that we experience. We hear them referred to as alternate or parallel realities, which hold the connotation of vertical experiences running side by side, occupying the same time, just different space. Only, time and space don’t really exist; those are just measurements we’ve created to help define our experience here.”

Her friend’s knowledge enthralled her, and Adele continued to listen without interrupting.

“This is where it gets tricky.” His enthusiasm was evident and Adele had to smile. It was obvious his heart was dedicated to solving the mysteries of the universe. “These planes overlap and intersect, creating distinctly unique yet connected realms. The part of us that’s focused in a specific realm may be somewhat aware of what’s going on in other realms, or not at all...” He paused for effect. “But our Higher Self is fully aware and simultaneously focused in these multiple realms, orchestrating the entire process effortlessly. I like to think of it as a complex playground for our Higher Selves, a place to experience contrast, determine preferences, and create with form and substance.”

Adele needed to understand what he was saying. “So what Gavin through his dreams and Kathryn in her coma have experienced, then, is an overlapping of these realms. They’ve stepped into a realm where another part of them is living a different reality.

“I wonder, though, do they merge with their alternate selves and experience first hand, or do they merely observe?” She knew the answer before she’d finished speaking. “I’m sure they must be living it. The experience Gavin shared with me is too powerful to be just an observation.”

“Right. As they focus in that realm, it becomes as real as any other, and they have the power to change it any way they want.”

“You said this is common?”

“We experience it all the time. Sleep and even daydreams draw us out of this realm temporarily, though we usually recall only bits and pieces. Comas, near-death experiences—anything traumatic—can cause us to escape into these other realms and experience them in a more profound way.

“It’s possible to cross over consciously, too. Many people can attest to stepping into one of these other realms, merging as you say with their alternate selves in a deliberate way and having experiences, meeting people, and even bringing things back from these realms—like the picture Kathryn had. It’s all just focus and energy movement.”

They continued to talk, and Adele learned a great deal about a subject that had for so long mystified and intrigued her. She thanked her friend for his insights and his help, and promised to keep him updated on the situation. He’d not only shed a great deal of light on the subject, but he was able to give her the name of a government official, a close friend of his, who would have the power to grant Gavin a temporary pass.

GAVIN WENT HOME after dropping Adele off at her hotel, but he was barely aware of the drive. His mind was deep in thought. Kate was not only real, as he had already discovered, but she knew him and was now wanting, quite possibly needing, his help.