Chapter 3: Lost


It had been a week since the O'Connell's return to England, and
Evelyn was glad that the museum had offered to clean up the carnage
of people left behind before their return.  Alex had become more
withdrawn, and when he was awake he panicked anytime she wasn't
within his vision.  Another cold rainy day presented itself as her
alarm went off.  Evelyn felt Alex stir against her and quickly shut
it off, then turned over kissing his cheek.  The school had inquired
about his long absence, and she had told them he had sustained an
injury while away in Egypt and that she would make sure he did his
studies.  Rick was facing her on the other side of Alex and Siam was
asleep on Alex's side.

"What are your plans for today?"  Rick asked softly, so he wouldn't
upset Alex. Evelyn sighed.

"The museum wants me to take over the job as the curator, but thats
just too much responsibility to take on, and I'm not going to leave
him, not while he's so fragile,"  she said and kissed his cheek. 
Alex sat up out of breath and when he saw her he laid back down,
snuggling against her.  Rick lifted Siam away from Alex, and scooted
against them, then laughed when the kitten wormed his way between
them.

"Siam," Alex said, and the kitten climbed into his arms.  Cleo, who
was sleeping on the pillow above Evelyn's head, looked down at the
little kitten and for the first time since she had been introduced,
didn't swat or hiss at him.

"What would you like to do today?"  Rick asked his son.  Alex sighed
and eased away from them both.  He usually snuggled with them, then
left them to be on his own.  After getting out of their room he went
to his own, and got dressed, then headed downstairs where Marie was
making breakfast for everyone.

"There is my early riser,"  she said and for her he gave a smile.

"Lets see, I think Alex likes eggs over easy, and three slices of
bacon,"  she said.

"Sounds good,"  he said as he settled at the table.  In a moment she
brought his plate, and a large glass of juice for him to drink, then
went about making breakfast for the rest of the family.  As he ate
Siam walked in mewing, and Marie set down a bowl of milk for him and
some meat she had cooked.  After a few minutes of picking at his
food, Alex got up from the table and walked out of the kitchen, going
down the hall which led to the Parlor.  There he went over to the
couch and knelt on it, looking out the window.  It was raining, and
he wanted to go out and spend time with his horse, but it wasn't a
very good day to do such things.  Hearing his parents voices caught
his attention, and when he turned around he saw his mother and father
walking downstairs, and his mother dressed for work.  Panic quickly
set in and he ran to her.

"You can't go mum,"  he said hugging her as tight as he could.  Evie
knelt down and Alex rested his head against her shoulder.

"Alex all I'm going to do is go to the museum to meet with the
committee, and tell them I'm not going to be the new Curator, then I
will come straight home,"  she said rubbing his back.

"But what if you have a car wreck?"  he asked, doing his best not to
cry. 

"I'll be extra careful,"  Evie tried.

"I'll come too,"  he said pulling away from her.  Rick came over to
them and knelt down as well.

"Alex why don't we go out to the barn and groom Seti and Barnie?"  he
asked.  Alex seemed to consider that for all of two seconds.

"No, fine you go and do what you want to do mum,"  he said and ran up
the stairs.  They heard the door to his room slam shut, and Evelyn
stood ready to go after him, ready to tell him she would stay, but
Rick stopped her.  He pulled her against him and held her for long
moments without speaking.

"He will cool off,"  Rick reassured.

"Evie we have to get back to living, and I know he is afraid but he
won't get over his fears if we stay as we are.  You work at the
museum, and there is nothing wrong with that,"  Rick said.  Evelyn
knew he was right, but it was so difficult to see Alex going through
such fears, and as a mother she wanted to sheild him from it, even
though the right thing to do was to make him face what he feared. 
After a moment more in his arms, Evelyn parted from him.  While she
got her coat on, Rick went outside and started her car for her, then
came back with an Umbrella and walked her outside.  Once she was in
her seat, he leaned in and gave her a kiss.

"Be safe,"  He said as they rubbed noses.

"I will be,"  she replied, then he shut the door and watched as she
pulled out of their drive way.  He closed his eyes and said a quick
prayer for her, and hoped that everything he had learned in Sunday
School as a child was true, that his prayer would be heard, and that
Evelyn would be safe.  After a moment he went back inside and headed
upstairs to his son's room.  When he arrived the door was open, and
Alex was gone.  Rick sighed and knew that he was likely out at the
barn, and decided to let him have his space.






It had hurt him that his mother had left him, and not being able to
face even being in the house without her, Alex ran to the barn.  Now
he had Seti out, and was in the process of getting him ready for a
ride.

"I think it will be good for us to go out,"  he said, as he finished
grooming his horse.  Once that job was done, Alex went into the tack
room, and got the saddle pad, the saddle, and the reins, and brought
them back out in the main part of the barn.  Seti held still while
Alex got him ready, and once he was, Alex led him out of the barn. 
It was just drizzling rain, and Alex knew his parents had always told
him that it was a bad idea to go out on a day when it was rainy, but
he didn't care.  Once he made sure the girth was tight, he put his
left foot in the stirrup then jumped up, and kicked his right leg
over the horse.  He made sure all was secure then clicked, and Seti
walked down the incline, toward the vast field.  Once they were on
relatively flat land, Alex squeezed his legs against Seti's sides,
and clicked, and his horse broke into a trot.  More squeezing and
clicking and a tap with the crop, and Seti quickly moved into a
gallop.  Going as fast as he was, made Alex feel like he was flying,
and he turned his horse making him go into the woods.  He was headed
for the stream, having a wonderful time, then the rain started to
pound down and a clap of thunder startled his horse.  Seti stood on
his hind legs, and threw Alex back.  Usually Alex was prepared, but
he had been so lost in the feeling of flying that this time he was
not, and fell back, his head hitting hard against a large stone. 
Everything went dark, and Alex felt nothing.



An hour had passed since Alex had left the house, and Rick decided he
better go outside and have a look, especially with the rain pounding
down so hard, and the lightening and thunder that rumbled through the
sky.  After putting on his leather jacket, and gloves, Rick took off
running for the barn.  Lightening flashed, and he ran faster, getting
to the barn just as the ran started to beat down even harder.  When
he arrived his heart started to pound harder in his chest.  Seti was
not in his stall, nor was Alex in the barn, and that wasn't a good
thing.  Knowing his son fairly well, Rick guessed Alex had gone to
the stream and gotten spooked by the sudden storm.  He decided
against getting Barnie out, and ran out into the field, running at
top speed to the path which led to the stream. 

"ALEX?"  He yelled as he entered the woods.  Not to far in, he saw
Seti approaching him, and his heart sank as he realized Alex was not
there with him.

"Where is Alex?"  he asked the horse as he grabbed the reins.  More
thunder, and Seti winnied nervously.  Rick patted his muzzle and
whispered soothing words which seemed to calm the horse, then he led
the horse back toward the stream.   He called for Alex, but the sound
of the rain falling against the leaves of the trees drowned him out. 
Just before they reached the stream, Rick saw his son laying just off
the side of the path, very still.  He let go of Seti and ran to his
boy's side.

"Alex?"  Rick felt his neck and felt his pulse strong, but didn't get
a response.  A further look showed him that Alex's head was against a
stone, and Rick reached his hand between and felt warmth, and instead
of the hardness of a skull like he should have felt, he felt
softness, and knew it was bad.  Quickly he romoved his jacket and put
it over Alex. Rick was aware that he shouldn't move his son, but he
had little choice.  Very carefully he slid one arm under his legs,
and the other under his upper back and shoulders.  He stood making
sure to support his head as best he could and when he turned Seti was
waiting.  Rick was angry, and felt like shooting the horse for
hurting his son, but knew that he couldn't.  Slowly he made his way
back to the house.






At the Museum, Evelyn had just gotten out of her meeting with the
Bembride Scholars, and was in her office gathering a few things she
would work on while she was at home.  As she was about to leave the
phone rang, and she quickly picked it up.

"Evelyn O'Connell,"  she said.

"Evie I want you to meet me at St. Lukes.  Alex went for a ride and
Seti threw him,"  Rick said.  There was panic in his voice, and for a
man who never panicked about anything, to hear that put terror in her
heart.

"I'm on my way,"  she said.  She hung up the phone and left all of
her work behind.  Outside the rain had let up, and very quickly she
got into her Buford, and sped off toward the hospital.  The drive
seemed to last forever, even though it was only ten minutes, and when
she arrived, she parked it and ran inside.  Rick was there waiting,
and she hugged him briefly.

"Where is my baby?"  she asked.

"In the Emergency room,"  he said and took her hand.  They walked
together down the white walled passage, and through a set of heavy
oak doors.  Just to the right of the doors was a nurses station, and
across from that another room, a waiting room, and that is where they
ended up.  They sat in silence for almost two hours before Doctor
Brigman came out.  Both parents stood up as he walked in.

"We have moved Alex to a private room in the children's ward.  He
smashed his skull, and there was great trauma to the back of his
head.  We had to put a halo on him to reduce the swelling in his
brain, and for now he is holding on.  He has slipped into a coma. 
I'm not sure how long it will last, days or weeks, but you should be
prepared for the eventuality that he won't wake up," he said.  Evelyn
hugged tight to her husband.  How much were they going to have to go
through?

"What is this Halo?"  Rick asked, his voice shaky.

"It is a steel devise that goes around his head.  We have drilled
holes in his skull to relieve the pressure, and sometimes doing that
helps the brain heal."  they nodded and followed him to the Elevator.
They went to the third floor and followed Dr. Brigman to the end of
the hall.  He opened the door and Evelyn buried her face against
Rick's chest.  Alex was hooked up to and Ivy, just like he had been
when he fell from the tree, and had a tube running out of his nose. 
The only difference was what the Doctor referred to as a Halo, and
the fact that most of his hair had been shaved off.

"I'll leave you,"  he said.  Rick nodded and wrapped his arms around
Evie holding her until she was ready, then they walked over to the
bed.  Evelyn took one of her baby's hands and lifted it to her lips
kissing him there.

"Alex mummy and daddy are here," she said.  He didn't respond, and
Evelyn turned, and rested her cheek against Rick's chest letting her
tears fall.





It was his head feeling like it would split into which woke Alex, and
he found himself in the woods.  Seti stood a bit away from him, and
he noticed that the rain had stopped.  Carefully he sat up and put a
hand to the back of his head.  There was a bump there but not a bad
one, though it still hurt. 

"Come on boy, we better get home,"  Alex said as he stood.  He was
soaked to the bone, and decided a nice hot bath would feel good, when
he got home.  Instead of riding Seti, Alex decided to walk back to
the barn.  It took him longer, but he finally reached the barn, and
once he had Seti groomed, he put him back in his stall, then ran
toward the house hoping that his mum would be home.  When he walked
in all was quiet. 

"Dad?"  he called out.  In a moment Rick came down the hall noticing
how wet Alex had gotten.

"I was about to come out and look for you,"  he said as he put his
arm around his son's shoulder.

"Well Seti threw me.  A big clap of thunder and wham there I went
right against a rock,"  Alex said.  He showed his dad the bump, and
Rick hugged him.

"I'm glad you are safe, I don't think I could bare to lose you
too,"   Rick said.  Alex pulled back at his words.

"Lose me too?"  he asked.

"What with your mum passing away at the pyramid,"  Rick reminded. 
Those words made Alex start to tremble.

"No she's not dead dad.  I woke up this morning in bed with both of
you.  I got mad because she said she was going to go to the museum," 
Alex tried to tell him.  Rick gathered his son in his arms.

"You woke up with me this morning, and we had breakfast.  I told you
I was going to go down to the museum and clean out her desk, and you
got mad at me,"  Rick said. 

"Nooo,"  Alex cried.  He let go of his father and ran back up to his
room.  Siam was there on his bed, and Alex went to him.

"Oh god Siam, why?"  he asked and started to cry.  He lay back
against the pillows and closed his eyes knowing that if he went to
sleep he would wake up in his own bed in the real world where his
mother was alive and well.




Night fell, and Alex had not moved since they had arrived.  The
nurses came in every half hour and checked his temperature, and his
pulse, saying very little.  Dr. Brigman had been in twice to test his
reflexes and didn't get any response on what he called pain stimuli,
which was scraping the bottom of Alex's foot with the back of his
mallet, which he used to test Alex's reflexes by hitting it against
the lower part of his knee.  He had also used a pin, not enough to
stick into him to test him, and his pressure points but none of that
had gotten any response.

"Evie why don't we try reading to him,"  Rick said.  She opened her
eyes.

"His books are at home,"  she reminded.  Rick left the room and went
down the hall to the phone.  He picked up the receiver and had the
operator call to the Manor praying that Jonathan wasn't gone yet.  It
rang twice then he picked up.

"O'Connell Residence,"  Jonathan said sounding tired.

"Jonathan listen carefully.  We need you to go into Alex's room and
get his copy of Peter Pan, and that Jules Vern novel he has been
reading and bring those to St. Lukes,"  Rick said, not realizing that
Jonathan didn't know what had happened.  Rick's words woke him fully.

"What happened?"  he asked.

"Seti threw him and his head hit the back of a stone, it's pretty
bad.  Just get down here and Evie and I will tell you the rest when
you get here,"  Rick said.  He got off the phone and went back to
their room.  As he approached he heard Evelyn's lullaby, and when he
walked in, he found her laying on the bed next to their son.

"He's on his way,"  Rick said as he walked to the other side of
Alex.  He took his small hand in his, and sat down.

"Hey Alex, it's dad,"  Rick said, not sure how much to say, whether
or not their son could even hear them.

"Uncle John is going to bring your books, and I thought maybe Mum and
I could take turns reading to you,"  Rick said kissing his frail
hand.  Evelyn had rubbed some salve around the places where the halo
went into Alex's head and continued to sing to him.



It was feeling someone rub his back which woke Alex and he expected
it to be mum.  When he sat up and looked it was his father.

"Marie made your favorite, Leg of Lamb,"  Rick said.

"Where is mum?"  he asked.  This was getting more and more difficult
for Rick.  He knew Alex missed her, knew what it felt like not to
have her there, but his son had to realize that his mother was not
going to come back.

"Alex listen to me.  I know its nice to dream about her, but thats
what it is, its a dream,"  Rick said.  Alex felt tired and confused,
and he loved his father.  He hugged him and closed his eyes.

"But how can it be a dream dad.  I saw us all on the ship, we were
about to sink into the sand and you and mum were hugging me, and then
Izzy came and he lifted us into the air and we flew all of us back to
Cairo.  I know thats what was real dad,"  Alex said and sobbed that
last part out.  Rick held on to his son letting him cry, hoping that
he was coming to terms with what was real.

"What do we do without her dad?"  he finally asked.  Rick kissed the
top of his head.

"We do our best to go on.  It won't be easy, but we have to live, and
do all the things we did while she was still with us,"  Rick said. 
Alex nodded and laughed as Siam jumped up on his lap.

"Why don't you get a bath, and afterward you and I can go out to a
picture show,"  Rick said.  That sounded like a good idea to him, and
he went into the bathroom and started the water.  His head was
hurting again, in certain points, and as he moved around to get clean
cloths he thought he heard his mothers sweet voice singing to him. 
He put his hands over his ears to try and get her voice out of his
head but he heard her as clear as he had heard his fathers voice just
a moment ago, but for some reason he couldn't reach her.  Once he had
gotten his cloths off he stepped into the warm water and sat down,
closing his eyes, wishing that he could find his way back to the
place where she was, wishing that he knew which was the dream and
which was not.  For now however he had to face this world, a world
where she did not exsist, and as he sat in the bath tub he started to
wonder if perhaps there was more to this dream than just it being a
dream.