Chapter 45

"You're overreacting." Jae looked at herself in the rearview mirror. "She's got the day off. What she does with it is up to her." She ignored the jumbled mess of clothes and the fact that Reed wasn't answering her cell.

Reed had done nothing to merit the assumption that she had taken off, and Jae felt slightly guilty that she, of all people, had assumed the worst without any proof. It didn't stop her from mentally replaying last night's conversation - searching for something that might have set Reed off. Instead she was left with the opposite feeling. The only real problem had been Reed not wanting her to look at the injury, and while it had angered her at the time, Jae could understand Reed's reluctance to have someone she had just discovered out was gay take an up close look at her groin. Everything else had left her feeling like there was hope for them to sort things out.

The vague unease that had made her stomach clench earlier was back, and Jae tried not to think of the other reason Reed might have bolted suddenly.

Traffic was light and she made good time back to the studio, arriving with time to spare before filming began. One part of her mind was already running through the footage that she planned to shoot. The need to get on with her job forced her worry about Reed into the background.

Confidently, she moved over the set, checking the set-up and angles, making last minute alterations while she waited for Sarah and Himler to finish in wardrobe. Tomorrow they would be joined once again by Jared Sykes, who as Kerry's father, Senator Stuart, would film his scenes with Himler and Sarah, then move on to finish the ones with Reed and Sarah.

What will you do if she has split? Jae didn't want to think about that eventuality - without Reed to finish the picture, it was game over. They had filmed too much to start again and stay in budget, and not quite enough to cobble it together without her.

"Any luck?" Cait asked, entering the set, a stack of shot reports neatly bundled in one hand.

Feigning a total lack of concern, Jae casually leaned against a foley cart. "Just a change in timings."

"Oh." The AD both looked and sounded skeptical, and for a second Jae thought that Cait was going to call her on the bald-faced lie.

"Good." C'mon, get your head back where it belongs. Jae trailed Caitlynn across the set to where the storyboard was posted, mentally retracking in preparation for Sarah's scenes with Rafe Himler.

They hadn't gotten quite the chemistry she had been looking for - but antagonism was there in spades, and that was turning out to work almost as well. Better in some ways, really. Removing any hint of sexual chemistry increased what Holly referred to as the 'slime factor', while magnifying the chemistry that Reed and Sarah were demonstrating. Reed. Not now, concentrate. Just put her out of your mind and focus. One hand rubbed at a temple, willing the beginnings of a headache to fade into the background - at least until she got through the next few hours.

***

"Nothing. How can someone not have an address?" Jae threw down her pencil in disgust. In two hours she hadn't been able to find out anything about Reed that she didn't already know. In fact, she had become painfully aware just how many personal details Reed had shared with her that weren't written down or otherwise common knowledge. And you shared what?

The worst part was the uncertainty. Was Reed even gone? She did, after all, have the day off, and there was no rule that said the actress had to see the doctor exactly when told to. Except her laptop is gone. The way rumours flew around a movie set, Jae knew she had to be careful about the kinds of inquiries she made. Which also, for now, precluded calling Reed's agent.

The house lease was made out to Reed Lewis c/o Blackmon Pictures, and even the Rover wasn't in her name - just Blackmon's - as was the phone. It made sense though. The last person Reed would have wanted to know where she lived was Roan, and until recently Roan was Blackmon Pictures.

A deep rap sounded at the door and she swept the evidence of her search into the top drawer of her desk. "Come in."

As it swung inwards, the door revealed the tall form of the executive producer. Rod Chambers strolled easily into the room, suit neatly pressed, and settled himself into one of the canvas chairs that flanked her desk. "Got a minute?" It wasn't a question - more of a command request.

Jae leaned back in her own chair. "Sure. What can I do for you?"

"You can explain where Ms. Lewis is. The crew seems to think that she walked off the set yesterday."

"Barely." She paused and gave a light laugh. "Seriously, Reed pulled her groin doing a scene yesterday. I saw her last night and had to give her a couple of days off. No big deal. Cait rearranged a couple of scenes and cleared her schedule." The best option seemed to be a blend of the truth and wishful thinking.

Dark eyes studied her own and Jae had to fight to hold his gaze. Lying was not her strong suit, and she hated to do it. If you've bailed on me for anything less than Rio, I am going to kill you.

"There's also a rumour that the two of you have had some kind of lover's quarrel."

"Hardly." This time she could tell the complete truth. "Over the weekend she found out I was gay. But as you've seen from the rushes over the last few days that hasn't had much impact on her performance."

He nodded. "Given her reputation and past...behaviour, I had to ask."

There was nothing she could say to that. She couldn't very well tell him the truth about why Reed had walked off the set of 'Torqued', and why if the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach was right, the actress may have done it again. "We may run into a scheduling problem though."

"On time, Cavanaugh. We discussed that."

She took a deep breath. You so owe me, Reed. "Well if Ms. Lewis' groin needs more than a couple of days to heal, it will set us back two weeks minimum. Now I can recover most of that from post-production, and I have some padding in the film budget from cutting out the fancier stuff in the original script. The special effects for the tropical storm are still under budget - we got some good live footage while we were down there." She didn't mention that they had yet to locate the Miami tape.

"What exactly are you asking me?"

"For room to maneuver under the schedule. It would be irresponsible of me not to have a back-up plan in place in the event that Reed can't work for a bit. We can get a lot of tape with her in a chair - but most of the intense stuff is over the next couple of weeks."

"No extra money. On budget. How you accomplish that is up to you."

"Thank-you."

Chambers grunted in acknowledgement and stood up. "So far I've liked what I've seen. You've gotten material out of Lewis that I didn't think was possible. Hell, I understand you even got Himler to behave - for him. Don't blow it now."

"I have no intention of blowing this picture."

"See that you don't. Because, if you do...."

Jae stood rapidly and leaned over the desk. "Don't. I am well aware of what is at stake here. I don't need to be threatened like a child."

"It's not a threat, Jae. It's the way things work in this town." With that he left, shutting the door quietly behind him.

Deflated, Jae dropped back into her chair. Okay...what I need here is a plan. There were two scenarios and both involved Reed having left - only the whys were different. And the solution to both was exactly the same. Find Riordan and she'd find Reed. What she needed was time.

The telephone rang and her hand leapt across the distance. "Reed?"

"Jaqueline?"

"Hello Mother. I can't really talk right now. I'm expecting a call."

"You've been avoiding my calls all week."

"No Mother, I haven't - I've just been extremely busy. I'll have more time soon, okay?" Jae decided that a conciliatory tone would get her out of this conversation faster than going the confrontational route.

She continued to listen with half an ear, making a list of the things she would need to cover off in order to make sure that no one realized that Reed was gone. It would be so much easier if Reed would just call, but she doubted the mercurial actress would ask for help if she needed it. Heck, it would be much easier if Reed weren't so secretive. I have no idea how I'm going to pull this off and still keep your secret. A word caught her attention. "What was that about dinner?"

An exasperated sigh nearly made her chuckle. "Honestly, Jacqueline. I said your father and I would love to see you for dinner when we drive down to see Danielle next week."

"That sounds nice, but I leave for the location shoots Saturday - first Miami, then Michigan. Look I really do have to go. Love to you and Daddy."

"We love you too Jacqueline."

Jae looked at the phone in shock. An 'I love you' and no lectures? "Night." Without replacing the receiver, she dialed a familiar number. On the third ring a machine picked up, and she waited for the beep. "Hey. It's me. I need a really big favour. You can call me anytime tonight."

She hung up the phone and ticked off a mark on her paper. With any luck, she had just found the time she needed. Now all she needed was to find Rio. How hard could it be to find a Riordan Lewis in the state of Maine?

*************

Reed stared out the window, waiting for the plane to taxi out of the gate and onto the runway. The faster they could get in the air - the faster she could check on Rio. The flight was half empty, and she had a row of three seats to herself. Gingerly she stretched her leg out, aware of the pain for the first time since the phone call two hours earlier.

It had been a possibility. They had all known that.

And now it was reality. A waking nightmare a thousand times scarier than the worst ones that gripped her nights, stealing sleep. This nightmare had the power to steal her soul.

Dark curls framing a round, far too pale face. The shallow rise and fall of a tiny chest as a respirator forced air into lungs unable to cope on their own. A white bandage hiding the red wound twice the size of his delicate hands. Now there would be a fresh bandage over the long healed scar. Reed closed her eyes to block out the images only to find they followed her into the darkness, made sharper by her unwillingness to face them.

Opening her eyes, she tried to focus on how lucky they had been. By some chance twist of fate, Geoff had taken Rio with him to a computer trade show, putting them minutes instead of hours from a hospital well enough equipped to handle the sudden explosion of a tiny piece of rubber. An ambulance crew had been on site at the hotel and somehow they had kept Rio alive long enough for the doctors to whisk him into surgery.

She blinked away a tear. Right now he was in an operating theatre, hanging on to life with everything his determined soul had. While they waited. The seatbelt and no-smoking signs were still on - and that meant no airphone, no email. Just an agonizing wait. As soon as she closed her eyes she could hear the phone ringing again, waking her from a light half doze and catapulting her into instant wakefulness.

"Reed...it's Rio."

Her legs let go and she fell heavily to the floor, the brief humour of Jae's parting subsumed in the sheer panic Heidi's words triggered. "Is...?" She couldn't ask.

"He's in the operating room."

"Alive." She hadn't realized she'd spoken the word aloud, like some prayer to any god who would listen.

"He's a fighter, Reed. He'll make it." Heidi spoke fiercely, the words as much for herself as for Reed.

The seatbelt sign went off, and she snatched the airphone from its cradle, her credit card already in hand. Several rounds of electronic beeps filled her ear before the connection was made and the phone rang.

"How is he?"

"Still in the operating room. Dr. Zerafa just went in."

That news brought a small measure of relief. She trusted the specialist and knew he would do everything possible to save Rio. And if he can't? Reed thrust the doubt down, unable to emotionally afford to play 'what if' games. "I should be there by midnight."

"They let you go?"

"No."

"Guess you can kiss the Oscar good-bye." The joke was hollow and flat, an unsuccessful attempt at raising both their spirits.

"Fuck the Oscar."

"I know." Heidi paused, and she heard the muted sounds of Geoff's voice. "Geoff will meet you at the airport. What airline are you coming in on?"

"I don't know. Let me check." When she'd left the house she hadn't even had a ticket. On the way to the airport, she'd checked schedules and gotten flights, nearly missing the next flight out of LAX. Reed flipped open the ticket packet and tried to sort out the jumble of timings. In order to get to Maine, she had purchased a ticket on a four am flight to England, but would get off the plane in Chicago. At O'Hare, she needed to transfer to another airline, which would take her to New York, Boston and then on to Bangor. Circuitous, but it was the fastest route with available seats that she could find, given both the short notice and the relative isolation of her destination. "American Airlines, flight 358, arriving eleven p.m. local time."

"Geoff'll be there."

"I'll call again in an hour."

"He'll make it."

"I know. By the time I get there, he'll probably be trying to use the IV stand as a skateboard again."

"Or the bedpans as drums." Heidi's voice cracked.

"How you holding up?"

"The truth? I'm scared. He looked so small and pale on the gurney when they wheeled him out of ER." Her friend was crying, and she could hear Geoff trying to calm the sobs that suddenly came through the line. A couple of long minutes passed, and Reed let her own silent tears fall, then Heidi spoke again. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be falling apart on you like this."

"You love him too."

"Hold on." The phone was muffled, voices coming through faintly.

Reed tensed and leaned forward, pulling her leg awkwardly, and she groaned.

"You okay?" Geoff asked.

"Fine. Just moved the wrong way. What's going on?" Her imagination was already supplying scenario after scenario, and she fought to keep the sudden fear from escalating.

"Zerafa just motioned Heidi over. He doesn't look panicked and Heidi looks relieved. Here she comes."

"Reed?"

"Yes." She gripped the armrest and listened.

"They've got the bleeding under control and replaced the balloon valve with a new one."

"What's wrong?" She picked up on the tangible fear in Heidi's tone.

"They had to stop before they could construct a new valve...he went into full arrest...it took them almost five minutes to revive him."

All the noise around Reed faded out of awareness. Even Heidi's voice blended into the nonsensical background noise as the full implication hit home. Rio had been without blood and oxygen to his brain twice - Zerafa didn't want to risk further surgery, either because he wasn't sure there was anything to risk it for, or he didn't want to risk a third deprivation - one Rio might not recover from.. Instinct took over and she let another part of who she was surface, calling on assimilated pieces of people who didn't exist. "What's his condition listed as?"

Heidi responded to the medical terminology, her professional training surfacing. "They have him listed as critical. He's on a respirator, and when he leaves recovery they are going to send him to the main CICU until they have a bed in pediatric ICU. We should know more in a couple of hours."

A mental image of Rio hooked to a machine superimposed itself on the memory of an infant in an incubator, hooked to a jumble of wires and machines bigger than he was, and Reed nearly lost her hard-won control. "I'll call back then. He'll be fine." She tried to give Heidi the reassurance that she knew she herself needed so desperately. He'll be fine. He has to be.

"American, 358 right?"

"Right. Heidi...?"

"What?

"If you can...if you get a chance...kiss him for me and tell him...tell him, Mummy loves him and he better not forget it."

"I will."

"Thanks," she whispered, then disconnected the phone.

To her left the dark night sky was broken only by the intermittent flash of the light on the long wing, no stars or moon to wish on.

Closing her eyes she tried to sleep, aware that every ounce of energy she had would be needed over the next ten hours.

****

"This is the final boarding call for American Airlines flight 358 departing to Le Guardia, Boston, terminating in Bangor. Once again, this is the final boarding call for all passengers on American Airlines flight 358. All passengers should now be on board."

Reed ignored the shooting pain in her leg as she struggled to get to the gate. American Airlines was housed in terminal three, and her flight had arrived at terminal two, not leaving much time to switch planes.  It had been the fastest route though. She spotted the sign for concourse H, and uniformed attendants answering questions. "My flight is in final boarding." The words were out before she halted her motion.

The attendant took one look at her limping, tired body and radioed for a courtesy car. "It's alright, ma'am. We'll get you on your flight." He took her ticket and examined it. "You don't have a boarding pass?"

"No," Reed answered. The need to switch airlines in Chicago had made it impossible for her to be ticketed through to Bangor from LAX

He nodded then spoke into the radio. "I have a passenger Lewis, flight 358."

A squawk and a burst of static accompanied the response. "Door's still open. Let me check for a seat."

She resisted the impulse to say anything, and just sat down on the motorized cart. The driver pulled away smoothly, headed for the gate, while the other attendant continued to work on getting her a seat. They arrived at the gate in moments, the car capable of moving much more quickly than she could.

"Ms. Lewis, all passengers who do not check in - "

"I couldn't check in - I was in the air. Now, I need to be on that flight." They had been delayed several hours in Las Vegas due to severe storms, and had been nearly stranded by the weather. It had made what should have been an easy connection to her four o'clock flight virtually impossible.

"I'm sorry but that flight is full."

"You don't understand...."

"Hold on." Another burst of static and the gate agent plugged one ear with her finger. "Do you have any luggage?"

"No."

"We can't get you on this plane, but we can get you a seat on flight 1244 to Boston, then on to Bangor, arriving ten p.m."

Reed closed her mouth. That was an hour earlier than her original flight had been scheduled to land. Gratefully, she nodded at the other woman. "Thank-you."

"You're welcome. Let's just get a boarding pass for you, and then Henry will take you to the gate. It's just down the hall a little ways." A genuine smile framed the young woman's lips.

Overhead the final boarding call was given for her new flight, and Reed looked anxiously toward the counter.

"Don't worry. They know you are coming. Seat 14b, Gate 12."

The ticket stubs and boarding passes were handed back, and suddenly they were on their way. Taking advantage of the first available minute she had had to call since the storms had set in, Reed pulled out her cell and dialed Heidi again.

"Hello," Geoff whispered, unexpectedly answering the phone.

"It's me."

"Reed. Thank God. Where are you?"

"Just leaving O'Hare. We hit a major storm front. How's Rio?"

"Still hasn't regained consciousness, but last time Heidi asked, his vitals were good."

The electric car came to a halt at the gate and Reed got off, handing the boarding pass to the gate attendant. "Where's Heidi?"

"Right here. She fell asleep."

"I'm sorry, Geoff."

"Don't be. We knew the score when we agreed to help. I wouldn't have missed any of it."

It lessened her guilt a fraction, the part of her that felt she should be there instead of Heidi and Geoff unwilling to let her off the hook. There weren't any words she could find, so instead she changed the subject, aware that she had only moments left before being asked to turn off the phone. "I had a flight change, American flight 1244, arrives 10:00 p.m." Five and a half hours was all that separated her from her son, but to Reed it felt like forever.

"I'll be there."

"Thanks. I better go. They are getting ready to shut the doors."

"See you soon." He paused. "We're here for him and for you."

"I know. Bye." They were there for Riordan - that she could believe - and as far as she was his mother, for her too - but only on that level. And even that was awkward at times, especially when she first returned from a trip, and they had to share him again.

She shut the cell phone off, severing the connection. They were there because she had something they wanted and needed, and the arrangement worked for all four of them. But no one had been there for her in a long time.

Wrong. The word came with an image of Jae's tousled head popping over the balcony. She was.

Reed stared across the aisle, and into the gray sky. Whatever fledging steps their relationship had taken last night had most likely been destroyed in the wake of her sudden disappearance. Will Jae even talk to me now?

Do you want her to?

Yes. But that was something that would have to wait.

How long? The question was taking her in a direction she didn't want to - couldn't face going in. Not now, not just yet. First came Rio.
 
 

Chapter 46

"Okay. No Riordan Lewis. Hardly surprising, I guess, that a seven-year-old isn't listed with the DMV or any other state agency." Jae spoke more to herself than to the gargoyle, though as usual he listened patiently. She crumpled the fax, tossing it over her shoulder where it dropped through a makeshift hoop and into the waste bin.

It was dead end after dead end. Even the phone interview with Heidi had been shrouded in mystery - Reed's friend had called them. And just to top it off - she couldn't remember the woman's last name. Part of her kept thinking it was Doctor Chapel - but that was Star Trek. As for the airlines...between the red tape of customer confidentiality and the fact that three hundred planes had flown out of LAX within two hours of when she suspected Reed had left, it had proved to be worse than a dead end. She was fast running out of ideas. It seemed that the actress had taken paranoia to a whole new level when it came to hiding her son from Roan Pirsig and the rest of the world. Roan...

Electrified, Jae jumped out of her chair and grabbed the small box of things she'd taken out of Roan's office. There it was. A legal-sized manila folder, labeled 'Reed Lewis', rested where she'd placed it after cleaning out her mentor's office. Going over to the couch, she settled on one end, then mentally braced herself for what she may or may not find within the slim packet.

Neat, block letters filled a page in front of her while the opposite side held a black and white 8x10 glossy of a young woman on the steps of what looked to be a college of some sort. It was the eyes, Jae realized. Only the eyes were the same. And it must have been the eyes that drew Roan.

Her own eyes drifted across to the notes and photocopied news articles, and she began to read. Not until the sentences blurred and ran, ink pulled by the tears that had splattered onto the coldly distilled words of a child's nightmare, used to forge a woman's chains, did Jae realize she was crying.

In her hands she held the blueprint Roan had used to manipulate Reed emotionally, the tragic facts of her life nothing more to him than a means to control. Phrases jumped out off the page, and she slammed the file shut, not wanting to see her friend profiled and dissected.

Swallowing, Jae leaned her head forward, hands twined in her hair, while she digested the information. She'd known that Reed was an orphan. What she hadn't known was that the fire department had found an unconscious Reed still clinging to the door of the room where the rest of her family had died. The handle had been covered in blood from the wounds on the child's hands, where splinters had dug under the skin as she had tried to force the door open. And Roan's only commentary had been - 'Lewis has no surviving family, no place she belongs. Use of words like family, belong, safe, should trigger the desired response.'

Horrified, she threw the file down in disgust. How had she done it? How had Reed survived all of that? And how was she coping now?

She no longer had the slightest doubt about what had driven Reed to disappear. It had to be Rio. Looking again at the file where it lay splayed on the floor, Jae tried to conceive of what it must have been like to lose your entire family, and then to face losing another one all over again. She couldn't.

The shrill ringing of the telephone cut into her thoughts. It took her a moment to register it was the office phone and not her cell, and she nearly tripped over the throw rug in her haste to answer the call.

"Blackmon Pictures, Cavanaugh."

"You called."

"I need a favour."

"So you said." Becky sounded wary, and Jae really couldn't blame her.

You didn't think this one through very carefully, did you? "Reed's hurt her leg and we need to give her some recuperation time. Thing is, if she just disappears then the rumours are going to go through the roof and the media will have a field day, which won't be very restful."

"Let me guess. You want me to impersonate your girlfriend?"

"She's not my girlfriend --"

"I'll do it."

"This is purely about the movie...what did you say?"

Becky laughed. "I'll do it. It's too deliciously ironic not to. But you owe me."

It was her turn to be wary. "Like what?"

"Like the next time you are casting a picture, I want a part. If you can toss your business and pleasure rule out the window for Ms. Thing, then you can work with me."

"And if this picture flops, and I go back to shooting low budget buried in the attic indies?"

"Jae, the one doubt I have never had about you is how good you were at your job. I didn't think you should go mainstream not because you couldn't do it, but because I thought your talent was wasted on shallow Hollywood scripts."

It was truly odd what you found out about someone after you broke up with them. "Thanks."

"So this picture won't flop. Not unless your lead really does take off."

Jae was powerless to stop the sharp inhalation as Becky's offhand quip found its mark.

"Oh My God. She did take off, didn't she?"

"Yes." No point in lying to Becky now. If the actress wanted to be vindictive, here was a golden opportunity.

"I should have named a bigger price. Why the big lie?"

"Does that mean you'll still do it?"

"Yes. But I'm crushed that you'd lie to me."

"You're in good company. I've told more lies tonight than in my entire life. She really did hurt her leg, she really does have a good reason for being gone - but because of her history, I can't afford for people to know she's gone. And to be blunt, I had no idea if you would agree." Becky might know most of it, but Jae wasn't about to let her ex know that she had no idea where Reed was.

"Guess this means I need to pay a visit to Fernando."

Jae laughed. "Well, black will suit you better than blue. What was up with that anyway?"

"Fruitopia commercial. At least I wasn't the one who had to do neon green."

Visualizing the tall, slim form of the actress topped in neon green did not result in the most attractive of pictures. "It's basic black this time I'm afraid, but you're going to need a wig. We won't be letting anyone see you up close. I just want you to drift around the lot a little - maybe in and out of the trailer. That kind of thing."

"Can I start a food fight at Biaggiccio's? I always wanted to be a moody and temperamental actress."

"No. Well maybe a small one," she relented. "Try not to ruin her reputation too badly, okay?" Oh oh. This is definitely not a good idea. Becky could do a lot of damage. "We need some ground rules here, Babe. Nothing, and I mean nothing, illegal, immoral or that you wouldn't want your own name attached to."

"Where's the fun in that?"

"Do you agree or not?"

"What if I say no?"

For a second Jae could feel the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach grow, then she thought about it. "Then you say no and I pay someone else to do it." It wouldn't be that simple, and she had been counting on the secrecy that she would gain by not having to go looking for someone to cover for Reed.

"You could have at least pretended that I was the only one who could do it, and begged me to save your film."

"Melodrama is your department, not mine."

"Ouch." Becky pouted.

"So do we have a deal or not?"

"Deal."

"Thank-you. It means a lot to me. Can you meet me at my office around nine?"

"Better make it ten, so I have time to get the hair and stuff sorted out."

"Alright. Night Becky."

"Night."

The dial tone returned and she hung up, hand lingering on the receiver. I'm going to need a storyboard just to keep track of the lies I've told today, not to mention the rest of it. And the thought of what Becky could get up to was too much to even think about. You had better keep a close eye on her.

A yawn crept out of its hiding place and Jae looked at the clock, surprised to find that it was already three in the morning. Three more hours and the studio would burst to life, another day of filming started.

Hard to believe that slightly more than twenty-four hours ago things had seemed so full of promise. "How long after I left did you?" She tried to puzzle it out. If Reed had left right after she did - it would still have taken at least an hour and a half to get to LAX, and the earliest flight out she could have taken would have been at around four a.m.. Factoring in the time change, she should have arrived on the East Coast by about six Pacific Time. That was nine hours ago. So why hadn't she called?

"Now there's a dumb question." The stone ornament silently agreed, its large eyes watching her solemnly. "I doubt I'd be my first priority either." Reed was probably focused entirely on Rio, and though it made life hell for her, it was something, having watched Danielle with the twins, that she could fully understand. It didn't make her any less angry at being left hanging, but she could at least understand.

On the desk her notes looked back up at her, and Jae made another tick next to an item, drumming the pencil against the paper, thinking about which item to tackle next. She couldn't lie to Cait indefinitely. Not only did it make her uncomfortable to lie to her friend, but if she had a hope in Hades of pulling this off, she was going to need Cait's help.

There was nothing she could do about that at this hour. The AD would be in soon enough, and they could make a plan then. Maybe Cait would be able to push a few buttons on the Internet and voilà, instant actress location. Of course she had to survive the angry lecture that was sure to come with the confession

Right now though, she had to get to wardrobe and borrow a couple of things that people were used to seeing Reed wandering around in.

*********

Six a.m. and the hospital corridors were beginning to come to life around her. Nurses were changing shift and patients were being checked, visual reassurance that monitors and respirators were functioning properly.

In his bed Rio slept, unaware of the new day and the victory it brought. Swaddled in blankets, he looked so small, the pale white of his skin nearly lost in the crisp whiteness of the sheets. Only the dark curls provided a reference point, but Reed didn't need to see his face to know what he looked like. How innocent and young.

Just twenty-six hours ago he had been awake, early even for him, the excitement of going to a grown-up breakfast and a chance to see the newest technology having made it impossible for him to sleep. I should have been there.

If you had been home, you'd have been in Eastport, no where near a hospital this well equipped.

Had he understood what was happening to him? Did he call out for me?

Stop...you can't play this game right now.

Balanced on the stool Geoff had stolen from somewhere deep in the bowels of Eastern Maine Medical Center, she continued to stare through the window into the cardiac intensive care unit. Separated from her son by an inch of glass that might as well have been the three thousand miles she had just traveled.

"Ms. Lewis?" A gentle hand touched her shoulder. "You can go in for a minute now if you'd like."

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak through the sudden upwelling of tears. Arriving after eleven, she hadn't been allowed in to see him, consigned instead to the hall and her perch.

"You need to put these on, okay?"

Reed traded the blue Navy sweatshirt she'd stolen from the set for a loose-fitting beige surgical scrub shirt and a face mask, then hobbled after the nurse. The bed had been lowered and a chair placed next to it. From inside a plastic bag tucked in the top corner of the bed next to Rio's head a tape recording of 'The Swiss Family Robinson' that she had made for him was playing softly. Carefully she reached over and turned it off, the large buttons easy to manipulate through the sterile plastic.

"You're gonna miss the best part if you don't wake up soon, kiddo." She tucked a stray curl back into place with a gloved hand, her touch lingering to stroke his brow. "I love you. Remember that, okay?" Words were hard to find, the need to be optimistic and cheerful warring with her desire to just crush him against her body, holding him here by sheer force of will.

Her voice was ragged, tired from the long trip and the two days without sleep, but softly she began to sing Rio's favorite song.

"A spaceman came travelling on his ship from afar, 'twas light years of time since his mission did start, And over a village he halted his craft, And it hung in the sky like a star, just like a star..

He followed a light and came down to a shed, Where a mother and a child were lying there on a bed, A bright light of silver shone round his head, And he had the face of an angel, and they were afraid...

Then the stranger spoke, he said 'Do not fear, I come from a planet a long way from here, And I bring a message for mankind to hear', And suddenly the sweetest music filled the air...

And it went la, la, la, la, , la, la_____, la, , la, la, la, la, Peace and goodwill to all men, and love for the child...

This lovely music went trembling through the ground, And many were wakened on hearing that sound, And travellers on the road, the village they found, By the light of that ship in the sky, which shone all round...

And just before dawn at the paling of the sky, The stranger returned and said 'Now I must fly, When two thousand years of your time has gone by, This song will begin once again, to a baby's cry...'

And it went la la... This song will begin once again to a baby's cry... And it goes la la... Peace and goodwill to all men and love for the child...

Oh the whole world is waiting, waiting to hear that song again, There are thousands standing on the edge of the world, And a star is moving somewhere, the time is nearly here, This song will begin once again, to a baby's cry..."

She let the words trail off, tears stinging her eyes. "Pretty bad I guess, hunh? Chris de Burgh I'm not. I have a friend though. She could do it justice. Jae could probably even play it on the guitar. You met her and her nephew Alex. Alex called yesterday." Was it yesterday? What was today? Friday? Wednesday then. Two days ago. "Wednesday, seemed pretty eager to let you beat up on him in Proton again. Wake up, Rio. Please." She held his hand in hers, head down on the bed, while she continued to stroke his brow, letting touch say what she no longer had words for.

"Ms. Lewis? It's time to go. We need to change his dressing."

The same friendly nurse had returned, and Reed lifted her head.

"Dr. Zerafa just called. He's on his way over to talk to you, and he'll meet you in the family room across the hall in about twenty minutes."

Reluctantly she stood, and though she knew it wasn't allowed, pulled her face mask down. The nurse met her eyes then deliberately turned away. "Thank-you," she whispered, then leaned down, planting a light kiss on each of his eyelids. "I love you." Straightening up, she pulled the mask back over her face, then turned the tape back on. "That'll need to be flipped over soon."

"We'll take care of it. Is that your voice?" The nurse, whose name badge identified her as Barbara, asked, leading the way past the other beds and out of the room.

"Yes." Reed let the mask fall again to her neck, retaining it and the shirt for later. The tapes had been made during the long nights of trips to Japan, as she tried to pass a love of classics onto her son.

"You have a lovely voice. What was it you were singing?"

Reed knew the nurse was just trying to be friendly, the questions designed to take her mind off of her troubles for a minute or two, so she smiled wanly instead of snarling back. "Just a song Rio likes."

Inside the family room Heidi was slumped against Geoff, his head tilted back against the wall, eyes shut. One of her smaller hands was twined with his, the other curled around his waist. For some reason he always reminded her of a large teddy bear, though Rio seemed to view him more as a horse. Reed watched them for a long second, aware now as she hadn't been before of what she was missing. That there was no one to hold her against the storm threatening to break over them all. Jae had reminded her what it was like to have safety and comfort in someone else's strength - and for an instant that was exactly where she wished she could be.

"Hey." She reached over and touched Geoff's shoulder. "You awake?"

"Ayup." The sudden start to his body giving lie to the claim.

"Better wake Heidi. Alan's on his way over."

Geoff came fully awake, and he shook Heidi's gently. "Wake up, sweetheart."

Heidi came awake faster even than her husband had. "What's wrong?" One hand rubbed absently at her eyes, brushing away the signs of sleep.

"Doctor's on his way up to talk to us." Even to her, her voice sounded tight.

"Oh." Heidi turned to face her, absently rubbing the sleep from still tired eyes. "How is he?"

"Still sleeping." It was easier to say that than use the word unconscious. Reed sat down on the chair opposite her friends and watched the door, waiting. The sick dread that she had been pushing away, refusing to acknowledge, was back, leaving her feeling very small and alone. "Excuse me. I need to make a phone call."

"Now?"

"Yes." Because she knew that if she didn't make it now, she might not ever make it.
 
 

Chapter 47

Cait was beginning to get the sense that Jae was avoiding her. No matter where she went on the set, the director had just left or was expected momentarily. "Methinks there is something rotten in the state of Denmark."

It was obvious why Jae was avoiding her. Lewis had done a runner, and now the director was covering for the actress. She left wardrobe and started back towards the main offices. On the way she passed the second unit crew who was busy packing up for the return trip to Miami. Jae could fudge with the schedule here all she wanted, but without a lead actress in Miami it was all money down the drain.

Even if Lewis came back, and that she'd believe when she saw it, Jae had to get a grip. That her friend had no perspective where the actress was concerned was abundantly clear. She'd known Jae long enough to recognize when she was being lied to, and when something was eating at the director.

Inside her pocket her cell began to vibrate, and she dug it out, checking the number before accepting the call. "Hey Babe, what's up?"

Thom chuckled, "Whenever you say that, I get an urge to look over my shoulder and find the woman you're talking to. I got the address you wanted. You were right, we did have it on file."

"Hold on." She slid the palm pilot out of its case, made a few taps with the stylus and opened an address entry. "Okay go ahead."

"Lewis lives in a rented cottage on the property of her friend, Dr. Heidi Chappelle, her husband and son. Seems to keep a pretty low profile. Most of what we have is in regards to her disappearance from Pirsig's film and her popularity in Japan."

"Where is it?"

"Eastport, Maine. Pretty close to the Canadian border, tucked up in the Bay of Fundy. I don't have a street address, just a rural route and a farm name."

"Figures."

He laughed again. "You know that I am sitting on a pretty big story, right?"

"You're an editor, Hon - it's your job to sit on stories. But I promise you a bigger one, okay?"

"I'd settle for dinner and a movie."

"Deal. Now what's the name of the farm?"

"Fairsing Farms, rural route number three."

"Thanks Babe, big kiss."

"No problem. Dinner tonight? I'll cook."

"Umm sounds lovely, but I have no idea what's going to happen here today. Can we wing it?"

"Yep. Head over if you want dinner. There isn't anything I cook that takes longer than fifteen minutes, so it won't matter what time you get here."

"I'll see you tonight then. Bye."

"Bye."

It was tough to get too bent out of shape about stuff with Thom's quietly reassuring presence in her life. Nothing much seemed to phase him, and he carried on, helping where he could and listening when he couldn't.

She didn't know why Pirsig had let Lewis go when she'd walked off his set, but she'd be damned if she was going to let Lewis ruin this for Jae. Damned if she'd let Jae ruin it for Jae, either. Armed with Reed's whereabouts, she headed for her friend's office, and hopefully the truth.

The door to the director's office was ajar, and in her anger and haste, she didn't stop to knock. Ready or not, Babe, here I come.
 
 

Jae heard the sharp, staccato footfalls move along the hallway and pause briefly at the door, before it began to swing inwards.

Becky had heard it too, and they just looked at each other for a split second. There was nowhere for the actress to hide. Suddenly Becky stepped forward. Before Jae could react, soft lips crushed against her own, her ex pulling her into a familiar embrace and kiss. Her body responded, dispassionately returning the kiss, before her brain could catch up. It was...nice. Nice...better not tell her that. Nice...the ultimate put-down. Inside she laughed. Nice, but no cigar. Becky was not Reed. Not even close.

"Jae, we need to talk.... Sorry. Excuse me." Cait's voice went from angry to embarrassed, the door slamming on her exit.

Hearing the door slam, Jae broke the kiss, stepping away from Becky as she did. "What did you do that for?" Confused by her thoughts and reactions, she yelled at her ex.

"You had a better way to keep my face hidden? It's not like we knew who was about to walk in."

The words took the wind out of her sails, but the amused smirk on Becky's face left no doubt that the actress was enjoying her discomfiture. It was no less infuriating that the actress was right. If it had been anyone but Caitlynn, they would have been busted. And if it had been Chambers, they still would have been busted, so she gave silent thanks for small mercies.

"Stay here."

"Does that mean it wasn't as good for you as it was for me?" Becky purred, one eyebrow raised.

"Becky..." she growled warningly and tried not to think how, during a kiss from someone who used to turn her on instantly, all she could think about was kissing Reed Lewis. Or about how the kisses from her ex paled in comparison to even the rehearsal kisses shared with Reed.

"Oh, all right." The actress flopped dramatically onto the couch.

"Thank-you." Jae exited her office, locking the door from the outside to prevent any other unwanted visitors from just dropping in.

Cait's door was wide open. She steeled herself against the thunderstorm about to hit and knocked on the wooden frame. "Can I come in?"

"You're the boss."

Oh oh, this is bad. The only time Cait ever referred to her that way was when the AD had a point to make - usually about personal stuff crossing the line. "And that has stopped you before...when exactly?" Best to get this out now.

"Okay. What the bloody hell are you thinking? It's obvious what you're thinking with. You were practically making love to her right in your office. Did you chuck your ethics out the fucking window?"

"On second thought, I'll come back when you can stop swearing at me."

"What Jae? Can't face the truth? You are putting this picture at risk - and for what? So you can get laid? That is so not like you, so what's going on?"

"It wasn't Reed in my office. It's Becky."

There was silence as Cait stared back at her. "Becky? That was Becky in your office, dressed as Reed Lewis?"

"Yes." Only then did she realize her tactical error.

"So Lewis is gone? And you're pretending nothing happened."

Cait was just getting started, and Jae decided to let the AD get it off her chest. Without the phone call that had come through while she'd been rummaging around in wardrobe looking for clothes to fool people into thinking they were seeing Reed instead of Becky, Cait's accusations would have more than a grain of truth to them. She'd missed the call - it having been to her office number rather than the cell - but call display had given her a lead and she'd eagerly followed it. The number had turned out to be to a pay phone at Eastern Maine Medical Center. There had been no message, but the fact of the call had been enough. It had to have come from Reed, and a call from a hospital meant that Rio had to have been the reason she had left without a word.

"You're not even listening to me - are you?"

"No," she said honestly. "I was just sort of waiting until you were done. Are you done?"

"No. You might not know or care where she is --"

"What makes you think I don't know where she is?"

"Every time her name is spoken, I swear you're going to tear a bald patch in your hair, the way you are twisting it. Not to mention the fact that you lied to me yesterday. And while we're on that topic - that hurt. Either you trust me or you don't. You're not the only one with stuff at stake here, you know."

"Touché." Chagrined, Jae walked to the window, thinking. Self-consciously, she kept her fingers out of her hair, the nail of her index finger picking at her thumb instead. Do I have the right to tell her? Wrong question, m'grrl. Do ye trust her - that's the one she's asking. She'd tried to avoid a lecture about Reed's unreliability and had gotten a different one instead. And bottom line was she needed Cait's help. But do you trust her? Yes. No doubts. All the way. Forgive me, Reed. But to keep your secrets from the rest of the world, I may have to share them with Caitlynn.

"Jae?"

Cait had come up beside her and Jae looked over at her friend, searching for the right words.

"Hey. What's wrong, Hon?" The AD wiped away a tear, and enfolded her in a hug. "It'll be okay. We'll figure something out, okay? Even if I have to drag her back from that farm in Eastport with a team of horses."

Letting the tears flow, Jae made her decision. "She's not in Eastport. She's at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor." And while Cait held her she let the details tumble out, holding back only the name of Riordan's father.

"Oh Christ, Jae. I'm so sorry. How is he?"

"I don't know. I don't know how either of them are."

****

Heidi watched Reed limp slowly back into the room, her shoulders slumped even more than when she had left the room. She squeezed Geoff's hand and stood up. "You know, if you were a horse, we'd have to shoot you." Reed was skittish at the best of times, and Heidi knew that a direct approach to an emotional issue was not a good idea. The actress would totally shut them out.

"Hunh?"

"The way you're hobbling around. If you were a horse, I'd have to shoot you. Now C'mere." Before Reed could protest, she steered the taller woman to a seat next to Geoff.

"They don't shoot horses anymore, do they?"

"Ayup. The stubborn ones." That got a weak snort of laughter, and Heidi settled herself on Reed's other side, hooking a chair to prop their feet up on as she sat. "Are you going to let me take a look at that?"

Something flashed behind the blue eyes but was gone before she could get a handle on what it was.

"No. But I might be convinced to let a real doctor do it - one that won't shoot me."

Just then Dr. Zerafa entered the room, friendly smile lighting his careworn face. "Heidi, Geoff." He nodded in their direction, acknowledging their presence. "It's good to see you again, Reed. I just wish it had been under better circumstances."

Next to her, Heidi could feel Reed tense, though the expression on the actress' face never changed. Half expecting it to be ignored, she reached over to squeeze Reed's hand, surprised when she didn't pull away from the touch. She let her hand remain where it was and let Reed handle the doctor.

"How is he?"

Zerafa sat in the chair opposite them, removing the stethoscope from around his neck and tucking it into a pocket as he sat. "I just had a look in on him. We're going to upgrade his condition from critical to serious."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"We've scheduled a CT scan for later this morning. That should tell us whether there are any abnormalities impairing brain function."

Heidi noticed he avoided using the word damage. "How are his vitals?"

The doctor appeared to brighten somewhat, and Reed relaxed a touch at the sign.

"Strong. His blood pressure is good, pulse rate is normal. His lungs are a little congested, but the respirator is taking the brunt of the load. Reflexes are good, and I don't think we are looking at a possible coma. I think his body is just getting the rest it needs. Which is what you should be doing. He's going to need you when he wakes up."

Heidi knew it was an old medical trick. One she used with the owners of her own patients, knowing that they would believe because she did - and sometimes belief could make miracles.

"Thank-you," Reed spoke, the ragged tiredness in her voice filling the room."

"You're welcome. Now go on, get some sleep. I'll meet with you again this afternoon after we've run the tests and have more information." He got up and left the room, leaving silent relief behind him.

They sat like that for awhile, how long exactly she didn't know, but finally Geoff spoke. "Dibs on the shower."

"Ladies first, Geoff."

"You two go on ahead. I want to see Rio again before I go." Reed's voice was quiet and Heidi could hear the mix of guilt and pain the actress wore like a mantle.

"You're not going to be any good to him if you don't get some sleep."

"I'm not going to be able to sleep. I'll be by later."

Geoff looked over at her and nodded, so Heidi stood up and rested a hand on one of Reed's broad shoulders. Shoulders that tried to hold more than was good for any one person to hold. "We'll be back with some lunch, okay?" Letting Reed know that they weren't fooled, but would support her decision.

For the second time in less than ten minutes, Reed surprised her by laying a hand over hers and squeezing back. "Thanks. For everything."

"What are friends for?" Then she and Geoff left, stopping to take a look in on Rio before making their way to an elevator. "She's changed."

"Ayup." Geoff hit the down button.

"More open, and at the same time more...not there. Vulnerable almost. Like she's glued together by sheer will."

"Worried?"

She nodded. "I'm worried about both of them."

******

Reed watched Heidi and Geoff leave the small room; heard them pause outside the room where Rio lay sleeping, then continue down the corridor. When she could no longer hear the echo of their shoes on the polished hospital floors, she slumped forward and let the tears flow.

She didn't let herself cry long, afraid if she let go that she wouldn't get control back, and she needed to be in control. For Rio.

He had looked so tiny, most of his face hidden under the surgical tape that kept the respiration tubes and various instruments hooked securely in place. I'm so sorry, sweetie. "I wish I could just make it all go away." But she couldn't. Couldn't do any more to save her son than she had been able to do to save the rest of her family. Or Will. She was powerless and she hated it. Angry and exhausted, she stood, the pain in her leg nearly forcing her back onto the bench. "Got to get that looked at." It was getting worse, the pain growing more intense each time she forced the leg to bear her weight.

"Ms. Lewis?" The hesitant inquiry came from a friendly looking nurse in pale pink pastel scrubs.

One corner of her mind wondered for an instant why everyone always called her Ms. Lewis. Never Miss or Mrs., just Ms. Or Bitch. "Yes."

"We're taking your son over to the pediatric ward. You can come over with us if you'd like."

"Thanks." She took two steps forward, a sudden excruciating pain shooting through her hip and into her back, then hit the ground hard. Her head connected with the edge of a small coffee table and fresh pain exploded in her skull, then was gone as the darkness claimed her.
 
 
 
 

Chapter 48

Amused, Jae looked at the group huddled around the conference table.   Cait, of course was there, laptop, palm pilot and cell phone arrayed on the table - modern arsenal assembled for battle. To her left Holly sat, eyes scanning the room, absently twirling a pencil in her left hand. Michael hadn't arrived yet and she was wondering what was keeping him.

Doctor, lawyer, Indian chief... The childhood chant ran round her head and she smiled to herself, registering what an odd assortment they were. Tired from the long night without sleep, she hadn't realized she had zoned out until a wad of paper nailed her in the forehead then skidded to a halt on the table.

"Earth to Moon Station Alpha..." Cait grinned.

"Hailing frequencies open, Captain." She grinned back. "Sorry about that. Where were we?"

"Waiting for you to tell us what you need."

"Ah." Problem was, she didn't know exactly what she needed. As a director she was way out of her comfort zone. "Time." Which was really the least of what she needed, but seemed as good a place to start as any.

"Well then, we need to establish how much time." Cait looked at her, eyebrow raised in question, and Jae nodded almost imperceptibly in reply, letting the AD know not to get too detailed. "How long will Reed be...indisposed?"

Jae thought about that. Without talking to Reed, she couldn't begin to guess. And that was presuming Reed would even come back. "I don't know." A quick look over at Holly revealed that the woman was watching her speculatively. Either this is a team save or it's not - nothing halfway. "I'll level with you. I haven't talked to Reed since she left for Maine, so I have no idea when she will be back. But..." here she grew serious, making sure to lock eyes with each of them in turn, "she had good reasons to go, and this is not the capricious whim of a moody actress."

"This is more than her leg, isn't it?" Holly asked, speaking for the first time since they'd entered the small conference room next to Cait's office.

"Yes." It wasn't based on much - a hunch and a phone number - but she believed.

Cait spoke again, breaking the serious silence. "So we really need two things. One, prevent the media and presumably Chambers from finding out that Reed's gone. And two - keep filming as much on budget and on schedule as possible."

Jae nodded in affirmation. "In a nutshell."

"The need to start location shoots is going to make number two next to impossible." The AD had spread the shooting schedule out on the table.

"I can help with that. How important is it to shoot in Michigan? Kerry could switch schools in the blink of a cursor."

Jae grinned at Holly, immediately seeing where the scriptwriter was headed. "If it looks like Michigan, has signs like Michigan - and you tell them it's Michigan then..."

"...it must be Michigan," they chorused, finishing the line.

"Or a reasonable facsimile." Jae made a note on her pad.

"Which leaves information flow."

Jae raised a brow. Cait had a devilish light to her brown eyes and looked to be having entirely too much fun. "The press are going to have a heyday with this if it gets out."

"How about a controlled heyday?"

"Do tell." Looking at the Holly, Jae could see she didn't know what Cait was talking about either.

"Well if Reed's in the news here - she can hardly be somewhere else, now can she?" Cait was grinning wickedly. "A few judicious appearances by Becky, a little controversy, and bam - we kill two birds with one stone. Getting this close to post production - we need to start a buzz about the film anyway. Why not start now?"

Holly laughed. "Your publicist is going to have fits."

"Probably," the AD allowed with a shrug.

Jae listened as Caitlynn laid out the rest of her plan, negotiating what they could bend and what they couldn't. It fascinated her, in spite of experience in the industry and the backroom machinations that drove publicity and perception in Hollywood. Even the news could be scripted. Holly seemed equally fascinated, though her expression remained somewhat disinterested.

"There." Jae addressed the group again, happy to be doing something instead of just reacting. "That ought to take care of any objections that Chambers can raise about needing extra time or money. And it's not like we'd be the first picture in the history of Hollywood to run overtime."

"I must be missing something here. Why all the tiptoeing around Chambers?" Holly spoke up again.

"Well, as head of RenFaire Productions he controls ownership of forty percent of the picture. I only have seven percent. He calls the shots. If Chambers found out that the star was missing with no satisfactory explanation, and then he found out it was causing a filming delay on top of my hiding it, I'd be finished," she answered as honestly as possible.

"Why only seven percent?"

"It's actually a pretty hefty share, considering."

"Oh."

"Why?" Jae was curious. Holly seemed strangely disappointed with the answer.

"I assumed that since it's billed as Renfaire Productions in association with Blackmon Pictures that you'd own more of the picture."

"Jesus Christ, Jae! She's right. You may only own seven percent, but Blackmon had thirty-five. And you, my friend, are Blackmon."

"Which gives me forty-two, presuming the will clears probate." She looked at Cait in wonder, then shook her head. "That leaves eighteen percent outstanding - all he has to do is get someone to side with him. No, we better not force the issue." As an independent filmmaker, she'd been in complete control. Something she'd given up to work for Roan. Only now it seemed she had a measure of control again, beyond even her power as the director - if she wanted to take it.

"What, you aren't going to ask me how much I own?" Holly looked vaguely hurt, a tiny grin lending a comic appearance to the attempted pout.

"Enough to give us majority control?" It was something she didn't dare hope for. Majority ownership of the picture would mean that she couldn't be fired for running over schedule - or over budget. And while a run and gun power struggle wasn't her style, it would give her enough leverage to keep Chambers from trying to cut her loose. If for no other reason than even if she got ousted as director on this go around - she would still own a large chunk of any film they made from the property.

"No."

Jae stared back at Holly. "No?"

"No."

"And you felt the need to share this with us - why?" The open look on Cait's face took the sting out of the sarcastic question.

"Because I think you're focused on the wrong issue. It's not about who owns the most - it's about who can most reasonably be expected to deliver a quality finished film. You're already in the driver's seat."

Jae exchanged raised eyebrows with her assistant. Cait looked thoughtful and the director wondered what was going on behind her friend's eyes. Holly had raised an interesting point. Sure, Chambers could make a lot of noise, but would he? She continued to turn the question over in her mind. Am I panicking for nothing? Tilting at windmills?

"You know, Jae," Cait spoke slowly. "I think she's right. Let's take a deep breath and look at this thing. I mean really look at it. No conjecture, no what-ifs. Just the facts."

"Okay." She twirled the pencil in her fingers and tried to focus on what was really happening versus what she feared might happen. "Number one, Reed is not available for shooting."

"Right - but don't forget, we have a legitimate cover story we can use for that."

"True..."

"But what?" prompted the AD.

Jae shrugged, unable to articulate exactly what she was feeling.

"What's the worst case scenario?"

"Reed doesn't come back." There she'd said it. Out loud it sounded even worse than it did running around in her head. Giving voice to the fear made it tangible, and sharing it made it real; sharing meant that now she had to do something about it.

"So we go back to making low budget indies, but no kingdoms fall, nobody dies - and someone else makes the movie."

"When you put it like that," Jae said wryly. She's right, though - I have to put this in perspective. It's just a film. No, it's not. It's not just a film, not for me. The film was more than a movie. It was the culmination of years of study, long nights of hard work and a whole heap of luck. It was the total of sacrificed relationships, broken promises, dashed hopes and midnight prayers. It's about who I am. Maybe...but it pales next to what Reed must be going through. This movie might be who I am, but Rio is her whole world. Are you that sure of why she's gone? Jae put the question aside and concentrated on what was being said.

"We just try to minimize the impact on shooting until we know more and go on from there. It's only a big deal if we make it one," Cait said practically.

Holly grinned sardonically. "It's not like you're taking two years to film it."

"Ouch." Jae laughed. She tugged one hand through her forelock and turned slightly to look out the window.

"Do we even need Becky to take the heat off Reed? I mean the truth is a hell of an excuse and no one could blame her or us for a temporary halt in filming."

"Cait." The warning came out far more sharply than intended. "The answer to that is an unequivicable no." She got out of the chair and strode over to the window, before circling the table and ending up by the window again.

"I don't see why it needs to be such a secret."

"I suppose a shot of clarity is out of order?" Holly asked.

"Yes," Jae answered Holly, then turned to Cait. "You and I will discuss this later. In private." It might not make sense to Cait, but if and when Rio's existence became public knowledge, it would be Reed's call, not theirs. And certainly not as a publicity ploy. She gentled her tone. "There's more here than you know. Just trust me okay?"

Cait nodded. "Okay, but I think you're putting her interests ahead of the film's." A pencil skittered across the table. "Jae."

"What?"

"You're making me dizzy." The light tone, she knew, was Cait's way of letting her know that things were okay between them and she would follow the director's lead. "Sit down."

Exhaling in relief, Jae slid back into her chair and fidgeted with her pencil. "Thank-you." It looked like they had the beginnings of a plan. Now they just had to sell the details to the world at large. Of course, if you don't get ahold of Reed soon, it might get blown out of the water anyway. But she had an idea or two about that. First though, she had details to take care of.

The meeting was breaking up, and Jae waved at Holly, motioning the author to stay behind. They waited silently for Cait to pack up and leave. It was a rare quiet moment in what had been a whirlwind couple of days, and she took a second to tilt her head back and close her eyes. At least the earlier signs of an impending headache seemed to have gone.

Finally, they were alone, and she leaned forward again. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Why?"

Holly looked thoughtful, quietly contemplating an unknown object above the door. "I could just say why not..."

Curious to hear what had prompted Holly to side with her, Jae waited patiently. The pensive expression on the brunette's face telegraphed the serious nature of the answer. "This isn't the first time 'Tropical Storm' has gone into production - it's the third. But it is the first time that I've believed the film would even come close to matching the book I wrote." Holly paused a bit, then gave a droll look, before commenting dryly, "Neither the book nor the original screenplay had a car chase for example."

Jae chuckled. Once again she was reminded how woefully uninformed she was about some aspects of this film. She sighed. Guess that's what happens when you focus too narrowly.

The author laughed. "You're welcome. But I should be thanking you. I meant it, Jae. Seeing the rushes - it's like watching the pictures I saw in my head when I was writing it." Here the brunette gave a tiny shrug and smiled slightly. "And my percentage is beyond miniscule. Believe me, it's not costing me a penny."

That came as a relief. Filmmaking was an uncertain business fraught with economic pitfalls at the best of times. In Hollywood the pitfalls just seemed to get larger, and there was no way she wanted to be responsible for someone losing her shirt. "Good." She reached for her sketchpad and a pencil. "Now about Kerry's hometown..."

"Umm," Holly said in a 'go on' kind of voice.

"What do you want to do? Leave it in Michigan and let me worry about how to make the State of Maine move - at least on film? Or change it?" That the location shoot would be changed to Maine from Michigan was now a given, but how difficult it would be depended on whether they were aiming for generic New England or a very specific town.

"My turn."

"For what?"

"To ask you a question. Why not just hire someone who works a lot cheaper to come in and do the changes you need?"

It was an astute question. As director, she could have done that. She didn't have to have Holly's permission or even use her at all. "That would defeat the purpose of rehiring you in the first place. We all do this together or not at all."

"You really aren't 'Hollywood', are you?"

"No," Jae answered simply. "I just want to tell the best story I can. It's not about politics and power. I never asked to be here, but it happened. But what matters, is the film - and its quality."

"That should answer your earlier question as much as mine." With that Holly turned on her laptop and opened a copy of the script.

Jae smiled, rolled her chair closer to the author's and bent her head to the task of smoothing out the wrinkles in the plot.

 ******

Are we even going to be able to pull this off? Jae settled back in the seat, wiggling until she found a comfortable spot. Eyes closed, she tried not to think about what lay ahead. Not the next week, the next day or especially the next few minutes.

A yawn emerged from deep within the part of her body it had been hiding in while they were sorting out what to do next. Jae gave into it fully, not bothering to stifle the reflex.

What are you going to say to her? Before or after I yell at her for taking off? she asked herself wryly. The responses would be different, and that's where the difficulty in this mess really was. With Reed she was torn almost constantly, it seemed, between what she ought to feel for the actress on a purely professional level and what she felt for the woman as just plain Jae. It was something she'd been avoiding thinking about too deeply, but focusing on her problems beat thinking about where she was, so Jae let her mind tackle the issue.

Work had always been simple. A welcome respite from the tangle of her personal life and its trail of disastrous relationships. A place where her dreams flowed from paper and across a giant screen into the subconscious of her audience. And now...now it was complicated beyond belief.

There was no good reason for the course she had decided to set. No justifiable explanation for her continued pursuit of the film or her evasions, half-truths and outright lies to Chambers. No tangible evidence to support the logic of not cutting Reed loose and thereby avoid throwing good money after bad. Nothing except a gut level feeling that this was right. The same feeling she'd had during a Christmas dinner over twenty years ago. I must be tired to be thinking about that again.

The table had been crowded with various cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents along with more immediate family members. She'd been squeezed in between her cousin James and her sister, a situation that made it difficult for her as a left-hander to eat neatly, so she'd been quiet, trying not to draw her mother's attention.

They'd been waiting for everyone to finish picking at the large turkey, and her grandmother had asked James about school. Her cousin had looked panic-stricken, shooting a guilty look at his parents before responding that he was going but didn't really have a clue about what he was going to study.

"Nonsense, James. You just need to apply yourself. Engineering, Law or Medicine, that's where the future is," Uncle William had admonished.

"Oh leave the boy alone, Will. Nobody knows what they want to do at his age. The whole world is open to them."

"I do." To this day Jae wasn't sure what had prompted her to speak up, but she'd looked over at her grandmother, and it had felt right, so she'd gone with it.

Uncle William had laughed.

"Hush William. What are you going to be Jae?"

For an instant, seeing everyone watching her, she'd almost backed out, afraid to disappoint them. "I'm going to make movies."

Her mother had looked horrified, and of the others only her father and grandparents hadn't laughed.

"She wants to be an actress of all things," Aunt Helen had trilled, bringing fresh laughter, which had in turn brought tears to her eyes.

"No." She still remembered thrusting her small jaw out defiantly, determined to make them understand. "I want to make movies."

"Ah, the lass wants ta be a Director." Her grandfather's tone carried respect, and she could still hear the way he had said the word. It was the same way her Uncle Will had said Engineering or Law.

She'd nodded then looked down at her plate, the leftover tears making the peas blurry. When next she looked up, both of her grandparents were studying her, and she had tried to figure out what they were thinking.

"How do you know, Jacqueline? You're only eight. I'm ten years older and I still don't know," James had asked with a mix of disbelief and condescension.

She had thought about it for a minute, aware of the indulgently expectant looks from her family. "I just do. Because..." She'd struggled to find the words, unable, with her child's mind, to put a name to what she felt.

"Because it feels right," supplied her grandmother, exchanging looks with her father. "Well if you believe, then so do we."

Then Danielle had spilled her milk reaching for more squash and events had moved on, her announcement apparently forgotten. But it hadn't been. When her birthday had rolled around the following March, her grandparents had taken her aside. "There are two things that will take you farther in life than anything else. One is love, and the other is belief. Always believe in yourself. We do. Belief can make the impossible real, and love makes it worth it. Can you remember that?"

Solemnly, she'd nodded. "Yes." Though she really hadn't quite understood.

"Happy Birthday, my girl." Her grandfather had kissed the top of her head as her grandmother had handed over an envelope.

"Thanks Granda. Thank-you Nan." The packet had ripped apart easily in her hand, a bankbook and a folded certificate inside.

"Belief is priceless, but money helps."

Jae let the memory trail off, fresh tears stinging her tired eyes. That's what it comes down to, isn't it? How much you believe. In yourself...and in her.

Except there wasn't a logical reason in the world why she should believe in Reed, nothing tangible on which to hang her hopes. Nothing except gut instinct and faith. Belief.

And like her grandparents had with her, she'd believe enough for both of them. And the other? Jae let herself think seriously about the question, one she had been avoiding. The other will have to wait. I can't afford to deal with the emotional component of all this right now. It would be hard, work no longer a viable escape, but she'd manage somehow.

And what would be wrong with trying?

Failing. The belief part I can do. It's relationships I suck at. Not quite willing to admit it was more than a relationship, and that her feelings ran far deeper.

More settled in her mind now, Jae closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, oblivious to the cramped chair or the crowded plane.
 
 

Chapter 49

"Please. I have the right to say good-bye. Please."

"The rules are quite clear - immediate family only. And the family has asked that you not be allowed in."

"All I need is a minute...please." The man continued to plead, his arguments falling on deaf ears.

Reed sat up slightly. The commotion had woken her, and she'd lain there for the past few minutes unintentionally listening to what was being said. Her head ached slightly, and when she flexed her right thigh, it throbbed painfully. The door to her room was open and various noises filtered through. Cart wheels skidded along the polished floor, the PA system made sporadic announcements, and from somewhere outside she thought she heard the sound of a construction crane.

"Please..." The voice was tired, ragged with fear and desperation, and Reed found herself feeling for the unknown man.

"I have things to do. Now excuse me." The person she assumed was the nurse spoke tersely and, Reed thought, with unnecessary cruelty.

She could feel all too clearly what the stranger must be going to through. To be that close to a loved one and not be allowed in to say good-bye was unthinkable. If it were Rio...

Tears stung at her eyes, and she swung her legs over the side of the bed. Nausea forced her back down and a soft grunt escaped as she fell against the pillow.

"Are you okay?"

Reed looked over, startled. It was the man whose voice she had heard arguing with the nurse. He couldn't have been a day under sixty, but his face held the same child-like dazed confusion she'd seen on her son's face when one of the farm animals had died despite Heidi's best effort. "All things considered, yeah, I'm fine." Worried about my son, but fine. "You?"

The man was twisting his fingers, and his face showed gray with exhaustion. "No." His voice broke on the simple syllable and he looked up at her helplessly. "My...we've been together thirty years...and the kids, well...it don't mean a thing to them. I'm not family, never will be." He shrugged again, and before she could reply he was gone.

A call buzzer was pinned neatly to the crisp white sheets to the left of her pillow, and she reached across, depressing the button. It was a long five minutes before a nurse arrived, time enough to worry about Rio and to think about the man whose pain she could feel as if it were her own.

"Awake are we, Ms. Lewis?" It was the same nurse from the hallway, her officious tone hiding whatever bedside manner she might have had.

"Obviously." She adjusted her position so that the nurse wasn't looking down at her. "I need to check on a patient in the pediatric ICU."

"I'm afraid I can't help you with that until the doctor comes in to talk to you."

"Listen, you cold-hearted bitch. I'm not asking you to help me. I'm telling you to. Clear?"

"The doctor will be here shortly. You can take it up with him." The nurse made a note on her chart and left the room.

She let her eyes roam over the white walls with their shiny metal fixtures. Pleated curtains presumably hung in front of large windows blocking light from both the hallway and the world beyond. The cloying smell of antiseptic completed the nearly claustrophobic effect. I'm not waiting around in here.

"Hey. You still out there?" Reed called out.

"Me?" The old man stuck his head back in the door. "She don't like you none either."

"Guess not. Listen, if you bring me a wheelchair, I can buy you five minutes worth of diversion."

Hope lit up his pale eyes and for the first time in a couple of days Reed felt good about what was happening. "You'd do that?"

"Being an actress has its useful moments. Now go on. Find me that chair."

He was back in a couple of minutes, pushing a battered hospital wheelchair. "How's this?"

"Well it won't win the Winston Cup, but it'll do." The best that could be said about the gray device was that all its wheels appeared to be accounted for. "Want to help me out of here?" She didn't trust herself to get up without keeling over, and the goal of this exercise was to end up in pediatrics. Where in the hell are Heidi and Geoff? What? Have them show up and spoil the fun? C'mon, admit it - you're looking forward to sticking it to Ms. Unctuous. Yup.

He ambled over to the bed, and thrust out a large hand. "Josiah Bennett at your service." He sketched at slight bow and kissed her knuckles gallantly.

"Reed Lewis. Shall we?" Together they managed to get her into the chair without pulling her leg. Settled in its narrow confines, she looked up at him. "Okay, here's the plan. I'll cause a ruckus in the hall - I can guarantee you that I'm not supposed to be out of bed - so they'll swarm all over me the instant I go out there. I'll keep them busy while you say your good-byes, then you have to come out and get caught so I can get out of here. Deal?"

"Thank-you."

"Don't mention it." She disengaged the brake, and ran her palms over the smooth gray tires, getting a feel for the chair's motion. "Better go out and get ready."

She gave him thirty seconds, then wheeled herself out into the hall. The exertion made her head throb, which did nothing for her mood.

"And where do you think you're going?" Nurse Unctuous had materialized in front of the wheelchair.

"I heard Nascar was looking for new drivers...thought I'd apply." It was good to let the anger and frustration out, and she couldn't think of a better target - or a better excuse to be confrontational.

"Are we going to cooperate or do I need to call security and have you restrained?"

"Well I'm not going to cooperate, so you figure it out." An audience was beginning to gather, and even the nursing station clerk was focused on what was happening. This is sort of fun.... She smiled up at the nurse, eager to see what would happen next. Out of the corner of her eye, Reed noticed Josiah slip into the room next to hers. Stage one complete.

"Just because you're some fancy pants actress doesn't mean you get to make the rules. This isn't Hollywood."

It was the perfect opening. "And just because you are supposed to enforce the rules - it doesn't give you the right to be cruel. Frankly, your bedside manner sucks. You could have called ICU for me, and you could have let that man in to say good-bye."

Hatred sparked in the nurse's eye, the intensity surprising Reed.

"Is there a problem here?" A man's voice interjected, and she broke off her visual war with the nurse to look at the newcomer. A youngish man in a white lab coat was walking next to a couple around the same age. He said something to them and they peeled away. Into the same room Josiah had entered.

"Oh shit," Reed muttered under her breath, then spoke up. "Yes. There is."

Without warning Josiah was flung into the hallway by the man who had just entered the room. Reed barely had time to catch the mouthed 'Thank-you' and the look of peace on Josiah's face as he hit the wall hard and crumpled to the floor, unconscious.

"You fucking faggot scum!" Before anyone could stop him, he kicked at Josiah's head, continuing to scream obscenities. "Keep your perverted murdering hands off my father!"

Reed looked around, shocked. Everyone was frozen. "Do something!" she yelled, catapulting the doctor and several orderlies into action. There was blood on the floor, and the hall was full of screaming people. Quickly she rolled the chair out of the way and turned it in the direction of the elevator. As she did, Reed looked in the eyes of the woman standing in the hospital room door. It was a look of implacable hatred and giddy triumph.

That could be me. This time she knew the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach had nothing to do with the bump on her head. The elevator arrived and she maneuvered her way inside, away from the tragedy unfolding in the hallway.

Thick metal doors slid shut on the sounds of hate and pain, and the floor under her chair vibrated as she began her ascent. Reed got off on the third floor and slowly wheeled herself in the general direction of pediatrics. The dull ache in her head had begun to subside, and she felt better for the sleep the injury had inadvertently forced on her.

The loose fitting hospital gown was driving her nuts. It refused to stay closed, and kept trying to escape from around her shoulders, an irritating impediment to forward progress. "Where in the hell are my clothes?" A cursory look around the room hadn't revealed any signs of her personal effects, and there had been no time for a more detailed search.

She rounded another corner and stopped, recognizing a hall she'd already been down. "You, my dear, have the directional sense of a deaf bat in a labyrinth. On the bright side - if I don't know where I am, then neither do they."

One thing was certain, she had to find her way before some conscientious nurse decided she was out of place. Or... Reed smiled, laughing lightly, that could work. It was even in the script...well sort of. The thought sobered her for a moment as Jae and the movie came to mind. I need to call her again.

A swift scan of the surprisingly empty hallway was all she needed to locate a linen room. Furtively she looked around before rolling inside and closing the door. Reed quickly swapped the gown for a clean set of pale blue scrubs. "Whatever happened to garden variety green?" She tied the drawstring on the pants, realizing as she did that she had a problem. No shoes. Her bare toes were winking up at her. "So much for plan Dar."

If I had my cell...if I had my cell, I'd still be hooped. Dead cells don't make calls. Hell, if I had my cell, I'd have my shoes. Reed flopped back into the wheelchair, thinking. "Beam me up Scotty." A cursory inspection of the room confirmed there was no treasure trove of electronic bits she could combine with her not-so-alien blood and miraculously jury-rig into a communications device. Where's Spock when you need him? Hmm, musta hit my head harder than I thought.

A white box halfway up the wall to the left of the door caught her eye, giving her an idea, and she smiled. Bingo. Plan B. Reed cautiously exited the closet, eyes seeking a clue to her location. A hanging sign to her left indicated that she had found her way to 4A-West. Re-entering the room, she reached up and pressed the button marked 'all call', made her announcement, then took up a post in the hallway. She tucked the chair into a window alcove that afforded her a clear view but allowed her to remain inconspicuous.

Outside she could see it was already gray and dark, but that didn't mean anything in New England during autumn. It could be anywhere from nine in the morning to midnight. The incident in emergency made her bet that it was around eleven, or maybe one in the afternoon - during visiting hours. Which means I was out for a good while. Is that why the nurse wouldn't connect me with pediatrics? Now that she had a minute to think, the uneasy scared feeling that had all but owned her the last couple of days returned full force. Did something happen? Something...a nebulous possibility that would see her son well again or...not. An outcome to cherish or to fear, all unknowing of its reality.

"You rang?" Heidi had rounded a corner and was standing with one hand on her hip, the other waving in the air. "Why didn't you just stay put in ER?"

"How's Rio?"

"Fine. He's still unconscious, but they did an MRI instead of a CT, and everything looks as normal as can be expected. How's the head?" Her voice held a note of optimism.

"Still attached." She turned the chair so that Heidi could get at the handles. "C'mon, let's get out of here."

"I don't think so. You are headed back to ER."

"No." Heidi was looking at her with infinite patience, and finally she gave in. "Okay, fine. I bet Rio hates it when you look at him like that."

"He's smart enough to do what he's told. Head injuries are nothing to take lightly. Look, it won't take long."

**************

"Won't take long, yeah right." Reed was sitting in a comfortable chair next to Rio's bed, leg elevated slightly. She'd spent three hours in ER exchanging the odd glaring look with Nurse Unctuous, who had apparently made it her personal mission to track and record every one of the actress' movements.

At least she had her clothes back. They had been laundered while she waited, Heidi and Geoff having taken them to a dry cleaner who offered one hour service.  They had also picked up a new pair of pajamas for Rio, and when the nurse had come in to change his dressing the last time, they'd carefully put the soft flannel ones on in place of the hospital gown.

He could have been sleeping, his face peacefully composed, breathing evenly, his chest rising and falling on its own, no longer hooked to the respirator, though a GT tube remained securely in place. She picked the book up off the bed, leafing through the pages until she found her spot. "Conan turned to the gold and ivory alter indicated and took up a great round jewel, clear as crimson crystal; and he knew that this was the Heart of the Elephant."

"You know I'm surprised you even have to read those anymore."

Reed looked up. Heidi was leaning against the door frame. "It's one I haven't read before. It was in the parents' room."

"Ah, a missed classic."

"You'd rather I read 'Goosebumps'? They had a Wishbone book - 'Joan of Arc' I think."

"I kinda liked the 'Knights of the Shrieking Armour'."

"You would."

"Ayup. Geoff and I are going back to the hotel. One of the nurses will bring a cot in for you in a little while."

"Thanks."

"No problem." Heidi walked over to the bed and stood quietly. The brunette's eyes were ringed with dark circles, worry telling its story clearly in the lines of her face. She leaned down and kissed his forehead. "Night sweetheart, see you in the morning." The words were meant to be optimistic, but came out thick and choked.

"Hey." Reed leaned forward. "You okay?" They hadn't really talked yet, all three of them skirting the seriousness of the situation. "No lies."

"This isn't good, Reed. I know what Zerafa says - that's partly his job - but the longer he stays like this, the less likely it is that he'll be okay. So no. I'm not okay. I'm scared and worried. And it doesn't help that you went and banged yourself up, so that now I have two of you to worry about."

The words were like a shock of cold water, and she looked at Heidi, unsure of how to respond. She'd already suspected that things were more dicey with Rio than the staff was letting on. Hearing it out loud only confirmed her fears.

Heidi sighed. "You still don't get it do you?"

"Get what?"

"Rio isn't the only honorary Chappelle. No matter what happens, you still have a place to come home to."

"I know."

"No Reed, I don't think you do. Not everyone disappears, or hangs around because they want something."

She shrugged.

Heidi turned to face her. "And that's what scares me the most. That if we lose him, we'll lose you too." Tears ran down the vet's face. "So remember us, okay? We're all going to need each other to get through this."

"I'll try." It was easier to think of Heidi and her husband in terms of being there for Rio; safer. "It's just..."

"Hard. I know. But you can't live your life in fear of things that have already happened."

A change of subject was in order, and she cast around desperately for something to say. "Did Geoff have any luck getting my cell phone recharged?"

Heidi shook her head. "No. And I get the hint. End mushy moment. But that does remind me." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a plastic card. "Here's the phone card you asked for. It's good for local and long distance."

"Thanks. Can you stay with him for a minute while I go make a call?"

"Ayup. Two mysterious calls in one day. You didn't meet someone out there in LaLa land, did you?"

"It's not mysterious."

"Reed, everyone you talk to is here in this hospital. So it's a bona fide mystery."

"Only to the nosy. If you must know, I'm trying to reach someone back on the set." She could only imagine Heidi's reaction if the other woman knew the half of it.

"Unh hunh." Heidi settled into the recently vacated chair. "You still didn't answer the question."

"Yes I did." With that she wheeled herself out into the hallway and headed for the bank of pay phones next to the elevator. Reed dialed the familiar number and listened to it ring. A clicking noise on the line indicated the call had been picked up, but the beep followed by a canned voice revealed it to be the answering machine again, so once more she hung up. "Next time...ask for the fucking area code." The only number she knew completely was the office one, Jae having called her every other time they'd spoken.

She wheeled back into the room and stopped at the doorway, holding back a laugh.

"The Cimmerian turned and fled from the chamber, down the silver stairs," Heidi read breathlessly.

"I thought you didn't like Conan?"

"Argh. Reed! Don't sneak up on people like that. And I don't - it's too gory."

"I edit the gore. And I wasn't sneaking." The brakes locked into position, and she gingerly switched from the wheelchair to the more comfortable one the nursing staff had provided.

"If you say so. What do you want for breakfast?"

"Hotcakes and sausage. And coffee. A big coffee."

"Alright. See you in the morning."

"Night, Heidi." Then the other woman was gone and once more she was alone with her son. Reed adjusted his covers, and turned the light down a touch. The combination of hitting her head and reading for a couple of hours was making her eyes ache. "You know, I think I need glasses. Not terribly glamorous for an actress though hunh? What do you think? Should I get those big heavy frames that are all the rage right now? Or a pair of wire rimmed granny glasses? Or how about those pince-nezones like in Matrix?"

She remembered the first night they'd gone to see it. The theatre owner had not been happy to have a seven-year-old in the audience on a Saturday night. It still brought a smile to her face. Rio had leaned over to the man behind the wicket, earnest-faced and polite. "May I please have two tickets for the nine o'clock showing of 'The Matrix'?"

"We don't let children in to see that one."

Rio had looked around, eyes meeting hers and quirked a small grin. "Oh no sir, she's not a child, honest. I'll make sure she behaves, and I'll hold her hand during the scary parts."

They'd ended up seeing it three weeks in a row, the owner letting them in for free the last time.

"Matrix ones like Neo."

She barely heard the ghost-like whisper, her head snapping around at the sound of the longed-for voice. A lump formed in her throat as she looked into the ice blue eyes that were the mirror of her own. Then the lids slid slowly shut and his face relaxed again. She quickly hit the nurse's button.

"Hey kiddo. Mummy's right here. C'mon, wake up again, please?" Gently she shook him, trying to get a sign that she hadn't just imagined it.

A nurse came into the room. "Is everything okay?"

"I was talking to him, then he woke up and spoke. He told me 'get glasses like Neo's'. His eyes were open and everything." Reed knew she was rambling in her relief. He woke up.

The nurse busied herself taking vitals and lifting Rio's eyelids, shining light into them much like the doctor in ER had with her earlier. One of Rio's arms moved, and the nurse stopped what she was doing. A broad grin split her careworn face. "I'll page the doctor."

"Is he going to be okay?"

"I can't tell you that for sure, but it looks promising. Young Riordan here is a fighter. The doctor will be able to tell us more."

Relief washed over her and she fought the need to giggle, sure that if she had been standing her legs would not have held her up. The nurse left and Reed forced her chair closer to the bed, taking one of Rio's smaller hands in both of hers. A snatch of a song that had made her feel safe ran round in her head, and she began to sing, not quite on key, excitement making it difficult to hold the notes.

"Halfway down the stairs, is a stair, where I sit. There isn't any other stair quite like it. "I'm not at the bottom, I'm not at the top; So this is the stair where I always stop. Halfway up the stairs..." she faltered, having not been awake to hear the rest of the song the other times it had been sung.

"Isn't up, and isn't down. It isn't in the nursery, it isn't in the town...."

The warm alto came from the doorway, and Reed slowly turned, not needing the evidence of her eyes to know who was singing.

"...and all sorts of funny thoughts, run round my head: 'It really isn't anywhere! It's someplace else instead!'"

Part 9

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