Just you and me

Chapter seven- Seeing eye to eye

I closed my eyes again, and fell asleep, dreaming about Natasha.

I'm Natasha, crying, and feeling lonely. Connor is apparently dead, and people are quiet the whole day. I slowly walk to the last place Connor was, there's a locket. I pick it up, and looked through it. A picture of my mother and father appear. Tears fill my eyes, and I sit down in the middle of the floor. Two nurses come over, and help me. I kick and scream, wanting them to go away.

"Sh!" The nurse says, "Be quiet."

I nod, then walk away into my room. I hide the locket in my combat boot, never taking it out. I see two nurses come in my room, they pat me down, then leave. I ask why they patted me down, and all they said was,

"Can't believe you're clean."

I shrug my shoulders, then go back into the room. I sleep for what seemed like hours, then wake up to screeching screams from the main rehab center...

I lurched up from my bed, screaming. Connor and Joshua ran into the bedroom, their eyes filled with fear.

"Are you ok?" Connor asked, kissing my cheek.

"No." I said, "I'm not."

"What's wrong?" Joshua asked me, hugging me.

"It's like, I'm Natasha." I said, "And, she's seeing something, evil."

I thought about what my dreams are all about. It's like their going back in time, from when Natasha was first in the rehab center. Until now. Until we talked to her.

"Well," Connor said, "Lucy's asleep, and fed."

I smiled thinking about Lucy. What a life she'll have when she's older. She'll meet someone, and fall in love...

"I'll go get you some water," Joshua said, "be right back."

Now was my chance, to tell Connor.

"Connor," I said, "we need to talk.."

"Yes?" Connor said, "What's wrong?"

"Connor, it's not you, it's me." I said, tears welling up in my eyes, "I have to leave you."

"Wait," Connor said, "what?"

"I'm sorry," I said, starting to cry, "I loved you, but everything's ruined..."

Connor pulled me into a hug, then whispered something in my ear. I sat back up, thinking about what Connor said. Right then, Joshua came into the room. Connor left abruptly, leaving Joshua and I.

"You ok?" Joshua asked, handing me a glass of water.

"No," I said, "I had to end it, with Connor..."

I started to cry really hard. I loved Connor, before all this happened. Before High school got out, he used to be my favorite person. He used to be the one I came to when I was sad. No one could replace him, not even Joshua. Not even Lucy.

"I have to give Lucy up for adoption," I said, "before anything happens to her, or Connor."

"Why," Joshua said, "after everything. Why?"

Why? Because it would be best for everyone. Lucy doesn't need divorced parents, she doesn't need the stress.

"Because it's for the best..." I said after a minute of silence. "Because I love her."

Joshua walked out of the bedroom, and came back with Lucy. I smiled at Lucy, and she smiled back. I held Lucy in my arms, remembering what Connor whispered in my ear... Tears welled up in my eyes, and I started to cry. Joshua took Lucy, and put her in a crib, close to my bed.

"Sh," Joshua said, pulling me into a hug, "it's going to be ok."

"I, just," I said, crying harder than before, "I love you both, and I will always love you both."

Joshua combed through my hair with his fingers, and calmed me down. After awhile, I fell asleep in Joshua's arms, dreaming about Natasha, one last time.

I was Natasha, waiting for Connor and Joanna to come talk to me. I see a baby in Joanna's arms, and smile. They come and talk to me, I show them the necklace, and open the locket. The dust from the ashes disappear into the air... The baby starts to cry, and they leave... I walk around the hospital, thinking about the ashes from Connor... Was it really him? Did he really live? Who's ashes were they???

I woke up in Joshua's arms. I read the clock and it said 12:00a.m. I gently woke Joshua up, and told him about the dream. Joshua went and grabbed Connor from the living room.

"So you're saying," Connor said, "that I'm not real?"

"No," I said, "I'm saying that maybe, there was another you?"

"No," a familiar voice said, "it wasn't him."

Natasha appeared from the doorway, she looked weak, and frail. She sat down on the bed with all of us, and told us everything.

"I thought it was Connor the whole time," Natasha said, "but then Connor visited me. I was so happy, I couldn't believe he was there."

"I did visit her," Connor said, "to see how she was doing."

"Then I had the night vision of the fire..." Natasha said, "It was horrible, and I thought Connor died in the fire..."

"The ashes," I said, "who's were they?"

"Mine..." Natasha said, "I supposedly died, in a fire..."

"Wait," Joshua said, "what?"

"I was all imagining it," Natasha said, "it was never real."

Natasha collapsed to the floor after she spoke. Connor and Joshua laid her limp body on the bed, and did CPR. Nothing.

"Call 911!" I said after a minute, "Hurry!"

Joshua called 911, then the power went out. Now we were stuck. It was dark, so we lit a candle. After a few minutes, Connor broke the news.

"She's dead," Connor said, his voice flat, "it's been ten minutes, and apparently, they die, but the brain is alive for seven minutes."

We all gasped in shock. Connor and I started to cry. I don't know why though, I think we felt connect to Natasha. Joshua comfort Connor and I. I went to grab Lucy, but the crib was empty... I quickly walk back to Connor and Joshua.

"Guys," I said, "Lucy's gone."