Part 6
It's was Alice's shift, and she tried to comfort him. It was good that he was finally awake, but as soon as she touched him she knew he was not out of danger yet. He was still so feverish. He jerked at her touch, but seemed to calm at hearing her voice. "Jeremy, you shouldn't touch your head. It's a bad cut, and you don't want to get dirt in it, it could get infected," Alice said in a mothering tone, watching him carefully. He had woken earlier, but he showed no sign of hearing her whenever she spoke to him.
He turned and looked at her. He closed his eyes, and then opened them again. 'In this light this woman looked just like... but it couldn't be, could it?' "Suzanne?" Jeremy questioned. He reached out and touched her. He laughed and smiled with relief. 'It's a miracle,' Jeremy thought to himself. He pulled Alice into a hug. "I missed you so much," he mumbeled as he hugger her. Alice didn't know what to do. He was delirous, but whoever he thought she was seemed to make him happy. So she played along. "Jeremy, you need to sleep. You took a pretty good hit to the head..." Alice started, but stopped when he pulled back and looked at her. He looked at her with the most loving, and trustfull gaze. It stopped Alice in her tracks. What she would have given for that look to be meant for her.
"Ok," Jeremy simply said. He laid back and started to fall back to sleep. He turned back and looked her straingt in the eyes. "I love you," he said. "I love you too," Alice whispered back as he fell asleep. His heart belonged to someone else. Her heart was crumbling in her chest as she ran from the room and fell against the wall, sobbing uncontrollably.
Ned came from his room to take his shift with Jeremy when he saw his eldest daughter crying outside Jeremy's room. He went to her side and took her into his arms. "It's ok," he said in a soothing voice. Alice chooked on her sobbs, trying to speak. "He's still delerious. He thought I was someone else... Suzanne..." her voice faltered. She could not explain it to him, he would not understand. She ran from his embrace, down the stairs to nowhere in particular.
The doctor had been coming up the stairs to give Jeremy his next treatment and had witnessed the whole scene. Ned met her gaze, and shook his head in confusion and hurt. Alice had always been able to talk to him.
Rebecca looked to the floor, unable to keep his gaze. She could only imagine what Jeremy had said about Suzanne, and she knew that Alice had feelings for him. She had to fix this situation. Now was her chance to make up for her past sins. She took a deep breath and looked up at Ned. She stepped forward and handed him the medicine. "I'll send for her, see that he takes all of that," she said. She began to turn when Ned's hand caught her arm. "You know this Suzanne?" He questioned. Rebecca nodded, and she began to cry. "Yes, I know her," she answered. Ned tried to comfort her, but she pushed him away. "No," she said shaking her head. This was Jeremy's time, and she could not hurt him any more. She turned and walked down the stairs, and headed towards town.
Continued...