To Picture The Past (2 page)

"Oh, I don't know. I could hear you outside, though."

"You'd better turn it down, brother. Dad will ground you if he catches you again."

"I accidentally pulled out the earphone plug," he admitted. "You staying for dinner, Aunt Gill?" "I'm not sure. What's your Mom fixing?" I asked. "If it's one of her health nut meals, I'll drive through McDonald's and think of the two of you as I enjoy my Big Mac and vanilla milkshake."

"We're having pizza and sodas, but knowing Mom, there will be a big bowl of salad, too," Liz confided in her Aunt.

"I can handle that," I said decisively. "I'll see you later; I want to talk to your Mom about something important."

"That picture?" Scott asked, looking at me. "Is it a prank, Aunt Gill?"

"No, it isn't. But, don't you worry. There has to be some sort of explanation."

"Mom thinks you are going to disappear from our lives," Liz announced, tears filling her eyes. "I wouldn't like that."

"I wouldn't either," I reassured her as best I could. "I love you both, and I don't want you to worry, okay? There has to be a reasonable explanation for that picture."

"You were wearing your necklace!" Scott pointed out, his eyes as serious as Jason's could be.

"I saw that," I agreed. "I'll see if your Mom and I can figure it out."

"I wish it was a practical joke, Aunt Gill. Dad would be mad, but I'd rather that than what Mom is thinking."

I nodded, gave each of them another hug and reminded Scott to plug in his earphones and turn down his volume so he wouldn't go deaf. Then I hurried downstairs to find Gail and see if we could find an explanation that made sense.

Gail was even more upset than I expected her to be. She was indulging in a glass of wine and had poured another glass for me. "Jason will scold, but I don't care," she said. "I'm scared, Gill. Please, if this is a prank, tell me. I swear I won't get mad."

"It isn't a prank that I am involved in, honey. I have never seen that dress before. You know me, if it isn't a funeral or a wedding, I wear pants. My hair is too short to pin up like that, but I can't explain Mom's necklace."

"I am so afraid I'm going to lose you, Gill," Gail whispered, and then started crying. "You at least look happy in the picture…" she added, trying to convince herself.

"Honey, you have to stop this. Jason is ready to tan my backside because you are so upset, and I swear, I have no explanation. Are you sure you didn't put your camera down for just a moment and then accidentally picked up one belonging to someone else?" "You know how Jason is, sis. I know better than to put something like an expensive camera down where someone else could grab it. Let me show you…" She jumped up and ran to get the case she kept her camera in. "See…?" She took it out and held it so I could see. "When I brought it home from the store I put my initials on it. This is my camera."

"Did you perhaps buy a refurbished one?"

"No. It is brand new, sis. I bought it for the sightseeing trip the kids and I went on when Jason was in those meetings. If there was a problem with the camera, all of the pictures would have been affected. I promise you, when I took this picture, Liz was standing right at the corner in front of the desk. I thought the desk absolutely beautiful, and I focused on it more than on Liz. No one was sitting there. No one. Then, when we went back to the hotel, I downloaded the pictures on Jason's laptop so we could see them better, and so we could show Jason where we'd been all day… And, there you were… seated at the desk." She had another sip of wine. "The house belonged to a Robert and Gillian Stanhope." 

"Oh, that is spooky!" I shivered in spite of the fact the house was well heated.

"Gill, what do you think it means?" she asked of me.

"I honestly have no idea, Gail." The next thing I knew she was hugging me tightly and sobbing hysterically. And that is how Jason found us. The frown he leveled on me gave me to know he thought it was my fault, but he was gentle as he pried Gail's arms from around me.

"Sweetheart, stop this. You can see that Gill is fine."

"I looked at the brochures today, Jason. The woman who lived there was named Gillian! That cannot be a coincidence!"

"You cannot know that, Gail. Now, you need to pull yourself together. Both Liz and Scott are worried about you, and Gill is shaking, too. You can see that she is safe, sitting right here with you." Jason kept on talking, his words calm and reassuring, and eventually my sister stopped crying. Jason ordered the pizza, telling Gail that it sounded like a great treat after a hard week at school.

I stayed later than normal, but it wasn't often the entire family started a game of Monopoly. The teens were old enough to be great competition for all of us, and whether or not it was Jason's idea for them to spend a Friday night at home, we all had a good time. Liz made popcorn, and we laughed and enjoyed ourselves immensely. It came down to Scott and me as the last two players in the game, and all it took was for me to land on Boardwalk three times straight to end the game… in Scott's favor.

Jason suggested I spend the night, but I told him I had to be up early to take care of that grocery shopping I'd put off as long as possible. He saw me to my car and insisted I call when I got inside my apartment to let them know I was safe. I promised I would.

I let myself inside my little apartment, still smiling over the fun family time. At first I didn't realize I wasn't alone, and when I did sense someone, they were right behind me. I felt a splitting pain in my head, and then the world went black.

Chapter Two

When I woke up the pain in my head was unbearable. I tried to slide into blackness again, but I heard a soft voice urging me to wake up. There was a pungent odor right under my nose, and I turned my head to escape it, but couldn't. "No!" I ordered.

"I think she is waking up, brother."

"Good. She has had a nasty blow to her head, and I feared for her life," a man's voice declared, still in soft tones. I was thankful he was being considerate of my headache. 

I felt myself being lifted into strong arms. "What are you doing, brother?" I heard the same female voice as earlier.

"I am taking this lady inside so I can properly look after her injury, Nellie. Will you run ahead and turn down the bed in the guest room, please…?"

"I can walk," I heard myself say, but my voice sounded strange and it echoed within my head.

"I think I had best carry you, Miss."

I did not feel like arguing, but wondered where I was. I couldn't even recall what happened to me. "Call my sister, Gail Winters." I managed to get the words out.

"Gail Winters…? I don't know anyone of that name, Miss. We'll figure it out once you've had some rest."

He carried me inside, and I must have lost consciousness again. When I woke the next time I was lying in a soft, cozy bed, and I was covered by the warmest of quilts. I only knew that I was very comfortable and I didn't really want to risk setting off the head pounding again by opening my eyes.

"Are you with us again, Miss?" I heard the same man as before and it did not occur to me to be frightened, and that was saying something for his voice. I had a frightening experience while in college; a male student broke into my dorm room and attempted to sexually assault me. I fought him with everything I had in me, and I made so much noise that I woke some of the other girls and they came running. The man who attacked me was found guilty of raping several girls on campus, and a few women in the town who had the misfortune of living within walking distance of the school. Ever since that night, I have to really trust a man before I will permit myself to be alone with him. Jason did his best to get me to move back home and commute after the incident, but I told him I had to learn to live on my own right then or he would be stuck with me for life. He assured me that he wouldn't mind that, but Gail was firm and told him that he had to allow me the freedom to make my own decisions. Of course she called me quite often after that incident, and let me know it was natural to be afraid. I eventually was able to sleep with just a nightlight burning at night, but I never went to bed without making sure the window was locked and the door to my room locked, too. I came back to the moment when he asked again if I was awake.

"Yes, I am. Is my sister here?" I asked of him.

"Miss, if you tell me where I can find your sister, I will send someone to bring her here immediately," he promised, and I finally risked opening my eyes to look at him. What I saw filled me with shock. The man sitting on a chair beside the bed, looking at me with such concern in his dark eyes, was very handsome. He was also not of the twenty-first or the twentieth century. His clothing placed him in the late 1800's! I quickly decided I had to be dreaming and I closed my eyes, willing myself to sleep again.

"You need to try and stay awake, Miss. I fear you have a concussion, and my sister thinks it best to keep you awake until the Doctor arrives to have a look at you. Now, don't be afraid," he said, smiling. "Nellie is coming right back to sit with you. I sent her for a pitcher of water."

Nellie picked that moment to return, and I took note of her hairstyle and the length of her dress. Yes, I was actually in the late 1800's, and Gail's photo had been a warning of what was to come. I tried not to panic, but when I thought of how Gail would react when she realized I was gone from her life my eyes filled with tears.

"You are safe here, Miss. Please don't cry. Robert and I will take care of you. Do you recall what happened to you?" She poured water into the pretty basin, and then dipped a cloth into the water before wringing it out and gently wiping what appeared to be blood from my head. "You've had a nasty injury, you poor dear."

"Nellie, our guest must have a terrible headache. She probably doesn't feel like answering a bunch of questions."

"No, of course not," Nellie agreed, continuing to clean the blood from my hair and from what was a very sore spot on my head. "Ouch!" I winced at one point.

"Oh, I am sorry. I am trying to ascertain whether or not you need stitches, and I fear you might." She dabbed, a bit more gently. "Why do you wear your hair so short? Does your father permit this?" she asked curiously.

"Nellie, enough with the questions." I heard the firmness in Robert's voice and I suddenly realized that he sounded as stern as Jason. I was drawn to that tone, and knew that it was missing from most of the men I'd gone out with during college and since I began teaching. Not that I've done all that much dating. The guys were looking for sex, and I was pretty old fashioned in that department. I wanted to know that I was truly in love before I experienced that particular pleasure. Gail told me that the right man was worth waiting for, and she also told me I would know when the time was right. She confessed that she waited for her marriage night to make love with Jason, and she wanted me to have the same wonderful experience.

"Nellie…? Robert…?" a male voice called loudly. "I'm comin' up."

Robert went to the doorway and stepped out. "We are in here, Doctor Strand. Please come in."

"Now what have we here?" The short, frumpy Doctor asked cordially as he entered the bedroom. "I don't believe I've met you before, young lady. What's your name?" he asked as he leaned over me to peer at my head.

When he touched the skin around the cut I said, "Owwww!"

"Now, I know that a girl as purty as you is not named 'Ow!'" he teased me.

"My name is Gill Mason."

"Gill? I'm sure your name is Gillian, now isn't it? Gill is a boy's name, and I know your parents wouldn't give you a boy's name," he said, positive.

"I prefer Gill," I told him, telling the simple truth. No one called me Gillian. 

"Nonsense. You are too pretty to use a boy's name, and you'll not convince me to call you Gill." He held up two fingers and said, how many fingers do you see? 

"Two," I dutifully replied.

"Now," he asked, and I tried to concentrate, but he kept moving his hand and I couldn't. "It's all right, little lady. You have a concussion, and you need to take it easy for a while."

"Does she need stitches, Doc?" Nellie asked in concern. "No. She'll heal over and if there is a scar, her hair will hide it. No need to put her through the pain of holding still for stitches." 

He took something out of his black bag and applied it to my scalp and I jumped. It burned like hell!" "Fucking hell!" The expletive burst from my lips and I was powerless to swallow the words, and I could immediately see that I'd shocked the three people in the room. "I beg your pardon!" I immediately apologized. "I wasn't expecting the sting or the burn."

"That isn't the only thing that will burn if I hear any more of that language in my home," Robert stated in disapproval.

"I am sorry," I apologized once again, feeling embarrassed.

"Robert, Gillian has been injured, and she is not herself at present," Nellie said quietly. "She did apologize," she added, defending me. 

"There is no excuse for using that particular word, ever, and if I should hear it from your mouth, little sister, I will soap your mouth and then spank you soundly while the soap is still in your mouth. Do you hear me?" he demanded.

"Yes, Robert," Nellie whispered, her cheeks a mottled red she was so mortified.

"Please don't scold Nellie, Robert. She has done nothing wrong." I hoped to direct his ire back where it belonged.

"No, it was my fault," the good doctor said calmly. "I should have warned you the medicine was going to sting plenty. Robert, I think our patient is going to be just fine. She needs to stay in bed until I say otherwise. Let her sleep if she wants; I know there's them what thinks a person should be kept awake with a concussion, but as long as you check on her every couple of hours and she can tell you her name, let her sleep in between. Now, Miss Gillian, you stay in this bed. I'll get word to your folks if you tell me where to find them…?"

"My folks are all dead," I said sadly, realizing it was true. None of my family was alive at present. I was alone… and very much afraid.