From: Florence Siak Subject: Coma: part 3 Date: Mon, 26 Aug 1996 02:16:34 +0000 Message-ID: <19960826021632.AAA26555@LOCALNAME> Here's the next installment! Warning: I take some liberties with Sam and Al's past. I do try to follow the cannon, but for most part the shows never did mention much about what went on while the project was being built. Also, there are two timelines to think about...the original one and the one created after "Mirror Image". I assume that somehow Al remembers both. ________________________________________________________________________________ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When Al stepped into the Imaging Chamber, he felt all the blood drain out of his face. Sam was in a hospital room, hooked up to dozens of machines and IV lines. His body was a mass of bandages and bruises, and his head had been wrapped up. "Sam, what have you gotten yourself into this time?" Al murmured. "Sam?!? Can you hear me?" he punched the handlink frantically. "Gooshie, what happened? Why is he like this?" "Hang on, Ziggy's still pulling data on this Wesley Thomason. Oh dear." "What, Gooshie ?!?" It was Ziggy who answered him. The computer's voice held no trace of its former pompousness. "It seems we are too late. In the original history, Wesley Thomason was hit by a speeding car while he was walking home from a run in the park. He was taken to North Side hospital in Atlanta, where he immediately lapsed into a coma. Despite the doctors' efforts, Wesley dies two days afterwards. The initial data suggests that Dr. Beckett arrived thirty seconds before the accident. It seems that he, too, did not see the car." " So now what? Can we do anything?" Al was frantic. "I do not know just what course of action to take as of right now. It seems that the objective of the leap, to avoid being hit by the car, is already impossible to fulfill." "You mean that we've failed again. But shouldn't he have leaped out if that was the case?" "I do not know why Dr. Beckett has not leapt yet. However, I am working on it." Al gazed at Sam again. "C'mon kid, snap out of it! You don't know how much trouble it was for us to get here. We're not losing you now. Wake up! You have to try, Sam. You can't stay like this.This guy, Wesley, he's a real jerk. I don't know why you have to help his life. I would dare to say he's not worth saving. Don't trade your life for his! I'll never forgive you if you do that. We don't want to be stuck with this nozzle!" Sam did not move, did not indicate that he had heard. " Sam, don't do this to me!" Al tried to pound the hospital bed in frustration, but his hand passed completely through instead. Al swore profusely at this latest outrage. He wanted to smash something, anything, and to howl and yell at this ultimate injustice. But he could do nothing except stare at the motionless body of his friend. A sudden hand on his shoulder sent him made him jump. It was Verbena. "Talk to him." she said gently, her face warm with sympathy. "I rather go and knock the living daylights out of Mr. Thomason." "It's not his fault. Despite our wish that the person on the bed was him instead of Sam, somebody up there thought otherwise." Verbena turned away from Al, hiding her own anguished expression. "Believe it or not, our visitor does have a reason for acting the way he does. Although its no excuse for his actions, Wesley hasn't had an easy life. From the background I'm getting, I would say that Wesley was psychologically raped. There is evidence that he was molested by his own father when he was only three years old. That's probably why he learned to hate people. You know, it's not just directed toward African Americans. He's managed to find some way or another to insult every staff member I send in there." Verbena sighed. "We also found that his father was a naval officer. I bet that's where he received his abiding respect for the United States. I'm also guessing that's why your uniform had such a dramatic effect on him. You should have seen him after you had left, Al. He was a complete mess. You must have triggered some old memory or reflex action. Right now he is cowering on the Waiting Room bed, tucked in a fetal position. I know you didn't mean to do that to him, but I just wanted you to know." Al cut her off. "Look, I feel sorry about his rotten childhood, but if he hadn't held out so long, then I might have been able to get to Sam earlier. Now we can do nothing." "I believe we can, Al. The original history states that Wesley died alone, without friends or family by his side. From the information Ziggy's spitting out, he has no surviving relatives and he doesn't have any acquaintances outside his work. He has nothing to live for. But Sam's different. He's got friends and family who are rooting for him. Half the battle of recovery is up to the patient's state of mind. Be there for him, Al, like you always have been. Talk to him. Research has shown that people in coma can hear what is being said to them. Let Sam know that he has something to fight for." Verbena looked at him steadily. "I've already called Tina, Beth, and Donna. They're coming as fast as they can. Although it's usually against the rules, you can mention anything you want from his past. talk about anything and everything that comes to your mind. Just pull him through this." Verbena turned to leave. "I'll be back soon Al, after I check on Wesley. Tell Sam hello for me." Al nodded to her absently as he turned back to Sam. "So, kid, where do you want to begin?" ######################## The light had grown brighter, but it was still far away. Sam struggled toward it. He thought of nothing else but reaching that light; he knew that once there, he would no longer feel so alone and lost. "Sam!" a voice, loud in the silence, echoed around him. Sam stopped his journey, confused. Who was here? "You remember the time we went up to Toronto, Canada? Man, they had the best chinese food there! Also this cute little number named KiKi Li, but of course, now that I have Beth, you know I won't go beyond looking. You however, was single back then, but of course you were busy being Mr. Boy Scout. Anyway, I thought your eyes were going to fall out when you saw her come up to us. You remember what happen next? She gave you one of the sweetest smooches that a guy could ever receive! And what did you do? Pass out, right there and then. God, if I hadn't been so busy trying to revive you, I might've sampled some of her wares too. Tell you what, you come back to us, maybe we'll go back to Toronto and look up ol' Kiki. But better not let the wives hear about this. Otherwise we would be in more trouble than you are in now." Sam blinked. The voice sounded familiar, yet... "Sam? You listening? There something you may want to hear....you have a wife. Her name's Donna Elesee. Before you get mad, let me tell you that I wanted to tell you, but I couldn't. Come to think about it...get mad. Wake up in that bed and tell me how furious you are that I didn't tell you." the voice paused. After a moment, it continued. "Sam, she's waiting for you back home. We all are. There's me, Beth, Tina, Gooshie, Verbena..." the voice rattled off name after name. Sam listened, intrigued. The notion that he had a wife momentarily lifted his spirits, but the light still called. Sighing regretfully, he took up his pace again. Like a noose, the voice snagged him again. "She's coming, Sam. I wish Donna was here now, but you know women. Before you last leap...." he heard the voice hesitate before rushing clumsily onward. "Well, it seemed that you were not going to drop out of limbo for awhile, so the girls decided to take a little trip to Santa Fe for a couple days to gather up some supplies for the project and to do some shopping. You wouldn't believe how much pleading Tina and Beth had to do before Donna came with them. Last I heard, they bought out the whole town of high heels, panty hose, and designer dresses. That's another reason you have to come back. The bill must be enormous. I'm not paying for the whole thing by myself!" Sam couldn't help smiling at that. The voice sounded so reassuring and he did not feel quite so alone. He almost remembered the face behind the tone, but in a minute, the memory was gone again. The world that the voice was offering to him couldn't be real. There was nothing real anymore, nothing except the mist. The feeling of depression again descended onto his shoulders and he resumed his journey. ########## "What do you mean the odds haven't gone up?" Al yelled at Ziggy. "They have, to 2.5% that he would wake up. Originally, the odds were at .01%." "I don't call 2.5% a big leap forward!" Al glared at the handlink. " I thought for sure the mention of Donna would bring him back. " "I believe that's what made the odds go up in the first place. Maybe you should mention Dr. Elesee more." "I'm trying, but a certain noisy computer keeps barging in, as usual. Now shut up! I'm talking to Sam." "Perhaps you can try talking about me, for a change. That's sure to bring Dr. Beckett around." "I want to wake him, not depress him even further. Now, I'm serious. Be Quiet!" "Sam, you gotta fight this! Donna's counting on you, not to mention me. Beth will kill me if you don't wake up! Remember my four daughters? You know how much they adore their Uncle Sam and Aunt Donna. Ruthie especially will want to murder me. She was planning on a job in the project. You remember Ruthie, don't you...my fourth, er..third daughter. She loves quantum physics, thanks to you, and she considers you to be her mentor. If anything were to happen yo you, I'm not going to live to see the light of day. Anyway, don't you and Donna want to have kids of your own? I know personally that Donna was counting on having a little one. Trust me, A family's the best thing in the world to have. I should know." Al cleared his throat, which had somehow become choked up. "Guess what pal? We, your Quantum Leap family, are never going to let you go. That's what a family's for. Come home, Sam!" Al searched Sam's face for any sign of recognition, any change. There was nothing. He fumbled in his pocket for a cigar and wondered why his eyes where beginning to mist up. "Admiral, the odds are dropping again." Ziggy's voice told him somberly. Al checked the handlink. "What the..." he muttered. "How could they be at 1% again? Is it something I said?" "No, but all evidence points to the fact that Dr. Beckett's body is getting weaker. History still records that Wesley dies at 3:45 p.m. on June 1, 1989." "Where is Dr. Elesee?" "She is at the airport right now. However, there seems to be a delay due to the weather there." "Tell one of our hotshot marine guards outside to hop on the Project's private plane to pick them up. They need to be here. Sam's running out of time." "I will, but I doubt that the severe thunderstorms and heavy flooding make for safe flying." "Tell them to do what they can. " Al looked over at Sam. " The kid needs us all right now." "I understand. Tell my creator...my father... that I am doing my best and for once to have faith in my abilities. After all, I am fighting for both our existences." the computer sounded depressed. "Also, tell him that I read Don Quixote and all the literature I could find about King Arthur. Tell him that I do understand." Al glanced upwards puzzled, but Ziggy did not elaborate any farther. "Sam, this over-egotistical piece of junk you call Ziggy wants me to tell you that she's read Don Quixote and King Arthur and that she's worried about you too. We all are. Why don't you come back? You could reprogram Ziggy...she's due for a major tune up." "I am not!" Al ignored her. "I mean, why did you have to give her such a big ego anyway? Wasn't mine enough for you to handle? " he watched as two nurses came in to check on the patient. "Wow, open your eyes, pal. What a sight! Both of them have kazooms the size of cantaloupes. Those two could nurse me any day of the week." he frowned at the figure on the bed. "Aren't you going to act your old prudish self and tell me that I'm a married man and should know better? Aw, you're no fun, Sam, even when your comatose. You're even making me lose interest!" "Anyway, last time I saw nurses that were that pretty was when I broke into the medical school during my college years. Of course, no nurse is ever as pretty as my Beth, but there was this one blonde by the name of Rena. Let's just say she knew how to really turn those beds!" Al lit the cigar and tried to calm himself. For some reason, all his bawdry stories seemed to have lost their flavor without Sam's commentary and pointed looks. "You know, Sam, I never had a chance to say this before...Ziggy...don't you dare tell a soul, but I kinda admired your gentlemanly ways and your one minded pursuit of purity. In its own way, that took guts. " Al puffed reverently on the cigar. "In fact, I think that is one of the reasons Donna stays with you for so long. She's so beautiful and strong, Sam. I wish you could see her. She knows that you don't cheat on her because you want to. Sam, don't feel guilty over what may have happened with other women in any of the past leaps. Donna doesn't blame you for any of it. That's the honest truth, I swear it. She's the one who enforces the rule that you not know of her. I believe that in this universe, only she can compare to you in the purity department. Is any of this getting through that hard head of yours, Beckett? Cause you need to come back, if only for Donna. She's waited for you for six years, Sam, six years without, well, you know. You can't be as selfish as to take all hope away from her, can you?" Al waited hopefully, but there was still no response. "Damnit Sam, are you planning to drag this out to the last minute?" Still nothing, "Okay, fine." His gaze wandered. "Pretty depressing place you landed in this time. But don't worry, with my help, you're going to be out of this soon. We've been in worse scrapes than this. Remember Zoey and Lothos? We really toasted their butts good. In the end, you really helped Alia, Sam. That's another reason you shouldn't go. The world needs good people like you. No one else could have done so much, improved so many lives. You have no idea just how many people you've touched. Including me." Al grew silent again. "You're just lying there, soaking up all my praise aren't you, Beckett? Well, let me tell you something, if you don't get up off your butt right this minute, I will personally give you a royal Calavicci scolding. The last time I did that, the general I was talking to turned tail and ran home crying to his mommy." "Al, when I said to talk to him, I didn't mean to threaten him!" Verbena appeared at his side. Al turned to her wearily. "I just don't know what to say. He's just not responding, not to me, not to the mention of Donna." "You're doing fine. Give him some time. He has much to fight against. Tell him that I'm here, too." "Sam, Verbena here with me. Do you remember her? You should. There was one time, back in when the project was still being built, that she caught you working on Ziggy way past your bedtime. She scolded you until your face turned the shade of a lobster." "I remember that." Verbena smiled. "After that , whenever you wanted to work late, you would take to hiding in the janitor's office, where Dr. Beeks couldn't find you." Al grinned at Verbena surprised look. "Back then, we all thought that you were going to work yourself to death. You had so much energy! Jeez, you even hid from me a couple of times. Of course, that came to an abrupt halt when me and Beth wanted some free time alone and needed a place where we couldn't be found . We snuck into that storage closet right outside the cafeteria. It was around midnight and we were really beginning to get down to business when bam! In you walked. I didn't know who wanted to faint first...you or Beth. By the way, I think that you're the only grown man who has ever seen my wife half dressed and still lived to see daylight." Al saw that Verbena was looking at him strangely and shrugged. "Well, I knew that he didn't mean to interrupt." He turned his attention back to Sam."And there was that one time regarding a snake,a cup of coffee, and that box of Rice Krispies. I don't think Gooshie will ever forget that! Things were really snap, crackle, and popping for a while." Al shook his head at the memory. "We sure had some great times, kid. But it would be more fun if you just came home. " ############# The light was getting closer;Sam could almost feel its warmth. Still he hesitated with each step, listening to the voice as it tried to draw him away from his destination. It was as if he was caught in a frantic tug-o-war between the light and the voice, a battle which he had no power to control. He felt himself slipping toward the light steadily, only to be yanked back by another story from the voice. It was becoming tiresome, and Sam began to doubt if he had any energy left to go either way. Perhaps he should surrender to the mist totally instead, and leave this internal struggle. Something inside him fought against the idea; Thelma Beckett had not raised a quitter for a son. But which way should he go: toward the voice or toward the light? Sam did not know what to do. The path toward the light offered shelter and comfort, while the path back to the voice would be hard and rough. Part of him yearned to go back, the rest pushed him onward. ################ "Admiral, since you don't seem to be consulting your handlink, I thought I would inform you that the odds jumped from 1% to 5% then back to 2.5% again. I do recommend you keep speaking." "He will, if you don't stop interrupting!" Verbena reprimanded the computer. Al didn't even pause. "I'll bring you some dinner Al, something quick and easy. Gooshie, get some water in here. I'll be right back." However, the observer didn't seem to notice her as she left. When she was back in the Control Room, Verbena addressed Ziggy again. "How much time do we have left?" "Not, much, Dr. Beeks. It is already June 1 for Dr. Beckett and the time is 6:00 a.m. Records show that Wesley will die at 3:45 p.m. It seems that we're in for a long night." "I couldn't have put it better myself." Verbena started out the door. "Where are you going?" "To find a nutrient bar for Al, then back to the Waiting Room. Me and Mr. Thomason are going to have a long talk. Sam is not going to risk his life for nothing! Mr.Thomason is going to have a major rehaul on his personality. Somehow, I think that is part of the solution." When Verbena returned to the Waiting Room, she found that Wesley had uncurled from his position and was glaring at her sullenly. For once, he did not open his mouth to say anything. Instead, both of them found themselves in hostile silence. She was the first to break the tension. "Well, Mr. Thomason, I would like to thank you for giving us the information we needed." The man on the bed looked surprised, but he made no other comment. His silence disturbed Verbena more than his frequent outbursts of profanity had. "Do you want to talk about anything?" "Not to you." "Why not? I am a living breathing person, capable of feeling the same things as you can. Although we did not get off to a great start, I would like to get to know you better. Do you have any friends Wesley?" "Does it matter? What if I said no? Then you'd pity me, and I don't want your pity. I don't want anything to do with any of you. Just leave me alone, you @#$%." "I don't think you believe what you're saying. In fact, I don't really think that you are a full blooded bigot either. Why are you pushing us all away? It's not just me, you've alienated all my staff. What's happened to you that makes you hate all other people so?" "None of your business." he gave a bitter laugh. "Why do you care so much anyway? I haven't given you anything but grief." "It is my business. Believe it or not, somebody out there cares enough about you to try fix your life. Which I have to say, is not going to well, is it?" "What do you know about it?Or does your Admiral want to come back and beat me until I surrender?" there was a trace of fear in the Wesley's eyes as he regarded her intently. " Al would never do something like that. None of us would. Violence is never an option here. You probably know we're not spies from some enemy country or some devious conspiracy that plans to overthrow the government ." "If you were, you would have tortured me by now. It's not that I have important info on anything. I'm just a desk clerk. Worthless." Wesley pronounced the words dully, as if in resignation. "Did your father tell you that?" "My father was a great man, loyal to his country. He was better than any of you @#$." Wesley suddenly jumped up from the bed and faced Verbena. His eyes were furious but Verbena held his gaze evenly. "Wesley, what your father did to you was wrong, very wrong." "He just did it for my sake. It was the world against us, he was just trying to make it easier. The world is full of enemies, you have to arm yourself, show no mercy to anyone. Don't give anything away, or they'll use it against you." Wesley's voice dropped to a almost whisper a he gazed past Verbena. "If you let down your guard against your enemy, they'll come and get you and take you away, just like they did to my mother. There is no such thing as a good person in this world." "Wesley, listen to me. You can't shut yourself off from the world. " Vereban kept her tone even but firm. Wesley looked away from her. "Your father...did hurt you?" "NO! He only did what was good for me." Wesley's eyes were desperate. "Don't bring him into this!" "Wesley..." Verbena forced him to look at her. "It's not your fault! You're not worthless. You do matter. " "Nothing matters, except to serve god and county. But he wouldn't let me go into the army, I was too much of a sissy. Stupid , I'm so stupid. People laugh at me all the time. Everyone hates me so I'll hate them back. No one loves me except for my father, and he does love, me, he showed me so! Oh god no, I'm not... father..." Sam's voice was raised in a keening wail as Wesley collapsed back into the cot. "Wesley!" Verbena started forward, trying to comfort the man who was now shaking like a leaf on the bed. "Sh...no one hates you." "You probably do..." his voice sounded lost, like a little child trapped in a frightening world. "No, I don't. I just want to help..." "Even after what I said?" a child's eyes, looking at her, needing reassurance. "Not if you didn't mean it." she watched as his body relaxed against her. Little by little, the tension left his body. By his even breathing, she knew he was asleep. "That was quite interesting." a voice told her from above. "Ziggy! Sh..." Verbena put Wesley gently back onto the bed. Once she was outside, she leaned heavily against the wall."You should have known better than to eavesdrop. Tell Dr. Kiltner to watch him." "You humans are very fascinating." Verbena raised an eyebrow at Ziggy's amused tone. "I would have never thought that this Mr. Thomason would be so complicated. I rather thought that he was superficial." "That shows how much you know." Verbena retorted. " I have yet to meet a simple human being. Though I admit, I was surprised to get such a big reaction out of him. He so scarred Ziggy. It's not that he wants to hate, but he has been taught to do so. If I had a chance to get my hands on his father..." "Records show that he is currently deceased , so that would be impossible.You may want to know that I've just obtained some new information. Wesley's mother left him when he was only two years old and when his father was still posted overseas. I postulate that she could not handle the stress of having an abusive spouse. Wesley was left in the sole gaurdianship of his father. I believe that is the point when things began to go wrong." "Then why didn't Sam leap to the beginning of this crisis, to stop the mother from leaving without Wesley?" Verbena closed her eyes. "How could she leave a kid with such a monster in the first place?" "I do not have sufficient data to postulate that. As I have said, you humans are quite complex." Verbena looked to the closed Waiting Room door. "Tell me about it. How are you guys doing with Sam?" "No progress as of yet. The odds are still holding at 2.5% that he will wake up." Ziggy was silent for a moment. "The admiral is not happy." "Tell him that I'm on my way. Ziggy...if we don't get him back within the next three hours, I want you to contact Sam's family. Don't give them too much information, but tell them...tell them to pray for Sam." Verbena looked heavenward. " We'll need all the help we can get on this one." ________________________________________________________________________________ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well, that's part three. Part four will be along shortly. Any questions or constructive comments? Please e-mail me...I'd appreciate it! Thanks for reading! :)