PROLOGUE

        The blue white lightning of the leap engulfed Dr. Sam Beckett as he felt himself being whisked away to the mesmerizing blue void, which held an inner peace.  In the blue void, he was safe from harm and he felt at home.  It was there that he could remember some of the family and friends he’d left behind when he stepped into the Quantum Accelerator.  Normally, he would get to spend time with his thoughts, but this time – this time something was definitely amiss.

        Even as quickly as he came, he felt himself being pulled away and he felt gypped of the memories he could have remembered.  Still the same mantra echoed around him as he began to fall into his new host, “You will know all you need to know.”

        Even before Time and reality began, he felt out of control.  As the leap began to permeate around the host and grab onto them to pull them away, Sam felt something slam into his right side causing indescribable pain.  He also felt his head ricochet back then tipped forward as intense white-hot pain erupted inside his skull before it shot backward then forward once again the pain increasing with each pass.  The leap then deposited Sam Beckett into the past leaving him in a slumped unconscious bloodied mess in the driver’s seat of a mangled royal blue Dodge Caravan.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

        A searing stinging burning pain enveloped his body and mind.  He opened his eyes and found that he was looking down at a mattress.  Confusion immediately entered his mind as he heard a thunderous explosion near his ear and felt more pain as if someone had inserted a nail into his head.  Fearing for his life, he tried to move but the hands that held him firmly wouldn’t budge and seemingly held tight.

        “Let me go!” he retorted forcefully as he felt another intense spasm wracked his body and mind.  “You’re hurting me!  Let me go or I’ll… I’ll…” he began to threaten as he tried to think about what he might do to them if he got the chance.  He wasn’t sure he could do anything at the moment to the faceless captor but he would do everything in his power to make the hold even more difficult.  However, even as he confirmed that thought in his mind, he felt a cool sensation enter into his right arm at his inner elbow.  It almost immediately made him relax somewhat before another thunderous jolt to his brain was induced.  Sam cried out in pain.  “Aaauuuggghhh!  Do that again and I’ll kick you into next Tuesday!!”  He wasn’t sure where the thought emerged, but he knew he had the skills.  All he needed to do was get free of their grasp.

        “Listen to me, Mrs. Conahey.  If you can get up off the ER table on your own volition after all the blood you’ve lost then by all means, you can do whatever you want to me,” a male voice replied somewhat close to his ear.

        Sam swallowed and blinked at the information given to him.  ‘ER Table?’ he questioned himself.  ‘What’s going on?  Why am I here?  Al?  Where are you?  Oh God… what’s happening?’

        Another piercing thud came and again he cringed and cried out in pain, this time not as loud or forcefully as thankfully whatever was given to him for pain knocked him out.

PART ONE

Stallion’s Gate, New Mexico

Project Quantum Leap

April 23, 2004

 back away from the table he had been working on.  He knew when he needed a break and he most definitely needed one.

        He moved back to the beanbag he had in the corner of his small workspace and plopped back onto it.  Once he wiggled into a comfortable position, he crossed his arms and frowned more than a bit upset with himself.  He shrugged and screwed up his mouth then opened it to talk to Ziggy.

        Before he could even say a word, loud claxons rang out through the complex.  Stephen frowned.  The bells weren’t the normal cling-clang that indicated that Dr. Beckett had leaped.  They were more urgent.  “Dad…” he whispered softly then hurriedly wrestled himself out of the beanbag and started toward his passageway back to the main corridor. Stephen crawled through the airway quickly then peered through the slits in the air vent and watched in awe as he saw Beth Calavicci and her emergency medical team run through the corridor toward the Waiting Room.  ‘Oh no,’ he thought.

        “Ziggy?”

        “Yes, Stephen?” Ziggy’s voice seemed to emanate around Stephen even in the air vent leading to his secret escape from reality.

        “What’s going on?” he whispered almost afraid to know the answer before she even spoke it.

        Ziggy was quiet for a moment as if searching for the words to say to Stephen without giving away too much detail.  “The person that Dr. Beckett leaped into is in need of emergency medical services, Stephen.”  Although Ziggy knew not to give Stephen too much information, she kept to the basics and softened her voice somewhat.  “Don’t worry, Stephen, the medical team will do all they can.”

        Stephen sank to the floor of the air vent and laid his head down on his arms.  “I hope you’re right, Ziggy.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

        “Let’s go!”   Beth Calavicci said as she heard the claxons sounding and grabbed her medical bag.  She knew that Ziggy only used the claxons when something was terribly wrong.  Rounding up the other medical supplies, she began on her trek to help out the soul that Sam had leaped into.  She wasn’t sure if there was anything she could do or not, but she wasn’t going to take the chance.

            As they turned toward the Waiting Room, Beth turned her head up toward the ceiling.  “Update me, Ziggy.”

        “As soon as the leapee showed up, she fell to the floor unconscious and approximately four point five cups of blood has gathered under the visitor’s body and it’s growing.  Admiral Calavicci is trying to stop the bleeding.”

        Hearing Ziggy’s words, adrenaline coursed through Beth’s body and her steps quickened.  “Let’s go people!”

        They raced to the door finding the Waiting Room open.  Entering, Beth saw her husband pale and concerned as he knelt beside the visitor, using one of his favorite purple suede jackets to stop the bleeding that was obviously coming from the leapee's head. 

        “God, Sam, you’ve got to be ok,” Al murmured softly as he peered down into his best friend’s aura and yet saw another soul inside. Knowing that he couldn’t do anything about the gaping hole under the woman's lip that was beginning to purple and bruise, Al’s mind went into a different gear.  “I… I’ve gotta do something.”

        Beth skidded to a stop at her patient’s side.  As the other medics gathered around in similar positions around Sam, some of them tearing at the fermi suit so that they could assess the situation, Beth put the earpieces of her stethoscope in her ears and placed the diaphragm over the heart of the young woman surrounded by Sam's aura. Hearing a faint heartbeat, which was beginning to slow down as time seemed to speed by, Beth turned to her husband and told him frankly, “Let Ian take your place.”

        Beth motioned to Ian, who forcefully moved in beside Al then gingerly took hold of the visitor’s head and barely nodded respectfully to the Admiral. 

Al glanced at the man who moved in, then slowly stood up.  He looked at the other people who surrounded the visitor knowing that the person, whoever she might be, was in capable hands.  With warring emotions on his face, he stepped back from the person now wearing his friend’s aura to give them room to work.   

        He began to pace back and forth, the familiar four steps – turn - four steps.  His thoughts were completely overwhelmed with the leapee’s well being. ‘Why had GTFW leaped Sam into the situation when the leapee was hurt… wait a minute… if the leapee is hurt… then Sam’s…’ He stopped in his tracks and looked back at the visitor, his eyes growing concerned as he heard his wife yell out something that he didn’t want to hear.

        “CODE BLUE!”

Al took a step toward the medical team as they sprang into action doing CPR to save the leapee’s life.  He shook his head slightly then closed his eyes.  “No…” he whispered softly.  “No…” he quickly pivoted and walked out of the Waiting Room then went directly to the Control Room.

        “Why did Ziggy sound the claxons?” a voice asked as soon as he entered the Control Room from another hallway.  “Al… what… happened?”

        Al’s eyes fell on Sammy Jo, her curiosity eating at her before he slowly held up his own hands to her showing her the blood on them.  “I don’t know what happened, but I’ve got to get to Sam, now!” 

“Oh my God, Al… are you hurt?” Sammy Jo reached out to touch him but Al flinched away from her.

        “No,” he said firmly.  “I… I’m fine.  It’s... hers. I came in the Waiting Room just like I always do to try to get some information about the leap.  He - she was on the floor bleeding.”  Al shook his head, closing his eyes as he did so to try to get the image out of his mind’s eye.  He opened his eyes then realized that he was using the wrong gender for the leapee.  “I used my jacket to try to stop the bleeding, but… it’s a big gash on the back of his… her head. Doesn’t help that she has a hole below her mouth either.”

        “Oh no…” Sammy Jo looked over toward St. John who came around Ziggy’s mainframe. 

        From down the hallway, Al heard Beth’s voice as she yelled out, “Ziggy!  Get me Dr. Jenkins!  Now!”

        “Acknowledged,” Ziggy’s voice echoed back at her.

        “What’s going -- oh God… what is it?  What’s happened to Sam?” another woman’s inquiry broke through their conversation.

        “The leapee…” Sammy Jo began as her attention span came back to look on Dr. Donna Elesee-Beckett.  “… the leapee was hurt.  A… gash on their head and under their mouth?” Sammy Jo glanced to Al for verification.

        “Yes.  A nasty one,” Al replied then ran his tongue over his now dry lips.  “It must have happened on the leap in.  I don’t even know who it is.  All I know is that it’s a woman.”

        “You don’t know?!” Donna spat out angrily.  “My husband’s life is hanging in the balance and you don’t know if he’s going to be okay or not?”

        “Donna,” Sammy Jo called out to her, but Donna was in too deep to give Sammy Jo a thought.

        “Don’t you ‘Donna’ me, Sammy Jo. Why did this happen?”

        “We don’t know,” Al said softly.  “But we’ll figure it out.”  He took a step toward the mainframe but even as he did so, Verbena Beeks hurriedly entered the Waiting Room. 

        “I heard the claxon’s up on the upper level and I hurried down as soon as I heard them.  What’s going… who’s hurt?” she asked carefully as she saw the blood on Al’s hands.

        Al took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. Once again, he told all three ladies what he’d seen and done, but left out how he’d prayed for Sam to be okay.  He frowned as he looked down to his hands and thought about giving the suggestion about leaping into Sam.

        “No, Al,” Sammy Jo said plainly.

        “No what?”

        “I can tell what you’re thinking right now.  No.  We don’t know what’s going on in the leap and you could make things ten times as worse if you leap into Sam right now.”

        Al nodded his head solemnly.  Closing his eyes, he knew that she was right.  He could do something that Sam wouldn’t have done and it would be detrimental to the leap.  “Until we hear from Beth about the medical evaluation on our leapee, there’s nothing that we can do…” he looked up at all three ladies in turn before he finished with, “… except pray and hope that Sam’s okay. Ziggy!”

        “Yes, Admiral Calavicci?” her voice silkily echoed around the room.

        “Did you ever have a lock on Dr. Beckett?”

        “Yes, Admiral Calavicci.  It was faint then I lost it.  I’ll do my best to relocate it once again.  The epochtonusalgraphic probe will aid in the search for him, Admiral.”

        Al raised his hand toward the ceiling.  “Find him, Ziggy.  We don’t have time… I need it like two weeks ago!”

PART TWO

Stallions Gate, New Mexico

Project Quantum Leap

April 23, 2004

7 PM

        Admiral Albert Calavicci kept looking at his clock on the wall, waiting for the moment that his wife would call to tell him the status of the leapee and to get an update from Ziggy that she’d found Dr. Beckett’s signal in Time.  As he glanced up at the clock for the umpteenth time in the last two minutes, he got up from his office chair and began his four-step pace yet again.  He knew that he should be working on the budget that the senate needed but he just couldn’t work on it at the moment knowing that his buddy was in dire straights and that he couldn’t do anything about it.  He was more than worried – he was antsy.  He knew he had to try something… but what?  He knew that the senior staff would go completely bonkers if he tried to put on another fermi suit and leap into Sam.  He knew it as well as he knew his own name. 

        His eyes flew back to the wall.  He growled under his breath and shook his head before we went to the corner of his office where he kept the coffee pot.  He poured himself a rather large cup of coffee.  What he really wanted, but knew that he couldn’t have, was three fingers of Crown Royal.  As he took a sip of the hot liquid, he didn’t even appreciate its warmth as it slid down his throat. 

        “God, just let him be okay,” he whispered then continued pacing as he sipped at the hot brew.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

        Dr. Donna Elesee-Beckett sat in the cafeteria fingering her lip as she tried to still her mind from working overtime on what might have happened to her husband.  Not being able to know how he was doing, or even if he was okay was driving her almost to the point of going into the cafeteria and pulling out the bottle of vodka she had hidden some years ago then drinking herself into an oblivion. 

        She knew that it wasn’t an answer to the problem set before her, but it sure would help with dealing with it.  She pushed her seat back from the table and stood then sat back down.  She knew that as soon as Beth had some kind of answers for them that a staff meeting would be called – but it was the waiting for that meeting that was the problem.

        “Mom?” the words came from the eight-year-old boy standing in the doorway of the cafeteria caught her attention.

        “Sweetie,” she held out a hand to him as her eyes began to fill with tears.  Immediately seeing the little boy’s concern, she sniffed back the emotions that threatened her and hugged him close to her when he came up to her side.

        “Mom, you’re… pale… and… why are you shaking?”  Stephen knew his mother more than he cared to admit.  He could tell that something was up and that she was trying to cover it up. 

        “Oh, baby, don’t you worry.  Everything’s going to be all right,” Donna said as she touched his cheek lovingly.

        Stephen moved away from her touch and tilted his head to the side.  “Tell me what’s wrong.”  When she hesitated, he knew who it was about and he searched her face then shuffled his stance before he questioned, “It’s dad, isn’t it?”

        Donna thought about hiding the information from her son, and then just nodded as she bit at her lip.  “We don’t know where he is, and he’s hurt.”

        Stephen’s eyes clouded over for a moment as the information filtered through. He knew it when he heard the claxons ringing four hours ago. ‘What am I going to do if something happens to dad?’ he questioned himself.  His face paled as his mother stood up from her chair and hugged him tightly against her.

        “Stephen, whatever happens, I want you to remember one thing.”  She paused as he looked up into her face and met her eyes.  “We’re going to do everything humanly possible to make sure that your daddy is going to be okay.”

        Stephen nodded to his mother and hugged her tightly once again, letting her know that she wasn’t alone.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

        Samantha Josephine Fuller sat in her quarters knowing that Verbena, Tina, and St. John were in the main conference room discussing what was going on with the leap so far.  She didn’t feel like being with others especially when something personal and emotional hit her as this did.  She had always been withdrawn when something big happened in her life and she somewhat blamed that on Leta Aider -- walking up to the kitchen door and seeing the woman kill herself wasn’t something that a little girl should ever have to deal with but she had.  Dealing with major things that brought out her emotions just made her withdraw from society as a whole and seemed to help keep her sane.

        She chewed on the end of her pencil to keep herself from chewing on her fingernails.  She was most definitely worried.  She knew what Al wanted to do, but if he leaped in, it could be in the middle of a surgery that could hurt him and Sam at the same time, or even something even more fatal.  She didn’t want to risk it.  The whole thing was nerve wracking and hit on thoughts that she didn’t want to even think of – one being that she wouldn’t be able to give her father a hug when he got home.  Not if, but when.

The thought brought quick tears to her face that spilled over.  She wiped at them quickly and shook her head as she planted other thoughts in her head aloud, “We are going to find him.  We are going to bring him back home.”

The thoughts reaffirmed her and she stood up to stretch then quickly went to her desk and sat down to pull up the retrieval plan.  If she couldn’t help finding him in Time, she was at least going to work on the process to bring him back home.  She was reading over the information when the door opened and Commander Daniel Fulton, her fiancé, entered the room.  She glanced back over her shoulder at him then quickly got up and went into his arms.

The moment he had heard what was wrong, Daniel Fulton had known that Sammy Jo would need his support and wasted no time in getting to her quarters.   Now, holding her close, he felt her body tremble, then felt her nuzzle her face close to his neck, almost as if seeking to hide from her fears.  Gently, he placed a reassuring kiss on her forehead, letting her know without a doubt that he was there for her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

        Al couldn’t take it anymore.  He had been in his office pondering, waiting on news about the leapee and Sam, trying to work on his budget, but to no avail.  He was about to walk out when the phone rang making him jump toward it out of anxiousness. “Yeah?”

        Verbena could hear the apprehensive tones in his voice and she blinked then licked at her lips.  “Al, we need to call a senior staff meeting.”

        Hearing Verbena’s voice on the other end of the phone, Al felt crushed.  He was hoping for a call from Beth to let him know about the evaluation.  “Did Ziggy find him or did you get news from Beth?” he questioned a bit harshly wondering if Beth had just bypassed him.

        “No, but I think that the senior staff needs to get together to vent about the situation.  Tina, St. John and I all feel the same way.  Shall I call the meeting?”

        Al nodded at her answer then licked at his own lips. “Yeah.  Maybe by the time that we all have a chance to vent, we’ll have an answer.”

        “Ten minutes?” Verbena questioned.

        “Make it five,” Al said then hung up the phone.  As he started toward the door, he heard Ziggy announce the meeting throughout the project.

        By the time that he arrived at the conference room, as well as everyone else, an unwavering silence filled the room.  He knew why Verbena called the meeting but he wasn’t sure that he was ready to be the first one to say anything about the situation.  He glanced at each person separately in the room as each of them looked back at him with the same expression.  “Well…” he started off then dropped silent not quite sure what to say.

        As if on cue, each person dropped their gaze to look at the table, but an emotionally filled thought interrupted the silence that permeated the room.  “I don’t understand this. I honestly don’t understand.”

        “What is it, Donna?” Verbena asked more than a bit concerned for the woman.  She had been through so much since Sam started leaping that she was concerned for her well being. 

        “We all believe that a higher power is moving Sam through time…”

        “I know where you’re going with this, Donna.  I’ve been having the same thoughts and it just doesn’t make sense why he was leaped in when a catastrophe hit this woman.  Why would God, Time, Fate, Whatever leap Sam into that moment in time and let the same thing happen to him?  Why not sooner? Or even later? Why did he have to leap in at that time?  Why?” Al said as he felt his eyes begin to gather moisture. 

        Sammy Jo reached out and put her hand on Al’s arm.  “We won’t know why until we can get a lock on Sam,” Sammy Jo said as she nodded her head in affirmation of Al’s comment.  “Since we don’t know what year that Sam leaped, I’ve got to assume that Sam’s in the same state.  That must be why Ziggy’s having such a hard time getting a lock on Sam’s brainwaves.” 

        Donna’s breathy gasp caught in her throat and the moisture that had been gathering spilled out onto her cheeks.  St. John got up from his seat then went to stand behind Donna.

        “That’s a most definite possibility,” St. John said simply as he put his hands on Donna’s shoulders and gave her a small squeeze of reassurance.  “But if he’s unconscious as well, it’s going to take even longer to find the lock until he is conscious.”  He looked over at Al apologetically.  “It’s going to be a long search, Admiral.”

        Al glanced down at his hands on the table and although he had washed his hands since he’d handled Sam’s head, he could still see the blood on them.  “Whatever it takes, St. John.  Whatever it takes.” Al glanced up at the ceiling once more as he addressed Ziggy.  “Zig?”

        “Yes, Admiral Calavicci?” Ziggy’s smooth timbre fell around the group in the room.

        “How much longer will it take to find Dr. Beckett?  Do you know?”

        “I have searched the years between 1953 up to 1984.  Dr. Beckett’s brainwaves are not between those years.  I will continue the search from 1984 up until the present date as fast as I can Admiral, but certain anomalies keep getting in the way.”

“Anomalies?”

“All of his previous leaps are counter balancing the others.  It’s the ripple effect, Admiral.  The result of him leaping into their life touched others, which in turn touched others.  The closer Dr. Beckett gets to the present time, the harder the search becomes.”

Al tilted his head slightly to the side as he glanced over at St. John who shrugged a shoulder and slightly nodded at her answer.  Al took in a deep breath then let it out slowly.  “All right, Ziggy.  Don’t stop until you find him.”

PART THREE

Stallion’s Gate, New Mexico

Project Quantum Leap

April 23, 2004

9 PM

        Stephen Beckett looked down at the wires on the desk before him and shook his head.  He pivoted away from the table then kicked at the comic book that lay at his feet.  They hadn’t found his father in Time; he wasn’t getting anywhere with his own research; and according to what he heard about the woman his father had leaped into, she was on life support with only little hope for survival. His hands found their way back up to his face and he fell back into his beanbag and curled up on his side.  “You can’t die, dad,” he whispered, his words muffled in his hands.  “You need to come home… to mom… to me… to us.”

        Not wanting to cry, he flung his arms out as he turned onto his back and looked up at the ceiling.  “Why can’t I figure this out!!” he screamed.  Stephen’s right leg began to shake with energy that needed to be expelled then suddenly it stopped as a thought came to mind.  He tilted his head to the side as his mind reviewed over the information.  “That… could work.”  His eyes scanned the ceiling.  In his mind’s eye, he traced the wires back to their original setting, then back to where they went, squinted, and then went through the process in his mind again.

        A soft guffaw emerged from his mouth as he realized where the wires were going and why.  “Well, duh,” he muttered then sat up as he continued to review over his thought.  “If I moved that conduit and input into that relay…” he quickly got up and went to the desk.  “Ok… that can be done.”

        Stephen’s hands worked diligently as he connected wires.

        A chime rang throughout the building and Stephen looked up at the ceiling with a smile.  “Now, if Ziggy can find Dad, then I can get this accomplished.”  With a giggle under his breath, he asked himself, as he remembered something his Uncle Al had once told him.  “Well, Stephen, how do you eat an elephant? One little bite at a time.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

        “Where is he, Ziggy?” Al asked as he closed his office door and headed back toward the Control Room.

        “He’s in the year 2003, Admiral.  May 12, 2003 to be exact.”

        “Do we know who he is?” Al asked.

        “Margaret Conahey.  She’s a thirty-two year old teacher who was in an automobile accident on her way to school. Fortunately, her children, who were also in the accident, had minor cuts and scratches.”

        He tsked his tongue in response.  “How’d it happen?”

        “According to the police accident report, Mrs. Conahey was going around a curve when she hit water in the road.  She hydroplaned, went into a spin then her car collided with a tree.  Her automobile was wrapped around the tree and two tow trucks had to pry her car from it.”

        By the time that Ziggy’s report was finished, Al stood in the middle of the Control Room with a feeling of dread washing over him.  “What happened to Mrs. Conahey, Ziggy?”  Al asked.

        “Mrs. Conahey died May 15, 2003.  She slipped into a coma and passed away peacefully in her sleep,” Ziggy’s voice said very somberly.

        Al closed his eyes as he reached out to take the handlink from its stand.  Taking a deep breath, he paused then he let it out slowly.  “Did she ever wake?”

        “Yes, Admiral.  She woke, even talked to one of her students in her drugged state then on May 15^th around 10:20 in the morning, she went into a coma and died that night.”

        “Ready the Imaging Chamber, Ziggy.  I need to see how Sam’s doing.”

        “Acknowledged.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

May 12, 2003

Temple, Texas

Scott And White Hospital

11 AM

        Al stepped out of the Imaging Chamber door, his purpose set in his mind to check on his best friend.  What his eyes found shocked him and the blood drained from his face.

        The prone figure lying in the bed of a sparsely decorated room was that of Dr. Sam Beckett.  A variety of machines flanked the good doctor.  An electrocardiograph to his left, displayed his heartbeat showing a steady pulse.  To his right, a respirator pumped up and down methodically as it pushed the much-needed air into Dr. Beckett’s lungs.  IV tubing from two IV trees went to both arms – one replenishing his blood supply the other giving medications for infections and pain.

        The sight itself made Al catch his breath and he quickly pocketed the handlink.  Moving to Sam’s side, he put his right hand up to his face and rubbed at his cheek before moving his hand slightly over his mouth.  It was plain by the casts on Sam’s wrist and leg along with all the defibrillator that Sam had suffered the same fate as Margaret had.  That disturbed him more than anything else.  “Oh Sam...”

        He scanned his buddy from head to toe and shook his head.  “Ziggy, how’d you find Dr. Beckett if he’s unconscious?” he knew that it had to be possible, but how, he wasn’t sure.

        “I looked for Dr. Beckett’s neurological makeup.  I was able to obtain it earlier, but only for 15.23 seconds.  Using that data, I was able to find him again.” Her words fell silent as she saw the Admiral nodding at her statement.

        “Alright, so is he going to wake up soon?”

        “He may, but Dr. Beckett was put on heavy medication, Admiral.  I’m not sure when he might wake.”

        The sound of the door opening behind him made Al turn his head to see who was coming in the door.  A red headed young lady wearing jeans and a green shirt with the words ‘Burnet Bulldogs’ on it came in the door first, her expression of utmost concern filled her lovely face.  Behind her a gentleman walked in wearing dark slacks and a dark maroon shirt with a company logo on it, his expression matching the young lady before him.  “Melissa,” he said as he watched her walk over to Margaret’s right side.  “The other side.  Don’t mess with her right side.” His words were spoken in a hush and filled with love and care for the woman that Sam had leaped into.

        “Okay, Daddy,” she said softly as she changed her direction.          Al watched as the little girl lightly took hold of Sam’s left hand then leaned down and kissed it gently.  Tears then quickly brimmed in her eyes as she looked at Sam.  “Momma?” she asked softly, sweetly, then crumbled at the side of the bed sobbing.

        “Oh honey…” Al said softly as he watched her crumble. Before he could do anything, her father was at her side, holding her gently and caressing her long red hair gently. 

        “It’s okay, Melissa,” her father said gently.  “Momma is going to be just fine.  See… they’re doing all they can.  Okay?”   He looked down into his daughter’s eyes and searched her face, letting her know just by the look on his face that he was telling her the truth. 

        As if on cue, the respirator across from them suddenly let out a bleep and they turned to look down at their family member and heard a low guttural noise. 

        Melissa’s eyes brightened and her face showed all of her excitement through the tears.  “Momma?” she asked again and peered into her mother’s face, looking for any sign of her coming awake.

        “Sam?” Al asked just as curiously as Melissa did and he licked his lips in anticipation that his friend would finally be awake.

        Another guttural moan emerged from Sam and there was a slight lifting of an eyelid then a hand moving slightly on the soft blankets that covered the bed.

        “Melissa, go to the nurse’s station and tell them that you think that Momma might be waking up.  Okay?” 

        “Alright, Daddy.”  She shot out of the room quicker than what he wanted her to, but seeing that his wife was waking up, he didn’t blame her one bit.

        “Come on, Sam.  Wake up, buddy,” Al said as any doting parent would who was trying to get up their child for their first day of school. 

        “Margaret?” Al watched as Margaret’s husband, Matthew, stood up beside the bed, reached out and touched his wife’s face gently.  “Margaret?”

        Sam’s eyelids flickered then immediately closed again as if an invisible hand was holding them closed.  But once again, slowly, there was movement.  Another slight moan came from Sam’s throat as his eyes continued their flashing open then shut. 

        The door behind Al opened once more, this time, the doctor and a few nurses entering into the room.  Matthew moved out of the way quickly as they flanked the bed and began to read the information and looking after their patient.

        Al heard them talking to Sam and he brightened as he stood back as well.  He didn’t particularly like having someone stand in his holographic matrix, so he stepped back and put his hands in his pocket.  Hearing one of the nurse’s say, “Okay, now, you’ll have to take a deep breath in through your nose and then as you breathe out, we’ll pull out the tubing.”  She paused then, “Okay, Mrs. Conahey, breath in and ready?  Okay.”

        Hearing Sam cough from the force of the tubing coming out of windpipe made Al bring his head down as relief flooded into his system.  He heard the handlink squeal in his pocket and instead of picking it up, he left it.  He didn’t want to talk to Ziggy at the moment.  All he wanted to do right now was take a look at his friend and talk to him.

        “Margaret?” Matthew’s voice filled the room as the nurse’s parted for him.  “Oh Margaret.”  In the moment that his eyes fell onto Sam’s face, which looked up at him warily, Matthew’s brave front seemed to fade and tears of relief came into his eyes.  He picked up Sam’s hand and gently pressed his lips on Sam’s curled fingers. 

        Sam’s eyes flitted around the room, the medication that was being pumped into his system the cause for the room swaying and swirling before his eyes as if he were drunk. He looked around.  He glanced at the nurses who seemed to dance before him as well as the doctor then looked over at the man standing before him and crying.  He saw someone come into view for a brief moment, someone that he recognized, someone that he knew wanted to talk to him but the forces on his eyelids were too much.  He succumbed to the pressure and let his eyes close.  Turning his head slightly away from Matthew, he sighed slightly then relaxed, letting the medication take him away.

PART FOUR

Stallion’s Gate, New Mexico

Project Quantum Leap

April 23, 2004

10:30 PM

        Stephen Beckett couldn’t help but grin.  He was glad that he hadn’t stayed in his bed like his mom had wanted him too.  He had it figured out.  He was sure that it would work now.  All of the conduits were in place, all the relays active, every part ready for input.  It had to work.  It had to.  Right?

        “Come on, baby,” Stephen said sweetly to the quadrilateral object lying on the table.  He licked his lips and then ran his teeth along his bottom lip. 

        He gingerly reached for the button then quickly pulled it back just as quickly.  He wanted it to work so badly.  ‘What if it doesn’t work?  What then?’ a voice in his own mind anxiously asked.  “It’s gotta work,” Stephen said aloud.

        “What’s got to work, Stephen?” Ziggy’s voice queried from all around him, her voice smooth as silk.

        “This link.  It’s just gotta because…”

        “Because?”

        Stephen didn’t answer for a long moment.  “I… I’m lonely.”

        Ziggy was also quiet for a moment as she watched him looking down at the handlink that he had taken apart and put back together with a sampling of Zeus’s holographic matrix inside of it.  “Are you going to activate it?”

        Stephen bit at the inside of his cheek, took a deep breath then reached his hand out toward the large handlink.  He placed his fingertips on top of the button then closed his eyes.  Then, he pressed it.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

May 12, 2003

Temple, Texas

Scott And White Hospital

4 PM

Al wasn’t sure how long he’d been waiting for Sam to regain consciousness again, but he didn’t want to leave his best friend behind with no one from his own time around to reassure him when he opened those peepers yet again.  He had just stood up from the chair that had been brought into the Imaging Chamber and had pulled over toward the bed to begin to pace when he heard another guttural response from the bed.

“Sam?” Al called his name as he went toward the bed.  Since he was a hologram, he knew that he couldn’t touch him, but thank goodness, he had his voice.  “Come on, Sam.  Wake up.  We need to talk, buddy.”

Sam’s head moved slowly on the pillow and he frowned as he started to bring his hand up toward his head.  His hand actually made it to his head where he gingerly touched his scalp, but his frown deepened before he ever so slightly opened his eyes.

“That’s it, Sammy-boy.  Open those eyes so that we can talk.”

“Aaall?” Sam’s voice drawled out hoarsely.  “Is… t-that… you?”

        “Yeah, buddy, it’s me,” Al said glad that his friend was back with him. 

        “I… I don’t feel…”

        “I know buddy. You leaped in just as the leapee, Margaret Conahey was in a car accident,” Al told his friend carefully.  “You were hurt pretty bad, but you’re going to be okay, now, Sam.  Just hang in there.”

        “But how… am I… going to…” Sam began struggling with the words as they crossed his lips.

        “Going to do what?  Fix things?  You want to know why you are here?” Al asked and felt even more assured that his friend was going to be okay when he saw Sam nod his head as his eyes closed then reopened. Al licked at his lips.  How was he going to tell his friend that he had to just survive for the next three days and that would be enough?  Knowing that scuttling around the issue wasn’t going to do any good with Sam, he answered, “You just need to hang on, Sam.  That’s it.  According to history, Ziggy told me that Margaret Conahey dies in two days.” 

        Sam frowned, slid his hand up his chest and put it to his head.  “Two? You said… ohhhhh… I hurt… Aal.”

        “I know, Sam.  Just… hang in there, okay?”

        “I’m… tired,” Sam said, as he gingerly rubbed at his head then flinched and moaned when his hand hit a sensitive spot that had been stapled back in place.

        “Don’t do that, Sam.  Put your hand down… and just relax.  Sleep.  Okay?  I’ve got to go back and check on Margaret.  See how she’s doing.  Just… relax.”

        Sam slid his hand back down to the bed and did as Al said.  He took in a deep breath and did his best to relax but it was most difficult when your head felt like a pincushion.  “How bad?”

        Al frowned.  “How bad? What?”

        “Hurt…” 

        Al didn’t have to pick up the handlink to tell his partner.  “Your head was cracked open like an eggshell – a long slit across the back.  They stapled it back.  They also put a cast on your right wrist along with stitches from your wrist up to your elbow.  You have bruising up and down the right side of your body.  Margaret must have bitten down when it happened; there was a hole below your lip that they fixed up pretty good, too.  Your right leg was mangled up pretty bad, but it’ll be okay.  The doctors had to set it, then realized that it wasn’t set right and had to re-break it earlier.  Probably why you are in a lot of pain, but don’t worry, Sam.  You’re going to be just fine.  Okay?”

        “And… Margaret?  How’s…”

        “She’s okay, Sam.  Beth is taking care of her as we speak and you know how good she is with patients in her care.”

        Sam nodded slightly and once more fought his eyes in closing on their own.  “Aal,” he slurred as he half-looked toward his friend.  “Go… check on… her.  I’m… not…” Sam’s eyes closed then reopened a couple of seconds later.  “… going… anywhere.”

        Al grinned back at his friend and shook his head vaguely.  “Alright, Sam.  I’ll be back in a bit, okay?”

        “’kay,” Sam said then relinquished to the sleepy feeling that was overwhelming him.

        Al watched his friend as he dropped off to sleep again. There were still two days before Margaret died in her sleep.  That was plenty of time for Sam to rest and feel a little better so he could deal with the rest of the facts and whatever it was he had to do to leap.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Stallion’s Gate, New Mexico

Project Quantum Leap

April 23, 2004

10:32 PM

        Stephen didn’t know how long he had actually stood there with his eyes squeezed tightly shut.  He didn’t want to open his eyes for fear that he’d find that all his hard work hadn’t paid off.  He screwed his mouth from side to side and then let one of his eyes open slightly.  With just that one peek, his eyes immediately opened and he couldn’t help the awed grin that spread out across his face.  Stephen couldn’t believe his eyes.

       “Dante.”

        Stephen nodded his head approvingly.  “How old are you?”

        Dante replied, “Don’t you know?  You created me.”

        Stephen grinned then answered back, “I know how old you are, but how do I know that you know how old you are?”

        “That would depend on which way you’d want me to answer.  The photo says that I’m nine years old, like you and I sound like this… or I’m five minutes old.  If I’m five minutes old, then shouldn’t I be in a diaper and crying?” he said grinning.

        Stephen responded with a grin of his own; a feeling of pride at what he had accomplished welling up in the form of laughter that filled the small room and spilled out into the hall.

Stallion’s Gate, New Mexico

Project Quantum Leap

April 24, 2004

2:15 AM

        From the moment that Al left the Imaging Chamber a little less than fifteen minutes ago, he ambled his way back toward the Infirmary, his goal to check up on Margaret Conahey.  He was sure that his wife would have some information for him.   If she had given a report to the rest of the senior staff, he hadn’t been filled in yet. 

        Entering the infirmary, he looked at the bed that was now filled.  In Al’s eyes, he saw both Sam’s aura and Margaret Conahey and once more, Al felt bombarded by his friend’s health.  Moving toward the bed, his eyes warmed as Beth came from the side of the infirmary, a concerned expression on her face.

        “How is she?” Al asked cautiously as he noticed the concern etching his wife’s face.  He knew that look. He didn’t like it.

        “Not as well as I’d like to see, Al,” came her response.

        Al frowned at his wife’s words.  “What is it?”

        “With any head trauma there are risks,” she said as she grabbed his arm and led him back toward the outer office area.  She motioned to another nurse, who nodded and went to the bed to pull up a chair.

        Al looked back at the person lying in the bed and motioned to the leapee.  “Risks?  Don’t hide behind it, Beth.  What’s going on?”

        “She and Sam have had severe head trauma.  I’m just concerned.  Often with automobile accidents, with head trauma, sometimes the brain swells, usually with blood.  If that occurs, I’ll have to put a shunt in to help relief some of the pressure.  Otherwise…”

        “Otherwise?” Al prompted.

        “Otherwise the brain would swell, causing her to go into a coma then, she’d die.”

        Al ran his hand through his hair and shook his head.

        “I’m not going to let that happen, Al.”

        “I know, Beth,” Al said before he pulled her into his embrace.  He knew that she needed the hug just as much as he did.

        Beth appreciated the hug more than he knew.  But when she pushed back away from him, she searched his face genuinely showing him just how much she cared.

        “I hope that they are watching Sam like I’m watching Margaret, here.  I’m worried.  Because of the trauma they’ve suffered, they could start building fluid or even seeping blood into the brain.  If Sam should happen to leap out, that’s great for him.  You know how he seems to heal faster when he’s leaped… but I don’t know how it could affect Margaret.”  She glanced back over her patient and shook her head.  “If swelling should start, Al, I’m going to put a shunt in.  I just hope that it doesn’t affect either of them in the wrong way.”  She lightly tapped him on his arm and gave him a somewhat grim look.  “I’ll keep you updated.”

PART FIVE

May 13, 2003

Temple, Texas

Scott And White Hospital

10 AM

The chunk-zoom of the Imaging Chamber door opening was enough to make Sam moan as he woke. He wasn’t sure if something had summoned him to wake or not, but he knew that he had to wake.  Opening his eyes, he was more than surprised when he saw a young man with dark brown hair, blue eyes with a well-built physique standing before him, his black cowboy hat held respectfully in his hands before him.  As the kid’s gentle eyes found Sam’s, he smiled, showing exactly how old he actually was.

“Mrs. Conahey, I’m so glad you’re awake,” his tenor voice ringing out soothingly, thankfully and so very charming.

“Cody,” the name slipped from Sam’s mouth so gently and coolly that he knew that it was the right one.  “Thank you for coming.”  It was then that Sam frowned and reached up with his left hand and touched his head gingerly.  “Shouldn’t… shouldn’t you be in school?”

“Yeah, kid… he needs to be resting.”

“I… got permission to come and see you, Mrs. Conahey.  As soon as they said that you could have visitors, I wanted to be one of them.  I’m just glad that you’re still here.  I don’t know if we could have handled another teacher passing away; especially one who means so much to us.”

“You’re too sweet, Cody,” Sam said once again then felt his head starting to beat with the thump thump of his heart along with it.  He knew that it had to be Margaret beaming through to the kid standing at the end of the bed.  “Thank you.”

Cody grinned, blushed a little and looked down at the hat he had in his hands.  He looked a bit awkward at what to say next, but behind the blushing, Sam could tell that Margaret Conahey had done more than just teach this child.  She had touched his heart.  He admired her for that.

“Cody… Cody…” Al frowned as he looked down at the handlink and began to do a search.  “Oh… Cody Jennings.  Seventeen year old who is in Special Education Reading with Mrs. Conahey.  He’s a really good kid, but he’s kinda dependent on others,” Al revealed to his friend lying on the bed.

        Cody fingered the black velvet hat carefully then looked up and met Sam’s eyes.  He licked his lips and smiled at her considerately.  He nodded his head at his own thought then approached Sam tentatively on his left side.  “Mrs. Conahey, you rest up and get better.  Okay?  Murl, Stutter Box and I need you back in class.  We need to finish that book before finals, remember?”

        Sam had no idea what Cody was talking about but he nodded all the same.  “I remember,” Sam said with a hint of emotion in his voice as he could feel tears springing up from the kid’s thoughtfulness that Margaret had felt and also from the extreme headache that he was having.

        Cody smiled at him then before he lost the nerve, he leaned down and cautiously placed a quick peck on Sam’s cheek.  “I…uh… brought a card from the class.”  Cody revealed a card from behind his hat and placed it down at Sam’s hand.  “Come back to school soon.”  Seeing the tears that had welled up in Margaret Conahey’s eyes, Cody tilted his head crestfallen at the thought of making her cry.  “Don’t cry.  I’ll tell the guys that you said that you’d kick our butts into next Tuesday if we didn’t start studying for finals.  Okay?”

        “Everything on this front looks okay.  So Sam… you rest, I’ll be back.  I’m going to check on Margaret, okay?”

        Sam’s eyes closed slightly and he felt as if he couldn’t open them once again.  They were so heavy.  In an attempt to answer both at the same time, he murmured, “Okay,” as he felt consciousness fade away.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Stallion’s Gate, New Mexico

Project Quantum Leap

April 25, 2004

9:00 PM

        “Margaret?  How do you feel?” Beth asked the leapee as she opened her eyes and glanced over her way sluggishly.

        “Train… hit me…” she said quietly then smiled. 

        “Just about,” Beth said gently.  “What do you remember from the accident?”

        “Rain… kids… green… black,” Margaret said lethargically.

        Beth nodded at her words understanding most of it except, “Green?”

        “Trees spinning around…”

        Once again, Beth nodded.  “Listen, Margaret, how does your head feel?”

        “Hurts like hell…” seeing the look that sprung up on the doctor’s face, Margaret held up her left hand to ward off the words.  “Sorry…”

        “Don’t be.  You have every right to tell me what it feels like.  I’m the physician… you just be the good patient and get better.”

        “Have… I… have a head…ache; bad headache.”

        “Okay, Margaret.  I’ll get you some more medicine and I’ll tell your family that they’ll be able to see you really soon, okay?”  Beth lied.  She hated lying to her patients.  It didn’t seem morally and ethically right, never mind godly to tell the patient that there was a definite possibility that she’d die.

        As Beth went toward the cabinet to get more morphine… one more round then that’s it, she promised herself.  She didn’t want to give Margaret Conahey more problems.  She had just filled up the correct dosage on a syringe when Al showed up once again.  “So, Dr. Calavicci, you’re back,” Beth called out to him sweetly as he walked in from the hallway.

        Margaret’s eyes opened at the sound of the doctor in the room and smiled at the man standing there.  He was wearing bright red pants, a black shirt and a red sports coat with a black talisman around his neck and black leather shoes that made him look rather sharp.  Margaret was more than a bit surprised to see an unlit cigar in his hand that he pocketed a moment after he spoke to the brunette.

        “That’s right.  Ever the hero,” he said with a quirk.  “How’s the patient?” he asked as he started toward the bed.

        “She’s…”

        “I’m okay,” Margaret said softly, “… considering.  I feel…” Margaret closed her eyes and brought her hand up toward her head then flinched at even the pressure.  “My head… hurts… bad.”

        Al looked at Beth as she returned to Margaret’s side and injected the morphine into Margaret’s IV.  “There you go, sweetie.  Just a little.” 

        Even as the morphine began to take effect on Margaret’s system, taking on the warm, calming effect that took off the edge of the pain, Margaret looked over to the man in red.

        “Hi, Margaret,” he said softly, the twinkle in his eyes and the way that his lips were twitching a bit made her smile back at him.  He looked into her drug-sleepy eyes, seeing past the little wince of pain.  “I just wanted to stop by and see how you’re doing.”  Al’s smile widened, as he watched her eyes blink slowly at him as if trying to get his face into focus.

        “Yaknow, a...nother shot of… whatever she… gave me and… I’ll feel as … hot as you look… doc.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

        Al hastily made his way back toward the Imaging Chamber to go see Sam.  Hearing that another woman thought that he looked hot had made his day, but when Beth cornered him out in the hallway about Margaret’s prognosis, his spunk slowly began to die.  Beth informed him that she’d give it another hour before she would insert a shunt into Margaret’s brain to relieve the pressure building there.  “That’s why she’s been complaining of a headache.  It’s not just the staples; although they can be bothersome and hurt like hell,” Beth informed him.  “But I won’t wait any longer than that.”

        “Ziggy, fire up the Imaging Chamber.  I need to talk to Sam now.”

        “Acknowledged,” she purred back then proceeded to fire up the Imaging Chamber.  Once it was online, she gave the tones signaling so and went silent once again.

        Al entered into the already formed scene of the ICU Unit and was more than ready to talk to Sam about what he felt the doctors were doing for Margaret.  He wanted to know if it was enough for her to survive.  But what Al saw in the bed made his complexion lose color.

        Tears were streaming down Sam’s face as he had his hands up to the sides of his head.  He was slightly rocking back and forth in an effort to calm himself.

        “Sam?” Al asked softly, apprehensively.

        “Ohhh, Al… this… hurts,” he said as he laid his head back on the pillow then gasped when he felt one of the staples press against his scalp. 

        “Sam… I need to ask you a few questions.  I know that you’re in pain, but… do you know if the doctors here are thinking about putting a shunt in to relieve pressure off of the brain?”

        Sam shot Al a frightened look then closed his eyes and heard the beep that indicated that another inoculation of pain medication was administered into the IV.  Sam thankfully glanced up at the IV stand and looked back at Al before he shook his head.  He then succumbed to the medication and thankfully closed his eyes and let the medication take him back into the land of milk and honey.

        Al couldn’t believe what he was seeing.  A patient in need of medical services and there was no help available.  That couldn’t be right.  Didn’t all patients need to be taken care of?  Al angrily pocketed the handlink and shook his head.  “No,” he said softly and began to step off his four step pace.  “No.  You can’t do this to him,” Al said plainly to the thin air that was around him.  “You can’t have leaped him into this place at the worst possible time and then just let him die.  You can’t!” Al said plainly as he stopped and looked up at the ceiling.  “After all he’s done for you... You can’t let him die!  He’s the best thing to an angel that you’re ever gonna get!  Don’t you dare let him die!”

Stallion’s Gate, New Mexico

Project Quantum Leap

April 25, 2004

9:00 PM

        Stephen Beckett made his way back to his hideaway and sat down with his pajamas on as he looked down at the large handlink that he had specifically made for his Uncle Al.  He had noticed how Uncle Al had been squinting to read the handlink and he knew that he wasn’t getting any younger, so, something had to change.  He leaned into the desk and pulled out the handlink that he had mastered last night and proudly punched the button to restart the program.

        Dante immediately came back online and glanced over the circuitry that was lying on the cabinet and quirked, “Hmmm.  That for me?”

        “No, it’s not.  It’s for Uncle Al, but it is basically the same concept that you are built on.  It’s just through Ziggy’s processors.  And that’s why it’s so hard to work with.”

        “Hard?  It’s got to be easy.  You’re only making it hard,” Dante answered back.

        “No, I’m not. I’ve tried for the past month to get the conduit runners together.  They don’t want to fit and they don’t want to be bonded either.  I don’t know what to do.  Nothing makes sense,” Stephen said more than a little upset.

        “What are you putting together?” Dante asked as he came around to look at the machinery sitting there.

        Stephen gasped.  “I just told you.  The conduits.  They won’t fit.  They won’t bond.  Dang it… why won’t it work?”  He sighed.  “Can you think of what I can do to make them stay in place?”

        “Ever try bubblegum?” Dante asked flippantly.

        Stephen slid his eyes then turned his head to look at Dante with an awed expression on his face. 

Dante grinned and shrugged.  “You asked.”

PART SIX

May 13, 2003

Temple, Texas

Scott And White Hospital

9:45 PM

        Al had paced back and forth listlessly for the last forty-five minutes worrying about this leap.  He was more than upset.  He had less than fifteen minutes before Beth was going to put a shunt into Margaret’s brain… fifteen minutes and in the last forty-five minutes not a single nurse had come in to check on Sam. 

        “Admiral?”

        “Yeah, Ziggy?” he said as he looked up at the ceiling.

        “Unless something is done, Dr. Beckett is going to die.”

        “No no no,” Al whispered with a shake of his head. 

        “Yes, Admiral.  There is swelling and it’s only getting worse.  Unless it’s taken care of, Margaret Conahey and Dr. Beckett are going to die.  According to history, when Margaret dies her children are lost without her and resent her for not being there for them and the students that she teaches at school, several of them who she had been working so diligently with go down a road less traveled.”

        Al placed his hands on his head and turned in a circle then looked back to his pal lying on the bed.  “Come on, Sam.  You gotta do something.  You gotta wake up and let these nozzles know that you need some help.”

        “There’s a eighty-seven percent chance that if Dr. Beckett doesn’t leap within the next eight point forty-seven minutes that Margaret Conahey will die.  The entire leap will be a loss, Admiral, and the original history will play out.  If Dr. Beckett doesn’t leap, he will meet the same fate; however, Margaret will survive thanks to Beth’s expertise.”

        Ziggy was quiet for a moment before she added, “Because of the lack of influence in his life that Margaret Conahey gave him, Cody Jennings, one of her best students ends up altering his own life for the worse.  He’s now in the State Penitentiary for murder.”

        “No…” Al took a few steps toward the middle of the room then dropped his head trying to think of something that he could do.  He turned back to the bed and said,  “Come on, Sam.  Open your eyes.  Open your eyes and do something.  Do something!”

        “One minute, Admiral.”

        “Sam!” Al called out to him and took a few steps toward the bed just in time to see the electric blue illumination come over Sam’s body.  Al ran his hand over his face and shook his head as the electric hue continued and then whisked his partner away.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

        The blue white lightning of the leap engulfed Dr. Sam Beckett as he felt himself being whisked away to the mesmerizing blue void, and he immediately fell into a new host.  He had just finished taking a step then stopped and glanced around his new surroundings.  He was standing in a white hallway and a nurse passed him by.  He ran his hand through his hair before he glanced toward a door that was to the right of him.  He was more than surprised to see Al standing in the room looking at the woman lying in the bed. Sam immediately opened the door and stepped inside, “Al.”

        Al turned and immediately looked relieved.  “Oh, Sam.  I’m glad that you leaped out of her,” he motioned her back to the woman lying in the bed.  “But… you got to still help her, Sam.  She still needs your help.”

        Sam frowned.  The memory of his last leap was quickly fading away from him, what little he could remember.  He approached the woman and looked down at her.  “Fill me in, Al.” 

        As Al began to tell Sam about what had happened to Margaret Conahey, Sam began to assess her injuries.  He was so engrossed in his duties that he didn’t even realize that a nurse had walked into the room, asking him questions.

        “Dr. Mahoney, didn’t you hear me?” the brunette asked as she finally stepped up to him and grabbed his arm to get his attention.

        Sam’s attention finally focused on the woman beside him.  “What?”

        “This is Dr. Parker’s patient,” the woman explained once again.  “She’ll be fine.”

        “No, she won’t, Sam.  She’s going to die,” Al said plainly.

        “Has Dr. Parker looked in on her lately?  Has he actually laid a finger on her at all?”  Seeing the look on the nurse’s face, that said it all, Sam looked back at Margaret then licked his lips.  “Alright, listen to me, I want an MRI on this patient immediately.  And if it’s not done, your job is on the line, especially if this woman dies.”

        Those few words spoken, made the nurse move into gear.  She immediately went to the phone, picked it up and began to order all the necessary arrangements. 

        Al watched carefully then looked down at the handlink as the nurse hung up the phone.  “That’s it, Sam.  The MRI shows that there was bleeding into the brain and some bruising by being severely jostled during the auto accident.  That was enough for Dr. Mahoney to order a shunt to be placed in Margaret’s brain to release the fluid.  She’s alive and all because of you, partner.”  Al was quiet for a moment as the information flowed through the handlink.  “You know, Sam, it’s amazing what one person can do.”

        “How so, Al?” Sam asked as he reached down and gently moved a clump of hair from Margaret’s forehead.

        “Margaret went beyond the call not only in her personal life, but also in her professional life as a teacher.  She plays a pivotal role in numerous lives and encourages all the people she touches.  Do you remember Cody, Sam?”

        “Cody?” Sam asked inquisitively as he looked up at Al.

        “Yeah, Cody.  The teenager that came to see you… Margaret when she was still in and out of consciousness?  Cody Jennings?” 

        “No.”

        “Do you remember her family coming by?”

        “No.”

        “Well, let me tell you something, Sam.  This woman does more than just teach.  She made a promise.”

        “What’d she promise?” Sam asked as he looked down at her once more.

        “Her family was going to move to another town and she had been talking to the kids in the car about change.  She had told them that changes will come and go and nothing ever stays the same except how you feel about yourself.  That if you have a good self image that it doesn’t matter what happens around you as long as you believe in yourself.  She then promised the kids that she’d always be there for them then… she smacked into that tree.  I can see why her own kids were resentful.  She reneged on a promise.  As for the kids at school that she teaches, she made the same promise to them. Cody Jennings relied on her an awful lot.  She helped him have a better self-image about himself, and then she died.  It destroyed him.  But now, he decided that he liked how he felt about himself and decided that it was important to spread that feeling around. He’s in college now, going for his teaching certificate.”
        “That’s great, Al.”

        “Well, get ready to leap.”

        Sam smiled as he felt the familiar tingle and pull begin to ebb around him. 

        A low guttural moan caught Sam’s attention and he turned to see Margaret open her eyes then once more close them.  “Get well, Margaret,” he whispered then smiled as a small smile appeared on her face.

        “Thank… you…” she murmured softly her eyes still closed.

        Sam gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before the felt the pull of the leap whisk him away.

EPILOGUE

         Stephen couldn't wait for his father's best friend to arrive. He'd kept this secret long enough and now he felt it was the right time to reveal it to the one person that he knew could give approval to the result of his long hours of toil. Time to reveal what he'd spent most of his waking hours working on, furthering, developing and perfecting.
         The Admiral entered Sam's lab just as Stephen had finished tightening the final screw.
         "Whatcha doin' there kiddo?" Al asked when he saw Stephen sitting at the workbench. Stephen had his back to him and didn't turn even to answer his question.
         "Just something I've been tinkering with for the past couple of months," Stephen said drearily, hoping to keep his own excitement and enthusiasm out of his voice.
         "Ha, ha," Al laughed as he neared the young boy. "So what is it, some new toy?"
         "Nope… I've had the idea for quite some time, over a year now," the eight year-old said and sensing Al's closeness, he covered his 'secret' over with both hands.
         Seeing the boy's secretiveness, Al quizzed him further, "Well, if ya don't want me to take a look, why did you ask me to come down here?" He stopped in his tracks, knowing full well that the boy wanted to share but at the same time being too embarrassed to do so. 'You're too much like your father for your own good,' Al thought to himself and then added, "You know I'm busy. Your dad could leap again at any minute, so, if you're not gonna show me then…" Al turned to leave, knowing that if the kid thought he was about to leave, it might bring him round.
         "No! Don't go!" the boy turned abruptly. "I want you to see, I really do, but you might think it silly."
         "Silly!" Al conjectured, giving a sly glance towards Stephen. "Nothing you could ever do would be considered silly, Stephen. What makes you think that?"
         "Because it's different," Stephen returned somberly as he slowly lifted his hands exposing the object beneath them. "Look."
         Al stepped in closer and wasn't in the least bit surprised at what he was seeing. "What's so different about this?" he asked. "You've built one of these before."
         Stephen looked at Al despondently but at the same time excited to disclose its secrets, "This one's biomolecular… and this here displays a holographic matrix… well it will… when I've downloaded the biogenetic code.  It's not finished yet."
         Al looked at Stephen with more than a perplexed stance.  He was totally stunned. "And what will this holographic matrix display?"
         "Ziggy," the boy's reply had Al even more confused. "You and dad will be able to communicate directly with Ziggy.  It'll save time.  You won't have to translate everything to dad, he'll see and hear it at the exact time that you do Uncle Al."
         The Admiral stood blinking. 'Definitely his father's son, he's already confused the hell outta me. Out brained by an eight year-old, but an exceptional eight year-old. Only one person has left me feeling so mediocre before and that was Sam. He could baffle the hell outta me with two words and his son has me baffled already with only one. A holographic image of Ziggy, displayed from this handlink, is this possible?'
         "But will it work?" Al deliberated.
         "Only one way to find out," Stephen divulged.
         "Now where have I heard that before?" Al stated, more as fact than as a question.
         Stephen giggled.
         "Oh Boy!" Al sighed.

 Back to Top