Perchance to Dream by Etain Antrim

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Perchance to Dream, Part 9
Etain Antrim

Julia was sitting quietly beside Alonzo, watching him sleep. She had caught a good nap, and was refreshed by an uninterrupted 5 hours of sleep. Danziger and Bess had worked over Alonzo, massaging his arms and legs and back, which had probably helped his body remove the toxins. He was now undressed under his blankets, the sweat-soaked clothes removed, and clean underclothes put on in it's place. Only the hand with the IV attached was outside the blankets, and it too clearly showed just how much flesh the pilot had lost. His well developed muscles had dwindled away until his arm looked almost skeletal. It would take quite a while before he would be able to regain all the muscle he had lost.

Julia's meditation was interrupted when Alonzo's eyes fluttered, then opened. He looked around, confused by the strange surroundings, until his eyes finally focused on her face.

"Julia?" he asked weakly.

"I'm here, 'Lonzo. Just relax, you've been very sick." She put her hand gently on his cheek, and leaned over so he could see her better.

"Where? What?" he huskily asked.

"We're in the Terrian caves. You came here to learn to dream better. Do you remember that?"

He nodded his head weakly, looking less confused.

"Does it hurt?"

He nodded again, his eyes fixed on her face.

"Where does it hurt?"

"Everywhere."

"I'll give you a pain block. Would you like some water?" Julia offered.

Alonzo frowned, wrinkling his brow as he evaluated his thirst, then nodded 'yes'.

Julia eased his head up carefully and held the cup to his lips. After a couple of sips, he looked at her and sighed. "Are you finished?"

He nodded, and closed his eyes as she lowered his head back onto the pillow. She turned and rooted in her bags, then administered the pain block. "Does your head hurt? Are you dizzy?"

He nodded "yes", then reopened his eyes. "How long?" he asked hoarsely.

"How long have you been sick?", and at his nod, she finished, "Four days, at least. But when I got here, you had been sick for some time already. But," she leaned over him again and put her hand on his chest, "you're going to be fine. We'll move you back to camp when you're strong enough. I'm sure you'll be more comfortable in your own bed."

He smiled weakly up at her, his eyelids drifted down and he was asleep again, but a faint smile still lingered on his lips. Julia bent down and kissed him gently, then arranged his blankets, and sat back, relieved. *He would be all right.*

***

Two days later, Alonzo was lying on his pallet, sleeping. He had opened his eyes several times since he had left the dreamplane, each time for longer than the previous time, but he was still very weak. The muscle cramping that was a legacy of his time in the Terrian bed was still troubling him, but was receding. Julia believed that it would be completely gone within a few days.

Julia and Danziger were sitting with the pilot and keeping each other company. Bess and Morgan had returned to the camp shortly after the pilot had revived, and John had taken Devon and Uly back that very morning. Julia estimated that Alonzo would be strong enough to travel in the next couple of days, and she and John were trying to figure out the logistics when Alonzo's eyes slowly opened.

Alonzo noted the presence of his two friends and smiled over at them. "Hey, you two again?"

Danziger leaned over and put his hand affectionately on the sick man's shoulder. "Sorry, 'Lonz. We're all you've got now that everyone else is back in camp. If you want new faces, you better concentrate on getting well, so we can take you back to camp too." The big mechanic smiled down at the pilot.

Julia leaned toward Alonzo, "How are you feeling? Any muscular pain? Are those muscle relaxers doing the job?"

Alonzo gave his trademark grin, although his voice was still weak. "Well . . . , they're no where as good as a massage from you, but yeah, they're doing the job.

"Well, we might be able to fit in a massage later, but, in the meantime, are you thirsty?" Julia's face was serious, but there was a twinkle in her eyes.

Before Alonzo could answer, a group of four Terrians appeared at the entrance to the cavern. One of them started into the room and walked over to where Alonzo was lying. As the Terrian moved to put his's hand over Alonzo's eyes, Danziger reached forward protectively.

"Hey, wait a second there, buddy. He's too sick to deal with you now."

Alonzo quietly moved his friend's arm out of the way. "It's all right, John. I'm feeling stronger, and they have something they need to say." He lay passively as the Terrian put his big hand over his eyes, moving him onto the dreamplane.

Alonzo found himself and the four Terrians in the same caves they were physically in, but now they were obviously on the dreamplane. Oddly, being on the dreamplane was immediately exhausting; Alonzo almost reeled from his fatigue. "What do you need to tell me?"

Alonzo could see himself, lying ill in the Terrian bed while Julia frantically worked on him. The scene shifted then to a re-enactment of his first cold sleep, but this time he could see Uly and Danziger watching him.

"What are you telling me, that I dreamed on the 'plane while I was sick, and that other people got swept into it?"

The Terrian who had approached him inclined his head.

"Who saw these? Just the people here in the caves?" Alonzo suddenly saw the group at camp, huddled around a fire and obviously sleep deprived. "Them too? Did everyone see them?"

Another nod.

Alonzo could feel his heart rate and his breathing increase. *This was not good.*

Next, the Terrians showed him themselves, also seeing the dreams. He watched as they tried to send a message to Uly, but were unable to break through his dream.

"And you couldn't use the 'plane, because I was controlling it?"

Another nod.

Now the spokesman Terrian walked up to Alonzo, and he could feel pure, human emotion when the Terrian put his hand on his forehead. There was anger and despair and love, all wrapped in one improbable and obviously genuine burst of feeling.

"And you could feel all the emotions, and you didn't like that." The Terrians didn't even have to nod, Alonzo knew that it was true, could feel it clearly. This was foreign and unpleasant for the Terrians, and they had been forced to endure it for days. Alonzo looked around him at the four impassive faces that looked back at him. "I'm so sorry. I didn't do it on purpose. I didn't even know that what I was doing."

And suddenly he felt absolved. They did not blame, but it was important that he be aware of the effect he had on the humans and Terrians around him.

Alonzo woke to find himself on his pallet in the small room that was his. Julia and John were hovering over him, frantic. Julia's diaglove was resting on his neck. They both sighed in relief and relaxed back so that they weren't leaning directly over him after his eyes opened. The Terrians were gone.

"'Lonzo, are you okay? Your vital signs went downhill pretty quickly when they pulled you into the dreamplane. You aren't strong enough yet . . ." Julia stopped when she saw Alonzo's stricken expression. "What did they do to you? What did they tell you?"

Alonzo looked directly at his friends. "Why didn't you tell me? Did you think I wouldn't find out?"

"Find out what? Damn it, what did those diggers tell you?" Danziger's hands had started to curl into fists. *How dare those creatures molest Alonzo when he was still so sick!*

"They told me that when I was sick and dreaming, everyone saw my dreams, and that people are upset about it. They also told me that they weren't able to use the dreamplane, and that they found the emotions unpleasant." Alonzo lay back and closed his eyes, a frown etched in his forehead. "They said that they forgive me, but that some of the people in camp can't."

"'Lonzo, they told you all this now? John and I were hoping to give you some time to recover before we told you. You are still so weak . . . We were afraid you'd take it just like you have." Julia leaned down and put her hands on both his shoulders, "Listen to me, you didn't do it on purpose, you didn't even know what you were doing. You should not let this upset you."

Alonzo opened his eyes and looked up at her. Sounding weaker than he had in a while, he said, "Would you mind leaving me alone? I need to think about this for awhile."

Danziger reached down and put his hand on his friend's arm, "Sure. But don't put too much importance on your effect on others. Remember, we all affect those we live with every day. Your being sick just falls into that." He stood up and held his hand out to Julia, but she indicated that she wanted to talk to Alonzo first. He shrugged and walked out.

"'Lonzo, spend as much time on this as you need to before we get back to camp. But, I'm not taking that IV out until you are drinking and eating enough to maintain yourself. And we aren't going back to camp until that IV is out, so just know that." She softened and leaned down to kiss him. "And all those dreams did was confirm that I love you more than I ever could ever have expected to love anyone. Your kindness and decency shone through always. Can I check on you in, say, half an hour?"

"Sure. And thanks Julia. I just need some time to think all this through. I don't even remember the dreams, except . . . Oh god, Julia! I dreamed about us!" If possible, Alonzo had lost even more color in his face.

"I know, and we'll just deal with it. Don't you worry about that." She kissed him again, then stood up, saying "My only concern is to get you well," and walked out.

Alonzo lay alone in the room, his headache intensifying, as he began to imagine what his group had seen.

End of Chapter 9.

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