The Time Traveler's Wife - The Other Side

The Time Traveler's Wife

March 2020

A couple weeks before Carmilla's birthday, Laura had complained about some chest pain, and this time they took her to LaFontaine's lab. This made it easier to run tests and keep an eye on her condition. She had her own private room here, and there were no "visitors hours," so Carmilla had just been staying with her all day and night. Laura's friends and father were dropping off things they needed, with Mattie under orders to take Carmilla out for a meal or to hang out for a bit once every other day.

The group also took turns going to the house to pick up new books off the shelf for Carmilla and Laura to read together to pass the time.

Although in pain and weak, Laura's spirits remained high and bright.

~*~

April 2020

Laura planned a celebration for Carmilla's birthday in the lab lobby, complete with decorations and a nurse dressed as a DJ playing the finest classic rock that Spotify could offer.

She had to go to bed early because she's overexerted herself, but insisted Carmilla stay-- a request Carmilla promptly ignored, and they spent the rest of the evening curled up at each other's side on the bed.

Laura woke up to find an empty bed, save for Carmilla's clothes.

She didn't take her treatment yesterday, Laura realizes.

"Good morning, honey," Sherman greets warmly as he walks in. He frowns when he sees Carmilla's clothes. "How are you feeling?"

"Great! Slept well." Laura slowly tries to push herself up. "I think I slept too well-- my leg and arm feel all funky."

"Ah, the tinglies," Sherman says, putting down a tray of coffee. He takes one cup out and hands it to Laura before going to pull up a chair.

Laura accidentally drops the cup and frowns as the hot liquid puddles. "I'm a mess."

"You're my mess, sweetie," Sherman says, already getting a rag to wipe up the spill.

"Yurrth biss dud erver."

Sherman looks at Laura and both of their eyes widen.

That's the last coherent thing Laura remembers before losing consciousness.

The next thing she knows, she's hooked up to machines and tubes, and all her friends are gathered around her, looking scared and concerned.

But no Carmilla.

Suddenly, all her fears about leaving Carmilla alone, without even giving Carmilla a chance to say goodbye, come rushing back.

"Welcome back, Hollis," Danny says, her voice cracking in emotion.

Everyone looks at her, not a hint of happiness or positivity.

"Laur, it's... not looking good," LaFontaine starts delicately.

"Your heart isn't strong enough to..." Mattie clears her throat. "The science one had an idea."

Laura isn't able to speak so she simply looks over to LaFontaine expectantly.

"So with all the tests on Carm and studying the results, I surmised that the duration of her trips for us non-time travelers is affected by her heart. Which is why a lot of your check-ups were similar to her tests. Her heart rate before and after travel affect how long she's gone for the rest of us." They shrug. "I still have no idea how to control when she leaves us or when she travels to, but..."

LaF's eyes light up.

"Anyway, during these past couple years, I realized that the gene for you inheriting a predisposition to RHD from your mom was a lot like an abnormal gene I've seen in Carm and her dad's DNA. I saw production of TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma which led me to conclude that the Th-1 type cytokines--"