Back In time

Thirty-Seven

"Ab...Av...Ava..."

Who is there?

In an attempt to follow the voice, I began rousing from my unconsciousness.

"Please wake up!"

Immediately, my eyes flew wide open as I searched for that voice. I peered over to the person who sat by my side. Though she was crouched by the bed with her hand grasped tightly onto mine, I quickly recognized that it was truly her.

"Mom." I called out. Instantly, her head tilted to me, revealing her bloodshot eyes and darkened bags that loudly screamed 'tired'.

"Av?" I turned to the other source of sound, and there stood Alice, with tears readily overflowing down those cheeks. Gingerly, I pushed myself up with my Mom supporting my back and Alice propping up the pillows before I leaned backwards.

"What happened?" I asked, wanting to know what was going on the entire time while I was away.

Why was I in the hospital bed? Why was my mother crying?

My mom looked at me with her tear-stained face. "We don't know. I was going to wake you up for school that morning, but no matter how hard I tried, you just didn't open your eyes. The doctors weren't able to explain it either as all the scans came out to be normal, saying that it was a strange phenomenon. It was as if your conscious wasn't here."

"How long was I out?"

"About three months." Alice quickly replied.

That is the same duration I spent when I was in that place.

The line between a fantasy and reality started to blur. I no longer knew if what I went through was real or if it was all just within my imagination. Nonetheless, it all felt extremely authentic. The rain, the hurt, everything felt so real.

"Ava..." My mom called, with a serious expression on her face.

"Yeah?"

"Who is Nicholas?" My eyes widened in surprise as my heart began to race. "You called his name more times than I could count. Despite the doctors saying that there was nothing wrong with you, there were many occasions when Alice and I saw you tear. It was like you were in pain. Are you okay? If you do feel pain, do not hesitate to tell us, alright?"

I nodded my head and gave my mom a soft smile. "I'm fine, Mom. I'm sorry that I worried you."

"Silly girl. There is nothing to be sorry about." She said, kissing me on the forehead. "Now that you are awake, I should call the office to take a day off." She reached for the phone on the table and began pressing the keypad.

"It's alright. Alice is here with me. Besides, I think that I might rest for a little while longer." I assured.

"Are you sure?" She questioned, with concern written all over her face.

"Yeap!" I waved my hands in the air, "look at me. I am fine now!"

"Well in that case, Alice please take care of her. I will be back by six." The reluctance in her voice was conspicuous,

"Don't worry," Alice convinced, "I'll be sure to annoy her so that she doesn't get unconscious again." Mom giggled as she took one last look at me before heading out.

"I missed you, Av! Do you know how worried I was?" Alice jumped, giving me a bear hug. I for one, needed to know if it was all just a dream.

"Alice, I need your phone."

'Why?" She reached for her pocket, pulling out a phone clad in a rhinestone cover that I got as a gift for her.

"There is something I need to check." Quickly, I searched for the name in mind.

Nicholas Alexander Clayton

Born: 9 June 1832, Died: 23 January 1856

Cause of Death: Heart Attack

Spouse: Amelia Rowena Dolittle

Children: None

Biography:

Nicholas Alexander Clayton, son of George Anthony Clayton, deemed to be the right-hand man of Queen Victoria; was born on 9 June 1832. At a mere age of 20, he took over the Clayton's household and business, exuding great leadership and intellect that propelled the Clayton's into great fortune. On 26 August 1855, he was wedded to Amelia Rowena Dolittle, daughter to a famous Aristocrat, Eleanora Eliza Dolittle. Limited records have been known of him after he gave up his status and position for unknown reasons. Rumor has it that his lover took her life after the news of his marriage, leaving him in what many witnessed as a melancholic state until his death in 1856.

"Av, are you all right? You look a little pale. Should I fetch for the doctor?"

It wasn't a dream. It was all real.

"Av..." Alice grabbed my hand, pulling me away from my thoughts as I refocused my attention to her. "Something did happen when you were unconscious, right?"

"Yeah," I croaked, feeling the tears warm my eyes. "He was real. Everything really did happen." I curled myself into a ball and covered my face with the palms of my hand.

"Hey, hey. Av." She took ahold of my arms, pulling them away. "Now, I need you to take a deep breath and relax." Complying with her words, I inhaled and exhaled a few times, finding myself considerably calmed as compared to before.

"Now, take your time to explain everything to me. Do not leave out even the littlest of detail. I want to know what happened to you. Whatever happens, I promise that I will be right by your side." Alice's assurance stirred profound courage that prompted me to reveal the months I spent stuck in another time.

After hours of explanation, I finally pushed the phone to her. When she was finally convinced by how much my story complemented to the historical records, tears broke out, leaving me in a relatively confused state.

"I'm sorry that you had to suffer through all that. I'm sorry that I couldn't be there to share your pain." She pulled me into a tight embrace as her tears wet the fabric around my shoulders. Though I was finally home, the feelings I had brought back with me were still raw and nowhere near healed. But I was comforted to have Alice, to have someone to share my troubles with, without her thinking that I was crazy.

"Goodness me, have you been crying for hours after I left?" My mom walked into the room with a bag of Macs in her hand while looking at Alice in disbelief.

"I'm just so happy that Av is back," displaying neat rows of teeth amidst her whimpers. Wiping her eyes dry, she stood up and made her way to the bag of food.

"Come on, it's time to feed that three months' worth of starved stomach." She said, tossing a hamburger to me, igniting a smile to surface on my lips.

Though I was never going to forget the events that took place nor the love I had for Nicholas, it was at this moment that I finally knew I had gotten the closure I needed.