Extracted - Chapter 18 – Can I Ask You A Question – Part 1 of 2

 

Extracted

By Karen Singer

 

Chapter 18 – Can I Ask You A Question – Part 1 of 2

 

Special Agent Rosenberg was the first one that the panel asked to speak with.  When she walked into the room she was faced with a table with three men sitting on the other side and a single seat for herself.  She sat and faced them, ready to answer any questions they might have.

“Agent Rosenberg,” Curmett said.  “Thank you for seeing us today.  I’m Daniel Curmett, the president’s National Security Advisor.  This is Doctor Holfstrom, professor of Theoretical Physics at MIT, and this is Doctor Blake, Chief Neurologist at John Hopkins University.”

Rosenberg was impressed, but she made no sign of it.

“We understand that you were leading the team looking into the abduction of Nancy Stiller.  Congressman Stiller’s daughter.”

“I’m still leading that team,” Rosenberg replied, “and we’re still working on it.”

“Good,” Curmett said.  “We’d like you to first tell us everything you can about that abduction.  Right from when you first heard about it.”

“Congressman Stiller’s chief aide called us at Twenty-Six Fed on the eighth of the month, shortly after his family had searched everywhere for their missing daughter.  My team was assigned immediately, and we rushed to his home.”  From there, Rosenberg spent the next forty-five minutes relating everything she could and answering all their questions.

The team of experts were particularly interested in what had been done about the group that had sent the ransom demand, the Planetary Eco Alliance.  Rosenberg was forced to tell them that so far, it looked like nobody in the group had sent any kind of ransom note at all.  Not only that, but the FBI believed that what had taken place with both children had to involve not only a lot of funding, but a huge amount of technical power and possibly machinery.  The Planetary Eco Alliance simply didn’t have any of that.

“Our current theory,” Rosenberg told them, “is that the ransom demand to have Henry Marsh pardoned and removed from prison may have been nothing but a smoke screen.  Unfortunately, we don’t know if it was a smoke screen to mask details of Stephen Marsh’s abduction or Nancy Stiller’s.”

  By the time they were done, Agent Rosenberg felt like she had been through one of the most intense questioning sessions of her life.  She was glad to be out of there.  Once free, she was tempted to go home, but her job at this resort get-together wasn’t done yet since the families were still there.

 

--- §§§§§§§§§§ ---

 

Detective Nolan was next on their list.  As they had done with Agent Rosenberg, they took him through every little thing they could think of that had to do with the abduction of Stephen Marsh, including what he knew about the Planetary Eco Alliance who had sent the only ransom demand.  Nolan knew far less about the group than Rosenberg had been able to tell them.  Still, they questioned him enough that it took a long time and also took a lot out of him.

He breathed a big sigh of relief the moment he walked out of the room.

 

--- §§§§§§§§§§ ---

 

Doctor Isabelle Montcliff was next on their list.  She had been working harder on this little trip than she had thought she would.  She was only happy that everything had seemed to go as well as it did.  So far.

As she entered the little conference room, she carried a file folder in her hands.  There was a table in the room with three men sitting on the far side of it.  She didn’t recognize any of them, but they each gave the impression of being important.  She sat in the single seat centered in front of them and put her file folder on the table in front of her.

“Doctor Montcliff,” the man in the center said.  “Thank you for taking the time to see us today.  I’m Daniel Curmett, the president’s National Security Advisor.”  He turned his head slightly to the left.  “This is Doctor Holfstrom, professor of Theoretical Physics at MIT”  He turned his head a bit the other direction.  “And this is Doctor Blake, Chief Neurologist at John Hopkins University.”

Important people indeed, Montcliff realized, as if having the president’s National Security Advisor in front of her wasn’t enough.  Each of these men were probably at the top of their fields.  “Nice to meet you,” she said to the three men.

“We were told,” Curmett continued, “that you had come up with a possible explanation for this situation, however, we were purposely not told what that explanation is so that we can each come to our own conclusions.  Since you were the psychiatrist working with one of the children, do you think it’s possible that you can answer our questions without divulging any of your explanations?”

“Hm,” Montcliff hummed.  “I guess you don’t want this then,” she said, putting her hand on the folder in front of her.”

“What is it?” Blake asked.

“Before coming here, I attempted to write up everything I had observed, everything I had concluded, and all the logic I went through to arrive at those conclusions.  I had a feeling that someone might want to see it.  Of course, since we’ve been here, I’ve observed a lot more.  This is just what I knew before this little trip.”

All three men were obviously a bit startled at that.  “Perhaps we’ll take it,” Holfstrom suggested.

“But we won’t open it to read any of it at all until we’ve finished drawing our own conclusions,” Curmett added.

Montcliff pushed the file across to him and noticed how quickly he seemed to grab it.  Something told her he would be looking at it sooner than he claimed.

“Doctor,” Curmett said.  “If you will, walk us through your involvement in this situation, and try to tell us everything you have observed.  And as I mentioned, please do your best to not relay any of your conclusions so we can safely draw our own.”

Montcliff nodded.  “I was first contacted by one of the staff members for Congressman Stiller.  I was told there was an urgent mental issue with his daughter Nancy, but I was not told what it was.  I was however, told that security concerning the issue was of paramount importance to the congressman and I had to give my assurances that I wouldn’t divulge anything to anyone without prior permission.  I can assure you that for this meeting only, Congressman Stiller has given his permission for me to tell as much as I can.”

“We have an entire briefcase full of warrants if we need them,” Curmett told her.

“That doesn’t surprise me.”

“Tell us about your first meeting with Nancy,” Blake suggested.

“From my first meeting with Nancy, she insisted right from the start that she wasn’t Nancy.  She said she was a boy named Stephen Marsh, and that his father was the District Attorney for Philadelphia.  He, Stephen, considered his entire new life to be one big hallucination, and that none of it could be real.  Now, after knowing what I do, I wish he was right.”

They talked for a very long time.  Each of the three men constantly asked questions, searching for more information.  Before they were done, Curmett said, “Doctor, yesterday we interviewed another psychiatrist.  His name is Christopher Faucet.  Have you heard of him?”

“Nobody has said anything about him,” Montcliff replied.  “But I’m guessing he was Stephen’s original psychiatric doctor.”

“That would be correct,” Blake confirmed before moving on.  “He had quite a different opinion as to a diagnosis for Stephen.”

“What’s that?” Montcliff asked.

“He seemed very sure that Stephen is suffering from multiple personality disorder.”

Montcliff’s eyes bulged.  “He what?  Is he an idiot?  How can he possibly think that?”

None of the men showed any sign of it, but all three of them immediately remembered Faucet being more interested in talking about ghost hunting.

Montcliff shook her head.  “Okay,” she said.  “I guess I can get that.  In some aspects, it could almost be a reasonable explanation.  But when you take everything as a whole, it doesn't come close to making sense.  I mean, how do you explain that Stephen in Philadelphia thinks he’s Nancy, and at the same time, Nancy in New York thinks she’s him, and that doesn't even take into account all the matching abduction issues.  He’s insane!”

“Doctor,” Blake cut her off  quickly.  “We just wanted your opinion of this other possible explanation.  That’s all.”

“My opinion?  He’s insane!  I’m glad the Marshes dropped him.  What was he thinking?”

Holfstrom almost said the word “ghosts,” but he managed to stop himself.

Curmett checked with the two other men to see if they had any more questions.  When they didn’t he thanked the doctor for her help.

 

--- §§§§§§§§§§ ---

 

Congressman Stiller told all he knew, followed by his wife.  Emily was separate, and seemed to have a wealth of testimony to share as to how she knew that Stephen Marsh was indeed her sister.  Her examples were things that the three experts listened to closely.

The Philadelphia District Attorney, Henry March came next.  His testimony lasted fairly long, only because of his position and his association with the police who had been investigating his son’s disappearance from the start.  His wife Agatha came last.  Like all the others, she told all three men that after being here and having a chance to talk with Nancy Stiller, she had absolutely no doubt at all that the person inhabiting Stephen’s body was indeed Nancy, and that her son was somehow stuck inside of Nancy Stiller.  By that time, the things the experts were hearing came as no surprise to any of them.

“Thank you Mrs. Marsh,” they finally said to her.  “That just leaves your son and Mike Stiller’s daughter.  But I think we’ll get to them after lunch.”

Agatha wanted to scream, but she realized that it was getting late, and she was hungry.  Those two kids involved were probably hungry too.  Knowing her Stephen, no matter which one it was, he would be starving.  He always ate a lot.

 

--- §§§§§§§§§§ ---

 

Extracted - Chapter 17 – The Party’s At The Pool

 

Extracted

By Karen Singer

 

Chapter 17 – The Party’s At The Pool

 

“But you said you love swimming!” Wanda exclaimed.

“I do but…”

“But what?”

“Wearing this is embarrassing.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know.  It’s just…”

Wanda sat on the bed and pulled Nancy to her.  “Nancy, listen to me.  How many girls have you seen wearing bikini’s before?”

“Lots,” Nancy admitted.

“And did you think anything was wrong with it?”

“Not exactly.”

“What’s that mean?”

“I loved it.  The more the better.”

“I’m sure!” Wanda told her.  “Nancy, believe it or not, girls like to be thought of as sexy.  They love it.  Especially if it gets them a bit of attention.  Like it or not, it’s your turn.  Now seriously, all your private areas are covered.  What’s wrong with wearing it?”

Nancy considered it.  “Nothing I guess.”

“Then stop complaining and take those earrings out so you don’t lose them.  You can wear just the necklace.  And if you’re that concerned about walking through the hotel that way then put a shirt on over your bathing suit.  Now let’s go.  Emily left for the pool ten minutes ago.”

Nancy quickly pulled a shirt over her bikini swimsuit and finished getting ready.  She was about to leave the room and follow her new mother and father, when she remembered something.  She quickly went back to her suitcase and grabbed something.  Only then did she run out of the room.

By the time Nancy and her new parents arrived at the pool, Emily had already been lying out on one of the lounge chairs, getting some sun.  Nancy took a moment to study Emily in her bikini.  Yeah.  She was sexy alright.  If she was a guy, getting to know her would be a must.  So why didn’t Emly seem to have any boyfriends?  She was guessing it had something to do with their father.  She looked around and didn’t see any sign of her real family.  Were they coming?  They had said they were.

“Take that shirt off and try not to get it wet,” her new mother told her.

Nancy pulled her shirt off and was just putting it down on one of the lounge chairs when she saw the entire Marsh family coming into the pool area.  Her eyes followed them, but mostly they lingered on Stephen.  She noticed too that Emily was watching them, or more likely Stephen, as they came over and took some lounge chairs nearby.  Other than them, the entire pool area appeared to be deserted except for some people manning the snack bar and a number of FBI agents who were all doing their best to stay somewhat out of sight.

She watched as Stephen put his towel down on one of the chairs and pulled his shirt off.  Yeah, she should have known.  That had been her body not long ago, and his chest was full of muscles.  His entire body was full of muscles.  Her muscles.  Except that now they all belonged to him.  Him, who used to be her.  A young girl.

Wearing just her bikini, she picked something up from her chair and headed towards Stephen.  It wasn’t far and she noticed the look on Stephen’s face, a look of amazement.  His eyes finally looked up from what was in her hands to her face.

“Is that…” he started to say.

“I thought that since you’re really me inside, that you might like something from…your old life.”  With that she handed over the stuffed dog that Emily had said was her favorite.

“Miss Barkey!” Stephen exclaimed happily as he hugged the stuffed dog.

“Um…Steve,” Nancy said.  “When you get home, you might want to keep that thing hidden, like under your bed or something so anyone who comes over won’t see it.  Only take it out at night or something when you’re alone.  Guys as big as you don’t have stuffed pets.”

“Thank you,” Stephen told her, hugging the dog tightly once again.  “I wish I brought you something now.”

Nancy shook her head.  “Trust me, I can’t think of anything you could have brought that I can use anymore.  Nothing at all.”

A short distance away, Agatha moved closer to Wanda.  “That was nice,” she told her softly.

“Yeah,” Wanda replied.  “Thanks.  Thanks for raising such a good kid.”

“You’re welcome,” Agatha replied.

“Did you know that Stephen wore that suit earlier, just because he thought that I might like it?” Wanda told her.

“He said something like that this morning before we left,” Agatha replied.  “Although I got the impression that it might also have been because he likes clothes.”

“Of that, I’ve no doubt,” Wanda agreed.

“Maybe we both raised good kids,” Agatha suggested.

Wanda nodded and briefly touched her arm.  She looked up to see her husband and Henry heading towards the snack bar.  “How much you want to bet those two won’t come any closer to the pool than that.”

“They’ve talked on the phone too without telling us,” Agatha reminded her.  “I can’t imagine they would have that much to talk about.”

Wanda considered that.  “Me either.”

The two women noticed Emily getting up from her seat and heading towards Stephen.  “Uh-oh,” Wanda breathed softly as they watched.

Stephen had just sat down, and Nancy had taken a seat right next to him so they could talk.  Stephen was still holding Miss Barkey in his arms.

“Come on,” Emily said the moment she got close to him as she held both arms out towards him.

“What?” Stephen asked as he grabbed her hands and let her help pull him to his feet.

Emily wrapped her arms around his body and gave him a hug.  Then she turned to Nancy and handed her phone to her.  “Take a picture for me.”

Nancy took the phone and got the camera app ready.  By that time, Emily had posed herself with Stephen so that most of his body was visible, while his arm was wrapped around her as if she was his girlfriend.  “Nance,” Emily said.  “Since you used to be him, I’m sure you can figure out the kind of picture I want.”

Nancy just looked at them for a moment and rolled her eyes.  “Yeah, yeah.”  Then she snapped the picture.  Emily reposed herself with Stephen a few times and Nancy took more pictures.  Finally, she turned the phone over to Emily again and sat down.  Emily sat on her lounge chair next to her, and Stephen laid back on his lounge chair.

“Damn it!” Nancy swore.  “It’s not fair!”

“What?” Emily asked.

“If I was still…him,” she said pointing at Steve, “I’d be all over you out here…and probably anywhere else.  Now…”

“Emily reached over and wrapped an arm around the young girl and gave her a bit of a hug.  “Your turn will come again.  And it won’t be long,” she told the girl who was now her sister.”

“Not the way it’s supposed to be!  Not the way I want it to be.”

“Yeah.  Maybe not,” Emily agreed.  “Sorry.”

“So were those pictures for you or your girlfriends?” Nancy asked.

“Um…”  She shrugged and didn’t answer.

“Trust me,” Stephen told her.  “The answer is both!  She wants to show off who she’s been hanging out with, and I can guarantee that she won’t mention one word about who she’s really posing with.”

“How can I?” Emily replied as if she was shocked he could say such a thing.  “Besides, all I really did was to just pose for a few pictures with my sister, that’s all.  And you both know it!”

Stephen and Nancy both let out a few sounds that let Emily know that neither of them believed that explanation at all.

 

--- §§§§§§§§§§ ---

 

In the shade surrounding the snack bar, the congressman and district attorney sat nursing their drinks.  “The kids certainly seem to be getting along just fine,” Henry noted.

“Looks like it,” Mike agreed.  “They’re probably doing better than we are.”

“They’re young,” Henry reminded him.

“But two of them have gone through the most horrific thing imaginable, and they’re still going through it, with a lot more to come.”

“True, but still, I’m glad to see them all getting on so well together.”

“Yeah.  Me too.  And as you just said, there’s going to be a lot more to come, and I’m not talking about those interviews that we have yet to go through.”

“I try once in a while to look into the future a bit,” Henry told him, “but what we need to do about all this just won’t seem to allow itself to focus in my brain.”

“I know what you mean,” Mike replied.  “I don’t know what direction we need to go next either.”

“There’s school of course,” Henry replied.  “But Steve was about to enter his senior year of high school.  Football is out now of course, but that’s a minor thing.  And Steve, I mean the real Stephen, was actually a damn smart kid.  He was a whiz at math.  I mean, calculus?  I certainly can’t take a class like that.”

Mike grunted.  “Yeah, he had to be a whiz.  Nancy wasn’t a slouch in school either.  Her grades were straight A’s…mostly.  But now….  I guess I don’t have to tell you that she won’t stand a chance trying to figure out calculus.  I couldn’t.”

“No, and then there’s the rest of her classes as well.  What grade was she going into?”

“Seventh.”

“That’s nowhere near being a senior in high school,” Henry noted.  “I’ve been rolling the idea of a private tutor around in my head, but is that the way to go?  Mike, as much as I hate to say it, Stephen needs friends.  He needs other kids to pull him out of this big funk he seems to live in.”

“I’d be living in it too,” Mike told him.  “In his position, I don’t think I could cope at all.  I’m actually amazed he’s doing so well.”

“So is your Nancy, my real son Stephen,” Henry said.  “But in your case, at least he’s not going to be behind all the kids at school, he’ll actually be way ahead.”

“There is that,” Mike conceded.  “But can this Nancy manage to fit in with a bunch of seventh grade girls?  That’s the question.”

“Yeah, and the truth is that I seriously doubt it.  My bet is that my Stephen is so lost in that little body that he’s going nuts.”

Mike nodded.  “He is.  And as much as I’d like to help, I don’t have a clue where to start.”

“Me either,” Henry admitted.  “They’re both lost and depressed.”

“They both need friends to help pull them out of it.”

“And to hopefully help them learn how to exist in their new bodies,” Henry added.

“True.  But…I can’t help but hope and pray that someone will find some way to switch them back the way they belong.  I mean, someone did this to them.  We know that for a fact.  Even if we have no idea yet as to who it was, we know it was done to them deliberately.”

“Which means that there has to be a way to put them right,” Henry finished.

 

--- §§§§§§§§§§ ---

 

A small cocktail gathering was scheduled for six-thirty, and dinner was scheduled for seven.  As the Marsh family arrived back at their rooms after the pool, Agatha stopped Stephen before he could go to his own room.  “Steve,” she said.  “Please wear your suit again for dinner.  Wanda and I both want our families to dress nice.”

“Sure Mom,” Stephen agreed.  “No problem.  Uh…Dad’s going to have to help me with my tie again.”

“No problem,” Henry told him.  “Stop by when you’re ready.”

 

--- §§§§§§§§§§ ---

 

“Another dress?” Nancy complained. 

“We’re all dressing up for dinner,” Wanda told her.  “Which means you too.  “Now get that swimsuit off and get into the shower.  And remember to rinse your hair and dry it.  I’ll be back in a little while to figure out what dress I want you to wear.”

A few hours later, Nancy’s hair had been brushed to death and fashioned into a nice hairdo, she was wearing another nice dress, she had different earrings in her ears, two necklaces, two bracelets, and the shoes she was wearing had small heels.  And to make matters worse, her new mother had just made her sit though getting a bit of makeup put on her face.

“We should have thought to do your nails,” Wanda mused as she looked her young daughter over.

Nancy said nothing.  That was the last thing she needed, as if she needed any of what she was wearing.  What would have been wrong with wearing shorts, a t-shirt, and sneakers to dinner.  Nothing as far as she was concerned.

“All set?” Wanda asked her as she headed to Nancy’s dresser to grab her purse.  She turned to Nancy.  “Where’s your purse?”

Exasperated, Nancy went to her suitcase and grabbed her purse.

“Hm,” Wanda muttered.  “We should have thought to bring a different one for you.  That one doesn’t go with what you’ve got on.  Just leave it here.”

“Thank you God!” Nancy breathed as she threw the purse onto her bed.

“Nancy,” Wanda said.  “Your father is a congressman.  A very important man.  Which means that everyone watches not just him but all of us as well.  We have to maintain and project an image that is more important than you can possibly realize right now.  The way all of us dress, and look, and act is vital to everything your father stands for.  Do you understand?”

Nancy remembered that she was actually seventeen years old.  What her new mother had just told her should have been obvious, but she had never really thought about it before.  “Yeah,” Nancy replied.  “I get it.  It’s just that…”

“You’re still a boy inside and for some reason you’re embarrassed to do or wear anything having to do with being a girl,” Wanda finished for her.

Nancy just looked at her, then asked, “Are you sure you don’t want me to carry that purse?”

Wanda smiled at her.  “It’s up to you.”

Nancy was tempted to grab it, then she thought otherwise.  “I’ll leave it here.”

“That’s fine,” Wanda told her.”

Nancy wanted to know if it was so fine for her to leave it behind, why had she wanted her to take it in the first place?  She said nothing about that though and headed out the door.

They found Emily just coming from her own room.

“Mom,” Emily said.  “They said this is cocktails.  Can I have one?”

“Maybe, but probably not,” Wanda replied.  “You’re still underage.  It may depend on the situation.”

“But if it looks okay?”

“I’ll ask your father.”

 

--- §§§§§§§§§§ ---

 

Stephen may have been a twelve year old girl inside, but he stood straight and tall and proud in his suit.  Something that both Henry and Agatha noticed and appreciated.  He was actually making them proud.  The room was beginning to fill with people, mostly FBI agents, but Stephen noticed both that detective and the psychiatrist woman as well.  He also noticed when all four members of the Stiller family came in together.  The family that used to be his family.  He felt a pang of jealousy over that no longer being the case.

He wasn’t the least bit surprised when his sister…when Emily headed straight for him.  He took note of the nice dress she was wearing and how good she looked.  The way she was behaving toward him was starting to make him a little uncomfortable.  That was his sister!  Except…was she still his sister?  He didn’t know how he was supposed to think about her.

“Hi Steve,” Emily said as she latched onto his arm.  “You look real nice tonight.”

“So do you,” Steve replied.  He noticed Nancy watching them, but purposely staying away.  Had Emily asked her to keep her distance?  He loved Emily and had missed her the most, but right now, he just considered her to be acting strange.  He nodded his head toward Nancy.  “Did Nancy pick out what to wear tonight, or did Mom have anything to do with it?”

“Mom,” Emily told him.  “That Nancy not only doesn’t have a clue as to what to wear, she literally doesn’t want to look nice, or even decent.  Nance…I mean Steve, she’s not a girl.”

“No,” Stephen agreed.  “I’m not a boy either, and I’m not as old as I look, but even I know she’s not happy having to be me.  I’ll bet she’s fighting it as hard as she can.”

“I never thought of that,” Emily replied, wishing he would get the subject away from her sister.  “Are you fighting it?” she asked.

Stephen considered that.  “Some,” he admitted.  “Maybe more than some.  I never thought about it.  Em…I miss so much!  And there’s nothing for me to do.  I guess I’m just trying to get by the best I can.”

“What else can you do?” Emily pointed out.  “Hey.  Go ask your dad if you can have a cocktail.  You’re seventeen.  Maybe he’ll say yes.”

“Me?”

“Yes!  If your dad lets you have one, then maybe mine will let me.”

Stephen was a bit dubious about that.  “Really?” he asked.

“Yes!  Try it.”

Together they walked over to Stephen’s new father.  “Dad,” Stephen said.  “Uh…any chance I can have a cocktail?”

Henry looked at him like he was crazy.  “No!  Absolutely not!”  Then his voice dropped to a whisper.  “You’re only twelve years old inside that body!  Don’t ask again.”

Somehow, Emily knew that she wasn’t going to get her cocktail.

A little while later, the dining room seemed to be a lot fuller than any of them imagined.  The staff had moved tables together so that both families could sit together.  It was while they were waiting for their food that Mike noticed something.  He stared for a moment, then said, “Uh-oh.”

“What?” Henry asked, looking in the direction where Mike was staring.

Mike nodded towards the table in the corner.  “See the table in the corner, the one with all the FBI agents standing in front of it?”

“Yeah, that’s weird.  What are they doing?”

“Probably keeping everyone away from that table.  I recognize one of those men.”

“You do?”

“Yeah.  Don’t you?”

“No.  Who is it?”

“Daniel Curmett, the president’s National Security Advisor.”

Henry stared, but he didn’t know which of the three men Mike was talking about.  “I’m guessing they’re the ones we’ll be talking to tomorrow.”

The congressman nodded.  “I better go over and say hello.”  He got up from the table and Henry got up with him.  The two of them headed for the corner table.  Before they got there, they were stopped by the FBI agents.  The congressman saw Daniel Curmett look at him, then hold up his hand in such a way as to let him know not to come near.

“Come on,” Mike told Henry.  “It looks like he doesn’t want to talk to us yet.”

Together, they walked back to their families.

“What are they going to do tomorrow?” Henry wondered?

“Probably put us all through the grinder and talk us to death,” Mike told him.

“You said one of them is the National Security Advisor, but who are the guys with him?” Henry asked.

“No idea,” Mike admitted.  “Curmett is a damn brilliant guy, but he’s also a politician.  He’s probably the perfect person for the position he’s holding.  With him there we need to be aware that tomorrow could get nasty.”

“Can’t be too bad tomorrow,” Agatha said.  “They mentioned we could probably go home tomorrow.”

“Maybe,” Mike conceded.  “I think it’s going to depend on them.  And mostly, on him and what he thinks.  We all might want to stay as flexible as possible tomorrow.”

Extracted - Chapter 16 – Please Don’t Hate Me – Part 2 of 2

 

Extracted

By Karen Singer

 

Chapter 16 – Please Don’t Hate Me – Part 2 of 2

 

Doctor Montcliff watched the video monitor carefully.  The room she was looking at had tables stretched lengthwise from nearly one end to the other, dividing it in two.  Only a small space at each end allowed someone to walk from one side to the other.  With everything ready, she gave the command.  “Let them in.”

At nearly the same time, a door on each side of the room opened.  It was a moment before she saw anything, then Stephen walked slowly into the room, looking around.  A few seconds later, a young girl poked her head through the other doorway, took one look at the large boy in the room, then pulled her head back again.  She saw Stephen notice the girl and he stood in his half, staring at the opposite doorway.  A few moments later, Nancy walked into her half of the room.

“You’re…me.” Stephen said.

“And you’re me,” Nancy replied, unable to take her eyes off the body that should be hers.

Twelve year old Nancy, in Stephen’s big body, simply didn’t know what to think.  She didn’t know it, but neither did seventeen year old Stephen in Nancy’s little body.

“My God, you look so big,” Nancy suddenly said.  “I didn’t know I was that big.”

“I didn’t realize how small I was, compared to how big I am now,” Stephen told her.

“Yeah,” Nancy replied.  “It’s been hard for me to get used to.”

“Me too,” Stephen admitted.  “It is kind of cool though to be able to reach things that I couldn’t before.”

“And I can’t anymore,” Nancy told him.  “It gets frustrating sometimes.”

“Yeah.  I’m sure.”

“I guess you finally got to see your real mother and father?” Nancy asked.

“Finally!” Stephen replied.  “But…they didn’t want to believe it’s really me.  I think they do now.  I hope they do now.”

“Oh wow!  I’m so sorry.  At least mine finally said they knew for sure.”

“Mine did too, sort of, but not for a long time.  When they didn’t seem to want me, I cried and cried.  It was worse I think than waking up in this weird new body.”

“At least they finally believed you,” Nancy reminded him.

“Yeah.  At least they said they did.  You have no idea how relieved I was.”

“I’ll bet,” Nancy replied.

Stephen looked around the room.  “Why do they have it fixed so we can’t even touch each other?”

“I don’t know.  It seems dumb.”

“Yeah, it is.  Wait a minute.”  He walked to the end of the room, went around the table, then walked toward Nancy.

Nancy smiled and held out her hand.  “Hi, I’m Stephen,” she said.

“And I’m Nancy,” Stephen told her as he shook her hand.  “Except that now I’m Nancy.”

“And I’m Stephen,” Stephen finished.  “Do you think anyone would believe how weird this is?”

“Probably not,” Nancy replied.

“What are we supposed to do now?” Stephen asked.

“I don’t know.  I guess they just wanted us to see each other.”

“Probably,” Stephen agreed.

“I know we should probably have a lot of things to talk about, but right now, I can’t think of any.”

“Me too.  So what do we do?”

Nancy, being mentally the older one, went to the door and opened it.  “What now?” she asked the agent on the other side.  “How long do we have to stay here?”

In another room, watching the TV monitor, Montcliff snorted.  “Well, that was quick.”

 

--- §§§§§§§§§§ ---

 

There were only three, but they all thought that just the three of them was enough.  The President of the United States thought that only the three of them were enough as well.  He was the one who had brought them together and tasked them with coming up with the answers.

From the start, the president had given them almost no information at all.  Almost nothing.  He had only gotten them all together and said to look into the situation and figure out what was going on, and to especially assess if there was a danger to national security or not.  One of them, Daniel Curmett, was used to the president asking about issues pertaining to national security since he was the president’s National Security Advisor.  The other two men were simply…experts.

The only information they were given were the names of two children who had been abducted, the names of their parents, and the fact that one had been in a New York hospital and the other in a hospital in Philadelphia.  Beyond that, they had contact information for the Deputy Director of the FBI who was overseeing this project personally.

After speaking with the Deputy Director, they soon had the names of all the major people who had already been involved in whatever this was.  They also had the name of the two psychiatrists who were supposed to be working with the abducted kids, although one of them had been dropped by the family.

Since the president needed this to be handled as fast as possible, the three investigators requested that both families involved be brought to some place where they could easily talk to them all.  None of them expected the meetings to take place at a nice resort in the Catskill mountains, but none of them minded that fact either.

The three government experts had met a number of times to discuss how they wanted to go about looking into whatever this problem might be.  Finally, even though most of the players were already being gathered at the Catskills resort for them, all three investigators decided it would be better if they started with the hospitals where, other than the abductions, the beginnings of the real problems seemed to arise…whatever it was that the problems might be.  They were purposely not asking what the exact problem was so they could come to their own conclusions.  They needed to talk soon with the police and FBI who had been investigating the abductions, but evidently those people were already at the Catskill resort.  They would get to them after they investigated things at the hospitals.

There was only one person who they thought should have been in the Catskills along with everyone else, but wasn’t.  That was a psychiatrist by the name of Christopher Faucet.  They didn’t know why he had been excluded, but they were determined to talk to everyone.  Since he was in Philadelphia, they decided they would get to him right after they finished with the Philadelphia hospital.  After that, they would head to the resort in the mountains.

They started at the hospital in New York, spending a good part of the entire morning there talking with doctors, nurses, and even the cleaning people.  Anyone at all who might have had contact with the kids.  They learned little that concerned them though.  There were some things that were medically concerning for the girl who had been abducted, but nothing that they considered to be that outrageous.

And then they started talking to the people in the Philadelphia hospital.  It was there that the obvious connection between the two cases really came to light.  In New York, they had been told that the young girl had for some reason seemed to think she was a boy named Stephen Marsh.  At the Philadelphia hospital, they learned that the abducted boy, Stephen Marsh, now thought he was really a young girl named Nancy Stiller.  That fact alone struck all of them as strange.  Really strange.  The two hospitals were in different states.  Hours from each other by car.

Finally, done with the two hospitals, they stopped at the behavioral center where Doctor Faucet had his office.  The patient he was working with just then was politely but firmly asked to leave, and the three experts went in and sat down.

“Doctor Faucet,” one of them said.  “My name is Daniel Curmett, and I’m the president’s National Security Advisor.”

Faucet was more than a bit surprised.  “I thought you looked vaguely familiar,” he admitted.

Curmett nodded towards the man on his left.  “This is Doctor Holfstrom, professor of Theoretical Physics at MIT.”

The psychiatrist was startled at that one.  “Physics?”

Curmett glanced to his right.  “And this is Doctor Blake, Chief Neurologist at John Hopkins.”

That one impressed Faucet almost as much as having the National Security Advisor sitting right in his office, right in front of him.  “What can I do for you gentlemen?” he asked.

“You recently had a patient named Stephen Marsh.  We need to know everything you can tell us about his case.”

“I had a patient by that name,” Faucet told them.  “The operative word being had.  The family didn’t seem happy with what I told them Stephen’s problem was, and they decided to seek help elsewhere.”

“What were Stephen’s symptoms exactly?” Blake asked.

Faucet shook his head.  “You know as well as I do that I can’t discuss that information, even if that patient is no longer an active patient.”

Instead of answering, Curmett opened his briefcase and pulled out a piece of paper.  He passed it across the desk to Faucet.  “That’s a warrant authorizing you to give us whatever we want, and to tell us whatever we want.”

Faucett quicky looked at the paper.  Of course these men would come equipped with warrants for what they needed.  He looked over to Blake.  “Stephen Marsh, for some unknown reason, firmly believed he was a little girl named Nancy something.  I’d have to check my notes to be sure.”

“Check!” Holfstrom told him.  “It’s important.”

Reluctantly, Faucet dug his case notes out and went through them.  “Here it is.  He thought his name was Nancy Stiller and that his father was a U.S. congressman.  Stephen somehow invented a wealth of information about being this Nancy persona.  The mother claimed his fantasy was extremely advanced, but I only met with Stephen the once.  Still, he was more than a bit interesting, I can assure you of that.”

Outwardly, none of the experts acted like the information was of interest to them at all, but all three of them grew a bit more concerned.

“And your diagnosis?” Blake asked.

“Easy!” Faucet told them.  “Multiple Personality Disorder.  Absolutely, without a doubt.”

“Without a doubt?”

Faucet shook his head.  “There’s nothing else it can be.  In this case though, the original personality was being completely squashed in favor of the assumed personality, and the original persona hadn’t remanifested itself at all.  Usually, an alternate personality is a defense mechanism created by the brain.  Due to the boy being abducted when the new personality manifested, the diagnosis only makes sense.  I don’t know what the boy went through during that abduction to cause this situation.  As I said, I only got to meet with him once, but I have no doubt it had to be horrifying, especially since the boy was obviously older, and quite large.  Muscular.  I believe they said he played football on the high school team.”

“Doctor,” Blake said.  “Have you come across any other cases like his to compare it to?”

“Not exactly like this, but there was an FBI agent in here with them once who claimed there was another similar case.  That was the day the Marshes walked out, and I never saw them again.  But I doubt that other case was exactly the same.  And even if it was, what else could it be but a form of multiple personality?”

“But you know of no cases with these exact symptoms.”

“Not exact, but similar enough.  The primary persona is squashed, and the secondary persona has control.  That’s all this is.”

“I see,” Blake said, looking to the other men with him.  The doctor was right.  It did make sense.  It was just all the other facts that they now knew that threw it all into confusion.  “Any other questions?” he asked his colleagues.

“None from me,” Curmett replied.

“Me either Holfstrom agreed.”

“Uh…Doctor Holfstrom,” Faucet said quickly before they got up.  “While you’re here.”

“Yes?”

“Since you’re into physics, is there any chance I can take advantage of the situation and pick your brain about something?”

“About physics?” Holfstrom asked.

“Believe it or not, yes.”

“What’s that?”

“I recently got an invitation to attend a discussion by a group of…PhDs.  Mostly in engineering.”

“Engineering PhDs,” Holfstrom said, suddenly more interested.  “This sounds more serious than I thought.”

“Probably not,” Fauct admitted.  “But what I’d like to know is, are you aware of any energy situation where that energy can maintain some kind of memory?”

“Memory?  I’m not sure I understand?”

“Our group discusses the properties of ghosts.  And in case you never noticed, ghosts all exhibit some of the same characteristics all over the world.  One of those primary characteristics is memory.  For instance, they always remember who they used to be in real life.  However, ghosts have no physical substance at all.  None.  So how can they have memory if there’s no physical brain?  As far as I’m aware, there is only matter and energy, and since ghosts have no physical state, they must be some form of energy…unless you’re aware of a state that’s not matter and not energy.  So, since ghosts must be energy of some sort, is it possible for energy to have memory?”

“Doctor,” Holfstrom said, “I can assure you that I know of no state other than matter and energy, and while I am aware of there being some physical materials that can develop types of shape memory if you will, I am not aware of any kind of energy that can maintain any kind of memory at all.  I’m sorry.  As to ghosts, it’s not a subject I pay much attention to.”

Doctor Faucet nodded.  “Thank you.  It’s quite a conundrum for us.  I enjoy my ghost hunting excursions.  They can be quite intriguing.  I’m hoping I can convince the group to accompany me on my next little trip.  I’m sure they would love to see what kind of spirits I’ve been able to dig up.”

Back in the car, Holfstrom said one simple word.  “Ghosts?”

“Indeed!” Curmett replied.

“I’m ready to get to this resort wherever it is and get a good drink,” Blake added.

“Indeed!” Curmett said again, this time with far more enthusiasm.

Extracted - Chapter 16 – Please Don’t Hate Me – Part 1 of 2

 

Extracted

By Karen Singer

 

Chapter 16 – Please Don’t Hate Me – Part 1 of 2

 

The door opened and two people stepped into the room…and stopped.  Nancy’s eyes went wide and she stood up immediately, her eyes unable to believe what she was seeing.  But those two people were just standing there, staring at her.  Not moving.  As much as it went against everything she had ever been in her life, she almost started crying.  “Mom, Dad,” she begged.  “Please don’t leave.  It’s me.  It’s Stephen.  I’m really here in this crazy body.”  When they still didn’t move, she begged again.  “Please don’t hate me!  Please!  I love you!”

Slowly, Agatha’s mouth dropped open.  “Steve?” she said.

“Yeah Mom.  It’s me.  It really is.”  There was a touch of tears in Nancy’s voice now.

Slowly, Agatha started moving toward the young girl in the room, but the closer she got, the faster she moved, until finally she dropped to the floor in front of the young girl and wrapped her in her arms.  “Stephen!” she cried.  “Oh Stephen!  What have they done to you?”  Sobbing, she continued to hug the child that was mentally her seventeen year old son.

Henry moved in and knelt down on the floor and wrapped his arms around both of them.  He held them all together that way for a long time while his wife and…son…cried together.

“I missed you so much!” Agatha told her son that she hoped really was inside the young girl she was holding.

“I missed you too,” Stephen, inside of Nancy, replied.

Agatha finally got herself under control.  She moved back and pushed Nancy away to arm’s length where she could see her better.  She shook her head.  This was their big football playing son?  The shock was astounding!  “Nancy,” she said.  “You look…beautiful!  Very, very pretty.”

Henry, behind her, had other ideas about that.  Knowing that this was his big muscular son inside that little feminine body made him sick!  That is, if his son really was in there.  He did his best to say nothing about that.

“Blame…my, other mother for making me look like this,” Nancy told her.  “She made me wear all this.”

“But Steve, you’re lovely,” Agatha told him.

“Mom, when was the last time you ever used the word lovely or pretty and was talking about me?”

“Never,” Agatha conceded.  “Still, I’m relieved to see that at least you’re not…I don’t know, homely or abused in any way…that I can see.”

“I’m not,” Stephen told her.  “They’ve actually taken pretty good care of me.  And I’m sorry to say that I’ve needed some taking care of.”

Agatha looked at the little girl in front of her again and said, “Yeah.  I have no doubt.  Tell me, how lost have you felt being…like that?”

Nancy was startled by the question.  “How lost?  Mom, you can’t imagine how lost I’ve been.  How lost I still am.  You name it and I can’t figure out how I’m supposed to deal with it.  I don’t want to be girl.  I have no idea how to be a girl.  I hate this!  And look at me.  Look at how small I am now.  I was big.  I worked out hard, for years, to get my body in good shape.  I was proud of how strong I was.  I was proud of how my entire body looked.  I had everything I could possibly want, but now…”  Nancy threw up her arms, then shook her head.  “I’ve got nothing.  Everything I wanted and loved about my life is gone.  And I’m stuck with this.  What am I supposed to do?”

Agatha and Henry both felt for their son just then.  What neither of them realized though was that somewhere in their son’s little tirade, they both started to cross the line that kept them from believing that this was really their son they were talking with.  They both started to believe that their son really, somehow, seemed to exist in that little girl’s body.

 

--- §§§§§§§§§§ ---

 

Mike and Wanda Stiller opened the door and immediately saw Emily sitting with a good-looking boy and holding his hand.  He looked to be a large boy, who for some reason was wearing a nice suit.  The suit did nothing to hide what appeared to be a muscular body underneath.

The moment he saw them, Stephen dropped Emily’s hand and stood up.  “Mom!  Dad!  You’re here.  Finally!”

They had been told, but seeing Stephen in the flesh was almost overwhelming for Mike and Wanda.  Very tentatively, Wanda said, “Nancy?  Is that…really you?”

Stephen hurried over to them.  “It’s me Mom.  It’s me.  Please believe me.  Please!”

The large boy moving toward them so quickly made both Wanda and her husband step back a bit in fear.  Seeing that, Stephen stopped, shocked and disappointed.  Heartbroken.  “Don’t hate me.  Please don’t hate me.  Please believe me, I’m really here inside this…thing!  I’m really Nancy not Stephen.  When they didn’t move, Stephen fell to his knees and started crying.  “I love you,” he cried.  “I love you!  I need you Momma.  I need you Daddy.  I need…”  He rolled over onto the floor, rolled up in a ball, and sobbed.

Emily rushed over to him.  “Nance!  Nance!”  She knelt over his big body and hugged him.  “It’s okay Nancy.  I’m here.  I’m still here.  I know who you are.”

But Stephen could do nothing but feel sorry for himself and cry.  He had wanted nothing more than to see his real mother and father for so long, but now they obviously didn’t want him anymore.

Emily, still on the floor with Stephen, looked up at her mother and father.  “I know you guys don’t believe it, but this is Nancy.  This is my little sister.  I know that for a fact.  I have no doubt about it at all.  Mom, Dad, she knows things about me that only Nancy knew.  Only Nancy and nobody else!”

“She does?” Mike asked tentatively.

“Like what?” Wanda asked.

“Private things Mom!  Personal things.  Don’t ask!  They’re…embarrassing.”

“She knows things?” Wanda asked, with more hope than she had a moment ago.

“Yes!  Damn, she knows everything!  About all of us!  Things that I know for a fact that nobody else would know but her.  Just…trust me on that.”

“You were always so close,” Wanda said.

“Yeah.  We were.  That’s how I know for sure, and why I can tell you for sure that this is my sister.  Not that…other person in her body.  This guy here, is actually my sister Nancy.  I have no doubt at all.”

Very tentatively, Wanda finally knelt down over the crying boy, who was more like a grown man.  Softly, she placed her hand on Stephen’s arm.  “Nancy?” she asked.

Stephen looked up at her through his crying eyes.  “Momma,” he cried.  “It really is me.  It really is!”  He sobbed again.

Wanda didn’t know exactly what it was.  Maybe it was because of what Emily had said.  Maybe it was because of how strange it was to see this big guy lying there crying like that.  She didn’t know why exactly, but she did know that her heart yearned so much for this to be her long-lost daughter.  “Nancy,” she said again.

“Momma,” Stephen cried.  “Don’t leave me.  Don’t stop loving me.  I need you!  I need you!  I’ve missed you so much!”

Gently, Wanda pulled the crying boy into a sitting position.  She looked deeply into his tear filled eyes, and saw something there.  Something she couldn’t put a name to, but it was something that she recognized.  “Nancy,” she said a bit more firmly.  “You’re really in there.  You’re really here.”

“Momma!” Stephen cried again as hope seemed to reach out to him.  “Momma, I’m really here.  I’m Nancy inside here.  And I want to get out of here so bad!”

Still a bit tentatively, Wanda reached out and wrapped the crying boy-man in a hug.  As the man in her arms cried even harder, she held him tighter, then tighter still, until she herself was crying.  “Oh Nancy.  I’ve missed you so much.  I’ve been so lost worrying about you.”

While the two of them cried together, Emily softly said, “Mom.”  She looked up at her father.  “Dad.  I’ve been sitting here with him for a while now.  We’ve been talking…a lot.  Trust me, this is Nancy.  I don’t know how, but it really is her inside him.  Nance doesn’t seem to know anything at all about the boy whose body she’s in, but she sure knows everything about being Nancy.  And I just…feel it in him.  I feel my little sister, my best friend, inside him.  He’s Nancy Dad.  He’s Nancy Mom.  The real Nancy.  Our Nancy.  Believe me, I know it’s true.”

Wanda was still holding onto Stephen, but was now rocking him back and forth as the two of them cried and held each other.  “I love you darling,” she said to him.  “I love you my dear sweet girl.  I love you so much!”

Stephen seemed to cry even harder as he hugged his real mother tighter.

Finally, Mike knelt down and put his arms around both of them.  “Nance,” he said gently.  “I love you too.  Very much.  I’ve…missed you.”

Stephen lifted his tear-filled eyes to his real father.  “I’ve missed you too Dad.  Like you wouldn’t believe.”

Mike and his family stayed like that on the floor for a minute more before he suggested, “Maybe the floor isn’t the best place for us now.  Why don’t we get up so we can talk better.”

Slowly, he helped everyone to their feet.  Wanda stepped back and wiped the tears from her face with her hands as she looked more closely at the huge boy in front of her who somehow was her daughter.  Something made her smile and nearly laugh.  “You got all dressed up!” she said to Stephen, who was also her Nancy.  “You look really nice in that suit.”

“I wore it for you Mom,” Stephen told her.  “I know how much you like to see Dad when he gets dressed nice.”

Wanda allowed herself to let out a small chuckle.  “Yes I do.  And I thank you for being so thoughtful.”

“I wanted you to like me Mom.  Even this…new me.”

“Hm!” Wanda grunted.  “As much as I hate to say this, Nancy, you’re a good looking guy.  Very good looking.”

“But Mom, that’s just it.  I don’t want to be a good looking guy at all.  I don’t want to be a guy…a boy.  I want to be me again.  I’d do anything to be me again.  Anything!”

“I’m sure,” Wanda told her.  “Being…you inside there, it must be difficult.  It must be!”

“It is, Momma.  Believe me, it is.  I’m so…I don’t know.  I don’t know anything.  And there’s nothing I know how to do or even want to do in this body.  I hate it.  I hate it bad!”

“I’m sure,” Wanda agreed.

“What’s the worst thing for you?” Mike asked.  “You’re suddenly practically an adult now.”

“Huh!  What’s the worst thing?  You mean besides not being me, and not being able to see or even talk to you and Mom…and Emily?”

“Yeah,” Mike said.  “Besides all that.  What seems to be the worst thing?”

“I’m bored!  This Stephen was all into sports and stuff, and I’m not.  I want to dance, but he never danced.  Dad, I’ve got nothing to do.  I even asked if they would teach me to drive.  I’ve got a car and a driver’s license, but I just need to know how.  They took my car keys away from me instead.”

“Thank goodness!” Wanda muttered.

“I just want something to do!” Nancy said, totally frustrated.

“Maybe we can talk about that later,” Wanda suggested.  “You, me, and maybe Agatha as well.”

“My new mom?” Stephen said.  “Why her?”

“Because maybe, since she’s the one who raised…the real Stephen, she might have a better idea about what kind of things a boy your age might be able to do.  Things that maybe someone like you, Nancy, might find interesting.”

Stephen shook his head.  “At this point, I’m open to anything!  That weird doctor who seems to be in charge of things here talked to me a little while ago.  She said I need to look around and find something that interests me.  The problem is, I don’t know what.  I’m big now.  I’m supposed to be seventeen years old.  But the strange part is, I don’t feel seventeen.  Even though I’m not sure how being that old is supposed to feel.  I still feel like I used to.  Like I’m still twelve.”

“That much I believe,” Mike replied.  “It only makes sense.”

“Because you are only twelve,” Wanda emphasized, agreeing with her husband.

Stephen laughed a bit.  “Want to hear something funny?”

“What?” Wanda asked.

“It’s so weird.  I’m so big I can reach everything in the kitchen now.  Everything!”

In another room, Doctor Montcliff watched everyone carefully.  It had been very touch and go for a while there, but now things seemed to have finally sorted themselves out.  Did the Stillers really believe that Stephen was in reality their daughter Nancy?  She wasn’t sure, but at least they were acting a bit better towards him.  Emily though.  She had no doubt at all that Emily was convinced that Stephen was her sister.  That much alone made her feel better.

She gave them all a few more minutes, then decided it was time for the final big meeting.  The families could talk between themselves for a bit.  It was time now for Stephan and Nancy to meet each other…and their former selves.  And she knew that as much as the parents wouldn’t like it, those two deserved to be left alone to meet each other.

The room where they would meet was already prepared, and she had four FBI agents standing by just in case.

Now, it was time.

 

--- §§§§§§§§§§ ---

 

Despite being told they could all go to lunch soon, there was a large coffee urn and a nice-looking tray of snacks set out in the room.  Wanda and Mike Stiller and their daughter Emily were there together.  Their other daughter, Nancy, wasn’t there.  They didn’t know where Nancy had been taken to.  The door opened and Henry and Agatha Marsh walked in.  They noticed that their son Stephen wasn’t with them either.  The grownups all moved towards each other, but Emily felt a bit lost and kept to herself.

“They told us the kids will be back soon and then we can all go to lunch,” Henry said to the others.  “And there’s supposed to be some kind of cocktail party for us later, just before dinner.”

“Yeah,” Mike replied.  “They told us that too.  We’ve got this time right now, but we’ve actually got the entire rest of the day.  I think our daughter, Emily, wants to head to the pool.  We’ll probably go with her.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Agatha agreed.  “Maybe we’ll see you there.”

“What do you think is happening now?” Wanda asked.

“Our kids, Stephen and Nancy, are supposed to be meeting each other,” Henry told her.  “And for some reason they’re insisting that none of us should be there.  Don’t ask me why.  I think it’s ludicrous!”

“I agree!” Mike stated.

“I’m not so sure,” Agatha said.  “Maybe having us all meet the way that they did was better than simply throwing us all together.”

“Why?” Wanda asked.  “You and I talked on the phone already.  We kind of knew each other already.”

“So did we,” Henry admitted.

“Yeah,” Agatha said.  “But did they know that?  The way they worked things here, it’s almost as if they expected us to immediately hate each other and start fighting.”

“That sounds possible,” Mike admitted.  “In fact, likely.”

“Yeah,” Wanda agreed.  “So maybe you’re right.  A little caution doesn’t hurt.”

“No,” Henry agreed.  “And I hate to admit it but, seeing…Nancy…a little while ago, was a lot more difficult than I imagined.”

“For us,” Wanda said, “seeing Stephen nearly tore us apart.  I can’t believe how difficult it was.”

“Wanda,” Agatha said.  “I really hate to ask this but…”  She paused a moment then asked.  “When you met Stephen, did you really believe it was your daughter living inside of him?  I mean, really?”

Wanda searched for a way to answer that, then her husband said, “Not at first.  At first, we saw that big guy, almost a full-grown man, and simply thought there was no way that our Nancy could be inside there.  It made no sense at all.”

“That’s pretty much how I felt too,” Wanda admitted.  “I simply couldn’t believe it was her at all.  Thank God for Emily.  She did more to convince us that it was really Nancy than anything else.  Um…until I actually held him and looked deep into his eyes.”  She shook her head.  “I don’t know how, but I saw something there.  Something of Nancy, that I knew without a doubt was my Nancy.  I think it was only then that I really believed it.  And I mean, really believed.  So now…now I have no doubt in the world that somehow my daughter has been split apart and half of her is her old body, but the other half now lives inside…your son Stephen.”

“That’s kind of how we felt too,” Agatha told them.  “But I think for us it was easier, quicker maybe.  For me, it was the things that Nancy said that made me believe.  All I had to do was listen to her and the things she was saying, complaining about, and I knew I was listening to my son for sure.  I had no doubt at that point at all.”

“So we believe,” Mike said.  “And you believe.  But where does that leave us now?”

“Just as lost as we were before,” Henry told him.

Mike nodded, but Wanda had a different opinion.  “No!  We’re not.  We know for sure now where our children are, even if they’re not the way they’re supposed to be.  They’re not completely lost anymore.  They’re found.  Both of them.  As for me, as much as I hate it, at least I can take some comfort in that.”

Agatha went to her and hugged her.  “Thanks for putting that into words,” she said.  “I agree.  At least we can take comfort in that much.  They’re no longer lost.”

“No,” Henry agreed.  “They’re no longer lost.  They just feel that way.”

 

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