Time In A Bottle

Time In A Bottle

Thanks for taking the time to read one of my first stories, which will be part one of a multi-part story. Comments and votes are always welcome. Thanks also to Jim Croce, singer/songwriter/storyteller extraordinaire whose lyrics figure prominently in my story and who was taken from us far too soon. Please enjoy...

Kate Silver was 35 years old, and loved her life. She had a husband she loved dearly, a job she adored, and many friends. Kate was several inches shorter than her husband's six-foot height, had brilliant blue eyes, long blonde hair usually kept in a pony tail, and a fit and sexy body. Long, toned legs, a flat stomach, a beautiful face, and large, perky breasts made her a walking wet dream.

She and her husband David met during their early days at college, and it was love at first sight. They were both studying to be teachers; consequently they had a number of classes together. They were impetuous, and decided to get married when they turned 20. It was a Christmas Eve wedding, and because they were still in school, the honeymoon would have to wait. They struggled those first few years, but upon graduation, both found jobs teaching in the same school district. Kate was an elementary/middle school art teacher and David taught high school drama. After several years of apartment living they found a cute home that was perfect for them. It had two bedrooms, another room David made into an office, and an extra room Kate turned into an art studio. She dabbled in many different genres, but pencil drawing and oil painting were her favorites.

Because they were so busy in the summers, they only took short get-aways for their vacations. They both loved biking and running, so they spent their free time engaged in their two favorite activities. This had the added effect of keeping both in excellent condition.

Their 15^th anniversary was coming up, and they decided to finally go on their honeymoon. Most summers were spent taking classes, teaching classes, going to work conventions or working second jobs. But this year would be different. The plan was to take the entire month of August and visit Hawaii, spending a week on four different islands. By the end of February all the plans were set -- hotel and resort reservations were confirmed, plane tickets bought, and rental cars ready to go. Kate was so excited she went shopping, buying several bikinis that showed off her fit and toned body. All they needed to do now was finish the school year and wait for August.

The first day of March was an in-service day for the elementary and middle school teachers, so those students had the day off. Instead of the usual 30 minutes for lunch, the teachers were given a full hour. The day was warm and sunny, so Kate and her two best friends, Jennifer and Samantha, decided to walk to the deli down the block from their school for lunch. They were chatting and laughing when two gunmen stormed in, shouting and waving weapons around.

"On the floor, everyone! All we want are your phones, jewelry, and money. Put them all on the tables and nobody will get hurt."

All the patrons dropped to the floor, crying and screaming. The girl working behind the register panicked and froze, and one gunman hit her with his weapon. The two men were getting louder and more out of control, and Kate and her friends were crying and scared, holding each other under the table. However, unbeknownst to the patrons, two off duty cops were eating in the far side of the restaurant. One called the robbery in; both pulled their side arms, and ordered the gunmen to stand down. Shots rang out as the gunmen opened fire, which was returned by the cops. After several long moments, the restaurant was quiet; the only sounds heard were soft sobs of people crying and the groans of the wounded. Both gunmen were killed, and one cop was wounded along with four customers. Several people lay dead.

"Jen, are you ok?"

"I'm ok, Sam. How about you?"

"I'm good. Katie, you ok?"

There was no answer from Kate. Both women looked at their friend, her head lying in their laps, blood oozing from the two bullet wounds in her head. Her eyes were fluttering, and her lips were moving. Before her eyes closed, Jen heard her whisper,

"Tell David I love him."

At the same time across town, David had his hands full with his senior acting class. The kids were busy, hard at work on monologues for their Senior Showcase coming up next week. At first he didn't hear the knock at the door, but when it got louder, everyone got quiet. Standing in the room was the school principal Dr. Anderson, the assistant principal and a city policeman. Looking worried, David walked to greet them.

"Dr. Anderson, how may I help you?"

"Mr. Silver, we need a moment of your time. An hour ago there was an incident across town at the Riverside Deli. Two gunmen attempted to rob the place but were met by two off-duty cops. Gunfire was exchanged, with several people wounded and several killed. Katie was there with her friends Jennifer and Samantha, and is one of the wounded. I don't know how serious it is, but she has been brought to Mercy General Hospital. This officer is going to take you there, and if you give your keys to Mr. Barnhill, he will drive your car there so you have a way to get home. Don't worry about your classes -- we'll take care of them. Get your stuff and go."

David was shocked into silence. Katie shot? Something like that never happens in their town, so what happened? He turned to his class to say something, but all his students were listening intently. Most of the girls were softly crying, as were some of the boys. They all knew Katie well -- she was a fixture at their plays and contests, and she and David hosted many of their cast parties. As he stood there speechless, two of his students came up to him.

"Don't worry, Mr. Silver. We'll take care of class, and rehearsal after school. Go, and give Mrs. Silver a kiss from all of us."

Seemingly moments later, David was being ushered into the Emergency Department of the hospital. It was busy, as most of the injured had been taken there, but the cop explained who he was, and as the nurse brought him back to see Kate, she was being taken to the OR for emergency surgery.

"Your wife has two bullet wounds to her head. One just grazed her, but is causing most of the bleeding. The other entered her head and did not exit. We aren't sure what damage has occurred, so we're doing a CT scan before we operate. The top neurosurgeon in this part of the country is here, and will perform the operation. For now, all you can do is wait and pray. There is a waiting room upstairs; I'll have one of the orderlies take you up in a few minutes. So please wait out here and we'll come get you."

Still not believing what happened, David made his way back to the ED waiting room where he found Jen and Sam huddled together, softly crying. As he crossed to them, he noticed their clothes were covered in blood -- Katie's blood. As he got closer, they both looked up and saw David moving toward them. They jumped into his arms, each taking a shoulder to cry into.

"It was horrible, David. One minute we were laughing and the next we under the table and Katie was bleeding. I'm so sorry, David. It's all my fault."

"Jen, how can it be your fault? You didn't pull the trigger. I'm glad you two aren't hurt, and I'm glad Katie was with her two best friends to help her."

"But it is my fault. Katie didn't want to go there for lunch, and I talked her into it. It's all my fault she got shot. The last thing she said was 'tell David I love him'."

With that admission, Jen broke down, tears streaming down her face, heart-wrenching sobs breaking from her chest. David sat them all down and comforted his wife's best friends as best he could. A few minutes later an orderly approached David to bring him to the OR waiting room.

"Can I bring these two as well? They're my wife's best friends who were there with her."

"Of course. Please follow me."

Hours later, they were still in the waiting room, anxious to hear how the surgery went. The girls were able to get some hospital scrubs to wear instead of their blood-soaked clothing. They also made several calls to let people know what was going on. And they waited.

Finally, after five hours had passed, a haggard looking doctor came looking for David.

"Mr. Silver? I'm Dr. Hansen, and I led the team for your wife's surgery. Once we had her stabilized we were able to do a CT scan, and saw what was going on in her skull. Luckily, the bullet didn't fragment, so we only had to get the one piece out. By not fragmenting, the damage was limited. However, your wife's brain was still damaged, but to what extent we aren't sure. She's been put into a medically induced coma, which means we are using medication to keep her body functions at a minimum to help her start to recover. Once she wakes up we'll be able to see what damage was done. She is resting comfortably, and once she is settled in the ICU, you'll be able to see her. But I want to frankly warn you -- because of the bruising from the surgery and the gunshot, her face looks like she went 10 rounds with Mike Tyson. That will all disappear with time. Any questions for me right now?"

David shook his head, thanked the doctor and shook her hand before turning away. He embraced Jen and Sam in a giant three-way hug, and all three cried tears of happiness that Katie should be ok. He tried to shoo the girls home to get some rest, but they both wanted to stay until they could see Kate.

Not long after, a nurse came to bring David in to see his wife. She warned him again about how she was going to look; as well, she was hooked up to numerous machines and IVs. David took a deep breath and entered the room, and despite the warnings from the doctor and nurse, he was still taken aback at what he saw. Here was his beautiful wife, bruised from her shoulders up, her head wrapped in gauze, tubes running into her arms and electrodes attached to her chest. It was a sight he knew he would never forget.

"If you want to sit for a while, that'll be fine. Just pull the chair up close, and hold her hand if you wish. Just don't pull anything out. I'll be just outside at the station if you need anything."

Unable to speak, David nodded his head. He grabbed the closest chair and dragged it next to Kate's bed. He carefully took her hand, kissed it, and started to cry once again.

Sometime later he heard a soft knock at the door.

"Mr. Silver, Jen and Sam want to know if they can come in for a bit. I can let two people in at a time, so if you want to take a break, they'll be happy to sit for a time."

David nodded again, and soon Jen and Sam took his place with Kate, both crying softly, and Jen apologizing for everything again. The girls soon left, and David was once again alone with his wife. He must have fallen asleep, because he was suddenly aware of the nurse gently shaking his shoulder.

"Mr. Silver, you need to go home and get some sleep. I know you want to stay, but tonight there is nothing you can do for Kate. You are in for a long, difficult recovery, and you need to be strong for your wife. Go home, and if anything changes I'll call you. Otherwise, I'll see you in the morning."

With that, David dragged himself to his car and made his way home. He needed a shower, but was far too tired to take one now. He barely had the strength to take his clothes off before he fell into his bed, and was asleep in seconds.

David woke the next morning with the sun streaming through his windows. He sat up and gasped, surprised Kate wasn't beside him in bed. Then he remembered the events of the worst day of his life. The shooting. The brain surgery. The coma. He wanted nothing more than to hurry back to the hospital, but he knew the nurse was correct last night. He needed to be sure he took care of himself first, so after showering, he choked down some breakfast, added coffee to his travel mug, and left to see Kate.

When he arrived he was surprised to see several people from the school district already there, waiting for him. One was his building principal, one was Katie's building principal, and the other was the Director of Human Resources. All greeted him warmly and expressed their sympathies. Then they all discussed the situation. With three months left in the school year, positions needed to be filled. There was no question that Kate would be on sick leave, as she had plenty of days banked up. David's position was trickier. Technically he was not sick, but it was decided to put him on extended leave with full pay.

"David, we know that taking care of Katie is foremost in your mind. Take the time off to be with her, and be here when she wakes up. Don't worry about your jobs -- they will be there whenever you are ready to come back. We respect the jobs you do as teachers and don't want to lose either one of you. We may have your sub call you from time to time, and please keep us updated on how she is doing. Does this all work for you?"

By now David was almost in tears. He had no idea how he was going to manage being with Kate and teach, and now he didn't have to worry about it. He thanked and hugged all three administrators, and they left him alone with his wife.

The days turned into weeks, and the routine was always the same. Get up in the morning, shower, eat breakfast, go to the hospital, and spend all day with Kate. Some days Jen or Sam would stop in to give him a break, as well as other friends. One day as he stepped into Kate's room, he heard Jen talking to Kate, quietly crying at the same time.

"Oh Katie, I am so, so, sorry about this. I wish I hadn't been so pushy to make you come with Sam and me that day. I think about you every day, and I wish I could go back in time to change what I did. Will you ever forgive me for what I did to you?"

David turned around and walked back to the nurse's station. His favorite nurse Amanda was on duty, and he motioned for her to come with him. He took her down to Kate's room so she could hear for herself the problems Jen was still having.

"Is there anyone here who could talk to her? Every time she comes to visit, she spends her entire time apologizing for what she supposedly did. I'm afraid she is going to do something stupid before this is all over. Kate and Sam are her only really close friends, and I think she is pushing Sam away over all this."

"Wow. She's really having a bad time with this. Does she have a husband or boyfriend she can confide in?"

"No. It's not well known, but Jen's a lesbian. She keeps it well hidden, so she really has nobody close. Except Kate."

"Ok, I'll put in a call right now and see what I can do. Thanks for letting me know about this, David. You're a good friend to do this for her."

Returning to Kate's room, Jen was getting up to leave.

"Hi, David. I'm just going, so you can be alone with Katie."

"No, please stay. It looks like we both can use the company."

Jen gave David a sad smile and hugged him tight. Just then, Amanda knocked on the door with another person. Standing beside her was a striking redhead -- tall, good looking, and wearing a doctor's coat.

"David, Jen, this is Dr. Moira Kelly. She would like to spend some time with both of you, especially Jen. Moira is the Director of Counseling for the hospital. Now, I've got things to do, so I'll leave you three alone."

As Amanda left, Jen gave Davie a searing look and did the same to the doctor.

"I don't need anyone's help. I'm just fine, so please just leave me alone."

Jen whirled around to leave, but before she made it to the doorway she burst into tears.

"It's not fair. It's just not fair. Why did someone like Katie get hurt and I didn't? It was my fault we were there that day, and she ends up in a coma. Why?"

Moving swiftly, Dr. Kelly quickly steered Jen out the door and down the hall, leaving David alone in Kate's room. He sat by her side, holding her hand and gently kissing it.

"Oh, Katie. Where are you? I know you're fighting to get back to me; please don't give up. I need you by my side to complete me; without you, I'm lost. I love you, baby. Please come back to me."

Weeks later found David in the same position in Kate's room, only now he was reading to her. Kate's favorite genre to read was sci-fi, so David was working his way through The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy. His eyes were getting tired, so he decided to talk about their past and play some music. Kate liked all sorts of music, so he put together a CD with a wide variety to listen to. Just then, Amanda stopped in to see how he was doing.

"I like your music selections. Trying something different tonight?"

"Yeah, I thought this might help me pass the time and also give Katie something to listen to other than my voice."

"Variety is always good. By the way, have you seen Jen lately? She was in earlier with Dr. Kelly after her appointment. And it looks like they both have hit it off with each other. Moira is really a wonderful person and a great doctor, and I think she's helping Jen."

"Good to hear. If I find anything out worth gossiping about, I'll let you know."

Amanda left with a laugh, leaving David alone again with Kate.

David had read someplace that talking to a coma patient about something important and significant from the past might help. He wracked his brain to think of something important, and finally he had an idea.

"This story takes us back almost to our beginning. It was early December of our first year at college, and right before finals week. It was a Friday night, and as usual, we had dinner together. We headed to the Student Union afterward for a quadruple-header of horror movies. Neither of us particularly liked horror flicks, but it was free and something to do.

"We found two seats together and settled in for a long night of movie watching. Part way through the first movie was the first really scary part, and you grabbed my arm for dear life. You kept moving your chair closer and closer to mine, and soon you were almost sitting on my lap. By the end of the movie we were all laughing more than being scared. As the credits rolled, you leaned over to me, kissed my cheek, and whispered that your roommate was gone for the weekend, and did I want to go back to your room. We grabbed our coats and left, saying goodbye to our friends.

"We both lived in a co-ed dorm, so seeing men and women together in the hallway was nothing unusual. When we got to your room, you locked both locks and pulled the chain across as well. Nobody was getting in without you letting them in.

"You grabbed my coat and standing in the middle of the room, you kissed me with a passion I hadn't felt before. Breaking the kiss, you told me to sit on the couch and wait, and you would be right back. As I sat alone, I tried to think of what you had planned, but nothing plausible came to mind. Soon I heard you say,"

"Open the curtains and sit back down."

"With the curtains open, the room was lit by the dim vestiges of a streetlight. I felt more than saw you come closer to me; suddenly, you were standing between the windows and me. You had changed clothes, going from a heavy sweater, jeans and boots to a short skirt and wool vest -- with nothing under it. Soft music started playing, and you started to move to the music, swaying with almost hypnotic moves. You stepped closer to me, opening your vest to show me your naked breasts, a sight I had been patiently waiting to see. They were large, firm looking, and topped with rosy nipples. Next, you straddled my legs with yours, pushing your pussy against my rapidly hardening dick, and gave me my first lap dance.

"You kept moving and gyrating on my dick, and I could feel my jeans getting damp from your pussy. You leaned in close and kissed me hungrily. And what you said next floored me."