Dreamstone

Busted

"She is not ill...no temperature, no concussion...the blood tests showed nothing and the scan was inconclusive." I heard Caroline whispering nearby. My eyes were closed and I really did not want to open them, because sleep was easier. But I was coming back, drifting towards the darkness and the despair. Caroline did not want to wake me. That was why she was whispering in the corner of the private hospital room. There was obviously nothing wrong with me. I could have told them all that, before they started pushing and prodding me, and sticking needles into me. Not physically, at any rate. But they would never have believed me. I was hardly an expert in medical science, but I doubted if they had a machine that could detect the brain of one girl in the body of another, which was driving me crazy, of course, and I really did not want to be dismissed as mentally disturbed, because mad people got locked away. And if I got locked away, I was never getting Kelly Hughes back together, and that was what I wanted, to get back to normal and to end the nightmare. "No, Charles...no explanations...at all...it is a complete mystery. She will wake up soon...and I'll talk to her then, if she wants to...and we are going home...she has had enough of being examined like a lab rat, the poor lamb. She was just so terrified yesterday and really upset...I know we needed to get her checked out, but she needs to be at home with us, and the twins...being loved...then we will get to the bottom of this...I know we will..."

Inner Cate scoffed at that, seemingly happy to contribute on family relationships, but no use at all in Latin tests. I tried to shut her away, closing myself off, because I could not function if she was there, confusing me. In fact, unsurprisingly, I could not function anyway. I had endured two days of the Dreamstone's curse, trying to accept the reality of it, and trying to work out how to reverse my life swap, whilst also trying to be Catherine Buckingham-Montague, and I could not cope with it, anymore. Walking out of the year seven paddock, knowing that Caroline would soon know that something was very wrong as soon as she saw my Latin paper, I had just broken down, straight into her arms, because that seemed like the safest place to be. After that implosion, like the day before, my episode allowed the world to carry on around me, whilst I tuned out of it. Somehow, she got me to a private hospital, to see a man she called my specialist or something, and after talking to Caroline, he immediately admitted me and started to do all sorts of tests. Charles had arrived at some stage, whilst Caroline popped home to get me a few things, but I was not speaking to anyone, again, and he did little more than hold my hand. Then I was given a pill, and real sleep finally took over. Until I heard Caroline talking on her mobile phone and was forced to come back. I opened my eyes a fraction, getting used to the light, and took in my surroundings a little.

"Hello you." Caroline said, instantly rushing to my bedside, as if she had somehow sensed me. I managed a smile, I think, and she began stroking my forehead, easing my hair back. "You might feel a bit groggy, Catherine...Mr Reid gave you something to knock you out and it might take a while for it to wear off...ok?"

"Yes, Mummy." I mumbled, without any conscious thought. It just felt natural. I did not wish my own mother was there, Kelly's mum, because she was not supposed to be there. I was Cate at that moment, not Kelly. Miss Kelly Hughes was alive and well, somewhere else. Caroline was staring at Cate, worrying about Cate, loving Cate, not Kelly. But I was the one feeling that love, and I needed it, and wanted it. "I am sorry about the Latin...I don't...I don't know what happened, Mummy...my mind just went blank..."

"Don't worry about it...I don't care about one Latin test, little one." She sighed, taking hold of my hand and giving it the usual squeeze. "We can talk about yesterday when we get home if you are up to it, but I want you to know that we are not cross with you, and that you are not in any trouble, ok?"

"Really, Mummy?"

"Really, Catherine...so, how about I get you dressed and get you home?"

"Yes please, Mummy." I replied, and she leaned in to kiss my forehead. I really did want to get back to Broomwaters. It was the only place I felt safe, where I could cope. So, still drugged up to the eyeballs, I let Caroline take over. She helped me out of bed, took me into the attached toilet, removed my nappy to let me do my business and then gave me a quick wash at the small sink, completely naked. She made a joke of it, tickling me, and tweaking my nose. I managed a giggle, and she laughed, hugging me. It was so nice. It made me feel better. Kelly had been looking after herself since she was about seven, and did not like being fussed over, even back then, but Cate, with me inside her, seemed to need it.