The L-Series – Labyrinth of Emotions – 02.01 – Other

*****

            Darkness, the world was a cloak of darkness that seemed to eternally surround her, covering her eyes and rendering her sightless. Voices seemed to come from everywhere and no where at the same time. She just let them lull her into a deeper place in herself the pain was still to fresh. The wounds of her mind were deep and harsh the wounds of her body ravished her.

            The monster she’d created had finally broken free, and like Frankenstein, the monster had won in the end of this epic story/life. Perhaps it hadn’t lived but it had won taking away anything and every that was near and dear to the creator. Justice was no where to be seen.

            The voices, some were familiar she heard Alice at times, reading to her in her always bright voice. Mostly from magazines and the TV Guide which she found hilarious. Leave it to Alice to make sure that she was still kept on the pop culture loop.

            Then there was Tina, who would talk about her new job running Twilight that was Jo‘s club in LA. She thought it was a great opportunity; she worked at night and could do other things during the day. She and Oscar were working on bringing down a sweat shop operator who was using immigrants as their underpaid workers. Tina would also talk about the politics, and the news. She was always careful to not mention anything that might upset her.

            Dana came around every so often mostly she’d just talk about how her playing was going. She also spoke candidly about how much she wanted to pursue a relationship with Alice, but was waylaid by the mere sight of Lara Perkins. She was also torn because she’d hurt Tonya, who in reality, had never done anything but love and be good to her. She often joked that up until a few months before, she couldn’t get a date. Now there were three different women that she found herself thinking she could have a relationship with.

            Shane came by also to her surprise, Shane would also read to her, first she read Huck Finn and then Tom Sawyer . Now they were into Little Women and Shane had taken up using different timbres of her voice for different characters, this too she found cute. Shane didn’t talk much anything it was as if she were totally detached from reality and her own emotions.

            Vanessa and Tim also visited, but they were short visits, as if Vanessa couldn’t stand seeing her lying there, beaten and broken. The darkness was to inviting, so she dwelled there, festering, healing and making her way back into herself. Death had been so welcoming, but now it eluded her, why did it do that? She sighed inwardly as she heard Shane sit down in the chair next to her, and begin to read. Escape.

******

            “How are you feeling?” Lara asked and Sam shrugged, wanting to look under the bandages. She knew she shouldn’t infection and all. She was lucky she was feeling well for a woman who’d just gotten a new heart, the heart of a killer. Sam tugged at the shirt that Lara was wearing, trying not to chuckle at it, but failing. It read, ~Fresh Meat~ *New Blood* !Crispy! , Lara was always wearing these cute shirts. Another reason to keep living Lara‘s sexy shirts. Sam had been making a list in her head since the faithful day by the pool.

            “I know I’m going to have a scar.” Sam said with a sarcastic tone and Lara kissed her gently, and Sam took her hand. She pushed her head back into the pillow, her hair bugging since she hadn’t been able to wash it for the last two weeks. She’d been stuck here in New York. Lara had come running to her side the instant that Jo had called them. There was a heart waiting for her in New York, it was a match and Jo had pulled every string there was on this earth to make sure that it was Sam that got it.  No one had known how sick Sam had really been.  Her heart failing her in a slow agonizing way the real reason she hadn’t wanted Lara to fall in love with her. 

            “I owe you.” Jo said on the phone hearing Sam‘s feet splashing in the water, Shane behind her asking what was wrong. Sam and Shane had been by the pool, talking for the longest of time. A bottle of pills and a very good bottle of wine between them, Shane having listened to everything Sam had said, and had agreed with her that if this was what she’d wanted, that Shane would help her. Then Lara came out into the yard at that instant, thinking the worst of the situation.

            “Lara don’t… wait!” Shane had said running after the sexy chef. Sam had stood, stunned for just an instant. She looked down at the bottle of sleeping pills and then muttered into the phone.

            “I know but Jo, you’re nuts. How did this…” A grunt at the other end of the phone, and she could tell that Jo was getting angry.

            “Just get here, the team is on stand by you are going to die if you don’t get this heart, am I right? You’ve got six months tops?” Jo asked she spoke away from the phone to what sounded like Alice. What the hell was Alice doing in New York? Who’s heart was this? How did Jo know about it, and more importantly, who the fuck had died?

            “Yeah, you know it and I know it. But Jo…” Sam stammered as she started into the house wet feet making her trek slippery. She saw Shane talking intently to Lara, who was on the verge of tears. Second chance, this is what this was. Lara, how can I not? Sam thought to herself as Jo was talking to Tina away from the phone. Tina? Who the fuck else was in New York? The pope? What sort of out of this world fun fest had Jo cooked up in New York?

            “Shut up and get here now Vance, you saved Amy once and now I am returning the favor, please let me do this. Let some good come from this chaos. Just get on your plane and come, come and save your own fucking life Vance. Take the freaking bottle of pills and flush ‘em, give the wine to Shane and come!” Jo said in a convincing voice. Sam hung up the phone, then looked out to the pool, the wine and the pills, how had Jo known?

            Sam snapped back to reality as she caressed Lara‘s silky smooth cheek. Lara smiled at her, kissing at the fingertip of her girlfriend. Lara just couldn’t take her eyes off her, and her ears always listening to the monitors constant beeping.

            “You know that sex is out of the question until I’ve rehabilitated right? This is going to be a LONG haul Miss Lara thing. Months, maybe up to a year…” Sam said softly she’d been trying to lull into this conversation for the past week. Lara was having none of it, Lara leaned in, kissing her hard on her silky lips and pulling away slowly, letting her lips linger for just an instant.

            “I know that, and I know what I am in for. I was listening to the doctors too Sam. I heard it all, the rehab, and the diet. Aren’t you glad you have a personal chef? I heard that you’re going to be on medication, going to be weak from time to time but you have a strong heart. And an even stronger will.” Lara said and Sam looked down at her chest, and really wanted to look at the scar, two weeks to really see it. Oh they’d look at it, but she wanted to examine it, stare at it for a while for some reason, she’d been waiting and Lara slapped her hand.

            “They said no.” Lara said in a scolding tone that had Samantha smiling.

            “I say yes!” Sam laughed and Lara gave her a steely look, and she said in a love gravely voice that made Sam actually think twice about crossing the red head.

            “Oh yeah? Well if you peek no ice cream for you, so there.” Sam rolled her grey eyes and moved over on the bed and Lara climbed in with her, being extra careful of her wound. Sam knew that she wasn’t going to get away with shit if Lara was around, and that was just fine by her.

            “Ok, ok. I relent.” Sam said in a cute tone of voice, betraying her feelings for the sexy chef.

            “About time I win ONE argument.” Lara blurted out, looking around for the remote control to the TV. Sam cocked her blonde eyebrow, looking down at Lara‘s clear eyes.

            “You didn’t win I gave up. That’s like winning by default.” Sam corrected and Lara put a hand on her mouth. She couldn’t help but grin, and Sam did the same.

            “Shut up.” Lara instructed and Sam licked the palm of her hand and said in a muffled voice.

            “Ok.”

*****

            Jenny sat at one of the tables at the Planet, she was alone, Carmen was in Florida visiting her family after the recent onslaught of hurricanes. She was tapping away quietly at her laptop, Kit had come by a few moments before, and had asked her if she was alright. She had told her she was, and Ivan had waved from the front bar, and Jenny had waved back. What a wonderful couple. They were just seamless together, even though Jenny did think that Bette had never approved of the relationship. Kit was now sober and strong enough to know what and who she wanted in her life.

            Thinking of couples, she’d heard that Tim had asked Vanessa to get married, and Jenny had taken that news with a grain of salt and a shot of brandy. She sighed, everyone was moving on with their lives. She was too but she was quite unsure if Carmen was the woman she wanted to move on with.

            She rubbed her eyes and removed her glasses, having gotten a new pair, getting rid of the ones that she’s had before. Shane had been aghast at them, and had forced her to get a new pair. Shane had really been helping her accepting herself and making a few changes in her life.

            A woman sat down next to her, and Jenny looked up, her mouth slowly dropping open as she was graced with a sight that she never thought she’d see again. She stared openly and then a smile began to spread over her pale features.

            “Oh my god, is it really you?” The woman laughed that throaty deep accented laugh that always rang like angels in Jenny‘s ears.

            “Yes, it is really me. Is it really you Jenny? Are you really here, or are you still in whatever world you were writing in?” The voice like sweet sugar to her, she reached out and grabbed the hand that was being offered, she took it, caressing the long elegant fingers.

            “Yes. I’m right here, in this very moment, in this very place and time.” A wonderfully bright smile and Jenny leaned in and kissed her cheek, and Marina kissed Jenny‘s.

            “It is so wonderful to have you back Marina.”

            “It is very good to be back Jenny, very good.”

*****

            “What do you mean I can’t go see her?” Tina said, for the 1000th time in the last two weeks, she wasn’t getting in, and that was the end of that story. No amount of threatening, bribing or begging and crying was getting her through those steel doors.

            “Miss Kennard, I understand your trepidation but you have to honor her request at this time, there is one name on her list, and I’m sorry that it isn’t yours. Please don’t ask me who’s name it is again, please just honor what she asks.” The psychiatrist said, his name was Marty Summers, and he was a dear friend of Sam‘s but Tina had seen him more times that she had wanted.

            “I have things I need to say…” Tina begged, she’d been sleepless and worried about Bette since she’d been transported here after the debacle of her almost death.

            “I know you do Miss Kennard, and I respect that, now you need to respect her space. I suggest you speak with her sister; she has phone contact with her, but hasn’t been in to see her. She either, isn’t allowed I think that should tell you something. Good day.” He said, closing the door to the private ward. Tina wanted to go up to the door and bang on it, tear it from the hinges and rush in. All very well and good, but she knew she’d never see the inside of that ward.

            It was really wasn’t private ward, it was a psychiatric unit. She didn’t belong here she wasn’t crazy, was she? She should be home, getting love from her friends and family, and not locked up behind those doors, Tina cursed herself and the world as she walked outside, into the twilight of the day.

******

            Alice sat on the swing at the park she was watching some kids playing in the sand to her left. She had been coming here a lot for the last few weeks Maura had given her some down time from the magazine. She’d written her serial killer story and the magazines weren’t staying on the stands. She’d wanted to change the names, but it was all over the media about the capture of a female serial killer, so she’d told it as it was, to the point. All the grim and grimy details, she hated it. She felt like she’d sold out.

            She was being wooed by magazines, and had even gotten an offer to join the talk show ‘The View’ on occasion it was mind boggling. She wasn’t sure that America could handle her talking about nipple confidence, gay-dar and 45 minute orgasms. Tragedy led to so many other things. This just hadn’t been one of the things she’d thought it would lead too.

            Fame.

            Dana was suddenly at her side she sat on the swing next to her and watched Alice watching the children. They’d come to a stand still in their blossoming relationship, mostly due to the fact that Alice was very much into herself the last few weeks. She’d been reevaluating her life, how she lived it. How she loved in it, because she’d seen someone she was friends with shot.