OOM: Back Home?
She didn't leave a note.
This worried her enough to make her pause but not to stop her from going through that door. The brief thought that she might wind up trapped in some other world wasn't enough to overcome her curiosity. She needed to know.
So, Chris went through the door with only the clothes on her back and the hope in her heart that she was going home.
What she found on the other side was a bathroom that wasn't her own nor even one she recognized. She stared into the room, panic rooting her to the spot as she looked at the unfamiliar room, stark white and uninviting. She looked around the room, hoping for something that would tell her where she was. Frantically, she racked her mind, wondering what she should do.
Then it hit her and she laughed. Relief overwhelmed her and she leaned back on the closet door, trying to catch her breath.
She was in the hotel in D.C. There was a conference she was going to attend the next day and she had just arrived here, had walked into the bathroom and had found Milliways where she spent the past few days.
She was home.
“Thank God.” All the nightmare scenarios and worries she'd carried around the past couple of days evaporated. Nothing had gone wrong. That Jack had gone home, he'd saved Teri and went on to live a life different from the one laid out for him.
It's done. She had no regrets, as far as she could see, there had been no alternatives and everything had worked out for her. Hopefully, everything had worked out for Jack as well.
Chris turned off the bathroom light as she moved into the bedroom. Her suitcase and purse were near the bed, right where she had left them and that made her smile. Home. The television was still on, turned to some 24-hour news channel where the talking heads were currently blathering about sports.
”With his third home run for the night, Perrota dominated the playing field and the Cubs had this game in the bag. If they continue like this, they could reach the pennant.”
Her smile turned wistful as she half-listened to the program. It seemed somehow both appropriate and cruel that the Cubs might finally win the World Series and Tony wouldn't be able to see it. All that talk of the century-long curse being overcome and sometimes it made her angry they couldn't get their act together the year before. Other times, Chris liked to believe that Tony was in the outfield, rigging the games to help his favorite team along.
“And here's Kathy Holloway who is going to tell us the latest news in the 2012 Election.”
Seated on the bed, Chris opened her purse, looking for her PDA. Jack had a new number and at the moment she wanted nothing more than to hear his voice. Everything was as it should but she needed to be sure, she needed that comfort.
"The Palmer campaign hit a high note with the address in Richmond today.”
With one hand on her PDA, the other grasped behind her as she tried to grab the remote control on the night table. The television was too loud and she didn't want to think about politics or David Palmer's campaign. She managed to turn her PDA on and turned around to grab the remote before she looking at the small screen with a sense of relief.
Remember 202-489-3924
Call Caiti there. Not her cell. Dead battery.
Just as she left it. With a smile edging up the corners of her mouth, she clicked to her address book and looked for Jack's number. She set the hotel phone on the bed and dialed the number in front of her, eager to hear his voice and know that everything was all right...
"The number you have dialed is currently available. Please --"
Chris stared at the phone in confusion, she hung up quickly then dialed the same number only to get the same message. She tried not to panic as she dialed her home phone number.
Instead of Jack's voice, she was greeted by the automated voice of her answering machine.
"Jack, if you're there - pick up please." She waited a few seconds though she new he wasn't going to pick up the phone. "Jack -- just call me as soon as you get this, ok? I love you. Bye."
She hung up the phone, hands shaking, and began pacing around the room. After several minutes of this, wherein she debated calling again and leaving another message, she hurried to the pantry closet.
Please, let it be there.
It was. She stepped through the door and went back to Milliways. If she had to wait, she'd rather be around people she knew.
"Every man on that transport died. Harry didn't save them -- because you weren't there to save Harry."
He wasn't here.
As soon as she arrived back in Milliways, she ran up to her room, hoping she'd find Jack there. He wasn't.
She went back down to the bar and around the look, looking for him. He wasn't anywhere to be found. Finally, not quite ready to go back to her room and certainly not ready to go back to her hotel room, she went to her dad's flat and asked if they'd seen him.
"Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?"
They hadn't.
Back in their room, she stares at the television and wonders why she's started watching this movie and why she can't stop. Elaine had given her a thermos of soup after she refused their offer of food by saying she'd grab something at the bar. There'd been something else, something about the bar adding stuff to the food but she hadn't been paying attention. Chris doubted she'd have much of an appetite anytime soon. Even now, she's holding the thermos in her hands more for the warmth than out of any intention of eating.
It wasn't helping.
"Mary, it's George. Don't you know me? What's happened to us?"
She stood up and walked over to the dresser, pulling out one of Jack's sweaters and slipping it on. The bar had provided her with winter clothes of her own but his clothes seemed warmer, somehow.
This worried her enough to make her pause but not to stop her from going through that door. The brief thought that she might wind up trapped in some other world wasn't enough to overcome her curiosity. She needed to know.
So, Chris went through the door with only the clothes on her back and the hope in her heart that she was going home.
What she found on the other side was a bathroom that wasn't her own nor even one she recognized. She stared into the room, panic rooting her to the spot as she looked at the unfamiliar room, stark white and uninviting. She looked around the room, hoping for something that would tell her where she was. Frantically, she racked her mind, wondering what she should do.
Then it hit her and she laughed. Relief overwhelmed her and she leaned back on the closet door, trying to catch her breath.
She was in the hotel in D.C. There was a conference she was going to attend the next day and she had just arrived here, had walked into the bathroom and had found Milliways where she spent the past few days.
She was home.
“Thank God.” All the nightmare scenarios and worries she'd carried around the past couple of days evaporated. Nothing had gone wrong. That Jack had gone home, he'd saved Teri and went on to live a life different from the one laid out for him.
It's done. She had no regrets, as far as she could see, there had been no alternatives and everything had worked out for her. Hopefully, everything had worked out for Jack as well.
Chris turned off the bathroom light as she moved into the bedroom. Her suitcase and purse were near the bed, right where she had left them and that made her smile. Home. The television was still on, turned to some 24-hour news channel where the talking heads were currently blathering about sports.
”With his third home run for the night, Perrota dominated the playing field and the Cubs had this game in the bag. If they continue like this, they could reach the pennant.”
Her smile turned wistful as she half-listened to the program. It seemed somehow both appropriate and cruel that the Cubs might finally win the World Series and Tony wouldn't be able to see it. All that talk of the century-long curse being overcome and sometimes it made her angry they couldn't get their act together the year before. Other times, Chris liked to believe that Tony was in the outfield, rigging the games to help his favorite team along.
“And here's Kathy Holloway who is going to tell us the latest news in the 2012 Election.”
Seated on the bed, Chris opened her purse, looking for her PDA. Jack had a new number and at the moment she wanted nothing more than to hear his voice. Everything was as it should but she needed to be sure, she needed that comfort.
"The Palmer campaign hit a high note with the address in Richmond today.”
With one hand on her PDA, the other grasped behind her as she tried to grab the remote control on the night table. The television was too loud and she didn't want to think about politics or David Palmer's campaign. She managed to turn her PDA on and turned around to grab the remote before she looking at the small screen with a sense of relief.
Remember 202-489-3924
Call Caiti there. Not her cell. Dead battery.
Just as she left it. With a smile edging up the corners of her mouth, she clicked to her address book and looked for Jack's number. She set the hotel phone on the bed and dialed the number in front of her, eager to hear his voice and know that everything was all right...
"The number you have dialed is currently available. Please --"
Chris stared at the phone in confusion, she hung up quickly then dialed the same number only to get the same message. She tried not to panic as she dialed her home phone number.
Instead of Jack's voice, she was greeted by the automated voice of her answering machine.
"Jack, if you're there - pick up please." She waited a few seconds though she new he wasn't going to pick up the phone. "Jack -- just call me as soon as you get this, ok? I love you. Bye."
She hung up the phone, hands shaking, and began pacing around the room. After several minutes of this, wherein she debated calling again and leaving another message, she hurried to the pantry closet.
Please, let it be there.
It was. She stepped through the door and went back to Milliways. If she had to wait, she'd rather be around people she knew.
"Every man on that transport died. Harry didn't save them -- because you weren't there to save Harry."
He wasn't here.
As soon as she arrived back in Milliways, she ran up to her room, hoping she'd find Jack there. He wasn't.
She went back down to the bar and around the look, looking for him. He wasn't anywhere to be found. Finally, not quite ready to go back to her room and certainly not ready to go back to her hotel room, she went to her dad's flat and asked if they'd seen him.
"Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?"
They hadn't.
Back in their room, she stares at the television and wonders why she's started watching this movie and why she can't stop. Elaine had given her a thermos of soup after she refused their offer of food by saying she'd grab something at the bar. There'd been something else, something about the bar adding stuff to the food but she hadn't been paying attention. Chris doubted she'd have much of an appetite anytime soon. Even now, she's holding the thermos in her hands more for the warmth than out of any intention of eating.
It wasn't helping.
"Mary, it's George. Don't you know me? What's happened to us?"
She stood up and walked over to the dresser, pulling out one of Jack's sweaters and slipping it on. The bar had provided her with winter clothes of her own but his clothes seemed warmer, somehow.