In Dreams Ch. 02

"Did you manage to overhear any names mentioned by any chance?" I asked; ignoring the question.

"See George, I told you he was dangerous. I wouldn't let my misses loose in the same pub with the bugger." Tony directed at George, who had remained silent during the exchange so far.

Actually that was an odd statement for Tony to make because I was sure he was not married. Well I knew that he was single anyway.

"Sylvia, Katie, Ottilie and Tara. Mother and daughters by the look and sound of it." George offered.

"But that's impossible!" I found myself saying.

"Sorry Mr Carson... it might be worse than you think!"

"It's just Carson, George. Or Taylor, makes no never-mind."

"Cheers Carson, but it might be a little more worrying for you to learn that that Tara child..."

"Yes?"

"Well, she says... or seems to think that she is anyway... your daughter!"

"George, as confusing as all this is, she's quite possibly correct. But I can't understand how I could know that! I can't even understand how those women knew I was in here in the first place."

"Oh that's easy to explain." George replied. "That Sylvia woman was down here on holiday with her family and she saw the accident reported on the local TV news. They must have mentioned your name and the next morning she was in here looking for you. She created quite a fuss and hung around all day until they let her in to see if you were the Carson Taylor she'd been looking for.

"She's come in to visit you everyday since, usually she has her daughter with her. Then a day or so after your accident the other two turned up with her. They met the older lady.... Mrs Clegg in the ward here when she came into visit and since then they've all been coming together. I think the other four are staying with Mrs Clegg now."

"Cheers fella's, a nurse mentioned my mysterious visitors earlier and I was getting just a little concerned."

"So our Carson has had a secret family that no one has ever heard of, tucked away all along!" Tony com-mented.

"Tony, you might not believe this, but I had no idea I had a daughter until..."

"Until when."

"Would you believe, that I had I no idea that I did have a daughter when that car came off the quay that day. I'm having a little difficulty understanding it myself, but when I woke up today I find that I know that I have a daughter! I know, it don't make much sense to you, it makes even less sense to me. But it is fact!"

"I think you need a little more time to get your mind straight my friend." George smiled at me. "I've heard some people can be a little confused about all sorts of things when they wake-up after a long coma."

"George, I don't think three weeks can be classed as a long coma." I assured both my companions who were staring back at me with... yeah all right I think they both thought that I was still a little on the doolally side, after my ordeal. Their sympathetic expressions, I found annoying.

"Right, you see when they... if they turn up again today. You ask Tara's mother; she'll tell you that I had no knowledge that the child is mine."

"Yes of course we'll do that, if you wish Carson. Now how d'you fancy a nice cup of tea?" Tony suggested, obviously noting my... demeanour and doing his best to pour a little calming oil.

Most of that rest of our afternoon was spent discussing... Nope, with my two roommates discussing the finer details of what should have been long-forgotten premier league football matches. No, I don't share the fas-cination that some have for the game.

In fact, I spent most of the time trying to ignore their prattling and recall my dream more clearly. I kind of couldn't understand the time-scale of that dream, if that's what it had been. To me it seemed like I'd been living in another world... another dimension maybe.

But even that didn't make any sense, because the timeframes didn't match. In my dream I'd been living a good four months ahead of myself. In all the books that I'd ever read, when someone supposedly jumped from one dimension to another, the time and date were always the same.

Sometime later a couple of nurses arrived and told me that I had been deemed fit enough to get out of bed. Good timing actually, because (the doctor and nurse having removed my catheter that morning) nature was beginning to get a little insistent. The nurses also suggested that a nice shower wouldn't do me any harm.

What they didn't say, was that they'd have to supervise me during my shower because I had just woken from a coma. I'll admit that for a minute or two there, I was somewhat unsteady on my feet; but the sensation didn't last long.

The boys had drifted off to one of the other beds by the time I returned. So I lay on top of my bed and closed my eyes to pretend that I was taking a nap. I had a lot of things to think about.

In fact I must have dosed between my musings because I suddenly noticed that Tony was missing and that George had visitors. I guessed, George's wife and children.

I must have dozed a little more, until I was aroused by a voice quietly asking "Mr Carson?"

The boy I'd assumed was George's son, was stood nervously by my bed. Instantly I recalled that I'd seen the lad around the town now and again, one of the local urchins who hang around the boats during the sum-mer.

I must have had a questioning expression on my face, because without further ado he went on.

"Mr Carson. My dad told me that you were... well, asking about... your visitors." He said.

Then the lad went silent, I got the feeling that he had lost his nerve.

"It's just Carson lad, what's your name?"

"John sir... er Mr Carson!"

"Jesus lad I don't bite! Oh yeah well, I have to admit that I can be a little sharp with you lads sometimes. But you have to admit that you can be a bloody nuisance when you want to be. Anyway we're not on the quay here and you're not getting in the punters way. So what are you trying to tell me? Or should I really be ask-ing, is it Kate or Tara who's caught your eye?"

Tara 's too upset to talk to anyone Mr Carson. But I had a long talk with Kate outside Parson's boatyard the other day. Tara was inside inspecting the damage to your boat."

"Quiet Times, in Parson's place; how did it get there?"

"I don't know sir. I think it was taken there on the day of your accident. But the Parson's man said that the damage was only cosmetic, if that means anything to you."

"Thank you John, I was more than a little concerned about her. You'd better pencil yourself in for a trip out on her when I'm back on my feet.

"Thank you sir."

"John, its Carson got it? He nodded "Right, so what did you learn from young Kate during your conversa-tion. Pretty little thing isn't she?"

"Oh, I wasn't..."

"No my lad, of course you weren't. But please remember that I and your mother and father were all teenag-ers once; we know why handsome young boys like yourself find themselves in conversation with pretty young ladies.

"Well sir, Kate told...."

"John, lets try a change of tack. How about you call me skipper; will you find that any easier?"

A confused expression came over the lads face for a second or two and then it sank home.

"Yes... Skipper, I think I understand." He grinned.

"Right lad, what gems of wisdom have you got for me?"

"Well Skipper, it didn't make any sense to me, but Kate told me that they're down here because you're Tara's father."

"I should imagine that that is correct, John."

"But Kate said that you're not supposed to know that you're Tara's father. They're all a little...

"Concerned." I suggested.

"Yeah, worried. They said that you didn't know that Tara had been born and they are... concerned about how you're going to react when they tell you."

"This evening should be fun for everyone then. Because John, I do know that Tara is my daughter.... Mind you, I can't begin to try to explain how I know. Or how I know that young Kate, who appears to have caught your eye, is such a pretty young thing. You do realise that I have never seen Kate or Tara in my life, and I haven't seen hide nor hair of their mothers for the last sixteen years."

"I knew it was a long time... Skipper, Kate told me."

"Anything else you can tell me?"

"Not much Skipper. They are staying at old Mrs Clegg's house, and Kate's mother drives them all around in one of those people carrier things."

"Sylvia, Kate's mother's husband?"

"He took Kate's brother home with him. They were down here on holiday and saw the accident on TV. Kate stayed when Tara came down because they are friends at school."

"And Tara's mother, any mention of a husband?"

"Er, no Skipper, I thought at first that you were... But Tara's mother's name is Thorn so..."

"John, better you don't try to get your head around that one. But do you happen know what Tara's surname is?"

"Oh yeah, Carson sir!"

"Okay John, thank you for the information. I owe you a couple of trips out on Quiet Times at least. Oh and as a matter of self-preservation, you don't go mentioning to Kate that you've spoken to me today."

"Why Skipper?"

"Trust me son! If you've got any designs on young Kate, then you keep-schtum about our conversation to-day."

The lad smiled and then returned to his father's bedside. I pretended to be asleep again while my brain ru-minated on what the lad had told me.

George's visitors had left by the time I was disturbed again by a nurse doing the rounds and updating my chart. Apparently right after she'd gone our evening meal arrived, but I might have dozed for a while again.

At half-six Betty -- barmaid at the Rose and Crown -- strolled in and made straight for Tony's bed. It didn't take me long to understand why Tony always seemed to be in that particular pub.

A brief kiss and quiet talk to Tony lead to Betty looking my way. She smiled, waved and called out, "Hi Car-son, feeling better?"

I think I replied with a thumbs-up and smile.

Then the two of them dropped into what I can only describe as furtive conversation. Punctuated by Betty glancing my way. Then Tony and Betty went over to George's bed and had a few quiet words with him.

George glanced up at the ward clock and then he was on his feet. Making a show of retrieving his cigarettes from his bedside locker, George waved them at me and then all three of them left the ward.

For an instant I wondered what they were doing, then I recalled one of the guys mentioning that Maud ar-rived at the same time every evening. "You could set your watch by her!" they'd implied.

I found myself checking the ward clock and found that it was ten to seven. Then I tried to recall what time they said Maud and the others habitually arrived. I came up blank on that one, and cursed myself for really not concentrating on what the guys had been telling.

It was dead on seven o'clock when I heard Maud Clegg's... dulcet tones echoing down the ward. Maud's voice is not loud. But it is uniquely distinctive, and it... carries. I think everyone in our town knows Maud Clegg; if not by sight, then by sound!

Maud was very obviously talking to a couple of different nurses, possibly at the nurse's station.

But it wasn't Maud who first walked into my little side ward. Tara rushed into the room and then stopped dead in her tracks when she saw that I was staring back at her. Less than a second or so later Kate followed Tara into the room almost crashing into her. Then the two girls stood there, mouths open, staring at me.

Although I had a general plan for the evenings visit, I didn't have any kind of a script worked out in my head. So I was really flying by the seat of my pants.

"Hello Tara. Hi Kate. Now, I don't look that frightening do I? Come sit on the bed?"

Yeah I know, but what was I supposed to say?

Tara moved first, I think possibly, Kate was letting her lead. Tara walked slowly over to the bed, took hold of the hand I had outstretched and eventually settled serenely onto the edge of the bed. Or rather she tried too, but I literally had to help her up; hospital beds are pretty high. Then I helped Kate up onto the other side of the bed. All pretty helpful, in a way, because it broke the formality of the occasion.

"You know? Don't you?" Tara asked.

"That you are my daughter? Well I think I do. It's all a little confusing Tara, I appear to know a lot of things that by rights, I shouldn't and couldn't know. I just have no idea how I know."

"Both girls looked confused.

"Lets see what I know shall we. You are Ottilie Thorn's daughter and you are fifteen years old, yes?

"Yes."

"Then that has got to make me your father then, doesn't it?"

"Yes but you weren't supposed to..."

"And I can assure you that I didn't know anything about you Tara, when I had my recent accident. But for some reason I do now. I also know.... Or think I know that you two are best friends at school, and that Kate's mother is your English teacher, Tara. Is that right?

"Yes." Both girls replied in unison.

"Right, let's not dwell on what I know or how I know it, for the moment. Because there are just couple of things, that don't really make any sense to me. I'll need to speak to your mothers about them. But I really would appreciate it if my daughter at least would give her father a hug."

I was still hugging Tara when Maud, Sylvia and Ottilie appeared at the end of the bed.

I exchanged a brief non-verbal greeting with Maud; smiles and knowing nods of the head. Then I locked eyes with Ottilie and was surprised to see tears running down her face.

"You'll have to excuse me Tara, I think a hug is needed elsewhere."

Oh I'll add that I'd decided that it would be best for me to be sitting up on my bed during this encounter, or at least the first part of it. I kind-a had it figured doing so would allow... well both Tara and Ottilie would be able to... well control the distance between us. They could decide how close or how far they were away from me, during the exchange.

Both Tara and Kate slid off the bed while Sylvia guided Ottilie to Kate's side of it. Tara noticing her friend had vacated a space for her mother, climbed back up again.

Ottilie sat on the side of the bed and I put my arms around her and pulled her close. Tara did her best to cuddle up to both of us.

"Taylor, I'm..."

Ottilie began to say, but I put my finger against her lips, to silence her.

"Later Ottie, I'm confused enough as it is. You're here with me and that's really all that matters. Oh and Tara of course, but she's a bright girl; I'm sure she wont object to us all just cuddling for a while."

I'm not sure how long we sat like that, but eventually Sylvia must have decided that we needed to talk.

"Taylor, you don't appear to be at all surprised that we're here?"

"I'm not, the nurses told me that I've had four... Sorry Maud, five enchanting women visiting my unconscious form everyday."

"But they wouldn't have known who we are!"

"No, I'll give you that. For now, lets just say that it was an inspired guess on my account."

"Bloody inspired! We haven't seen hide nor..."

"Sylvia, some people say that dreams are wishes, and maybe sometimes those wishes come true. Well some of them do anyway." I replied.

But as I spoke Ottilie... well, she reacted. She disentangled herself from my arms and raised her head so that she could look me in eyes.

"Taylor, did you dream while you were unconscious?"

"Well yeah. Sort of!"

"Vivid dreams?" Ottilie insisted.

"Yeah, pretty life-like."

Ottilie turned away to glance at Sylvia for a second or two. I couldn't see Ottilie's face but that glance had caused Sylvia's eyes to grow as large as saucers.

"Taylor, do you know a man who dresses like one of those mountain men from the cowboy films?" Sylvia asked.

I used to. My Uncle...

"Percy!" Ottilie and Sylvia said in unison, before I had a chance to get the word out.

"That's right, but he's dead now. He was the guy I went out to live in Canada with. But you knew that Syl-via."

"No we didn't. All anyone knew was that you went off to America..."

"Canada! Sylvie,"

"Is there a difference?"

"Try asking a Canadian that one. Or your Geography colleagues at school."

"Anyway we never did know exactly where you went, you weren't very communicative with anyone at the time, if you remember?"

"I remember too well, Sylvia. But to be honest I had no idea where I was going when I flew out. If I had I might not have gone. So... where does Uncle Percy fit in to this anyway?"

"Ottilie knows him very well. He popped up in her dreams when she was in a coma last year."

Oh no, don't tell me that Morris actually did..." I didn't have to complete the question, Ottilie was nodding at me.

"Last October?" I ventured.

"Ottilie nodded again."

"How long were you in cloud-cuckoo-land?"

"I woke up on Christmas morning."

"You didn't happen to see anyone else there; you know, before you woke up properly, Ottilie?"

"Well I thought I saw you a couple of times."

"Ottie, you did! I was there.... Well, yesterday. I had Tara sat on my lap, asleep."

Things got a little... er, confusing after that. It was pretty soon obvious that Ottilie had confided all of her dreams to Sylvia; probably in far better detail than I've managed to explain mine here to you. I wont go into any of that at the moment, I'll leave it until Ottilie told me about them herself.

And no -- what you might call -- "clearing the air" conversation went-on between Ottilie and myself. I think we both thought that would come later when we were in private. Actually after those in the know, Ottilie, Sylvia and myself, realised we thought we had a good idea what had happened the subject was promptly dropped. Well, the two youngsters and Maud were looking at us as if we gone crazy.

Somehow the conversation switched to accommodation, and plans were made for the four visitors to move from Maud's little house into mine. Where they'd all managed to find to sleep in Maud's place, I'll never know. It's just a one up, one down, fisherman's cottage; okay with a little modern extension out the back.

When the nurses dimmed the lights that night, to tell the remaining visitors that it was time they left. Ottilie was still sitting on my bed, very firmly attached to me. The others left, leaving her alone with me for a few minutes.

"Taylor, this isn't another dream is it?" She asked.

"I bloody hope not Ottie, I've had enough disappointments in my life"

"Thanks for not..."

"Ottilie, sixteen years ago I lost you. For gods sake please still be here when I wake tomorrow."

"I will be back in the morning, right after we've moved to your house, Taylor; I promise!" She replied and then kissed me on the lips.

Yeah well, technically it was a kiss, but it would be more properly described as a snog, I think. It went on until the Staff Nurse came in and cleared her throat loudly several times.

-----

The morning brought a disagreement between my nurses, the doctor on duty and myself. I felt fine and de-cided that I wanted to be at home with Ottilie and Tara. The doctor wanted me to remain under observation for another day or so. Eventually I vetoed that plan, something I knew I had to do before the doctor got rein-forcements in the shape of my family. My new family!

Luckily Tony was going home early that morning, so I cadged a lift off of him and Betty. I very quickly discov-ered -- much to Tony's amusement -- that Betty, it appears, is a frustrated racing driver.

The girls were still in the process of unloading Sylvia's car, when Betty roared into the yard in front of my house. I must admit I was somewhat surprised to discover that we'd made the journey in one piece and vowed, "Never again!"

Considering the excitement of our arrival, I was surprised to find that none of the girls were aware of my presence. I found them all in the lounge with Maud, looking through the pictures on the mantelpiece.