“Oh please, baby, come back to me. Talk to me, hate me even, but come
back to me” she whispered softly, hoping that somewhere in that
comatose body there was still a mind and a soul who could hear her,
feel her regret, feel her sorrow, feel her love. “I’m sorry. I’m so
sorry. I was so wrong. I never wanted.” Hot tears stung her lashes,
and she swallowed hard against the sobs rising to her throat.

Nothing else mattered now but Lara. Taking care of her, healing her
wounded body and even more importantly, her soul. Being there when she
woke up, even if she was the last person on earth Lara wanted to see.
She didn’t deserve Lara’s love. Or her forgiveness. Just to see her
open her eyes again and speak would be enough, she thought. Even an
argument would be most welcomed.

She took one pale hand in her own, trying to warm Lara’s cool skin with
the heat of her own body. There was nothing to do now but watch and
wait, a doctor was most certainly out of the question. They’d question
everything, and for all Susan knew, this involved drugs and there was
no way she would do that to Lara. Ruin her life and reputation in that
harmful way. She lowered her head on the bed, and surrendered to the
wave of sorrow that rolled over her like surf.

For one brief moment, Lara’s eyelids fluttered, then opened. Her pulse
quickened back to normal. She was in that room again! Reliving it! She
could feel the stings in her arms and legs as she skin popped over and
over again. Felt the blood trickling down each injection site. Felt
that white haze of heroin high wash through, numbing everything but
some primal core of endorphin-fueled pleasure.

She turned her head with such slowness that Susan took no notice. The
sight of Susan kneeling beside her, quietly crying, gripping her hand,
brought her slowly forward in time. Susan! Grieving! Remorseful! A
weakness, at last! Her eyes turned dark, a faint smile flickered across
her lips and was gone. She closed her eyes and slept, waiting for her
moment to strike.

~*~*~*~*~*

“I’m just sayin’,” Alice said to a distant point above Dana’s head so
she wouldn’t have to see her eyes, “that what you’re seeing may not be
what you think you’re seeing.”

Dana rolled her head on her shoulders and slumped with that
characteristic oh-puleeeze mannerism. “Even for you, Al, that was
convoluted.” Dana said in a low growl.