Forgotten Times 1/17 By Debbie Eng (wan-ping@juno.com) ******** Pages for different doctors could be heard throughout the building. Nurses and orderlies were rushing about their business, carefully going around the crowd of people that were in the corner waiting room. They were all there. Skelany, the Chief, Kermit, the Ancient, and the rest of Peter's family. His foster family. They were all awaiting news on Peter who had just come out of surgery. Kermit kicked the soda machine, causing it to dispense a can of lemon lime soda, " Peter will be all right. He's been through worst. " He had been repeating that over and over again to himself and everyone else. The doctor finally came out to greet them, " You're all here for Detective Caine? " At their nods, he continued, " He had a lot of internal injuries, which we've repaired as best as we can. However, he is stabilized, but he is still in a coma, thanks to the steel pipes that crashed down on him," The doctor closed the metal clipboard in his hand, " Frankly I'm surprised that he's made it this far. " Annie Blaisdell gripped her husband's hand at the doctor's words, " Can we see him? " " Only two at a time, and only for a short while, " the doctor replied. Then he left to answer a page. The group decided that Annie and Paul should be the first ones to go in. After all, besides Paul being Peter's captain, he was also his foster father and Annie was the only mother that he had ever known. They left the group and walked into Peter's room. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Paul gently guided his blind wife to their foster son's bedside. Paul gasped softly at the sight of Peter's battered body. It was hooked so many different machines. This was the one time that Paul was glad that Annie couldn't see. He didn't want her to be subjected to this sight, ever. Not if he could help it. Annie sat in the chair that Paul had moved closer to the bedside, and was holding Peter's hand. She had heard Paul's small intake of air and she knew that if her husband was shocked by the sight of Peter, then it looked bad, very bad. She patted Peter's hand, " Oh Peter. " Watching his wife sit with Peter reminded Paul of the time when they had come to visit Peter after an experience with a foster family when he was younger. Apparently the father of that family had not wanted a child that was not his own, but his wife couldn't have children, so they had signed up to adopt one. Peter had been doing fine there for the months that he was there, until the wife had died in a car crash while she was driving Peter to his soccer game. Peter had escaped with only a couple of cuts and bruises and that had enraged the grief-stricken man. He had blamed Peter for the crash and had taken it out on him. Peter believing himself to be the one to blame had taken the beatings, saying nothing, until Paul and his partner had answered a call to that house from a concerned neighbor. They had already been on their way because Paul had wanted to drop off a birthday present for Peter's fourteenth birthday. They had arrived at the scene in time to hear a man yelling in the backyard and the sound of something repeatedly striking against something else. They had run back in time to see the drunken man yell at Peter for not dying instead of his beloved wife. Another man and his son had been there trying to stop him and get Peter out of the way, but Peter was no longer able to help himself. Paul had put on a burst of speed when he saw what the man was doing to Peter. His partner had yelled, " Freeze, police! " and the man had dropped the baseball bat. As his partner made the arrest, Paul had rushed to Peter, who had collapsed in a bloody heap long before they had gotten there. When Annie had heard what had happened, she had demanded that he take her to Peter's side immediately. By the time Peter had woken up in the hospital, they had decided to try and adopt Peter for their own. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Paul brought himself back to the present and went around to the other side of Peter to grip his other hand, " Damn it, Peter, " Captain Paul Blaisdell admonished the unconscious man on the hospital bed, " Why couldn't you have waited for back up? Why do you always try to be the hero?" I should have seen this coming, Paul thought. Then he inwardly sighed. Ever since Peter's real father, Kwai Chang Caine had left yet again for a journey without telling his son, things had been bad. Damn it, Caine. He silently cursed the man who had once again deserted their son. Why do you keep doing that to him? Ever time you leave without telling Peter, he gets upset and when he gets upset, he gets careless. Was it too much to leave him a note? God, even though he was an ex-mercenary, he at least let his wife, Annie know that he was going to be gone, even if he didn't tell her where he was going. He didn't disappear and make her worry that he had been kidnapped or something worst. Paul didn't know what was worst. The times when Caine left without telling Peter, or the times he came back. It had been the night after Christmas and it had taken many drinks before Peter had told Paul what had been bothering him. Paul flashed back to that night. " What's been bothering you, Peter? You've been distracted the last couple of weeks, and I don't think it was because of the holiday season," Paul had not had as much to drink as Peter. He had learned from his mercenary days that a clear head meant that you stayed alive longer. " Nuthin, " Peter had downed the rest of his glass. Paul had not wanted to push, " All right son, but you're going to spend the night though, you're in no condition to drive. " He had taken Peter's keys from him and had helped Peter into his old room. After he had turned off the lights and turned to leave the room, he had heard Peter ask in a child like voice, " How come my Pop doesn't want me? " The unshed tears in Peter's eyes shone brightly in the dark. Paul had quickly turned back to him, " What do you mean? " He had to wait a while for Peter to formulate an answer. " Pop said that the only reason he had came back the first time was because of the emperor, not because of me, " Peter had said softly, " He wasn't looking for me at all. He called finding me an accident. Then he left again. Just as I opened up to him. I told him that I understood, but I don't. Why does everyone else always comes first with him? Why am I always the last in line? " " Peter..." Paul came to Peter's bedside to comfort him like he had when Peter had first came to live with them, " Its not you. " He had to strain to hear Peter's next sentence. " Last time he came back, he said he hadn't wanted to come back that soon. Soon? It was six long months of hell...not even one postcard! And of course ... the only reason he came back was because the Chi Ru master had come back and he had to protect that author. And then after another couple of months, he left again. Damn it, why? Am I that bad of a son? " Peter was openly crying now. " No, Peter, anyone who doesn't want a son like you should be shot, " Paul had said. Peter had grasped onto that word, " Shot? Did you know that time when I was shot by that druggie looking for his next fix, he had more sympathy for the other guy then for me? " " Maybe your father just needs to get to know you again. After all, its been over fifteen years since you last saw him. A lot has changed. " Peter had given a little laugh, " I've tried, Dad, but every time I asked him if he wanted to do something, he would say that he had something else to do. I told him about everything that happened to me during those 15 years, but whenever I ask him about something, he tells me that its a story for another time. However there is never another time because he usually leaves for another one of those journeys. And every time, like the fool that I am, I welcome him back with open arms. " " Oh Peter..." " Know what I realized tonight? " Peter was having a hard time fighting the effects of the alcohol. " What? " Paul had been silently cursing the man who had done this to Peter. His heart hurt for what Peter had been going through. He vowed to have a good long talk with the man Peter called Pop the next time he came back. " You're my real Dad, not him. You're the one who loves me and listens. You're the one who cares if I live or die. And you're the one who is always willing to do something with me. Its always been you, not him..." Peter's voice drifted off as if this tirade had taken the last of his energy. Paul had quietly tucked the blankets around him and left the room with unshed tears of his own. That had happened months ago, but he still remembered it like it was yesterday. He went to Annie and hugged her from behind, " We have to let the others have a turn. Don't worry, Annie, he'll be fine. He always is. " Annie stood up and hugged him back. Then they left the room. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Forgotten Times 2/17 By Debbie Eng (wan-ping@juno.com) ********* I hate hospitals. If I tell Peter, maybe he'll quit ending up here so often. Kermit thought as he walked to Peter's room. He nodded to the officer guarding the door. After Kermit had threatened to ram his gun down the officer's throat the first time,the officer no longer felt the need to ask for identification. Kermit was taking his turn at Peter's side. He viewed Peter like a younger brother. He had heard that sometimes people in comas could hear what was being said to them, so he had been sitting there reading the sports page aloud so that Peter could keep up. As he was reading, he thought about the three men who had put Peter here. Apparently Peter had followed a lead and discovered that a group of steelworkers were the ones who had been stealing cars and stripping them down for parts. Peter had called in for back up, but had not waited for them before confronting the men. Peter had wounded one of them in the shoulder with his gun, and had managed to knock the other one unconscious, when the third one had pulled down the lever that had sent a platform of steel pipes crashing down on Peter. Kermit had arrived just in time to shoot the man, but he hadn't been on time to stop the man from pressing the lever. Kermit had had to watch in horror as the pipes buried Peter beneath their massive forms. By the time the rest of the back up team had arrived and called an ambulance, Kermit had already been shifting the steel pipes so that he could get to Peter. Later, upon reflection, he had been amazed that he could have even shifted one of those pipes, much less lift one. Each one must have weighed over a hundred pounds. He had heard that in a crisis situation, sometimes people got an unnatural burst of strength. That must have been what happened. On the internet, he had once read the story of a mother managing to lift a tree that had fallen on her small son on their way to shelter in a storm. Kermit had thought of it as pure fiction. But now... after experiencing the rush himself, he changed his mind. When they had arrived at the hospital, he had called Paul and the rest of the family. He would have called Caine, but he hadn't known where to find him. He had been trying to find Caine before this had even happened. He hated to see Peter hurt and if it weren't for the fact that it would have hurt Peter more, he would have killed Caine for what he always did. Damn it, Peter, he thought, wake up! You're scaring the hell out of the rest of the family. Kermit had been part of the Blaisdell family long before Peter had. In fact he could remember the first time he had seen him. Peter had been visiting with the Blaisdell's. He had been quiet and shy. He had also been afraid. Afraid to screw up and have this family turn against him too. Little had Peter known that this family was not about to let him go no matter what he did, Kermit thought with a grin. Kermit knew the feeling. When he first met Peter, it had been like meeting a kindred soul. One who had seen a lot of violence and had been through more then most. Kermit had been upgrading Paul's computer when his mercenary instincts had told him that he was being watched. " Whoever it is, come on out, " he had called. Peter had reluctantly come out from his hiding place. The sling on his arm and the stiff way he moved because of his broken ribs tore at Kermit's heart. No one should do that to a kid, Kermit had thought. " Who are you? " Peter had asked. Paul had just picked him up from the orphanage to spend the day. " Come here, " Kermit had gone towards Peter. Peter had flinched back. " Look, I'm not going hurt you, " Kermit had said, " My name is Kermit, I'm a friend of the family's. " Peter had looked warily at him, " Kermit ? " " Yeah, you know like the frog on TV, " Kermit had answered, " On the Muppets, the one always being chased by Miss Piggy? " " We didn't have a TV at the temple, " Peter had said. Shadows had crossed his face. Then he looked up, " Is Kermit your real name? " Kermit looked startled. Not many people thought to ask that question. They just assumed that it was, " No, its not. My sister gave me that nickname when we were younger. She said I swam like a frog. " He had grimaced, " Then once I got into The Trade, I needed a codename, and it just sort of stuck. I added the green shades for a personal touch. " He never told anybody that. Even the Blaisdells had assumed that was his name. " The Trade? " Peter asked. Then he thought about the rest of what Kermit had said, " You're named after a frog, " Peter had smiled and even laughed a little. Kermit had winced. However inside he was happy because from what Paul had told him, this was probably the first time Peter had smiled in quite a while. Paul had told Kermit a little about what had happened to Peter. He knew that Peter needed something to focus on so he decided to teach Peter about computers to give him something to do. After all, school wouldn't be starting for another month anyway. He fixed Peter up with an old laptop and email account. Whenever he saw Peter he would teach him something new or answer the questions that Peter came up with on his own. Peter had been a quick study but Kermit knew that Peter would rather be a cop then a hacker. The thing that worried him the most was that Peter didn't seem to care what happened to himself. Even by the time Peter had been in the police academy. Kermit would discreetly check on him from a distance or access Peter's files from the school computer. He was appalled to note that Peter would defend others with no thought for his own safety. If Peter was not going to care, then he was going to have to watch over him. He knew that Peter wanted to work at the 101st with Paul when he graduated so he had to get things moving now, otherwise Peter would be suspicious later on. He had gone up to Paul and asked for a job. If Paul had been surprised, he didn't say anything. Kermit smiled with remembrance at another memory and earlier one. It had taken him months, but Kermit finally convinced Peter to call him Kermit instead of Frog Man. Frog Man was simply not acceptable. Kermit paused in his reading of the hockey scores when he thought that he had heard something. He folded the newspaper and took off his green sunglasses. Then he leaned towards Peter. He heard the sound again. It was Peter's hand moving restlessly on the white hospital sheets. Kermit pushed the call button for the nurse as Peter's eyes slowly fluttered open. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Forgotten Times 3/17 By Debbie Eng (wan-ping@juno.com) ******* As a nurse rushed into the room Peter flinched at the movement and tried to curl into a protective shell, but it hurt too much. His head and eyes moved back and forth until he was greeted with the image of Kermit. Kermit walked back to the bed as the nurse took Peter's pulse. " Frog Man, what's going on? What happened? Where am I? " Peter asked weakly. Kermit winced at the old nickname Peter had given him, " You're in the hospital Peter. An accident happened when you were chasing those car thieves. Don't you remember? " Kermit became worried when he saw the puzzled look on Peter's face. " Car thieves? I was chasing car thieves? I know I want to be a cop when I'm older..." Peter broke off his sentence as he saw his friend's jaw drop. The nurse intervened before any of them could say anything more, " Please, Detective Griffen, let the doctor examine him first. " Kermit nodded, he didn't know what to think. Peter wanted to be a cop when he grew up? He was calling Kermit by the old nickname? " I'll go call the family, " he said as he left the room. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Paul and Annie received the news that Peter was awake with great joy. They were going to come down to the hospital as soon as they had passed on the good news. Then they hung up before Kermit could explain about Peter's strange behavior. The doctor came out of Peter's room just as the Blaisdell family arrived at the hospital. " Detective Caine is out of the woods now. " " Doc, you should know that Peter wasn't acting like himself before, or at least the way he usually acts now, " Kermit said. Everybody looked at him. " What are you talking about Kermit? " Annie asked, her hand in her husband's. " When he woke up, he called me Frog Man, you know, like he used to do years ago. He also made a mention that he didn't remember anything about the car thieves..." The doctor interrupted him, " It's not uncommon for people to be disorientated when they first come out of a coma. " " Yeah, but do they usually come out saying that they know that they want to be a cop when they grow up? Never mind that he's been one for years already? " Kermit inquired. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Peter looked at them as they all walked into the room, " Hi! Can someone please tell me what's going on? Frog Man here has been trying to convince me that I was chasing some car thieves or something. " Everybody looked at each other. Peter's foster sister, Kelly walked up to his bedside. He asked in a low voice, " Kelly? What's happening? Why is everybody so quiet? Why do you look so much taller?" Kelly looked at her parents for guidance. They shrugged and shook their heads, they didn't know any more then she did about what to do, " Peter, have you seen yourself lately? " " What are you talking about? Do I have a green head or something? " Peter joked. he was getting very worried. Had he done something wrong?" Kelly took out her compact. She was just about to open it, but Paul stopped her with one hand. " No, Kelly, not yet, " he said. Peter looked at them in puzzlement, what the hell was going on? " Captain, what's going on? Please tell me, " he pleaded. " Peter, do you know what year it is? " Paul asked. " Sure, " Peter replied, and he gave him the year. Annie started crying," Mrs. Blasidell, I'll change my answer if you want. I didn't mean to make you cry! Kelly? What's the answer they want? " Annie cried harder. Peter had been calling her mom for years. It hurt to hear him call her Mrs. Blaisdell as if they were strangers again. Kelly didn't answer. Everyone was looking at him and each other in shock. The doctor walked in. Everybody surrounded around him, crowding him back towards the door. Peter strained from the bed to hear what was going on. The only words he caught was Detective Caine and fifteen years. Then he heard Kelly say the word memory. What the heck were they talking about anyway? Why was the doctor shrugging? Weren't patients privy to information about themselves? Mrs. Blaisdell was still crying. He could see the tears reflecting from the light in the hallway. She took off her glasses and Paul wiped them away with a hankerchief. Then he gave her a hug of support. " Please, what's going on?" Peter pleaded. He didn't like being in the dark about things. " Just rest, now, " the doctor said as he motioned to the nurse who had been trying to get into the doorway. She approached him with a needle in hand. Peter flinched away. He absolutely hated needles of any kind. He looked at Frog Man. Kermit nodded. Kermit was suspicious by nature. If he thought it was okay, then he believed him. As he felt the pinch of the needle, he thought, Frog Man always tells me the truth. He'll tell me what's going on. Then the world around him started to get fuzzy. The last thing he heard was Frog Man's voice yelling at the doctor out in the hallway, " What the bloody hell do you mean, you can't fix his lost of memory? He's missing 15 years! " He heard a thump against the wall. Darkness clouded his vision now. His last thought was, 15 years? Missing memories? Him? No way, it had to all be a dream. Forgotten Times 4/17 By Debbie Eng (wan-ping@juno.com) ******** The family silently exited the room with the doctor. His diagnosis had been that Peter's subconscious had brought him back to the past because he had left something unresolved. They would have to wait for Peter to acknowledge and resolve the issue on his own. Carolyn and her husband had just exited the elevator. Carolyn went and gave her mom and hug, " Mom, we just heard. Is he alright? " " What are you two doing here? I thought the two of you were supposed to be on a cruise? " Paul asked as he hugged his older daughter. Carolyn's husband, Todd, replied, " We were, but we heard it on TV. We got off at the next port and rented a car to drive back. Peter's very important to us. After all, he introduced us. " He put his arm around his wife, and looked at Paul, " So how is he doing? He's going to make it, right? " " Yes, he just woke up from his coma not long ago, " Paul said. Carolyn looked at her father, " There's something you're not saying. What is it? " " Peter's memories, " Annie said, " For him the past fifteen years hasn't happened yet. To him, he just woke up from that last beating from Anderson. " " Oh my god, " Carolyn exclaimed, her hand rising to her mouth. Todd remembered when he first met Peter. He had lived across the street from the Andersons. He had gone over one day to see if there was someone who wanted to play hoops with him. Peter had obtained permission from Mrs. Anderson and they had played a little one on one. They had gotten to be pretty good friends after that. They had gone over to each other's houses for dinner and because Peter was so behind and since he was a couple of years ahead, he tutored Peter in English. However all of that had changed after Mrs. Anderson had died. When Peter had gone to school, he was no longer full of the energy that Todd usually associated with Peter. He had withdrawn into himself. They had been changing for phys. ed when he saw the bruises. He had asked how he had gotten them, and Peter had said that he had fallen down the stairs. Todd believed it the first time. After the next two times, he started getting worried. He confronted Peter. Peter had admitted that Mr. Anderson had been hitting him. He had also said that it was his fault that Mrs. Anderson died and he deserved whatever he got and he made Todd promise not to tell anyone. Todd had kept that promise until he had gone to Peter's house that fateful night. Since Peter was no longer allowed to come to his house, he had been sneaking over to Peter's. Til the day he died, Todd would never forget what he had seen. He usually met Peter in the backyard so that Mr. Anderson wouldn't catch them. What he had seen shocked him even more then the bruises. Mr. Anderson had looked like a mad man. He had been holding a beer bottle in one hand and a wooden baseball bat in the other. He had also been taking swings at Peter, and he hadn't been missing. He had quickly ran home and told his parents. His mom called the police while he and his dad had ran back to help Peter. He had never been so glad to hear police sirens. It had taken years before Peter had gained back his self confidence and rebuilt his self esteem. Todd didn't want to think of all of those years of hard work Peter had done to forget about the Andersons because now he would have to start all over again. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Forgotten Times 5/17 By Debbie Eng (wan-ping@juno.com) ******* What's going on? Peter thought as he woke up in the middle of the night. The last thing he remembered was Anderson calling him out to the backyard after dinner to yell at him for not mowing the grass. It hadn't been his fault. There had been a major car accident that had blocked traffic for miles. The school bus had been late in dropping him off. And he had had to start dinner as soon as he got home, otherwise...Peter shuddered to think about what more Mr. Anderson could have done to him. However in his heart he knew that he deserved it. He had taken Mrs. Anderson away from him. Mrs. Anderson had been the light of her husband's life. There was nothing he wouldn't have done for her. He had even adopted a teenager instead of holding out for a baby like he had wanted. Anything his wife had wanted, she got...except her life, Peter reflected. Everything that happens is what I deserve. Todd was wrong. I must be evil in some way. No one who is good ever stays around me. First Mom, Pop, and then Mrs. Anderson. Peter turned his thoughts to the Blaisdells. The Captain and his family were being very nice to him. But they were all acting weird. So was Frog Man. And then there was this business of how he looked. He pulled his arms out from under the sterile white covers and looked at his hands. They were bigger then he remembered. I feel like I'm in that show that I saw at Todd's house once. If I remember correctly, it was called the Twilight Zone. However, how can I trust my memory if everybody else says that a large chunk of it is missing? All of a sudden, the sound of a bird chirping came from the door. Peter grinned. That had been his and Todd's secret signal. He had taught it to Todd so that he could find out if the coast was clear. Todd's imitation was one of the worst that he'd ever heard, but it had always fooled Mr. Anderson. Peter sat back in the bed. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Forgotten Times 6/17 By Debbie Eng (wan-ping@juno.com) ******* Todd put his arm around Carolyn and whistled again. The nurses and doctors nearby looked at him, but he didn't pay any attention to them. He heard Peter's answering whistle. He slowly pushed the door open. The sight that greeted them was better then the sight that had greeted the rest of the family. A nurse had raised the bed so that Peter could see each visitor as they walked in. He looked shocked as he looked at first Todd and then Carolyn. Then he looked at Todd again. " Oh my god, " Peter whispered, " This isn't a dream then. This is real." He continued to stare at Todd. It was unbelievable. Todd had grown taller and filled out over the years. Carolyn reached towards him to give him a hug, " Peter, how do you feel? " Peter saw the ring on her left hand and stared. Then he looked more carefully at the two. It couldn't be. Todd, who was afraid to even talk to a girl, was married? To Carolyn Blaisdell? How had that happened? The two of them were looking worried from his continued silence. They expected him to say something. Anything. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know any of these people, at least not as well as they knew him. He knew that the Blaisdells were nice people. They came to visit him every once in a while when he was at the orphanage. And sometimes after the captain gave his lectures on safety and stuff, he got to go home with him to visit. And he knew Todd was his friend, at least the teenage version of him was. " Peter? " Todd inquired. Peter stopped his reflecting and said the first thing that came to his mind, " Todd you gotta work on that whistle. " Todd looked startled, " What's wrong with my whistle? " Peter replied, " It sounds like a dying bird, that's what's wrong." Just then there was another knock on the door. The rest of the Blaisdell family came in. A nurse was behind them. One he hadn't seen before. She went to take his pulse and check the IV full of pain medication. Then she went to record some information on the chart at the foot of the bed. " Nothing to say this time, Detective Caine? This is a new one. First time you've been here and not complained, flirted, or tried to charm your way out early. " Peter felt the back of his neck and cheeks heat up. He looked down. Flirted? Him? He hadn't even gotten up the nerve to speak to any girls at school yet. He had tried once. Once had been enough. It had happened at the orphanage. He had been there for several months and had finally realized that Ping Hai was not about to come and get him. He had asked Sarah Henson another girl who had been at the orphanage, if she had wanted to go and see a movie with him. He had worked two weeks for the money and the courage to ask her. And when he had actually managed to stammer out an invitation, she had rejected him. Big time. She had told him, with all of the other normal guys there, why would she want to go out with a bald headed freak. After that, he had never worked up the courage to try again. Paul looked at his foster son. He didn't like what he saw. If Peter had been himself, he would have come back with some witty remark. Not withdraw into himself with embarrassment. " Peter, the doctor said that you could go home soon. Annie and I have discussed it. For the time being, you can stay with us, at least until your arm and ribs heal enough so that you can manage on your own. " Peter looked up, " You're not going to send me back with Mr. Anderson? Or Pine Ridge?" He had always liked the Blaisdells. Sometimes at night, when he was about to fall asleep, he would fantasize that a family like the Blaisdells would actually want someone like him. But no one wanted a half grown freak, as Mr. Anderson had shouted at him time and time again. Mr. Anderson had been right. Why would they want him when they could wait for a baby? He was lucky that he had a home with Mr. Anderson. And so what if he got hit a little? Its not like his real father hadn't hit him. Hadn't Pop told him that he did it to ensure that the lesson went in? So what if Mr. Anderson did it a little harder. He deserved it. Mr. Anderson said it was for his own good. And maybe he was right. Then he remembered, " Wait, a second, didn't you guys say I'm missing fifteen years or something? I can't still be at the orphanage, right? Where do I usually live? " " You have your own apartment in a high rise on Braden Street, " Kelly said, " But you used to always stay with us when you were hurt until your father came..." She had an uh oh look on her face. Peter knew for sure that this was a dream, " Father? My father is dead. This isn't real. Now I know I'm still dreaming. " Peter could feel the tears welling up in his eyes. He knew this had all been too good to be true. Yeah, the Blaisdells wanted him. Yeah, he was loved. What a cruel joke. He knew where he was now. He was in his fantasy world, the ultimate secret place inside of him. This was where he sent his mind when Mr. Anderson decided to enforce another one of his lessons. He used his good arm and pulled up the sheets. Then he turned away from them, fake or not, he didn't want them to see him cry. This had just been another fantasy. But for a moment, it had seemed so real. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Forgotten Times 7/17 By Debbie Eng (wan-ping@juno.com) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Helpful Translations to know: " Peter, nay umm hie fot gun moong "---Peter you are not dreaming. " Nay wa, Knee dee cheam bo hie jun? "---You're telling me, that this is all real? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Peter couldn't understand why he hadn't woke up yet. Usually he woke up not long after Mr. Anderson had finished with him. His fantasies did not last for days. He was confused. Had Mr. Anderson killed him this time? Was that why he couldn't wake up? He had no body to go back to? And all of those fantasy people. They hadn't stopped coming to visit. Even when he had turned away, they kept on coming and talking to him. There had even been some people that he didn't know. One of them had been named Mary Margaret. He didn't know where her image had come from. He didn't remember seeing her anywhere, not the orphanage and not as a teacher from the school. He didn't know how to talk to her or any of the troop of nurses that had been coming in and out all week. All of them had mentioned little things that let Peter know he didn't usually act this way. The pressure was on. Each and every one of them wanted their version of Peter Caine back. Not him. Wasn't there anyone who wanted him for him? Peter turned his head and almost jumped out of bed. A very old Chinese man was there. He had on thin wire glasses and was mixing an herbal concoction. He reminded him of one Ping Hai from the temple, but that couldn't be because Ping Hai had gotten sick and died, hadn't he?. " Peter, nay umm hie fot gun moong, " Peter was startled. He hadn't heard Chinese since he had left the temple. It took him a while to translate the sentence. Mr. Anderson had tried to beat the Chinese out of him once when he heard him speaking it to a classmate on the phone. He had demanded that Peter act like a normal kid and learn a normal language, like French or Spanish for a foreign language. It didn't matter to him that Peter's foreign language was not Chinese, but instead English. After that beating, Peter had tried to hide everything that made him Chinese inside of him. He no longer made the discrete moves that let him avoid the full power of Anderson's hits and he had hidden away the Chinese music tapes that Mrs. Anderson had gotten him. Her theory had been, if you don't use it, you lose it, and she hadn't wanted Peter to forget his Chinese heritage. From the dredges of his memory, he translated the Ancient's sentence and formulated a response. " Nay wa, Knee dee cheam bo hie jun? " The Ancient nodded, " These herbs, young Peter will help you as you heal." He added some water to the mixture and lifted it to Peter's mouth. " Who are you? " Peter swallowed, at the temple, he had been taught to revere the old ones, " Yuck, that tasted nasty! " Peter turned his head away. The Ancient laughed, " Some things do not change. I am the Ancient, you usually call me Lo Si." " Lo Si, this can't be real. Kelly said that my father was alive. I heard her. He isn't. Therefore this must all be a dream." " As I said before, this is not a dream, " the Ancient said as he packed away his things and left. Forgotten Times 8/17 By Debbie Eng (wan-ping@juno.com) ******* A large group of people was in the waiting room again, awaiting for the doctor to come out of Peter's room. This was the day when the doctor would decide whether or not Peter was well enough to come home. He finally came out to see them. He had a look of disbelief on his face. Then as he caught sight of Kermit, it turned to a look a mouse had when a cat was circling it. Paul placed a hand on Kermit's arm, " Don't intimidate the doctor, Detective. " Carolyn stood up with her husband, " Well? Can Peter come home?" She voiced the question that was in everyone's minds. The doctor replied, " Detective Caine is physically healed enough to go home, however, he is still unsure whether or not this is all a dream or not. " " What does that mean, doctor? " Annie asked. The look of disbelief crossed his face again, " I think that Detective Caine wants to confirm everything with an imaginary friend. But this pretend friend hasn't come yet. He's been asking the nurses to bring his friend to him, and they don't know how to respond." " Imaginary friend? " Annie asked. She didn't remember Peter having any imaginary friends. But then Peter hadn't told her everything about his childhood. " Yeah, he keeps asking to see I think he called him, Frog Man? " the doctor gave an amused chuckle at the name. He stopped when he saw them all look at each other. Then tensed as he saw Kermit ball up his fists, " Damn you, doctor, he hasn't been asking for an imaginary friend, he's been asking for me! " Then he turned and hurried to Peter's room. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Peter was sitting in the chair looking out of the window when Kermit came rushing into the room. Peter turned around and looked up. Then he hesitantly smiled, " Frog Man, you came! " " Of course, Peter, I would have come sooner, if that stupid doctor had told me that you wanted to see me, " Kermit replied as he removed his glasses and sat down at the edge of the bed so that he was facing Peter. Peter frowned then remembered, " I forgot, you go by Kermit, " he hung his head. He couldn't seem to do anything right. " Hey, none of that, " Kermit said sternly as he raised one hand to lift up Peter's face. From his peripheral vision, all Peter saw was a hand moving towards his face. He cringed inside. Frog Man had never hurt him before, why was he going to hit him now? But then again, why not? Peter thought to himself. Kermit aborted his movement as he saw Peter's reaction, " Peter, I'm not going to hurt you. " He saw Peter look up in surprise. He changed the subject, " What did you want to see me about? " Peter looked away, then back again, " Frog Man, you've never lied to me before. You told me that in The Trade, it was very important to find out the big picture before doing anything. I need some information" Kermit looked at him, " What do you want to know? " " What is going on? " Peter asked, " Is this all a dream or is this all real? I've been collecting bits and pieces of information, but they are all contradicting themselves." Kermit sighed, Peter always jumped to the million dollar questions first," It's real. " Peter gasped, " I was so sure it was a dream. Kelly said that my father was alive. Is that fact or fiction? " Peter visibly braced himself for Kermit's answer. Kermit tried to think of a softening way to tell Peter, but couldn't, " Fact. " Peter shuddered, " May I ask where he is then? I know I haven't seen him in years, but I would think that I would remember him. " Kermit was beginning to wish that Peter hadn't asked to see him. Anybody would have been better at this then him. He didn't know what to say to Peter. Peter was looking at him as if his whole world depended on Kermit's answer. " We..." Kermit struggled for an answer, " He's...." Peter looked expectantly at him. " He's on a journey at the moment, " Kermit finally said, " We haven't been able to reach him as of yet. " Kermit saw Peter try to hid his disappointment. " Oh, " Peter replied, " I should have known. " Then Peter changed the subject, " Frog Man, what do I look like now? " Kermit looked at him, " What do you mean? " " From what I've been able to overhear, I've lost 15 years somehow. But when I wanted to look at my reflection, I couldn't. All of the mirrors seemed to have disappeared. " Kermit took out his sunglasses and handed them to Peter. Peter gave him a questioning look. Kermit pointed to the lenses, and Peter looked at his reflection shining up from the mirror green lenses, " I guess I didn't come out too bad, did I?" he said looking for a little reassurance. Kermit grinned and took back the glasses. He helped Peter up and slung his arm around Peter's shoulders, " Nope, not too bad at all. Come on Peter, let's go home. " ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Forgotten Times 9/17 By Debbie Eng (wan-ping@juno) ****** Peter had been quiet on the way to the Blaisdells' house. After Todd and Carolyn had pulled their car behind Kermit's and Paul's, they watched as Peter orientated himself. He had only been to visit a couple of times before they had adopted him. Annie unlocked the door and they went in with Kermit carrying a duffel bag of things that he had picked up at Peter's place. Peter gingerly walked to a sofa and sat down. The trip home had tired him, but he didn't want to say anything. Everybody was nervously hovering around him. None of them knew what to say. Lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice when Annie sat down near him, patting his knee in reassurance. Without realizing it he leaned closer to her for the kind of comfort only a mother could give to her child. Paul shoed everyone out of the room. Peter needed some time alone with the only mother he had ever known. For many moments, they just sat there in silence. Then Annie spoke, " What's going through your mind, Peter? " Peter jumped slightly at the sound of her voice. Then he realized how close he was to her and moved away to the far end of the couch. Annie felt the movement all of the way to her heart. In the past when he had first come to live with them, Peter had been just as wary of the love and comfort that the Blaisdells had offered him. " I'm sorry, Mrs. Blaisdell, " Peter said as he wearily used the sofa arm to help himself to his feet. His ribs were beginning to hurt, and he didn't know where his pills were. Annie could hear the weariness in his voice as he apologized, " You have nothing to be sorry about. Come, I'll take you to your old room. She took his hand to guide him. " Peter inwardly smiled, " This is new, the blind leading the sighted. " Whoops, you dumb blockhead, he admonished himself, " I'm sorry...I didn't mean..." Peter was at a loss for words. Hell, they had taken him in when he had no where else to go, and already, he had insulted Mrs. Blaisdell. A person who had been nothing but nice to him. He waited for Mrs. Blaisdell to drop his hand. He didn't deserve a touch of kindness. Annie just laughed and gripped his hand tighter, " Hold on, Peter, because if you get lost and wander off, I'll have a hard time looking for you. " Peter felt a flood of relief go through him. She didn't appear to be insulted. In a way, she acted a lot like Mrs. Anderson. They turned a corner and entered a room. He saw Kermit setting up a laptop computer on the desk in the corner. The duffel bag thrown on the bed waiting to be unpacked. Annie gave him a quick hug, " I'll let you settle in now. Kermit, " Kermit turned to face her. " Make sure Peter gets some rest alright? " Kermit gave an affirmative reply. After Annie had left, Peter sighed and sat down on the twin sized bed pushing the duffel bag on the floor, " How did she know that you were there? " " Beats the heck out of me, but we sure could have used her in The Trade, " Kermit replied as he hooked the modem up. Then he turned the thing on. Peter had not used the thing in years, but it beeped faithfully as it booted itself up. He watched as the computer finished checking its systems and then stop at a screen that asked for a username and id. " Hey, Peter, you wouldn't by chance remember the password on this thing, would you? Otherwise, I'm going to hack it. Peter? " There was no answer. Peter lay on top of the covers sound asleep. Kermit sighed and shut down the computer. That could wait til later. He silently removed Peter's sneakers and left the room. Forgotten Times 10/17 By Debbie Eng (wan-ping@juno.com) ******* Peter woke up and got up to look around at his surroundings. On the shelves on the walls were trophies and pictures of him with the Blaisdell family. In them he looked younger then the reflection he saw in the mirror now. He looked the way he remembered being before he had woken up at the hospital. He smiled sadly at one of the photos. It was a photo of him and Kermit. The picture had been taken of them while sitting in front of a computer. His left arm had been in a cast and he was wearing sunglasses like Kermit's. He didn't remember that day at all. He heard the grandfather clock downstairs chime five times. Uh oh. He had to hurry and make dinner. He had vowed to himself to do everything he could possible to help out so that they wouldn't throw him out. He hurried as fast as his ribs would allow him down the stairs. From the kitchen window, he could see the rest of the family talking by the pool. He saw Annie laugh as Kelly splashed her from inside of the pool. Carolyn and Todd were horsing around in the shallow end. Kermit was still dressed in his suit and tie unlike the rest of the family. Peter sighed to himself as he pulled open the refrigerator to see what they had to cook. Carolyn and Kelly were sure lucky. He would do anything to be part of the Blaisdell family. Inside the fridge he saw the makings of chicken fried rice. I hate rice, Peter thought, as he looked for something else to make. Then he thought about it. Did he really hate rice or did he have that idea because Mr. Anderson had not allowed him to have it anymore because it was a main staple in the Chinese diet? Peter didn't know anymore. But he wanted to find out. He quickly took out the things he would need. Then he started searching for a wok or something to cook it all in. With his right hand, he turned on the water and filled a pot full of water so that he could start on the rice. His ribs were killing him after he had finally managed to lift the pot and get it onto the burner but he continued. He placed the chicken and vegetables on the chopping board. He looked through the drawers until he found a knife. He leaned against the counter for a moment to catch his breath. He was used to cooking while in pain, but it had never hurt this much before. " What the hell? Peter! What are you doing? " Paul stopped yelling when he saw Peter stiffen and murmured, " Making dinner. " " You are not making dinner, Peter, you can't even stand straight, " Paul said as he helped Peter into a seat and started cleaning up some of the water Peter had spilled while trying to transfer the full pot with one hand. " I wanted to surprise all of you, " Peter said. " Oh yeah, we would have been surprise all right. Surprised to find you passed out on the floor, " Paul said. He remembered this stage now. Peter had believed that he needed to buy their acceptance of him. He had run around doing what he could. Only the last time he had caught Peter, he had been cleaning. Peter sat in his chair waiting for the inevitable yelling and beating for making a mess. He started the process he used whenever he knew a beating would occur. He blanked out what was going on and sent his mind inside to his special secret place. Paul stopped his reminiscing as he saw Peter's face go blank. Paul silently cursed himself. Kermit came in to get out of the hot sun and heard him. " Paul? " Kermit inquired, then he saw Peter as still as a statue. He started some cursing of his own. From experience, they knew Peter would not come out until he felt safe. Sometimes these spells lasted for minutes, sometimes hours. Kermit and Paul carefully guided Peter back to the family room. When Peter was in this state, he was not aware of what happened to him or his body. They lay him down on the sofa. They heard Annie and the others come back in. " You think Peter's awake yet? " they heard Kelly ask. Then they heard Carolyn, " What in the world? Watch out for that wet spot, Mom, here, I'll help you around it. " Kelly walked in and saw them crouched at Peter's side and called Annie. Annie carefully made her way to Kelly, " What is it honey? " She sensed others in the room, " Paul? " Paul stood up, " Do you remember when Peter first came to live with us? And how he kept doing things, because he thought that if he didn't, we would send him back? " Annie nodded she remembered that time very well. When Peter had been trying to help, he had unintentionally moved things around so that she no longer knew where they were, " Oh no, Peter didn't try and clean again, did he? " " Cook, I'm afraid, " Paul said, " The doctor said that he should rest. And Peter memory or not, didn't listen. I sort of forgot and came down a little hard on him before. One of his old defense mechanisms kicked in. He's fled into his mind into what he used to call his special secret place. " ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Forgotten Times 11/17 By Debbie Eng (wan-ping@juno.com) ******* In his mind, Peter approached his secret place. It looked almost identical to the one he had had at the temple. He had created this one in its place because the sisters at Pine Ridge wouldn't let him go back. He used to come here to think but now, it was his sanctuary from the outside world. Here, he could escape the aches and pains the beatings incurred. He sat down and looked out at the lake. It was beautiful. Everything here looked so lush and full of life. There were even a couple small animals scurrying behind him. Peter sighed and fooled around with a couple of pebbles by his right foot. He had a lot to think about. His father was alive. He couldn't believe it, but even Frog Man had confirmed it. But he wasn't here. Not when he needed him. Peter angrily threw a pebble, watching it skip erratically before sinking below the surface. It had always been that way. At the temple, his father was always leaving him with the other monks while he went away on a mission. When he had been small, he had begged to go. His father had said, maybe when he was older. He had turned fourteen that year and still he had not been allowed. At the school, after the holidays, he had envied the stories the other kids told of where they had been. He however had never even made it out of the town. The thought crept in his mind again. His father was alive. His father, or his teacher? Peter wondered. Often, Peter thought of his father more of as a teacher then a parent. When his father was at the temple, all he would do was try to instill lessons, and more lessons into him and all of the other students, before he would leave again. His father didn't know him at all. Hell, he hadn't even known that Peter had had a secret place until he had been given a clue >From another monk. Peter sighed again and wrapped his arms around his legs. He had concluded some time ago that his father hadn't wanted him. As a student, maybe, but as a son, no way. After all, what kind of father would continually leave him by himself? Or left him to die when he had called to him while in a raging fire? He probably thought that it was a good riddance when he thought that I was dead. Probably shocked the hell out of him when he found out that I was alive. I wonder if he knows about Anderson? Peter cringed at even the thought of that man. He probably would have cheered him on. I was always doing the wrong thing at the temple. Like whenever he went to mother's grave. He always looked so disappointed at me whenever I refused to go with him. Well, what does he want? I never knew her. And he doesn't want to talk to me about her. Why would I want to go to a stranger's grave? Sure, she gave me life, but she sure didn't stick around long enough to see what kind of life it would be. And then there's this crisis that I'm in now. I'm missing fifteen years of my memories. How do I get them back? Do I want them back? Do I want to go back to be their Peter Caine? Who am I? I don't know anymore. I thought I knew at the orphanage. I said as much to the captain when I first met him, but now. I just don't know. Am I Kwai Chang Caine's son? Student? Anderson's son? Am I a son and brother for the Blaisdells? Cop? The sun was setting. That meant that soon, he would be going back. Back to the confusion and the pain. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Forgotten Times 12/17 By Debbie Eng (wan-ping@juno.com) ******* Peter blinked in confusion as he left his secret place. Where was he? The only thing he could see was the ceiling. He could hear the sounds of keys clacking away. He turned his head. He could see the glint of gold from the shelves on his right. He was back upstairs in his room. What had happened? How had he gotten back up? Kermit was getting a mite frustrated at Peter as he typed in another word. He muttered under his breath, " Teach him everything you know and how do they reward you? They lock their stuff so that you can no longer get in. Must mean that he's learned his lessons well, " Kermit continued typing in words. After helping Paul bring Peter back to his room, he had decided to try and hack into the laptop. He wanted to surprise Peter with a couple of new upgrades. " Frog Man?" Peter called. Kermit looked up at him. He had known the exact moment when Peter had snapped out of the spell. " Yes? " " There isn't a password, " Peter said, " I never put one in because sometimes the other kids would want to play solitaire on it. " Kermit had a shocked look on his face, and repeated what Peter had told him, " You didn't put a password on it? All of those lessons on protecting your files, wasted?" " Not wasted, if it fooled even you, " Peter said smiling. He pushed himself up with his good arm, " What time is it? I have to finish..." " Dinner should be ready any minute, " Kermit grumbled as he deleted the word he had just inputted and pressed enter to send in a blank line. What he saw impressed him, the only things that he could read were the words solitaire and email in one of the program groups. The rest looked to be in gibberish, " What the hell is that? Doesn't look like any code that I've ever seen." Peter got off the bed and looked at the screen, " Chinese. Spelled out Peter styled." Before their eyes, the screen started flickering like crazy. Peter apologized, " I'm sorry. I couldn't protect it. You trusted me with it and I couldn't protect it." Kermit looked puzzled. What was Peter apologizing for? What was he talking about? " You lent me your laptop and I couldn't protect it, " Peter was looking down at his feet. Kermit stayed silent and let Peter continue. " I....When I was at the Andersons...," Peter had a hard time getting it out, he the memories of what had happened that night, were still clear. He could see it like it was yesterday while he told Kermit what had happened. It had been a week after the crash. Peter had withdrawn into himself. He was no longer interested in soccer and he couldn't leave the house. Anderson had hit him before and there was now a large purple bruise forming on the side of his face. He hadn't yet thought of an excuse to give for it yet. But he had wanted to talk to someone, anyone. He had decided to email Kermit a letter. Mrs. Anderson had always allowed him to use the phone lines after 10 in the evenings. He had been hooking into his account when Mr. Anderson had wandered in drunk. " What the hell are you doing, boy?" Mr. Anderson had asked. " I...I was just emailing my friend....," Peter said hesitantly. " Friend? You don't deserve any friends. If you treat your family this way, then your friends will thank me for keeping you away >From them, " and with that Mr. Anderson had lifted the laptop and threw it against the wall. Peter had ran towards it, not seeing the fist that had descended on him from behind. Peter continued, while still looking down, " When I woke up, I managed to get the computer to boot up and everything, but I think that there's something loose in the screen. I can't get it to stop flickering like that. I'm sorry, its all my fault, I'll pay for it somehow, really I will." Kermit didn't say anything until Peter dared to look up, " Peter, " he placed an arm around Peter's shoulder, " Listen to me, it was not your fault. You didn't do anything wrong. " Peter opened his mouth to contradict him, but Kermit stopped him, " No Peter. Anderson was wrong. You are a very good person. And don't worry about the computer, " Kermit said shutting it down, " Its been through worst. I used it on some mercenary missions, this is nothing compared to what happened to it in Germany." Peter was interested, " Germany? " " Yeah, I'll tell it to you later, but right now, Annie's calling us for dinner. " ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Forgotten Times 13/17 By Debbie Eng (wan-ping@juno.com) ******** Three weeks had passed since the accident and it seemed like Peter was never going to get his memory back. The Blaisdells were beginning to despair of ever getting the old Peter back. It had been very tough for Peter to let down his walls and trust them when he had first came to live with them. They didn't want Peter to have to go through it all again. " How about this? " Kelly asked, " Does this look familiar? " She was holding a photo album. Kelly had thought that maybe looking through the albums might jog something in his memory. They had been at this for hours. Peter was beginning to hate that question, the Blaisdells had all been showing him things to try and get him to remember. And he really hated to let them down when he had to say no, but he had to try. He looked at the picture again. It was a picture from Todd and Carolyn's wedding. On the photo he saw the face that he saw everyday in the mirror, smiling out at him. So he had been happy. Peter thought, and they all want this happy Peter back. Their Peter. They don't want me. They want him. Peter jumped up from the couch that they had been sitting on and ran back up to his room. That's not me, he thought as he stared at his reflection in the mirror. He saw the reflection of his trophies in the background. Those aren't mine either. They're all his. Nothing here is mine. He saw the laptop that Kermit had returned to him out of the corner of his eye. He picked it up and sat on his bed. Nothing here is mine except this. Unnoticed tears were falling He hugged it to his chest and leaned back, banging his head against the wall. He repeated the action. Over and over again. Kelly ran into the room, " Peter! Stop! What are you doing? " Peter stopped. " What happened? Did you remember something ? " Kelly sat down on the bed. He flinched and moved away. " Look, I know you don't want me, you don't have to pretend anymore," Peter said. " What are you talking about? " Kelly was puzzled. They all loved Peter. What was he talking about. Peter cried, " You don't want me, you want him. " " Him? " Kelly still didn't know what was going on. " Your Peter, the grown up one,. Well, I tried, but I don't know how to bring him back for you! " A light bulb went off in Kelly's mind. Oh no, was that the impression that we gave him? We must have. Everyone giving him things, trying to make him remember. Different people mentioning little things that Peter used to do. My god, we were so caught up in trying to get Peter back the way we remembered him, that he didn't consider the feelings of this Peter. The younger unsure Peter. Peter started banging his head against the wall again. Kelly shoved him off the bed. " Stop it, Peter, just stop it! " " What do you care? If a bang on the head got me in this mess..." " No, Peter, " Kelly wrapped her arms around him, giving him a much need hug, " We didn't mean to hurt you by making you think we didn't love you. After all, the Peter we know started off as being you. We all love and care for you Peter, its just difficult for us to see you have to go through this all over again." Kelly and Peter sat together until Annie called them for lunch. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Forgotten Times 14/17 By Debbie Eng (wan-ping@juno.com) ****** They were having a family meeting in the kitchen.. Everyone was there, Kermit, the Ancient, Todd and Carolyn, and the Blaisdells. Everyone except Peter. Peter was out walking Paul and Annie's grandchild. Kelly told them about what had happened before. " Damn, " Kermit swore, " We should have realized what he was going through. " " All we can do now is love, Peter, this Peter, " the Ancient said, " Young Peter must remember on his own. We can not force him to remember. " " But what can we do? " " This is all Anderson's fault, " Kermit muttered. " Anderson? " the Ancient asked, " Who is that? " He had not known Peter until after he had already reunited with his father. He did not know of Peter's history after he, Ping Hai, had given Peter to the orphanage. He only knew that Peter had been adopted. " Anderson, " Paul explained, " Was that creep who adopted Peter before we got him. He physically and emotionally beat up on Peter, until Todd here called the authorities. He's the reason why Peter has such a low sense of self worth." " Actually, Peter wasn't always like that, " Kermit said as he pulled a disk out of his jacket pocket, " In his heart, he knew it all to be an accident, but Anderson managed to convince him otherwise. " " That man, deserves to be shot, " Todd said, " He beat it into Peter that it was his fault that his wife had died. I doubt it took Peter long to believe that. " " How do you know this, Kermit? " Annie asked. Kermit slapped the disk against his hand, " In my hand here, I have a disk with a copy of a letter Peter tried to send to me. Only it never got sent because Anderson threw the laptop against the wall before Peter could send it. I found it when I ran a scandisk on the laptop after I fixed his screen. It was saved as a lost file. The letter Peter sent was asking me if I thought that it was possible that it was Peter's fault about Mrs. Anderson's accident." " What happened to this Anderson person? " the Ancient asked. Everyone looked at each other. After the arrest of Anderson, nobody had bothered to keep track of Anderson's whereabouts. No one knew. Except one person. " He's been out on parole for 5 years now. He lives in that apartment complex near 8th and Woods, " Annie said. " How? " Paul asked his blind wife. " Hey, you don't hang around a mercenary without picking up a few things," she smiled, "And there was no way that I was not going to keep track of that man! " Paul smiled back at her. She sounded like a lioness defending her cub. " Wait, a minute, " Kermit said, " Maybe Peter would get his memory back if he saw Anderson again. " " What you want to shock it out of him? Get real, Kermit, " Carolyn scoffed. " He has a point, Carolyn, but the question is, how will Anderson react? " Paul said. " And more importantly, how do we convince Peter to see him? " Kelly replied. Standing outside unnoticed, near the kitchen window was Peter, with tears in his eyes. He and the baby had just come back from their walk and was about to go in when he had heard himself being discussed. If they didn't want me, they could have just said something. They didn't have to continue lying about it. Hell, they don't have to convince me to go back to Anderson, he thought. I'll....I'll go on my own. I just hope that this works and it'll....make them happy. Peter carefully parked the stroller on the porch. Then strengthening his resolve, he rang the doorbell. As he heard footsteps approaching, he ran. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Forgotten Times 15/17 By Debbie Eng (wan-ping@juno.com) ********** The doorbell rang. Carolyn got up to answer it. She saw her baby on the porch and Peter was nowhere in sight. She followed the faint tracks that were faintly visible in the grass to the open kitchen window. Oh my god. She quickly went back in with her child to tell the family. Peter had apparently overheard them and was gone. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- They decided to see if they could find him themselves before putting an APB out on him. They got out a map and divided up the town. It was agreed that Annie would stay there with the baby and act as mission control. She would call them on their cellular phones if she heard anything. They reached for their jackets. The Ancient was supposed to ride with Paul. Kermit with Kelly, and Todd with Carolyn. Before they made it out of the house, someone else rang the doorbell. When they opened the door, they saw a man who looked like Caine, but older, with large glasses and leaning on a cane. " Hello. My son was seriously injured and could not make the journey as of yet, so I have come in his place, " the man carefully walked in. " Who are you? " Kelly asked. " I am Matthew Caine. I am Peter's ...grandfather, " the man said, " I am afraid that I am a bit late because I had some problems getting a ...visa? from the French Embassy. " Matthew saw the Ancient, "Ping Hai? " " Ping Hai? " Paul asked. " We do not have time for explanations now, " the Ancient said, "Peter is missing." " Then... we must go and find him, " Matthew said. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8th and Woods, 8th and Woods. Peter repeated to himself as he ran. The street signs that went by were a blur in his vision. " Excuse me, " Peter asked the guy selling hot dogs at the corner, "Could you tell me how to find 8th and Woods? " " Peter? " Cap asked puzzled. What was going on? Peter looked like someone was after him. He reminded him of some of the guys back at the sanitarium. " Please, 8th and Woods? " Peter pleaded. " Ah, sure Pete, its 2 more blocks up, what's going on? " " Umm, don't have time now, " Peter improvised. Apparently this guy knew the other Peter. Peter hurried along. The quicker he saw Anderson, maybe the quicker they could have their Peter back. He reached the corner of 8th and Woods and saw a row of apartment buildings. He went into the first one and looked at the row of mailboxes. There it was. Kevin Anderson, number 203. He hurried towards the elevator. While in the elevator he stopped to catch his breath. This is the only way, he thought. This isn't my time. As he approached the door of 203 he heard a woman scream from inside. He stopped. Oh god. Can I do this? ------------------------------------------------------------------- Forgotten Times 16/17 By Debbie Eng (wan-ping@juno.com) ******** " He is standing in front of a door, " Matthew said. He and the Ancient had decided to concentrate and see if they could locate Peter's chi. They were both sitting cross-legged on the floor facing each other. Hands extended and touching. However, Peter's chi did not feel the same as it usually did and since they had not known Peter when he was younger, it had taken them more time. " What else do you see? " Kermit asked impatiently. " A street sign," the Ancient said. Then he and Matthew broke the connection, " He is at Anderson's apartment. And we must hurry." "Let's go," Kermit said, taking out his gun and making sure that the ammunition was in place ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- I can do this, Peter thought. He took a deep breath and kicked the door in. My god it actually worked. He heard the sound of a slap >From the other room. He ran towards the sound. In the room he saw Anderson lifting his hand to hit the woman in the face again. He paused as he saw Peter enter the room. " Stop! Stop it, right now! " Peter shouted. " Who the hell are you? If I want to hit my wife, I will! " Anderson said in an angry voice. Peter was scared to death. But somehow it did not seem the same. Anderson no longer looked as tall and formidable as he used to, " My name is Peter. Peter Caine. " Anderson paused for a moment, then shouted " You! " " Yes, me, " Peter said with more bravo then he felt. He waited for his other self to kick in. Now would be a good time, he thought. But it didn't happen. The woman looked at them both, confused, " What's going on? " " This little shit was the one who killed your cousin! He's the reason I got stuck in that damn prison for 10 years! " Anderson shouted. Cousin? Peter thought. He took a closer look at the woman. Oh my god. She could have been an identical copy of Mrs. Anderson. He looked at her with open mouthed shock. Anderson took that moment to attack him. The woman looked at Peter in horror. Peter shied away and fell back into his old routine and let Anderson hit him. Then he remembered what Kermit and the Blaisdells had been trying to tell him. " It wasn't my fault! " he shouted to the enraged man. He didn't deserve the beating. He had done nothing wrong. And that woman who was by the bed had probably done nothing wrong either. His kung fu training took over. He surprised Anderson by dodging the next blow and returning one of his own. Anderson fell back. Peter looked at the woman who had been pleading with them to stop. Peter stopped and turned to fully face her, " Are you all right, madam? " " Yes, " the woman nodded, " I'm fine, I...look out! " Turning and ducking, Peter lashed out with his foot and kicked Anderson to the floor. There was a commotion as Kermit and Paul ran into the room. " Peter, are you all right? " Paul asked. " What's going on? " Kermit asked. " I'm sorry, " Peter said, "It didn't work. I saw Anderson and the other Peter didn't kick in like he was supposed to. " The woman who had kneeled down beside her husband looked at all of them, " What's going on? Who are all of you? " " It was an accident. I didn't kill your cousin, " Peter said, " She was driving me to soccer practice when another car ran a stop sign and hit us. It killed her immediately, but I survived. He...he told me it was my fault that she had died, and I believed him. " The woman slowly walked up to him and took his hand, " I believe you, Peter. By the way, my name is Sheryl. Sheryl Anderson. Mary was my cousin. I married this jerk because I thought he loved me, but I guess it was just because I looked so much like Mary. " Kermit looked at Sheryl Anderson, " Do you want to press charges against your husband? " " Yes, " she said, pulling herself together. Kermit yanked Anderson to his feet and they all left the apartment. He shoved Anderson in the back seat of his car, " Don't worry, Paul, I'll make sure he gets to the station. " Paul nodded. He wasn't as worried about that as he was with the scene taking place in front of him. People had been milling around, looking curiously at them. But Peter ignored them. He was walking towards Matthew. Then he paused before he got to him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a little girl dash out to chase her puppy into the busy street. Her mother turned around and made a grab for her, but she missed. " No! " Peter shouted. He ran towards the girl as fast as he could. Paul and the rest of his friends and family could only watch in horror as he shoved the little girl out of the way of an oncoming car. The car seeing Peter in front of him screeched to a stop, but it didn't stop fast enough. In slow motion, they watched as Peter flew several feet away. They heard the sickening thud as his head rebounded off of a nearby fire hydrant. Then watched as his body collapsed into an unmoving heap. For a second it was like the world had stood still. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Forgotten Times 17/17 By Debbie Eng (wan-ping@juno.com) ******** " Has he woken up yet? " Kelly asked. She had driven Annie to the hospital as soon as they had heard. Paul shook his head, " Matthew and the Ancient are with him now." " Is he really Peter's grandfather? " she asked. " Yes...," came a voice from behind her. When she looked behind her, she saw Peter's father on crutches, slowly making his way towards them. He looked like he had been through a war. " Caine, " Paul said, " What happened to you? Should you be up?" he guided him to a seat. Caine gratefully sat down, " That is a story for another time. I came as quickly as I could. Peter, how is he? " " We don't know yet, " Annie said as she gripped her husband's hand. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Matthew looked at his grandson. He had been through much more then anyone had known. But enough was enough, " Peter? " Peter struggled with the darkness as he heard a voice. What happened? He recognized the smells of a hospital. He hated hospitals. I wonder if I can charm my way out early. He heard the voice call his name again. It didn't sound like his father's. Although it was very similar. He opened his eyes. " Grandfather? " " Yes, Peter, " Matthew replied, standing up with the aid of his cane, " Do you remember what happened? " " I was chasing some car thieves, " Peter started, in his mind's eye he saw the steel pipes come crashing down on him again, " I was in an accident. There were pipes. They fell on me." " Yes, but that happened quite some time ago, " " What are you talking about? " Peter tried to sit up. His head and every muscle in his body seemed to ache. " Now that is a long story, " Matthew said. A nurse came in, " I see that you're awake, I'll go and tell the rest of your family. " She turned to go. " Wait, when can I leave? " he threw her a devastating smile. " Glad to have you back, Detective Caine, " the nurse said as she left. " Back? What is she talking about? They hate it when I come in. I'm a lousy patient," Peter grumbled. A couple of minutes later, the rest of the family came in. They looked apprehensively at him. As if waiting for him to say something. " What's wrong with all of you? I'm fine, its not like my head turned green, did it?" Peter said. " Peter, do you know what year it is? " Kelly asked. She remembered this scene too well before. " 1997, why? What's up with all of you?" Annie cried tears of joy as she hugged a bewildered Peter. The rest of them cheered. And Todd hugged his wife. Peter was back to normal. Paul tried to explain what had happened. Peter couldn't believe it. He turned to Kermit, "Kermit? I want the truth now. You've always told me the truth. " Kermit took off his glasses, " That was the truth, Peter. It was nothing but the truth." ------------------------------------------------------------------------