His head was pounding as he opened the door of his car, his heart aching heavy in his chest as he hung on to Jessie’s last words to him.

Lach, I really don’t understand all that you’re trying to tell me, but I love you and I’m here for you.

Christ, of course she didn’t understand. How could anyone who hadn’t been through this from the very beginning even be expected to entertain the idea of where he had really come from? Oh, hi love, did I ever mention that up until a few years ago I was a World War II pilot? And guess what else? One day I woke up and found myself surrounded by a bunch of blokes and we all lived together for a time in this place we called the Temple … and here’s the real kicker … we all look just like the actor Russell Crowe!

He started the car engine and took a final glance at Jessie’s apartment before driving away. It was dark inside, and he wondered if she had gone back to bed or if she was pacing the living room, worrying about his state of mind. Oh, she’d heard him out, listening patiently as he tried to explain where he had really come from, her eyes full of love and concern, and something else … pity. She didn’t back away when he had reached out to hold her, but he knew that she hadn’t believed a word he had said. And why in the bloody hell would she?

He had given her John and Riley’s phone number, instructing her to call them immediately if anything happened to him.

“If anything happens? Babe, I don’t understand …you’re agitated and upset and whatever’s got you so worked up, we’ll find a way to deal with it. Please, sit down so we can discuss this rationally …”

Rational. The word rattled around in his head like a lug nut in a tin bucket. What the hell was rational about not knowing if you’d wake up in your own bed or find yourself thrown back sixty years into the past? He hit the steering wheel in frustration. Bloody hell, would fate ever be finished with any of them and just let them be?

He had heard the fear in the other’s voices during the conference call, realizing that he wasn’t the only one with everything to lose. Maximus had summed it up eloquently in his accounting to the psychic, and even though Andy, Colin or Kim hadn’t reported any of their own unsettling experiences, they were undoubtedly as frightened and rattled as those who had. Even Thorne had sounded unsure and shaky, and while Wigand had had enough presence of mind to try and chart out some sort of mathematical explanation, his own terror of what was happening had been evident.

Lachlan was so deep into his thoughts that he hadn’t been paying attention to where he was headed, his mind having slipped into auto-pilot mode as he drove off into the cool evening darkness. The flashing lights at the trolley tracks snapped him out of his distraction just before the crossing arm dropped down along the hood of his SUV.

“Shit!” His chest tightened as he realized that instead of heading back to his apartment he had somehow ended up downtown and was now sitting at the intersection near Broadway and Kettner, just moments away from the harbor. He vaguely remembered driving along Interstate 5 and getting off at C Street, but the memory was more like a disjointed dream.

He watched as the trolley slowly made its way towards the crossing, his mind struggling to keep focused on the here and now. He heard the all too familiar buzzing in his ears as his body became heavy, the sensation very similar to the pressure of a G-force when flying. The sickening knot of dread gripped his gut as he knew what was to follow and he tried to concentrate on the red flashing light of the trolley crossing…

“You seem in good spirits these days, Wallaby.” Zeke was grinning a knowing smile, his eyes surveying the Brandon railway station below.

Lachlan grinned right back, realizing that the older man was on to him. The buzz of the airplane’s engine felt good; familiar. “Yeah, I am. Is that permissible, sir?”

More of the knowing grin, but Zeke’s eyes were full of understanding. “Better be, or we’re both in trouble. A…woman?”

Damn, he’d been so careful to not draw any attention to what had been occupying his mind, but he had always been the sort of bloke who wore his heart upon his sleeve. “As a matter of fact, ah…yeah. How’d ya know?”

“The …spring in your step.”

Bloody hell; so much for the poker face. “It shows?”

Zeke’s grin grew even broader. “Like a bad stain. You know, I think the war brings out the best in a woman; especially this war.”

Lachlan was just about to answer, but the buzzing in his ears became deafening. Looking through the airplane’s window, he realized that something was wrong – where the railway station had been just below them only seconds before there was now only darkness; no stars, no lights from the airfield guiding him in. And then, the ear splitting sound of tires screeching and metal crunching; a frightened yell, urgent voices answering, then everything fading into black.

***

“Lachlan …”

He came to slowly, every inch of his body feeling as if it were on the verge of shattering. The excruciating ache throbbing in his left leg and hip, the tightness in his chest … what was in his nose? He tried to open his eyes.

“Oh Lach … please, don’t leave me. I can’t make it without you …”

The sound of soft beeping and the soft scuffle of feet across linoleum, the familiar voice that he couldn’t quite place … had he crashed the plane? What about Zeke? Oh please, God, let him be okay …

“Baby, I’m here.” The softness of a woman’s hand … the familiar touch and scent … wait, was someone crying? “I’ll never leave you …”

Finally, his eyes opened. It was hard to focus, but he was able to make out the long dark hair … was it Lil?

No, it was Jessie. He was back in the present, and a wave of relief washed over him.

“Jess …”

“Oh my God …” She held his hand to her cheek and he could feel the wetness of her tears against the back of his fingers. “I was so terrified that I had lost you.”

He squeezed her hand for reassurance and Jessie let out a soft sob.

“How bad am I?”

She kissed the back of his hand. “Your left knee is pretty bad, and your ankle is broken. The doctor said that you have a hairline fracture in your hip and you’ve got two lovely black eyes. You had a pretty good gash on your forehead and it took six stitches to close it up. You’re pretty banged up, but I think you’re the most beautiful sight in the word.”

She meant it. When she’d gotten the call from the hospital that Lachlan had been involved in a bad automobile accident, any fears or doubts she may have had about the direction their relationship was headed had been replaced with the gut wrenching fear of losing the man she had come to love almost more than life itself.

“I’m glad you’re here …” He wanted to tell her everything. She had a right to know and even if she couldn’t quite believe any of it, he didn’t want any secrets between them.

“I’m not going anywhere, and if the nurses think otherwise, I’ve got something for them.”

She knew that she should have run after him when he left her apartment last night; he’d been so agitated and out of sorts, going on about being a character in a movie who had somehow crossed over into this dimension …At first she thought he’d been drinking and that the stress of the rumors of his squadron shipping out to Iraq had been working a number on him. Only she hadn’t smelled any alcohol on him and other than his fantastic claims he seemed fully in control of his senses. Maybe if she had taken his keys and forced him to stay and explain everything from the beginning …

“Sweetheart, I need you to do me a favor.”

She was ready to do anything for him at this point. Climb the highest mountain, swim the deepest ocean, just please God, bring back the man she knew and loved.

“The phone number I gave you last night … my mate John and his wife Riley. I need you to call them and let them know what’s happened.”

Lachlan had told her that they were the two people closest to family that he’d had.

“Of course I’ll call. Do you want me to do it now?”

“What time is it?”

Jessie glanced at her watch. “6:30 AM. 9:30 in Vermont.”

“I reckon it’s late enough. They get up pretty early with the Inn to run and all.” Despite his pain, his body felt light, as if it were floating. “I’d call them myself, but I think I’d only frighten them even more. What did they pump me full of?”

“I think Demerol … it’s pretty strong.”

“Ah, yeah. I’m having trouble remembering what happened.”

Jessie squeezed his hand again for reassurance. “You were broadsided by a city utility vehicle. From what they can gather, you ran a red light …”

“Where?” He remembered the trolley.

“About a block from the harbor, right after the trolley crossing. The driver of the other vehicle is okay.”

“Thank God.”

“Shhh. Don’t worry about any of that now. Your SUV is most likely totaled, but the important thing is that you’re gonna be okay, and I’m not leaving your side.”

“Jess … what I tried to tell you last night …”

“Not now, babe.” She reached over and gently caressed his cheek. “Just rest. You’re safe. I’ll call your friends and everything’s gonna be fine. I promise.” She wouldn’t allow herself to believe anything else.

As if knowing that it was useless to argue, he smiled softly and closed his eyes.

Jessie watched as he drifted back into sleep, his breath slow and steady against the beeping of the heart monitor. Cuddling his hand against her cheek and the crook of her neck, she closed her eyes and pressed her lips against the warmth of his wrist, again silently thanking God for keeping him safe.

He said that he’d been “pulled back” again …despite the amount of drugs that were coursing through his system, Jessie somehow realized that his account of what had happened right before the collision had the ring of truth. She wasn’t sure how she knew this; perhaps it was a conviction borne out of love and trust or maybe she just wasn’t ready to believe Lachlan was losing his grip on reality. He had passed numerous phychological exams before the Marines would even let him anywhere near his beloved F-18 and his physical and mental health was always a top priority. Something extraordinary had been taking place, and although her mind drew up memories of reports of the military conducting clandestine experiments on their personnel, she quickly dismissed the notion. It was an absurd idea!

Very quietly, so as to not awaken Lachlan, she released his hand and padded out of his room, heading past the waiting area and into the hospital lobby. She had had the foresight to program John and Riley’s phone number into her cell phone soon after Lachlan left her apartment last night, and she pressed auto dial, wondering what she could possibly say. It was awkward speaking to someone that she’d never met before, informing them of unpleasant news.

The call was answered on the third ring by a gentleman possessing a husky baritone quite similar to Lachlan’s honeyed timbre.

“Hello?”

Jessie took a deep breath. “Um, hello. My name is Jessie and I’m a friend of Lachlan Curry. Is this John?”

A slight pause. “Uh, no love, my name is Terry and I’m a friend of John and Riley. You’re Lachlan’s friend? Is everything okay?”

Jessie thought she picked up a sense of urgency in this man Terry’s voice. “Hi Terry, um…I’m at the hospital and Lach’s been involved in a pretty serious auto accident. He’s gonna be okay, but he’s pretty banged up. Last night he asked me to call this number if anything happened to him.”

Terry was silent a moment. “How did the accident occur?”

She told him of Lachlan’s behavior the evening before. “I don’t know what to believe anymore, Terry. This morning he told me that he’d been flying with Zeke right before the accident. Would you have any idea what he may have meant by that?”

“Bloody hell. Jessie, is he able to walk?”

“I … I don’t know. His knee’s in a brace and he has a fractured hip. He’s not in ICU, but …”

“Listen love, I think it’s best if he comes home. You asked me if I knew what he meant about flying with Zeke, and I’m afraid that I do. Something’s happening and we’ve already lost one this morning …”

“Lost one?” She felt an ominous sense of foreboding as she considered his words.

“Jessie, how much has Lachlan told you?”

Dear God…was this Terry actually suggesting…”He’s told me about being pulled back into his past … I’m not sure how much I believe …”

“Sweetheart, believe it. I know it sounds crazy to an outsider, but you’ll just have to take a leap of faith on this one. I strongly suggest that you bring him home, and don’t leave his side – even for a second.”

“He’s really in danger?”

“I … don’t know. I think we all are. When you bring him home one of us can explain everything if you still have questions. I know it’s a lot to swallow, but a lot has happened in the last twenty-four hours.”

Jessie assured Terry that she’d do everything in her power to bring Lachlan back to Vermont, promising to call as soon as she had booked their seats. It was going to be difficult, with Lachlan so terribly banged up, but she’d somehow find a way to make it all work. She still didn’t understand all that was happening, but she loved and trusted Lachlan, and she drew her strength from that.

Hurrying back into his room, she felt a wave of relief wash over her; he was just as she left him, resting peacefully. She took her seat next to him and reached for his hand.