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Time Travel Trouble Chapter 2

 

This is purely a work of fiction. All names resembling persons living or dead are simply coincidence.

Any comments or if you want to see this story continued please email me at [email protected]

 

 

Alina awoke the next day from the best sleep of her life. She could tell by the way the sun hit the faded pink wall that it was past noon. When an experiment took hold, she would often go days without sleeping. Alina yawned and reached to wipe the drool from her mouth when her arm rocketed with pain.

 

“God damn it!” She yelled but trying to move made everything worse. If only she had her pocket MD with her she could easily diagnose the problem. She feared the worst however, as her memories came back and she realized she was still stuck in 1954.

 

“Someone’s awake.” Came the familiar voice as the door opened to reveal the tall matronly woman from before. Like yesterday, her brunette hair was neatly done up in an up-do that had to have taken hours. She wore another housedress, this one white with larger pink polka dots on it. “How did you sleep, honey?” She asked as she walked over to the bed and sat on the edge.

 

“I slept great.” Alina replied. “But I still hurt everywhere.” Alina tried to sit up but the pain that shot through her spine sent her back down.

 

“Well I hope so; it’s nearly 2 pm dear.”  Charlotte said with a small giggle.

 

“2 pm?” Alina closed her eyes and sighed. “I am so fired…” She moaned.

 

“Well, fired or not, you need to get up.” Charlotte stood, “We need to get you ready; I scheduled you for a doctor’s appointment at 4.” She said. Alina looked back up at her.

“Why?” She asked, narrowing her eyes in curiosity. “Why would you go through all that trouble for me? Some girl who just appeared in your backyard claiming to be from the future?” Charlotte shrugged.

 

“You’re hurt. It doesn’t matter where or when you’re from. You need help and I’m here to provide it.” She smiled, “Now, let’s get you cleaned up!” Alina squirmed, trying to sit up. The pain was almost too much. Charlotte gently lifted Alina and cradled the smaller girl in her arms. Alina winced in pain but didn’t have the heart to tell the woman that she was hurting her.

 

Charlotte slipped into the bathroom. To Alina, it looked like something straight out of the digital history files. It was painted sea foam green and the fixtures were a gaudy gold. Charlotte set Alina on the floor, the pain making it almost too much to sit upright. Charlotte turned the water on before undressing Alina. She took off her low-cut blouse with a disappointed shake of her head. “I have some old clothes that will probably fit you.” She stated as she forced Alina onto her back and slipped her skirt off. Alina tried to sit up; she had a rose-red blush on her cheeks as she tried to see what Charlotte was doing.

 

Charlotte was pulling the tabs Alina’s protective underwear. “You sure did wet your diaper, dear.” Charlotte stated. There was no sign of mockery in her voice as she wadded up the diaper and threw it in the trash. Alina grumbled angrily. “Come on.” Charlotte helped Alina up and set her naked form into the tub.

 

Alina had to admit; the warm water did feel good. She immediately relaxed in the tub. “Oh, this is nice. We don’t have baths anymore.” She muttered, letting herself sink into the water.

 

“What do you have then?” Charlotte asked, her curiosity piqued as she kneeled next to the tub.

 

“Steam showers. Five second burst of hot steam and you’re clean.” Alina shrugged a bit.

 

“Interesting.” Charlotte mused as she took a bowl she had sitting by the tub. She filled it with water then poured it over Alina’s head. This took the girl by surprise. “Hold still.” Charlotte fussed with the girl as she poured shampoo into her hand and started rubbing it into the girl’s auburn hair.

 

“What are you putting in my hair?” Alina asked, trying to reach for it before Charlotte slapped her hand away.

 

“It’s shampoo dear.” Charlotte rolled her eyes; it was like this girl was from another planet.

 

“Oh.” Alina stated, slightly embarrassed.

 

“You don’t have shampoo where you’re from?” Charlotte asked.

 

“No, we do. It’s just a spray.” Alina explained. Charlotte hummed in response and filled the bowl with water again.

 

“Close your eyes, honey.” Charlotte warned before dumping the bowl of water over the smaller girl’s head. Charlotte then got a washcloth and a bar of soap and lathered it. She started cleaning Alina at her shoulders.

 

“I can do it myself.” Alina protested as she tried to shrug the washcloth off.

 

“Alina, dear, you couldn’t get out of bed this morning.” Charlotte stated matter-of-factly. Alina submitted with a blush; the woman did have a point. Charlotte continued to wash Alina all over her body.

 

“Can I…be alone for a bit?” Alina asked after Charlotte was done.

 

“Of course. Just holler if you need me.” Charlotte said and stepped outside of the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She was greeted with the masculine form of her husband, Steve, looming before her.

 

“Charlotte.” He stated, his voice deep and stern. He was a bulky man; he had to be since he was in the Army Air Force. He looked at his wife with an upset look. “Don’t tell me she’s still here.”

 

“She is.” Charlotte downcast her eyes and Steve sighed.

 

“Charlotte,” He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. “That is a young woman in there.” He looked at her, his voice rising. “Not some stray dog. That girl is insane!” He yelled the last word. Charlotte hushed him but he ignored it. “She comes here saying she’s from the future!” He threw his arms out in exasperation. “Do you know how crazy that sounds?"

 

“Steve,” Charlotte did her best to keep her voice level, “she’s not crazy. She is injured. You saw that machine.”

 

“You seriously think that? That ‘machine’ was just a bunch of fancy car parts!” He snapped. Charlotte stood her ground; while it was her role to be submissive to him, she stood still as he stormed down the hall. The war changed him. He used to be so warm and caring towards her, now all she saw was hostility. The doctor said it was shell shock.

 

Charlotte stood there in the hallway, stunned. She heard the back door slam shut and she winced at the sound, knowing he was going into the garage to tinker. “Charlotte…” Came a small voice from the other side of the door. Charlotte opened it slowly and entered.

 

“Yes, dear?” She asked as she walked back in. Alina looked at her with guilt in her eyes. She felt like a small child getting scolded.

 

“I’m sorry about the trouble I’ve caused. I will just get going.” Alina turned away from her.

 

“No,” Charlotte walked over and knelt down next to the tub. “Don’t worry about that, sweetie. It’s nothing.” Charlotte smiled. “We need to get going if we’re going to make it to the doctor on time.” She helped Alina stand up and got her out of the tub to dry her off with one of her fluffiest towels.

 

“Charlotte, really. I don’t belong here.” Alina winced as she tried to stand. Charlotte just picked up the petite girl. She had no trouble carrying her into the room she slept in last night and setting her on the bed. Alina winced in pain a bit.

 

“It’s alright, dear.” Charlotte smiled. “You can’t go back if you can barely walk.” She said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Alina sighed. The woman made a good point.

 

“Now, let me see what I have…” Charlotte rummaged through the closet in the room. “I keep some of my spare clothes in here.” She explained as she pulled out a sundress with a floral pattern on it. “This will do nicely! That is, until we find you better clothes.” She laid out the dress on the bed. “I’ll be right back.” She then walked out of the room for a few moments. Alina tried to sit up and successfully made it without too much pain.

 

Charlotte returned moments later with a pair of shorts. “This will have to do for now.” She said.

 

“What about my bra?” Alina asked. Charlotte raised an eyebrow.

 

“You don’t need that.” She stated, nodding at her nearly flat chest. Alina blushed. “Now come on.” Charlotte helped the small girl sit up on the edge of the bed where she slipped up the shorts over Alina’s legs. She then pulled the dress on over Alina’s head and straightened it out. Charlotte was right; she didn’t need a bra at all.

 

“There!” Charlotte stepped back and admired her handiwork. “Now, we just need to do something with that hair…” She tapped a finger to her chin.

 

--

 

Charlotte wrestled with Alina’s tangled hair until she had it in curlers. Alina didn’t struggle much, but rather decided to let the woman have her way. When Charlotte pulled out her industrial strength hair dryer was when Alina flinched. “What is that?” She looked terrified at the monstrosity Charlotte held in her hand.

 

“This? Just a hairdryer, dear.” Charlotte waved it in her hand and Alina almost fell over in fear.

 

“Careful!” She tried to shield herself from it. Charlotte looked at her curiously. “That thing can kill!”

 

“This thing?” Charlotte waved it around, nearly giving Alina a heart attack. “Dear, it’s a hairdryer, see?” She turned it on and it roared loudly. Alina fell to the ground in fear. Charlotte turned it off. “My, what do they use hair dryers for in your time?” She asked.

 

“It’s not the hair dryer, it’s the heat!” Alina cowered. “The heat is directly affecting the Earth’s ecosystem.” Alina frowned and snapped her mouth closed. “Shit, I wasn’t supposed to say that…” She muttered under her breath. Charlotte rolled her eyes and turned the hair dryer back on, starting to dry Alina’s hair much to the girl’s discontent. Charlotte then started unraveling the curlers in her hair and soon Alina’s head was a mess of unruly auburn curls. She fit the 1950’s profile to a T.

 

“Perfect!” Charlotte smiled, “Now, we need to get going if we’re going to make it to the doctor on time!” She rushed to the bathroom and made sure she was done up perfectly. She came back into Alina’s room, picked her up, and walked out of the house with Alina in her arms. The car was sitting outside of the garage; its red paint shone in the sun. Alina could tell by the soft top that it was a convertible.

 

Alina didn’t struggle as she was put into the backseat of the car. She looked around hesitantly. “Seatbelts?” She asked, feeling the warm leather interior.

 

“What are those?” Charlotte asked as she slipped into the driver’s seat. Alina sighed heavily. This was like an entirely new world for her. She sat in the back of the car, holding on to the leather seat for dear life. 

 

--

 

The drive there was the most stressful 20 minutes of Alina’s young life. Charlotte wasn’t a bad driver, Alina was just sure the car was a deathtrap. Once they got to the family practitioner she let out a sigh of relief as Charlotte parked the car. Alina was embarrassed to have the woman open the car door for her and help her out. They walked into the front door of the small office.

 

Alina surveyed her surroundings as they entered. The waiting room was small with only four chairs besides the reception desk where an older woman sat, filling out paperwork.

 

“Hello Mrs. Smitty.” Charlotte greeted after she set Alina in a nearby chair. The older woman looked up at Charlotte with a smile on her face.

 

“Hello Charlotte,” She greeted. “What brings you in today?” She asked, looking at her paperwork for the appointment.

 

“I have my…uh…cousin in.” Charlotte lied.

 

“Ah, here you are.” Mrs. Smitty pulled out the file. “She’s your cousin?” She asked, looking curiously over at Alina, who paged through an edition of Sears Roebuck.

 

“Yes.” Charlotte wasted no time in responding that time.

 

“Are you her legal guardian?”

 

“Uhm…yes.” Charlotte smiled nervously.

 

“Alright, fill this out for me please.” Mrs. Smitty handed over a clipboard of a few papers. Charlotte smiled and took it, sitting down with Alina.

 

“What’s all this for?” Alina looked at the papers curiously as Charlotte flipped through it.

 

“Release of medical statements.” Charlotte scanned the paper.

 

“Can’t they just scan my chip?” Alina groaned as Charlotte looked at her with curiosity. “Right.” She threw her head back in exasperation and frustration. “We have microchips under our skin they can just scan to access our medical records on their mainframe.” She whispered. Charlotte just shook her head and looked back at the papers.

 

“Last name.” She stated.

 

“Fitzpatrick.” Alina responded. Charlotte scribbled it down.

 

“Date of Birth?” She asked.

 

“April 23^rd, 2101.” Alina responded offhandedly. Charlotte sighed.

 

“We’ll have to fudge that one.” She said, doing a bit of math before writing down April 23^rd, 1942.

 

“’42? That would make me…” Alina had to count on her fingers to do the math, “12!” She hissed.

 

“How old are you?” Charlotte asked, honestly shocked.

 

“24.” Alina snapped back. Charlotte just shrugged.

 

“Well you look 12. Besides, to keep you on my insurance you need to be under 18.” Charlotte explained as she scanned the paper. Alina huffed and crossed her arms.

 

“This is taking too long…” Alina complained, quieting when Charlotte glared at her.

 

“Any pre-existing conditions?” She asked as she read off the paper.

 

“No.” Alina curtly answered.

 

“Ok, that about does it.” Charlotte signed the bottom and brought it back to the receptionist. Mrs. Smitty looked over it.

 

“Alright, Dr. Painter will see you now.” The receptionist smiled, but Charlotte could see a sense of uncertainty in her eyes. Charlotte just nodded curtly and went over to Alina, picking her up and helping her past the door and to an examination room.

 

“That was fast…” Alina commented as they entered the cozy looking room, complete with examination table, comfy chairs, and abstract art on the walls.

 

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Charlotte asked. Alina shrugged.

 

“I’m used to three or four hour wait times.” She said as if it was no big deal. Charlotte’s jaw went slack in shock.

 

It was then that the doctor entered the room. He was a balding, older man with a bulging stomach. He wore spectacles on his nose and carried the clipboard with him. “Alina Fitzpatrick?” He looked up, seeing the two women, one of whom he recognized as Charlotte. “Good afternoon.” He pulled up his stool and sat on it as he looked over the paperwork they filled out in the waiting room. “Alina, what a strange name…” he stated. Alina opened her mouth to chew him out but Charlotte cut her off.

 

“Her parents are foreign.” She explained quickly, already having a lie pieced together. The doctor nodded, buying it hook, line, and sinker.

 

“Alright, and what are we in for today then?” He asked, looking at Alina.

 

“Well, she had a bit of an accident.” Charlotte explained the best she could. “She says everything hurts.” The doctor nodded and put his stethoscope to his ears and placed the other end on Alina’s chest.

 

It was a routine physical. He listened to her breathing and felt her body over. She winced in pain at nearly every touch. Dr. Painter was silent as he wrote down notes. “What happened?” He asked as he checked her reflexes.

 

“Uh…fell off my bike.” Alina explained, playing off of Charlotte’s lie, squeaking as he hit her with the scalpel.

 

“That must’ve been some wreck.” He stated, taking more notes on his paper. “I’ll be right back.” He said and left the room. Once the door closed Charlotte let out a sigh of relief, smiling.

 

“I’ve never lied like that before.” She admitted, “It was thrilling.” Alina rolled her eyes.

 

“I just want to get out of here.” She remarked, “Will I get an x-ray or something?” She asked, rubbing her arm where he had been poking her. Charlotte shook her head, still not understanding the technical jargon that Alina threw out. “Whatever.” Alina tried to get comfortable and she sat back in her seat.

 

Only a few minutes passed before the doctor came back in. “Well, I think I know the issue.” He stated, looking at his chart before looking up to see the two women and then sitting down. “Miss Fitzpatrick.” He stated, looking Alina in the eyes. “You have severe tissue and nerve damage. I’m surprised you can feel anything at all. Your spine was severely bruised and the fact that you have motor control is surprising.” He looked at her as if she was an immortal.

 

Alina growled. “Fix me.” She demanded. The doctor sighed and looked at his notes.

 

“Like I said, it’s simply astounding you’re breathing. I have never seen damage this extensive on a living individual before.” He looked at Alina, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. “I suggest, Mrs. Rodgers,” he looked to Charlotte as he spoke, “that she stay on bed rest for at least three weeks. Then she should come back in for further evaluation.” He ignored Alina completely. Charlotte nodded. Alina ground her teeth in aggravation.

 

“Thank you doctor.” Charlotte acknowledged.

 

“No, that’s not right!” Alina snapped, “You can’t just let me go like that! Something is really wrong with me!” She yelled. The doctor and Charlotte looked completely shocked. The doctor was the first to regain his composure from Alina’s outburst.

 

“Mrs. Rodgers. I suggest you reel Miss Fitzpatrick in.” He sternly suggested.

 

“Alina…” Charlotte hissed, angry at her charge.

 

“He’s a doctor he should fix this!” She snapped. The doctor took off his spectacles, pulled out his cleaning cloth, and started wiping them.

 

“Miss Fitzpatrick, I don’t believe you understand the severity of your situation. Your tissue is severely damaged. I can’t be sure of the extent for I have never seen this type of damage before.” He placed his glasses back on his face.

 

As he looked at her, Alina could see his eyes grow wide as he saw something. Charlotte followed his gaze to Alina and gasped in surprise. She saw a growing dark patch underneath the girl.

 

“What?” Alina was confused but she followed their gaze to the seat beneath her. She saw the wet patch beneath her and she gasped, trying to stop herself from peeing in the chair. She had already soaked the shorts she wore under the dress.

 

“Interesting development.” The doctor stroked his chin. “Probably internal bruising or damage.” He deduced.

 

“Then fix it!” Alina snapped. The doctor sighed, his frustration starting to show. Charlotte placed her hand on Alina’s thigh to try and calm her.

 

“I can’t be sure what is wrong. I would suggest protective briefs for the time being.” He suggested and stood up. “I will have a nurse bring back a wheelchair.” He said and left the room. Alina held her head in her hands, ignoring the physical pain as she cried openly.

 

Charlotte was stunned for a bit, unsure what to do. She sighed and wrapped an arm around the crying girl. Alina wept into Charlotte’s shoulder, devastated that her world was crashing down around her. Charlotte held her, rocking Alina slowly back and forth, feeling truly sorry for the girl in her arms. But, at the same time, she had a unique opportunity presented before her. Here was a young woman who needed constant care and protection. She knew barely anything about this time. Like the icing on a cake she was bawling into her like a baby. Like the baby Charlotte never had.

 

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