In Search of the Past (Stacey and Shane Mcleod, #2) Read online

  In Search of the Past

  By Rikki M. Dyson

  Revised Version

  Table of Contents

  In Search of the Past

  Table of Contents

  Copyright @ November 2003

  Acknowledgements

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter-32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Author’s Note

  Copyright @ November 2003

  All rights reserved

  First Edition

  Revised Version

  This book or parts thereof are copyrighted property of the author and may not be reproduced , scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form for any commercial or noncommercial use without permission from the author, except as provided by United States of America copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction names, characters, places and incidents either are the author’s imagination or are used factiously and any resemblance to actual person, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental the publisher does not any control or assume any responsibly to any third party or content. Any trademarks mentioned here are used in a descriptive manner.

  Cover by Cora Graphics

  Acknowledgements

  There are a few people I would like to thank for their help during the writing years of the

  Trilogy. First, Jance Burge who proofread my first drafts, Mary Bostick, RN helped with medical advice. Deana Collier, who was my agent at the time. She shared her advice and honest recommendations, which made my stories stronger. Professor Garrett Cook of Baylor University who knew my needs before I voiced them and was gallant enough to allow me to use his name. My editor Carolyn Dukes and fellow writer C.M. Doporto. Who shared her knowledge of self-publishing? There are two special women in my life I want to thank, Patti Kissel who said my characters come alive for her. Finally, yet importantly, Jess Burchell who has been my strong supporter through it all and my adviser on past and present England. I give my sincere thanks to both of these women for their friendship and unfailing encouragement.

  Prologue

  A young woman, lay unconscious in a London hospital. She was admitted three days ago after falling into an under ground pit or cellar at the archaeological site at Druid’s Grove. The attending physician, Doctor Shane McLeod, is the neurologist in charge of her case. Doctor McLeod just happened to be in the hospital the morning she was admitted.

  The young woman’s name is Stacey Scott. Doctor McLeod could find no visible injures. The doctor ordered an EEG, A CAT SCAN and an MRI performed, however, nothing unusual showed up on the tests. Everything seemed normal; however, Doctor McLeod was very perplexed over this, as the young woman’s eyes had been moving in REM sleep the entire time.

  Doctor McLeod was examining her eyes with a light when Stacey suddenly opened her eyes, blinked a couple of times and said, “Oh, Eric darling, you waited for me.”

  Stacey grabbed Doctor McLeod, pulled him to her and kissed him. He was shocked as he found himself returning her kiss. When it dawned on him what he was doing he pulled away and said, “Miss Scott, I’m Doctor McLeod. Welcome back.”

  “Eric, you’re young again. Am I young too? Is this the way heaven is?”

  Stacey only had eyes for the man she thought was her long dead husband Eric Fitz-Morgan. A young woman on the other side of the bed kept talking to her. “Stacey, it’s me, Annie. Don’t you recognize me?”

  The doctor was taking her pulse and asked did her head hurt. Stacey’s head was starting to clear. She touched the doctor’s arm and asked, “If you’re not Eric, who are you?”

  “I’m Doctor McLeod,” he told her again. “You had quite a tumble, young lady.”

  “No, I just died. I’m ninety-six years old,” Stacey said.

  Doctor McLeod chuckled and said, “I believe you may be a few years younger than that, Miss Scott.”

  “You don’t understand, I have children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren,” Stacey insisted.

  Annie took out her compact for Stacey to look at herself in the mirror. “Stacey, do you remember falling?” Annie asked.

  “Yes, but that was a long, long time ago,” Stacey said.

  “No sweetie, it was three days ago today.”

  Stacey looked at Doctor McLeod and said, “I’m sorry, I see you’re not Eric now.”

  “I can call Eric,” Annie said, “and he’ll be right over to see you.”

  “Where is he?” Stacey asked in total confusion.

  “He’s at the dig, sweetie. He was here with you most of yesterday, he’s been wanting to call your parents..”

  “I don’t remember,” Stacey said.

  “Try to remember sweetie,” Annie urged. “Eric is tall, handsome, blond with blue eyes.”

  “No, he’s not my Eric,” Stacey said, dejected.

  “Of course he is, you two are great friends, more than friends, really.” HE STOLE MY HEART

  “How long have I been here?” Stacey asked again, as she rubbed her eyes.

  “Three days today,” Doctor McLeod answered. “Now I want you to rest, visit with Professor Rutledge and I’ll be back to see you in a short while.”

  Stacey was telling Annie about her waking up in a meadow, in the year thirteen-seventy.

  “How could I have dreamed a lifetime in three days? And that doctor doesn’t believe me.”

  “That’s because he’s been here everyday since you were admitted,” Annie explained.

  “He couldn’t understand why you weren’t waking up or responding.”

  “Well, I’m awake now!” Stacey said with a frown. “Annie, you’re my best friend what do you think happened to me?”

  “I don’t know, it sounds like a past life experience to me.”

  “I don’t know either, but when I get out of here you can bet your boots that I’m darn sure gonna’ find out.”

  Stacey was so shook-up and confused. She said, “I’ve heard of past life experiences before, but I’ve never put much store in them. I tell you Annie, this was so real to me. Never before has anything like this ever happened to me.”

  Annie could see Stacey needed to rest and have time to get her thoughts and emotions together. “I don’t want to leave you, however, I have to go for awhile sweetie,” Annie said.

  “I brought your handbag and m
ake-up case for you, and I’ll tell Eric that your awake. He’ll be so relieved”

  “Thanks Annie, I’ll see you later.” Stacey laid back on the pillows and tried to sort things out in her mind. She could see she was in a modern hospital room, but her mind was still in the past that seemed so real.

  The nurse came in and asked if there was anything she could do for her. Stacey shook her head and said, “No, thank you,” as she reached over to the bed table and pulled her make-up case to her. Stacey brushed her hair and looked at herself in the mirror for the longest time. To say she was confused was putting it mildly. Her mirror was telling her one thing and her head and heart was remembering another. The life she remembered living was so vivid that she couldn’t believe it had all been a dream. Stacey made up her mind that somehow she was going to find the answer to this impossible dream, if that’s all it was.

  Chapter 1

  The Disagreement

  Doctor McLeod came back and talked with Stacey until noon. She told him most of her dream, but not everything. Some of it was too personal to share with a stranger, although, he resembled Eric, so much that she felt drawn to him. Doctor McLeod seemed to be interested in her story, however, Stacey could tell he didn’t really believe her. She knew he considered it just a dream and nothing more.

  When the nurse brought in Stacey’s lunch tray, Doctor McLeod said, “Eat up, Miss Scott. The nourishment will do you good. You are a bit on the thin side.”

  “Well thank you, doctor,” Stacey said quite piqued, “If I think of anything complementary about you, I’ll be sure to let you know.”

  The nurse, that brought Stacey’s lunch tray had overheard. She smiled; as it was all that she could do to keep a straight face. Doctor McLeod tried to apologize but Stacey haughtily said, “Forget it.”

  As he left her room, Stacey said quietly to his back, “Horse’s ass.”

  The nurse acted as if she had heard nothing. When she left Stacey’s room, Doctor McLeod was writing in Stacey’s chart. The nurse, Rhonda, asked Doctor McLeod, “Did you sign it, Doctor horse’s ass?”

  Doctor McLeod turned to the nurse chuckling and asked, “Is that what she called me?”

  Rhonda smiled and nodded her head, yes. Doctor McLeod, thought it might be prudent to send someone else to see Miss Scott, just for today. He asked Doctor Manning to stop by and see Stacey. Things were going smoothly until he mentioned that he was a psychiatrist.

  “Who sent you to me?” Stacey demanded. “Was it Doctor McLeod? What’s the matter with him, does he think I’m crazy now? I guess next, he’ll wanna’ send me to the psychiatric unit. Well I’m not waiting around for that,” Stacey said, as she threw back the covers. “Thank you and goodbye, Doctor Manning.”

  Doctor Manning tried but couldn’t get a word in edgewise. Stacey jumped out of bed,

  grabbed her clothes and went into the bathroom and shut the door. A few minutes later she emerged, dressed in the same shorts and tee shirt she had on when she was admitted to the hospital. She was now on her way out. The nurse, Rhonda, saw her leaving and said, “Miss Scott, you can’t leave without the doctor signing you out.”

  “Oh yeah, watch me. My father’s a doctor and I know the rules.”

  While Rhonda was trying to delay Stacey, another nurse had called Doctor McLeod and he was on his way downstairs. Stacey wasn’t in a charitable mood and told the nurse, “I don’t need anything from that quack.”

  As Doctor McLeod came down the last step he overheard. “Miss Scott, you really shouldn’t leave until we’ve had more time to evaluate your condition.”

  “You’ve evaluated all you’re going to on me.”

  “You do understand, if you leave without being properly discharged your insurance will not pay.”

  Stacey gave him a cold hard stare and asked, “Do I look like I care?”

  “Right,” Doctor McLeod said, “I’ll sign your discharge if you’ll have this prescription filled at the chemist downstairs and come back one last time for me to check on you. Say... tomorrow at one o’clock?”

  Doctor McLeod held the prescription out to Stacy. She looked at him and then finally reached out and took it. “Okay,” she said. “then we’re finished, right?”

  “Right, absolutely,” he said.

  As Stacey stepped into the lift, Doctor McLeod said to the nurses at the desk, “What a high tempered young woman. She was much more pleasant before she woke.”

  Stacey went to the pharmacy and gave the prescription to the clerk. “Have a seat please. It’ll take a moment or two,” the clerk said. Amazingly, it did take only a few minutes. The young clerk smiled at Stacey and said, “Oh, so that dreamy Doctor McLeod is your doctor?”

  Stacey frowned and said, “Dreamy? He’s more like a nightmare, if you asked me.”

  The young woman smiled and said, “Now take two of these for pain.”

  Stacey looked at the bottle and asked, “Will it take care of a pain in the ass too?”

  The young woman frowned at her then said, “Oh, you mean Doctor McLeod,” and started giggling. Stacey used the pay phone, called a taxi and went to the flat she shared with Professor Anne Rutledge. Stacey took two pills and went to sleep. Annie woke her when she arrived home. She was quite surprised to find Stacey there. After hearing Stacey’s story and her dislike for Doctor McLeod she was no longer surprised.

  “You’re not coming back to work,” Annie said. “You’re going to rest.”

  “Yes, I will. However, I have to go back tomorrow for one last visit.” She told Annie about leaving the hospital and that she did it this way so her parents wouldn’t have to pay the bill. “As a matter of fact,” Stacey said. “I would rather they didn’t know about any of this. They would just worry.”

  Eric came to see Stacey at the flat. He had gone by the hospital to see her and found out she had been discharged. Eric knew Stacey quite well, therefore, he wasn’t surprised to hear that she had left the hospital in a fit of temper. Eric and Stacey had known each other since Stacey was thirteen and Eric was seventeen. They had always been close and took care of each other. Eric was the closest thing to a brother Stacey had. As far as Stacey and her family were concerned, Eric was her foster brother. Stacey swore Eric to secrecy. She told him she would tell her parents later, after they returned to Texas.

  The next day at one o’clock Stacey was there right on time, for her appointment. She was dressed casually in jeans, boots and a red silk blouse. When the nurse let her in Doctor McLeod’s office, he was sitting behind his desk. He looked up, started to get up, then changed his mind. His body involuntarily was having a sensual reaction to her. He was taken by surprise and was quite befuddled by the situation.

  Stacey thought, to herself; I guess I’m not lady enough for him to stand up. Well, to heck with him and his high toned attitude too. Stacey was still very upset with him for sending a psychiatrist to see her. She knew her story was unusual, however, it didn’t warrant a psychiatrist, she didn’t think. And if it did, she had an uncle in Dallas who was a psychiatrist.

  Surprised at his reaction to her, Doctor McLeod asked, “How do you feel this morning, Miss Scott? Have you experienced any dizziness or queasiness?”

  “No, I’m fine,” Stacey said irritably. “Can we get finished with this?”

  “I’m sorry, Miss Scott, about the misunderstanding concerning Doctor Manning.”

  “Why did you send him then?”

  “I thought you might be more comfortable with him.”

  “Why would you think that?” Stacey asked. “I had already told you my strange dream. To how many people did you think I would tell something like that? I’m not stupid, Doctor McLeod. I know how ludicrous the whole thing sounds.”

  “I now see I was in error and I do apologize,” he paused, then asked, “How is your head?”

  “Fine, as far as I know,” Stacey said.

  “Did the tablets take care of all your pains?” Doctor McLeod inquired. Stacey smiled faintly. For some reason sh
e knew that he knew, what she’d said to the young woman at the pharmacy. Doctor McLeod asked a few more questions, then out of the blue he asked, “This young man in your dream, was he a knight?”

  His bedside manner had caught her off guard. Without thinking, Stacey said, “No, he was the Earl of Dun-Raven.”

  With a bit of a scoff, Doctor McLeod said, “You’re reaching rather high, aren’t you? I didn’t thing you Americans went in for all that posh.”

  His remark took a second or two to sink in, however, when it did Stacey stood up and said, “Get over yourself, Doctor McLeod. You’re a jerk and I’m outa’ here.”

  As Stacey left Doctor McLeod’s office, she bumped into Rhonda in the corridor and a patient’s chart she was carrying went scattering to the floor. As Stacey stopped to help gather up the pages, she said, “I’m so terribly sorry, I didn’t see you.” As she handed the pages to Rhonda, she glanced over her shoulder and asked, “How do you manage to work with him, he’s such a pompous ass.” Stacey didn’t wait for an answer, but turned and walked away.

  Rhonda stood watching Stacey as she walked down the hall, then turned to find Doctor

  McLeod standing in his doorway. She smiled at him and said, “Well, that old McLeod magic

  didn’t work on that one, did it?”

  Shane grinned at her and reached his hand out and asked, “Is this the chart for my next patient?”

  Rhonda gave it to him, then turned away laughing. Rhonda had known and liked Doctor McLeod since his arrival at the hospital. She had watched as female patients and staff alike fell over themselves vying for his attentions. Now out of the blue, came this beautiful young wildcat and as hard as he tried he couldn’t make a right step with her. Part of Rhonda felt sorry for him, however, another part of her, thought; ‘now the shoe was on the other foot.’

  Chapter 2

  The Fund Raiser

  Stacey rested and fumed until Friday night. She wanted to start searching for these people from her dream, but she had promised Annie she would go with her to a fund raiser, of which Annie’s uncle was the chairman. Stacey had bought a red chiffon spaghetti strap dress for the occasion. Stacey Scott is a tall, slender young woman with dark blue eyes and long auburn hair that falls in soft curls just below her shoulders. Stacey had been raised to have self-esteem and confidence in herself.