Puzzle Pieces: Sabrina

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#CC9900" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="047005a0dwnjzk.gif"> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cassies Writing"><U><B>home</B></U></A><B>     | </B><B> </B><B> </B><B>  </B><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>Cassie's Writing</B></FONT></div> <div> <A HREF="id87.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="All Hallows Eve"><U><B>All Hallows' Eve</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id88.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Fall Camoflage"><U><B>Fall Camoflage</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id89.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Puzzle Pieces: Cyrus"><U><B>Puzzle Pieces:  Cyrus</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id90.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Puzzle Pieces: Roxanne"><U><B>Puzzle Pieces:  Roxanne</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id91.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Puzzle Pieces: Claude"><U><B>Puzzle Pieces:  Claude</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id92.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Christmas Magick"><U><B>Christmas Magick</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id93.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Puzzle Pieces: Maggie"><U><B>Puzzle Pieces:  Maggie</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id94.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Winters Deep Freeze"><U><B>Winter's Deep Freeze</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><B>Puzzle Pieces:  Sabrina</B><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id96.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Frostbite"><U><B>Frostbite</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id97.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Puzzle Pieces: The Collins Family"><U><B>Puzzle Pieces:  The Collins Family</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id98.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Biding Time in Purgatory"><U><B>Biding Time in Purgatory</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id99.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Puzzle Pieces: Quentin"><U><B>Puzzle Pieces:  Quentin</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id100.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Family Secrets"><U><B>Family Secrets</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id102.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Vortex"><U><B>Vortex</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id101.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Spring Whirlwind"><U><B>Spring Whirlwind</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id103.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Den of Vipers"><U><B>Den of Vipers</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id104.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Puzzle Pieces: Angelique"><U><B>Puzzle Pieces:  Angelique</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id105.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Converging Forces"><U><B>Converging Forces</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id106.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Flames of Purification"><U><B>Flames of Purification</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id85.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Adam in Parallel Time"><U><B>Adam in Parallel Time</B></U></A></div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Puzzle Pieces:  Sabrina</B></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div>      Sabrina stole a glance over at Adam to see if he was awake.  He stared out the window on the passenger's side, his features set in an expression of deep misery.  She'd hoped he would be able to sleep, but he'd remained resolutely awake.  In the back seat, Quentin and Maggie napped.  Sabrina had been driving about two hours.  Soon she would pull over and wake Quentin so that he could take the wheel again.</div> <div>      Sabrina herself was taut with unhappiness that went far beyond the difficulties she was having with Cyrus.  She was deeply worried about her father.  Everything had happened so suddenly; it was all such a shock.  At first, she had been too overwhelmed to drive, so upset was she by what she perceived to be Cyrus' cold rejection of her.  <I>Why do I stay with him?</I> She wondered.  He had adamantly refused to come with them.  "Cyrus, please, I need you!" she'd pleaded with him.</div> <div>      "You'll be all right, Sabrina," he'd answered in a patronizing, placating tone of voice.  "Quentin and Maggie will be with you.  I just can't leave right now."</div> <div>      "But what about Adam?  Adam needs you, too."</div> <div>      "Adam understands!  I've given him plenty of books to read and a new journal to write in," Cyrus answered stubbornly.  Deep in his eyes, she saw that he was in pain.  But why?  She didn't know.  He didn't confide in her at all anymore.</div> <div>      Beside her, Adam sighed.</div> <div>      "Adam, you haven't slept at all.  I wish you'd try and get some rest," Sabrina said softly.</div> <div>      "I can't," Adam answered morosely. "How can I stop thinking about Roxanne?"</div> <div>      "Oh, Adam, I'm so sorry.  I wish I could think of something to say that would help."</div> <div>      "The police don't believe me.  I don't think anyone else does either," Adam muttered.  "She didn't leave me.  I know she didn't.  That bad man took her."</div> <div>      Sabrina looked over at Adam, worried.  All of his friends were worried about his state of mind.  It was difficult to believe that Roxanne would just leave him, but under the circumstances, what else could have happened?  Cyrus was the last person to see her, and there was nothing suspicious in what happened to her.  She just left him-for her old boyfriend.  Roxanne had done a terrible thing to Adam, and he just couldn't face it.</div> <div>      She remembered answering the phone almost two weeks ago to hear Cyrus' frantic voice, asking her to come to his house later that evening.  He, Quentin, and Maggie were on their way back with Adam.  "What's going on?" she'd asked.  She'd known immediately something was wrong.  Adam was supposed to go home with Roxanne to finish recuperating.</div> <div>      "Roxanne left him, Sabrina.  Just flat out dumped him.  He's almost out of his mind-we had to stop him from hurting himself.  I'm afraid he's going to kill himself!"</div> <div>      "Oh, Cyrus!" she exclaimed, shocked.  "Why would she do it?"</div> <div>      "It's a long story-I can't tell you right now.  She's gone back to her old fiancé, that's all I can say right now."</div> <div>      "Maybe you should have Adam stay in the hospital if he's a danger to himself," Sabrina suggested.</div> <div>      "Don't you understand?" Cyrus roared suddenly.  "I'm responsible!"</div> <div>      She jumped.  Cyrus had been so prickly lately and so very unpredictable.  "What do you mean?" she asked, alarmed.</div> <div>      "I mean, I'm his friend!" He sounded calmer but no less adamant.  "I got him into this mess.  I've got to look after him.  I can't just leave him here, Sabrina.  Surely you can understand that?"</div> <div>      Yes, she could.  It was part of what had drawn her to Cyrus in the first place-he had such compassion for people, especially the disadvantaged.  When they met, she was working on her master's degree in nutrition and he was a medical student.  He did some volunteer work at a clinic at the inner city hospital across town from the university.  They began dating.  They seemed to have so much in common then, especially purpose: each wanted to make a difference in some way.  She remembered long walks with Cyrus, in which he excitedly talked about his plans to set up practice in an inner city somewhere-New York City, perhaps, or Boston.  He was full of ideals and strong passions.</div> <div>      After they'd been seeing each other a few months, he told her he was going into the VISTA volunteer program at the end of his internship.  Professionals were needed desperately all around the country, and he wanted to help. He was so intense about his beliefs.  He didn't want to join some medical practice where he could earn a great deal of money and become rich.  Money just wasn't important to him-people were.   She decided then and there that she would go with him, too; she would be receiving her master's at about the time he would be completing his internship.  They would volunteer together.  </div> <div> They talked to his best friend, Quentin, who was married to the beautiful Angelique and had a young son.  She remembered Quentin had said nothing, looking at them with envy in his eyes.  Quentin attended the same school Sabrina did, but he was earning a master's in finance.  He was in the process of completing his degree, too, and his future was laid out already: he would go home and run his family's business.   "My, how interesting," Angelique had said mockingly.  "How lucky those people will be to have you."  She had laughed-with contempt for them, Sabrina was sure.</div> <div> Later, Cyrus asked her to come to his apartment so that they could celebrate their commitment to each other and to VISTA.  They shared a bottle of wine.  The look in his eyes was strangely alight with some sort of inner fire.  When he took her into his arms, she already felt feverish and eager for his touch.  Although it was obvious that he wanted her very badly, he was very tender and gentle with her until she thought she would go mad and scream out her desire for him.   When they finally joined that first time, she felt as if something missing had finally been returned to her.  Afterwards, he covered her with kisses as if he worshipped her.  He promised he would never stop loving her.</div> <div> She had fallen even more deeply in love with him the year they spent in the Ozark Mountains as VISTA volunteers.  He developed an easy rapport with the proud mountain families.  He went hunting with the men during deer season.  He was courteously polite to their wives and most especially to the elders of the community.  He and Sabrina would visit the older couples; they loved to listen to the old stories.  He was always gentle with the children, and they trusted him implicitly.   During that year, she could see the rest of her life before her: Cyrus' loving wife, mother of his children, and his partner in helping whatever community they were living in.</div> <div> Now she promised: "I'll be waiting for you at your house.  I'll fix up a room for Adam."</div> <div>      "Thank you, Sabrina," he said, sounding relieved.  "I love you."</div> <div>      Her eyes had filled with tears then.  Nowadays, she never knew when she could hope to hear him say he loved her.  She never knew when she could expect the increasingly rare physical show of affection.  <I>Maybe he doesn't love me anymore and he's just too decent a person to tell me,</I> she fretted.  What else could it be?  </div> <div>      She thought about it as she straightened up Cyrus' messy house.  The change had begun not long after he abruptly left VISTA at the end of just one year.  She didn't understand what had happened to cause it-he seemed to love it so.  She thought for sure that they would continue working in the clinic together for the next couple of years.  She tried to ask him about it as he packed to leave, but he refused to talk about it.  "I just have to go," he snapped at her finally.</div> <div>      "But where?  You haven't even told me that!" She exclaimed, distraught.</div> <div>      "I'm going to Collinsport.  I'm going to practice there."</div> <div>      "Collinsport?  I've never heard of it-where is it?"</div> <div>      "It's in Maine."</div> <div>      "But how did you find out about it?"</div> <div>      "Quentin lives there, Sabrina!  Now, please!  Let me alone!"  His voice was rising.  "He told me the town needs a doctor-the old ME they had is retiring."</div> <div>      "But I thought that wasn't what you wanted-"</div> <div>      "Sabrina, for God's sake, we're not children anymore!  I have to think of my future.  I have loans to pay back-I have to have a decent job!"</div> <div>      She'd begun to cry then.  "What about us?"</div> <div>      He became extremely uncomfortable then.  He took her into his arms.  "You should do what's best for you, Sabrina.  Stay here.  You're a good nutritionist.  The people here-they trust you. They listen to you."  He hugged her as she sobbed.  "I can't ask you to come away with me, my dear.  That would be too selfish."</div> <div>      He didn't love her, then-not really.  How could he do this to her?  She felt as if her heart was breaking and she had no where to turn.  She'd become friendly with the mountain women, but they were hardy, practical people.   How could she burden them with her insignificant little problems when they were struggling just to stay alive?  She couldn't turn to her parents-her father's most recent military assignment was in Japan.  Besides, her parents still weren't over their grief at the loss of her brother Ned at the Tonkin Gulf.</div> <div>      Cyrus left, and she was alone except for the other small group of volunteers.  She was depressed and kept to herself, especially when she noticed the others seemed to stare at her with pity in their eyes, whispering.  <I>Jilted</I>, she imagined them to be saying.  Once, though, she heard a small bit of gossip that had horrified her.  She'd put it from her mind until now.</div> <div>      Now, even the music she was listening to couldn't distract her from disturbing suspicions about Cyrus.  Something was wrong with him.   She knew it as surely as she knew her own name, and yet-she didn't know what to do about it.  She thought about talking to Quentin. Truthfully, he was just about the only friend Cyrus had. The thought of bringing the subject up, though, brought heat to her face.</div> <div>      The whisper of gossip was that Cyrus had been forced to leave VISTA because he'd forced himself on a fourteen year old girl who'd come to the clinic.  That couldn't be true, though-Sabrina was sure of it.  She knew that girl.  The girl was a known liar-she made up all kind of crazy stories about a lot of people, including her own father.  How could they have believed her and not Cyrus?  "He'd never do something like that!" she whispered.</div> <div>      "I'm sorry?" Adam said, beside her.  Then he went on, sounding resentful, "You don't believe me, either, do you?"</div> <div>      She started a little.  She hadn't realized she'd spoken aloud.  "Oh, Adam, I'm sorry-I was thinking about Cyrus, not about Roxanne and-and-" She couldn't remember his name.</div> <div>      "Claude North," Adam said dourly.</div> <div>      "Yes, I'm sorry.  I wasn't thinking about them."  She looked at Adam quickly to see if his feelings were hurt.  He seemed to be musing about something.  "Adam?"</div> <div>      "Everyone has problems," Adam finally stated, as if this was something that had just occurred to him.</div> <div>      <I>He really is such an innocent</I>, Sabrina thought, pity filling her.  She took one hand off the steering wheel to put it on Adam's arm.  "Yes, that's true, Adam. But right now, you're suffering the most.  If you want to talk, I'll listen to you.  I think I can understand what you're feeling."</div> <div>      Adam looked at her, and she was surprised to see compassion in his dark eyes.  "Yes, you do.  You are afraid Dr. Cyrus doesn't love you and that he will leave you, too."</div> <div>      She was so taken aback and moved that she couldn't help herself.  Her eyes filled up with tears and spilled over.  "Yes," she whispered.</div> <div>      "Dr. Cyrus loves you," Adam assured her.  "He is very troubled, though.  I wish I knew what troubles him."</div> <div>      "I wish I knew too," Sabrina answered.  She found herself opening up and confiding things to Adam that she never dreamed she'd tell anyone-and particularly not someone whose fiancée had just abandoned him.  She told him about the Ozarks and how after one month in Collinsport, Cyrus had called her and begged her to come to him.  </div> <div>      She went-without question.  It didn't matter that she was leaving her future behind her.  Collinsport had no need of a nutritionist-no one in the surrounding area needed one.  She tried the local school districts, to no avail.  Finally, she'd taken a position as a secretary at the town hall. Cyrus was unable to provide for her and she had to earn money somehow.  Her parents thought she'd lost her mind; her father had written her a strong letter of disapproval.</div> <div>      "You loved him, though," Adam said, as if to make her feel better about her decision. </div> <div>      "Yes, I loved him.  I love him still-but I don't know if he-" Sabrina stopped.  Cyrus was different when she first arrived in Collinsport.  He'd missed her, and he was so tender toward her.  He was like the young man she'd met and fell in love with at school.  He was like the young doctor she'd loved so at the clinic in the Ozarks, idealistic, compassionate-and very loving. Gradually, though, he'd begun to change again.  "He's so moody," she finally went on.</div> <div>      That was it-he was moody.  The first night they'd spent together, he was fiery and passionate.  He was also very considerate of her; he wanted to make sure that she felt as much-if not more-pleasure than he did.  He'd made her feel whole in a way no other man had.  In the morning, though, he'd been so different.  He was withdrawn and sad, and when she tried to talk to him he would only say over and over:  "It's not your fault.  It's me, I'm the one who's to blame."</div> <div>      "I don't know why he thinks he's to blame for anything," Sabrina said.  "It's not wrong to love someone.  He didn't hurt me, Adam.  I wanted to-more than I'd ever wanted to before."</div> <div>      "It's not wrong to love someone," Adam agreed softly.</div> <div>      He must be thinking of Roxanne, poor thing, she thought.  She felt guilty about talking to him this way.  "There are times when Cyrus just seems to be a stranger-someone I don't know at all.  The sad thing is that I seem to be seeing more and more of that stranger."  She laughed at herself.  "I know how crazy that must sound to you.  I guess he's just distracted by-things.  It's just that one minute I know he loves me.  The next, I'm not even sure he knows who I am."</div> <div>      "Dr. Cyrus has isn't comfortable around me anymore.  I don't understand why," Adam confided.</div> <div>      "Really?"  Sabrina was surprised.  Cyrus hadn't mentioned anything to her about feeling uncomfortable around Adam.  However, he had been behaving strangely ever since he'd returned from New York.  It's true, she realized with astonishment-he had been behaving differently toward Adam.  Even while Adam was staying with him, Cyrus seemed to avoid being in the same room if he could help it.  His absolute refusal to come to Long Island took on a new significance: perhaps it had to do with Adam as well.  The excuse he used was very "lame"-he claimed that Elizabeth `needed' him; she was very depressed and needed to be watched.  That was just poppycock, Sabrina realized.  "Oh, Adam, then you do understand.  That's what it's like for me, too."</div> <div>      "Except that Dr. Cyrus doesn't love me," Adam pointed out.  "My feelings are hurt, yes, but in a different way than yours have been."</div> <div>      Sabrina put her arm on Adam's again.  "With me, I always thought he was feeling guilty about something. What on earth would he have to feel guilty about with you?"</div> <div>      Adam shook his head sadly.  "I don't know."  Except…Dr. Cyrus had come running into the room not long after Quentin and Maggie.  Adam remembered that Quentin tried to stop him from hitting himself in the face; he'd easily thrown Quentin off.  Maggie pushed the call button and screamed for a nurse to come quickly.  Quentin was on Adam's back, trying again to stop him from hurting himself.  </div> <div>      Adam was about to fling Quentin off again when he realized that Maggie was kneeling in front of him, speaking softly to him.  "No, Adam, no, please don't hurt yourself.  Please stop."  Her words had finally penetrated and he stared at her for a moment.  Then he pulled her to him, sobbing wildly.  He remembered a nurse and a doctor coming in; the doctor had another of those awful needles but Adam hadn't noticed it.  They'd just gotten Adam onto his bed when Cyrus burst through the door, wild-eyed.</div> <div>      "What is it?  What's wrong?" Cyrus demanded.</div> <div>      Adam managed to sit up.  "Dr. Cyrus-where is Roxanne?"</div> <div>      Cyrus was as white as the piece of paper Adam still held crushed in his hand.  "Why-why-we-we w-went t-to sign y-you out-" he stuttered.</div> <div>      "Where is she <I>now</I>?"</div> <div>      Cyrus' mouth opened and closed but no words came out.  To everyone's consternation, his eyes rolled back in his head and he passed out on the floor.  Adam roared with terror.  Pandemonium erupted as more people rushed into the room, some to restrain Adam; the others to treat Cyrus.  A security guard came, and Adam had quieted immediately, still weeping and terrified that he would be taken to jail.</div> <div>      Quentin patted his shoulder.  "Ssh, Adam, it's all right.   You haven't done anything wrong, old man, but you've got to calm down."</div> <div>      Maggie was saying:  "Adam, please, let us help you.  What's happened?"</div> <div>      Wordlessly, Adam had pressed the crumpled paper in Maggie's hand.  She smoothed it out and read it; Quentin looked over her shoulder.  "Oh, for chrissakes!" Quentin burst out.  "The bitch!"</div> <div>      "No!" Adam said through his tears.  "No, it's not true!  The bad man took her!  The bad man!"</div> <div>      "What bad man?" the guard asked.  "What's this all about?"</div> <div>      At that point, Cyrus had begun to come around.  The attending doctor and a nurse helped him sit up.  "I'm sorry-I haven't been feeling very well," Cyrus muttered.  "A virus-" He broke off when Quentin turned and frowned, giving him a very odd look.  Adam hadn't understood that look-it was as if Quentin didn't believe Cyrus.  Could it be?  No!  He must've misunderstood the look on Quentin's face-Adam knew that Quentin and Cyrus were best friends.</div> <div>      When he was finally able to speak coherently, Cyrus explained that he and Roxanne signed the discharge papers.  A man had approached them, saying hello to Roxanne.  Roxanne seemed happy to see the man.  She'd told Cyrus she'd be right back and had left willingly with the stranger.  Adam listened to the words, searching his friend's face.  He couldn't believe his ears.  <I>No, no</I>, he thought.  <I>Dr. Cyrus, why are you lying?</I>  He knew Cyrus was lying-but he couldn't understand why.  <I>Why?</I></div> <bR> <div>      Sabrina pulled into a rest area near the Hutchinson River Parkway in New York.  She and Maggie went to the ladies' room.  Quentin and Adam would buy some kind of refreshments, and they would all meet back at the car.  From here, Quentin would take the wheel again and drive the rest of the way to Huntington Bay, where Sabrina's parents had just bought their home.  </div> <div> Adam was going to stay with them, and Sabrina hoped fervently that everything would work out all right.  She had a feeling her parents would like Adam.  The first surgery had been very successful; although his face was still a little puffy and swollen, he didn't have the ugly disfiguring scars he'd had before.  In fact, Dr. Hargrove felt that one more surgery would be enough to take away the worst of the facial scars.  She made small talk with Maggie as they walked into the ladies' room, her mind racing all the while.</div> <div>      This would be a beneficial arrangement for both Adam and her parents, Sabrina reflected.  Her father, a proud man who'd finally retired after serving with honor and distinction for thirty years, had just suffered a stroke and was paralyzed on one side.  The thought of a woman taking care of his physical needs was an anathema to him-even if it was his own wife.  Her mother had called with news of her father's stroke the day after Adam arrived back in Collinsport.  Sabrina had given it careful consideration and then called her mother to ask if her father would consider a male caretaker?  Sabrina told her mother every positive thing she could think to tell about Adam, and it turned out to be a very long list of glowing attributes.  "Let me talk to your father, dear, and I'll call you back," her mother said.  "You know how he can be."</div> <div>      Yes, Sabrina knew how he could be.  Her father was very stubborn, a man who was used to doing everything for himself-except for domestic chores.  He was a strong, proud man-he had been a magnificent athlete excelling at every sport he tried.  He just refused to push a vacuum or learn to cook for himself.  That was woman's work.  Sabrina knew how he felt about women: that they were soft, helpless, and basically brainless.  That was how he treated her mother, who actually was very bright.  Her mother kept her opinions to herself, but where ever they had been stationed, she had always formed book discussion groups.  The groups read books written by Ayn Rand and authors like her; they were not light topics.   Of course, that was just a "hobby" for her-that was her father's view.</div> <div>      She knew that her father viewed her as some sort of oddity.  His full attention and encouragement had been given to her brother Ned.  He barely noticed her.  He was mildly surprised at her report cards when he bothered to look at them.   He did notice her, however, when she tried her hand at cooking a meal or baking a new dessert.  Then he would speak to her with great approval: she'd make someone a fine wife someday.  He didn't notice that she graduated with honors and won a scholarship; he did notice her major and vaguely disapproved.  Of what use was a degree in nutrition, other than in helping her learn new recipes?</div> <div>      Her parents hadn't met Cyrus yet; they'd only been back in the States two weeks and had only just moved into their new home when Sabrina's father had the stroke.  They knew about her engagement and strongly approved.  A doctor's wife!  That was a fine thing to be, her father thought.  Dad was glad that Cyrus had "come to his senses" and wasn't "wasting his time with that VISTA crap" anymore.  He heartily approved of her decision to move to Collinsport to work closely with her future husband.  That's what she was supposed to do, after all.  Her mother said nothing, one way or the other.  She asked:   "Do you love him?"  When Sabrina said yes, she nodded quietly and smiled.  Whatever advice she might have given she elected to keep to herself.</div> <div>      She was washing her hands and started when Maggie said, "You've been so pale and quiet, Sabrina.  How are you?  You must be very worried about your father, aren't you?"</div> <div>      "Yes," Sabrina answered, wishing she could confide her real fears to Maggie.  Maggie seemed so naïve, though-and so in love.  She and Quentin probably had a very good sexual relationship-they looked so happy.</div> <div>      "I didn't realize that your parents lived so close to my sister," Maggie ventured, attempting to distract Sabrina.  She wondered how she could broach a topic she was very shy about-her virginity.  Quentin was obviously pleased that he was to be her first and wanted to wait until they were married; Maggie desperately wanted to talk to Sabrina so that she wouldn't feel like a child on her wedding night.</div> <div>      "Really?"  Sabrina wasn't really very interested.</div> <div>      "Yes, but they live on the south shore-in Lindenhurst," Maggie continued, hoping to turn the topic somehow.</div> <div>      "Oh.  Maybe we can stop and see them on the way back," Sabrina answered, attempting to be polite.  She really didn't care about Maggie's sister.</div> <div>      "That would be nice-she's just had a baby, you know," Maggie said.</div> <div>      "How nice!"  Sabrina thought her voice sounded wooden.  A baby!  She wanted to have a baby so badly herself-a little girl or a little boy with golden curls and bright blue eyes like Cyrus…  "Well, we'd better get back-they'll wonder where we are."</div> <div>      "Sabrina, about Cyrus-" Maggie began.</div> <div>      Sabrina turned to look at Maggie.  "Yes?"  She wondered what Maggie was going to say.</div> <div>      Maggie blushed.  "Oh-nothing."</div> <div>      Sabrina was disappointed.  She had hoped that Maggie would ask her something so that she could talk about how confused she felt.  She sighed.  "I hope they were able to get us some coffee."</div> <div>      "Don't you want to sleep?"</div> <div>      "What for?  We're almost there-it's only another hour."  She realized that she sounded sharper than she intended to.  She was sorry about that-it was just that she was so irritated by her inability to confide in Maggie.  She wished Roxanne were here.  Somehow, she felt Roxanne would understand.</div> <div>      When Quentin got behind the wheel, everyone was quiet.  They were all lost in their own thoughts, and all were hesitant to talk to each other.  Quentin wondered if Adam would adjust all right and felt a little guilty about leaving him all alone here.  He was surprised at Cyrus' reluctance to accompany them down to Long Island.  He was also worrying about his family's reaction when they learned he intended to marry Maggie. He wondered whether or not he should bother to tell them.</div> <div>      Maggie fretted over her inability to talk to Sabrina and ask her the questions she needed answers to.  She knew that Cyrus' finance was upset about her father but felt that something else was pressing on her mind, too.  If only she weren't so awkward and socially clumsy-she was sure Roxanne would've had Sabrina chatting openly by now.  She couldn't understand why Roxanne had run away-she honestly had believed that Roxanne and Adam were deeply in love.  It just didn't make any sense.  She worried about Quentin's family, too-they intimidated her although she had never met them.  She'd heard plenty from Quentin himself about the family, and she was afraid they were going to absolutely hate her.  She wasn't convinced she'd won Daniel over yet.  Most of all, she was worried that she wouldn't be able to satisfy Quentin after all.</div> <div>      Sabrina chewed her lower lip and continued to fret about Cyrus and the enormous changes in him.  How could they possibly go on as they were now?  She wondered if she should confront him-would he be willing to talk to her as he once was?  It was so rare nowadays to get a glimpse of the Cyrus she'd known and loved.  She watched as Adam turned to look out the window again and sigh.  Poor Adam, she thought again. </div> <div> Adam looked out the window but saw nothing of the scenery as Quentin drove him to his new home.  <I>Roxanne, Roxanne, I don't care what they say.  I know you didn't run away from me.  I'll find you, I promise!  I'll find you…</I></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="id94.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Winters Deep Freeze"><U>Winter's Deep Freeze</U></A>    <A HREF="id96.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Frostbite"><U>Frostbite</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id85.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Adam in Parallel Time"><U>Adam in Parallel Time</U></A>     <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cassies Writing"><U>Cassie's Writing</U></A></div> </td> </tr></table></body>