Second Chances(109)

"Getting his strength back from what?" Paige asked, concern clearly showing on her face.

"Later, once we are on the way."

Julie did a quick sweep of the room, looking for anything that might indicate that they had been there. Nathan helped Jason to his feet and could tell Julie was right, the man was leaning heavily on him. Paige reached out a hand to help, but hesitated. Jason smiled weakly at her and after a moment she returned his smile.

"My car or yours?" Nathan asked.

Julie joined them outside and indicated her vehicle. "You don't mind driving, do you?"

The way she voiced the question, Nathan knew he really had no choice. He was also certain that she would likely have her hand on or near her gun the entire time.

He helped to buckle Jason into the backseat, Paige sitting with him and then he climbed in behind the wheel. Julie joined him in the front and sure enough her hand rested half in and half out of her purse. He looked at her hand and then at her.

"I'm not going to apologize."

He could hear the stress in her voice and wondered just how much trouble were they actually in.

"Where to?"

"Doesn't matter I guess. Just make sure you stick to the speed limit and follow the rules of the road."

He nodded at Julie's instructions and started the car. He pulled out of the lot and turned right on a course that would take them to the Newport Bridge.

"So," Julie said. "Where should I start?"





CHAPTER EIGHTY-ONE



Silence hung in the car. Nathan flicked his eyes to the rearview mirror and saw that both Paige and her father seemed dazed. He wondered why the old man seemed almost as confused as Paige.

"I'm not Paige, am I?"

Jason reached over and took her hand and squeezed it, before looking at Julie. He seemed as eager to hear the answer as Paige.

"You are and you aren't."

"What does ..."

"Why does he seem confused about all this?" Nathan interrupted.

"That is all part of the story. He knew all of it at one time," Julie said reaching back and taking his hand from Paige. "To protect me, he gave up so much of himself."

"Start from the beginning," Jason said softly. "I'll help as best I can."

"No, please tell me who I am first. Whose memories do I have? They obviously aren't right. I clearly remember you dying. But I...or Paige, whoever is the one who actually died."

Her voice was cracking again and Nathan had to fight the urge to stop the car and try to comfort her.

"You are Paige Kendall, just not the original one."

"What are you saying. I am some kind of copy? Some kind of clone or something?"

"Yes, that is exactly what I am saying."

Nathan wanted to laugh at Julie's words, but he'd seen too much these past few days to even consider her to be joking. "How is that possible?"

"How do I have her memories? Well some of her memories? How do I ..."

"Wait. Like Jason said, let me start at the beginning."

"But," Paige began to protest.

"No, let her tell the story," Jason insisted.

"Your memories are a mix of the original Paige's and a fantasy that Jason helped make up."

"I don't understand why..."

"I'm going to explain," Julie said, her impatience sounding clearly in her voice.

"Go ahead," Nathan urged.

"Okay. The memories you have of your father and mother are fake. Your mother was a scientist like Jason. They were both neurologists. Well Jason was so much more, but..." She waved her hand, dismissing the thought.

"Is my mother...Paige's mother still alive too?"

"No," Julie said softly. "The memory you have of her death is real. She died when you...Paige was younger."

Paige's eyes flicked to Jason and she could see the sadness in his face.

"Paige became his world. I eventually wormed my way in," she said was a sad smile.

"I don't understand."

"I fell in love with your father when I was taking one of his courses."

"Courses?"

"I am not doing a very good job of explaining things, am I?"

"I taught a few courses at...Harvard," Jason said, looking at Julie for confirmation. She nodded. "Julie was one of my students. Later she became one of my research assistants. And later we became closer."

"I was in love with your father from the day I met him. Took me forever to let him know, but I won't bore you with that story."

"Cloning? Was that the type of research you did?" Nathan asked.

"No, Alzheimer's," Julie answered. "Like I said, the brain was his area of expertise. He was trying to understand the disease and come up with a cure. To say he was on the cutting edge would be like saying the guy who made the stealth bomber was on the cutting edge of paper airplane technology."