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Jason Monroe drove down the winding roads admiring the scenery, even in the dark. It was 10:00 and he was going home after a busy day at the hospital. Surgery was an exhausting job, but so rewarding in the end. He saved another human life. It made him feel good inside as he pondered his life on the drive home. As a child he always knew he wanted to be a doctor. Being a genius made it easy. His life was never normal. He was always way ahead of everyone else in his classes. He graduated high school at the tender age of twelve, finished medical school at the age of 20! He met his wife Mary at twenty two in the summer of 1980 and married six months later. His life was always in the public eye. He had discovered many new surgical procedures, that were written up in medical journals. Other doctors envied or hated him for his ideals. He was always finding new and better ways for medical advancement. The odd thing about him was that he was a huge man in stature. At six feet, seven inches he towered over everyone. He had huge hands, but they never got into the way when he was operating. He could do the most intricate and delicate movements during an operation. "Almost home." Jason thought. He couldn't wait to get home and be with Mary and their new born son, David. 1983 was a good year. So much joy. His life was a fairy tale, he chuckled to himself. It was so perfect. He loved Mary so much. She was his soul mate in so many ways. She understood his moods. They made a stunning couple. She was so beautiful with blonde hair and violet eyes. Him with dark brown hair and crystal blue eyes. They made their home in the mountains of Colorado. They had better privacy there, away from the public eye. He was enjoying the peace and quiet after his long day. He rolled down the window to get a breath of fresh air. Two more miles and home sweet home, he thought. Suddenly he thought he could smell smoke. "What?" He said to himself. He looked around and saw nothing. He turned left to enter the road where he lived. As he approached, he saw a red glow in the distance. His heart fell into his stomach. "What is that?" He thought as he got closer noticing he could see fire. Fear raged in his mind. "Oh my God! My house!" He hit the gas and raced the car up to the house which was in flames. "Marrrrry!" He screamed. He bolted out of the car and ran up the walk to the front door. "Have to save her!" His mind raged in agony. He fumbled for the keys with his hands shaking. Finally he found them and shakingly put the key in the lock. He turned the key and bolted into the house. The smoke and flames hit him in the face. He felt sickened and dizzy by the impact. He could hear his baby son screaming on the top of his lungs. He cried out and tried to get through the flames that engulfed the whole downstairs. He ran as fast as he could to get through to the stairs leading to the bedrooms up stairs. He suddenly heard Mary's blood curdling screams. It put a chill through his whole body. "Mary!" He screamed as he ran up the stairs through the thick, blinding smoke. He started to gag while tears rolled down his face, from the sting that the smoke was causing. "Down on the floor Jason, down on the floor, crawl." He said out loud to himself. Suddenly he saw a figure running down the hall on fire. "Mary!? Mary!?" He could see she was on fire, holding the baby in her arms. He whipped off his coat and grabbed her with it and pushed her down on the floor, desperately trying to put out the flames. He finally put them out and gently turned her around while she let out a sickening groan. He could see she was burnt very bad. He lifted her up in his arms and started down the stairs as fast as he could. She still clung onto the baby, who wasn't making a sound now. He started to cry. "Please God.... please help me!" Jason begged in intense fear. It seemed like the stairs were a mile down. The smoke made him sick and dizzy, but his strength kept him going. Finally reaching the bottom stair, he tried to head for the front door, but the flames were to much. They covered the door. He heard Mary groan again in his arms. "Jason.....I..I hurt. I can't breath." "I'll get us out...hold on sweet heart!" She fainted and her body fell limp in his arms. He caught David as he was slipping down out of Mary's arms, lifting her towards his body, so he rested in between them. "Where? Where is the way out!?" He cried out loud. He went for the back door. He could see that the flames didn't reach that point yet. Suddenly he heard wood cracking and tried to run when the ceiling crashed down hitting him in the back and knocking him to the floor as searing pain shot through his head and he saw colors before his eyes. "Noooo....can't faint, can't faint........have to get out!" He screamed in his mind and with all the strength he could muster, he lifted himself, still holding Mary and making sure the baby was still there he slowly got up. Pain was eating at his left side of his face. He could barely see as he stumbled for the door. A bolt of fresh air hit him as he sucked in a breath deeply. Finally he got outside and with the adrenaline still flowing through his body he rushed around the house to the car. He collasped near the car while he coughed violently. He sat up and pulled Mary on his lap to check how bad she was. The baby suddenly rolled out onto the ground. "David.......oh my God, David!" He screamed desperately. He lifted the little body up and could see he was dead. Agony welled up in his soul and as he screamed rocking his head back. "Noooooooooooo!" Mary suddenly groaned as he gently put David onto the ground. He could see tears were streaming down her face. She painfully reached out to Jason. "Jason, the baby! The baby!" Mary cried in agony as she started to shake uncontrollably. "Your face....Jason! What is wrong with your face?!" He felt his face on the left side and then looking at his hand full of blood. He cradled her in his arms and let out choking sobs. He could see she was burnt over most of her body. She was breathing hard trying to gasp for a breath of air. "Jason...where are you Jason? Get the baby, Jason! Where's the baby?!" Jason could see she was in shock. He wrapped the coat gently around her as she looked up into his eyes. "Jason.... I..I can't breath." She was gasping for air with her eyes wide in fear. "Mary....my sweet. Just hold on sweetheart. You will be alright." He knew she wasn't going to live. The burns were too deep. He started rocking her, sobbing. "Jason..... I..I love you. Take care of the baby. Promise me!" She said through her tears. "I love you Mary... no one could take your place in my heart!" He exclaimed through sobbing gasps of air. She smiled and then suddenly her body was gripped with severe pain. Her body went rigid and then she relaxed, letting out her last breath. "Noooooooo!" Jason screamed on the top of his lungs. He shook her desperately by the shoulders, trying to wake her up. He slid her off his lap and onto the ground and started to give her CPR. He felt dizzy and his side and back were hurting while his face burned with intense pain. He noticed that she wouldn't wake up and sadly knew she was gone. He scooped her up and the baby and hugged them tight to his body. "Why? Why?" He cried in anguish looking up at the sky. He stayed there rocking his family in his arms. He laid back on the ground after a time. He just wanted to die and be with them. In his agony he couldn't think of life without them. "Please God, take me too!" He prayed through his pain. He knew his face was badly burned and bleeding. He was getting weaker and weaker. Slowly he was drifting into a haze. He thought he heard sirens in the distance and fainted as his house burned lighting up the night sky. "Poor Doctor Monroe." Alice, the nurse, said to Tina the other nurse in the burn ward. "He is going to need extensive plastic surgery on his face." Tears welled in Tina's eyes. "I can't believe this has happened to him." "His whole family was lost in that fire. What happened? How did it start?" Tina asked fighting back the tears. "I heard it was their furnace that caused it." Alice said sadly bowing her head. "Has he said anything yet?" "No, he just lays there staring into space. It makes me feel so scared. The funeral is tomorrow for Mary and the baby and doctor Monroe is still in shock. I hope he comes out of it." Alice said holding back the tears that were finally overwhelming her. Fire! Fire all around him. In the blackness, he could see Mary with the flames around her body, holding David out to him. "Take care of him. Promise me to take care of him." She pleaded. "But he is with you now in heaven." Jason said while his heart seemed to be ripping in two. She had a confused look on her face. "He... he died too?" Tears started to flow down her face. "Don't cry Mary. Look he is happy with you." She looked down at David in her arms. He reached his little arms up to her. She hugged him and kissed him on the head. "But we are leaving you all alone now, Jason. I wanted us all to be together, forever." "I want that too, but I can't reach you." She started to fade away slowly. "Mary! Don't leave me! Mary!" But she was gone and he stood in the blackness. It was engulfing him. He couldn't breath. The blackness came in on him. "Noooooooo!" He bolted up in the bed with sweat pouring down his face. He looked around the room feeling disorientated. "Where? Where am I?" Jason asked looking around the room feeling totally confused. The nurse jumped, startled to hear a voice. She stepped out of the bathroom and stared at him in disbelief. She ran out of the room. He heard her yelling down the hall that he was awake. Several doctors and nurses came running into the room. Dr. Stevens was the first to speak. "Dr. Monroe you are in the Mount Mary hospital. I know this is going to be a shock to you, but you have been in a coma for two years." The young nurse standing next to Dr. Stevens, just kept staring at him like he was some kind of monster. "How long? Two years? It can't ...." He cut his words off when he turned his head and caught his reflection in the mirror across the room. He gasped at the sight. The left side of his face was badly disfigured and scarred. He did look like a monster. He tried to get out of bed, but the doctor bolted to his side. "No... don't try to get up! Take that mirror out of here." He yelled to the nurse. She quickly went to the wall and removed it and left the room, shaking her head sadly. Jason started to sob with deep uncontrollable sobs. "No! No! My Mary and the baby just died in my arms yesterday! It can't be two years ago. I didn't even go to the funeral!" "I am sorry Jason but it's true. You spent several months in the burn ward of Mount Saint Helen Hospital and you fell into a coma, and when you wouldn't come out of it they sent you here. I know your face is a shock to see. I am sorry about the mirror. I wanted to let you in easy on your face, when you finally woke. I'm so sorry. If you try get up you will probably fall. Your legs should be very weak, from lack of exercise for two years." Dr. Stevens said, while trying to hold Jason down. He was so huge and he was finding it hard. Jason finally settled back and didn't say a word. He just stared at the doctor letting the words sink in. In the month's that passed Jason went through a lot of physical therapy. He finally was normal again, except for his face. People looked and stared at him and would turn away in disgust. He went to the graves of his sweet Mary and baby David. He put flowers down every day for months, trying to make up for the time he wasn't there. "Oh Mary! Mary! I am a freak show now! I can't stand the looks that come from everyone I see. Children are afraid of me! Adults pity me! I am going away forever. I am going live in the mountains where you and I were happy. I will make a life for myself there, away from this society who shun me now. I will light a candle everyday on your birthday and David's. I promise to never forget. I love you! I love you Mary!" He walked away that day and went into the mountains never to be seen again. The years drifted by and no one ever saw much of Dr. Jason Monroe. But people in the town of Southfork talked about him as a legend. The huge monster man of the wilderness, who lived with the wild animals. So many stories were told. Some true and some not true. << Back to Story Page>> << Back To Index Of Chapters Page>> Back To Main Page>> |