"They're all gone, Nick. We need to get some more, and it's your turn to go," Ed replied.

"How can they be gone? I've only had two."

"There were only three, and Jill took one upstairs when she went up with her boyfriend. As I said, Nick, it's your turn to go."

Nick stood up and stretched. He had been up late studying, or rather cramming, for a midterm the night before. "I'm going to have to borrow a car. Gretchen took hers back."

His ex-girlfriend, Gretchen Witter, had come back to pick up her car. Although he had hoped to seduce her, he had fallen asleep. When he had wakened, she, her brother Pacey, and her car were gone. So Nick had no wheels.

Ed came into the room with his sandwich and tossed the keys to Nick. "Okay, take mine. I'm going to sit here and root for the Bruins. I need to win my money back."

Nick got into Ed's old clunker and started down the street. When I get back, I'm going to grab a nap, he thought. He shook his head to clear it. It wasn't far to the liquor store, but he caught himself nodding again. Just a little farther, he thought. But the third time wasn't the charm. The car ran off the road and into a tree. Nick was thrown against the windshield hard.

When he came to, he was in what appeared to be a conference room in a courthouse. He ached all over and his head hurt like crazy. A young man who looked very familiar but whose face he couldn't quite place was standing next to him. He looked very perturbed. "Look at you. You're going to make a lousy impression on the court. Don't you have anything better to wear? And your face is covered with blood." He went to the door and knocked. A deputy stuck his head inside. "Can I get him some fresh clothes? No? How about a wet cloth to wash his face at least and a comb for his hair? Thanks."

He turned back to Nick. "My first case in this court and I get you. Oh, well. I guess I have to work my way up."

Just then the deputy came back with a damp cloth, a towel, and a comb. He handed them to the man—my attorney? Nick wondered—who handed them to him. "Try to make yourself presentable. We'll be due in court in a minute." And indeed the deputy came back to take them to the courtroom.

It looked like a normal courtroom, but the two people at the prosecution table were the strangest Nick had ever seen. A young man and woman, dressed in what appeared to be togas or tunics or something of that sort, with strangely mottled skin sat at the table. His attorney stopped and shook hands with them, obviously introducing himself. Then he sat at the defense table with Nick.

"All rise!" The Bailiff cried, "The Honorable Judge presiding." Nick wasn't sure if he had said a name or not. And for some strange reason he couldn't see the Judge at all clearly.

The judge rapped on his desk with his gavel. "The people versus Nick Taylor. Attorneys, are you prepared?"

The young blond man rose. "We are, your honor."

"Counsel for the defense, I believe it's your first time in this court."

"Yes, your Honor. Lindsey McDonald for the defense."

"The Prosecution may proceed."

"Your Honor, we accuse Nicholas Allan Taylor of driving while intoxicated, reckless endangerment, extreme negligence, ingratitude, squandering of his resources, and a list of other sins too numerous to mention."

"Mr. McDonald, how does your client plead?"

"My client pleads not guilty, your Honor. And I request a sidebar."

"You may approach." Lindsey and the two prosecutors approached the bench. Nick tried to hear what was going on. He had no idea what any of this was all about.

"Your Honor, I respectfully request that the drunken driving charge be dropped. I have the hospital report here. His blood alcohol level was 0.015, nowhere near the minimum level for drunken driving. He did not crash because he was drunk but because he fell asleep."

The female answered, "That's true, but had he not been drinking, he would have been more alert and would not have dozed off."

"I agree with Mr. McDonald. The drunken driving charge is dismissed. I will, however, accept the lesser charge of driving under the influence." The three advocates walked back to their seats.

The female rose. "Your Honor, the defendant, Nick Taylor, while not legally intoxicated, was under the influence of alcohol to the point that he should not have been driving while he was so tired. Alcohol is a depressant, and he has frequently fallen asleep after drinking even one or two beers."

Lindsey stood. "Your honor, no real harm was done. He crashed into a tree. The car was totaled, but its value couldn't have been more than a few hundred dollars. Nobody but my client was injured."

"Yes, he was lucky. He could have drifted the other way and hit a carload of people. What he did was definitely negligent and deserves punishment." The female sat.

"Mr. McDonald, would you care to reply?"

"Yes, your Honor. There was obviously no intent to harm anyone. He made a careless mistake. Haven't all of us made the same kinds of mistakes when we were young? I ask for clemency on the part of the court for this offense."

"As I said, he could have hit a carload of people or a pedestrian. I insist that the charge remain. I might also point out that he was not wearing his seat belt, a clear violation of the law. If he had been, he might have walked away from the accident." The woman was adamant.

"I'll consider your arguments. Now for the next charge."

This time it was the young man who stood. "On the charge of reckless endangerment, we accuse him of endangering the life of one Gretchen Witter."

Nick grabbed Lindsey's sleeve. "I have no idea what they're talking about. I never did anything to hurt Gretchen. I cared about her."

"Your Honor, my client does not understand the charges."

"We accuse him of having unsafe sex with the aforementioned Ms. Witter, which, given his sexual history, could have transmitted a disease to her."

Nick tugged at Lindsey's sleeve again. "I always used a condom. I have a big box of them in my bedside table."

"Your Honor, my client denies the charges. He said he always practices safe sex."

"I have here the results of a pregnancy test on Ms. Witter."

Nick jumped to his feet. "I just saw Gretchen and she was not pregnant. She never said a word to me about being pregnant either. Neither did her brother. He was trying his best to get us back together."

"Mr. McDonald, control your client," the judge said sternly. Lindsey put his hand on Nick's shoulder and firmly pushed him down into his seat.

"I object, your Honor. We were not given disclosure of this pregnancy. And where is the child?"

The young man looked over at Nick sternly. "Miss Witter miscarried. And although she does not have a sexually transmitted disease, he could have passed one on to her. It would appear that conception took place one night in her car."

Nick sat there shaking his head. "I swear I didn't know," he said quietly to his attorney. "Gretchen didn't tell me. I don't think Pacey knew either."

Lindsey rose. "Again, your Honor, we are talking about the carelessness of youth, not any crime committed with malice aforethought. I assume that Miss Witter has no permanent aftereffects to the pregnancy."

"Only the psychological trauma that comes with unplanned, unwanted pregnancy and with a miscarriage. And Nick is not a 16 year old. He's 21 and has been legally an adult for almost four years," the male prosecutor added.

"Again, I will consider the facts of that charge. Are there more charges?"

This time the female rose. "Your Honor, Mr. Taylor's parents are hard-working people who have sacrificed much to send their son to college. So far he's been having fun and goofing off instead of repaying their trust in him with hard work and dedication. He is a very intelligent young man, as can be seen by his SAT scores, but his grades belie his intelligence. For example, one night he and the aforementioned Gretchen Witter were supposed to be studying for an astronomy exam. However, they ended up spending the evening having sex and both of them failed the test. He has been barely scraping by and may not be graduating at the end of the school year. His parents love him very much and are now at his bedside praying for his recovery from this accident. However, he has violated their trust in him."

Lindsey stood. "Your Honor, may I have a minute to confer with my client?"

"I'll grant a five minute recess."

"All right, Nick. I need to know and I need to know now. Is this true?"

"I guess so, but didn't you goof off when you went to college? Everybody does it. After all soon enough there'll be the nine to five routine. College is for having fun."

"Listen, you ungrateful little jerk, that is not true. When I went to college, I worked like a dog. I was dirt poor with no mother and a drunk for a father. I had been given a baseball scholarship, but I had to work for my spending money. And of course during the season I had games and practices, and in the off-season I had to keep myself in condition. I also spent every available minute on my studies to earn a 4.0 to make it into law school. Then in law school it was the same thing except for the baseball and the scholarship. You don't know how lucky you are. You've got looks, brains, charm, and all the other assets. God knows how far you could go if you apply yourself. Instead you waste it. I'm sorry they assigned me to you. Frankly, you disgust me."

"Didn't you just say I was only hurting myself?"

"What about your parents? Are you disappointing them? Should they be sitting in a hospital room praying for you to live and fearing that you're going to die? And what about Gretchen? What do you think she went through when she learned she was pregnant? And maybe, just maybe, she had some sad feelings when she lost the baby. Even under these circumstances, a miscarriage can be an emotionally wrenching experience. And what about all of the other girls you slept with? Even if you practiced safe sex, what about their feelings? Maybe some of them really cared about you and, while you were having sex, they felt they were making love."

"Come on, now. I never told any girl except Gretchen that I loved her. I never made any promises to anyone. And I made sure that every girl I slept with enjoyed it as much as I did. I was a darn good lover."

"Believe it or not, Nick, sometimes girls become much more emotionally involved than guys do. I'll bet you broke some hearts. Count on it."

Just then the judge rapped his gavel and the court was back in session. The female stood up. "Your Honor, much has been given to this defendant, but he has given nothing back. He has a responsibility to his parents and an even larger one to the Powers That Be to take his gifts and use them wisely. I ask that you find him guilty on all charges."

"Mr. McDonald, do you have anything to say?"

Lindsey rose. "Yes, your Honor. Nick Taylor is a product of his times. He has been given privileges without the responsibilities that go with them. He is not evil, merely thoughtless. I ask that he be given another chance to undo any damage that he may have done. Nothing he has done has been premeditated or malicious. Please show leniency."

There was a moment of silence from the bench. Nick whispered to Lindsey, "What will happen to me?"

"You'll either be sent back and will recover or you will die. It depends on the judge."

"Mr. Taylor, will you please rise? I have reached my verdict." Nick and Lindsey stood. "I find you guilty of all charges. You are selfish and self-centered, immature, irresponsible, amoral, ungrateful, and totally lacking in empathy. However, as you have done no real harm this time, and as you have never had any ill intentions, I will sentence you to probation. I will return you to your life, as it would hurt your parents much more if you were to die. However, if I find you back here again, the sentence would be severe. Consider this to be your only warning. I will also set my mark upon you so that every time you look into the mirror, you'll be reminded of the events of this day. And you will have some pain and suffering to reinforce the lesson. I expect you to replace your friend's vehicle by paying for it yourself. I also expect you to graduate with your class at the end of this school year. You can do it by applying yourself. You have the intelligence to accomplish it. Then start thinking about what you can do to make your world a better place. Court is adjourned."

"Thank you, your Honor," Lindsey said.

"Mr. McDonald, you have done an excellent job for your first case in this court. I look forward to seeing you again."

"All rise!" the bailiff said, and the Presence on the bench was suddenly gone.

Nick reached out and shook Lindsey's hand. "Thank you. How can I pay you? I don't have any money at present, so I guess I'll have to get a job."

"This is pro bono. You don't owe me anything. I have a huge debt that I'm working off and this is how I'll be doing it for a long, long time. Listen to what the judge said, Nick. Turn your life around before it's too late. Fortunately I did, which is why I'm here now instead of someplace infinitely worse." Lindsey walked over and shook the hands of the two prosecutors. Then the courtroom vanished.

Nick opened his eyes to find himself in a hospital bed. His mother and father were sitting next to the bed, his mother crying while his father tried to comfort her. "Mom? Dad?"

"Oh, my dear Nicky. Ted, Ted, he's alive. Thank God."

Evidently his return to consciousness must have registered on the monitors at the nurses' station because one of them suddenly appeared at his bedside. "I'll get the doctor now. Don't try to sit up, Mr. Taylor. You'll pull your tubes out." She headed back toward the nurses' station.

His mother put her hand on his cheek. He could feel that he had needles in both arms with fluids flowing from IV bags into both of them, and a breathing tube was in his nose. He hurt like the devil. "Mom, Dad, I'm so sorry." His parents just hugged each other and smiled at him.

Later that day the tubes were detached from him and he was moved out of intensive care into a private room. The doctor came in to see him. "Nick, you were lucky. You have three broken ribs and a broken arm from where you hit the steering wheel, and of course a concussion from the windshield. If you had been wearing your seat belt, you would probably not have been hurt at all. I'm afraid that there will be a scar on your forehead, but it won't be a bad one. I'm going to keep you here a few days for observation, but you'll be able to go home soon."

"Can I see my parents?"

"I'll be done in a minute. They're waiting to see you. Don't get excited. Stay calm."

Outside in the corridor, Ted and Dorothy Taylor were talking to Paul and Joan Richards, whom they had met in the waiting room while Nick was in the ICU. "Nick is going to be all right. How about Penny? Did they find her a heart yet?"

"Yes, they did. They flew one in from Oklahoma. A young lawyer named Lindsey McDonald had been killed when the old pickup truck he was driving was hit by an eighteen-wheeler which was doing about 90. The driver is facing vehicular manslaughter charges. Thank God he had signed up as an organ donor and that his heart was a match for Penny. We'll all pray for him every day for the rest of our lives. The surgery was a success. She's going to live."

Dorothy hugged Joan. "I'm so happy for you. We're signed up to be organ donors. It's a wonderful program."

Before Nick left the hospital, a state policeman came to see him. "I just have a few questions, Mr. Taylor. The hospital took a blood test. I'd like your permission to see the results."

"Of course. I did have two beers, but I wasn't drunk. I fell asleep. Maybe I shouldn't have been driving, as I had been up studying for a test that I had just taken."

"No, you shouldn't have been. You're lucky you didn't hurt someone besides yourself. If the blood alcohol is below the limit, I'll let you go with a warning. Just be careful. Don't drive if you're sleepy. Why were you going out anyway?"

Nick looked sheepishly at the officer. "We had run out of beer at the house and it was my turn to go for it."

The officer gave him a very stern look. "Just remember my warning in the future, Nick. If your blood alcohol is as low as you think it is, you won't see me again. If not, I'll be back."

Ed came by to see Nick that evening. "Hey, Nick, how are you? I'm sorry about the accident. We were pretty worried when you didn't regain consciousness for two days."

"Two days? I didn't know that. No wonder my parents were scared."

"We all were, buddy. I made it a point to see your professors. You're supposed to come and see them when you're up to it. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Believe it or not, would you bring me my laptop and my history book? I need to get some work done. Maybe my economics book too."

"You're kidding, right?"

"No, I'm serious. I want to be sure I graduate, and I need to start cracking my books hard. I have some major catching up to do." He thought a minute. "And I'd love a pizza and a coke. The food here sucks."

"If they let me, I'll bring in a pizza. Otherwise how about a nice thick chocolate shake from Buzzy's?"

"Sounds great. Thanks, Ed."

The evening before he was to leave the hospital, his parents took him for a walk and stopped to see Penny Richards, who had been transferred out of ICU and into a room of her own. Penny was 20 and very beautiful with long auburn hair and big brown eyes. She was a student at the university and was hoping to come back for the second semester. She and Nick hit it off at once. He realized that she was a very special girl and deserved to be treated that way. "Maybe when you're back to school we can meet for coffee or something."

"I'd like that. You could come and visit me here if you'd like, unless you're tired of hospitals."

"I'll do that."

When Nick was able to leave the hospital, his parents insisted on taking him home for a little while to be sure he was ready to go back to school. "I can't stay long. I can't fall too far behind on my classes." Before he left, he made the rounds of his professors, all of whom were willing to give him extensions on his work and his exams. His semester break wouldn't be much of a break, but he had a good chance to pass all of his classes.

The week Nick was home, he devoted himself to his studies and to helping his parents as much as he could. When the bandage on his forehead came off, he had a scar about two inches long that ran diagonally across. It wasn't ugly or puckered, but it was obvious enough that he'd always see it when he looked in the mirror. However, it did not ruin his looks. The mark of Cain, he thought. A reminder of my sins. I'm glad it's there.

Back in school, he looked for a job to pay Ed back for the car. Although he swore it was something he'd never do, he took a job waiting tables at a coffee shop. At first he was exhausted, but he quickly got used to it. Before he paid Ed back, though, he took his first check over to the local florist. "I'd like to order flowers for three people, please." He chose roses for his mother and added a card, which read, "I'm sorry for everything, Mom. I love you. Nick."

He also ordered a bouquet of carnations and rosebuds to be sent to Gretchen. It took him a little while to come up with the proper wording for the card, but eventually he had it. "I'm very sorry for everything I put you through. I never realized what we had until I lost it. I hope someday you'll forgive me. Be happy, Gretchen. With love, Nick."

The third order was for a plant in a cute Winnie the Pooh container, which he took with him. He took it to Penny at the hospital.

"Oh, Nick, how sweet. Thank you so much. I love Winnie the Pooh."

"I'm glad you like it. So how are they treating you here at the hospital?"

"It's not too bad. I'm just so grateful to be alive. God bless Lindsey McDonald for giving me his heart."

Nick couldn't believe his ears. "Did you say Lindsey McDonald?"

"Yes. He was killed in a horrible accident with a truck. They flew his heart here from Oklahoma because it was a good match for me. It's a pity. Evidently he had been a very successful young lawyer."

When Nick went home that night, he took a long look at himself in the mirror. Maybe I really was somewhere in the Twilight Zone. But I have another chance, and I'm going to make the most of it. Thank you, Lindsey.

About 10 the next morning the phone rang. "Hello, Nick Taylor."

"Nick? It's Gretchen. Thank you for the flowers. They're lovely. Why did you send them to me? Is something wrong?"

"I had an automobile accident. I fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into a tree. For two days I was in a coma. Then while I was recovering I had a lot of time to think. That's all I could do. And I realized how badly I had treated you. Maybe at one time you and I could have had something special, but I blew it. I just wanted to let you know that I really did care about you."

"Nick, that means a lot to me. Maybe someday when both of us are more mature and are ready for a real relationship we'll meet again."

"I hope so, Gretchen. Good luck and happiness."

"You too, Nick. Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Gretchen." As he hung up, he wondered just a little about the baby that would never be, even though he knew that both he and Gretchen had been too young and too immature to be parents. Walking back to the desk where his books and his laptop were waiting for him, he suddenly thought about what he wanted to do with his future. It would take at least one more year of school, probably two, but he knew that he would make a good counselor for teenagers. After all, he had been through a lot and could share his experiences with them. He'd be giving back some of what he had been given. When he got back to college, he'd look into it. And if he stayed here for his master's, he could see Penny. Maybe she was part of his future, or maybe Gretchen, or even someone he hadn't yet met. But now he knew that he had a future to look forward to. Nick smiled and settled down with his books.