Alec Marcos pounded on the door in the shabby apartment building, calling his sister's name. He knew someone was inside because the TV was blaring and his anger mounted with each need to bang on the door. His patience vanished and Alec stepped back and put his boot to the door, smashing it from the hinges and sending it in splinters onto the stained carpet inside.

He charged into the room shouting for his sister and stopped short as he took in the squalor and the overriding odor of marijuana. He picked his way through to the bedroom and froze at the door. Tina was sprawled on the bed, between another woman and a skinny black man. Her only cover was a torn t-shirt and it was pushed up above her navel. Alec went to the bed and shook her leg, eliciting a long groan. He grabbed her ankles and pulled her from between the other two and onto the floor at the foot of the bed.

"Ow, geez!" Tina's eyes squinted open and she stuck out a bone-dry tongue.

"Get up, Tina. Get up and get into the bathroom." Alec grabbed her arm and started to hoist her up.

"Hey, wass goin' on?" The woman rolled over onto her side and held out a limp hand toward Alec.

"Nothing, just shut up and go back to sleep." He steered his sister into the bathroom and closed the door.

"Ale- Alec? What are you doin'?"

"You are a disgrace." He turned on the shower then yanked off the wrinkled t-shirt. It was the first time Alec had seen his sister nude and he found himself shocked to see the condition she was in, with bruises and small marks on her arms. He pushed her into the stall, cranked the water on full force and held her under the spray.

******

Tina sat with both hands wrapped about her coffee cup, listening while Alec berated her up and down both sides and around the middle. Other customers in the coffee shop eyed them with disgusted curiosity. Tina shook with a sob and a tear spilled down her cheek and onto her hand. She wiped it on her pant leg and then grabbed the cup again. It was an anchor, a lifeline to the reality her brother had forced her to confront.

"Mom has been sick with worry and she's not well herself. What in God's name possessed you to do this to yourself? Ever since dad died you drifted farther and farther away from the family. That- that slut you took up with led you down into this mess, Tina and for your information, it was on purpose."

Tina's head came up slowly and her forehead wrinkled. "What do mean, on purpose?"

Alec explained the entire story as he had been told and discovered for himself, about their father and the mother of Lori McRae. He told her all about their conflict in high school, about Benny and his wife and Lori's mother and when he was finished, Tina sat with tears streaking down her face and her body quivering nervously.

"I had no idea she was Ginny McRae's daughter."

"This is the last time I'm going to try and rescue you, Tina. I have enough to do looking after mom and holding down a job. You get your act together or don't ever show your face around us again."

"Alec I didn't know- I don't know why it happened..."

"I told you why it happened. Lose that McRae woman, Tina. I don't care if you have to quit your job, just lose her and get yourself sorted out. This is the last chance you get from me."

"Can I come back home?" Her face was red and scrunched with desperation.

"You prove to me you can get cleaned up and I'll speak to mom. I don't need you bringing her any aggravation in her condition."

"What's wrong with her, I didn't know..."

"Or care." He snapped harshly. "She has cancer and it is inoperable. Mom has maybe a year at the outside."
Tina jerked in her seat and a flood of tears, accompanied by her moan, caused several patrons to look over in alarm. Alec turned and said it was a matter of receiving bad news, calming the concerns of the customers and the management. He took her hand and helped her up.

"Let's go."

"I can't go back to my apartment."

"That's right. I'm driving you to the clinic on Earl Street. What you do after that is on you, Tina. Don't contact me again unless you've cleaned up and want to discuss... seriously... a future with mom and me."

"I haven't got any money or identification, Alec. It's all at the apartment."

"I'll go one more yard for you and vouch for your identity; if there's a charge, I'll cover it and that's it."

******

Tina watched the car pull away from the curb and her brother never looked back. The clinic had made Alec sign forms and pre-pay a medical evaluation before accepting Tina as a patient. She was now locked into a program that would still allow her to work but would make a large dent in her income. She sat in the waiting room and considered the mess she'd made of her life and walked her mind back through the stages of her decline.

The doctor had estimated a month of concentrated attention to the program before she could consider calling her family. He warned her that any break in the program and she would be excluded from further treatment. Tina agreed.

******

Vincent was surprised to hear his name called. He just got there, how come so soon? Once again, the scene changed and he found himself in yet another office, this time Meditatio was seated on a large chair raised up from the floor.

"You!" Vincent said in surprise.

"Hello, Vincent."

"I thought I would never see you again?"

"Something has come up."

"What happens now? I didn't think I would be called so soon. I met a woman who said that—"

"The reason you have been called so quickly," Meditatio interrupted, "is because we have a unique situation with regards to your presence here."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"It would seem that to err is not solely the province of humans. Our records indicate that your demise was a mistake."

"Pardon me! A mistake!" Vincent moved forward and stood looking up at Meditatio.

"There was another man at the same place at the same time as you and it was he who was supposed to have been struck by the vehicle."

"What? What do mean supposed to be struck. Are you saying you- whoever you are, sit up here and plot everyone's destiny?"

"Not at all, Vincent. We simply monitor the events and record them, then process the individuals as they arrive."

"So how could there have been a error then?"

"We have mysteries here as well, Vincent. All existence is subject to, shall we say, blips."

"Blips. So getting whacked by a bus is a blip." He shook his head. "So now what? How do we fix this mistake?"

"We have a process. It's only been used once or twice but it is designed to keep all things in the proper order." Meditatio opened a large book, much like the ledgers Vincent had seen earlier, and flipped through several pages, running a finger down and tapping the page. "Here we go. Vincent Marcos. Procedures for reversing erroneous events. See heading, Accidental, on page 3007."

Vincent watched the figure pore over the pages, his clear blue eyes tracing whatever was written, with intense concentration. A mistake! Did this mean he wasn't really dead after all? Would he be going back? It would have to be in time or- or what? The voice drew him back and he saw Meditatio writing something then he hand him a piece of paper.

"This is a correction form that you will deliver to our overseer in the Department of Oversight. You will be told everything there about what will take place, Vincent. I can only express my regret for this circumstance, however, once things have been corrected you will remember nothing of your stay here, nor, might I add, will you remember it when one day you do return." The voice faded and before Vincent could speak, the space changed yet again, this time he was in a very earthly looking setting. The office was small with huge filing cabinets that seemed to stand in a row that went into infinity and beside them, a desk behind which a wizened little woman sat, pushing a large pen over a piece of parchment.

Vincent stood watching, surprised at the fact that it was the first female in authority that he had seen so far.

"Sit please." The voice matched the image. "Do you have your correction notice?"

Vincent passed the piece of paper across the desk.

"Hmm." She shook her head and began writing again.

"I was told that things would be—"

"No talking please."

"But—"

The pen stopped moving and her eyes came up, drilling his. The same blue of Meditatio's only more intense. Vincent zipped his lip. After a moment the pen began to move again, and when he sighed a couple of times, and squirmed on the seat, the woman put the pen down and sat back.

"Mr. Marcos, I have reviewed the circumstances of your situation and have uncovered the error that was made. A, Mr. Victor Madras appeared at the bus stop where your accident occurred, at the same time as you and it was this man who was destined to be struck by the bus, not you."

"Marvelous! So what now, I just say oh well?"

"Mr. Marcos, a glib approach does not endear you to this department. We are seriously concerned when something like this happens and we take every measure to make corrections."

"This happens a lot, does it?"

"Mr. Marcos!" The woman sat upright and clasped her tiny hands together.

"I'm sorry." He waved an apologetic hand. "But you can understand surely how this sounds."

"I can. I have prepared a, time re-entry protocol that should satisfy most of the events that have taken place since your arrival. You will be returned to your life with as little inconvenience as possible."

"You can do that?"

She just smiled and handed him a card. "Take this to our Re-entry Division and wait for your processing instructions."

Vincent took the card and immediately found himself on a bench in a long green lighted hallway. A door opened and a pretty, young woman came out, carrying a clipboard and wearing a bright smile.

"Mr. Marcos. Welcome to the Re-entry Division. You have your protocol card?" Vincent smiled back and handed it to her. "Great. Now if you will just wait here while we create the necessary requirements for your re-entry, you will be called when we are ready."

"Will this take long?"

She gave him an odd look. "Long? Time doesn't exist here Mr. Marcos. Things just happen when they are supposed to."

"Sorry. Guess I'm a little anxious to get home- to earth... back where I came from."

She nodded and clipped the card to her board. "You will be called." She disappeared back through the doorway and Vincent was alone in the endless corridor.