Clicking on the line a new page flashes up.

Jane it's Sam are you still there? Tell me what happened. Is Helen really going to be alright? Please talk to me Jane.

Hitting reply Jane types as fast as she is able.

Yes Sam I'm still here. Learning how to use this so be patient. I was with Helen at the hospital all night till her parents arrived. Aside from being very sore and tired from the painkillers, she is fine. She hasn't lost any of her humour. She was more concerned about you. She wrote almost a book on how to contact you.

Smiling, she hits the send button. Resting back she looks at the screen in wonder. This is so instant. No wonder Helen spends so much time here. You ask a question and get an immediate answer. I wish I had payed attention when Helen showed me how to use this.

Feeling Spot rub against her leg, she reaches down to stroke her.
"You miss your mum pus?" Spot looks up as she hears Helen's voice again say:

Jane lifts Spot up to the desk. Hearing the cats purring she stokes her as she clicks on the new mail from Sam.

Jane,
So tell me what happened.
Can you meet me in ICQ or PAL or AOL IM or Powwow?
Do you know how to get to any of them?
Sam

Jane looks to the side. Then to her notes. ICQ is open, with little yellow pictures flashing. Reading down she sees: "double click on Sprint. Read and hit reply then type a message and hit send."

Sliding the mouse up to "Sprint" she double clicks. A message box appears saying:

"Hello my beautiful Winti. How was your day darling?"

Clicking reply, a new box appears so she types:
"Sam it's Jane. Is this working?"
Then she hits send and watches the box disappear.

That was fast she thinks as she sees the little message flasking again next to Sprint. Clicking on it she realises it's another message to Helen. Turning to the list she sees the instruction to close each message as she reads it until she sees a new message to her from Sam. Slowly shaking her head she wonders how Helen has so clearly remembered all these details lying in a hospital bed. Closing each message as she reads them. Noticing Sam is getting a little more concerned as each new message arrives.

Suddenly her name appears like a beacon on the next message.

Jane you got it working. I'm here.
You will see a box coming up soon. Just wait and then you will be in a chat with me.

In a chat? Shuddering she remembers how she tried to chat once before. Seeing the names and messages jumping so fast across the screen had been too overwhelming for her. She had been afraid to touch anything that time and had never wanted to attempt chatting again. Staring at the screen she thinks of Helen and of Sam waiting to ask her so many questions about the woman he loves. Slowly she moves forward, clicks the reply and types:
I'll be waiting.

As the message fades in colour as before, she rests her head on Spot who has again fallen asleep. A tiny meow and purring is her reward as a new box appears, then changes to say initiating chat. A blaze of colour fills the screen as a two part page, the top being a deep purple the bottom a deep blue appear. White letters appear saying:

Hello Jane
Welcome to ICQ chat
Click in the box above and start typing *S*

She clicks in the purple and slowly types:
Sam?

There you are! See how easy it is!
So can you tell me what happened
I've been so worried when Helen wasn't here and didn't leave a message
She always lets me know if she won't be here

Well there is a corner in town that is very dangerous. Helen and I have always been so careful driving over that intersection. Last night on her way home she was not concerntrating and instead of stopping to make sure someone wasn't coming around that corner too fast to stop she just slowed down and looked but it was too late. The other car slammed into her car sending her spinning across the road and into another car.

Oh my God!!! How badly is she hurt?
You said she was fine but you didn't really tell me how badly she is injured.

Well lets start at the top.
The broken glass did a lot of superficial damage. Those bandages will be off in a few days. She has cuts on her head, on her cheek, down to her lip as well as all down her right arm.
She has bruising from above her right eye to her jaw.
Her left shoulder is broken and in a sling.
And her right knee is broken. She was in surgery for hours as they put a pin in it.

Oh my poor beautiful angel!!
When did the accident happen?

At 6:10 pm.
She had coffee with someone from her company after work and was going home

She was coming home to meet me Jane. It was our six month anniversary yesterday!!
We were going to spend the night together
She was meeting me here at 6:30 her time.

Oh Sam I'm so sorry.
I feel such a terrible friend.
When Helen talks about you I've been tuning out.
I never realised how much she really cared for you.
I've never been comfortable chatting.
When I tried to it all went so fast, people were sending me messages that Helen could see but to me it was all a blurr.
It wasn't like this. I like this ICQ.

*LOL* Yep, after this chatrooms are too crowded. Least here you can actually get to know someone.
Don't feel bad. I've got friends who don't chat and they think I'm crazy spending my free time here!!! *S*

Thanks Sam,
I still wish I'd been more understanding and taken the time to watch now and then.
Can I ask you what *LOL* and *S* means? You did that before.

*LOL* = laughing out loud
*S* = smile
*G* = grin
*WG* = wicked grin
*ROFL* = rolling on floor laughing
*LMAO* = laughing my ass off ... there are many more but that will keep you going for now. *S*
Oh and BTW (by the way) if you had watched "now and then" you would probably be as addicted to chat by now as the rest of us are!!!! *ROFLOLPMP*
I'll help you on the last bit of that ... it's *PMP* = peeing my pants but you should be able to work out the rest of it. *S*

*LOL* I can see why. This is fun. Alright so it's rolling on floor, laughing out loud and peeing my pants?
What a silly thing to say. Does everyone say things like that?

Most of us do. It's a fun way to short cut what you mean and if you have a few conversations going on at once. anything that helps is a good thing
Then you'll also get the cyber smoothies who only want cyber sex and will tell you anything to get it!! Watch out for them!!

Cyber smoothies? Sounds like a drink. Cyber sex? I'm not sure I want to know about that. This isn't my computer and I don't know how close I really want to get to it yet.

Now I know why you and Helen are best friends.
You just said the same type of thing that she would say, the way she is so full of life, so caring and concerned about everyone she meets. All the things that made me fall so hopelessly in love with her!!!!!
Oh, and Happy Birthday for last month. I know it's late but I didn't know you personally then. *S*

Thank you Sam.
I suppose Helen told you what she bought me for my birthday too?
If I had known about this I would have invited you to my party. *S*

Oh yes, we talked about your present for weeks before she finally decided on the blue. She said it made your skin look like porcelain and your eyes like clear pools of still water in a mountain lake.
I kept at her to send me a pic. Maybe as you get to know me you'll feel like sending me one.

A pic? Picture? Oh no, the pictures from the party are terrible. We were a little too drunk. I don't think there is even one I would show to anyone.

Well one day maybe you'll take some new pictures. *S*

Yes I'm sure one day I will.

so do you know how long Helen will be in hospital?
I'm missing her after just 1 day ... I can't imaging not seeing her!!!!

At best the doctor says two weeks but if there are any problems it could be a few weeks longer.

Problems?????? What type of problems? Should I be worried? Waht could go wrong? Weeks? Oh my poor darling!!!!!

Oh nothing major but if her knee and shoulder are slow to heal the doctor doesn't want her walking too soon.

waht=what

Waht? Oh you misspelt what?

Yep, typos ... in time you stop correcting em specially with reg. chatters ... well all make em and know what we mean!!! *S*
You will keep me informed of how Helen is going though?
Now you know how you'll be coming online all the time!!!!

Yes, now I can see how easy it is. I was silly to be so afraid of it.

nah, nothing to be afraid of ... just the boot!!!! But Helen's puter is pretty good, doesn't boot her much!!!

The boot?

Getting booted out of here. The computer closing down so you need to restart it.
Sometimes the modem connection drops out and you just close down and come back in. It's a pain and so we come back rubbing our butts as if we got kicked across the room!!!! *LOL*

I'm so glad you told me. If that happened I'm sure I would have been certain I'd broken it completely. *S*

nah ... pretty hard to break these!!!!!! you can stuff em up a bit but unless you hit them with a hammer you really can't kill them.

Can you wait one moment please? I think I've had to much coffee.

Oh!!! You GGP?
gotta go pee? *LOL*
Me too, BRB (be right back)

*LOL* I like that. I feel much better now.
Spot followed me in and was watching me. She misses Helen and came over when your mail came in as Helen's voice said "You got mail"
Helen's parents are staying at my place because it's close to the hospital so I might come over here to keep Spot company.

Sounds good and you can chat anytime you want then!!!! *LOL*
Your gonna be a chataholic by the time Helen gets home!! You'll be here fighting for puter time!!! *LOL*

No I won't!! *S* I'll stand next to Helen and tell her what to type. She is much faster than I am.

Ah!! But what about when you want to be alone with your cyber lover?
Unless you prefer threesomes!! *WG*

Somehow I don't see that being a problem. I don't have Helen's vibrance. I tend to be a little too timid and let others do the talking.

Jane can you do something for me?
See at the side a scroll bar? It's the long bar on the right of the area you're typing in. Can you click up near the top a few times and just watch what you have already type to me!!!! A total stranger till not so long ago!!!!!
You will have no trouble finding a man who responds to your wit and charm!! *S*

I see what you mean. I seem to have been chatting without realising it. *S*