A/N: I don't own Sucker Punch. If I did, the procedure wouldn't have been carried out obviously!
Evelyn Samantha Carter Bennett was affectionately called Evie by her parents and younger sister. Her father, head of the Bennett household and also owner of the largest plantation in Vermont, died under mysterious circumstances. He had no known medical condition. He smoked, but not that much. He wasn't a heavy drinker either. He suddenly collapsed while in an important meeting with other landowners. The doctors said it was a heart attack, at least that's what Evelyn had remembered. She was only twelve years old then. Her younger sister, Jackie, was only six when that tragedy occurred. It broke their mother's heart, and she mourned him unhealthily, getting drunk on most nights.
Things went for a better turn two years after their father's death, when Evelyn was fourteen years old. Their mother still drank alcohol, but not to the point of getting drunk. She still had that distant look in her eyes when she passes by a photograph of Evelyn's father, but at least she was a whole lot more functional than she was when the memory of his death was still very fresh in their minds. Since the patriarch was no longer there, Evelyn's mother, Charlene, took over the management of the plantation. It was the 1960s, and you seldom hear of owners who were women. Their town had its fill of sexist men. This was the reason why Evelyn's mother was pressured by the other landowners to look for a new husband so she could properly handle the plantation. They always did believe that a man's capacity run businesses were always effective than a woman's. Charlene relented, and eventually married one of her husband's old friends. Charlene wed Randy J. Simmons, a practising lawyer known for his many wins in the court of justice, much to her own and as well as her daughters' dismay. Evelyn knew that their mother loved their father deeply, and that she'd never replace him in her heart. Evelyn was 16 and Jackie just turned 10.
During the first few months of their marriage, Randy seemed to be the perfect husband and most doting father to Evelyn and Jackie. Unbeknownst to him, Charlene started to prepare her last will, should anything quite similar to her husband's untimely death also happen to her. Life was cruel anyway, and she would do everything she could to protect her husband's legacy and their daughters. A year into the marriage, Charlene got frequently sick. Evelyn always insisted that they pay a visit to the doctor, but Randy would dismiss her and asked for a doctor he claimed that he knew all his life, to come visit Charlene instead. Nearing two years into their marriage, Charlene Carter Bennett died of a heart attack in her sleep. There wasn't much they could do, the family doctor. He added that they had seen it coming, as the disease only progressed due to Charlene's refusal to get proper treatment, stating that the plantation had to be tended to primarily.
That was all a lie of course. Evelyn realized all of it a little too late.
Not a week after their mother's death, Evelyn saw the real demon that was Randy. There was no father or mother to protect them now. Jackie could only rely on Evelyn for protection. So it was Evelyn who got most of the hits and blows from Randy. All the dirty looks, she received the end of it. She did her best to protect her sister. A day before her 18th birthday, Evelyn saw from outside the window their family lawyer. Randy was all smiles and greetings as he led the way. It turned sour of course during that night when in a fit of rage after finding out that none of the Bennett properties would be bequeathed to him and that the sisters were the sole heirs to everything the Bennetts owned, he killed Jackie and had Evelyn locked up at Lennox House for the Mentally Insane, claiming that overwhelming depression drove her insane and resulted in her killing her sister and almost killing Randy as well.
All of it was a lie. But Evelyn had no one to turn to. She just wanted to die. Die like her parents did. Die like Jackie had just a few hours ago. She felt so helpless. That was until she saw the other patients of Lennox. If she could not accept this reality, she would just have to retreat to the depths of her mind, until she thought of a plan. A plan to hopefully get all of them five girls out of that hellhole.
But her plan failed. Blue came back for her. Everything went downhill again –
"Jackie!"
Her cheeks had been wet with tears. She had relived hell through her dreams again. She heard frantic footsteps ascending and in came one of the elder maids.
"Miss! What happened? Are you alright?" Sarah, an elderly maid that Evelyn had employed, asked in a worried tone and began to inspect for any injuries.
"No... I- I just had a bad dream. I'm sorry to have woken you up," Evelyn explained. She assured the maid that she was alright, and that she should go back to bed. Sarah retreated and bade her a good night once again. Evelyn tried to go back to sleep, but her thoughts kept going back to the events that had happened three months ago. Three months ago when she was on the brink of insanity, and in full acceptance of the fate that her existence as Evelyn Bennett was to be erased in this world. She shook her head, and let out a long sigh as she pulled back the covers and closed her eyes once more.
The feel of another person's lips pressed onto hers was what woke her the next day. Evelyn touched her lips. It had felt so real. She remembered now. The High Roller had kissed her sweetly as she moaned into his mouth out of pleasure, just moments before Dr. Mulligan pulled her back to reality. A small smile graced her lips as she stared out the window, into the streaming sunlight that had entered the room.
Blue was charged for the murders of the two women who were with Evelyn. Everyone, except for Dr. Gorski, were either fired from their posts or replaced. Dr. Gorski had proven her innocence, and even if Evelyn couldn't attest to that, she was sure that Gorski had meant no harm to the patients. Since she was already of age, Evelyn was the sole heir of all the Bennett properties. She was not yet physically and emotionally ready to handle her finances and properties, so she had tasked her new layer to make the arrangements for her. She just wanted to heal herself first. Yes, she had wanted everything that was her to be wiped out. But, Dr. Mulligan proved her otherwise. There was that that spark of hope in his green eyes that had given her hope as well when she was already set on giving up.
Dr. Mulligan. The man looked slightly unkempt, dishevelled even. But she was drawn to him, just as she was drawn to the High Roller. She felt like they were kindred souls, waiting to be found by each other as they were still bound to their own demons, haunted by their tragic pasts.
Woolbrook Institute of Medicine and Surgery
"Are you sure about this Ed?" Dr. Parsons asked Edward as the latter handed his resignation letter. Eric Parsons was already fifty-five years old, but they were very good friends and he was Edward's only trusted colleague in the institution.
"Yes, Eric. I've been wanting to for some time now. I might have just been waiting for an opportunity to present itself. Now that it did – it had, I'm quite positive of my decision. I won't have any regrets." Edward said with finality in his tone. All the years of being a neurosurgeon, one of the best, had taken its toll on him. He never did like the practise of Lobotomy, but it was the treatment of choice for mental disorders that were deemed to be hopeless. It was found to be THE solution for the criminally insane, and unstable patients who were a threat to themselves, other patients and the healthcare workers. It was the temporary answer to the lack of effective psychiatric drugs.
"I understand. And I know that, even after all these years, you still blame yourself, but - ,"
"No," Edward said firmly, his grip on the chair tightening. "I – That's not the issue here. I just want change. And I don't think I can achieve that change if I stay here. If I stay in this profession," he reasoned out. The crease in his brow was more prominent now, as he tried to push the thoughts away. He did not want to remember it.
"Okay. But we'll still go fishing when I'm not busy with surgeries. Okay?" Eric finally relented. Edward let out a sigh of relief, and shook hands with the man as he gave Eric a tight hug and left the office.
Three months ago, his decision might have been the same, but there was no catalyst. The connection he felt upon seeing Evelyn Bennett. He had seen a lot of tortured souls. Evelyn was not any different from the others, as he too saw the torment and sorrow in her eyes that day. But, it was that look that perplexed him. She looked at him with trust and permission. No insane person would give that kind of look. Edward had not seen her since, not after that day when he promised her the things he had, but that didn't mean that he had not kept up with the news. He still kept in touch with Dr. Gorski, wanting to make sure that she was in good hands when it came to her therapy. He knew of her progress, and that she was safe now. He had just hoped that maybe their paths would cross again someday.
