Selena Coombs sat at her desk at the front of the classroom, attempting to hide how hungover she was. After her run in with Lucas the previous night, she had gone home and polished off a bottle of wine. That in addition to the drinks she had earlier in the night had left her in a delicate state and she was trying to shield her bad judgement from the classroom of children in front of her.
Selena had given them all a quiz to busy themselves with and was waiting patiently for some sort of notification as to Caleb Temple's whereabouts. No-one had called to inform her he was sick, so naturally she just assumed he was running late and had began preparing a punishment for him; however, it was nearly time for the lunchtime bell and Caleb was nowhere to be found.
That family was beginning to infuriate Selena, their lack of respect for Caleb's education was irresponsible and Caleb's overall attitude when he was here was unacceptable. It was about time someone taught them a lesson and she was at the end of her tether with it all. She knew the true subject of her anger was not Caleb; however, she could not touch the relevant people she had become to hate so much.
When the school bell rang and the children rushed out of the classroom, Selena was relieved. She stood up and paced around the room for a moment, then stormed to the Principles office with a smug smile on her face.
Ben stood over the cot, staring intently at his newborn baby girl. Rita had gone to bed as soon as the baby had finally fallen asleep and it was Ben's turn to watch her, he had hoped the baby would remain asleep for a few more hours; however, there appeared to be no chance of that, as here she was just staring back at him.
'Come on Izzy, you be quiet now for your momma' he whispered, as he reached down and picked her up gently.
Ben was still coming to terms with having a newborn baby and he was finding it hard to establish his role here. After what had happened with Barbara Joy and Ben Jr, Ben would not allow himself to fall into the trap of making Rita feel unsupported; therefore, although he was unsure of all the right things to do, he would make sure his presence was known.
Lucas had been very understanding and allowed him to take as much time as he needed from work, providing the time was spent taking care of his family. Ben had started seeing Lucas in a different light and wondered if it was down to Gail's delicate condition, Lucas appeared to be less controlling of late and he hoped Gail did not do anything to change the mans good mood.
'God forbid anyone upsets Saint Lucas Buck' Gail sighed from behind him.
Ben turned around and stared at his friend in shock. 'Jesus Gail, you nearly gave me a heart attack...I didn't even hear you knock'
Gail smiled sweetly at the baby, then turned her attention to Ben. 'The door was open and I didn't want to chance knocking in case I woke the baby...I hope you don't mind me letting myself in'
Ben smiled and signaled for Gail to follow him into the living room area. 'Of course not, this little devil has kept us up most of the night so Rita's just catching up on some rest...Do you wanna hold her?' he asked and went to hand the baby to her.
Gail stepped back and held her hands up in a warding gesture. 'I'm just about managing to carry my own Ben, she's better in your hands' she laughed.
Ben respected her wishes and sat down on the couch with Izzy. Gail appeared to be getting bigger with each day and he could see the discomfort starting to show on her face. He sympathised with her, knowing how it was for Rita towards the end, then shook the thoughts out of his mind and turned his full attention to her. 'To what do I owe this visit Gail? I gather you're not here to see Rita, which means something has probably happened'
Gail sighed and sat down on the chair next to the couch. 'Is it that obvious?' she asked and stroked her stomach as she watched Izzy playing with Ben's finger.
Ben had become pretty good at deciphering Gail's moods, he guessed it was a sign that they had become real close friends. He could tell she was agitated and also worried, he hated not being able to drop what he was doing to help; however, he had his family to think about.
'I shouldn't have come here...I'm sorry' Gail said reading his mind and carefully got up from her seated position. Ben did not need to get dragged into what was going on with Billy and Lucas, it was selfish of her to come here in the first place and she should've been more considerate of her friends current situation. She would not bother him with this and chose to leave.
'Wait!...' Ben called and rushed after her, whilst trying to keep hold of Izzy. '...You wouldn't be here if it wasn't important Gail. Just tell me what's going on'
Gail exited the house and stopped on the porch, she did not want Rita to be disturbed so she signaled for Ben to come closer. 'Look, you have your family to take care of...I shouldn't be here bothering you'
'Spit it out Gail, I'm only goin' to be worried if you don't' He ordered.
Gail sighed and shook her head. 'Fine, I don't need you to get involved with this though...I've got it under control and I'm sorting it. All I need to know is if Billy ever took you to some quiet place when you used to go out drinking, that's all'
Ben narrowed his eyes at her, this was a strange thing to be asking and he wanted to know what was going on. He went to question Gail but noticed the stern look in her eyes and knew he would get nowhere if he tried. 'We used to sit at a quiet spot not far from the Pier when Jimmy's Bar let out...why do you need to know this?'
Gail placed her hand reassuringly on his shoulder, then stroked Izzy's face. 'Truthfully, he's got himself caught up in something but I promise I'm on it...Now, remember you're off duty for a reason, so go back inside and enjoy your time with your daughter Ben'
Ben took a deep breath and nodded, he trusted Gail and if Billy had gotten involved with something it was none of his business. He watched as Gail left, then looked down at Izzy trying to suck his finger. He decided he would happily remain oblivious to what was going on outside of this house for as long as he possibly could.
Lucas sat in his navy blue Crown Victoria, staring at the radio in disbelief. Not only was Gail trying to dig into things that should not concern her, it appeared Selena had finally fully turned against him too. The women in his life were becoming troublesome and he began to wonder if every man had to deal with this type of insubordination, or whether these disobedient types were just drawn to him.
Lucas sighed and got out of the car, he did not want his boy getting into trouble because of Selena's actions and he knew Gail would not react well when she found out that Caleb had been suspended for a month. She had authorised him to miss school on this occasion; however, all the other times the boy played truant was on him and she would not take well to Selena's decision.
He looked towards Abe's Antique Store and smiled when he spotted his boy painting the outside of the Store, with Abe sat in a chair watching him. Clearly the old man was taking full advantage of having a young helper and Caleb appeared happy enough to assist. Lucas casually walked towards the Store and attempted to hide his worry, with any luck Gail would focus her anger on Selena rather than him and Caleb; however, you could never tell with her mood swings of late.
'Afternoon boy...what are you doin' here?' ' Abe asked suspiciously, spotting Lucas before Caleb did.
Caleb turned towards Lucas and smiled, then sensed his fathers unease and put down the paintbrush. 'What's wrong? Is Gail alright?' he asked worried.
Abe stood up at the mention of Gail and regarded Lucas concerned. 'What did you do boy? if you hurt her...' he started.
'You'll do what ol' man?...The girl's pregnant with my child, why would I do anythin'?' Lucas snapped and shook his head in irritation at himself. He appeared to still be affected by the amount he had drank last night and needed to get a handle on disguising his true feelings.
Abe stared at Lucas defiantly, then noticed he did not appear to be himself and stood down. 'Enough of this, what are ya doin' at my Store in the middle of the afternoon? Do I need to be worried?'
Lucas sighed and took control of himself. 'This ain't got nothin' to do with you friend...this concerns the boy' he said and approached Caleb.
Caleb glanced at Abe confused, then turned his focus to his father. 'I ain't done nothin', so you have no reason to take me in' he joked, then his smile faded when Lucas did not laugh.
'Look, you've done nothin' wrong and you shouldn't feel bad...It's just sometimes adults lash out' Lucas said, trying to find the best way to explain this.
Abe narrowed his eyes at Lucas and shook his head. 'What have you done to make other adults lash out Lucas?'
Lucas disregarded his old friends question and focused on Caleb. 'Your cousin is goin' to be mad...hell, she'll be downright pissed, but you need to remember that this isn't down to you' he reassured.
Caleb stared at his father suspiciously, he appreciated the reassurance; however, this only made him worried about what was going on. 'What's happened?' he asked concerned.
Lucas sighed and placed a hand on his son's shoulder. 'Well, you've been expelled for a spell and...'
'He's been what?!' Merlyn asked in shock, as she approached the group.
Lucas closed his eyes in exasperation at the interruption and took a deep breath, he had forgotten about Merlyn Ann and had been hoping to keep this between the boys for as long as possible.
Abe let out a laugh and turned towards the girl. 'You know what? We don't need to get involved in this...' he interjected, sensing Lucas' irritation '...Whatever's goin' on should be handled by the boy's guardians and I for one don't wanna be part of the firing line when my Rosie returns'
Merlyn shot a look of disgust at Lucas and linked her arm around Abe's in an attempt to support him, as he started to walk back into the store. She had known all the times Caleb had missed or abruptly left school would come back to bite him on the behind and she had no desire to be in the vicinity when Gail found out. 'I think you're right Uncle...' she said using Gail's pet name for Abe, knowing this would irritate Lucas to no end. '...Let's go inside and leave these two to their own devices, I ain't gettin' involved in this'
Caleb watched as Merlyn took Abe inside and turned to Lucas concerned, his sisters choice to distance herself from this had not filled him with confidence that everything was going to be alright and his worry began to grow. 'Is this really bad?' he asked.
'It's just a little time away from school son, nothin' to worry about' he lied and forced a reassuring smile.
The truth was that he did not know how bad Gail would react, as her current condition was causing all sorts of changes within her. Abe's and Merlyn's choice to stay as far away from this as possible did not bode well for him and Caleb; however, he did not want to cause his boy further worry. He decided to take Caleb to the Station and would just deal with Gail when she showed herself.
Gail sat on the bonnet of her car and took a deep breath, panic had started to set in and she could feel her body becoming tense. She closed her eyes and was taken back to the quiet spot Ben and Billy used to go, it was a secluded place onlooking the Trinity River and on any other day she would have been able to appreciate the beauty of the place; however, today she had been there with Gideon hoping her instincts were wrong, only to be proven right.
She had allowed Gideon to lead the way to her desired location and watched curiously as her faithful dog began to dig in the ground. Although the vision she had experienced when she was with Lucas was very clear, she could not fully trust herself due to her condition and part of her doubted what she had seen; however, all doubt faded when Gideon pulled a lifeless hand out of the shallow grave and her instinct was to run.
Gail had returned to her car instantly, leaving the lifeless half buried corpse where it was and then just decided to drive. She had no destination in mind as she could not think clearly, she just kept picturing the lifeless hand and needed to get away.
At first she had driven to her Aunt Judy's old place of work, she felt the goodness radiating out of the place and wanted nothing more than to embrace it; however, something deep within her was pulling her back. Without thinking, she had turned on the engine and began driving for what seemed like forever, until she had pulled up at her current location.
Gail stared intently at the Wicca Store before her. This place was the opposite of Judith's old place of work, it was dark and she could sense the malice inside just waiting to be released. She knew she should not be here, she wanted to be good and pure; however, she kept picturing that lifeless hand and felt this place calling to her. She was captivated by it's mystery and could not take her eyes off of it, being here appeared to ease her discomfort over what she had seen and she felt a strong urge to go inside.
The sound of her mobile telephone ringing pulled her our of her reverie and she stared blankly at the screen when she dug out the telephone. She took another deep breath to calm herself and accepted the call. 'Hi Mark' she said, trying to keep her voice steady.
'It's 15:30 Gail, I need your article by 19:00...is there a problem?' Mark asked abruptly.
Gail rolled her eyes and shook her head. 'You'll get your story' she snapped and hung up the telephone before he could add anything else.
She had promised Mark a story about Chester Cunningham today and it turned out that the subject not only involved the Sheriff, but a high ranking Doctor. This story was gold and she should be writing it up right now; however, it was not that easy.
She was a Reporter and had made it clear on more that one occasion that she would not sacrifice her morals for her lover; however, things were not as black and white as they used to be. Gail cursed out loud at her conflicted feelings and jumped off the car bonnet. She had vowed never to hide the truth, but she had allowed herself to become compromised.
This was Lucas' fault, she may have suspected him of some terrible things and had seen him nearly choke a man to death first hand; however, this was different and there was a dead body that she could potentially tie to him. How could she ignore that? She wanted to truly know him as it was clear that her obsession for him had taken over, but could she really look past this? A vision of the lifeless hand floated through her brain again and she felt physically sick, she had to do something and could not allow this act to go unpunished.
A sharp pain surged through her stomach and she fell to her knees in agony. She was about to shout out for help when she felt a strong sense of being watched. When looked over her shoulder she saw a faded blonde figure stood on the corner of the street, it was hard to be sure from this distance but Gail somehow knew it was her Aunt Judy. She tried to crawl towards her Aunt, desperately wanting to feel her goodness; however, another sharp pain surged through her and she could not move.
Gail closed her eyes and felt darkness engulf her, it was cold and made her shiver uncontrollably but she could not push it away. She opened her eyes to see a blonde figure stood in front of the Wicca Store, she let out a small laugh when she realised this was the woman she saw in a picture at the Buck Mansion. She had seen this woman before at the burial ground behind Lucas' house and knew this was his mother. Her laughter became louder as she realised she was being pulled in two directions and she felt as though her soul was about to split in two.
Suddenly Gideon came from behind the Wicca Store and rushed towards her, he licked her face affectionately and nuzzled himself into her neck. Gail felt herself becoming hysterical with the pain and confusion she was experiencing, then realised she needed to get away when Gideon began nudging her towards the car. She took hold of Gideon to steady herself, then opened the driver side door and pulled herself in.
Without thinking she turned on the engine and drove away from both blonde figures who were calling to her, she watched in the mirror as Gideon skulked back behind the Wicca Store and took a few deep breaths to steady her heart rate. When she was out of Goat Town and on a quiet stretch of road, she pulled over and stroked her stomach. The pain had began to subside and she was starting to think clearly again.
The sound of her mobile telephone ringing caused her to yell out in frustration, she did not need more complications right now. 'What?!' she snapped, as she answered the telephone.
'This is Selena Coombs, your only living relative's school Teacher' Selena said sweetly.
Gail closed her eyes in anger and shook her head. 'This better be good Selena' she warned and listened as the woman smugly informed her that her cousin had been expelled for a month. Gail hung up the telephone without saying a word, then slammed her hands down hard on the steering wheel. The pain in her stomach had dulled and this situation left her with a strong feeling of anger and resentment.
She ran her hand through her hair in exasperation and laughed out loud, then pulled back onto the road and started driving towards her office at the Trinity Guardian. If Mark wanted a story, she believed she had the perfect one for him.
-To be continued-