"Thomas has no living relatives, which leaves you to make the decision. Take all the time you need." Gem stared wordlessly at the doctor, who quickly left the room. She placed the papers down beside her purse, and buried her face in her hands in anguish. Thomas was dying, and it was up to her whether or not to simply let him die, or continue fighting to keep him alive. It was simple, but the choice was evil.
"Thomas is quite young to be in the state he is in." Startled, Gem looked up to see Ann standing in the doorway, her face sympathetic. "You know, to this day, nobody knows what happened to him."
"Some stones are better left unturned, Ann," she said. "The truth can be a blessing or a curse." She sighed. "They want me to sign a DNR order. Thomas has been suffering for too long now."
Ann cocked her head slightly. "Something is stopping you from going through with it," she observed, noting her hesitation. She approached Gem and sat in a chair across from her. No longer was she the journalist determined to uncover the truth behind the tragedy of Diver's Isle. "What is it?"
"Tom and I, we…have a history together that stretches back to our childhood," she began slowly. "When we were little kids, we spent much of our childhood in an orphanage and we became the best of friends." She chuckled. "I gave him a snow globe with this small dancing figurine inside of it as a token of friendship. Arabesque, I called her. Time passed, and he was eventually picked up from the orphanage by a…Theodore, I think his name was. I didn't think I would see him again after he left, and I too was taken in." She was scarcely aware of her own tears as she spoke. "My life was hell after my father took me in. He…touched me, and abused me. My mother, I don't know what happened to her, if she's dead or still alive. I was eventually able to get in contact with Tom, but when we finally talked…he refused to listen to me. He refused to help me. It wasn't until afterwards that my father found out about our meeting, and he went berserk."
"Is your father still alive?"
"No," said Gem. "He was going to kill me, and I did what I had to." I stabbed him with his own knife, she thought to herself, and I was only fifteen years old. "I-I've been on my own ever since."
"How did you come to hear about what happened to Thomas?" asked Ann gently.
"I got a phone call from the hospital, which is funny because I'm not one of Tom's relatives. His family line is dead," she said.
"It sounds as if he put his trust in you, Gem. I understand he was madly in love with Barbara Jagger, but for him to trust you with something as crucial as this instead of the love of his life, that's got to mean something." She met her eyes earnestly. There was no sign that she was just trying to gather more details for the sake of a story for the press.
"He left me with my abusive father, Ann! I'm sorry that I can't quite bring myself to forgive him for that, even though he is on his deathbed right now!" Gem was shouting, and she abruptly rose from her chair, taking the papers with her on the way out.
Am I cruel for not forgiving him? she asked herself. Do I have the right to be angry with him now that he's dying, or am I being too harsh now that the circumstances have changed?
"Gem! Gem, wait!" Ann grabbed her by the arm, and she whirled on her. "You're on edge, and under a lot of stress. Please, let me help you. I can help you get through this."
"How?" Gem cried. "How can you help me? Tom is dying, and all I can do is sit here and watch while trying to decide whether or not to sign this goddamned DNR order!"
"Gem, I'm a journalist," Ann began. "There is something you want to find before Thomas dies, isn't there?"
"How the hell…?"
"Call it a reporter's intuition," she said shortly. "Listen to me. If you want me to, I'll do some digging and we'll see what I can find." Gem was silent, her only response a defiant stare. "I know we didn't get off on the right foot when we first met, but we both want something: the truth."
"So, what the hell is this to you, Ann?" Gem demanded. "A golden story that's going to win you the Pulitzer Prize? After all, that's why you're even here in Bright Falls, right?"
"Gem…"
"No, Ann. You want to know what truth I want to find?" she went on hotly. "I want to know why Tom resented me enough to brush me aside when I needed him. I want to know what I did to earn his hatred. After all these years, I think I deserve the truth. You…you just want to be the one to unravel the mystery behind Diver's Isle and what happened there. You don't give a damn about me nor Thomas, do you?"
Ann's palm struck her face like a cobra attacking a predator. "My offer still stands," she said coldly. "Here's my card." She gave Gem a small card before storming off. "Make the right choice."
The cabin was hauntingly beautiful, as the sun began to set behind it. What was it about this place that always brought her back? Gem made her way inside and upstairs to Tom's study.
So much has happened here within a short matter of time, she thought to herself. Tom, why did you listen to Emil? She stroked the bookcase. The novels were beginning to collect dust. She and Tom had shared a great love of literature, music, and poetry when they were children.
"Hi, I'm Gem," she'd said to him upon their first encounter.
"Like the piano chords?" Tom had joked, and they'd both laughed. "G and E minor? I'm Thomas. Thomas Zane." And from there, their friendship had blossomed into something rare and beautiful. Gem smiled at the memory. They'd just been a couple of kids who had been drawn together by chance, and she couldn't deny it; Tom had been the best thing to happen to her.
Arabesque danced upon the shelf, young and all alone. Even after all this time, Tom had cherished her. Gem took Arabesque in her hands, fragile yet beautiful at the same time. "Arabesque," she said softly. "So much has changed over the years, and you are the only one who has remained constant." She smiled sadly before placing Arabesque back on the mantelpiece. Soon, she would gather dust from old age and be forgotten.
