Matthews didn't try to contact the other members of Reese/O'Connell's
troop. He wanted to give Gen. Larson a chance to respond first. It was
risky; Larson could make things very difficult if he wanted, but Matthews
trusted him to do the right thing.
The three-way poker game went very well for Jonathan. Evelyn was just no good at bluffing and Rick was distracted. The news that his friend Arlen was dead had upset him tremendously, but he refused to let it show. To counter the effect it had had, he focused on how beautiful Evelyn was, but that did nothing to help his poker game.
"I beat you both with a pair of tens!" exclaimed Jonathan. "You two are pathetic. It figures I would win when we aren't playing for anything…"
"I suggested strip poker," said Rick. "You wouldn't go for it."
Evelyn quickly said, "Yes, well, I'm rather glad we didn't."
"I'm not," Rick said, looking directly at her. She blushed and turned away.
"I wonder what is keeping those telegrams," Evelyn said to change the subject.
"It's only been a few hours," Jonathan pointed out.
"And I not so sure any telegrams are coming," Rick said. "I told you, people don't want to go to jail for me. I don't want them to anyway."
"It isn't right…" she protested.
"Welcome the real world," Rick told her.
"You know," she said, "not everyone does things that will only benefit themselves. Look at what your friend Arlen did for you, and what you did for him."
"And look what happened to us both. He's dead and I'm soon to join him. He should have just let Larson kill me that night."
"Then I'd be dead now too," Evelyn said.
"No," Rick reasoned. "You would never have made it to Hamunaptra. The creature would never have been awakened."
"We would never have met," she breathed.
"No," Rick agreed.
She met his eyes, "Then I would never have lived."
"Oh, pleeese," said Jonathan. "I've got to get out of here." He stood.
"Evelyn, don't say things like that," Rick said.
"It's true," she protested. "Everything has changed since I met you… since I fell in love with you. I have never been more alive. Can't you see? Can't you say the same thing?" Evelyn reached through the bars to him.
Rick moved out of her reach. "Not when I'm about to be dead."
"Rick, don't say that. You don't know that. You can tell them who you really are."
"And then what? Even if I am somehow not convicted for murdering Larson then they've got for entering under a false name and desertion," Rick told her. "So I go to prison anyway if I'm not hanged."
"There's got to be something…"
"There's nothing."
Jonathan put an arm around Evelyn. "Come on now Evy…"
"No," she cried. "I don't want to go."
"Evelyn, it's true and you know it. I appreciate your help, and Jonathan's and Colonel Matthews, but I don't think there's anything anyone can do." Rick took another step away in his cell. "I accept it. I knew all along that this might happen some day. Let's not make it any harder than it already is by complicating it with love."
"Is love really just a complication to you?" Evelyn was aghast.
Rick knew he had hurt her, but it was want he wanted. He needed to push her away. "Yes," he said. "That's all it's ever been to me."
"Then I am very sorry for you, Mr. O'Connell. Very sorry." Evelyn knocked hard on the door. "Guard! Guard, let me out at once!"
Jonathan looked accusingly at Rick who refused to meet his eyes. Jonathan knew what Rick was trying to do and sympathized with him, and with his sister. He wished he could do something to help the both of them, but his first loyalty was to Evy. The guard had opened the door and she stormed out. Jonathan followed her.
Rick noticed something shiny on the floor. It was Evelyn's locket, it must have gotten snagged on the bars when they had embraced earlier. He tried calling her but the guard had shut the door. She would be back, or at least Jonathan would. Or, he could give it to Matthews. It was close enough for him to reach and he picked it up. He'd just hold on to it for a while.
He opened the locket to look at the tiny photos inside. A man and a woman who had a life together. They looked happy. Rick noticed his hand was shaking. Enough of this, he thought and snapped the locket shut, but he couldn't put it down or force his hand to stop shaking. He crossed to the bunk and sat down, clutching the heart-shaped locket in his fist. He felt something on his face and reached up to swat it away. He was angry when he realized it was a tear. No, I won't do this, he told himself. I won't. He tried to maintain control, closing his eyes, but images of Evelyn and Arlen and surprisingly enough, his father, overwhelmed him. He stuffed his face into his pillow so no one would hear him cry.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jonathan escorted Evelyn out to his car. She fell apart as soon as they got into it, sobbing on his shoulder.
"I'm going to go insane," she cried. "I can't bear this. Why is this happening? Why won't he let me love him?"
"Well, Evy… think about it. This can't be easy for him either, you know. He does love you, I'm sure of it, but if this doesn't work out…"
"It has to work out, Jonathan," she gasped. "It has to…"
He didn't want to let her fool herself anymore than Rick did. He took her face in his hands and looked her in the eye. "Evy. This may not work out."
"I…" she began to protest.
"I hope to God it does, but it might not," he told her. "And if it doesn't a little distance between the two of you wouldn't be a bad thing."
Evelyn said, "If it doesn't, all we have is this time, here and now. Shouldn't we make the best of it and be as close as we can?"
"Maybe he thinks you aren't strong enough to handle that," Jonathan said. "Maybe he isn't strong enough to handle that. Just because he can fight a mummy doesn't mean he can handle finding love and losing it."
"I don't know if I'm strong enough to do that either, Jonathan," she said. "But I'm not afraid to try."
Jonathan pulled her close. "That's because you have me, old mum," he said. "That's because you have me."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
That afternoon, a telegram arrived for Colonel Matthews. It was short and to the point.
"I'll take care of this. Keep it quiet. Release O'Connell."
The three-way poker game went very well for Jonathan. Evelyn was just no good at bluffing and Rick was distracted. The news that his friend Arlen was dead had upset him tremendously, but he refused to let it show. To counter the effect it had had, he focused on how beautiful Evelyn was, but that did nothing to help his poker game.
"I beat you both with a pair of tens!" exclaimed Jonathan. "You two are pathetic. It figures I would win when we aren't playing for anything…"
"I suggested strip poker," said Rick. "You wouldn't go for it."
Evelyn quickly said, "Yes, well, I'm rather glad we didn't."
"I'm not," Rick said, looking directly at her. She blushed and turned away.
"I wonder what is keeping those telegrams," Evelyn said to change the subject.
"It's only been a few hours," Jonathan pointed out.
"And I not so sure any telegrams are coming," Rick said. "I told you, people don't want to go to jail for me. I don't want them to anyway."
"It isn't right…" she protested.
"Welcome the real world," Rick told her.
"You know," she said, "not everyone does things that will only benefit themselves. Look at what your friend Arlen did for you, and what you did for him."
"And look what happened to us both. He's dead and I'm soon to join him. He should have just let Larson kill me that night."
"Then I'd be dead now too," Evelyn said.
"No," Rick reasoned. "You would never have made it to Hamunaptra. The creature would never have been awakened."
"We would never have met," she breathed.
"No," Rick agreed.
She met his eyes, "Then I would never have lived."
"Oh, pleeese," said Jonathan. "I've got to get out of here." He stood.
"Evelyn, don't say things like that," Rick said.
"It's true," she protested. "Everything has changed since I met you… since I fell in love with you. I have never been more alive. Can't you see? Can't you say the same thing?" Evelyn reached through the bars to him.
Rick moved out of her reach. "Not when I'm about to be dead."
"Rick, don't say that. You don't know that. You can tell them who you really are."
"And then what? Even if I am somehow not convicted for murdering Larson then they've got for entering under a false name and desertion," Rick told her. "So I go to prison anyway if I'm not hanged."
"There's got to be something…"
"There's nothing."
Jonathan put an arm around Evelyn. "Come on now Evy…"
"No," she cried. "I don't want to go."
"Evelyn, it's true and you know it. I appreciate your help, and Jonathan's and Colonel Matthews, but I don't think there's anything anyone can do." Rick took another step away in his cell. "I accept it. I knew all along that this might happen some day. Let's not make it any harder than it already is by complicating it with love."
"Is love really just a complication to you?" Evelyn was aghast.
Rick knew he had hurt her, but it was want he wanted. He needed to push her away. "Yes," he said. "That's all it's ever been to me."
"Then I am very sorry for you, Mr. O'Connell. Very sorry." Evelyn knocked hard on the door. "Guard! Guard, let me out at once!"
Jonathan looked accusingly at Rick who refused to meet his eyes. Jonathan knew what Rick was trying to do and sympathized with him, and with his sister. He wished he could do something to help the both of them, but his first loyalty was to Evy. The guard had opened the door and she stormed out. Jonathan followed her.
Rick noticed something shiny on the floor. It was Evelyn's locket, it must have gotten snagged on the bars when they had embraced earlier. He tried calling her but the guard had shut the door. She would be back, or at least Jonathan would. Or, he could give it to Matthews. It was close enough for him to reach and he picked it up. He'd just hold on to it for a while.
He opened the locket to look at the tiny photos inside. A man and a woman who had a life together. They looked happy. Rick noticed his hand was shaking. Enough of this, he thought and snapped the locket shut, but he couldn't put it down or force his hand to stop shaking. He crossed to the bunk and sat down, clutching the heart-shaped locket in his fist. He felt something on his face and reached up to swat it away. He was angry when he realized it was a tear. No, I won't do this, he told himself. I won't. He tried to maintain control, closing his eyes, but images of Evelyn and Arlen and surprisingly enough, his father, overwhelmed him. He stuffed his face into his pillow so no one would hear him cry.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jonathan escorted Evelyn out to his car. She fell apart as soon as they got into it, sobbing on his shoulder.
"I'm going to go insane," she cried. "I can't bear this. Why is this happening? Why won't he let me love him?"
"Well, Evy… think about it. This can't be easy for him either, you know. He does love you, I'm sure of it, but if this doesn't work out…"
"It has to work out, Jonathan," she gasped. "It has to…"
He didn't want to let her fool herself anymore than Rick did. He took her face in his hands and looked her in the eye. "Evy. This may not work out."
"I…" she began to protest.
"I hope to God it does, but it might not," he told her. "And if it doesn't a little distance between the two of you wouldn't be a bad thing."
Evelyn said, "If it doesn't, all we have is this time, here and now. Shouldn't we make the best of it and be as close as we can?"
"Maybe he thinks you aren't strong enough to handle that," Jonathan said. "Maybe he isn't strong enough to handle that. Just because he can fight a mummy doesn't mean he can handle finding love and losing it."
"I don't know if I'm strong enough to do that either, Jonathan," she said. "But I'm not afraid to try."
Jonathan pulled her close. "That's because you have me, old mum," he said. "That's because you have me."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
That afternoon, a telegram arrived for Colonel Matthews. It was short and to the point.
"I'll take care of this. Keep it quiet. Release O'Connell."
