The next day, Martha was released from the hospital.
Over the next few months, school started back up. Everyone seemed to forgive Martha for what she did, but she didn't forgive them. All they cared about was the fact that she was kidnapped by her teacher, and was shot by him. And they thought it was cool that she survived it.
Martha stopped having pain in her shoulder, and the wound was healing real nicely. Ian was still on the run, and Martha jumps every time somebody taps her on the shoulder.
Martha was just concerned about everything. It was a scary thought that she nearly lost her whole family because of her. So she was just scared and she stopped sharing things with her father. She didn't know why she did, it was just something she had to work out on her own.
"Hi, honey, do you want to come with me to a convention?" Ben asked.
"You don't have a convention to go to," Martha said dully.
"Okay, you caught me, it's just that I just want to know what's going on," Ben explained.
"I want to be left alone," Martha said dully.
"Why? Is this still about what happened six months ago," Ben asked.
All Martha could do was shake her head yes. She was sitting cross legged on her bed, hugging her old teddy bear dressed as Benjamin Franklin.
Ben came over and sat by her.
"Come on, tell me what's wrong," Ben pleaded.
"Are we going on another treasure hunt?" Martha asked.
"If you want to go we will, but most likely not," Ben explained.
"Good, cause it was too scary, I don't want to do it anymore, I don't want to risk you or mom dying," Martha said tears streaming down her face.
"Honey is that what this is about?" Ben asked. Martha shaked her head yes again.
"Well I know that it's scary, but it's nothing to be scared of, when you got shot, it was the scariest moment of my life," Ben explained.
"Really," Martha asked surprised that her father was afraid of something.
"Yes, bravery isn't being afraid of nothing, it's being afraid of something but facing it straight in the eye," Ben told his daughter.
"I never thought of it that way," Martha said.
"Yeah do you think Abraham Lincoln wasn't afraid of setting the slaves free, or you didn't think that George Washington was afraid when he crossed the Delaware on Christmas eve?" Ben asked.
"These were the greatest men in history, I'm not as brave as they are," Martha smiled picking at her teddy bear.
"What makes you think you can't be," Ben asked.
"I don't know," Martha shrugged.
"I don't know if this is me being a father, but I think you can be braver then they were," Ben promised.
"Yeah, I think that is being a father," Martha scoffed.
"So how about going to that convention tonight?" Ben said.
"Let me go put something on," Martha said getting out of bed and going to her walk in closet.