I know this chapter is short, but I wanted to update the story and conclude the previous few story lines.
cubelixa1: thanks for the review! I'm glad you thought the girl had shot Jimmy! That's what I wanted you to think! I know it's been a while since I'd updated. My apologies, but I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter.
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Tori Susan Loria: I love your enthusiasm, thank you for your kind words! I'm glad the story is keeping you on edge. It makes me happy to hear you anticipate the next chapters!
I hope everyone enjoys this!
"So," said Hal.
He and Lourdes were back in the trailer. Hal sat in one of the chairs by the door with his gun on his lap. Lourdes was standing over the table with the girl out in front of her. She had halted the bleeding and laid fresh dressings on the wounds. She had given the girl more antibiotics to fight with any bacteria she may have picked up, as well as a vitamin supplement to replenish the girl's strength and hasten her recovery. Now, she found herself with nothing to do and a silence in the trailer.
"So what?" she asked.
"Do you…want to talk?"
"Small talk isn't really my specialty," she said, but she smiled to let him know she was teasing.
"I was just wondering if you wanted to tell me why you were so freaked out earlier."
Lourdes paused. "Not particularly," she muttered.
Hal looked at her for a moment. "I know it's traumatizing," he said sympathetically. "It's never easy, pulling the trigger. But you did what you had to. You saved my little brother. You saved Jimmy. And you saved her."
Lourdes stared at the ground without a word.
"Hey," said Hal. He got up and walked over to her to get a closer look at her face. Once he was across from her he could see the tears threatening to spill over. "What's going on?"
"Nothing." Lourdes shook her head and wiped her eyes roughly.
"Lourdes." Hal reached out to grasp her shoulder. "Look at me." He waited until she had raised her eyes. "That Skitter had no right to be here. It was going to kill everyone in that room. You, Jimmy, Weaver, the girl, and Ben. All of you. And then it would have left and killed me. My dad. Maggie. Anthony. I would have done the same thing. You were brave and that's the only way you're going to survive."
Lourdes looked at him and blinked back tears. "No, You don't understand what I did. That's not what makes me hate myself. I killed it."
"And I'm telling you, that's great!" said Hal, confused.
"No," exclaimed Lourdes. "I- it was a terrible death. And it didn't have to be." Hal was silent. Lourdes continued, the words tumbling out in a plea for Hal to finally get it. "I lost control. I kept hitting it with that pole. Over and over again. I couldn't stop. It was addictive, swinging it and hearing – feeling – it make contact. I just wanted it to die. I wanted it to understand what it had done to us – to me – and I wanted them to go away. I thought that if I hit it hard enough then maybe it would finally get the message."
For once, Hal didn't know what to say. Lourdes was full on crying in front of him, having just admitted to giving in to a darker, more terrifying side of herself. Hal opened his mouth twice before finding the words to use.
"I do understand," he said carefully. "We've all felt that way. I think under these circumstances it's normal."
"Not me," she said emphatically. "I felt the hatred inside of me. I could feel it taking over and I can't let that happen. Don't you see? I lost control. I'm not supposed to do that."
Hal made a mental note to tell Anne to keep an eye on Lourdes when she came back.
"I think you just need to re-channel those feelings." He thought back to his previous offer. "Let Maggie and I give you some weapons training. We'll take you on patrols and you can get it out of your system."
"You don't want me on patrols. I wouldn't trust me around weapons." Lourdes wiped her eyes and smiled wanly.
"That's why we'll train you before taking you out," said Hal encouragingly.
Lourdes hesitated.
"Come on," said Hal cajolingly. He grinned, hoping to make her feel better.
"Okay," she said quietly. "But it doesn't erase what I did."
Hal's smile suddenly faded until he looked downright murderous. "Ask Ben what they did to him sometime. Or better yet, don't. Just watch him when he thinks nobody is looking. You look at his face. See the pain he's in because of those months he spent with them. He didn't do anything to deserve being taken away and implanted with mutant spikes but he was. And as a result, everyone hates him before they've met him. They don't even know his name but they know what he is. My kid brother." Hal shook his head. "Ben couldn't hurt a fly. He wouldn't want to. Quietest, smartest, most polite kid you'd ever meet. And yet people fear him." He looked at Lourdes with anger in his eyes. "Ben suffers every day and I can't do anything about it. You look at him and then tell me you don't think that Skitter deserved to suffer."
Lourdes didn't respond. She looked more unsure of herself than he had ever seen her. Nicely done, he thought to himself. Tell her that her words don't matter. Turn this into a pity competition. And he could just imagine Ben's reaction if he ever found out what had just come out of Hal's mouth. Neither brother liked the other being too sentimental. Ben was undoubtedly more sensitive than Hal, but neither would ever admit it. Already, Hal was regretting his words.
"Forget it," Hal muttered. Could he make this any worse? Lourdes looked confused. "It's not important," he continued. Yes, apparently he could.
An awkward silence filled the trailer.
"Look, I'm just trying to say: don't feel bad," Hal finally said. "You're still the nicest person I know."
He offered her a smile again and was glad to finally see her shy one in return.
The door opened and in walked Ben. Hal and Lourdes turned in confusion.
"I thought Dad told you to leave," said Hal.
"He did," replied Ben with a shrug.
"Where are Maggie and Jimmy?" questioned Lourdes.
"Let's just say Jimmy didn't want to leave either. Maggie is out on the scouting mission."
Hal threw Lourdes a worried look. It wasn't like Ben to disobey their father and risk his life so callously.
"Ben," he said carefully. "I think we should talk."
"I don't want to talk with you," said Ben. But his tone wasn't sharp and Hal knew Ben didn't mean in general, just specifically about the topic Ben knew Hal now wanted to talk about.
Nevertheless, Hal pushed on. "Well that's too bad," he began.
Ben pursed his lips and stared at Hal defiantly. The brothers stared at each other before Hal finally looked away, which was also uncharacteristic: normally, Ben would have backed down after a few seconds of Hal's glare.
Lourdes cleared her throat nervously.
"Is she going to be okay?" asked Ben, nodding towards the girl and ignoring Hal.
Lourdes looked worried as she touched the girl's shoulder nervously. "I think so. She's doing much better than she was last time. All I can do is monitor her wounds and hope she wakes up."
"Maybe…" Hal said slowly, glancing at Ben.
Ben shook his head. "No," he said. "I'm not going back in. I can't."
"Why not?" asked Hal.
"I don't know if it would work the second time. Her mind knows how I got in last time. It will be on the defense, against me."
Hal looked searchingly at Ben. "You're scared," he accused him.
"I'm not!" denied Ben, but he did avoid Hal's eyes.
Hal turned back to Lourdes. "What about the morphine?" he suggested.
Lourdes shook her head. "She's not in withdrawal anymore. I don't feel safe administering it without Anne's guidance."
"You're going to have to make decisions on your own," reminded Hal. "Anne's not here. You're on your own."
Lourdes looked scared. "I know." She took a deep breath. "But right now, all we can do is wait." She looked down at the girl. "I think she'll wake up on her own."
Sure enough, later that day, the girl stirred. She opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. She recognized the trailer she'd been in when she'd first been found. Slowly, she sat up. Her eyes fell upon Hal sitting in a chair. At the movement, Hal looked up, his hand automatically clenching on his gun. Lourdes was organizing the shelves, her back to the girl. Hal cleared his throat, and Lourdes turned around.
"How are you feeling?" she asked cautiously, staying a safe distance from the table.
Hal nudged Ben covertly. The younger boy looked around blearily and then caught sight of the girl. Watching Hal, she turned her head and saw Ben look at her. She jerked her eyes away and turned her head sharply.
"No, I'm- I'm not going to hurt you!" said Ben, starting to get up.
Noting her reaction and not wanting to agitate the girl further, Hal pushed Ben back down and gave him a warning look. Ben looked helplessly back.
"Ben, maybe you should leave," suggested Lourdes gently.
Ben looked at her with a defeated face. He got up slowly, looking back at the girl. She was still turned away from him and he was sure she was remembering how he had broken through her barrier.
"Will she be okay?" he asked Lourdes quietly.
Lourdes's eyes were unsure but her mouth smiled as she said reassuringly, "I think she'll be fine."
Ben nodded once. As he was leaving he looked back one more time. "We want to help you," he said. "But you have to let us in."
I know this was more of a filler chapter, but I wanted Hal and Lourdes to have a chat and I figured better sooner than later. I think the characters are the best thing about the show and I love expanding on the smaller roles like Lourdes.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and thank you so much for reading my story!
Please let me know what you think. I'd love to hear predictions and/or suggestions!
~moviegal101~