Chapter 11

"Help Me"

Again Dexter sets Debra up at the table. This time only Dexter and Harrison accompany the table.

Debra's head rests on the pillow. Her eyes flutter open. Her head is turned to Dexter.

Dexter feebly smiles at her.

After seeing Dexter, Debra shuts her eyes and rolls her head face down into the pillow.

She yells, "f***!" into the pillow.

The padding muffles the swear.

She lets out a groan/cry of frustration, "Aaaaah." The pillow cushions her tears, her despair and the volume of her voice.

Dexter looks down at her with sympathy and pats her shoulder.

Debra flinches at his touch. She sits up with her eyes closed. She leans her head back.

Dexter removes the pillow on the table and tosses it on the couch.

Debra opens her eyes. She only see Dexter and Harrison at the table. She lulls her head downward and looks off to the side away from Dexter.

Harrison says, "Hi Aunt Deb. Hannah and Laura left."

Debra doesn't respond or look up. She seems no longer interested in what happens around her.

Harrison looks worried. He asks, "Aunt Deb, why aren't you talking?"

Dexter says, "Aunt Deb doesn't feel well. I just want her to know we'll be gone for a while. I have to drop you off at home with Jaime."

Debra doesn't respond.

Dexter stands up and says to Debra, "Well lets get you back to the soft room."

Debra doesn't move or respond in anyway. She hangs her head down.

Dexter pulls her chair out. Her feet drag on the floor. He waits a few seconds for Debra to stand up.

Dexter says, "Okay then." He goes to pick her up.

Suddenly Debra bolts to a standing position. She knocks down the chair she was sitting in.

Dexter abruptly backs away from her. He holds up his hands in a defensive posture.

Harrison starts crying.

Dexter says, "Ah, okay, I won't touch you." He looks defensively at Harrison, and then back at Debra.

Debra says, "I got to go to the bathroom."

Dexter undoes the traps to the straight jacket, freeing her hands. She goes to the bathroom. He leaves the door a crack open.

Dexter picks up Harrison and comforts him while he cries. He rocks Harrison back and forth in his arms.

Dexter says, "It's okay. Aunt Deb's gonna be okay." He looks in on Debra through the crack in the door.

Debra gets out of the bathroom.

Dexter puts down Harrison. He redoes the straps on Debra's jacket. Then Harrison, and himself, lead Debra back to her room.

Debra's back in the rubber room. The door's half open. Dexter's about to close it.

Dexter says, "I'll be back. This will all come to an end soon."

Harrison says, "Bye Aunt Deb. I hope the hospital can fix your boo boo."

Deba weakly smiles at Harrison and says, "Bye Harrison. Love you."

Dexter closes the door on her.

Dexter brings Harrison back home to Jaime. He then brings Debra, via boat, to a mental institution in Mexico. Everything's been arranged. The staff at the mental institution are expecting them. The doctor and staff were already paid off by Dexter. They've done this kind of service before. You can buy anything. Even a memory wipe. Debra's strapped to a table and awaits treatment. Dexter's in the room alone with her, standing next to the gurney.

Debra lies limp on the gurney she's strapped to. She stares vacantly up at the ceiling.

Without looking at Dexter, she speaks to him in a deadpan voice. She drones, "The gun, I heard it go off in my mouth. Then every went black. How come I'm not dead?"

Dexter says, "I put blanks in the gun. I wasn't gonna leave you, and Hannah, in a house with a loaded gun. The blanks just told me, who was trying to kill who and when. Including you trying to kill yourself."

Debra turns her head to look at Dexter and says, "Okay. I admit it. I tried to kill myself that last time."

Dexter rolls his eyes and says, "Finally."

Debra says, "But you drove me to do it, carrying on with all that insanity."

Dexter says, "Hannah was able to prove to me with documentation, and video, that she was in Mexico at the time at the time of your Xanax overdose."

Debra scowls. She raises up her head. She then violently whacks her head down on the pillow. In frustration she repeats this action a couple of times.

Dexter presses his hand to her forehead to stop her from doing this.

He says, "I had to put you in a straight jacket. I had to put you in a rubber room. I can't hold you down every second."

She tries to turn her head away from him. His hand still presses down on her forehead.

She glares at him and yells, "I just wanna turn my f***ing head!"

Dexter holds up his hands and turns away from her.

Once Debra's head is released, she looks at Dexter with disgust. Then she finally turns her head away from him. They're both silent for a minute.

Then Debra perks up as a thought occurs to her. She says with hope in her voice, "You gave up Harrison?"

Dexter says, "No, after your treatment we may be returning to Miami."

Surprised she says, "But we'll be arrested."

He says, "I lied to you back at the beach house. They weren't going to arrest you for LaGuerta's murder, at least not yet. I had previously fixed the evidence in your favor. As you know, my 'fixing' of the evidence has started to unravel. But it hasn't unraveled completely. It's still hanging on by a thread. I'll go back and try to refix the evidence back in your favor. If my plan works we'll stay in Miami."

Debra says, "Why did you lie to me?"

Dexter says, "You did try to overdose on Xanax. The police do, seem to be, zeroing-in on the fact that you're LaGuerta's killer. What will you do if the police come knocking on your door? Would you stick it in your gun mouth and pull the trigger? '[Bang!]' It's over. You're dead."

She asks, "So why not, legally, stick me in a mental institution, in the U.S.?"

Exasperated, he explains, "Could I prove you're suicidal? Could I get you electroshock therapy there? Under drug induced hypnosis would you, might you... spill the beans about me? Would you spill the beans about yourself, about you being LaGuerta's killer? They police could arrest you at the mental institution. Then it'd be too late. Your welfare would be outta my hands."

Astonished, she says, "But the news story we saw on TV. We heard that female anchor say that the police were after us, that they were on to us."

He says, "No. I previously filmed that whole thing. I rigged the TV so that it would play, on cue, for your benefit."

She asks, "Then who was that female anchor? The painted face in the blazer?"

He says, "She was one of my victims. She was a killer by the name of Emelie Hiensburg. She was a drug dealer who killed off competition that invaded her turf. I offered to let her live a little longer in return for doing me a favor. I used the cabin to film the footage. I put up a backdrop and props to make it look like an authentic news room. And Emelie's performance was good as well. Maybe she'd make a better news anchor than a drug dealer."

Debra yells, "That's so f***ed up! Why on earth did you do all that? You film that whole fake news story. You played it on TV for my benefit. For what purpose? To torment me?"

Dexter replies, "I did it so you wouldn't leave the cabin. But you left anyway, knowing you'd be arrested. That told me you wanted to pay for your crime. And I couldn't let that happen."

Debra asks, "How do you even think up all this crazy sh**?"

Dexter gives awkward half grin and shrugs.

Debra says, "You said we're returning to Miami. So we're returning back to our old jobs?"

Dexter says, "Yes, hopefully, I don't know what the outcome of your treatment will be."

Debra says, "Because I just to be a child prodigy before the first brain frying?"

Sounding surprised, he says, "You overheard Hannah and I talking?"

Debra says, "Yes I did. So how will you explain my sudden disappearance?"

Dexter says, "Right before I kidnapped you I called Mathews. I told the Captain you went to rehab for your drinking." Mathews is back to being Captain Mathews of Miami Metro. LaGuerta got him reinstated in return for investigating the B.H.B. Which makes Mathews the current superior of the lieutenant.

Debra says, "I'll probably act different after my second brain frying. How will you explain my altered state to everyone at the station?"

Dexter says, "We'll tell everyone you got hypnosis while at rehab."

Debra asks, "How will you explain the scars on my face and neck?"

Dexter says, "I'll tell everyone you drunkenly stumbled into a pane glass door. I'll say I took you to the emergency room and then I convinced you you had to go to rehab right away."

Debra gawks at him in disbelief and says, "God, it's like you're the grand master of bullshit."

Dexter says, "I'm devoted to the craft."

Debra sighs and looks off away from him. She winces her damaged cheek. Her facial scar felt a bit itchy. But it had pretty much healed by now. Her neck wound bothered her less. There are more nerve endings in the face than the neck. She thinks back to the incident that gave her the facial scar.

She says, "Back at the cabin. What you said to me. You said you're willing to kill an infinite number of people to keep your family safe."

He shrinks into his head into his shoulders and says, "Yes I said that. You almost shot yourself in the head right in front of me. The bullet went whizzing past your face."

He slides the side of his left hand up his cheek, mirroring Debra's scar. This is the same hand Debra cut with the kitchen knife. Dexter's hand cut is now stitched up, as is Debra neck cut. Dexter's hand cut will now become just another of his many scars. He continues, "The gunfire just left a big fresh scar up your face. In that moment I said more than I meant to."

She says, "But you did mean it right?"

He says, "When that came out of my mouth, I was as surprised as you were. I didn't know what I was capable of doing or why. 'an infinite number of people,' that was a real eye opener."

She gawks at him in horror and says, "Exactly, 'an infinite number of people' are disposable to you? What? Are other human beings just cattle to you if you don't personally care about them? How could you be so selfish? Are you just some sadistic sociopath? Do you just plain don't care about other human lives?"

He says, "I do care. I do feel bad about killing an innocent, like LaGuerta. I just can't let anything bad happen to my family, not again. Not after what happened to my mother. I have to protect my family no matter I have to do."

She scoffs and says, "So this whole crazy thing. Supposedly it all got started because of your mother right? Because of you and your motherly issues."

He looks around and shrugs. He says, "Yah. So."

Debra sarcastically pouts, "Oh boo hoo. When you were three you saw your mother get chopped up with a chainsaw. And therefore that's why you kill all the bad people everywhere?"

Dexter says, "And that saves the innocent."

Debra says, "For the most part. Until you gotta kill to save your own neck. Or kill because someone's not nice to Harrison."

Dexter says, "Well how often is that gonna happen?"

Debra looks Dexter up and down and says, "Well it seems to be happening more and more often lately."

Dexter says, "That's because of you and Hannah. Anyone can see that you two ladies are a deadly combination. But now I'll get things under my control, permanently."

She asks, "You knew Hannah would kill me?"

He says, "I wasn't sure if she would or wouldn't, hence the vetting, the pressure cooker experiment of the cabin. It was quite informative."

She asks, "But knowing she may kill me, you let her come to the cabin?"

He says, "Well no, I wouldn't let Hannah succeed in killing you. And now she thinks you're dead. She'll stay far away for a while. She'll give me time to grieve. This gives me time for your treatment and recovery."

Incredulously, Debra asks, "Hannah will come back to get back together with you? Even after killing me?"

He says, "Yes she will. Hannah knows I'm in love with her. She knows I want to raise Laura with her. She knows I can't make myself kill her."

She asks, "So you'll get back together with Hannah?"

He says, "No, I can't get back together with her. No matter how much I want to."

She asks, "Why not?"

He says, "Because she'll still wants you dead. Hannah wants to punish me for betraying her. And she wants to ensure that I always make her my priority."

She asks, "What are you gonna do when Hannah gets back from outta town? What are you gonna do when she finds out I'm alive and in need of killing?"

He says, "I will resolve my problems through my normal means of conflict resolution."

She asks, "But you just said... "

Dexter holds up his hands in a stopping gesture and says, "All you need to know is that I'm a creative problem solver. I prefer not to describe how I gonna rip my own heart out."

Debra gives a terrible laugh/cry and yells, "Why don't you just let me die?! Why don't you and your crazy killer chick just ravage the planet without me?!" Tears streak down her temples. Her fisted arms thrash violently against the restraints.

He says, "That's not what Dad would want."

She turns to him, exasperated and says, "Dad died twenty years ago. You are your own person."

Dexter points to his own head and says, "Not in here I'm not. Dad's always been still very much alive in my mind. He's always said it's my duty to protect you, especially from what I really am. And he'll never leave me alone as long as I'm alive. So I better keep you around."

At hearing this, she whimpers for a short while, then says, "So after you take care of me, and take care of Hannah, everything will be in your control once again."

He says, "That's right."

She says, "Until one day it isn't. Then what?"

He says, "Then I'll do what I gotta do."

She says, "With a blade."

He says, "Yes."

She says, "Dad taught you all these skills to kill. But without the code, it's like Dad created a monster. It's like now you're just this crazed death machine."

He says, "I gotta stick around. It seems keeping you not dead is a 24 hour job. I gotta make sure you're okay. I gotta make my kids are okay."

She asks, "And that's more important than you killing perhaps an infinite number of innocent people?"

He says, "It's more important to me. But it won't come to that. Not if I get and keep everything under my control. I can then return to Harry's code."

She looks down at the gurney that holds her. She lifts her arms against the restraints. She says, "You'll always need someone on your table. I guess inevitably it'd be me."

He says, "This gurney isn't your death bed."

Debra says, "You're destroying the person I am to suit your needs."

Dexter says, "It's better than you not living at all."

Debra says, "Better for you. I wish Dad never brought you home from that shipping container."

Dexter asks, "You wish Dad never brought me home to the family? Really?"

Debra says, "No. I wish Dad let you and Brian die in that cargo container. The world would be better off."

Dexter steps back and stares at her blankly. After a an uncomfortable moment he says, "I'll come back right before your treatment."

Dexter leaves the room.

Debra's alone in the room. In an hour they will come and get her for her treatment. An orderly comes into the room soon after Dexter leaves. The orderly is an older, heavier, woman. She wheels in a cart of cleaning supplies. She wheels the cart to the side of the room and leaves it there. She goes to empty the trash barrel near Debra.

The orderly greets Debra, "Hola Senorita."

Debra weakly smiles and says, "Hola Senora."

The orderly gestures to herself and says, "Mi nombre es Dora." She then gestures to Debra and asks, "Y usted?"

Debra says, "Mi nombre es Debra."

Dora says, "Mucho gusto Debra."

Debra nods and says, "Mucho gusto Dora."

The orderly asks, "Como esta?"

Debra rolls her eyes and says, "Muy bueno." She gestures to her restraints by trying, and failing, to lift her arms. She then gestures to Dora and asks, "Y usted. Como esta?"

Dora sticks her hand out into the air. She spreads out her fingers and waggles her hand. Smiling, she says, "Com si com sa."

Debra smirks and says, "Oh la la."

Dora picks up a water bottle. It's on the nightstand next to the gurney. Dora asks, "Quieres agua?"

Debra says, "Por favor. Aqua."

Dora puts the straw of the water bottle in Debra's mouth.

Debra starts to drink it. She sucks down a couple of sips then takes a breath.

Dora asks, "Esta bien?"

Debra replies, "Si excelente." She sucks down about a 100 cc. Then she leans her head back to take the straw out of her mouth.

Dora asks, "Quieres mas?" She gestures with bottle.

Debra shakes her head and says, "No, gracias."

Dora asks, "Hay algo mas que puedo hacer por usted?"

Debra gives Dora an apprehensive look. She says, "Lamento, hablo poco espanol... muy poco"

Dora smirks and winks. She says, "That's okay. I speak english."

Debra says, "Oh good. I keep swearing I'll learn spanish but I never seem to have the time."

Dora says, "I learned english late in life myself. You can do it. I knew you were an english speaker. But I thought I'd try to converse with you in spanish at first. Most tourists like to practice the native language."

Debra says, "I'm not really a tourist." She pulls against her restraints again and says, "At least not willingly. "

Dora gives Debra a pensive look and says, "I know you're not here voluntarily. Most patients come here against their will."

Debra exclaims, "I'm not crazy. The man who brought me here. He's my brother. His name is Dexter Morgan. He works for Miami Metro Homicide as a forensics analyst. He's the Bay Harbor Butcher. He's killed over a hundred people. He'll kill many more, even innocent people. He wants to erase my memory."

Dora says, "I was just outside the door a few minutes ago. I overheard you and brother talking. I heard Dexter say how he'll kill, perhaps, an infinite number of people. I wanna help you."

Debra closes her eyes. She sinks down into the gurney with great relief. She exhales, "Oh thank f***ing jesus."

Dora traces a cross over herself. She looks at Debra squeamishly. She asks, "Are sure you're not here due to your chronic swearing?"

Debra says, "Pretty f***ing sure. Please, undo my straps. Get me outta here."

Dora gives Debra a pitiful look. She says, "I'm sorry. Yes, I could undo your straps but you'd get tackled right outside the door."

In desperation, Debra looks around the room. She sees Dora's cart of cleaning supplies against the wall. Debra points to the cart. She says, "How about I hide in the cart? You could wheel me out of the building?"

Dora shakes her head and says, "You watch too many movies."

Debra rolls her eyes back and whacks her head on the pillow.

Dora continues, "As thin as you are, you won't fit in there. Even if I could sneak you out, you'd probably be discovered. There's not enough time and they're on guard."

Debra looks away and whimpers quietly in despair.

Dora says encouragingly, "But you could dictate a letter to me. I could mail to you. Your brother's secret need not vanish along with your memories."

Debra says feebly, "Okay, lets do it."

Dora goes to get a pad and pen that she has in the cart. She says, "I'll mail it to you a few months from now. It could, possibly, take a while before you fully recover. And that way your brother will no longer be on guard for any funny business."

Debra exclaims, "Thank you so much Dora. You have no idea how many lives you may be saving by helping me like this."

Dora returns to Debra's side with a pen and pad in hand. She says, "I couldn't call myself Christian if I didn't help you." Dora poises her pen in hand. She says, "Okay I'm ready. Go head."

Debra takes a deep breath and starts, "Dear Debra. This is Debra from a few months earlier. I am currently strapped to a gurney awaiting electroshock therapy. Your memory is being erased against your will.

I have to tell you something. Dexter is not who you think he is..."

Dora and Debra finish the letter. Dora sticks the letter in her pocket. She puts the pen and pad back in her cart. Just then Dexter walks through the double doors. He's accompanied by other staff members. They are taking Debra for her treatment.

Dexter weakly smiles at Debra. He says, "It's time."

Debra doesn't speak to him. She turns her head to stare blankly at the wall. She's facing Dora.

Dora tries to busy herself with cleaning.

Debra glances a look at her.

Dora covertly smiles and winks at Debra. She straightens up and puts her hand on her hip. She taps the pocket that contains the letter.

The staff starts to wheel Debra out of the room. Dexter's last to leave the room. Before he leaves he glances a look at Dora. Dora avoids eye contact with him. She stares at the floor and busy herself with cleaning. Dexter follows Debra, and the staff, out of the room.

The staff wheel Debra down the hallway. Dexter keeps up beside them. They approach the doors of the treatment room.

A staff member holds up his hand and tells Dexter, "You can't come beyond this point."

Dexter says, "Okay. Give me second with my sister."

The staff stops the gurney in the hallway.

Dexter pats the top of Debra's hair with his hand. He kisses her on the forehead.

He says, "I'll see you on the other side."

Debra gives Dexter a cold angry stare.

In a deadpan voice she drones, "You'll get yours. You'll see."

Dexter abruptly straightens up. He looks askance at her statement.

The staff start to wheel Debra away from Dexter. He stands there looking on after her. They staff push the gurney through the double doors. The doors swing shut behind them, taking Debra outta sight. The doors immediately swing back open in the opposite direction. Bright light flashes through the open doors. The light envelopes Dexter. White light shines all around his silhouette. The light dissolves the shadowy figure of him. Dexter suddenly appears to a different point in time. It's forty years in the past. Back in 1973.

Harry's carries three year old Dexter. He's covered in his mother's caked on blood. Harry pulled him fresh from the shipping container. The two of them burst through double swing doors. They're in a hospital. A nurse washes the blood off Dexter. A doctor examines the boy. The hospital treats Dexter for shock and dehydration. A few hours later they discharge Dexter.

The doctor, Harry, and Dexter are now in the waiting room. Harry holding Dexter's hand. Dexter looks up at Harry, and the doctor, while they talk.

They doctor tells Harry, "Physically the boy has a clean bill of health. He can go home now."

Dexter looks up at Harry. He says, "I wanna go home with Biney."

Harry looks down at Dexter. He says, "Biney is at another hospital. He needs to spend more time there to get better. You'll see him later."

A woman in a business suit comes through the front door of the waiting room. She spots the cop, the doctor and the kid. She walks over to them and says, "Oh hi. Sorry I'm late."

The woman turns to the police officer. She sticks out her hand and says, "I'm Miss McBride, the social worker. You're Officer Morgan I presume?"

Harry shakes her hand and says, "Yes that's right. I'm Officer Morgan."

She turns her attention to Dexter. She leans down and says, "Hi, Are you Dexter?"

Dexter timidly says, "Yes."

The social worker smiles broadly at the little boy. She gestures to herself and says, "Well Dexter, I'm Miss McBride. I'm going to make sure you are taken care of."

Dexter shakes his head with fear at Miss McBride. He desperately clings to Harry's leg. Harry picks up Dexter.

Miss McBride straightens back up and asks, "So you were the officer on the scene? Correct?"

Harry says, "That's right. And I was also working the case. I'm familiar with the whole family."

Miss McBride sighs with relief and says, "Oh good. I know the basics of what happened. I understand the boys have a father. Is the father on his way here?"

Harry says, "Yes. The boys do have a father. His name is Joe Driscol. I know him. He's in jail right now. He's heroin addict. He's involved in very shady business. I don't think he's suitable for the boys to be placed with, even when he gets out. And he certainly can't come now and get them.

Miss McBride says, "Do they have any other family?"

Harry says, "No. No one they can stay with."

Miss McBride says, "That's too bad. I can take Dexter to a group home for right now, but it'll be awhile before I can place him in foster care."

Harry says, "Oh no. I don't want that. I could take him home with me. My wife and I can take care of him. We already have a child at home. We'd be well equipped to take care of Dexter as well."

Miss McBride says, "That sounds like a wonderful idea. I'll get the paperwork together to make that happen." She smiles sweetly at Dexter.

Dexter buries his head in Harry's shoulder.

Miss McBride says, "This young man has certainly taken a shine to you. I'm sure you'll take good care of him."

Miss McBride, Harry and Dexter all leave the hospital. Harry brings Dexter home to his wife and infant daughter. Harry and Dexter walk through the front door.

Doris Morgan greets Harry and Dexter at the door.

Doris says, "Thank god you're home. I was so worried when you called."

Harry says, "Sorry about all this. And I know how you worry about my job." Harry picks up Dexter and shakes him playfully. He smiles and says, "But at least we got this young man here in one piece."

Dexter looks upset at Harry choice of words.

Harry stops shaking Dexter and gets a worried look to his face. He too immediately regrets his own choice in words.

Doris smiles and says to Dexter, "Hello Dexter. I'm Doris. I'm so glad you're staying with us for a while."

Dexter smiles weakly and says, "Hello."

Doris says to Harry, "Oh I'm so sorry to hear about his parents. Car accidents can be so tragic."

Harry looks at Dexter apprehensively.

Dexter doesn't say anything.

Harry covers Dexter's ears and says, "We better not says anything in front of the boy."

Doris covers her own mouth with her hand and says, "Oh course. What was I thinking? Well come here Dexter. Lets get you on the couch. I'll get you a drink and a snack."

Harry puts Dexter down on the floor. He takes Dexter by the hand and leads him to the couch. Dexter sits on the end of the couch. Harry joins him on the couch. Doris goes to the kitchen to get the refreshments.

"Whaaah, whaah." The high pitch crying of a baby hits the air.

Doris can be heard in the next room. She calls out, "I'm coming honey!"

A minute later Doris carries a baby into the living room. She sits in the recliner with the baby, adjacent from Harry and Dexter.

Harry asks Doris, "Is she hungry?"

Doris says, "No I recently fed and changed her. She just wants to be held. Harry, why don't you take her? I'll get the refreshments."

Harry says, "Sure. Give her to me." He holds out his arms to take the baby.

Doris hands Harry the baby and goes back into the kitchen.

Harry holds the baby in his arms. Dexter sits next to them both.

Dexter looks at the baby with interest. He says, "She sure is a cute baby."

Harry says to the baby, "Do you wanna say hi." He holds the baby so that she's sitting up. Dexter and the baby are now facing each other. Harry holds up the baby's hand so that she waves, "Hi" at Dexter.

The baby smiles at Dexter.

Harry gestures to Dexter then to the baby and says, "Dexter Moiser meet Debra Morgan."

Dexter reaches out and holds the baby's hand. He shakes her hand and says, "Nice to meet you Debra."

Harry smiles and says, "Debra's happy to meet you too."

Dexter smiles at Harry and says, "Hey, her sounds like my name."

Harry nods and says, "That's right. They're both 'D' and 'M' names."

Debra reaches her hands out to Dexter.

Harry gets an idea. He says, "Dexter, have you ever held a baby before?"

Dexter shakes his head and says, "No."

Harry says, "Do you wanna try?"

Dexter nods and says, "Sure."

Harry careful places Debra in Dexter's arms. Dexter's by the end of the couch. Harry places Debra with Dexter so that the baby's head rests on the arm of the couch, under a throw pillow.

Harry says, "Now be careful. She's a pretty young baby."

Dexter says, "Sure. I'll be careful with her."

Debra laughs and pats Dexter on the cheek.

Doris walks in from the kitchen. She has a tray with refreshments in her arms. It's full of lemonade and cupcakes. She puts it down on the table. She stands back and admires the scene of Dexter holding Debra. She claps her hands together and pouts, "Oh that's so cute. Dexter, you would make such a good big brother."

Dexter smiles at Doris and says, "Thanks."

Doris says to Harry, "Harry, could I talk to you a minute?" She tilts her head back and gives a wave over her shoulder, gesturing for Harry to come back to the kitchen with her.

Harry turns to Dexter and says, "Dexter, you hang on good to Debra okay."

Dexter nods and says, "Sure. I got her good."

Harry says, "Good. I'll be back in a second."

Doris is in the doorway of the kitchen. Harry walks over to her. They're just a few feet from the kids.

Dexter pats Debra's cheek and says, "You sure are a happy baby aren't you?"

Debra squeals and tries to grab Dexter's hand.

Harry and Doris are in the doorway looking at the kids.

Doris says in a hushed voice, "So you said on the phone his parents just both died in a car accident earlier today?"

Harry whispers back, "Yes. I was called to the scene. I actually knew the family."

Doris whispers, "You said there's no other family. No one else who can take him in."

Harry whispers, "No. There's no one."

Doris whispers, "Well, he could stay with us. We could be his foster family right?"

Harry nods and whispers, "I spoke to the social worker. She says, if we want, we can take him in."

Doris whispers and gushes, "I think that would be a wonderful idea." She opens up her arms and says, "Look. See how good he is with Debra."

Dexter's still holding Debra on the couch. He kisses her on the cheek.

Dexter whispers into Debra's ear, "I will never let anything bad happen to you."

I named this chapter after something in the 1973 movie "The Exorcist." The possessed girl in the movie scratches backwards on her stomach "Help Me." That was so chilling and always stuck with me. Here Debra's crying out for help and a total stranger helps her. I thought it so touching. Dexter loves Debra but his help is always so damaging, so damming. She needs to escape his unrelenting "help."