Chapter 37: Price to Pay

She awoke to male voices shouting in the hall. What was going on? Sliding into her jump suit she stepped groggily out of her room and into a Security guard. "You should maybe stay in there until this is over Jolene." He made a clothesline with his arm to prevent her from going any further. Pausing to get her bearings she saw Jonas standing in the clinic door across the hall from her and her father ranting loudly down the hall near his room while officers detained him. His possessions were being taken out through the clinic and into the main hall by several other officers.

"Jonas what's going on?" He didn't hear her right away as he stared down the hall looking rather stressed nibbling his thumb nail and shuffling on his feet. He was also standing behind a Security guard. "Jonas," she called again, than noticed his face, "Jonas why do you have a black eye?"

"Oh, Oh Jolene hey." He fumbled past the guard and guided her back into her room. The door closed behind her. "Your father and I are switching quarters today." He spoke quickly, nervous anxiety in his voice, the tension of the situation getting to him. "You know we had planned to all along and it's just a little early but I figured instead of having to mess with it after the wedding, during our honeymoon we could get it over with today."

"Okay," this all seemed reasonable. "So why is he all angry? Why are there guards and why do you have a black eye?"

"Well, it was sort of just my idea and when he refused the confrontation got a bit out of hand so now security is involved." Jonas left out the part that he simply showed up this morning with the guards in tow. He wasn't taking any chances after last night's fiasco in the clinic.

"Well this is just dumb. I'll go talk to him." She headed for the door.

"Jolene, I don't think that's such a good idea."

She paused and looked back at him suspiciously."What are you not telling me, honey?"

He heard the tone of her voice change even though she tried to hide it. "Jolene, now don't be upset. Please, come sit on the bed with me." He sat down and she joined him. "He came into your room last night and found you 'sleeping' and thinks I'm keeping you and doing something to you against your will. Whatever he has cooked up in his brain he is down-right against it, I mean to the point where he got violent and hit me. I don't think it's a good idea for you to speak to him at this time."

"What do you think he'll do, hit me too? That's crazy."

"Jolene!" Her father's shout carried through her closed door. They both actually jumped at the volume and ferocity in his voice. They could hear him get closer. "Jolene, don't stay with that bastard. He can't be trusted. He isn't good for you. Don't let him twist you around! Jolene! Get your hand off me."

"Sir if you don't move along we will be forced to arrest you "

"Jolene!" His voice faded as she assumed doors closed behind him as he was escorted out through the clinic.

What the Hell?

"He seems pretty upset." Jonas quietly observed his hands, he examined the damage he'd done to his thumb.

Damn it. Could he have found out about her and Al's baby or was there something more Jonas and Al were doing behind her back? She didn't like it. She knew she had been out of it for the past few days...weeks? Maybe she needed to start paying more attention to what her future husband was up to. It wasn't out of the ordinary for Security to get involved when a vault dweller became irate and sometimes they were even drugged and isolated 'till they calmed down, but this was her dad and things weren't exactly as they seemed around here. Was their all-mighty leader trying to take away all her allies? She didn't take anything at face value anymore. Jumping off her bed she headed out her door, panic growing in her stomach. The Core, they can't be taking him to the Core.

"Jolene!" Jonas scrambled to catch up to her. He caught her outside the clinic door watching the guards take her father and his things down the hall in the direction of Jonas's old quarters. She noticed Jonas' things waiting in the hall.

"He'll be allowed to come to the wedding?" She asked Jonas once her heart stopped pounding in her chest.

Once he recovered from practically bumped into her, he replied, "A…Yes, yes…I mean if…well you know if…that will be entirely up to your father."

She knew what he meant, if her father behaved. What was going on here?

"You okay?" He reached over and touched the side of her face. She nodded her head.

"I'm going to go move my things in now. I think I'll keep them in what is now my room so you don't have to move any of your things for now Okay?" She nodded again, still staring down the hall. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah," She was as good as she was going to get at this point. Reaching down and gathered some of Jonas's stuff in her arms. "It will be faster if I help."