Chapter 54 – Emotion
Randall groaned as the traffic lights turned red again. "You stupid lights!" he roared. "We're already an hour late for the sit down! What are we supposed to do?!"
"Randall—" Angela began, pointing out the window.
"What on earth are Hershel and everyone else going to think?!" Randall exclaimed angrily.
"But Randall—"
"I'm sure that when we explain the traffic situation, everyone else will understand," Henry assured him.
"Randall, look! Over there! It's Emmy!"
Randall looked out of the window. Emmy was running down the street, pushing random passersby out of her way. Angela opened the car door and got out.
"You two stay here and keep the engine running. I'll be back in a minute." Angela slammed the door shut and took off after Emmy.
Randall smiled and rolled his eyes at Henry. "Women, eh?"
Henry smiled nervously and nodded.
"Emmy! EMMY!" Angela called, running after her. But Emmy wasn't listening.
Half blinded by tears, she ran down the street as fast as she could. "Why? Why is this happening to me? Why do these things always happen to me?" was all she could think as she ran. She didn't know where she was going, or why; all she knew was that she wanted to run, and keep running, and never look back.
She suddenly bashed into someone and was knocked to the ground. The person immediately started to yell at her.
"WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING, YOU STUPID COW! WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU THINKING OF, YOU STUPID BITCH?!" he roared.
Emmy whimpered from down on the floor. Her head flooded with memories of her father. "... you're nothing but a stupid little shit... your mother would turn in her grave... I loved Daniel more than I ever loved you..." Emmy thought about her uncle. "It's alright now dear. You're safe now. I've got you. I'm here. Uncle Leon is here..."
Emmy felt someone grab her upper arms and haul her to her feet. She felt the person wrap their arms around her, just as her beloved uncle did, years ago. "Uncle Leon," she whimpered, her eyes shut tight.
"Emmy? What's wrong? Are you okay? What's happened?" was all Emmy could hear.
She was shaking as she opened her eyes. Angela was staring back at her, with an expression of worry and fear on her face. She had never seen Emmy like this before.
"Emmy, what happened at the sit down? Did something happen to Bronev?"
Emmy tried to speak, but a lump caught in her throat and she was unable to speak. She could emit whimpers and shudders.
Angela held Emmy tighter as she leaded her back to the car. "It's alright, dear. You're safe now. I've got you." Angela rubbed Emmy's back as they approached the car.
They got in and Randall peered anxiously at Emmy. "What happened?" he mouthed to Angela, who shrugged.
Emmy slumped against the window and tried to swallow down the lump in her throat, without success. Angela shuffled over next to her and hugged her. Randall and Henry looked at each other knowingly and turned back to Angela.
"I'm hungry," Randall said. "And so is Henry. And I bet you are too, Angie. Are you, Emmy? Or are you thirsty? Would you like some water?"
Emmy nodded and Randall and Henry left the car, promising to return shortly. Angela shook her head and turned back to Emmy, who was still trying to stifle her crying. Angela rubbed her arm.
"Why don't you talk to me, now that they're gone? Hmm?"
Emmy whimpered some more and her body began to jerk violently. Angela gave her a quick squeeze. "Its okay, Emmy. You can tell me anything. You take deep breaths now." She began to stroke Emmy's hair.
"I-I-he-I—" she spluttered, heaving enormous sobs.
"Shh. It's okay. Deep breaths, now, deep breaths." Angela stroked Emmy's hair out of her face and looked into her eyes, wiping Emmy's tears away with her thumbs. Emmy looked back at her and tried to take deeper breaths.
"That's right," Angela, soothed, wrapping her arms around Emmy's shoulders. Emmy took deep shaky breaths as Angela soothed her. Neither of them broke eye contact.
Soon, Emmy had stopped crying, but her breathing was still uneasy. Emmy wrapped her arms around Angela's middle and snuggled into her shoulder. Angela kissed Emmy's hair.
"Do you want to talk about it now?" she asked gently.
Emmy nodded. "It... it was at the sit down... it... it was horrible..." Tears started in Emmy's eyes again.
"What happened, sweetheart?" Angela asked, softly, playing with a strand of Emmy's hair.
"It's-its Vaughan. Vaughan is – is my... m-my father, and..." Emmy began to sob again.
Angela froze as Emmy began to cry. "Oh, God, you poor thing," she whispered. "Is that it?"
"N-no, I... I thought that Vaughan had b-burned down m-my aunt's h-house, b-but it wasn't... i-it was U-Uncle Leon..." Emmy started to sob uncontrollably again.
Angela tightened her grip on Emmy. It all made no sense to her.
Randall and Henry returned with food and water for Emmy, only to find her crying, in an even worse state than she appeared to be when they left. They found Angela looking very grave.
"Is... is there anything we can do...?" Henry asked, looking at Emmy anxiously.
"Drive," Angela said shortly. "We should get her home."
As soon as they had left the hotel, Bronev ran to the car, with Celeste in pursuit. They got in and Bronev quickly started the engine.
"Where are we going now?" Celeste asked.
"I have to find Emmeline," Bronev explained, tears still in his eyes. "I have to explain... it was never about her... I never did it to hurt her..."
Celeste took his hand in hers. "It's alright, Leon," she soothed. "Emmy will see sense eventually, but she is much disorientated right now. She needs time. Leave her be. Let Layton find her and take care of her, and we'll speak to her after this whole Grounds of Rebirth thing is finished with. Let her calm down and she'll be fine. You'll see."
"I... I'll go to prison for this... everything I've done... I'll never see Emmeline again..."
"You will," Celeste reassured him. "I promise."
"They'll take me away after we go to the grounds..."
"Then I'll take you in the morning. She'll be alright. I'll go and check on her this evening and report back." Celeste let go of Bronev's hand. "Come now. You're in no fit state to drive. Let me."
The professor drove down the street. His pace was slow due to heavy traffic, and this gave him plenty of time to think. There was only one thing on his mind right now; Emmy.
The poor girl had been through so much, and had hardly been given enough time to get over what had happened to her last before being hurt all over again. The image of her distraught face was stuck in his mind. The tortured sound of her voice played in his ears; "I'VE BEEN HATING HIM FOR SO LONG WHEN I SHOULD'VE BEEN HATING YOU!"
"I caused all of this,"he thought as he drove on another little bit. "If I had only kept my mouth shut..."
Another voice in his head, his logical side, began to speak. "You would only have been prolonging the agony. She had to find out one day, you know..." and he was right. As usual. The professor sighed. "Sometimes, being right is a painful business... and today has taught me that, if nothing else..."
The professor wanted to hold Emmy, and make her feel better, even if it was only a little bit. She had cried so much today and seeing her run off with yet more tears running down her face was too much for the professor to bear. Her pretty face, even pretty when it was tear-stained... her gorgeous, beautiful face... distraught and screwed up with the pain of betrayal... and yet, the professor didn't feel that anyone was really to blame.
Except for Andrea.
She knew the grounds wouldn't work, and yet she went ahead with her charade.
And yet, even if she didn't go ahead with it, Vaughan may have kidnapped Emmy in America anyway, and she would still be a mess. The professor sighed as he turned off down the motorway, away from the infuriating traffic lights and down the road that would lead him to home. Or what had been home for him and Flora for the past two and a half months. He realised how much he missed walking down the more-or-less calm streets of London, with nothing troublesome to worry about, and how he missed the lectures at the university, and his office. He missed the little he saw of his home, and the quiet evenings he spent with Flora, helping her with homework, talking to her about her problems, being the father he had always wanted to be. But now that he realised it, recently he and Flora had been growing more and more distant.
He also realised that once he got back to London, everything would have changed. He would have Emmy to take care of as well as Flora. And once Emmy had recovered from her ordeal, he would be exploring his relationship with her, in more ways than one.
The two hours he spent driving home went quickly with the thoughts running through his mind, about the future he had yet to experience with Emmy, all the good and bad times that were ahead. As he pulled up at the Triton's house, he knew that it was finally time to face the present.
He entered the house to hear talking in the living room. He entered to find everyone else in there discussing what had happened at the hotel. Everyone but Emmy.
Everyone stopped talking as soon as the professor entered.
"Where is Emmy?" he asked.
"She went upstairs to lie down, I think," Brenda said. She sighed. "She was in such a state."
"I'll speak with her," the professor said, turning to leave.
"I talked to her, and she told me everything," Angela said, a pitiful expression on her face. "The poor thing was having a panic attack."
"Thank you, for being there for her," the professor said, turning to smile at Angela appreciatively. "I'm glad that you found her before anyone else did." He left and headed upstairs.
When he reached the door of the spare room, he could hear her sobbing her heart out. He sighed. He pushed the door open to find Emmy sprawled out on the bed, in tears. Her face was buried into the pillow, and she was crying beyond anything the professor had ever seen before. He closed the door and sat beside her, stroking her hair.
She lifted her head up from the pillow and looked pitifully at him. "Help me," she croaked. "Please help me. I can't do this anymore. I can't take it..." she sat up and threw herself into his arms, sobbing.
The professor laid back and cradled Emmy gently. "It's okay," he whispered. "You talk to me, dear, you tell me everything that is going through your mind..."
But Emmy was sobbing too hard to speak. She was a complete mess.
The professor's gaze was drawn to Emmy's bag on the floor. It was open and he spotted her pills inside. He glanced at her nervously and said, "Do you need to take your pills?"
Emmy took a deep breath and nodded. He spotted a bottle of water on the bed and picked it up. He took Emmy's pills out of her bag and handed them to her. She tried to sit up shakily.
The professor put his arm around her back and supported her upright. She tried to open her pills, but her hands shook violently. The professor took them and popped one out. He opened the bottle and handed them to her.
Emmy carefully put the pill into her mouth and gulped down some water. She choked and swallowed. She took deep breaths as the professor lowered her back down on the bed. He laid down beside her and wrapped his arms around her. She rested her head on his shoulder as she tried to calm down. A while later, she had stopped crying and shaking, and laid there, her face still wet from the tears.
"I'm sorry," she croaked. "I'm so sorry for being like this..."
Th professor kissed her on the cheek gently. "Don't ever be sorry for feeling something. That is what we are meant to do. You are only human, Emmy."
Emmy sniffed. She held the professor tighter. "You're the only one who knows how I feel. You're the only one who understands... after you found out that Uncle Leon was your father..."
"That's right," the professor soothed. "I understand you, Emmy. And I'm glad. I'm glad that you've finally given me the chance to know you, Emmy."
"I'm weak..."
"No. You're the exact opposite. You've been through more today than anyone else in this house has in a whole lifetime, and yet here you are, still standing strong."
"I'm crying..."
"And you show more strength in your tears than you do in beating people up, Emmy. It's okay to feel afraid sometimes, and it's perfectly natural to cry. Human's are able to cry for a reason, Emmy, and that is the reason why you're crying now."
Emmy gave him a watery smile, which he returned. He held her tighter.
"I love you, Emmeline Altava. No matter who your father is, or how much you cry. You'll always be strong and beautiful to me, no matter what anyone says or does to try to prove me wrong." He leaned forward and kissed Emmy's lips. "I love you. My angel." He kissed her again.
Emmy smiled wider and wiped her face on her sleeve. "I'm so glad you're here... I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you by my side, Hershel..."
The professor smiled back. "I don't want to be anywhere else." He kissed her nose.
Emmy laughed. The professor laughed too.
There was a knock on the door and Brenda entered with two dished of roast lamb and two cups of tea on a tray. She smiled at Emmy's happy face. "I'm so glad you're feeling better," she beamed, handing Emmy her plate.
Emmy smiled gratefully at Brenda. "Thank you. Thank you so much for everything you've done for me."
Brenda handed the tray to the professor, leaned forward and hugged Emmy tightly. Emmy hugged back, beaming. "Luke is such a lucky boy; he really is, to have such a wonderful mother like you."
They let go of each other. Brenda didn't know what to say. She just smiled at Emmy. "I... I... thank you." Brenda kissed Emmy's forehead and left the room.
The professor beamed at Emmy as she began to eat. He placed the cups of tea on the bedside table and began to eat as well.
There was a knock on the door and Brenda, who was on her way down the stairs, opened it. Celeste stood on the doorstep. Brenda glared.
"I must speak to Emmeline," Celeste said.
"No." Brenda made to shut the door when Celeste quickly stepped in.
"Please. I just need to know if she's okay."
"She has only just calmed down, no thanks to you."
"Listen to me. I only kept that from her because I knew it would break her heart. And Bronev told me that in confidence, so I was legally not allowed to tell her. I need to check on her—"
"For Bronev. I know. Please leave." Brenda sounded cold.
"Look. Try to see this from Bronev's perspective, please."
"That man cannot just go around murdering the families of people he doesn't like—"
"It was more than that, and you know it," Celeste snapped. "Look, I'm not saying that what Bronev did was right, far from it, but Vaughan isn't entirely innocent himself. He abused Emmeline as a child, and held her captive for a year and a half. He had been terrorising her for years and the only person who has been there for her is Bronev."
Brenda sighed.
"That girl means the world to him. She is all the family that he has left. After Rachel was killed, he was broken. But when Emmeline came into his life, everything changed. He felt that he had something to live for. He loved her more than anyone else. He still does. But, if he loses her, he could lose himself... forever. Please, just let me see her, for Bronev's sake."
Brenda said nothing. She just stepped aside.
"Thank you." Celeste made her way upstairs.
She stopped at the door of the spare room and hesitated. She reached for the handle, but the door opened and the professor faced her. "Celeste..." he said, surprised. Emmy looked up. The professor turned to Emmy. "Do you want to speak to her?"
And to Celeste's relief, Emmy nodded. The professor smiled at Emmy. "I'll just run your bath. Shout if you need me." He went into the bathroom.
Celeste entered the spare room and sat down beside Emmy. "You've got him well trained," she teased. Emmy smiled.
Celeste cleared her throat. "I... I'm so sorry... I couldn't tell you..."
"It's okay," Emmy said. "I know it's not your fault."
Celeste smiled at her and took her hand. "But ... what about you're Uncle Leon..."
"I..." Emmy trailed off. "I'm not ready to see him yet. Tomorrow, maybe..."
"Good girl," Celeste beamed. "He wants to come tomorrow morning, is that okay?"
Emmy nodded. "I..."
"Yes?"
"I don't want him to go to prison. I know what he did was wrong, but... he's suffered enough. He needs to get on with his life."
"I know," Celeste whispered.
"I can deal with Grosky, but the other two..."
"It's not their place to decide that. If the local authorities haven't been informed, then there is nothing that can be done yet. If I speak to Grosky and send him to you, you think you can get him to reconsider?"
"He's my friend. But I'm not really sure how far he'll go to help me. He lives for the police."
Celeste sighed. "Well, we have to try, don't we?"
Emmy nodded.
The professor returned with a dressing gown for Emmy. "Are you ready, my dear?" he asked.
"Yes. I was just leaving. Thank you, for being so civil with me after I've kept so much from you. Everything will be okay, I promise." Celeste hugged Emmy and left.
The professor handed the gown to Emmy and smiled at her. "I'll leave you to it," he said. "I just need to have a word with Celeste."
"After that, will you come up and sit with me?" Emmy asked, taking his hand.
The professor smiled and kissed her forehead. "You don't even need to ask."
Emmy went into the bathroom as the professor followed Celeste downstairs.
"Celeste, wait!" he cried as she reached for the door handle. She turned around and faced him.
"So, Bronev is coming tomorrow?" he asked.
"You were listening?" Celeste asked.
"Emmy is very fragile; I had to keep an eye on her. You understand."
"Yes, I do. And yes, Bronev wants to speak with Emmeline tomorrow morning, before we set off for the grounds."
The professor sighed. "I don't think we should go to the grounds. We should heed Jai's warning; I have a terrible feeling about this."
"Come now, Hershel, I don't think anyone can bring back the dead. What ham can burying a body do? And besides, when it doesn't work, everyone can put this terrible ordeal behind them and move on."
"I suppose so," the professor said, still unsure.
"And don't worry about Emmeline. She's been through worse, and I think she knows that it isn't all Bronev's fault."
"Yes. I heard her say that she didn't want him to go to prison, and that she wanted to talk to Grosky."
"Do you think he'll be sent down?"
"That is probable, considering what he has done. But he won't get life, as he was in a mental state when he committed the crime. He may not even get a very long sentence."
"Yes, I know. But I still worry that any sort of stretch in prison will break Bronev for good."
"We will have to see, I suppose."
Celeste smiled. "I'm sure Bronev will appreciate that you're trying to see this from his side as well as Vaughan's. Thank you." She opened the door and left.
"I don't trust her."
The professor turned around and saw Luke standing at the door. He looked very sullen.
"Why not? She has a very good reason for keeping that from us, as did Emmy for keeping her relationship with Vaughan a secret."
"I don't know who to trust anymore, Professor. We're all scared of who'll be revealed as a traitor next. No one knows what'll happen next. And I'm not sure that Emmy can take much more either." Luke looked sad.
The professor patted his shoulder. "I think it'll all be over tomorrow, after we pay a visit to these infamous grounds." The professor frowned and nodded. "I'm sure of it."
