Chapter 24
As these events unfolded in the abandoned house, an entirely different scenario was currently playing out within the Kankers trailer. As promised, Tabby had spent the last hour explaining the repercussions of Lee and Lindsay's action, as well as sharing other important facts that had remained between the two elder Kanker sisters until tonight.
There was no doubt that Lee and Lindsay were quite bewildered by the information that had fallen on their ears. It had been ten minutes since Tabby had completed her explanation, and both girls appeared highly surprised and emotionally distraught. Lindsay remained on the couch, seated with her legs crossed as she had been since she had arrived; however, her normally calm, collected demeanor had completely disappeared. Her chestnut shaped eyes seemed to be locked in a forward position, staring blankly across the room as her entire body adopted a nervous tremor. She had lifted her right hand to her mouth, placing her palm over it as she wrapped her other hand around her torso, a common expression of nervousness displayed by the tall girl.
Kate had taken a seat on one of the wooden chairs, placed adjacent to the couch for she and Tabby to have a place to sit during the discussion. She also appeared to be quite a nervous state; she cradled a cigarette in her left hand, puffing it repetitively as she gazed in the direction of the couch.
The source of Kate's discomfort appeared to stem from the events occurring on the end of the sofa opposite of Lindsay. Unfortunately, Lee's reaction to her time with Tabby and Kate appeared to be much more severe than both Lindsay's and Kate's; the red head was currently rocking back and forth, her hands up to her ears, covering them as if she were attempting to block out a series of loud noises. As she did so, she moaned as if she were in pain, a result of an inadvertent flare-up of her psychiatric condition.
Kate observed with an expression of fright as her older sister (who had taken her place next to Lee) attempted to calm her daughter down. A bottle of Lee's medication laid on the floor beneath the woman, inadvertently tossed there after a retrieval of one of Lee's stabilizing pills. Tabby had wrapped her arms around Lee in a loving, speaking to her softly in an effort to take control of the attack.
"Annalee," said Tabby, "Annalee honey, you need to calm down Babygirl. It's gonna kick in soon and they'll be gone. You did nothing wrong, this is my fault, you had no idea...they can't hurt you..."
A few minutes passed, at which point Lee's medication began to stabilize her moods. As it did so, Tabby released her grip on her daughter, allowing her to return to an upright position. While she was no longer suffering from her inner demons, the redhead was still quite shaken up, staring blankly across the room just as Lindsay was.
Tabby eventually returned to her seat next to the extremely alarmed Kate, following her sisters lead by igniting a cigarette of her own. It became obvious that Tabby was quite upset as well, as she was barely able to strike a match due to the profuse shaking of her hands.
The four women remained silent for a few moments, pondering the proverbial elephant in the room with teary eyes. Eventually, Lindsay decided to break the silence.
"I...I had no idea..." said Lindsay, "I'm...I'm sorry...I just didn't..."
"Tiffany, I feel horrible that you got dragged into all of this and I take full responsibility," said Tabby, "I took the risk, and now it's biting me in the ass...at least you two now know the truth."
Tabby turned towards Lee.
"You knew all along, didn't you Annalee?" said Tabby, "At least an inkling, right?...Be honest."
Lee gazed up toward Tabby with a melancholy expression.
"I had a feeling," said Lee, "But...not that way...if I only knew the repercussions of what I was doing, I would have never..."
"Well, obviously we can't change the past," said Tabby, "We're just gonna do what we Kanker girls always do...adapt and overcome the adversity."
Tabby puffed her cigarette, sighing as she did so.
"Mom," said Lee, "I'll be upfront and honest, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't pissed about hearing all of this for the first time tonight. But, I know you have your reasons, and no matter how crazy things may seem, I know your heart was, and is, always in the right place."
Lee stood up from her seated position.
"Well, that's more than enough insanity for one night," said Lee, "Nothing left to do but, try to enjoy this fancy dancy Broadway show everyone has been dying to see for some reason. I'm gonna go get some air outside."
After a quick stretch, Lee proceeded to make her way towards the door. Taking notice of her best friend beginning to take her leave, Lindsay followed suit, dusting off her dress as she made her way towards the door, opened it, and stepped down onto the asphalt of the RV park. After Lindsay took her exit, Lee proceeded to follow behind her, but not before being briefly stopped by Tabby, who took hold of her arm.
"Remember," said Tabby as she leaned towards Lee's face, "Lips zipped."
"Understood," said Lee, "But just remember, the clock is ticking."
The two women shared a nod, at which point Lee took her leave. Tabby closed the wooden door behind her, leaning her forehead on its wooden surface out of frustration. A few seconds passed, at which point she pounded the doors surface with her fist and turned towards the interior of the room.
"So," said Kate, "I guess talking about your feelings actually helps, huh?"
"You know what Kate," said Tabby in a sarcastic manner, "You can just keep your smart ass remarks to yourself."
Tabby paused for a few moments, after which she began making her way back up the stairs.
"You can sleep up here with me," said Tabby, "But that's just to keep you away from my daughters. I'm tired of dealing with your shit, I'm gonna go finish getting ready for the show I've been dying to see."
Tabby had barely taken three steps when Kate decided to pose a question.
"We're you scared to have her treated?"
Tabby froze for a few seconds, at which point she slowly turned to make eye contact with Kate. The disheveled woman cradled the bottle containing Lee's medication, dropped by Tabby in the haste of calming Lee down, holding it on display for her sister to see.
"Sorry to burst your bubble, but those pills won't get ya the high you're looking for," said Tabby, "So there's no reason for you to even be curious about what they do."
Kate examined the bottle, reading it's label.
"Risperidone," said Kate, "Eerily familiar name...used for the treatment of..."
Tabby cut Kate off as she turned towards her.
"Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder," said Tabby, "There, are ya happy?"
The two women remained silent for a few moments, after which Tabby decided to continue.
"Yes, I was scared," said Tabby, "So scared because of what happened before that I refused to take her to be evaluated until around a year ago. She's been showing signs since she was around ten years old, and it progressively got worse over the years."
"That is so sad Tabitha," said Kate in a melancholy manner, "A girl that young struggling with something that horrible."
There was another bought of silence.
"Did it just come about, or did something bring it on?" asked Kate.
Tabby shuddered slightly, swallowing heavily prior to providing a truthful, blunt explanation regarding Lee's trauma filled past to her sister. Upon hearing the news, Kate placed her hand over her mouth.
"That son-of-a-bitch," said Kate, "I would have killed him Tabitha."
"Believe me, I wanted to," said Tabby, "My husband almost did when he found out. We tried to get him arrested, but they couldn't make a case because Annalee was too scared to testify. She can't even remember any of the interrogations...it's like she blacked out...like..."
Tabby ceased speaking mid sentence, swallowing heavily as she did so.
"Well, just to let you know," said Kate, "God works in mysterious ways."
"What do you mean by that?" asked Tabby.
"Dennis was killed on the street shortly after being released from jail last year," said Kate, "I originally thought that it was the devils work, but after hearing what you just told me, I now know it was God giving one of His little angels justice."
The two woman stood in silence for a few moments, at which point Kate decided to speak.
"Does she show..." asked Kate.
"No," said Tabby in an abrupt manner, after which she took a puff of her cigarette.
After a few more seconds, Kate took notice of the pill bottles label once again.
"That name is pretty familiar as well," said Kate, "I'm very surprised you sought her out, after all the bullshit you dealt with. I'm surprised you allowed your daughter to see her."
Tabby suddenly turned, snatching Lee's medication out of Kate's hand.
"What I do with my daughter is none of your business," said Tabby in an aggressive manner, "If you actually had half a brain, or were even around for that matter, you would have known what I've been through and why I chose her...but I guess you were too embarrassed and ashamed to show that slutty face around the family after what you did.."
Kate and Tabby remained focused on each other with angry expressions for a few moments, after which Tabby turned and began making her way up the stairs. As she did so, she turned back towards Kate once more, albeit in a much calmer manner.
"She was just a young intern back then," said Tabby, "But she was the only one that treated her like a human being instead of a fucking experiment. Now she's a leading researcher in her field, and I trust her knowledge with my life."
Tabby turned and continued making her way up the stairs.
"Unless you got something to say about what I need ya to do, don't even talk to me for the rest of the trip," said Tabby, "The only reason you were offered to come along is because I need you, no more no less. I can't wait until this is over and I can get back to my life...one without you."
"Feelings mutual," said Kate, "I'm doing this for my family, not for you."
After a momentary pause, Kate added on one final statement.
"Ya left out a pretty important point in your discussion with the girls by the way!" yelled Kate.
Tabby entered her bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her and causing a small shock wave to emanate through the trailer. Following Tabby's exit, Kate tossed the pill bottle onto the night stand, and collapsed onto the sofa in a supine position; corresponding with a tear drop from her left eye.