The story is exactly the same...except Melanie is not schizophrenic so you will have to eliminate the pills that Bella found from your memory.... :)
Jake slowly opened her eyes. Her sudden consciousness brought with it blurred vision and a throbbing headache. She groaned both from the pain and the nausea in her stomach. As she regained wakefulness she became aware of the tingling sensations in her hands. It was only then that Jake realized she had been tied tightly to the chair. Her panic helped her temporarily forget about the pain in her head as she struggled against her restraints. "Help!" She screamed. "Hamilton! Help!"
"He's not coming." The whispered voice from behind both startled and silenced her. She tried to turn her head but the pain prevented it. "He thinks you're gone." The shadowy figure came to stand beside her and bent down to whisper menacingly in her ear. Jake turned her head slightly and was face to face with Melanie Manos. Jake's mouth fell open.
"Melanie? What the hell are you doing?" Jake squinted at her.
"Evening things out...Jacqueline."
Jake looked up at the sound of her own name. "What?" She questioned.
"Of course I know you...I've known about you my whole life." She said.
Jake looked at her with obvious confusion in her eyes. "You have something...you took something that was mine. And now my intention is to take something of yours." Melanie's voice lowered as she spoke.
"Hamilton?" Jake questioned quietly.
"Hamilton is just the start..." Melanie answered.
"I have no idea what you're talking about...what did I take from you? I don't even know you." Jake said.
"No...I suppose you don't...but I know you."
"Melanie...you're talking in circles...I don't understand..." Jake's thought was immediately interrupted by another blow to the side of her head.
"Shut up! Jake felt a warm trickle of what she assumed was blood run into her ear.
"You took her away from us...away from me. She had to be with you. Rich bitch." Melanie sneered in frustration as she watched Jake's eyes. "My mother." She said quietly. "My mother...had twins, my sister and I. She was alone...my father left her. She couldn't support us...she couldn't feed us. She gave us away. She gave us away to a home so that other people could take care of us. And then, she went to live with you!" Melanie looked at Jake with hate in her eyes. "We were sent to live with other families...I even lived here in Rawley for a time. My mother spent everyday of MY life taking care of you. I needed her. I needed her more than you did. You already had a mother...and you took mine as well."
"You're Consuela's daughter?" Jake asked quietly trying to understand.
"Yes..I am. I want her back!"
"Look...Melanie you have to understand...I didn't know any of this." Jake's head pounded and she began to feel weak. "Melanie...please..." Jake whispered with a ragged breath before the darkness came.
*******************************
Bella, Scout, Will and Hamilton stood outside of Jake's room. Hamilton reached above the door frame and felt for the key. "Damn it!" He said in frustration. "I'm the one that told her not to leave the key up there anymore." Hamilton reached into his pocket pulling out his set of keys...at the same time Bella produced her nail file and Will extracted his ATM card. The three looked at each other.
"I got this one." Scout said reaching through the threesome, turning the knob and pushing the door open. "It's unlocked." He smiled smugly.
The four looked around the room for signs of Jake's sudden departure from Rawley Academy.
Bella opened Jake's closet. "Her leather jacket is still here." Bella said.
Will bent down and looked under Jake's desk. "Her backpack is still here." He said.
"She has some really wild underwear." Scout said as he slowly closed Jake's dresser drawer. He glanced at the befuddled faces that stared back at him.
"There..." Hamilton said lifting Jake's copy of Othello which remained on her desk. "The keys to her bike. Now we know she didn't leave." Hamilton was starting to look worried.
Bella met his eyes with her own. "So where is she?"
******************************
The light painfully pierced through Jake's eyelids. She squinted to open them. "Hamilton?" She whispered as her head uncontrollably fell forward.
"You made me live in that place...You got in the way." Melanie's voice again brought Jake in to the reality of her situation. "You got in my way. You got in the way of me having a normal life.. My mother would have been fine. WE would have been just fine. We lived with five different foster families. My sister was finally taken out of the orphanage two years ago, without me. She was all I had left. They told me she died in a fire last year. It's all your fault Jacqueline. Can you see how it's all your fault. If you were never born...then my mother would never have left...and my sister would never have died." Melanie ranted in explanation.
Jake was feeling nauseous again. There was an overpowering odor in the stuffy shed. It took Jake a minute to recognize the distinctive smell of gasoline. Melanie danced around as she slowly and gracefully emptied the contents of the red tin can...drenching everything in her path. Jake began to panic again. She mustered what little strength she had and again struggled with her constraints but they seemed only to tighten with each movement she made. Jake coughed as the fumes caught in her throat.
"Melanie..." She gagged. "Look...Melanie...I'm sorry. I'm very sorry about your sister. I didn't know...I can try to make things up to you."
Melanie turned and bent down to look directly into Jake's eyes. Jake could feel her breath on her face. "Nothing you can do will bring her back to me. So...Jacqueline Pratt...I'm evening the score."
Jake watched in horror as Melanie took a book of matches from her pocket. She slowly walked to the door, hesitated slightly and then struck the match and tossed it down on the floor.
"No! Wait! Melanie!" Jake's adrenaline allowed her to produce a blood curdling scream. "Help!" She continued to yell as she watched a small pile of rags blaze.
******************************
The four exited the front door to the school like they had been shot through a cannon. "Where do we start?" Bella asked.
"I don't know...just look. We have to find her." Hamilton said quickly descending the steps.
"Wait! Calm down! Look, I know we're all scared...and worried...." Will tried to slow his own breathing down. "But we'll get more accomplished if we're calm."
"Call the police?" Scout suggested. Will, Bella and Scout looked at Hamilton.
Hamilton hesitated briefly before he spoke. "Jake didn't want the police involved. That's why she was running in the first place...she was afraid that she'd be found out...but...this is bigger than us. Yeah...call the police."
As Scout took out his cell phone he glanced across the lake. "What the hell....?" Hamilton followed Scout's eyes. Billowing clouds of dark smoke ascended into the air through the trees. Hamilton just knew.
"Jake!" He screamed as he ran in the direction of the fire. Scout dialed 911 on the phone and then ran to catch up with the others.
Hamilton was unstoppable. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him. Adrenaline pumped through his veins and the rush carried him like the wind with Will at his side.
As they approached the groundskeepers shed they found it engulfed in leaping flames. "Jake!" Hamilton screamed. He ran up to side of the building continuing to scream her name. "Jake!" The heat from the inside of the shed smashed the window sending shards of glass flying into the air.
"Hamilton!" Bella screamed. "Are you Ok?"
Hamilton had no concern for himself anymore. He knew instinctively that Jake was in trouble and no amount of pain or fear could stop him now. He raced to the shattered window. Flames leapt out around the remaining jagged glass. Smoke poured from the opening preventing Hamilton from getting close enough to see inside. He ran around the side of the house finding the door.
Jake had managed to wiggle violently enough to knock the chair over and push her way toward the open door. "Hamilton!" She tried to yell but choked and coughed instead.
Hamilton looked in through the door and saw Jake lying sideways on the floor.
"She's here...Will, help me!" He screamed. Hamilton entered the burning building and grabbed at Jake's arm. She felt heavy and she wasn't moving. Hamilton hoped that she was just unconscious. Will coughed. The two bent down and picked up Jake, chair and all and carried her from the building.
They fell on the grass. "Jake!" Hamilton yelled as he turned her face to his.
"Hamilton...be careful. She looks really hurt." Bella said as she kneeled on the grass beside her.
Scout peeled off his sweatshirt and carefully placed it under her Jake's head. "The ambulance will be here any second. Don't worry Ham. She'll be Ok."
Will and Hamilton worked at the knots and freed Jake from the chair.
The sounds of the fire engines approaching were reminiscent of the previous evening. The blaring horns were deafening as the brakes screeched to a halt in front of the shed.
Will, Scout and Bella appeared at Hamilton's side but he was unaware of their presence. Ahead of them, in viewing distance, was a police cruiser.
Jake's eyes were closed. Her face was blackened with dirt and ashes and dried streaks lined her face. The paramedics quickly scooped her up and placed her on a hard board. They put a rigid collar on her to protect her neck. She was covered with a white sheet and the belted strap kept her from moving.
"Jake?" Hamilton said as he reached out and grabbed the side of the stretcher. "Jake?" She remained still. Hamilton looked at the medic. "She's going to be Ok? Isn't she?" He said pleadingly.
"She has a concussion and she probably inhaled a lot of smoke." He said. "We need to get her to the hospital." The two paramedics squatted and lifted the stretcher into the back of the ambulance. They rolled her out of his view and locked the wheels in place. One medic climbed into the back while the other slammed the door shut from the outside. He ran around to the drivers door and climbed in. The ambulance siren sounded as it sped away.
Hamilton dropped to his knees on the ground. "Oh my God!" He screamed as he pounded the dirt with his fist. He felt a sturdy hand on his shoulder. Hamilton looked up to see his disheveled father standing over him. He reached his arm under Hamilton's and helped him to his feet.
"Dad...?" Hamilton cried out.
"It's Ok son...it's going to be Ok." Stephen guided Hamilton back toward his friends. As they walked past the cruiser Hamilton saw Melanie in the back seat. She sat with her head bent forward. He still had no idea of what had happened here. He slowed his pace slightly and looked at her through the glass. Melanie turned her head and met his stare with a darkness in her eyes that frightened him.
******************************
Kate Fleming flew around the corner of the hospital emergency room. She ran the last few steps toward the waiting area where Stephen, Hamilton, Bella, Scout and Will were sitting.
"What happened?" She asked interrupting Stephen's tale.
Stephen continued to speak to the kids. "It seems as though Melanie spent the last year in the Wakefield Adolescent Treatment Center. She was being treated for a personality disorder. Melanie's therapist was treating her for sociopathic behavior. Melanie felt abandoned by her mother. She felt rejected by her. When she lost her sister in an accident a year ago...she felt that Jake was responsible in some way. The day you kids broke into my office to use the computer..." All four heads dropped to stare at the floor. "...some of Melanie's medical information appeared on the screen. I wasn't sure...and I, of course, had to wait for some indication that she was...well...unhealthy. I called the center and the doctors they filled me in on the rest. Melanie has problems, severe psychological problems and she is unable to feel remorse. Somewhere along the way she latched onto Jake and blamed her for everything that had been bad in her own life. I heard her tell Kate that she and Hamilton were dating and that, quite frankly, puzzled me a little...because I was under the impression that my son was a homosexual and completely in love with another boy from this school." Hamilton's face flushed bright maroon as his father spoke. "So...I watched...and I waited for Ms. Manos to make her move. When Jake left so early in the morning...I thought she was going to meet you, Hamilton. It wasn't until Jake didn't show up for the crew meet that I went looking for her. I'm sorry son...I had no idea what Melanie was capable of. I wished I could have gotten to her sooner." Stephen shook his head in dismay.
Hamilton looked at his father. "Her?" He said quietly.
"Her." Stephen said.
"So, you know..." He said.
"Not at first...but I do now. I had to call Melanie's mother to tell her what was happening. When I started to call Jacqueline's mother it was only then that I realized that I was calling the same place. I spoke with Monica Pratt and well...she mentioned that she didn't have a son...only a daughter." Stephen answered. Hamilton's eyes widened.
"And?" Stephen nodded his head. "We didn't really have the time to get into all the details of why and how...that's something that will be better handled when Jake's feeling better and you're packing her up and helping her move into Rawley Girls."
Will and Scout smiled. Hamilton extended his arms and hugged his father tightly.
"Thank you Dad. She means everything to me." Hamilton said.
"I know." He answered and then glanced over at his wife.
"What's going to happen to Melanie now?" Bella asked.
"I imagine she'll be taken back to the treatment center and they'll decide if she's competent enough to understand the charges that she faces." Stephen said.
For the first time...Bella actually felt sorry for Melanie.
The nurse came out of Jake's room and approached the group. "Hamilton?" Hamilton stood up. "Jacqueline's awake and she's asking to see you." She pointed to the door and Hamilton walked in.
Jake lay on the hospital bed. She had an oxygen mask covering her mouth and nose. A bulky white dressing surrounded her head. Her face was cleaner and her eyes followed him to the bedside. He could see her smile under the mask.
"Hi." She whispered with a scratchy voice.
"Hi." He said.
Hamilton reached under the sheet to find her hand and hold it in his.
"I'm glad you're Ok." He nodded with a voice full of emotion. A tear fell from Jake's eye and Hamilton reached up and brushed it away.
"Thank you." She whispered in a barely audible voice.
Hamilton bent over the bed and gently kissed her cheek. "I love you." He whispered in her ear.
"Ah hem..." The sound of a clearing throat came from the open door as Will peaked his head into the room. "Is Jake up for more visitors?" He asked.
"Nah..." Hamilton said, "Two's company...three's a crowd." He smiled as he nodded and waved his hand motioning Will and the rest of the gang to come in.
THE END
AUTHOR'S NOTE #2:
Want a little more?
This is what I call..."The Scooby-Doo" Ending. Fans of Wayne's World will understand. I'm picturing Will as the cute blonde guy, Fred (if you can accept a cartoon character as being "cute"). Bella as Daphne, Jake as Velma and Hamilton as Shaggy. Leaving Scout to play Scooby-Doo.
Can you hear the music? LOL
deedley doo, deedly doo, deedly doo, deedly doo, deedly doo, deedly doo.
Ok...so I didn't really write a Scooby-Doo ending...but if I were going to ...I imagine it would have involved a film projector...a bunch of bananas hanging from the ceiling of the groundskeepers shed. A skate board and an old barrell that would have fallen magically from the roof and perfectly encased Melanie, restraining her arms but allowing her head to poke through. (you can picture this...right?)
"WelI, when I read the ancient Himalyan heiroglyphics that were scratched onto the wall in the shed it became aparent to me that Melanie was using this shed to mine the gold which was housed under the lake." Velma/Jake said.
"And she used the story about the lake being haunted to keep the Rawley students away." Fred/Will added.
"What about the ghost?" Shaggy/Hamilton asked.
Scooby/Scout entered from the opposite door pulling the now amazingly tied up "Ghost of Rawley Lake", with his teeth across the floor. (Scooby/Scout laughs here...can you hear it??)
"So why did Melanie want the gold?" Daphne/Bella asked looking, as usual, puzzled.
"It's not Melanie Manos at all..." Velma/Jake said as she reached for Melanie's chin and hastily pulled off the rubber mask.
"Mr. Finch?!!" They all said in unison as they looked at Rawley's own groundskeeper.
"And the ghost...." Shaggy/Hamilton said as he unveiled the real face of the apparition.
"Mrs. Kolopolus?" The all said in unison again.
"Yeah...that was the plan. "Mr. Finch said disgruntled.
"And it would have worked to...if it weren't for you meddling kids." :)
Jake slowly opened her eyes. Her sudden consciousness brought with it blurred vision and a throbbing headache. She groaned both from the pain and the nausea in her stomach. As she regained wakefulness she became aware of the tingling sensations in her hands. It was only then that Jake realized she had been tied tightly to the chair. Her panic helped her temporarily forget about the pain in her head as she struggled against her restraints. "Help!" She screamed. "Hamilton! Help!"
"He's not coming." The whispered voice from behind both startled and silenced her. She tried to turn her head but the pain prevented it. "He thinks you're gone." The shadowy figure came to stand beside her and bent down to whisper menacingly in her ear. Jake turned her head slightly and was face to face with Melanie Manos. Jake's mouth fell open.
"Melanie? What the hell are you doing?" Jake squinted at her.
"Evening things out...Jacqueline."
Jake looked up at the sound of her own name. "What?" She questioned.
"Of course I know you...I've known about you my whole life." She said.
Jake looked at her with obvious confusion in her eyes. "You have something...you took something that was mine. And now my intention is to take something of yours." Melanie's voice lowered as she spoke.
"Hamilton?" Jake questioned quietly.
"Hamilton is just the start..." Melanie answered.
"I have no idea what you're talking about...what did I take from you? I don't even know you." Jake said.
"No...I suppose you don't...but I know you."
"Melanie...you're talking in circles...I don't understand..." Jake's thought was immediately interrupted by another blow to the side of her head.
"Shut up! Jake felt a warm trickle of what she assumed was blood run into her ear.
"You took her away from us...away from me. She had to be with you. Rich bitch." Melanie sneered in frustration as she watched Jake's eyes. "My mother." She said quietly. "My mother...had twins, my sister and I. She was alone...my father left her. She couldn't support us...she couldn't feed us. She gave us away. She gave us away to a home so that other people could take care of us. And then, she went to live with you!" Melanie looked at Jake with hate in her eyes. "We were sent to live with other families...I even lived here in Rawley for a time. My mother spent everyday of MY life taking care of you. I needed her. I needed her more than you did. You already had a mother...and you took mine as well."
"You're Consuela's daughter?" Jake asked quietly trying to understand.
"Yes..I am. I want her back!"
"Look...Melanie you have to understand...I didn't know any of this." Jake's head pounded and she began to feel weak. "Melanie...please..." Jake whispered with a ragged breath before the darkness came.
*******************************
Bella, Scout, Will and Hamilton stood outside of Jake's room. Hamilton reached above the door frame and felt for the key. "Damn it!" He said in frustration. "I'm the one that told her not to leave the key up there anymore." Hamilton reached into his pocket pulling out his set of keys...at the same time Bella produced her nail file and Will extracted his ATM card. The three looked at each other.
"I got this one." Scout said reaching through the threesome, turning the knob and pushing the door open. "It's unlocked." He smiled smugly.
The four looked around the room for signs of Jake's sudden departure from Rawley Academy.
Bella opened Jake's closet. "Her leather jacket is still here." Bella said.
Will bent down and looked under Jake's desk. "Her backpack is still here." He said.
"She has some really wild underwear." Scout said as he slowly closed Jake's dresser drawer. He glanced at the befuddled faces that stared back at him.
"There..." Hamilton said lifting Jake's copy of Othello which remained on her desk. "The keys to her bike. Now we know she didn't leave." Hamilton was starting to look worried.
Bella met his eyes with her own. "So where is she?"
******************************
The light painfully pierced through Jake's eyelids. She squinted to open them. "Hamilton?" She whispered as her head uncontrollably fell forward.
"You made me live in that place...You got in the way." Melanie's voice again brought Jake in to the reality of her situation. "You got in my way. You got in the way of me having a normal life.. My mother would have been fine. WE would have been just fine. We lived with five different foster families. My sister was finally taken out of the orphanage two years ago, without me. She was all I had left. They told me she died in a fire last year. It's all your fault Jacqueline. Can you see how it's all your fault. If you were never born...then my mother would never have left...and my sister would never have died." Melanie ranted in explanation.
Jake was feeling nauseous again. There was an overpowering odor in the stuffy shed. It took Jake a minute to recognize the distinctive smell of gasoline. Melanie danced around as she slowly and gracefully emptied the contents of the red tin can...drenching everything in her path. Jake began to panic again. She mustered what little strength she had and again struggled with her constraints but they seemed only to tighten with each movement she made. Jake coughed as the fumes caught in her throat.
"Melanie..." She gagged. "Look...Melanie...I'm sorry. I'm very sorry about your sister. I didn't know...I can try to make things up to you."
Melanie turned and bent down to look directly into Jake's eyes. Jake could feel her breath on her face. "Nothing you can do will bring her back to me. So...Jacqueline Pratt...I'm evening the score."
Jake watched in horror as Melanie took a book of matches from her pocket. She slowly walked to the door, hesitated slightly and then struck the match and tossed it down on the floor.
"No! Wait! Melanie!" Jake's adrenaline allowed her to produce a blood curdling scream. "Help!" She continued to yell as she watched a small pile of rags blaze.
******************************
The four exited the front door to the school like they had been shot through a cannon. "Where do we start?" Bella asked.
"I don't know...just look. We have to find her." Hamilton said quickly descending the steps.
"Wait! Calm down! Look, I know we're all scared...and worried...." Will tried to slow his own breathing down. "But we'll get more accomplished if we're calm."
"Call the police?" Scout suggested. Will, Bella and Scout looked at Hamilton.
Hamilton hesitated briefly before he spoke. "Jake didn't want the police involved. That's why she was running in the first place...she was afraid that she'd be found out...but...this is bigger than us. Yeah...call the police."
As Scout took out his cell phone he glanced across the lake. "What the hell....?" Hamilton followed Scout's eyes. Billowing clouds of dark smoke ascended into the air through the trees. Hamilton just knew.
"Jake!" He screamed as he ran in the direction of the fire. Scout dialed 911 on the phone and then ran to catch up with the others.
Hamilton was unstoppable. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him. Adrenaline pumped through his veins and the rush carried him like the wind with Will at his side.
As they approached the groundskeepers shed they found it engulfed in leaping flames. "Jake!" Hamilton screamed. He ran up to side of the building continuing to scream her name. "Jake!" The heat from the inside of the shed smashed the window sending shards of glass flying into the air.
"Hamilton!" Bella screamed. "Are you Ok?"
Hamilton had no concern for himself anymore. He knew instinctively that Jake was in trouble and no amount of pain or fear could stop him now. He raced to the shattered window. Flames leapt out around the remaining jagged glass. Smoke poured from the opening preventing Hamilton from getting close enough to see inside. He ran around the side of the house finding the door.
Jake had managed to wiggle violently enough to knock the chair over and push her way toward the open door. "Hamilton!" She tried to yell but choked and coughed instead.
Hamilton looked in through the door and saw Jake lying sideways on the floor.
"She's here...Will, help me!" He screamed. Hamilton entered the burning building and grabbed at Jake's arm. She felt heavy and she wasn't moving. Hamilton hoped that she was just unconscious. Will coughed. The two bent down and picked up Jake, chair and all and carried her from the building.
They fell on the grass. "Jake!" Hamilton yelled as he turned her face to his.
"Hamilton...be careful. She looks really hurt." Bella said as she kneeled on the grass beside her.
Scout peeled off his sweatshirt and carefully placed it under her Jake's head. "The ambulance will be here any second. Don't worry Ham. She'll be Ok."
Will and Hamilton worked at the knots and freed Jake from the chair.
The sounds of the fire engines approaching were reminiscent of the previous evening. The blaring horns were deafening as the brakes screeched to a halt in front of the shed.
Will, Scout and Bella appeared at Hamilton's side but he was unaware of their presence. Ahead of them, in viewing distance, was a police cruiser.
Jake's eyes were closed. Her face was blackened with dirt and ashes and dried streaks lined her face. The paramedics quickly scooped her up and placed her on a hard board. They put a rigid collar on her to protect her neck. She was covered with a white sheet and the belted strap kept her from moving.
"Jake?" Hamilton said as he reached out and grabbed the side of the stretcher. "Jake?" She remained still. Hamilton looked at the medic. "She's going to be Ok? Isn't she?" He said pleadingly.
"She has a concussion and she probably inhaled a lot of smoke." He said. "We need to get her to the hospital." The two paramedics squatted and lifted the stretcher into the back of the ambulance. They rolled her out of his view and locked the wheels in place. One medic climbed into the back while the other slammed the door shut from the outside. He ran around to the drivers door and climbed in. The ambulance siren sounded as it sped away.
Hamilton dropped to his knees on the ground. "Oh my God!" He screamed as he pounded the dirt with his fist. He felt a sturdy hand on his shoulder. Hamilton looked up to see his disheveled father standing over him. He reached his arm under Hamilton's and helped him to his feet.
"Dad...?" Hamilton cried out.
"It's Ok son...it's going to be Ok." Stephen guided Hamilton back toward his friends. As they walked past the cruiser Hamilton saw Melanie in the back seat. She sat with her head bent forward. He still had no idea of what had happened here. He slowed his pace slightly and looked at her through the glass. Melanie turned her head and met his stare with a darkness in her eyes that frightened him.
******************************
Kate Fleming flew around the corner of the hospital emergency room. She ran the last few steps toward the waiting area where Stephen, Hamilton, Bella, Scout and Will were sitting.
"What happened?" She asked interrupting Stephen's tale.
Stephen continued to speak to the kids. "It seems as though Melanie spent the last year in the Wakefield Adolescent Treatment Center. She was being treated for a personality disorder. Melanie's therapist was treating her for sociopathic behavior. Melanie felt abandoned by her mother. She felt rejected by her. When she lost her sister in an accident a year ago...she felt that Jake was responsible in some way. The day you kids broke into my office to use the computer..." All four heads dropped to stare at the floor. "...some of Melanie's medical information appeared on the screen. I wasn't sure...and I, of course, had to wait for some indication that she was...well...unhealthy. I called the center and the doctors they filled me in on the rest. Melanie has problems, severe psychological problems and she is unable to feel remorse. Somewhere along the way she latched onto Jake and blamed her for everything that had been bad in her own life. I heard her tell Kate that she and Hamilton were dating and that, quite frankly, puzzled me a little...because I was under the impression that my son was a homosexual and completely in love with another boy from this school." Hamilton's face flushed bright maroon as his father spoke. "So...I watched...and I waited for Ms. Manos to make her move. When Jake left so early in the morning...I thought she was going to meet you, Hamilton. It wasn't until Jake didn't show up for the crew meet that I went looking for her. I'm sorry son...I had no idea what Melanie was capable of. I wished I could have gotten to her sooner." Stephen shook his head in dismay.
Hamilton looked at his father. "Her?" He said quietly.
"Her." Stephen said.
"So, you know..." He said.
"Not at first...but I do now. I had to call Melanie's mother to tell her what was happening. When I started to call Jacqueline's mother it was only then that I realized that I was calling the same place. I spoke with Monica Pratt and well...she mentioned that she didn't have a son...only a daughter." Stephen answered. Hamilton's eyes widened.
"And?" Stephen nodded his head. "We didn't really have the time to get into all the details of why and how...that's something that will be better handled when Jake's feeling better and you're packing her up and helping her move into Rawley Girls."
Will and Scout smiled. Hamilton extended his arms and hugged his father tightly.
"Thank you Dad. She means everything to me." Hamilton said.
"I know." He answered and then glanced over at his wife.
"What's going to happen to Melanie now?" Bella asked.
"I imagine she'll be taken back to the treatment center and they'll decide if she's competent enough to understand the charges that she faces." Stephen said.
For the first time...Bella actually felt sorry for Melanie.
The nurse came out of Jake's room and approached the group. "Hamilton?" Hamilton stood up. "Jacqueline's awake and she's asking to see you." She pointed to the door and Hamilton walked in.
Jake lay on the hospital bed. She had an oxygen mask covering her mouth and nose. A bulky white dressing surrounded her head. Her face was cleaner and her eyes followed him to the bedside. He could see her smile under the mask.
"Hi." She whispered with a scratchy voice.
"Hi." He said.
Hamilton reached under the sheet to find her hand and hold it in his.
"I'm glad you're Ok." He nodded with a voice full of emotion. A tear fell from Jake's eye and Hamilton reached up and brushed it away.
"Thank you." She whispered in a barely audible voice.
Hamilton bent over the bed and gently kissed her cheek. "I love you." He whispered in her ear.
"Ah hem..." The sound of a clearing throat came from the open door as Will peaked his head into the room. "Is Jake up for more visitors?" He asked.
"Nah..." Hamilton said, "Two's company...three's a crowd." He smiled as he nodded and waved his hand motioning Will and the rest of the gang to come in.
THE END
AUTHOR'S NOTE #2:
Want a little more?
This is what I call..."The Scooby-Doo" Ending. Fans of Wayne's World will understand. I'm picturing Will as the cute blonde guy, Fred (if you can accept a cartoon character as being "cute"). Bella as Daphne, Jake as Velma and Hamilton as Shaggy. Leaving Scout to play Scooby-Doo.
Can you hear the music? LOL
deedley doo, deedly doo, deedly doo, deedly doo, deedly doo, deedly doo.
Ok...so I didn't really write a Scooby-Doo ending...but if I were going to ...I imagine it would have involved a film projector...a bunch of bananas hanging from the ceiling of the groundskeepers shed. A skate board and an old barrell that would have fallen magically from the roof and perfectly encased Melanie, restraining her arms but allowing her head to poke through. (you can picture this...right?)
"WelI, when I read the ancient Himalyan heiroglyphics that were scratched onto the wall in the shed it became aparent to me that Melanie was using this shed to mine the gold which was housed under the lake." Velma/Jake said.
"And she used the story about the lake being haunted to keep the Rawley students away." Fred/Will added.
"What about the ghost?" Shaggy/Hamilton asked.
Scooby/Scout entered from the opposite door pulling the now amazingly tied up "Ghost of Rawley Lake", with his teeth across the floor. (Scooby/Scout laughs here...can you hear it??)
"So why did Melanie want the gold?" Daphne/Bella asked looking, as usual, puzzled.
"It's not Melanie Manos at all..." Velma/Jake said as she reached for Melanie's chin and hastily pulled off the rubber mask.
"Mr. Finch?!!" They all said in unison as they looked at Rawley's own groundskeeper.
"And the ghost...." Shaggy/Hamilton said as he unveiled the real face of the apparition.
"Mrs. Kolopolus?" The all said in unison again.
"Yeah...that was the plan. "Mr. Finch said disgruntled.
"And it would have worked to...if it weren't for you meddling kids." :)