If Love Is All We Have, Chapter Ten
"In a Corner"
Thomas and Francesco dragged Chandler's lifeless body out of Frank's office, and down to the basement. They dumped his body into a clothes hamper, and rolled it into the back of an unmarked van. They both watched, as the the van left the compound, slowly fading as it headed deeper into the woods behind the compound.
"That went a little too smoothly," Francesco commented.
"Yeah," Thomas said blankly, as the two men headed back toward the main house.
***
She could hear a high-pitched ringing, and then she could hear a powerful thumping. It took her a minute to realize that it was her own heartbeat. She was surrounded by pitch black darkness. Then she heard mumbling. As the mumbling became clearer, she felt herself being pulled out of the darkness. She opened one eye, and then the other. Her head was throbbing. The ringing in her ears would not let up. She saw a man standing over her. She didn't recognize him.
"Wh-where am I?" she croaked.
"You are home, Monica," the man replied.
"What happened? Where's Chandler?" Monica blinked furiously.
"We aren't sure what happened. We found you, unconscious in the garden, fourteen hours ago. How do you feel?"
"I want to see Chandler," Monica insisted, not entirely sure why she had an overwhelming desire to see him.
"In time, my dear, in time," the man said comfortingly.
Monica closed her eyes, and was again surrounded by The Darkness.
*
The next time Monica opened her eyes, the ringing had stopped, and the throbbing had become a bit more bearable. She sat up slowly, and took in her surroundings. She opened her mouth to call out for Chandler, when she suddenly remembered what it was she'd seen before she fell. She wondered if he had survived the shooting. She wondered why Thomas had turned on him. Had it all been part of a bigger plan? Was Thomas really working with Frank? She couldn't believe it. He seemed like such a sweet kid.
She heard the door to her bedroom open, and turned to see Frank walk in with the stranger from before.
"This is Doctor Chadwick," Frank said, as he made his way toward Monica.
"Hello, Monica," the softspoken man said.
"Frank...where's Chandler?" Monica was almost afraid to ask.
"Chandler is dead," Frank said flatly.
Monica felt tears welling up in her eyes, as she absorbed the information.
"Why?" she whispered.
"Because he screwed up. Because he wanted to leave again. Because he wanted to be with *you*," Frank seethed. "The doctor is going to take a look at you, and then you and I are going to have a little chat." Frank turned to leave, and as he opened the door, he turned toward her again. "Don't worry Monica, you'll be seeing Chandler soon enough."
***
Chandler woke up with a start, wheezing and gasping for air. (AN: Okay, you can breathe now, LOL) He turned to his side, and groaned in pain. The bullets had hit him with much more force than he was expecting. He sat up slowly, shaking his weary head. As he pulled off his outer jacket, and then his flak jacket, he winced in pain. The bullets had left large bruises all over his torso. He pulled off his bloody shirt, and threw it into the makeshift grave that had been dug out next to him. He took off his watch, and threw it into the grave as well. The plan had obviously gone well, since there was no sign of Frank or his men anywhere. Francesco had told him that the only way that they would be able to pull it off would be if he or Thomas shot Chandler in front of Frank. Two days prior, Francesco's friend, a doctor from Sweden, drew a pint of blood from Chandler. Four sealed bags were sewn into Chandler's jacket the night before the shooting was to take place, ensuring that Chandler would appear to be bleeding all over Frank's four thousand dollar Persian rug. Chandler remembered Thomas' face as he pointed the gun at him. He had wondered if Thomas was going to be able to go through with it. Silently pleading with his eyes, Chandler had convinced Thomas to pull the trigger. The bullets had hit Chandler hard enough to knock the wind out of him, and knock him out cold when he hit the hardwood floor. The bullets punctured each of the blood-filled bags as he fell. It was apparently enough to convince Frank that Chandler was dead.
Chandler looked around the darkened woods, and stood up slowly, then picked up the shovel that had been left behind. He dug up a plastic bag that was buried twenty yards from the grave. In the bag he found his new passport, money, a train ticket, and a change of clothes. Throwing all of his soiled clothes and identification into his grave, he quickly filled in the hole, and made his way down the hill, and toward the city.
***
Thomas was sitting next to Monica's bed the next time she woke up.
"Get away from me, you bastard," she croaked, moving swiftly to the other side of the bed.
"Monica, please calm down."
"Calm down? You killed your own brother!"
"Monica, please, just listen. Chandler's alive," Thomas whispered.
"What?"
"He's alive. Everything that you saw--it was part of a plan--a plan to get him out of here."
"Oh my God. Wh-where is he?"
"On his way to London," Thomas said.
Monica closed her eyes, suddenly realizing that she had made a huge mistake coming back. But before she could reply, her door opened, and Frank came in, with the same bodyguards from the other night.
"Monica, I see you are feeling better," Frank said slowly.
"A little," Monica said quietly.
"I need to ask you a few questions, Monica," Franks said slowly.
"What are you going to do with me?"
"Why did you come back here? Chandler told me that you told him that you no longer loved him."
"I did. But--"
"There's no reason to lie to me anymore, Monica. I know that Chandler snuck you out. I knew it almost immediately. That's part of the reason I had him killed."
"No, that's not true, I--"
"I'm afraid that you are of no use to me now, Monica," Frank said threateningly.
"Frank, you can't kill her," Thomas said suddenly, an idea flashing through his head.
"What? Why not?"
"She's...uh, pregnant. She just told me. That's why she came back."
Monica looked at Thomas, her eyes wide. The lie was brilliant. She just hoped Frank would buy it.
"Really. Well, I'll bring in Dr. Chadwick again. He'll do a test, and if it turns out that you are pregnant, you'll live long enough to give me a grandson. If you aren't you'll be buried next to Chandler by sunset." With that, Frank turned on his heel and walked out of the room.
"Thomas, what are we going to do?" Monica whispered desperately.
"I'll figure something out..." Thomas said reassuringly. Inside he was certain that there would be no stopping Frank. He hoped that they could get a hold of Chandler soon.
***
Doctor Chadwick returned to Monica's room, and took a blood and urine sample from her. She sat on the edge of her bed, fidgeting with the loose end of her pillowcase. The doctor said that he would return with the results in two hours. Monica fought back her tears. She didn't want to die. She wasn't ready. But it was a no-win situation. If she wasn't pregnant, she'd die tonight--if she was, her child would end up trapped here, the way Chandler and Thomas were. The entire scenario was devastating, to say the very least. Filled with dispair and hopelessness, Monica finally let go, broke down, and began sobbing uncontrollably.
*
She must have drifted off, because she felt Frank shaking her awake. She opened her eyes, and jumped back on her bed, knowing that he had come to kill her.
"Monica, we have the results to your pregnancy test," Frank said, his voice giving away nothing.
***
The annoucement over the loudspeaker woke Chandler from his daydream. He couldn't wait to see Monica again. He crossed the train station, and glanced at his ticket, reconfirming his location. He walked onto the platform, and began to board the train.
"That's the wrong car, sir," a uniformed man said.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Um, which car should I be in?" Chandler handed the man his ticket.
"I'm afraid this train will not take you where you need to be," the man said, peering at Chandler over a set of bifocals.
"Oh. But my ticket says Platform Four."
"Yes. But the future you seek is behind you," the man said cryptically, and handed Chandler back his ticket. Chandler looked at the man quizically as he walked away. He glanced back at his ticket, still unsure what the man had meant. Chandler turned the ticket over, and saw that the man had attached a slip of paper to the ticket. He unfolded the paper, and read the note.
~She has returned. Do not cross the Channel~
Chandler folded the note, and thought for a minute. Swallowing nervously, he folded up his ticket and shoved it into his bag, with his passport and wallet. He placed the bag in a coin locker in the main lobby, then ran out of the train station, heading back toward the compound.
***~***
So, what do you think? Will Chandler return in time? Is Monica pregnant? Do you care? You gotta review!
"In a Corner"
Thomas and Francesco dragged Chandler's lifeless body out of Frank's office, and down to the basement. They dumped his body into a clothes hamper, and rolled it into the back of an unmarked van. They both watched, as the the van left the compound, slowly fading as it headed deeper into the woods behind the compound.
"That went a little too smoothly," Francesco commented.
"Yeah," Thomas said blankly, as the two men headed back toward the main house.
***
She could hear a high-pitched ringing, and then she could hear a powerful thumping. It took her a minute to realize that it was her own heartbeat. She was surrounded by pitch black darkness. Then she heard mumbling. As the mumbling became clearer, she felt herself being pulled out of the darkness. She opened one eye, and then the other. Her head was throbbing. The ringing in her ears would not let up. She saw a man standing over her. She didn't recognize him.
"Wh-where am I?" she croaked.
"You are home, Monica," the man replied.
"What happened? Where's Chandler?" Monica blinked furiously.
"We aren't sure what happened. We found you, unconscious in the garden, fourteen hours ago. How do you feel?"
"I want to see Chandler," Monica insisted, not entirely sure why she had an overwhelming desire to see him.
"In time, my dear, in time," the man said comfortingly.
Monica closed her eyes, and was again surrounded by The Darkness.
*
The next time Monica opened her eyes, the ringing had stopped, and the throbbing had become a bit more bearable. She sat up slowly, and took in her surroundings. She opened her mouth to call out for Chandler, when she suddenly remembered what it was she'd seen before she fell. She wondered if he had survived the shooting. She wondered why Thomas had turned on him. Had it all been part of a bigger plan? Was Thomas really working with Frank? She couldn't believe it. He seemed like such a sweet kid.
She heard the door to her bedroom open, and turned to see Frank walk in with the stranger from before.
"This is Doctor Chadwick," Frank said, as he made his way toward Monica.
"Hello, Monica," the softspoken man said.
"Frank...where's Chandler?" Monica was almost afraid to ask.
"Chandler is dead," Frank said flatly.
Monica felt tears welling up in her eyes, as she absorbed the information.
"Why?" she whispered.
"Because he screwed up. Because he wanted to leave again. Because he wanted to be with *you*," Frank seethed. "The doctor is going to take a look at you, and then you and I are going to have a little chat." Frank turned to leave, and as he opened the door, he turned toward her again. "Don't worry Monica, you'll be seeing Chandler soon enough."
***
Chandler woke up with a start, wheezing and gasping for air. (AN: Okay, you can breathe now, LOL) He turned to his side, and groaned in pain. The bullets had hit him with much more force than he was expecting. He sat up slowly, shaking his weary head. As he pulled off his outer jacket, and then his flak jacket, he winced in pain. The bullets had left large bruises all over his torso. He pulled off his bloody shirt, and threw it into the makeshift grave that had been dug out next to him. He took off his watch, and threw it into the grave as well. The plan had obviously gone well, since there was no sign of Frank or his men anywhere. Francesco had told him that the only way that they would be able to pull it off would be if he or Thomas shot Chandler in front of Frank. Two days prior, Francesco's friend, a doctor from Sweden, drew a pint of blood from Chandler. Four sealed bags were sewn into Chandler's jacket the night before the shooting was to take place, ensuring that Chandler would appear to be bleeding all over Frank's four thousand dollar Persian rug. Chandler remembered Thomas' face as he pointed the gun at him. He had wondered if Thomas was going to be able to go through with it. Silently pleading with his eyes, Chandler had convinced Thomas to pull the trigger. The bullets had hit Chandler hard enough to knock the wind out of him, and knock him out cold when he hit the hardwood floor. The bullets punctured each of the blood-filled bags as he fell. It was apparently enough to convince Frank that Chandler was dead.
Chandler looked around the darkened woods, and stood up slowly, then picked up the shovel that had been left behind. He dug up a plastic bag that was buried twenty yards from the grave. In the bag he found his new passport, money, a train ticket, and a change of clothes. Throwing all of his soiled clothes and identification into his grave, he quickly filled in the hole, and made his way down the hill, and toward the city.
***
Thomas was sitting next to Monica's bed the next time she woke up.
"Get away from me, you bastard," she croaked, moving swiftly to the other side of the bed.
"Monica, please calm down."
"Calm down? You killed your own brother!"
"Monica, please, just listen. Chandler's alive," Thomas whispered.
"What?"
"He's alive. Everything that you saw--it was part of a plan--a plan to get him out of here."
"Oh my God. Wh-where is he?"
"On his way to London," Thomas said.
Monica closed her eyes, suddenly realizing that she had made a huge mistake coming back. But before she could reply, her door opened, and Frank came in, with the same bodyguards from the other night.
"Monica, I see you are feeling better," Frank said slowly.
"A little," Monica said quietly.
"I need to ask you a few questions, Monica," Franks said slowly.
"What are you going to do with me?"
"Why did you come back here? Chandler told me that you told him that you no longer loved him."
"I did. But--"
"There's no reason to lie to me anymore, Monica. I know that Chandler snuck you out. I knew it almost immediately. That's part of the reason I had him killed."
"No, that's not true, I--"
"I'm afraid that you are of no use to me now, Monica," Frank said threateningly.
"Frank, you can't kill her," Thomas said suddenly, an idea flashing through his head.
"What? Why not?"
"She's...uh, pregnant. She just told me. That's why she came back."
Monica looked at Thomas, her eyes wide. The lie was brilliant. She just hoped Frank would buy it.
"Really. Well, I'll bring in Dr. Chadwick again. He'll do a test, and if it turns out that you are pregnant, you'll live long enough to give me a grandson. If you aren't you'll be buried next to Chandler by sunset." With that, Frank turned on his heel and walked out of the room.
"Thomas, what are we going to do?" Monica whispered desperately.
"I'll figure something out..." Thomas said reassuringly. Inside he was certain that there would be no stopping Frank. He hoped that they could get a hold of Chandler soon.
***
Doctor Chadwick returned to Monica's room, and took a blood and urine sample from her. She sat on the edge of her bed, fidgeting with the loose end of her pillowcase. The doctor said that he would return with the results in two hours. Monica fought back her tears. She didn't want to die. She wasn't ready. But it was a no-win situation. If she wasn't pregnant, she'd die tonight--if she was, her child would end up trapped here, the way Chandler and Thomas were. The entire scenario was devastating, to say the very least. Filled with dispair and hopelessness, Monica finally let go, broke down, and began sobbing uncontrollably.
*
She must have drifted off, because she felt Frank shaking her awake. She opened her eyes, and jumped back on her bed, knowing that he had come to kill her.
"Monica, we have the results to your pregnancy test," Frank said, his voice giving away nothing.
***
The annoucement over the loudspeaker woke Chandler from his daydream. He couldn't wait to see Monica again. He crossed the train station, and glanced at his ticket, reconfirming his location. He walked onto the platform, and began to board the train.
"That's the wrong car, sir," a uniformed man said.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Um, which car should I be in?" Chandler handed the man his ticket.
"I'm afraid this train will not take you where you need to be," the man said, peering at Chandler over a set of bifocals.
"Oh. But my ticket says Platform Four."
"Yes. But the future you seek is behind you," the man said cryptically, and handed Chandler back his ticket. Chandler looked at the man quizically as he walked away. He glanced back at his ticket, still unsure what the man had meant. Chandler turned the ticket over, and saw that the man had attached a slip of paper to the ticket. He unfolded the paper, and read the note.
~She has returned. Do not cross the Channel~
Chandler folded the note, and thought for a minute. Swallowing nervously, he folded up his ticket and shoved it into his bag, with his passport and wallet. He placed the bag in a coin locker in the main lobby, then ran out of the train station, heading back toward the compound.
***~***
So, what do you think? Will Chandler return in time? Is Monica pregnant? Do you care? You gotta review!