CH. 12 China Doll
The look on Jarod's face was priceless. And no matter how Marianne tried, she couldn't wipe the stupid grin off her face. She had covered a great distance that day and she was on the verge of collapsing.
It was worth it. He had rubbed his eyes twice. He had scarce said a word.
She watched his face transform from absolute disbelief into horror. It had only taken mere seconds. He had swallowed hard, his eyes burning into hers.
There was something that was making Jarod seem concerned, she was suddenly feeling frail, not herself. Something was wrong. She could feel her smile fading, her triumph fading.
"Are you going to let me stand here in the rain," Marianne whispered as she stepped forward, lost her footing and sank into Jarod's arms.
This wasn't part of her plan. She had gone through so much, fighting, clawing and kicking to this point. And now Jarod pitied her, holding her firmly against him. She could feel the tide rising up, threatening to sweep her away. She could see his lips moving, but she couldn't hear a word.
"So this is how I die," Marianne muttered, feeling even weaker, but struggling to regain her footing.
" I don't want your pity." Marianne whispered, looking straight into Jarod's eyes.
It was then that she lost consciousness.
***********************
The whole matter threw the house in chaos that night. A bomb would have caused less damage. Never in his wildest dreams did Jarod ever anticipate this. Marianne, scathed, but alive had managed to escape the centre and made it to his doorstep.
Her collapse was what made him finally snap into action. He tried to rouse her, keep her alert with words but he was too late. She was already limp in his arms.
It was then that he shouted at the top of his lungs.
Sydney had witnessed the entire thing, but had yet to say a word. Ethan and Charles had tried to help, but Jarod would have none of it. He scooped her up into his arms and carried her up the stairs. He made extra effort of being careful. She looked like china doll, pale, and just as breakable.
He was convinced that if he failed her now, she would shatter into a thousand pieces.
The very image of it made him shudder. The whole family followed somberly behind, some still yawning and wondering what had happened.
He put Marianne in bed, checked her pulse and her pupils. Her blue-gray eyes were now blank, showing no trace of the ardor that he had seen just minutes ago. Gruffly, Jarod gave out orders. Emily had shot him a dirty look, but obeyed quickly, bringing down extra blankets from the linen closet to keep Marianne warm.
Jarod was glad that she did. He wasn't in the mood to be criticized, much less questioned.
Margaret had volunteered to watch over Marianne, thereby letting Jarod off the hook. He knew that Marianne was going to be fine, but it gave him time to think, time to absorb the information that he had just been given, and that was the last thing he wanted to do. He stepped out into the front porch, considering a short walk in the nearby woods, but then quickly decided against it. He couldn't stray far, especially if Marianne's condition turned for the worse. The one thing that he couldn't get out of his mind was the look on Sydney's face. It was if he had known all along. Before he knew what just what his intentions were, he raced up the stairs, banging on Sydney's door, not caring whether the old man had retired to bed or not.
Sydney was in fact awake. He opened the door and sighed. Jarod was on the other side, his chiseled features set in hard line that was his lips. Jarod brushed past him wordlessly, patiently waiting for the old man to settle himself in his chair, Sydney had expected this. His protégé had become unhinged. His usual intense stare was replaced by a wild-eyed look, his frenetic pace about the room unlike his usual deliberate movements.
"What did you hear?" He asked, in an agitated tone.
"Enough." Sydney replied calmly.
"You knew about this, didn't you?" Jarod demanded, the pitch in his voice rising.
Sydney made no reply.
"DIDN'T YOU?!" Jarod shouted.
"Didn't you?" Sydney repeated his question, unmoved.
Jarod gasped, a small sound that could have been compared to that of a wounded animal escaping his lips. He suddenly turned his back on Sydney, his eyes beginning to water.
"Don't tell me that that it didn't once cross your mind that the boy was yours. His close resemblance to Marianne was already enough, but you saw yourself in him as well." Sydney observed quietly, crossing his arms. He started to smile. "He has Marianne's eyes. But it's your soul that shines in them." He added. "Jarod, you have a son."
"Yes, but in the worst way possible." Jarod curtly replied. "His mother hates me."
Sydney was about to interject but Jarod wasn't finished.
"Marianne and me? Raising a son together? How utterly twisted does that sound?" Jarod laughed bitterly, but at the same time, wiped the tears that flowed freely from his eyes.
Sydney sighed and shook his head. He had never known two people who were so foolish to fight so very hard. Jarod and Marianne fought so hard against what they so secretly desired the most. If they weren't careful, they would end up destroying what they cherished. Each other.
"The best things in life," Sydney began, as he gingerly placed his hand on his protégé's shoulder.
"Have always been meant for you."
*********************
Jarod had fallen into fitful sleep at Marianne's bedside. After waking up three times every hour on the hour, he decided to give up. He peered cautiously through tired eyes at Marianne, or what was left of her. He couldn't put this off any longer. He tried to adopt a professional attitude. But there was no sense in lying.
This examination would be far more personal then anything.
He had approached her cautiously, half expecting her to snap out of her slumber and waste him on sight at any moment. He had rolled her onto her side, pushing the rough fabric away, searching for the gunshot wound. It happened to be healing nicely. The rest of her body was a mess. She had two deep lacerations that were across her back, so red against her pale skin it seemed like they were fine rivers of blood, crisscrossing her flesh. Her knees were skinned, bruises on her neck, shoulders, arms, and legs.
Her belly had been left alone, the damage kept away from her vital organs.
Tears began to roll down his face, as he pushed the fabric away further to inspect, the realization like a kick in the teeth. All this damage that lay before him could have been prevented. He sighed, averting his gaze carefully away from the most private parts of her anatomy, suppressing the urge to look. He muttered to himself softly, recalling what his sister Emily had told him long ago. Men were pigs. And being locked up in an institution that had exploited his genius for the past thirty years didn't render him immune. It was damn near impossible to forget, to rip away the sultry sweet memory from his mind.
He hadn't seen her in this provocative fashion since that fateful day many years ago.
He couldn't remember just how old he was back then. Somewhere between a boy and a man. She had stolen into his room, but it wasn't for the usual misadventures she would drag him into. He had already been made painfully aware of the power that she had held over him. This became even clearer that day. She muttered something about being angry with her father, at least that's the most he could remember. She was so hurt, reaching out for comfort with a nubile expression on her face. He would never forget that beautiful face.
That was when Marianne kissed him.
It was different from the first time. It wasn't innocent or even shy. She was already pressed up against him, and his mind wandering, along with his hands. He couldn't understand it then, why he was excited beyond comprehension, beyond his means. There was only one thing that he was made sure of.
This was something he would never dare ask Sydney about.
Just like any other moment the centre had stolen from him, this was torn from him as well. He was sure that it must have not looked very good, caught with the chairman's daughter, with his trousers at his ankles.
He still couldn't remember just how that happened.
But he had paid the price. He still had the faded scars, crisscrossing his back.
*******************
"She's alone." She whispered, as she paced around the room, cell phone in one hand, twirling a lock of her long brown hair with the other. She paused, frowning. "I don't know!" She yelled out suddenly, quickly checking herself, she lowered her voice to a vehement whisper. "She just showed up. He wasn't even expecting her." She let out a deep sigh, placing one hand on her hip. "I'll make it clear," She began as she sank onto her bed.
"I'll make it clear that she's not wanted."
Emily snapped the cell phone shut. She flung it onto the bed with a dissatisfied grunt.
So much for a happy reunion.
She had been planning it for weeks now. And then SHE just had to show up. It had thrown everything and her into upheaval. But it didn't matter now. Her energy had to be directed differently, that was all. That meant making sure that Zoey and Jarod would be together again.no matter what.
And she would start fighting for it right now.
******************************
The child was in his crib, awake and alert. Jarod looked at him and smiled. The sun had risen and was shining it's light into the boy's room, making everything seem new and fresh.
"I heard you crying for your mother." Jarod said quietly. He placed his hands on the rails of crib and leaned close.
"I don't know what they did to your mother, and I don't know what they did to you, but you can tell me, can't you?"
The boy only smiled. His blue eyes glittered in the reflection of the sun. He held out his arms high. He wanted to be picked up.
"Can't even tell your own father what your own name is, can you?" Jarod said with a smile. He scooped him out of his crib.
"What is your name?" Jarod asked.
The boy made no reply but laughed. It seemed like he had forgotten his bad dream. He tickled the boy, making him laugh even more. The boy tucked his head into Jarod's neck and blew raspberries.
Jarod closed his eyes. "Does it matter?" He murmured.
"I love you." Jarod whispered, feeling his emotions suddenly rise up and overwhelm him. Tears sprung from his eyes and he held onto the boy even tighter.
"I love you so much."
He heard a small noise behind him. He turned to see what it was. It was his mother standing in the doorway, with tears in her eyes.
"Marianne's awake." She said, shaking slightly. She had heard everything.
"Mom-I" Jarod began guiltily.
"You needed immediately. She's in bad shape." Margaret replied, swallowing hard.
********************** Marianne awoke screaming. She sat up in bed as if she had been shot out of cannon and began howling. She had knocked over a lamp in her start and sent it tumbling to the floor, shattering. Jarod rushed into the room instantly surveying the situation. Large beads of sweat had broken onto her forehead, her body writhing and convulsing amongst the sheets. She was awake and struggling, her eyes had rolled back into her skull.
His sister Emily was at her side, looking like a deer caught between a pair of headlights.
She shrank away as he approached, her head bowed and her ears a bright pink. He stared at her briefly, and then shook his head. Marianne had all his attentions now. He placed his arms around her convulsing body, trying to calm her as best he could. It seemed like an eternity, trying to hold her steady, as she violently clawed against him. She was still screaming when Ethan finally made it into her room.
"Hold her Ethan." Jarod demanded. His jaw clenched as he motioned for Ethan to come closer.
"She doesn't where she is. She's scared. Help her."
His disappointment surged as he watched Marianne burst into tears in Ethan's arms. They had known and confided in one another for the past thirty-odd years. And he had been shut out. Surely he could have helped her through this.
"Make them go away." She sobbed. "Make the voices go away."
"It's okay, Marianne." Ethan soothed. "It's okay."
"They did to him what they did me." She continued, the tears rolling down her face, as her gaze rested squarely upon Jarod.
"Our son's name is Kyle."
**************tbc*********
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The look on Jarod's face was priceless. And no matter how Marianne tried, she couldn't wipe the stupid grin off her face. She had covered a great distance that day and she was on the verge of collapsing.
It was worth it. He had rubbed his eyes twice. He had scarce said a word.
She watched his face transform from absolute disbelief into horror. It had only taken mere seconds. He had swallowed hard, his eyes burning into hers.
There was something that was making Jarod seem concerned, she was suddenly feeling frail, not herself. Something was wrong. She could feel her smile fading, her triumph fading.
"Are you going to let me stand here in the rain," Marianne whispered as she stepped forward, lost her footing and sank into Jarod's arms.
This wasn't part of her plan. She had gone through so much, fighting, clawing and kicking to this point. And now Jarod pitied her, holding her firmly against him. She could feel the tide rising up, threatening to sweep her away. She could see his lips moving, but she couldn't hear a word.
"So this is how I die," Marianne muttered, feeling even weaker, but struggling to regain her footing.
" I don't want your pity." Marianne whispered, looking straight into Jarod's eyes.
It was then that she lost consciousness.
***********************
The whole matter threw the house in chaos that night. A bomb would have caused less damage. Never in his wildest dreams did Jarod ever anticipate this. Marianne, scathed, but alive had managed to escape the centre and made it to his doorstep.
Her collapse was what made him finally snap into action. He tried to rouse her, keep her alert with words but he was too late. She was already limp in his arms.
It was then that he shouted at the top of his lungs.
Sydney had witnessed the entire thing, but had yet to say a word. Ethan and Charles had tried to help, but Jarod would have none of it. He scooped her up into his arms and carried her up the stairs. He made extra effort of being careful. She looked like china doll, pale, and just as breakable.
He was convinced that if he failed her now, she would shatter into a thousand pieces.
The very image of it made him shudder. The whole family followed somberly behind, some still yawning and wondering what had happened.
He put Marianne in bed, checked her pulse and her pupils. Her blue-gray eyes were now blank, showing no trace of the ardor that he had seen just minutes ago. Gruffly, Jarod gave out orders. Emily had shot him a dirty look, but obeyed quickly, bringing down extra blankets from the linen closet to keep Marianne warm.
Jarod was glad that she did. He wasn't in the mood to be criticized, much less questioned.
Margaret had volunteered to watch over Marianne, thereby letting Jarod off the hook. He knew that Marianne was going to be fine, but it gave him time to think, time to absorb the information that he had just been given, and that was the last thing he wanted to do. He stepped out into the front porch, considering a short walk in the nearby woods, but then quickly decided against it. He couldn't stray far, especially if Marianne's condition turned for the worse. The one thing that he couldn't get out of his mind was the look on Sydney's face. It was if he had known all along. Before he knew what just what his intentions were, he raced up the stairs, banging on Sydney's door, not caring whether the old man had retired to bed or not.
Sydney was in fact awake. He opened the door and sighed. Jarod was on the other side, his chiseled features set in hard line that was his lips. Jarod brushed past him wordlessly, patiently waiting for the old man to settle himself in his chair, Sydney had expected this. His protégé had become unhinged. His usual intense stare was replaced by a wild-eyed look, his frenetic pace about the room unlike his usual deliberate movements.
"What did you hear?" He asked, in an agitated tone.
"Enough." Sydney replied calmly.
"You knew about this, didn't you?" Jarod demanded, the pitch in his voice rising.
Sydney made no reply.
"DIDN'T YOU?!" Jarod shouted.
"Didn't you?" Sydney repeated his question, unmoved.
Jarod gasped, a small sound that could have been compared to that of a wounded animal escaping his lips. He suddenly turned his back on Sydney, his eyes beginning to water.
"Don't tell me that that it didn't once cross your mind that the boy was yours. His close resemblance to Marianne was already enough, but you saw yourself in him as well." Sydney observed quietly, crossing his arms. He started to smile. "He has Marianne's eyes. But it's your soul that shines in them." He added. "Jarod, you have a son."
"Yes, but in the worst way possible." Jarod curtly replied. "His mother hates me."
Sydney was about to interject but Jarod wasn't finished.
"Marianne and me? Raising a son together? How utterly twisted does that sound?" Jarod laughed bitterly, but at the same time, wiped the tears that flowed freely from his eyes.
Sydney sighed and shook his head. He had never known two people who were so foolish to fight so very hard. Jarod and Marianne fought so hard against what they so secretly desired the most. If they weren't careful, they would end up destroying what they cherished. Each other.
"The best things in life," Sydney began, as he gingerly placed his hand on his protégé's shoulder.
"Have always been meant for you."
*********************
Jarod had fallen into fitful sleep at Marianne's bedside. After waking up three times every hour on the hour, he decided to give up. He peered cautiously through tired eyes at Marianne, or what was left of her. He couldn't put this off any longer. He tried to adopt a professional attitude. But there was no sense in lying.
This examination would be far more personal then anything.
He had approached her cautiously, half expecting her to snap out of her slumber and waste him on sight at any moment. He had rolled her onto her side, pushing the rough fabric away, searching for the gunshot wound. It happened to be healing nicely. The rest of her body was a mess. She had two deep lacerations that were across her back, so red against her pale skin it seemed like they were fine rivers of blood, crisscrossing her flesh. Her knees were skinned, bruises on her neck, shoulders, arms, and legs.
Her belly had been left alone, the damage kept away from her vital organs.
Tears began to roll down his face, as he pushed the fabric away further to inspect, the realization like a kick in the teeth. All this damage that lay before him could have been prevented. He sighed, averting his gaze carefully away from the most private parts of her anatomy, suppressing the urge to look. He muttered to himself softly, recalling what his sister Emily had told him long ago. Men were pigs. And being locked up in an institution that had exploited his genius for the past thirty years didn't render him immune. It was damn near impossible to forget, to rip away the sultry sweet memory from his mind.
He hadn't seen her in this provocative fashion since that fateful day many years ago.
He couldn't remember just how old he was back then. Somewhere between a boy and a man. She had stolen into his room, but it wasn't for the usual misadventures she would drag him into. He had already been made painfully aware of the power that she had held over him. This became even clearer that day. She muttered something about being angry with her father, at least that's the most he could remember. She was so hurt, reaching out for comfort with a nubile expression on her face. He would never forget that beautiful face.
That was when Marianne kissed him.
It was different from the first time. It wasn't innocent or even shy. She was already pressed up against him, and his mind wandering, along with his hands. He couldn't understand it then, why he was excited beyond comprehension, beyond his means. There was only one thing that he was made sure of.
This was something he would never dare ask Sydney about.
Just like any other moment the centre had stolen from him, this was torn from him as well. He was sure that it must have not looked very good, caught with the chairman's daughter, with his trousers at his ankles.
He still couldn't remember just how that happened.
But he had paid the price. He still had the faded scars, crisscrossing his back.
*******************
"She's alone." She whispered, as she paced around the room, cell phone in one hand, twirling a lock of her long brown hair with the other. She paused, frowning. "I don't know!" She yelled out suddenly, quickly checking herself, she lowered her voice to a vehement whisper. "She just showed up. He wasn't even expecting her." She let out a deep sigh, placing one hand on her hip. "I'll make it clear," She began as she sank onto her bed.
"I'll make it clear that she's not wanted."
Emily snapped the cell phone shut. She flung it onto the bed with a dissatisfied grunt.
So much for a happy reunion.
She had been planning it for weeks now. And then SHE just had to show up. It had thrown everything and her into upheaval. But it didn't matter now. Her energy had to be directed differently, that was all. That meant making sure that Zoey and Jarod would be together again.no matter what.
And she would start fighting for it right now.
******************************
The child was in his crib, awake and alert. Jarod looked at him and smiled. The sun had risen and was shining it's light into the boy's room, making everything seem new and fresh.
"I heard you crying for your mother." Jarod said quietly. He placed his hands on the rails of crib and leaned close.
"I don't know what they did to your mother, and I don't know what they did to you, but you can tell me, can't you?"
The boy only smiled. His blue eyes glittered in the reflection of the sun. He held out his arms high. He wanted to be picked up.
"Can't even tell your own father what your own name is, can you?" Jarod said with a smile. He scooped him out of his crib.
"What is your name?" Jarod asked.
The boy made no reply but laughed. It seemed like he had forgotten his bad dream. He tickled the boy, making him laugh even more. The boy tucked his head into Jarod's neck and blew raspberries.
Jarod closed his eyes. "Does it matter?" He murmured.
"I love you." Jarod whispered, feeling his emotions suddenly rise up and overwhelm him. Tears sprung from his eyes and he held onto the boy even tighter.
"I love you so much."
He heard a small noise behind him. He turned to see what it was. It was his mother standing in the doorway, with tears in her eyes.
"Marianne's awake." She said, shaking slightly. She had heard everything.
"Mom-I" Jarod began guiltily.
"You needed immediately. She's in bad shape." Margaret replied, swallowing hard.
********************** Marianne awoke screaming. She sat up in bed as if she had been shot out of cannon and began howling. She had knocked over a lamp in her start and sent it tumbling to the floor, shattering. Jarod rushed into the room instantly surveying the situation. Large beads of sweat had broken onto her forehead, her body writhing and convulsing amongst the sheets. She was awake and struggling, her eyes had rolled back into her skull.
His sister Emily was at her side, looking like a deer caught between a pair of headlights.
She shrank away as he approached, her head bowed and her ears a bright pink. He stared at her briefly, and then shook his head. Marianne had all his attentions now. He placed his arms around her convulsing body, trying to calm her as best he could. It seemed like an eternity, trying to hold her steady, as she violently clawed against him. She was still screaming when Ethan finally made it into her room.
"Hold her Ethan." Jarod demanded. His jaw clenched as he motioned for Ethan to come closer.
"She doesn't where she is. She's scared. Help her."
His disappointment surged as he watched Marianne burst into tears in Ethan's arms. They had known and confided in one another for the past thirty-odd years. And he had been shut out. Surely he could have helped her through this.
"Make them go away." She sobbed. "Make the voices go away."
"It's okay, Marianne." Ethan soothed. "It's okay."
"They did to him what they did me." She continued, the tears rolling down her face, as her gaze rested squarely upon Jarod.
"Our son's name is Kyle."
**************tbc*********
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