Chapter 15 – Recovery
Skinner just stood there for a few minutes, completely confused as to what was happening. Bet continued to sob on his shoulder.
"Oh… Sk-Skinner…" she started to stutter, but unable to continue burst into tears again. Feeling slightly awkward, Skinner put his hands on her shoulders and sat her down on the bed. He walked to his wardrobe and pulled a large sheet out of it.
"Here," he said, throwing it to Bet. "Cover yourself up for a bit. Gratefully, Bet pulled it around her shoulders and immersed herself. "Now," Skinner continued. "Explain everything, starting at the beginning." Skinner sat down at the chair by his desk and leant back, preparing himself for Bet's explanation.
"Well, you see," Bet began, sniffing. "I wanted to 'elp Dr Jekyll by bein' there with 'im when 'e needed to release Mr 'yde." Skinner raised his eyebrows.
"He told you about Mr Hyde?" Skinner interrupted, curiously. Bet shook her head.
"I found out." Bet whispered. "Anyway, that ain't important! I thought I could 'andle 'im, just like you did when he threatened me. But…" Bet's eyes filled up again, and she bit her lip to prevent herself from crying again.
"But it hadn't gone quite as you'd planned?" Skinner completed her sentence. He sighed and walked over to sit by Bet. He placed an arm around her shoulders and she buried her face in his shoulder. "I must admit, Bet," Skinner told her. "I don't know what you thought you'd be able to do. You're okay? He didn't hurt you did he?" Bet shook her head.
"I wanted to stay 'ere!" she sobbed. "That's the only reason why I did it. I don't wanna go back London!"
The door swung open and a very breathless Jekyll entered the room. Bet leapt up from the bed and flung her arms around his neck. Jekyll closed his arms around her. Skinner remain sat on his bed watching the two apologise to each other.
"I'm so sorry, Bet," Jekyll spoke to her softly, rocking her from side to side. "I never should have let you do it, I knew it was too dangerous."
"No, it was my stupid idea." Bet replied, sniffing. "You warned me and I ignored you." Skinner stood up.
"Look!" he shouted at the pair. "As lovely as this little reunion is, now that I know that everybody's alright, is there a chance you could take this back to your own room, Jekyll?" Jekyll looked at Skinner for the first time, as if he had only just realised that he was there. He frowned, still uneasy with Skinner.
"Dr Jekyll," Bet whispered to him, as if she knew what he was thinking. "Skinner was kind to me, please, give 'im a chance."
"Well," Jekyll said awkwardly. "Thank you for that, Skinner. It was entirely my fault and I'm sorry to have bothered you." Skinner smirked and walked towards them.
"It's no skin off my nose," Skinner told him. "I'm just glad that Bet's okay. That you're both okay." Jekyll didn't smile at Skinner, but he did feel a little guilty for being rude to him.
"Look," Skinner continued. "I apologise for my behaviour, previously. And I am sorry for any unnecessary trouble I have caused you while you've been working on my antidote. You didn't have to do it, after all." Skinner held out a hand for Jekyll to shake. Smiling slightly, Jekyll grabbed out for the empty space at the end of Skinner's coat and shook Skinner's hand.
"I'm sorry for being unnecessarily rude to you." Jekyll apologised. "You weren't trying to harm anyone." Skinner grinned at him and returned to his seat on the bed. Jekyll turned back to face Bet. She still had the splattered ink on her face. He smiled at her.
"Well, let's get this mess off before we go," Jekyll turned to Skinner. "Do you have a handkerchief that I could use? I've left mine in my jacket." Skinner sighed.
"Wipes? Yes, they're in the drawer over there, next to the wallets" he pointed towards his desk. Jekyll shook his head, and walked over to it. Skinner fidgeted. "Don't be to long will you? I was very busy."
"What were you doin'?" Bet asked Skinner, as Jekyll scrabbled about the drawer.
"How much stuff have you got in here, Skinner?" He pulled out several wallets and pocket watches. "Do you ever clear things up?" Skinner ignored Jekyll, and answered Bet's question.
"I was busy, relaxing, if you must know." He told her. Bet smiled sweetly.
"Here we go," Jekyll said, as he tugged at a large white handkerchief. As he pulled it out of the drawer, a notebook fell out with it. "You should throw some of this stuff away, you know Skinner." He bent down and picked the book up from the floor.
"When I get round to it," Skinner replied, casually. Jekyll turned the book over in his hand. He stopped in his tracks.
"How long have you had this, Skinner?" Bet walked over to Jekyll and looked over his shoulder. He was holding a small, battered notebook, with the words "Griffin's Summary of Notes" written in gold letters on the front.
"Griffin?" Bet enquired. Skinner looked up. A look of shock spread across his face.
"I thought I'd given you all of his note books!" He said. Jekyll flicked through the book. There were new notes in here, things that he hadn't seen before. Bet's eyes scanned the pages, trying to read what little she could understand.
"What does it say?" she asked inquisitively. Jekyll didn't reply, he just turned swiftly and bolted out of the door. Bet turned to Skinner, looking for an explanation. He looked just as shocked as she felt. She opened her mouth to speak to him, but he answered her before she even had the chance to ask him.
"It looks like you'll be going back to London, Bet" he told her.
Skinner just stood there for a few minutes, completely confused as to what was happening. Bet continued to sob on his shoulder.
"Oh… Sk-Skinner…" she started to stutter, but unable to continue burst into tears again. Feeling slightly awkward, Skinner put his hands on her shoulders and sat her down on the bed. He walked to his wardrobe and pulled a large sheet out of it.
"Here," he said, throwing it to Bet. "Cover yourself up for a bit. Gratefully, Bet pulled it around her shoulders and immersed herself. "Now," Skinner continued. "Explain everything, starting at the beginning." Skinner sat down at the chair by his desk and leant back, preparing himself for Bet's explanation.
"Well, you see," Bet began, sniffing. "I wanted to 'elp Dr Jekyll by bein' there with 'im when 'e needed to release Mr 'yde." Skinner raised his eyebrows.
"He told you about Mr Hyde?" Skinner interrupted, curiously. Bet shook her head.
"I found out." Bet whispered. "Anyway, that ain't important! I thought I could 'andle 'im, just like you did when he threatened me. But…" Bet's eyes filled up again, and she bit her lip to prevent herself from crying again.
"But it hadn't gone quite as you'd planned?" Skinner completed her sentence. He sighed and walked over to sit by Bet. He placed an arm around her shoulders and she buried her face in his shoulder. "I must admit, Bet," Skinner told her. "I don't know what you thought you'd be able to do. You're okay? He didn't hurt you did he?" Bet shook her head.
"I wanted to stay 'ere!" she sobbed. "That's the only reason why I did it. I don't wanna go back London!"
The door swung open and a very breathless Jekyll entered the room. Bet leapt up from the bed and flung her arms around his neck. Jekyll closed his arms around her. Skinner remain sat on his bed watching the two apologise to each other.
"I'm so sorry, Bet," Jekyll spoke to her softly, rocking her from side to side. "I never should have let you do it, I knew it was too dangerous."
"No, it was my stupid idea." Bet replied, sniffing. "You warned me and I ignored you." Skinner stood up.
"Look!" he shouted at the pair. "As lovely as this little reunion is, now that I know that everybody's alright, is there a chance you could take this back to your own room, Jekyll?" Jekyll looked at Skinner for the first time, as if he had only just realised that he was there. He frowned, still uneasy with Skinner.
"Dr Jekyll," Bet whispered to him, as if she knew what he was thinking. "Skinner was kind to me, please, give 'im a chance."
"Well," Jekyll said awkwardly. "Thank you for that, Skinner. It was entirely my fault and I'm sorry to have bothered you." Skinner smirked and walked towards them.
"It's no skin off my nose," Skinner told him. "I'm just glad that Bet's okay. That you're both okay." Jekyll didn't smile at Skinner, but he did feel a little guilty for being rude to him.
"Look," Skinner continued. "I apologise for my behaviour, previously. And I am sorry for any unnecessary trouble I have caused you while you've been working on my antidote. You didn't have to do it, after all." Skinner held out a hand for Jekyll to shake. Smiling slightly, Jekyll grabbed out for the empty space at the end of Skinner's coat and shook Skinner's hand.
"I'm sorry for being unnecessarily rude to you." Jekyll apologised. "You weren't trying to harm anyone." Skinner grinned at him and returned to his seat on the bed. Jekyll turned back to face Bet. She still had the splattered ink on her face. He smiled at her.
"Well, let's get this mess off before we go," Jekyll turned to Skinner. "Do you have a handkerchief that I could use? I've left mine in my jacket." Skinner sighed.
"Wipes? Yes, they're in the drawer over there, next to the wallets" he pointed towards his desk. Jekyll shook his head, and walked over to it. Skinner fidgeted. "Don't be to long will you? I was very busy."
"What were you doin'?" Bet asked Skinner, as Jekyll scrabbled about the drawer.
"How much stuff have you got in here, Skinner?" He pulled out several wallets and pocket watches. "Do you ever clear things up?" Skinner ignored Jekyll, and answered Bet's question.
"I was busy, relaxing, if you must know." He told her. Bet smiled sweetly.
"Here we go," Jekyll said, as he tugged at a large white handkerchief. As he pulled it out of the drawer, a notebook fell out with it. "You should throw some of this stuff away, you know Skinner." He bent down and picked the book up from the floor.
"When I get round to it," Skinner replied, casually. Jekyll turned the book over in his hand. He stopped in his tracks.
"How long have you had this, Skinner?" Bet walked over to Jekyll and looked over his shoulder. He was holding a small, battered notebook, with the words "Griffin's Summary of Notes" written in gold letters on the front.
"Griffin?" Bet enquired. Skinner looked up. A look of shock spread across his face.
"I thought I'd given you all of his note books!" He said. Jekyll flicked through the book. There were new notes in here, things that he hadn't seen before. Bet's eyes scanned the pages, trying to read what little she could understand.
"What does it say?" she asked inquisitively. Jekyll didn't reply, he just turned swiftly and bolted out of the door. Bet turned to Skinner, looking for an explanation. He looked just as shocked as she felt. She opened her mouth to speak to him, but he answered her before she even had the chance to ask him.
"It looks like you'll be going back to London, Bet" he told her.