IF EVERYTHING HAD BEEN DIFFERENT – Chapter 11
A very special thanks to Cris (our very kind translator) and to Doc Maria Celia for her help in providing research information related to medical terms, remedies and treatments cited in this fic
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Also in Portuguese: "Se Tudo Fosse Diferente"
"You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth."
Khalil Gibran – "The Prophet"
With Tommy in his arms Malone was the first one to reach the bedroom, losing all his hope when seeing Challenger trying to resuscitate the woman.
"Malone, help." – Immediately he put the boy on the ground and firmly positioned Veronica's head slightly tilted back and so signaled for the scientist for him doing whatever he had to do by that moment.
Summerlee, Roxton and Marguerite arrived quickly, getting scared when saw Ned trying mouth-to-mouth resuscitation in the young woman. Irritated, Tommy tried to push him far away from her.
Roxton was ahead pulling the child - "Take the boy out of here!"
"Hand him to me." - interfered Marguerite, taking the afraid boy in her arms and taking him away from the bedroom. She was shaking as badly as he was. She had never forgotten seeing something so similar when she was still a child, in the dark alleys of the cold London. And she wouldn't allow the same thing to happen to Tommy anyway.
Roxton worried about Summerllee.
"You better come with me, Arthur, because I don't want to see this scene being repeated with you..." - The professor agreed without a single protest and he walked towards the kitchen, leaning on the hunter.
The atmosphere was tense. But even desperate and feeling each other's affliction, Challenger and Malone worked fast and harmoniously.
And finally when Veronica inspired and then coughed strongly, Challenger sighed aloud while Ned aided her with relief in his eyes. He caressed her face while she turned to him completely confused and with a sad and exhausted glance, as if she was questioning something. He gave a light smile and leaned his face to hers.
Malone looked at the scientist that verified the girl's pulse. George felt the entire rage of the journalist. It was obvious that the boy blamed him and the scientist couldn't disagree. He himself had that weight in his heart. But almost loosing Veronica was enough.
Without saying any word to Challenger, Ned rose and left the room.
"She's back." - Malone said to his three friends that noticed how much he was bewildered. In fact, all of them were. Roxton had made Summerllee sit, and provided him sugar-water trying to calm him.
Ned went to Marguerite – Tommy stayed quietly on her lap and for the first time the boy did not threw himself against him. Instead of that, they stayed there just facing each other for some moments. Finally Ned extended his arms taking the boy. Both hugged each other while in silence they returned to Malone's room.
Certainly they all were relieved, but there was also sadness in the Treehouse.
"Roxton"- called Marguerite softly. The hunter approached. - "Could you help me here?"
He worried about the mood on her voice. - "Are you alright, Marguerite?" – He asked as a good connoisseur of her.
"I think I'm as well as any one of us..." - She looked deeply into his eyes and passed her hand through the stubbles covering his face. - "... Thank you, John."
A smile among them was enough for the encouragement that both needed on that moment. - "To where do you want me to take this?" - He asked when noticing the small basin with lukewarm water.
Marguerite entered in Veronica's bedroom accompanied by Roxton who put the basin in the small table.
"How is she?" – Roxton asked.
George got up taking the friends to the corner.
"She seems to be less unstable. At least for now."
"You need to rest, Challenger" - Marguerite spoke - "Take a bath and get some sleep."
"No. I want to stay. I need to stay." - Insisted the scientist.
"I'm serious George. I really want to stay with her a little..." -Marguerite said being observed by the two men. Neither Roxton nor Challenger knew how to explain, but sensing that the heiress' words were sincere they came out.
Using a sponge Marguerite washed and changed Veronica's clothes. She accommodated the young woman face down and undressed her back. Veronica began to cry almost in silence. The heiress knew for own experience what the blond felt, totally abandoned for not depending only upon herself. Using firm and precise movements Marguerite slowly began to massage her back.
"Hello, Veronica... You know you really scared us all today, don't you?" - she said showing more than solidarity to her friend. - "Scare is not enough... You almost killed us... Summerllee is shaking up until now. He pretended to be perfectly well, but who knows inside?!...Yes... it is inside that we should worry... More than appearances, you know what I mean, don't you?! It must have been shocking for Tommy, imagining myself in his situation... I had to leave as quickly as possible and I took him with me. He needed to calm down, and believe me, I had too."
Marguerite sighed heavily at the same time she got lost in her thoughts. "It should not bring those horrible memories back to my mind again, the past must remain hidden inside of a trunk locked by seven keys in the bottom of the sea, and not tormenting us any longer. As soon as I noticed what was happening here, I saw how John held the boy and his glance worried me, taking me to my past from which I run away all the time."
"Veronica, can you hear me?" - Marguerite leaned to her observing the young woman's face. Her eyes were open and her breathing was fleeting and painful, but she had calmed down and she cried no more. Marguerite smiled - "Well, then don't tell them that I opened up my heart with you... I believe that you won't disappoint me. Neither you, nor the other ones, but it is you that I want to trust this time. And, you can trust me, really...." - At the end of the massage, Marguerite gently closed her nightgown and covered her. Then she moved away a bunch of hair from her forehead observing that Veronica had finally slept. - "... I was a fool... I should know that you would never leave me here alone with all these men... In fact we are not alone in here...."
A smile illuminated Marguerite's face when she heard Veronica murmuring. It seemed that she had agreed.
Knocking on Malone's doorframe, Roxton entered without waiting for the journalist's answer.
The journalist was seating observing Tommy who played in the cradle.
"Does he never get tired?" - The hunter smiled sitting down besides his friend.
"Never. I believe that he has more energy than all of us together."
"Let's make a bedroom to him, Ned. He's growing up and will need more space."
"He has enough space in Veronica's room."
"You know what I mean. Veronica had to store away almost everything that belonged to her for making room for the boy's things. It's not fair. If we set up a place only for him they both could have their own things...."
Malone lowered his head deep in thoughts.
"After today, Roxton, maybe we won't even need another room...."
"What are you saying Ned?"
"I'm just saying that we should not speed up the things!"
"Listen Malone, I want, I need and I will believe that the room will be built, because Veronica and Tommy need to have their places... And you cannot accept that anybody notices that you still have doubts about Veronica getting to overcome the disease, because she will never forgive you. I know that the situation is complicated, but cheer up, my friend, Tommy also needs to know that somebody here has faith... We all need each other."
Roxton rose up and concluded giving an unpretentious smile to the young man, a little more alleviated with the comforting words.
John walked to Summerllee's room and as he had done before in Ned's bedroom, he knocked on the doorframe and entered without waiting for an answer.
Arthur was lying very quiet when Roxton sat down on his side noticing that the professor still shook a little.
"Are you still awake, Summerllee?"
"I can't sleep".
"I can see that. Are you alright, Arthur?"
"I was never so afraid in my entire life, John...."
"I should admit that me neither."
"Is she alright?"
"George said that she is more stable. I don't know precisely what that means, but I hope it is better than the news that we have been having lately."
"That's good, Roxton."
"Professor, I was talking to Ned and we would like to know if you could help us to make a little room for Tommy. Drawing something maybe. It doesn't need to be big, but we want that Veronica could have her own things again and for that we have to arrange a room for the boy." - Roxton noticed the surprised glance of Summerllee and continued - "And I can see in your eyes that you will want to use the same argument that Malone used, and I don't want to hear that again..." - John said, at the same time sounding wise and in good mood. - "Then start to think about it, Arthur, because we will build a room for the new occupant of the Treehouse!"
Roxton's next stop was at Challenger's room to where the scientist went after days and nights of uninterrupted watch. His friend slept deeply, but John doubted that it would last for more than one or two hours. George had taken Veronica's guard for himself and nobody would move him away from that responsibility.
The hunter went by the kitchen where he prepared a cup of fresh tea and he put jelly and honey on some cookies.
Carrying a tray he entered quietly in Veronica's bedroom.
Marguerite was sat by the cot and he sat by her side offering the tray. She was surprised with his visit.
"Thank you" - She smiled.
Intrigued John finally expressed the doubt in a glance that Marguerite noticed - "George said that she couldn't sleep for the last days. How did you manage to do that?"
"Very simple, Lord Roxton" - The heiress smiled - "Relaxing massage by Lady Marguerite Krux and..."
"And what?" - He skeptically asked stealing a cookie.
"...she was completely exhausted." - she continued without giving importance to his interruption.
"I'm tired. If you want you can also provide me with a relaxing massage..." - John said while being observed with a certain air of cynicism.
Shaking her head, Marguerite gave a light nudge in him. The expressions were serious again and John said. - "We will set up a room for Tommy."
"For the little monkey?"
"T-O-M-M-Y. Tommy. Can you make some curtains?"
"If I don't will you take my coffee away?" - It sounded almost childish and John smiled at her.
"No. I hate to admit, but you deserve the whole coffee of the world. By the way, what about that allergy that George spoke about, is everything fine now?"
"It wasn't allergy. Do you remember the horrible heat?"
"I know."
"My skin was irritated, only that. I think he thought that the contact with Tommy had affected me."
"You know, Marguerite..." - John began - "... I was analyzing the situation between Ned and Challenger...."
"Yes, it is not wonderful..." - the heiress said, but hoping that the hunter would continue.
"I think they are visibly in opposite sides, but I noticed how they acted here one hour ago. Despite their differences, they worked very well together... As a team, I would say...."
Marguerite agreed positively to everything that she heard - "A team always wins, John." - She looked at him and they were thinking about the sentence. "Or not?"
"You really wanted to stay here with her. Why?"
Marguerite simply shrugged - "I don't know. I wanted to talk, to comfort her, to reflect a little... It did me very well to be here."
Marguerite handed him the tray – "Thank you for the tea... Now go have some sleep, John."
He lifted up understanding the message.
"I can stay if you want, Marguerite"
"You don't have to. I'm fine."
Although he wanted a lot to be by her side Roxton decided not to insist. He had already opened the door when he listened to Marguerite quietly calling his name and he turned back.
"Roxton... I... would like you to stay...."
He smiled with tenderness giving a step behind. He put the tray by the table and sat down passing his arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer to him.
They stayed there in silence for some time. Almost inside her ear, John called silently. "Marguerite?"
"What?"
"Why did you ask me to stay?"
"I remembered the conversation that I had with Veronica before everything happened. I noticed that I had given her advices that I was not following myself. I asked you to stay for me and her."
And it was in Roxton's company that Marguerite stayed for one more hour taking care of Veronica, before Challenger woke up and retook his tireless vigil. It was already dawn when the heiress finally went to sleep.
The good smell of fresh coffee invaded the Treehouse. And if there was somebody capable to feel that aroma from any distance was Marguerite.
Still sleepy and tying her robe, she entered the kitchen and surprised saw...
"Malone?"
"Good morning, Marguerite" – smiled the journalist that was feeding a sleepy Tommy, seating by his little chair - "Please, sit down."
Ned put the porridge plate in the table, gave two spoons to the boy that began to play and he got up going to the stove, filling up the cup and putting it in front of the woman who sat down by the table.
"Start drinking your coffee while I will prepare some pancakes." -Marguerite looked at Malone without understanding what had happened. The journalist returned minutes later with the pancakes and two extra plates, one for himself and another for her. Handing her the cutlery, he completed the table with a honey pot. He served himself a generous portion and he began to eat.
"What?" - Malone asked sensing the intrigued glance of Marguerite.
"You are strange today, Ned."
"Am I?..." - She continued looking at him who finally released the cutlery in the plate sighing - "Roxton talked to me."
"And...?"
"And I thought about a few things."
"Like what?"
"I take care of Tommy."
"I hate to admit, but you do it very well."
"And I also have been trying to help in the best possible ways."
"That's also true."
"But I need to do more. The situation is very difficult and I don't need complicate it even more. I won't show my anguish to all of you all the time. For Tommy and for Veronica. I don't want to be crestfallen around the corners anymore. It hasn't been doing me well." – Malone looked at Marguerite that was listening to him with all her attention. - "Today I reminded that there are many days since the least time we all had a good meal together. Then, I would like you, Roxton and Summerllee to make me company at the table. And if it's not to ask you too much, I would like you to take a breakfast tray to Challenger... but... don't tell him it was me. And ask him what he needs for Veronica."
Ned felt strange when Marguerite got up without touching her coffee or food.
"Aren't you going to eat?"
"Go back to the stove and prepare more pancakes, Malone. I will call Roxton and Summerllee."
"Tommy"- called a troubled Veronica. Challenger was besides her.
"He's very well." - Guaranteed the scientist. She looked disoriented and breathless to him and the scientist doubted that she was really awake. The fever had not given in and he offered her some water taking care of making her drink slowly.
"We need to talk, Veronica." - George didn't notice that he was thinking loud.
"I am... very... tired... Challenger"- she said in an almost inaudible voice.
"I'll call Malone or Arthur to stay with you"- he spoke sadly remembering the discussion that they'd had. He got up, but when he passed close to bed he felt her hand faintly holding his.
"Can you... stay... just a little?" - she said already sleeping again.
"Are you sure?"
"Hum, hum!"
Arranging the pillows and her blanket, George smiled, sitting down in the chair.
"This would have been a magic moment to me, dear, if you were really conscious "- The scientist thought mistakenly. Veronica had said exactly what she wanted to.
TO BE CONTINUED...
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