Chapter 14: Miracles happen
"D-do you think she's dead?" Miles Tuck nervously asked his father after noticing that Liz wasn't moving.
Suddenly, Jesse grew very worried for her. "You better not have shot her dead, Miles!" he threatened.
"You're the one told me to stop her!" Miles snapped.
"I didn't tell you to fucking kill her!"
"Boys, calm down!" Angus Tuck demanded. "Now, let's see how bad the wound is."
Jesse and Miles searched for a wound on Liz' body, and only found a small one in her leg. "Thank God! She's alive" Jesse exclaimed in relief.
Miles reached over and felt for a pulse. Yes, she was still alive. "Pa, she's alive!"
"That's what I just said!" Jesse snapped.
"Come on, boys, carry her back home!" Tuck commanded.
Back at the Tucks' cabin, Liz lay on the couch, while Jesse Tuck watched, waiting for her to come back to consciousness. And my, was she gorgeous! She's hotter when she's asleep, Jesse thought. He was about to softly reach down and kiss her cheek, when Liz' eyes shot open.
Disoriented, Liz let her eyes wander. Then she quickly tried to get up, but moaned. "It hurts," she muttered.
"Hey, sorry about that." Jesse told Liz. "Erm...um...you fell and I think you like, twisted it or something."
He was not about to tell Liz that a bullet had entered her leg. "Erm, listen, I'm gonna get rubbing alcohol. I'll be right back, okay?"
Liz didn't answer, so Jesse decided to quickly go ahead and get the bottle of rubbing alcohol, which secretly contained the spring water inside. When he came back to the couch, Liz was still there.
Jesse noticed that the bullet was not deep inside the leg. He poured the spring water on the spot, and the bullet quickly fell out. Jesse grabbed the bullet, and snuck it in his pants pocket. Just to make sure, Jesse rubbed the spring water on Liz' leg again.
Liz was shocked. "It doesn't hurt anymore!" she exclaimed.
"Um...I guess you were just not used to the pain when you woke up." Jesse suggested. Now he regretted not rubbing the water on Liz' leg while she was asleep. He just had to be too busy staring at her.
Liz gave Jesse a suspicious look.
"Hey! She's awake!" Angus Tuck interrupted from behind.
"How are you feeling, honey?" Mae asked, concerned.
"I'm fine." Liz muttered. "I just wish you'd let me go home..."
Tuck, Mae, Miles, and Jesse exchange worried glances. "Tucks, we better go into the kitchen and talk this over." Angus Tuck suggested.
The rest of the Tuck family agreed, and followed.
In the kitchen, the Tucks were huddled together. "If she's any bit like that sweet girl Winnie, she should understand." Mae said.
"Just because she's related to Winifred Foster doesn't mean she is Winnie!" Miles exclaimed.
"We can take a chance!" Jesse spoke up. "Please, Pa, Ma, Miles, I know this girl, and I know I can trust her with our secret!"
"Jess, don't you remember the last time when you told someone your secret? You ended up getting hurt, just like me." Miles said pessimistically.
"I don't want to be hearing this, Miles! I said I don't want any I told you so's!"
"Miles, leave Jesse alone." Mae scolded, as if Miles was a still a child.
"Listen, I've got an idea." Miles said, changing the subject. "We can tell her that the water contains this chemical, a deadly chemical people stored in there in order to turn them into drugs."
"Oh, great!" Jesse whined, "Now we're gonna be drug dealers!"
Tuck laughed. "Actually, I think it's a lot safer to say that. Jesse, this girl loves you, right?"
Jesse hesitated. "Um...I think...or at least we used to have a little thing going on..."
"If this girl had any feelings left for you whatsoever, she wouldn't blab on us. And if she doesn't and does tell—"
"Then the police will come looking for this chemical and find out it's really blessed water." Miles finished.
"God, Miles, why do you have to be so negative!" Jesse demanded. "Look, I trust this girl, and she'll at least buy the chemical story. I think it's best if I told her."
The others agreed, that is, all but Miles.
"I'm gonna go tell 'er now. I'll just say we need to go take a nice walk."
"So, what did you want to tell me?" Liz asked.
"Remember how Miles pretty much tried to strangle you when you tried to drink that water?"
"Yeah." Liz answered.
"Listen, Liz...that water...it's not real water."
Now Liz was interested. Was Jesse actually about to tell her the truth?"
"Anyways, that water...it was this chemical. Some special chemical my parents use to make this certain kind of drug...one that makes you, erm...happy."
And yes, when you were making up stuff as you go, you get very random.
"Like...ecstasy?"
"Yeah!" Jesse beamed, "Like ecstasy!"
"Is that it, Jess?"
"Ecstasy is illegal, and if anyone ever found out, they would lock us up in prison. But it was...it was the only way for us to make out money. We're not that well-off, you know?"
Liz suddenly wondered if she really hadn't been kidnapped, and if Jesse truly had loved her."
"S-so...that's it? You're dealing MDMA?"
"Y-yeah. That's it."
Liz decided to believe Jesse. "So...you really did love me?" Liz asked.
"...Yeah, Liz. I admit, I really did love you."
"What about now?"
Jesse sighed. "I'm not so sure anymore. I mean, I did tell you I didn't have any feelings for you, but...I dunno. Let's just remain friends though, okay?"
Liz was disappointed, but agreed to it.
"Let's head back now, it's getting late." Jesse suggested.
"I still have one question."
"Yes?"
"How did that...how did my leg heal so quick after you rubbed rubbing alcohol on me?"
Jesse smiled. "Hey, miracles happen!"
That was true, considering the fact that Jesse Tuck's whole life was a miracle. There really was something Jesse and Liz had in common after all. The nucleus of both their miracles was the spring water, the blessed—or cursed spring."