Note: Things are getting interesting in this story, so I hope you guys are ready for what's going to happen. Now, it's time for chapter nine.
Chapter 9: Talks and Revelations
Walking out of Dr. O'Donnell's office, Bentley was greeted by Annie.
"How did it go?" Annie asked.
"Great!" Bentley answered.
"Did you like your therapist?" She asked.
"Yeah," he said, "she's a pleasant lady. If I were older, I would marry that woman."
"She probably has a husband!" Annie giggled.
"It was just a joke!" Bentley blushed in embarrassment.
Cyril drove near the two kids, stopping by the grass.
"Good afternoon, kids!" The aardvark greeted.
"Hi, Mr. Sneer!" Bentley and Annie chorused.
"Can I speak to you for a few minutes?" Cyril asked as he got out of his car.
"Sure." Bentley said.
"What do you want to talk about?" Annie asked.
"I know that this last month has been tough on you, Bentley." Cyril spoke.
"You bet it's been tough." The little boy said, "I mean, they still haven't caught the guy who ra-"
"Don't use that word, kid!" The millionaire scolded.
"Sorry." The young raccoon looked down.
"We're just worried that this guy could strike again." Annie stated.
"I know how you feel," Cyril spoke, "especially when a maniac is on the loose. But there are other ways to deal with it than worrying and feeling horrible."
"I've actually taken some therapy." Bentley stated.
"That's one way to deal with it." Cyril noted, "Then there is another way."
"What is it?" Annie asked.
"Vigilante justice!" The aardvark stated.
"We can't do something like that," Annie said, "we're too young!"
"Besides, Captain Pepper said that he would help the police find the culprit!" Bentley added.
"I don't trust that dog!" Cyril said, "For all we know, he could be the one who raped not only Lisa, but those other girls!"
"That is a possibility," Bentley ventured, "but we can't automatically assume that a police officer did something like that!"
"Look," the millionaire aardvark spoke, "I know that you want to see him as a hero, but he's a suspect in my book! Until we find out who the culprit is, he's one of our suspects!
"What does this have to do with vigilante justice?" Annie asked.
"I'm planning to shoot the rapist while he's in the act!" Cyril said.
"Why?" Bentley asked.
"He's a crook, that's why!" The aardvark said, "Given the amount of crimes he has committed, it's no doubt that he'll strike again! Think of all the poor innocent women whose virginity could be stolen by this monster! Who knows?! There might even be a reward for this guy's head!"
"I don't know what this has to do with us." Annie stated.
"Wouldn't you want to do the same if he attacked one of your family members?!" Cyril asked, "Wouldn't you want to shoot this creep if you saw him violating someone you knew?!"
"We don't know!" Bentley said.
"I'll give you two some time to think!" The aardvark said prior to leaving, "I will talk to you some other time!"
As Cyril took off, both Bentley and Annie looked at each other. They were surprised that the local millionaire would talk to them about being vigilantes. Even if there was a criminal on the loose, the two raccoons were too young for anything like that.
"What does he expect us to do?" Annie asked.
"I don't know," Bentley answered, "but I don't think that my family would like it if I killed someone, even if the victim had it coming. I wouldn't want to spend the rest of my life in prison."
"Neither would I." Annie said.
"Want to keep on hanging out?" Bentley asked.
"Of course," she stated, "but I want to give you something before we head to my parent's house."
"What is -" Bentley attempted to ask before being interrupted by Annie kissing him on the cheek. The boy froze, blushing madly as well.
"Come on, silly!" Annie said as she ran off.
"You think that I can't catch up to you?!" Bentley snapped out of his trance and ran after her, "You're wrong if you think that!"
The two playfully ran down to Annie's house, feeling much better than how they were earlier.
Lisa lie down on her bed, looking at Nurse Peck's report on her. She couldn't help but feel horrible. Even if what happened wasn't her fault, the young woman just wanted to blame herself for being raped. Not only that, but she had gotten pregnant with her rapist's child. Those were the last two things that she wanted to have happen to her. It was only a matter of time before the man who did this to her was caught.
"Lisa?" A gentle voice came through the doorway of her room.
Turning her head, Lisa saw who the voice belonged to: George.
"Hi Dad." She sadly greeted.
"How do you feel, honey?" George asked.
"Like absolute shit." Lisa answered.
"Language, Lisa." George said.
"Sorry." The young woman sighed sadly.
"Mind if I come in?" The older male asked.
"You may." She answered.
George entered the room and sat down next to Lisa.
"Lisa," he began, "about what happened to you, I'm sorry that you had to suffer through something so traumatic. I guess that I haven't been enough of a good father."
"What are you talking about?" Lisa sat up, baffled that her father would think that about himself.
"I was unable to protect my little girl from a perverted monster that wanted her virginity." George stated, "I'm sorry, Lisa, I should have came for you and Bentley. That would have kept the rapist from doing what he did to you."
"Dad," Lisa spoke, "none of what happened was your fault. It's not anyone's fault. I think that the guy attacked me for no reason, other than the fact that he could. You didn't fail as a father, so don't blame yourself."
"How was your trip to the hospital?" George asked.
"It wasn't long, I can tell you that." She answered.
"What are you holding?" The older male asked.
"Nurse Peck's report on me." Lisa stated, "The good news is that I haven't tested positive for any STDs."
"What's the bad news?"
"Promise that you won't call me anything horrible?"
"I promise, honey."
"The bad news is that I'm pregnant."
Those words hit George like a slap in the face.
"You're kidding!" He yelped.
"No, I'm serious." Lisa frowned.
"Wait until they catch that monster!" George's voice turned angry, "I'll punch him in the face until his nose breaks!"
"Dad, no!" Lisa cried, "You'll go to jail for assault!"
"I know, honey, but I'm willing to go to jail for my family." George said, his voice becoming calmer.
"At least you're less angry than Bert." The younger female noted.
"What are you going to do with the little monster in your womb?" The older male asked.
"I'm not sure whether to have the baby or get an abortion." Lisa stated.
"I'd get rid of it."
"What?"
"Lisa, think about it, do you really want to have a baby that was forced inside of you?"
"I need some time to think." Lisa looked down.
George left the room, closing the door behind him. He was in utter shock and disgust now that Lisa was pregnant. Even if she had months to decide, the young woman couldn't have the baby. A part of George told him that Lisa should have the baby, but the other part said that Lisa should get rid of the demon spawn that was in her womb. He just hoped that his daughter would make the right decision.
Back at the Raccoondominium, Bert was rummaging through his stuff. Ralph and Melissa were outside his room, wondering what their friend was doing. It was only yesterday that he helped Lisa back to her house again. Bert and Lisa had gotten close throughout their dates, so Ralph and Melissa felt that they should be happy for the two. But the second trip to the hospital concerned them. Something bad was going to happen, and the married couple felt that it would happen this week.
Bert came out of his room with his right hand closed.
"What do you have there, Bert?" Ralph asked.
"It's a ring." Bert answered.
"A ring?" The shorter raccoon asked.
"Where did you get it?" Melissa asked.
"I've been saving up for it." Bert stated, "I wouldn't have figured that today would be the day."
"The day for what?" Ralph asked.
"The day when I asked Lisa to marry me!" The taller raccoon stated, "She's pregnant!"
Ralph and Melissa gasped.
"What?" Bert asked.
"Bert, I can't believe you would do that!" Ralph shouted.
"Lisa's pregnant with the baby of a convict and you're going to marry her without hesitation?!" Melissa was in utter shock.
"Don't worry, I won't do anything horrible to her!" Bert said.
"But what about the baby that's inside of her?" Melissa asked.
"We haven't decided yet." The taller raccoon spoke, "But when we have the baby or abort it, I'll tell you."
"Just be careful, okay?" Ralph sighed.
Before he walked down the stairs, Bert turned to Ralph and Melissa, "I've got something to ask."
"Ask away." Ralph said.
"Will you bless our wedding?" Bert asked.
"I don't know, Bert." Ralph sighed, "Don't you think that you're rushing through everything?"
"It's my way of saying that we'll always be there for Lisa." The taller raccoon stated.
"We need some time to decide." Melissa said.
"I'll let you guys decide," Bert ran down the stairs, "bye!"
When Bert was gone, Ralph and Melissa looked at each other. The two had no idea what to do. Not only was Bert going to propose to Lisa (who was now pregnant with the child of a criminal), but he asked them if they would give their blessing. While he meant well, Ralph and Melissa felt that Bert had something sinister in mind. They had months to decide, so they felt like questioning their longtime friend about his intentions. The problem was: when could they do it? It seemed like they would have to ask him when he wasn't busy.
Note: I know, that's not a good way to end the chapter, but I write as the words come to my mind. I hope that doesn't deter you from reading the story. My dialogue skills aren't that better, as the stuff I write for the characters to say isn't good either. Regardless, I hope that everyone is doing okay. What did you guys think about this chapter? Let me know when you leave a review or give a constructive criticism. Until next time guys, peace!