Chapter Nine:

Colette brought her back to Keller, patched her arm up and returned her to bed. Zosia didn't resist and they didn't bother with any restraints this time. They did, however, place a security guard at the door, but Zosia didn't care. Almost as soon as her head touched the pillow, she was dead to the outside world.

Her sleep was peaceful, and there was no appearance of the Labyrinth, the Cenobites, or either of her parents in her dreams. Instead, she rested.

When she finally awoke, it was daytime, and Jessie and Colette were sitting at her bedside, slightly forced smiles on both of their faces.

"Finally!" said Colette. "I was starting to think you'd never wake up."

"Is it morning?" asked Zosia sleepily, trying to sit up in the bed.

"It's the morning after," said Jessie. "You've been asleep for eighteen hours. You must have been exhausted."

"Not to mention severely dehydrated and malnourished," added Colette. "When was the last time you ate or drank anything? That wasn't alcoholic, I mean."

"I..." Zosia couldn't remember. "I don't know."

"Well, don't worry, you've got the best nurse in the hospital looking after you now," said Colette.

"Oh, has Mary-Claire come back?" muttered Jessie, which prompted Colette to chuckle sarcastically at him.

Then Colette's face went serious. "Zosh," she said nervously. "About your dad..."

Zosia felt her stomach churn in fear. "What?"

Colette and Jessie shared a look. "He's...he's vanished, Zosh," said Jessie quietly. "He emptied his bank account, but seems to have vanished without taking the money, which is...weird."

"Not half as weird," said Colette, "as the story the funeral home gave us. Apparently you visited them a few days ago?" At Zosia's nod, she continued. "Well, you must have made an impression on the guy who runs it, cause he turned himself into the police yesterday. It's..." She paused and shook her head in disbelief. "It's about your mum's funeral..."

"It was a fake," said Zosia softly. "The coffin's empty, isn't it?"

"You knew?" said Jessie in disbelief. "How?"

"I worked it out. That's what I was going to see him about that day in his office..." That, again, was mostly true. Zosia felt bad about lying to them, but she couldn't tell them the whole truth. They'd never believe her, for a start.

"Fuck..." muttered Colette, rubbing her head. "Yeah, that's right. The police exhumed the grave and it's...it's empty. They don't know if Anya's alive or dead..."

"She's dead," mumbled Zosia.

"How do you know?" asked Colette with a frown.

"I just know," said Zosia blankly. "If she was alive...I'd know."

Jessie and Colette shared another look. Jessie leant down closer to Zosia. "Zosia...maybe you should tell us everything. I mean, the police want to speak to you once you're ready, but...just tell us first, okay?"

"And remember," said Colette, taking Zosia's hand, "we care about you, okay? We just want to help you."

"I know," said Zosia. She smiled sadly, and began her tale. It was, of course, a severely edited version of events, leaving out everything about the Box and the Cenobites. In her version, she had pieced together the truth about the funeral just before she had gone to see Guy with the scalpel, and the thought had disturbed her so much that she hadn't been able to think clearly or explain herself. She had then gone to see him after her escape from Keller, but he hadn't been in his office, and that's when Colette and Jessie had found her.

After she had finished, Zosia tried to subtly gauge the others' reactions - luckily, they seemed to believe her.

"You shouldn't have tried to do it on your own," said Colette, squeezing Zosia's hand. "You could have talked to us."

"I'm sorry," said Zosia, guilt gnawing at her insides. "I just...I just didn't know what to do, and I couldn't handle it...and...and you were right. I am ill. I need to get help."

"You can get all the help you need in here," said Jessie warmly. "Get well, Zosh. It's what your mum would have wanted." He paused and sighed. "I can't believe that Guy would do anything like this...hell, I don't even know what he's done yet!"

"I've got a suspicion," muttered Colette, then realised Zosia was there and caught herself. "Zosh, I'm sorry...this is your mum we're talking about here...I didn't mean to imply..."

"You're just thinking what everyone is," said Zosia calmly. "A fake funeral, an empty grave, a big cash withdrawal, a disappearance...you think he killed her."

"No-one is saying that yet," said Jessie nervously.

"I am. He did kill her," said Zosia quietly. It was close enough to the truth, anyway. Best that no-one got any idea that her father might be innocent. Her coldness shocked her slightly, but she had to do it, for her mother's sake.

"Zosh..." Colette reached out and hugged her. Grateful for the closeness, Zosia hugged her back. "This must be so hard for you..."

"You're taking it surprisingly well," said Jessie with a frown.

"I've always known what he was capable of," said Zosia, lying back in the bed. "I just didn't think he'd ever go this far. But Mama is gone, and I just have to accept that, and that my father" - the term caught in her throat - "was responsible. The police will discover that soon, I imagine."

"There could be another explanation," said Jessie uncertainly. "None are immediately springing to mind, though."

"He did it," said Zosia firmly. "I can just...sense it. And believe me, I'm not taking this well. That's why I need help. Just... another one of many reasons."

Colette stroked Zosia's arm soothingly. "I'm glad you're finally accepting help. Christ knows, given all that's gone on, I might need some by the end of it."

Jessie got to his feet. "Anyway...I need to get going. Have an appointment with the fuzz...though god knows what I can tell them." He leaned down and kissed Zosia on the cheek, then put on his hat. "I'll be back to visit."

"You know," said Colette lightly, "that the fedora makes you look like a total twat, don't you?"

He smiled thinly at her. "Don't ever change, Col. Laters!"

And with that, he was gone. Colette turned back to Zosia. "I need to get going too...I've got an appointment after him. Then I think they'll want to speak with you...if you're up for it?" Zosia nodded, and Colette smiled. "Okay...but if you change your mind, let me know. You've been through enough."

Zosia looked up at the older woman, feeling guilty as hell for lying to her. "Colette...why are you so nice to me? I'm usually a total cow to you."

Colette shrugged. "You can't really watch someone grow up from the age of twelve and not feel some kind of responsibility for them...even if you do think they're a mardy little bitch most of the time."

"Yeah, I suppose I can be." Zosia smiled at Colette. "Thank you. For everything - I mean it."

"No problem - you're like the annoying little sister I never wanted." Colette got up to leave, but after she'd taken a few steps, she paused and looked back to Zosia. "Zosh? Do you remember you asked me why I was so loyal to Guy?"

"Colette, you don't have to..."

"You deserve an answer." Colette sighed. "I became a nurse to help people. I know that's a cliche, but it's true. And when you do that, sometimes you fall into the orbit of a person who seems able to achieve anything and shares the same passions that you do, and you think that if you stick with that person, you'll be able to do great things. You'll be able to help patients in ways that you couldn't have imagined before. So you stick with them, and you believe in them, and eventually you'll be with them for so long that you'll just do what they say and take their side no matter what." She smiled sadly. "Even if they never do the same for you. So...that's why."

"You deserved better."

Colette shrugged. "I think we all did. Anyway, I'll talk to you later, Zosh."

Zosia gave her a smile. "Looking forward to it."

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The police did come and interview Zosia after a few hours, and she gave them the same story that she had given Colette and Jessie. Like the other two, the police seemed to believe her, although they did seem slightly confused as to how her father had managed to leave the hospital without being noticed by anyone, and also why he had left without his money. Zosia opined that perhaps he had noticed her entering the office and left in a hurry, not wishing to confront her, and the police seemed to believe that was possible. She idly wondered if they suspected her of murdering or otherwise harming Guy, but why would they? There had been no trace of Guy in the office, and a woman alone surely couldn't have disposed of a body - unseen by anyone - in the short time between her leaving Keller and being found in the office.

No, she was sure that the police believed her side of the story when they left, promising to keep her updated on any news of her father or her mother (who they had little confidence of finding alive). She smiled, and thanked them, and was grateful for any information they could give her in the future, and the police left her alone.

When they had gone, she was visited by Serena Campbell, who sat down next to Zosia's bed, a slightly uncomfortable smile on her face. "How are we doing, Doctor March?"

"As well as can be expected," said Zosia, with a small shrug. "I suppose you've had a busy morning?"

"Yes..." said Serena, "that is something of an understatement. The board is...well, in turmoil is an accurate description. It isn't every day that your CEO vanishes, and is suspected of murder. Speaking of which, I can't imagine what you must be going through."

"Thank you. I'm...well, I think I'm in the right place. You were right all those months ago - I need to sort myself out, and I'm going to do it."

Serena smiled. "Glad to hear it. Take as much time as you need..."

"I suppose they made you the new CEO."

"Acting." Serena shifted in her chair uncomfortably. "I didn't want to bring it up...it is a somewhat delicate situation..."

"It's fine." Zosia smiled. "They'll make you permanent CEO soon enough. They should have done it in the first place."

"You see, that's what I thought." Serena seemed to visibly relax at that. "And when you're ready...you'd of course be welcome back."

"What?" That shocked Zosia. "As a doctor?"

"Of course. I mean, you would have to repeat the year, obviously, but we'd be happy to have you."

"I attacked the CEO with a scalpel!"

"I'm willing to write that off as a one-time thing." Serena placed her hand on Zosia's shoulder. "You have so much potential, Doctor March. I hate to see it go to waste, and given all that's happened over the past few days..." She smiled. "Well, everyone deserves a ninth or tenth chance, don't they?"

"I don't deserve this," mumbled Zosia.

"Don't tell anyone," said Serena, mock-conspiratorially, "but I'm something of a soft touch. Plus, you remind me of my daughter. Must be the maternal instincts."

"Thank you."

"Oh, believe me - the comparison wasn't entirely a compliment." Serena got to her feet. "Anyway, must dash. More meetings, and I have to make sure the board haven't had heart attacks while figuring out what to tell the press - which is something you and I also need to talk about later."

"Ms Campbell?" said Zosia. "Before you go...I just want to say - I think you'll be magnificent."

Serena smiled. "I know. But thank you for the vote of confidence. We'll talk later, Zosia."

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The next two visitors to Zosia's room were Dominic and Arthur, who arrived shortly after Serena had left. Dominic had an air of forced joviality about him, and Arthur was looking even more uncomfortable than usual. He was also clutching a tupperware container.

"What's in the container?" asked Zosia.

"Oh!" Arthur looked at it as if he'd forgotten he was holding it. "It's...um...it's cookies! From Maria. She heard you were...unwell, and so she...well, you know."

"She bakes? I didn't know that."

Arthur grimaced slightly. "She's not...well, I wouldn't eat them, to be honest...but it's the thought that counts, right?"

"It's very sweet," said Zosia with a smile.

"Oh, come here!" said Dominic, leaning forward to give her a hug. "How are you doing, sweetie?"

"Okay." She smiled wryly. "Kind of sick of answering the same question, though."

"That's the Zosia we know," said Dominic. "Right, Diggers?"

Arthur didn't reply. Instead he continued to look awkward, before he finally exploded. "God, Zosia, I'm sorry! If I'd had any idea what had been going on, I would never have gotten Psych involved. I'm really, really sorry...I just hope you can..."
Zosia reached out and took Arthur's hand. "Arthur, it's okay, really it is. You did the right thing."

"Did I?" Arthur sputtered. "But your father, and your mother, and all that stuff you were dealing with..."

Zosia squeezed his hand warmly. "You did the right thing, Arthur. I was a danger to myself and others, and you saw that. I know you were only trying to protect me."

Dominic clapped him on the shoulder. "See, Diggers, I told you it would be okay. You worry too much."

"Better than not worrying enough," muttered Arthur. "How...how are you doing?"

Zosia shrugged. "Fine, I suppose. I'm where I need to be, and I'm going to get help - and that's thanks to you, Arthur Digby. Please don't beat yourself up about it anymore."

Arthur gave a quick smile and nodded.

"Anyway," said Dominic cheerfully. "Don't worry about a thing. Just come home when you're ready - and we're going to have your room all fixed up, too."

"We are?" asked Arthur incredulously. "I mean, have you seen it? I think we're going to need a new carpet for starters, and..."

"It'll be fine," insisted Dominic. "Chill, Diggers. Zosh doesn't need any more stress at the moment."

Zosia gave a small sob, causing Dominic and Arthur to share a worried look before both quickly asking if she was okay.

"I'm fine," she said, wiping her eyes. "I'm more than fine. It's just...everyone is being so nice to me, and I really don't deserve it."

"You've been through a lot, Zosh...we're just looking out for you," said Dominic. "What are friends for?"

"I'm not a good friend," mumbled Zosia. "Oh god, now I'm doing self-pity."

"You've always been good at that," said Arthur with a grin. At the others' looks he frowned. "It was a joke, all right?"

"You two are the best friends a girl could ask for," said Zosia. "Group hug?"

Arthur held up his hands. "I don't really do group hugs..." At Dominic's chiding look, he sighed. "Okay. Group hug."

The three friends hugged and Zosia held onto the others tightly, savouring the closeness.

After a few moments, a new voice cut in. "I'm sorry...I think I'm interrupting..."

Zosia and the two men broke apart, and she looked over to see who the new arrival was. To her surprise, it was Miranda, standing at the doorway, a nervous look on her face.

"Oh, no!" said Arthur quickly. "You're not interrupting. In fact, Dominic and I were just leaving, weren't we?"

"We just got here," protested Dominic, but Arthur nudged him forcefully. "Ow! Okay, fine, we're going." Rolling his eyes, he followed Arthur out of the room leaving Miranda and Zosia alone together.

With a nervous smile, Miranda sat down beside the bed and looked around awkwardly before speaking. "How..."

"Miranda..." The two women shared a smile as they tailed off after speaking over each other.

Miranda gestured to Zosia. "You go first - you're the invalid, after all."

"Oh, thank you." Zosia sighed. "I was just going to say, don't ask me how I am or be nice to me, because I'm sick of the former, and I don't deserve the latter."

"It's your lucky day, then, because I wasn't going to be nice to you," said Miranda with a grin. It faded as she continued. "I'm still really hurt by what you said, you know."

"I'm sorry," whispered Zosia. "It's not an excuse...but I do that. I push people away when I'm hurting, and when I was in your flat, I just wanted...I just wanted to push you away before you could push me away." Her head fell. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean any of it."

"I wasn't going to push you away...I just needed some space at that particular moment."

"I know. I knew then, deep down...I just..." Zosia shook her head. "I told you I was a fuck-up."

Miranda reached over and softly lifted Zosia's head so that they were eye-to-eye. "And I said I wanted to help you. That hasn't changed."

"But...all those things I said..."

Miranda shrugged. "Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment." She looked away self-consciously. "Maybe...I think you're worth it."

Zosia reached out to stroke the other woman's face. "I don't deserve you."

"Damn right you don't," said Miranda lightly.

"The thing is..." Zosia sat back on the bed. "I need help. As in, professional help. And while I'm getting that...I don't think I'm ready for a relationship."

Miranda smiled sadly. "Yeah, I thought that might be the case. I'm glad you're getting the help you need, though."

"It's not that I don't want to...I just...it wouldn't be good for either of us at this time, I don't think." Zosia took a deep breath. "I feel like there's a...a darkness in me right now, and until I get that sorted out...I don't think a relationship would be a good idea."

"I understand," said Miranda softly. "I want you to get well, Zosia. So...anything you need to do for that, just do it. And when you are well..." She smiled. "I'll still be here."

"Going to wait for me?" asked Zosia lightly. "How romantic!"

"As if!" snorted Miranda. "But...when you're ready, give me a call, and...well, we'll take it from there."

"I will."

Miranda stood up, leaned over and kissed Zosia softly on the lips. "See you round, Doctor March."

"Same to you, Doctor Cowley," said Zosia quietly as she watched the other woman walk out of the room.

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The rest of the day passed uneventfully for Zosia. She was staying in the same room for now until they found her a bed in Psych, but she didn't mind. It was actually kind of nice being close to people she knew, and the rest of the Keller team found time to pop in throughout the day to see how she was.

It was dark now, however, and everyone she knew had gone home. She was dozing in the dim light, flitting in and out of consciousness. Her restlessness was probably a reaction to the previous few day's events, she guessed - there were still so many questions unanswered, and she doubted that she'd ever get any answers to them.

However, she was pleased to note that when she was asleep, her dreams were clear. The Labyrinth was not featured in any of them.

Did that mean that her mother was indeed free? She hoped so. The Lead Cenobite had assured Zosia that she was, and for some reason, she was inclined to believe him. The Cenobites seemed to be creatures of order - bound by many rules - and it seemed to her that they would keep their word. The question of where her mother was now still bothered Zosia, though, and she didn't know of any way she could find out.

Would her mother approve of what Zosia had done, though? That was another question that refused to leave her head. At the time, Zosia hadn't hesitated to damn her father to free her mother, but the sight of Guy being ripped to shreds would not go away. It still sickened her to her stomach, and her mother had probably seen it too, from beyond the wall. What if that choice was something her mother would condemn?

Zosia would probably never know, and that was something she would just have to live with.

A crash from beside her jerked her into awareness and she sat up in bed, trying to see what had caused the noise.

A jug had fallen to the floor, knocked over by the figure that was scurrying away from the bed as Zosia watched. It stopped at the door and turned around, and Zosia gasped as she realised who it was.

It was the homeless man that she had tried to treat all those days ago.

He fixed her with the same implacable stare, and then turned and left. Zosia was stunned into silence, and by the time she had recovered enough to call out, he was gone. She prepared to pull back the covers and give chase, but he had left a gift on her bedside table, and the sight of it gave her pause.

Lemarchand's Box sat on the table.

Zosia gingerly reached out and picked it up, all thoughts of pursuing the homeless man gone. It wouldn't do any good - she had a good idea of who he was now - a theory, at least. She supposed he was some sort of guardian or observer of the Box - someone whose job it was to keep an eye on those that possessed it, and also, it seemed, to deliver it to those who were deemed to be worthy of it.

She had no doubt that it was a message from the Cenobites. After all, the Leader had told her that she would open it again one day, and now he was giving her the opportunity. The Box had been given to her for safekeeping, ready for the day she was fated to open it again.

Examining the Box, she lay back in her bed. The thought of getting rid of it went through her head, but she dismissed it. It would be delivered back to her - that she was sure of.

He was wrong, though, wasn't he? She didn't want to be like them, did she? At that, the memory of her determination to watch her father's evisceration came back to her, and she closed her eyes to dispel it. No - she would prove them wrong. She wouldn't open the Box. It had no power over her.

The words felt hollow even in Zosia's head, but she made the pledge all the same.

As she gazed over the six faces, again she thought that she saw shapes in the lacquered surfaces. Now, however, she imagined that one of them was her father's face, twisted in agony. A product of her imagination, or a glimpse into the world beyond the wall? A further examination revealed no such appearance of her mother's face, a fact that relieved her to no end.

Perhaps it was a glimpse into the Labyrinth. After all, the Lead Cenobite had told her that her mother had been able to see out into the world from her prison - it made sense that her father would too. Wasn't that part of the torture? To be able to see those who weren't suffering, those who had delivered you to the agony?

Setting the box back onto the table, Zosia knew what she was going to do now. She was going to live her life. She was going to get well, she was going to return to her job, and she would work her hardest to become the best doctor she could be. And she would do this for two reasons - the first to make her mother proud, to show her that Zosia loved and missed her, and that Zosia was going help as many people as she could to make up for her father's misdeeds.

The second reason was a vindictive one - Zosia wasn't proud of that, but she had to admit it to herself - she was going to excel to make her father suffer. She would show him that he hadn't beaten her - she would show him that she took after her mother more than she took after him. As he watched from the Labyrinth, experiencing the furthest reaches of pain and pleasure, he would see Zosia succeeding and surpassing him, and that would make his torture all the more agonizing.

Zosia smiled. She could live with that.

The End.