Authoress Note: Welcome to Chapter 66 of Messed Up World. Thank you to those who have stuck around for this story and have left reviews for this story. It really does mean a lot to me that you guys enjoyed this story. Now we are on the final chapter of this story which is kind of sad for me, but I'm actually fairly excited for this series and where it will be going later on in the series. I hope that you guys enjoy this next and final part of Messed Up World. Without further ado Chapter 66. ENJOY!
Chapter 66
Hannibal stood next to his wife with blood splattered on his face from Will being shot. The two of them watched the gurney with Will on it being moved to the ambulance and Jack following right behind it concerned for the younger man that was on it. Hannibal's hand slowly slid into his wife's hand, taking it softly. He watched Jack stand there as the doors of the ambulance's back doors were closed.
Jack turned to Hannibal and Margarita, his eyes meeting with Hannibal's.
Margarita gripped her husband's hand softly looking over at her husband rather concerned with the whole thing that happened. She had a sinking in her chest wondering where life would take them next.
Hannibal slowly turned to his wife. "Shall we go home?" He asked her softly.
Margarita looked into her husband's brown eyes and then she nodded her head. "Yes."
HANNIBAL
Hannibal and Margarita sat in Will's hospital room in the two chairs that were next to the bed. The two of them watched Will as he was unconscious in the bed. The two of them looked up when Jack entered the room.
Margarita carefully got up out of the second seat allowing Jack to sit down in the chairs.
Jack carefully sat down in the other seat nodding his head to Margarita.
"Right hemisphere of his brain was inflamed. Been placed in an induced sleep. He's being treated with antiviral and steroid therapies." Hannibal explained to Jack knowing his wife knew this already.
"Is he responding?" Jack questioned his voice fairly softly.
"More or less. He's expected to make a substantial recovery. Over time." Hannibal looked over at Will in his comatose state.
"Would you have gone to Minnesota if he didn't have a gun on you?"
"I would have wanted to." Hannibal admitted as he looked over at Jack seeing the look on the man's face. "Even now I feel that I've failed to satisfy my obligation to Will."
"Any regrets?"
"More than I would care to admit. Psychiatrists can have divided loyalties. We have to protect our patients from becoming victims of the pressures we face to help them."
"Will Graham isn't your victim."
"Nor is he yours."
Jack considered it for a moment, not sure if that was the case. "In my life, I've seen some hideous and offhanded ways in which the world breaks people. This is worse than anything I've seen on the autopsy scales. What I experienced with Will Graham has caused in me a small tectonic shift. I am not the same man I was yesterday."
"No one in this room is." Margarita said softly.
Hannibal studied Jack's regret of what happened to Will.
HANNIBAL
Margarita knocked on the door lightly to Bedelia's home next to her husband who had a platter of food under a beautiful glass dome.
Bedelia opened the door seeing the two of them.
Hannibal smiled. "Good evening."
"Hello, Hannibal, Margarita. Please come in."
The two of them followed Bedelia inside and into the dining room. It was a simple, elegant, well appointed table with place settings for three.
Bedelia poured Hannibal a glass of wine, then herself and then poured a glass of water for Margarita since she was pregnant.
Hannibal set the plate of magnificent food in front of Bedelia as she pulled her chair up to the dining room table. "TĂȘte de Veau en Sauce Verte."
Margarita carefully pulled her seat out and sat down slowly in her seat.
"Smells like a bonfire." Bedelia said, looking up at Hannibal.
"I smoked the veal on a pyre of dry hay. Imparts a unique smoldering flavor to the meat and to the room."
"This is an unexpected treat."
"Thank you for indulging me." Hannibal said as he took a seat next to his wife.
"You seemed like you needed to talk."
"And since you refuse invitations to my dinner table, this is the only way I could cook for you."
"What's on your mind, Hannibal?"
"I'm going to see Will tomorrow."
Bedelia stared at him for a moment. "As a patient or as a friend?"
"As a farewell. Of sorts. Who I knew Will to be was an illusion."
"He's created his own version of reality to help him make sense of what he saw and heard and felt."
"And did."
"Thought Mr. Graham would finally be the patient who cost you your life."
"He didn't cost me my life. He cost Abigail Hobbs her's. Your veal is getting cold." Hannibal said as he slowly ate his meal.
Margarita slowly ate the food before her nibbling slowly at the meat.
Bedelia realized she hadn't even taken a bite, before cutting into her meat. "It's a controversial dish. Veal." She took a bite savoring it. "Mmmm."
"Those who denounce veal often cite the young age at which veal are killed, when they are in fact older than many pigs going to slaughter."
Bedelia considered that and then brought the subject back up. "You have to be careful, Hannibal. They started to see your pattern."
"What pattern would that be?"
"You form relationships with patients that are conducive to violence. That pattern."
Margarita and Hannibal went still.
"Under scrutiny, Jack Crawford's beliefs about you could unravel."
"Tell me, Dr. Du Maurier, have your beliefs about me begun to unravel?" Hannibal questioned before taking a bite of his veal and waited for her to answer him.
Margarita eyed the woman that sat on the other side of the table knowing that it wouldn't take much to hurt this woman if she would squeal about anything.
Bedelia looked at the two of them unsure of how to respond to what Hannibal had asked.
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This is the end of the final chapter of Messed Up World. I hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter. I've worked hard on trying to finish up this story and now we're at the close of this story. The next story for this series is called Absolution. I probably won't be posting that story for a bit unless you guys want it right away. Please leave a review and let me know if I should continue this immediately after I finish it. Reviews actually help me keep going when it comes to writing and keep my muse going. I already actually have the next two stories kind of planned out. So I take that as a sign. Hopefully I will have the next story out as soon as I can. Until next time.
