The walk was hard. Harder than just about anything Kim had ever done. Even with the crutches, by the time she reached the top of the building, and exited the elevator, Kim's legs were burning in agony.
There was nothing to be done for it.
If I'm asking mom to cut Shelly a break, the last thing I want is her to see me in that damned chair…or these crutches. She'd have to ditch them before she walked in.Having Ron have to carry her over the threshold also wasn't a good idea… or having him anywhere around. Problem was, mom had been really upset (as much as Kim) about Ron cutting off his parents, which meant if he was there, she'd think about that, and about why he had done it, etc….
"No…ahhhhh…. Not a good idea." Kim said, feeling the sweat drops trickle down her face. Her legs were trembling and abruptly she felt herself start to fall-
And Ron's hands were under her arms, keeping her from falling.
"Hey KP." Ron said.
"Ron…" Kim said, gasping, "I have to do this by myself."
"And you had to come up all this way by yourself?" Kim's face turned red, as Ron guided her to a chair.
He would have helped me.
But I had to do this alone.
That's one of your problems, isn't it? Kim's inner voice told her. She looked over at Ron, who sighed in good natured irritation.
"KP… don't take this wrong, but isn't part of 'doing anything' asking for help?" Kim looked at him, and for a moment wondered why he hadn't-
You know why. Ron hadn't because Ron would let her try—would support her, help her, tolerate her screaming and cursing him out…but never try and 'help' her by keeping her in a cage. If she'd made it up by herself, he'd never have taken her achievement away from her…but he was there, to catch her if she fell.
He'd always been there to catch her when she fell—or in his good natured way that too many had seen as goofball act, push her ahead when she might herself not dare. Like the talent show. If it hadn't been for Ron… she'd never had tried again. One failure at singing…and she'd never dared risk it again, save for her best friend.
Ron handed her a damp washcloth and Kim used it to mop her face, looking in her compact mirror at her red and strained face, which now at least, didn't have rivulets of sweat cascading down it. Then, she leaned into Ron and hugged him, drawing strength from him.
"What am I going to say, Ron?" Kim finally asked him. "Mom hates Shego, and I don't think she knows Shelly like we do."
Ron paused a moment. "How about you just talk to her KP? Your mom's cool—she always has been and she always listens to you. So just talk."
"Um…" Kim paused, "I'll talk to her…alone." She paused, "If she sees you…" Kim gently brushed the side of Ron's face. Ron gave a soft laugh.
"Yeah, I'm pretty bunged up, but I don't think she'll be able to overlook how you look." Kim couldn't keep from bursting into a surprised laugh at that.
"Yeah, the Stoppable-Possible team." She said, "Or Team Thumped On."
"Well, as of now, I think I can say, 'you should see the other side.'" Ron answered. "Now we just have to keep up the momentum…and win, not just smack the evil, but get something positive out of this whole mess." Kim abruptly looked up, and made a snap decision.
"No."
"What?"
"I was wrong—we're both going in. Shego hurt both of us…so between the two of us, I think we have the right to ask for mercy."
"Then let's do it, KP." Ron said, and stood up, offering Kim his arm. Kim smiled at it, and stood up herself, leaving the crutches on the side of the hospital corridor. She'd lean on Ron for this one.
Inside the examination room, the imaging system, one of only ten in the nation, hummed its way through a brain scan. Combining the best aspects of just about every sensor to come before, it was a wonder of technology.
And right now, it wasn't telling Dr. Margaret Possible what she wanted to hear. Cindy frowned at the holographic displays floating in the air.
"So… what is that?" She asked. Margaret frowned, and pointed to an image of a brain floating in the air.
"according to this, the development of the brain is… identical to what you would expect in a sixteen or seventeen year old girl." She paused, "The regions involving memory are no more developed than we'd expect."
"So there aren't any remnants of Shego?"
"I didn't say that." Margaret said sharply. "There are other abnormalities, including a certain amount of radiation, that should be causing all sorts of damage, but isn't."
"Comet power."
"Yes." She paused, "Shego's comet power."
"And?"
"And I'm going to call Global Justice and the FBI. Let them deal with her."
"No mom." Both women spun around, shocked. Kim was in the door, leaning on Ron's shoulder. Ron had his arm around Kim, partially supporting her, his own burned hands clumsy in their dressings.
"Kimberly Ann Possible!"Her mother burst out, "I thought I told you to stay in the emergency room!"
"They fixed me." Kim said. "And this is more important."
"More important?" Her mother said.
"Yeah. You can't tell GJ about Shego." Her mother blinked at that.
"Why not."
"Because they'd never let her go. They'd always be worried that it was just a plot of Shego's." Margaret folded her arms.
"They might be right."
"No. They're not." Kim paused, "I… I know Shego, better than you, mom—she'd never, ever risk getting killed like this. Not for anything. Shelly could have died, would have died, if Ron, Felix and Bonnie hadn't of saved her." The red head met her mother's eyes squarely. "Shego isn't home anymore…and Shelly doesn't deserve this."
"And you two did deserve this?" Her mother said angrily. "Shelly or Shego—her hands tortured you. Her hands blinded Ron."
"You're right, Dr. Ms. P." Ron said. "So isn't it kinda…our call about what happens?" The two adults looked at Ron, Dr. Possible silent, and Cindy nodding in slow agreement.
Not kids…not anymore. Cindy thought with pride and sorrow. Shego did fail. Here's the result.
"No." Kim's mom said, "She has to pay." She paused, and repeated in a voice that sounded like Margaret was having a hard time breathing, "She has to pay."
"Why?" Kim asked. "Because you hate her?"
"Yes." Her mother hissed out.
"Shego hated me." Kim quietly said. "Shelly… if that was Shego at my age… well, look where hate got her, eventually… I don't want to end up there… I don't want you to end up there." Ron patted her hand.
"Besides, Dr. P." Ron continued where Kim left off. "If Shego's gone, Shelly's not responsible…and what can you do that will get my eye back, or Kim's legs back? You won't get anything, and you'll just be more pissed off and frustrated."
"What if she comes back?" Margaret said, her voice unconvincing even to her. "I could be putting all of you at risk."
"We're always at risk, Margaret." Cindy said.
"E Tu, Brute?" Margaret said, frowning at Cindy.
"You're right mom." Kim said, "This is kinda the dumb thing to do… but look at all the smart people, who never take a chance, never help someone… never…" Kim paused, struggling with her thoughts for a few moments. Then, she seemed to come to a decision, "Never have faith. Sure, Shelly can go bad. So can I, so can Ron, so can you…. But I trust her. Can you trust us?"
"I-" Margaret had never not trusted her child. "What do you want?" Kim and Ron looked at each other and nodded.
"Bonnie came up with it—Shego showed up, attacked us all, fell into the water with Shelly—and her comet powers went wild and vaporized her… and if anyone asks, that's why Shelly has them."
"And that's it?"
"Pretty much." Margaret listened to her daughter, and then in an unbelieving voice, continued.
"I cannot believe I'm even thinking about this, but we'd have to purge the genebank records from when she came in—and someday, someone's going to take a gene reading of her and she'll light up every law enforcement database from here to Moscow."
"So she was a clone—by that time Shego'll be old news." Ron casually said, his face more lopsided than normal. Margaret closed her eyes.
"OK." She said, "But Kim… Sheg- Shelly never comes into our house."
"Mo-" Kim started and fell silent, as Cindy made frantic "sushing" motions from over her mothers shoulder.
"No." Margaret looked at her daughter. "Do you know what really sucks about being a doctor?" Kim shook her head. "Kimmie—I know exactly what she did to you. Every burn, every cut, every scrape, every bit of damage to your liver—and I know just how many days without water, without food, or with salt water, that meant, what burns were from Shego's hands, and what ones were ju-just from a soldering iron." She paused, "I've dreamed it, over and over, and over again….sometimes you're 16, sometimes you're twelve, and sometimes you're six, screaming for your mother." Margaret dragged the back of her hand across her face, and fumbled for a Kleenex, drying her eyes.
"You want me to do this…" She paused, "I will…but I can't forget- I can't forgive her for what happened to you, and I can't have her near me, or my other children. I'm sorry baby…but I can't forgive her. I just don't have it in me." Kim paused, looking at her mother.
"And does that mean you won't let me talk to her?"
"No… Kimmie, I think you're far beyond the point where I can do that. Maybe you're right. I pray you are…but… I'm sorry." She said and bent her head, unable to meet anyone's eyes. Kim stood up, legs trembling, but managed to walk over to her mom and hugged her.
"I understand." Kim said, feeling her mothers body trembling against hers. "Mom?"
"Yes."
"You most definitely Rock." Margaret waited a few moments, then pulled back.
"Kimmie."
"Yeah, mom?"
"We'll have to tell her family." She looked at her daughter, "They have a right to know." Kim paused, then nodded.
"I understand."
Shelly woke up, slowly. She'd opened her eyes once or twice, but weakness had dragged her back down into unconsciousness. She remembered Kim's mother glaring down at her, a syringe ready to kill her, and voices, some of them raised.
But nothing inside her save herself. No mocking voice, no frantic demands… she was… alone. The roof was white, and the smell ws that of a hospital. That's right. She'd been in a hospital.
"Hi." There was a soft voice next to her bed. Kim, sitting down, looking at her. Shelly tensed.
"Don't worry." Kim said.
"I…" Shelly swallowed and continued again, "You should put me in jail."
"Why."
"Shego."
"Is she still in there?"
"I…." Shelly paused, "I don't know. I don't think so." A mountain rising over a landscape like none seen on earth and Kindly eyes. "Her story is at an end…so whatever chapters beyond this, are yours to write."
"Maybe not." Shelly continued, "But I did all those things…"
"Your body did, you mean." Kim said. "You didn't…" She paused. "I figure we should just kinda forget all about Shego and concentrate on Shelly." Shelly's hand was taken in Kim's. "Ron's on board with this, and so is everyone else that knows."
"Your mom?"
"Pissed off…and I'm afraid she isn't going to let you come over anymore, but she's not gonna try and keep me from talking or anything like that." Kim smiled, albeit with sorrow in her eyes. "No court orders from my family." Shelly looked around and realized that Ron wasn't in the room and nodded. Kim had just shared something with her—a way of saying: I trust you. She'd never be able to say to Ron just how terribly that had hurt her, not and have any chance of Ron getting back to his family.
"It's more than I deserve." Shelly said.
"Maybe." Kim said.
"Kim…."
"Yeah?"
"I, um… need a favor."
"What?" Shelly told her, and Kim nodded.
"We can do that."
In Shelly's ruined apartment, a few hours later, Ron and Felix hunted among the furniture.
"Boo-yah!" Ron said.
"What, what is it?" Ron didn't bother to answer, as he undid the false panel at the base of the wall. Behind it were several bundles.
"Secret stash—Shego must have set up the apartment before she ever turned herself into Shelly." Ron went through it. "Well…. False ID's…a whole bundle of 'em, bearer bonds for foreign companies, wow, look at all those gold krugerrands." he said, as he pulled out several heavy bundles. Felix blinked as the gold gleamed in the light. "Bars and coins both, and I bet these bearer bonds are pretty valuable." Ron pulled out some cards and keys., "And last but not least, safe deposit boxes… Not that these'll be useful."
"Why not?" Felix asked. He'd never forgotten that Ron was just as much involved with saving the world as Kim was.
"They probably have a code word, or serial code—and Shego wouldn't have written that down—unless we want to ah, blow our secret, we'll just have to give 'em to GJ or the FBI." Then Ron looked in at the final object. "And here you are."
It was a strange device, but Shelly had told Ron what it looked like—apparently Shego had bragged about it once or twice, although she'd not given the exact location which was why they'd just had to search the whole damned apartment. . He paused. What if this hurt Shelly? What if…
And he was hesitating and Shelly had told him what to do. Period. She'd been real specific, as well, once Kim had called him in.
"OK…let's take this outside."
"Why?"
"Most of Drakken's….gadgets tend to blow up when you break them." Ron said, as he got up and walked out of the apartment, and turned and headed towards the large empty field across the street. "If it starts sparking, run." Then he threw it, as hard as he could, at a large rock in the field…
The object, sparked once, then shattered into a dozen pieces, a thin trail of smoke rising into the sky.
"blow up?"
"Is a relative term." Ron pointed out as he turned back to the car to get a case he'd brought from Felix's house—one of the items that he and Kim had used on missions. He was sweating as he pulled it out, so Felix helped him with a repaired tentacle.
"What is this?" Felix asked.
"Lead lined…" Ron said, and looked at his Kimmunicator. "Not that there's anything according to this, but hey, better safe than sorry."
When they finished putting it in, the unit beeped. Ron answered it.
"Hey Kim…how's Shelly?"
"Resting and fine. Did you?"
"Yep… one mad scientists fountain of youth, down for the count."
"Good." Kim said. "Ron?"
"Yeah?"
"Love you."
"Love you too, KP."
"No remote Kissy face while I'm helping." Felix said.
"Why not?" Kim said from the monitor. "Especially since we've been so supportive of all those tutoring sessions you and Monique have been having…."
"Hey!" Kim laughed at Felix's expression and Ron grinned, eye softening. It'd been a while since she'd laughed so naturally.
In the hospital, Kim turned back to Shelly.
"It's done. Ron destroyed it."
"Thank God." Shelly softly said, and then fell back asleep, this time a natural, restful sleep.
TBC