Chapter 12
They were fraternal twins. The older one was exactly what everyone said their children would look like, with his light blue eyes and Mara's dark brown hair, and had the smile of a toddler that would make anyone melt. The younger child, however, was a carbon copy of his father, and had jet black hair and blue eyes, and although he was just as adorable as his older brother, he was clumsier and was still getting the hang of learning how to walk.
Reading the newspaper, Eddie heard a crash and knew it was the younger one's fault even without looking up. "Ethan, Evan, which one of you did it this time?"
"My fault," The younger one, Evan, whimpered. Eddie lowered the paper and found him standing next to the shards of the flower vase that once was on the coffee table. "Oops."
Eddie could see a tear welling up his two-year old's eyes, and beckoned him to hobble to his dad. He scooped him up and placed his son on his lap, hugging him tightly. "It's alright, son—you're more important than some vase."
"I heard the crash." Mara's voice echoed from the kitchen, making Eddie jump. "That better not be the vase grandma gave us."
Eddie knew this was a dream. He knew Mara was dead—and then remembered that his sons died with her. But oddly, he did not wake up. Could that have just been a dream? He could not be sure.
"Then you're not gonna like this next bit, darling." Eddie laughed lightly. He heard Mara groan, and saw Ethan laughing by his toy box.
He saw Mara enter the living room, her face and body posture not hiding her frustration. Evan hopped off his father's lap, unintentionally kicking Eddie in the crotch with his toddler shoes. Eddie stifled a scream and placed a pillow on his lap, and watched Evan clumsily run up to Mara, repetitively screaming "Sorry mommy" over and over.
Mara sighed, hugging her child in forgiveness. "It's alright. Just try to be more careful when you play." Evan hugged her back before trotting back to the toy box next to his brother.
"Maybe we can put another picture frame on the table." Eddie suggested casually.
"Don't go there," Mara playfully punched him on the arm as he kissed her in a loving embrace. She felt cold, but Eddie was too absorbed in the dream to realize that something was wrong. "Our living room is turning into an album already."
Mara gave him a loving smile as she went back to the kictchen. Eddie looked around the room. True enough, the walls had been re-decorated once more. This time, the photos weren't only him and Mara and an occasional appearance of Mara's parents and all their friends. They were mostly photos of them and their children in special moments of their lives. The paintings with quotes were still there, but their wedding photo, which was at the center of the biggest wall, was now just in a wall near the door next to other frames taken before they had children. In the center now was the photo Eddie had always wanted—the four of them sitting on the couch like a normal family.
"Eddie, children, breakfast's ready!" Mara called. Ethan and Evan got up and sprinted to the kitchen, leaving Eddie behind. Eddie chuckled, and followed after them.
As he crossed the hallway between the kitchen and living room, he began to feel that something wasn't right. It got colder, which was weird, since Mara always kept the windows in the kitchen opened in the morning. He entered the kitchen, noticing how white it was and that the windows weren't closed. He had expected to find the twins sitting on either side of the table, but they weren't there either. He looked around, but they weren't even in the kitchen. Mara's back was turned to him, sitting in the seat facing the window, which shone an eerily white light.
"Mara darling?" Eddie asked nervously. He placed a hand on her shoulder, and felt her skin grow colder and watched it grow paler. Her soft skin was unusually stiff. He turned so that he could face her, and found nothing but cold dead eyes staring back.
Mara's corpse slumped to the side, falling off the chair. Eddie screamed.
Afraid of dreaming again, Eddie fought hard to stay awake, but something was keeping him from being alert. He recognized the room as a hospital room in St. Mary's, but he wondered why there were two security guards standing by the door.
He realized that him being here could only mean one thing: he knew what was reality and what was just a dream. Mara's dead. Oh god—she's dead. Her, the twins—I've lost everyone. Oddly enough, he wondered why he couldn't feel any pain—neither physical or emotional—but instead just felt sleepy that he dozed off again.
No, stay awake. Stay. Awake.
When he opened his eyes again, the guards were gone, but he saw two figures standing by the other end of his bed. One was obviously a doctor, wearing a white coat. The other one, however, looked like a businessman, wearing a sharp suit.
"…any family?" The businessman asked. Eddie was too drowsy to hear them clearly.
"Mrs. Gluskin has family…Washington…just got word…daughter's death…"
Focus. Eddie tried looking to his sides. His hands were cuffed to either side of the bed, and there was a needle and tubing connected to his arm.
"And this one's father?"
"Here's the address."
No, Eddie thought. I don't have a father—stay awake.
He closed his eyes, and then felt a hand shaking him. He woke up. Suddenly it was morning and the man was wearing a different suit, nodding at a man in scrubs who injected something into Eddie. The man in the suit had dark hair styled in a typical way done by Wall Street trendsetters, and looked quite handsome.
"Mr. Gluskin, please stay awake." The man said in a formal voice.
"Mara…" Eddie said stupidly.
"No sir," The man corrected. "I work for the HR of St. Mary's. I'm very sorry for your tragic loss."
"Mara…" Eddie groaned, tears welling in his eyes. In his semi-drowsy state, he remembered the happiest moment with her, and began to croak. "When I was a boy my mother often said—"
"I'm sorry?" He asked, pulling up a chair so he could lean in closer by sitting. "What was that?"
"Mara and I…we got married, you see…" Eddie smiled weakly.
"Yes, I know that," The man sighed. Eddie could see him shaking his leg.
"Why are you—why…"
"Why am I here?" The man smiled, and Eddie nodded dumbly. "It's because there is a silver lining I think you ought to know. Could you pay attention? The shot should start kicking in by now."
Eddie nodded, determined to focus.
"After your wife died and your little—well—breakdown," The man began, speaking as though he had rehearsed this a couple of times already. "the hospital got worried and needed to find your relatives in case…well, the morgue's pretty full, you see.
"Anyway, they found your wife's parents pretty easily, and they were quite devastated with the news. But we had trouble looking for your parents. We searched records and saw that your mother was dead, but it took us a while to find your father's house. When one of our employees went to visit him, he stumbled upon some incriminating evidence against your father."
Eddie remembered where Pam left the photos, tossed on his bed. The man leaned in closer. "Mr. Gluskin, please answer honestly—did your father rape you as a child?"
Eddie nodded. "And the other man in the photo?"
"My dear Uncle Willard." Eddie said tensely.
For a split second, The man's lips curled into a smile before he sat back straight and coughed. "We detained your father and his caregiver—a certain Pamela Davies. We charged your father with pedophilia and rape on a minor, and his caregiver for trying to hide the evidence.
"I know it won't bring your wife and children back, Mr. Gluskin. But I promise you, you will find justice for your troubles."
Another medic whose face was covered by a mask entered to inject another syringe filled with yellow liquid into Eddie. The man was right—Eddie would rather hear a report that Mara and the twins came back to life and are well and healthy than to hear that his father had been executed in the worst way possible. Eddie fought the urge to sob, but it looked like the man had more to say.
"Now all you have to do is…well," The man scratched his head awkwardly. "Is pick up the pieces. I can't say it will be easy, nor will it take a short while—but St. Mary's is here to help."
He handed Eddie a few sheets of paper stapled together and a pen. "You might not be able to read yet—let alone five pages of clauses—but I'll cut to the chase. Sign it, and St. Mary's will handle the funeral arrangements for your wife and child. We need your authorization to release the corps—bodies—to the funeral services provider."
Eddie began to feel sleepy once more, but urged himself to focus as he flipped the last page to the front and signed his name and signature. The man snatched the paper and pen out of his hands, nodding slowly in approval.
"Oh, and one more thing," The man asked Eddie, his concerned face gone. "Do you remember what happened in your wife's room before you passed out? For…insurance purposes."
Eddie recalled, but it was a haze. "Mara died. Dr. Hanes tried to comfort me—Peter did too when he saw me breaking down…and then I got so sad, I passed out. Dr. Hanes…she told me Mara wasn't going to survive but we pushed on—she worked so hard to save Mara when I told her to…"
"Now did they?" Eddie was glad to see the man smile at his friends' concern for him, but the smile looked more mocking and patronizing than sincere. He couldn't be too sure. "Well, I'll be off now, Mr. Gluskin."
"Okay…Thank you…what's your name?" Eddie asked weakly, dozing off into sleep. He passed out before the man could even stand up.
"My name is Jeremy Blaire, Mr. Gluskin." He smirked, standing up. He flipped to the last page of the file, making sure the name and signature was intact. "And thank you for choosing Murkoff's Mount Massive Asylum."