Chapter 63

"I should have known it was you," she said again.

Mary Frechette was a small woman but seeing her standing there in the room, hands on her hips, she was as frightening as a flash flood. In fact, both John and Billie would have been more welcoming to a tornado than the woman with the cruel eyes. How Billie's mother had managed to know where they were, down to the hospital room number, was a mystery. If she could be standing there anything else was possible. Were there federal agents surrounding the building? Were they right outside the door? John gulped and couldn't help glancing that way. Behind Mary the hallway was empty, at least the part he could see.

So far the couple had been silent. They didn't know what to say and they were somewhere between panic and the feeling of being petrified. The silence held its own weight, growing louder and more threatening with each passing second.

"Have you nothing to say to me?" Mary hissed.

"Mother-" Billie started, not even knowing what she would say, but the woman cut her off instantly.

"And you!" Mary took a step forward, starring daggers down at John. "I knew that it was you all along! You took my daughter!"

"No, mother, he didn't take me," Billie sat up, her voice wavering from weariness and anxiety. "I wanted to go. I wanted to go with him!"

"What?" Mary's brow furred. She couldn't at all comprehend why her daughter wanted to be with the man. He was good-looking, sure, but Mary was convinced he'd lied and sweet talked her, and likely been intimate with her. If anything, he'd tricked her or brainwashed Billie into gallivanting across the country. Billie was young and naive; she probably believed everything he told her. She probably thought he loved her. "How could you say such a thing? Why?"

So far John had not spoken but he placed himself defensively between the mother and daughter, acting as a wall. They could communicate but he worried things would become physical. He felt better thinking that by sitting in front of her he could protect her from something.

"Because...I'm happy," was Billie's reply and she said it softly. Mary laughed for a second and the ridiculing humor was enough to give them chills.

"Happy? How could you be happy, laying here in a hospital bed, crying!"

It occurred to John and Billie then that maybe Mary didn't know everything. If she knew the real reason why Billie was in the hospital or that her daughter was with John Dillinger she would have mentioned it already- that would have been her main point. Because she didn't mention any of this made the couple think that things weren't exactly as bad as they could be.

"Did you even think about what you did? Did you think about me, your brothers and sisters? Have you even thought about anyone but yourself?"

These words gave Billie an image of her siblings. Thinking of them upset or crying bothered her much more than the idea of her mother in hysterics. Billie had tried to rationalize things in her own mind many times. The only thing she could offer was that she was happy, far happier than she would have been had she stayed home. If her siblings knew this they wouldn't feel so upset; they would still be worried, but at least they could know that she had chosen her own path and nothing could stop her. As for Mary, Billie knew she would never be at peace with her decision, even if one day she came to believe that her daughter was well and happy.

Billie hadn't answered. The lingering silence enraged Mary and she threw her gaze to John. "And what about you? Don't you have anything to say?"

Slowly, John stood. He did not leave Billie's side and their hands entwined as he rose from the bed. Just that simple, little contact made both of them feel stronger and more capable of handling the present situation.

"You ought to be ashamed of what you've done. It's disgusting."

He sighed, looking to the floor and doing all he could to remain calm and choose his words wisely. "With all due respect, ma'am," he started gently. "If she really wanted to be with me there's nothing you could do to stop her."

Mary's mouth fell open. "How dare you!"

John's words were not meant to be taken as a challenge; it was a simple fact. If Billie, or anyone, were determined enough they would succeed. Mary could take her daughter anywhere, but somehow, some way, she would find her way back to John. They both knew that, but Mary saw things differently. She would never accept that.

"He's right, mother," Billie spoke softly, her fingers twitching against John's. Mary's eyes flew to her daughters and a million things were written across her face- panic, desperation, fury, hurt. She felt herself loosing a battle she thought impossible to lose. Already Billie knew there was nothing she could say that would make her leave John and so the woman was bound to be defeated. In Mary's mind, until the very last second she still thought she had a fighting chance.

"Come home."

"No."

"Evelyn, I won't tell you again. You're coming home."

"No, I'm not!"

John listened to the shrill tone of Billie's voice and wanted everything to stop. He couldn't bare that sound; he'd never heard her like that. She wasn't well. This wasn't the time for confrontation. He leaned toward her and straightened his shoulders a bit, acting more the part of the barrier between the women.

"You may think you're happy, but when it really matters he's not going to be there. He is nothing!" she pointed furiously at John, yelling to her daughter over the mans shoulder. "You are turning your back on your family! Don't be stupid. I don't want you to learn the hard way."

She made it sound like she were doing Billie a favor; that taking her away from John was a good thing. Billie could never see it that way. A life with him would be hard and not always safe, and her mother was right in thinking that John may not always be there, but Billie still wanted to be with John. She would go through with that life whether it was right or wrong, and the decision was ultimately hers.

Again a prolonging silence came. Areas of Mary's face began to hue pink and her eyes were glazing over. There was no telling if or when she would scream, sob, or throw something across the room. Everyone was on edge, the older woman to the point of snapping. She was losing what control she thought she had over the conversation which also meant she was that much closer to losing Billie.

Again her eyes went to John, her voice low and taunting. "Do you know what I can do to you?"

It was a threat. John did not reply though he did know what she was capable of. Mary Frechette could kill him. She could turn him in to the Feds; she could take Billie away. Both of these options would ultimately lead to death.

The woman looked back toward Billie and spoke cryptically. "You're making the biggest mistake of your life." There was silence. "You will come back to me. One way or another."

Billie's eyes were wide and slick with moisture. Her lips trembled just slightly. "No. I won't."

There was nothing else to say. No one in the room uttered another word, and eventually Mary Frechette turned, her shoes tapping lightly on the floor, and left.