Chapter 45

Part 1 - 07/09/2023

The bomb is real. That was loud but it wasn't as powerful as the others. Were those from outside or were they a result of the first blast? Whatever it was that just exploded, it caused the ceiling to tremble. Nothing is falling off yet. But with only the flashlight from the cell phone, it's hard to see if there are any leaks or cracks. The floor feels safe to walk on but better hurry in case this can't hold. Somewhere must have been damaged. What's that smell? It's not gas. It's not perfume. It's…fucking bastard. He's been lying all along. This isn't just a tunnel. It's a replica of that damn house in Molokai with the underground hideout. With others around, this isn't the time to ask why he lied. Besides, with the drug in her system, she doesn't have the energy too. How far is the exit? There is an exit, isn't there? He's not planning to stay here until the coast is clear, is he? Fire can be put out in an hour or two. It would take more than a week to clear out the rubble and it's freezing in here. Where are they going? Going straight should get us further away from the house. That door cannot be the exit. "Hey"

"sshh"

Who's going to be able hear that? Noises are everywhere. No one will be able to hear us unless the exit is behind that door. (gasp) It's not. It's a room but unlike the one in Molokai, this one doesn't have a bed. It has capsule-like incubators and they're not empty. I was right. She is experimenting on coma patients. What else could it be? This isn't a hospital so what the hell are they all doing here?

"What the hell"

What? Lucy moves to where Jake is as fast as her weak legs allow her to. Oh my god. That's…Jack? He's back from hell. How?

"What happened? Why is she here?"

There can only be one reason why Brie said that. Lucy moves to the next capsule to see for herself. The window on the capsule is hazy but it's clear enough to tell that's not Brooke. Who's that? Finding out can wait since Aria is looking at the last one like she recognized someone she knows. Ohh…god...no, can't be..."nnno"

"Get up. Get up!"

Lucy tried to see who Adalyn is crying for, then realized that voice doesn't belong to Adalyn after her eyes opened to the uncomfortable noise that suddenly appeared which had the same effect as a fingernail scratching on a chalkboard. "I'm up!" That familiar scent is now even stronger than before. Potatoes? "What time is it?" 9:30! How the heck did he manage to get up so early after all the wine he drank last night? "Uhh Jesus" The room suddenly became so much brighter, sunglasses are needed. That seems deliberate. They're laughing.

Lucy didn't apologize for getting up late since he should be expecting it. It's not the first day but it takes time to get used to even if it is just a 4 hour difference. He hasn't been here that long either but it seems that he is able to get used to a lot of things. Since when did he start caring so much about what he eats? Butter is fattening. Cheese is too. Breakfast potatoes can be. As long as it's not a lot, it's fine. "Is there a pill for that?" That would be great if there is. Pineapple is delicious. Allergic reaction can lead to death. A glare like that can't be from the pineapple. "What?"

"You remember?"

Lucy wished she can but nope, not everything. It was the way he let out a small smile after putting a fresh cube of pineapple into his mouth as if it's the first time he tasted it which somehow caused her to remember. Sometimes that happens and it can happen at any time…just like now. It's just a casual movement but it brought back many memories, moments with different women and they were all doing the same thing, pouring coffee into the cup with a smile, then leaving without saying anything. This time, she's not sure if the blink is intentional. It might not be but his question(How long you're going to be here?) is since he waited until they're alone.

Lucy continued eating while aware that he doesn't like it since he's glaring again. It could be a few weeks or months. It depends.

"She asked me what happened, why you're here."

Why does that sound so familiar? Oh. It's not just things. Sometimes memory is triggered by what was said. This time it's not memory of the distant past. It's familiar because it happened in the dream. She said that, not Brie.

"I told her you've been here before and you want to see if it'll help you remember."

Well, that's not a lie. It's not entirely true though.

"But she thinks you got dumped."

Whaaat? So she thought I was drinking because I got dumped? It does look that way. She's not entirely wrong but she's 100 percent wrong about this place.

The clear white sky is so bright, it hurts to look at it with the naked eye. Tears are uncontrollably coming out. It's so cold, the face can still feel it underneath the fake beard but the thick layers of clothing helped. The land with the green and partially covered snow, the hazy mountains in the distance and the rainbow that arched over the waterfall did bring back memories but nothing new. Only those with no pain and worries would find this place peaceful.

"AHHHHHHHH!"

The view is magnificent but it seems that she's the only one who doesn't like it. She can scream all she wants but it's not going to make the problems go away. She should know she's lucky to be alive. The outcome could've been worse than just a change of identity. The mistakes she made were so stupid, it showed that she still has the mind of the 18 year old, acting without thinking all the way thru. The experienced Lucy would never have gone into that house. What was she thinking? Now it seems like her overconfidence is again getting in the way. "What're you doing?" The ground is still wet. One slip can pull her over the edge of the cliff.

"I fucked up. Anthony. I…fucked up."

That's not what she said last night. She said the only reason she stayed in that house was to see what Doc was up to. She said she never feared for her life. The only surprises were being told that Brooke has a sister, Brooke is still alive, and Schaeffer showing up with a cockamamie story about how Brooke was taken. She knew it wasn't true but the video of an unconscious Brooke made his explanation seem possible. It's possible because she wanted to believe that it is so she continued to play along until she realized she had been drugged. No harm done though. She said. That arrogant behavior from last night was just a façade. It did seem convincing but only to those who don't know what she was like after she got dumped. If she could remember, she probably wouldn't be feeling this way again. "Would you feel better if I hit you?"

Lucy wasn't expecting that but wished it would. A reminder of what happened years ago with the one night stand doesn't make her feel any better. That was a setup. She killed herself. That wasn't his fault. She's not the only one? It's not surprising to hear that he fucked up more than a few times that led to deaths of those who worked for him but to his lover? When did this happen? He's not allergic to pineapples? He just stopped eating them because his lover died after having a poisoned Fantasy Island cocktail in a pineapple that was meant for him? Oh shit. He must have been keeping this to himself because this doesn't trigger any memories. Who did it? Lucy didn't ask because she thought that's what he would say next. He didn't and instead made it more confusing. He had thought it was poisoned and only found out that it wasn't until a few months ago? That makes no sense. How could he not know it was an allergic reaction that killed her? Did the medical examiner make a mistake? Lucy again didn't ask because she just realized why he didn't say much about the intruders in his house in Hawaii other than they're amateur burglars. It's because the guy who was responsible for letting those amateurs in, the guy who made all his security team sick that day, was part of his security team. That guy had another motive other than stealing. That guy hated him because he's his ex? Holy cow. She transitioned into a man? No wonder he didn't recognize her. That makes sense but for a woman to do that just to get revenge, that makes no sense. She must have issues. No sane person would do that. Someone like that shouldn't be let go either. Just because she denied putting poison into the drink, it doesn't mean she didn't. She didn't poison him now because she needed money. "You can't trust her."

"c'mon" Anthony led the way back without holding her since she's following.

"She'll be back and the next time, she'll want more than just money." Why is he not listening? "She's going to come back to drug you, torture you, then urinate in your mouth. Did she change down there too?" What's so funny? That's not a joke. "Does Faith know?" If she doesn't, this would change her mind in staying.

"Why?"

Oh my god. "You didn't tell her?" Having to witness a burglary is frightening. Having to worry about what her boss's crazy exes would do next would give her PTSD. But "she has the right to know." That is a stupid reason. No nurse would want to work for him if they know the truth. But this isn't right. "you're putting her in danger" Okay. That's stupid too. Without him, they would've found her months ago. Brain cells don't work well in the freezing cold. Oh. That same glare now brought back memories. He did that when he was told to stop wasting time chasing after the megastar. "All right, I'm not going to tell her." This is a safer place to be even though it's cold. This is a good place to get away from it all, for them anyways. Who's calling? Is it Faith? Is she getting bored?

"You didn't tell him?" Anthony said before handing her the phone.

It's not Faith. It's Scud and he's pissed because he just found out. "I thought you knew." That's not a lie. Jake was there. That's how Anthony found out. Amy was there so how should I know neither of them told him. He doesn't need to know what happened inside the house anyways. All he needs to know is that no one should be looking for us because they know what happened to the key and they think we're all dead. "Is she all right?" He must know by now why Nadia was told to go see Amy even though that wasn't the original plan.

"What the hell did you do?"

She didn't tell him?

Almost a year has passed. It's hard to believe how much has changed with the world, the society, and the one who confidently said 11 months ago "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me." Considering what she has been thru, she does look fine, physically. But mentally? More time is needed to assess. One thing is certain is though, she doesn't need antidepressants. No one with depression would wake up at 8, jog for an hour on the treadmill, and would still be in the mood to go out to take care of someone else even when it's snowing.

"I thought you said" Nadia trailed off after realizing that Amy didn't make a mistake. This is the right room. Very sophisticated. That is Will inside.

"It's the only way to keep her alive." Less germ, less possibility to getting infected. She knew Nadia would be surprised and not just with the setup of this room but didn't expect her to ask a question that shows how she feels. "You don't agree?"

"I…I don't know." It would be better to respond with this since she doesn't know Will enough to know what she would want but she quickly realized why Amy is looking at her without commenting. It's because Amy just answered her previous question with a question. It's not her decision to make either. It's Lucy's.

"Whatever it takes, don't let her go. She said."

Nadia nodded in understanding. Keeping Will alive this way might be cruel but she also understood why Lucy did so. But why did she ask her to take care of Will? "Is this what you do everyday?" Doing this everyday would be depressing. It's good to know that she has hired help. "I can help if you need me…massaging, I mean." Everything else would require a professional. It wasn't meant to be funny so she's happy to get a smile and words of gratitude and appreciation but that all ended during dinner time. She doesn't regret asking because everyone wants to know including CJ which is odd since she was at the house and she's been living here with Amy for more than a few months so how is it possible she doesn't know what Lucy did that got her thinking about divorce.

It's nice to have Nadia here doing the cooking but it's really frustrating to see how clueless she can be. "Did you ask her?" No? "Why not?"

"She's not going to tell me."

That's a good answer but why isn't she getting it? Is it because she knows Lucy would do anything for me so cheating, in her mind, is not a possibility? "You want to know what happened?" One with faded blonde, the other with brown hair. They look nothing alike but now they do. They're both nodding at the same time like they've been waiting for this for a long time. "They didn't want me there. She didn't want me there. It will fail if she get distracted. So I said okay. After I got to the door, she swore at Doc again."

That moment changed her mind so she closed the door and stood there so Lucy wouldn't be able to see her. There's no way in hell I'm going to leave her with them. That's what she was thinking at that moment. Doc didn't like it but continued since time was running out. All the lights were out except for the flashlight from the cell phone. It wasn't the first time she saw how hypnosis is done. She had seen it when she used to be a DEB. She heard how Doc was able to do so from Aria's spy recorder. The instructions to get Lucy to relax were the same. Some of the questions were the same but she later realized what she missed from the audio spy recorder. Hypnosis technique involves using speech not kissing, not touching. At that moment, she wanted to ask 'Is this necessary?' but was afraid to make any noise. It was difficult to watch. Somehow it was working. Lucy was responding to every question asked. Doc didn't ask about Brooke's will. What Doc asked made her realize why Lucy didn't want her to be there.

They spent months in different countries. It is possible that Brooke could have her own reasons for visiting certain places other than sightseeing. Could it be in Bulgaria? Nobody wanted to go there except Brooke. Maybe she hid the key in one of the hotels? Maybe she gave hints and Lucy didn't catch it. Finding out what they said when they're alone is important but is it necessary to find out what they said during their moments of intimacy? At that moment, she almost couldn't control herself from putting a stop to it. If she had, she never would've found out what else Lucy was keeping from her. Many times, Lucy said Brooke didn't leave her anything. A letter is something. She said nothing happened. Fulfilling her ex's last wish is far from nothing!

"Ssso-" CJ trailed off after her hand was held firmly again while wondering why Nadia is preventing her from talking. Almost a minute has passed since the former blonde agent stopped talking after she said she didn't leave because she didn't trust them. So why?

"He somehow got the bomb off. We went into a secret tunnel." Amy finishes washing the plate and puts it back onto the dish rack. There's no need to continue since they both look confused especially Nadia. "I'm not going to tell you what she did but I can tell you she didn't ask you to be here for me." Get it now? She should since she hasn't been the same since Holly left and Cocoa's passing away made it worse. That's what Janet said. It would take years to get over her. She would never have believed that Holly is dead. This proves it. That was Lucy's stupid plan which didn't take much to change her mind.

"She told me to take care of you."

Oh Nadia. She's so lovable. It hurts to see her so gullible like Annie. "Do I look like I need to be taken care of?" Why is CJ nodding too? CJ is here because she said she doesn't have anywhere to go now that she broke it off with Bryan. ZJ can't be here because Lucy thinks the color of her skin would cause issues with the neighbors in this white neighborhood. She's not wrong. People are more sensitive now. Society is even more effed up than before. But even without ZJ, she should know "I'm fine. I don't need to be taken care of."

"She told me to look after you." CJ said.

Look after? Months ago, Brie had said that Hope was hired to look after her. In her case, it means to protect. In this case, it doesn't sound like that's what CJ meant. "What exactly did she say?" Amy asked.

"Sit down"

I don't need to sit down. Okaay fine. Nadia is acting very strange. Her question is too. She should know I got my memory back so why is she still asking if I remembered something a moment ago? I was just thinking. At least CJ isn't wasting time asking questions and she's not holding back either. She's cursing like what Blake does when she doesn't agree. Blake isn't here but if she were, she would've swore back at CJ for comparing her to the suicide bomber who tried to kill Doc. CJ would deserve it too since she thinks I'm crazy too. She might not have used that word but psychotic breakdown means crazy. Brainwashed like the cult followers means crazy. The mad mob at the capitol is…absolutely nuts! Lucy thinks I'd go crazy? She never said that. She agreed with Petrie's theories though but theories aren't fact. "She said that?"

"She's just worried since you had been…and you have been…we all are so we just want to make sure you don't have any of those symptoms."

Had been? Have been? Amy understood even without the words but not this. "What symptoms?"

"you know, when you"

CJ just made an explosion gesture with her hands. That means blow up. Since when did I…oh, she heard the argument. It wasn't meant for her to hear. All couples have arguments. She would explode too if her partner decided to leave one day for someone else. Was it wrong to say Adalyn has other intentions other than the key? It wasn't just a kiss. It wasn't a pretense. She was a willing participant and it wasn't the first time. Was it wrong to say

"Brooke's dead! Why can't you let it go?"

It was. It's partially her fault. She trusts Adalyn more than me. After Lucy left with an apology, her anger gradually subsided when she realized why that moment looked so familiar. It's because she once said the same thing to Lucy as Kristin when Lucy won't stop looking for Benjamin Couric to get revenge for her. Lucy had the same regretful look as then and now her apology makes more sense...in a way...not entirely. So she's not looking for Brooke? She left because of me? She thinks I killed them?

Lucy had always said that Doc was testing on coma patients and turning them into her own slaves which is ridiculous. But after that day, it didn't seem impossible because Doc was able to get Lucy to do things that she wouldn't have done if she had not been drugged and hypnotized. But according to Dr. Hazel, hypnotherapy cannot change a person to a totally different person especially the ones who are strong willed and stubborn. But what about amnesiacs? That was Petrie's question and a darn good one because Dr. Hazel's response, even though she said there's no scientific proof, caused Petrie to question the rumor she heard about Mr. P's boss. Mr. P did die from a heart attack. His boss did have cancer but was his death a suicide or was he murdered because he was getting close to finding out who killed the doctors. There were two of them and one of them knew Doc so it is possible they were killed by the same people who wanted the key...or it could be their patients. There are so many crazies out there nowadays. It might not have anything to do with Doc's experiment. Unsatisfied customers attacking their doctor is not unheard of. That's what Petrie said but now it seems like she was holding back information because Lucy told her too. Since when did they find out the dead doctors are linked to Lisa Lane?

"You okay?"

There goes Nadia again, so concerned, so caring, so protective. It's obvious she didn't want CJ to disclose that and CJ must think I'm as naive as Nadia.

"If that's what she thinks, then why would she ask you to be here?" The question is for both of them but more so for Nadia. There's no need to wait for a response. She should now know Lucy's true intention. "c'mon Kato, time for a walk"

"woof"