Washington, DC – October 2014
His palms are sweaty as he reaches for the burner Elizabeth gave him. He can't think about anything other than his children. He can't fathom what he's about to do. But the idea of losing his children makes his heartache worse. The idea of losing Elizabeth again has him on the verge of a complete breakdown—but the killing of his children would be decidedly worse.
"You'd really hurt them?" He whispers, "All that talk about loving them and adopting them, and you'd hurt them? I mean, quite honestly, how does the thought of them dying not make you sick to your stomach?"
"Henry, don't—"
"Because, God, it kills me," He cuts her off, "It kills me. The thought of losing them is so unimaginable it makes me sick. Is that how you feel?" He presses. He needs to know everything about the woman standing in front of him—everything he hadn't previously known.
"Henry killing Elizabeth is what keeps them safe," she says, exasperated, "Of course, it makes me sick to think of losing them. I'm doing this so we don't lose them."
"Why?" He says, his voice cracking, "If Conrad really didn't do anything wrong. If Elizabeth really is a traitor. Why not do it the right way—the constitutional legal way?"
"Oh my, God," Jessica says as a white-hot feeling starts to build in her chest, "You love her. There's nothing I can say or do. You love her. You're still in love with her,"
Henry looks to the floor. He doesn't know how he feels about Elizabeth other than it's overwhelming. He had thought she was dead. He moved on and built a new life and a new dream. But there has always been that part of him that wondered where they would be if she were alive. There were times he dreamed of her walking back through their door at their home in DC. There were the late-night promises he made to find her in his next life—the universe isn't big enough to keep that from happening. And now, now that he knows she's alive—now that he can have her back in his arms and get to know her all over again. How could he say that he isn't in love with her?
"Answer me!" Jessica yells. She can feel her hands curling into fists, and her chest rises and falls quickly.
"Yes!" he snaps, his head whipping up, "Yes, I love her. Of course, I love her."
He feels his voice break as his body deflates. He knows immediately he shouldn't have said it, not now and not to Jessica. He knows, but he can't take it back. And he can't hide that it's the truth. He loves Elizabeth. He always has and always will love Elizabeth. There is something about the two of them- some pull that extends his comprehension. He cannot explain it, and he doesn't understand it. All he knows is the moment she walked back into his life. He felt as if he had finally woken up from a terrible dream.
Jessica's mouth hangs open, and she stares at him, shaking her head. She doesn't want to hear it. She doesn't want to acknowledge his admission. He loves Elizabeth. Of course, he loves Elizabeth. Jessica looks at him and she can't stop the words that are forming on her lips in her desperation, "She doesn't love you. She has never loved you. Not now and not before."
Henry feels like his knees have been kicked out from underneath him at her venom. It's not that he doesn't understand it—he does. He understands Jessica's anger and her jealousy, but to say Elizabeth doesn't love him, to throw those words out as if they are fact—as if she knows anything at all about him and Elizabeth—bothers him. He knows how false Jessica's words are. Elizabeth didn't stay away because she didn't care. Elizabeth stayed away because she loves the kids, but she also loves him—even if she couldn't bring herself to say it in her apartment. She didn't need to say it—he knows.
"Yes, she does," he counters softly and sincerely.
"She left," Jessica says.
"She did," Henry says, his voice softening, "But she did it to protect me and the kids. She was traumatized and in pain. And she didn't know what else to do. And I know that because I know her. I know her, and I will never stop loving her. You can threaten me. You can do whatever you want to me, but I will not be a cause of her death. I refuse. I refuse. Do you understand?"
Jessica's body fills with red, hot, and violent rage. She will not lose her family to a dead woman. She will not allow Elizabeth to ruin everything she's worked for. She's going to make Henry see the truth. She's going to make him understand that he is hers, and he has been hers for years. She has a life that she built with him, a family, and a home. It's theirs, and Elizabeth can't have it. She will not allow that woman to ruin everything.
"Make the phone call." She bites.
Henry looks at the phone in his hand, then up at her. His chest is still rising and falling too quickly. His heart is beating a mile a minute, "I can't,"
Jessica's fists slam down on the table, "Jesus Christ, Henry!"
She stands, grabbing the first thing in sight and launching it in his direction. It's a water glass, and it shatters against the wall above him. She feels her nails cutting into her palms and her body filling with anger.
"You will not destroy my life! Henry, I swear to you that if I don't have my family, no one can either," she seethes her hand, expertly reaching for her waistband. She pulls the gun out and points it at him, her hand surprisingly steady.
Henry is not surprised to see she has a weapon, but he's not expecting her to point it at him. The two of them stare at each other.
"Henry, I'm serious. She can not have you back. She doesn't get any of you back," Jessica's eyes are teary and determined.
Henry raises his hands as he watches her index finger get itchy for the trigger, "Okay," he whispers in defeat. He can see how unstable she seems at this moment, and he doesn't want to make it worse. He doesn't want to fight her.
"Henry, please. You don't love her. She doesn't love you. You belong with me," she whispers, the gun still aimed at him.
He nods, not yet trusting that his voice will come off as sincere enough for her liking.
"You are calling her, and then when it's all said and done. You and I are going to take our babies home," Jessica commands. Henry doesn't know what he's about to say or if he can even bring himself to speak. He doesn't know if she'll see through him.
He slowly reaches for the phone, watching her out of the corner of his eye, "What do you want me to tell her?"
He feels unsure and scared. He doesn't know how he'll be able to pull this off, how he'll be able to warn Elizabeth without alerting Jess.
"I want you to tell her she needs to turn herself in, or there will be consequences. Tell her Andrew Munsey has the kids, and he will kill them if she doesn't give herself up," Jessica tells him, and he closes his eyes briefly, knowing what he's about to do is wrong and cruel.
"And if she doesn't turn herself in?" He asks. He needs all of the information out on the table so he can try and plan for the contingencies.
"You fulfilled your end of the bargain," She tells him.
"Will Conrad think that? Or will he be suspicious of me?" Henry asks.
"He won't be. Just call her," Jessica presses, her hand shaking.
"You know that for sure—the only thing I'm obligated to do is make this phone call? And even if it doesn't work—you and I get to take the kids back to Pittsburgh safe?"
"Henry, I'm getting impatient. Make the fucking call," Jessica says.
"Okay,"
Henry is sweating as he dials her number. He can't believe he's about to do this. His hands are shaking. His mouth is dry. And he's nauseous. He racks his brain for a way to warn Elizabeth without Jessica knowing. His throat is tightening as he thinks about all the possible missteps he could make in the next few minutes.
"Hello?" Elizabeth's voice comes across the line, and Henry's heart squeezes in his chest. He hates the sound of relief in her voice, knowing what he's about to do.
"Hey, Bess," He responds with hint number one. He looks down the barrel of the gun Jess is pointing at him as she writes madly on a piece of paper and holds it up. He reads the words, and his stomach flips.
Read it, she mouths.
He swallows, "I met with Conrad. I believe him. I know what you did. You need to end this right now. If you don't turn yourself in, they will kill the kids, and I will lose everything. I will lose the only people who matter. Turn yourself in, or you will be the reason they die."
"Henry?" Her tone tells him all he needs to know about the knife she feels twisting in her back.
"They have the kids, Elizabeth. Conrad doesn't want a scene. Please tell me where you are," His voice is robotic, and he hopes she can tell he's reading a half-assed script. But he hears her sniffle. He's broken her heart.
"I'm in North Carolina," She whispers, "Statesville, it's a suburb of Charlotte. There's a Holiday Inn Express. I'm in room 304."
"Elizabeth," He whispers, not wanting her to give up so easily. He doesn't want her to go down without a fight. He wants her to be strong, but he can hear it. She's giving up. His heart shatters as Jessica takes the initiative to end the call by taking the phone and slamming it shut.
He's not sure how he remains standing, "You didn't even let me tell her goodbye,"
"Oh, please, you can have a dramatic goodbye when they have her locked up and are about to execute her," Jessica snarls.
Henry closes his eyes. He doesn't fight him.
Parkersburg, WV – October 2014
"I'm so sorry, Henry," Elizabeth whispers as she shuts the phone. She wipes at the tear making it's way down her cheek. She had known the second he called her Bess it was a trap. He is the one person on the face of the Earth who has never shortened her name. He was reading a script. She could tell- his voice sounded robotic. And then the words-the words she had hoped to never hear from his lips- I believe Conrad. She knows he didn't mean it. She knows they weren't his words. But it felt real at the moment.
Her entire body is shaking, and she tries to breathe, but it comes out a hiccup. She leans over, putting her head between her knees. She can feel her stomach turning.
"He didn't mean it," Isabelle says, "They weren't his words,"
"No, they weren't. They were Conrad's words," Elizabeth says as she sits up, wiping at her cheeks. She can feel her resolve growing. She will not let him win. Mike should be here in a few hours, "How long until they realize I gave a fake location?"
"I don't know," Isabelle answers, "An hour?"
"So he'll call back," Elizabeth reasons, "We need to stall them for at least four more hours. That gives Mike enough time to get here and hear us out... We hedge all our bets on him believing us."
"Yep," Isabelle agrees.
"Henry thinks he just killed me," Elizabeth whispers. She can't shake the feelings from her bones. She knows he didn't mean it. She believes that. But she can't get the words out of her head. She can't help the pain she feels. She can't help the way her body reacts. The way he whispered her name at the end as if it would be the last time he ever gets to say it-she knows that can't be an act.
Isabelle walks over to her, wrapping her in her arms. Elizabeth's head rests against her shoulder, and Isabelle rubs her back, "I know,"
Elizabeth feels like her body is shutting down. She needs sleep and a shower. But most importantly, she needs to hold her babies. She needs to hold them, smell them, kiss them, and tell them she loves them. She needs to know that they are safe, whole, and alive. She's so close to being home. She has to keep going. She has no choice. She's not a quitter—she's never been a quitter. She has fought too hard, too long to quit now.
