Home » The Archives » Chapter 7 » Trouble Under the Hood
| Re: Trouble Under the Hood [message #1899 is a reply to message #1897] |
Sat, 28 July 2012 18:52   |
Lillehafrue
Messages: 478
Registered: July 2012
Location: Northeastern USA
Karma:
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TB Pilot
Evil Genius |
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From: Tikatu Sent: 5/17/2006 1:46 PM
Friday, July 13, 2068, 7:45 p.m., local time, Black Mountain, NH
Scott stood out on the balcony of the cottage, a cold beer in his hand. He leaned forward on the balcony rail, and looked out on the high cirrus clouds, reflecting the sun's light in the pinks, and peaches and lavenders of sunset.
Dianne had planned a nice dinner, and had set him to grilling steaks. Elise helped out; she was still subdued to some extent, but by the end of the meal she was laughing at Dianne's stories along with Scott. The women were cleaning things up, and Scott took a quiet moment to reflect on the morning's events.
Finding that piece of wreckage was so... so eye opening. The meadow was so different from what I remember that winter night... was it only six months ago? It was as if the clearing was a different place, the wrong place. But that little bit of wreckage...
"Penny for them," came a voice from behind.
Scott turned abruptly to find Dianne behind him, a glass half full of wine in her hand. "Oh, hi, Mom." He went back to looking at the clouds as she joined him at the railing. "I was just thinking how... different that clearing was from the night when... it happened."
"I know what you mean," she said, standing close. "I could barely believe it myself when your father and I were here." She took a sip of her wine. "It was a rough time, but it went far to help me get over what happened."
"Do you think it will help her?" he asked, glancing back with a shake of his head toward the cabin.
"Yes, I do. She knows now what she is afraid of more than anything. It's not the water; it's dying in it." Dianne glanced back. "It will still take some time, and I don't know if she'll ever fully shake it, but she'll be able to realize the fear for what it is, and take control of it."
"Good." Scott took a swig of his beer, but glanced up, startled, when Dianne put a hand on his shoulder.
"And what about you?" she asked, her voice quiet.
He gave her a smile. "What about me?"
"How did you feel, seeing that place today?"
His smile faded, and he took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "I'm... I'm not sure. It was hard. I couldn't stop the memories from flooding out. I tried to put them aside to help Elise."
"How did you feel, remembering?"
Scott could tell she was in her doctor mode. "I remember feeling so helpless to do anything, except keep that light shining on the wreckage. It was worse than when one of the boys gets hurt on a rescue; at least there I usually can do something, even if it's order the others around, or coordinate information. But I couldn't even land."
"You don't like feeling helpless, do you?"
"Does anyone?" he replied with a snort. "It was hard because it was... Dad. Maybe I'm prepared for the possibility of my brothers getting hurt or even killed; we've been at it so long that I... I've gone in with that at the back of my mind. But Dad? No way. I know I should be prepared; he's not going to last forever, but not that way. Not so suddenly and without any warning."
Dianne squeezed his shoulder. "I understand that feeling, Scott. No one is prepared for a death in the family and even less if it's sudden, and violent. Yet, you have to realize that, although you weren't able to land and get your hands dirty, you were far from helpless. You were the steady rock that everyone leaned on, and that was no small feat considering the situation." She gave him a small smile. "You helped me focus when I needed it, too, and for that, I thank you."
Scott put down his beer, and mother and son embraced. He didn't know why, but somehow his eyes were tearing up and he found it hard to breathe properly. He let out a shuddering sob, and suddenly, instead of him being his stepmother's support, she was his.
98% pure evil...and loving every minute of it.
 
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