Face Of The Monster

~5~

"Oh, no, he is resting now."

Lillian felt her skin heat, her cheeks flushing scarlet. She wanted to murder the homeless old woman, wanted her dirty, fly-infested body away from her ship. Away from her bedroom, away from Gabriel.

Dolores was with her, sitting beside Gabe's bed with a bowl of brown soup (potato, probably). She had the spoon resting on the side of the bowl, waiting for him to open his mouth again. Lillian wanted to grab the bowl from her hands and smash it on the floor. Gabriel was perfectly capable of feeding himself.

She decided to tell them so. "Get out of here," she snapped. "He knows how to eat."

"But he won't, dear," said Cara in a tone so condescending Lillian could feel the cloy of it knocking at her veins. "Not unless we make him."

"Then don't make him." Lillian slammed the door shut behind her, her hands shaking. "If he doesn't want to eat, he doesn't have to."

Cara only clicked her tongue. "Go on, Dolores."

Dolores held the spoon closer to Gabe's mouth. "C'mon, now, open up."

"Stop that," Lillian demanded. When the woman did not, she snatched the bowl and spoon out of her hands, swinging them onto Gabriel's desk. "Leave him alone."

Gabe, who had remained silent thus far, looked up at her and offered a weak smile. He did look pretty weak, but Lillian couldn't stand to see him force-fed.

Suddenly, a volley of shouts and crashes arose from the deck above them. "What in Poseidon's name . . ." Lillian muttered. The shouting didn't stop. She'd have to go up there and sort it out. "I just came down here to tell you there's a storm brewing," she told Gabe. "I have it under control."

"Thank you." Gabe took her hand, tugging her closer. He pecked her on the cheek, his lips lingering for a moment.

"I will be back, soon." Lillian pulled away. The rain pummeled down onto the deck in thousands of tiny bullets. Then, just when the commotion above seemed to have dissipated, another crash sounded out. "I have to get up there."

"I will be okay," Gabe assured her. "These two will take care of me, I'm sure."

Lillian refrained from shooting a dirty look at Cara, who had taken up the soup bowl in her own hand and was now smugly ladling a bit of potato into the spoon. "Indeed we will."