TAILS ━ NUMBER FIVE

𝐎𝐍𝐄

Diego, a bit distracted, looked over at Lila to see her sticking cigarettes up her nostrils.

He looked away. "So, uh, when do you think I might be getting out of here?" Dr. Moncton looked back at his notes, "Well, your review board will reassess your case in 90 days." Diego looked at him in disbelief. "Ninety days? No, I can't...I can't wait that long."

"Just take it one day at a time, okay?" He tried to reassure Diego. "No, you don't...you don't understand," he lowered his voice, "They're trying to kill the president a week from today."

The doctor sighed. "Diego, I thought we moved past this. You know what a hero complex is?"

"Yeah, it's for assholes who think they're heroes." He tried again. "This paranoid fantasy about President Kennedy is what for you committed in the first place."

"They are going to kill him," Diego argued. "They're gonna shoot him in the head right here in Dallas." He gripped his arm. "All right? Understand?!" The doctor tried to pull himself from Diego's hold.

"Let go!" Guards and other workers around them approached Diego, anesthesia ready. Seeing the needles, Diego backed off. "All right, I'm okay," he said. The doctor pulled himself away from him. "I'm sorry, look, I'm okay. I'm okay, I'm okay."

Diego needed another plan, well, not like he didn't already have one up his sleeve.

~ ☂︎︎ ~

𝙊𝙉 𝘼 𝙁𝘼𝙍𝙈 on the outskirts of Dallas, Sissy Cooper walked into her house. "Hey, I'm back," she said, greeting her son and the woman in the living room. She chuckled. "Sorry I was gone for so long." Closing the door behind her, she stepped in. "Did you and Vanya have fun today, Harlan?"

The boy gave no response, playing with the toy in his hand, looking at the ground. Vanya smiled at both of them. "We did," she confirmed, "We went down to visit the horses and we read James and the Giant Peach."

"Any episodes?" Sissy asked.

"No ma'am."

Sissy sighed, "How about you? How are you feeling?" Vanya looked up at her. "Oh, my headaches are a lot better. Still no memories."
Sissy held her hand out and grinned at her. "Well then, we need to get busy making you some new ones, hm?"

~ ☂︎︎ ~

"𝘿𝙄𝘿 𝙔𝙊𝙐 𝙎𝙀𝙀 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙋𝘼𝙋𝙀𝙍 𝙏𝙊𝘿𝘼𝙔?"

Raymond Chestnut walked into his house, elated about what was in the newspaper. "Page one, paragraph five, line two: 'When asked about the Southern Justice Coordinating Committee's upcoming threat to demonstrate during President Kennedy's visit to Dallas, White House Press Secretary Pierre Salinger responded by saying-'"

"What was that?" Allison Chestnut shouted from upstairs, unable to hear Raymond's excited speech.

"We made the papers baby!" He shouted back. "And here's the best part, you're gonna love this. And I quote, 'As the president said earlier this year, the rights of every man are diminished-'"

"'-the rights of every man are diminished," Allison started speaking with him, "when the rights of one man, or woman, are threatened.'"

Allison let out a giggle as she walked down the stairs. "I bought the last three copies this morning at Coleman's."

Raymond smiled at her and pulled her close. "I am the luckiest man in Dallas," he said, giving her a kiss. "Is that right?" She asked, leaning back in. "That is right." She laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck.