Anne Glass POV
“Aaahhh” Anne grunted and shouted as the pains of the contractions became more intense. That one was longer she thought to herself as she counted the time between her contractions and the time the contractions actually lasted for.
“Tom” she said as she saw him run in the room.
“Have I missed it?” he panicked as he walked into the room.
“Nope...still in there!” Anne said sounding frustrated.
“Oh good” he said getting a nasty look off Anne. Maybe that wasn't the right comment to make when she was in pain.
“Did we miss it?” Hal came in with his wheelchair being led by Maggie.
“No, she's still in there. Calm down everyone!” she said, Ben peering in from behind them, Matt behind him.
“Hey” she told Ben specifically. “How is she?” she asked him curiously.
“Not talking to me” he said, causing the rest of the people in the room to become confused.
“Why?” she asked trying to get up and talk to him but having another contraction while trying.
Ben went over to her and held her hand, his father holding the other.
“She thinks I did it” he said when she finally relaxed.
“How does she think that?” she asked him, Tom watching carefully but not saying a word.
“Have I missed something?” Hal commented obviously understanding something had happened that he didn't know about.
“It's … complicated” Ben said to him as he held Anne's hand
“Yeah” he commented “I got that much”
“And, Anne, I'm pretty sure that she thinks I was the one who threw him down the stairs.”
“Why would she think that?” Anne asked him concerned.
“I don't know. I mean, she obviously knew I was pretty angry at him and I'd left the room so … she's just confused. She'll come around” he reassured himself.
“Yeah” she said unconvinced “I'm sure she will.”
“I'm still confused” Hal said from the back of the room in his wheelchair.
“And you're going to stay that way until I pity you enough” Ben said to him playfully.
“What a nice young brother I have” he smirked.
“Did you?” Tom said somehow fully aware of the situation.
“Ben wouldn't kill someone” Matt said from behind them, peeping through from Hal's wheelchair.
“I didn't dad” he commented “But thanks for that vote of confidence”
“I was just asking a question” Tom stated “I know what happened...I ran into Pope on the way out. He was, surprisingly forthcoming. Well, more happy about his misfortune in fact”
“There is obviously something going on here...who's misfortune?” Hal asked again, completely confused.
“Stop being so nosy” Maggie told him off.
“You know Tanya right?” Ben asked him.
“Yeah, Pope's daughter, your friend...continue” Hal answered him.
“She was … hurt. And the person who did it was found at the bottom of some stairs by Lourdes. And I wasn't with her, so, she thinks that it was me” Ben said while looking into the distance, obviously thinking of something.
“If by hurt you mean what I think you mean” he said meaningfully “Then you were doing her a favour weren't you?”
“I didn't do it!” he yelled louder than he expected it to come out. “But yes, it was kind of a blessing, because if whoever did it hadn't, I would have”
“That sentence was long” Matt laughed, not realising exactly what was going on.
“I see” Hal said. Tom nodded, Anne giving him a look of consent.
“So why is she angry?” Maggie asked him. “I mean, if someone killed Q-Ball and Billy Pope for me I would have gladly let them, you know?”
Matt took a moment to think, knowing of Maggie's back story thanks to Pope.
“Wait, Tanya was raped?” he asked innocently.
The room went quiet, Matt having stated the painfully obvious.
“Yeah” Ben swallowed hard.
“But he can't hurt her now though? He's dead?”
“No, he can't. But he isn't actually dead. He's more, mentally challenged. He hit his head on the way down I think. Not sure to be honest, but he definitely won't hurt her again.” Ben said solemnly.
Lourdes POV
“I don't know what to do” Lourdes said to the main nurse. “I mean, what did I do for him to grab me like that?”
“Sweetie, he was heavily sedated. Whatever damage has happened to his brain, it was enough to have him almost mute, but enough for him to walk and gain consciousness. It's … bizarre at best. But whatever it is, I wouldn't take anything he does seriously, plus, I've heard he” she whispered “Isn't the nicest of men”
“What do you mean?” Lourdes said to the woman, leaning in closer so that she could hear as the woman whispered to her.
“You know Tanya Pope. The alien girl?”
“Yes, of course I do. She's lovely. Why?” she asked concerned.
“Well, rumour has it he used to abuse her. Sexually. That's why Brandon had attacked him the day they first came, remember?”
“Really?” she exclaimed.
“Yeah. And that's why there's some rumours going around about what actually happened to him. About who pushed him down the stairs. A lot of people were saying it was Brandon” she whispered.
“But Brandon was with her at the time he was assaulted. There's no way he could have done it” she said “And there was noone around when I found him so, maybe it was just an accident. Maybe he did just fall down the stairs” Lourdes contemplated.
“Do you really believe that? Not that he did it? Or John Pope himself?” the nurse continued, having a sip of water as she did.
“I wouldn't put it past him, but, something doesn't feel right. You know? I mean, it's all too, much!”
“You found him didn't you?” she asked the young doctor.
“Yeah, yeah I did” she looked down.
“Then maybe that's why he grabbed you” she explained “Maybe he saw you and with his brain the way it is, he reacted when he saw you. Simple as that!”
“That's a simple way of explaining it I suppose” she thought to herself for a bit before continuing “There was something, in his eyes. Anger. Vengeance...”
“You're looking too hard into this darling. He's hit his head so hard he can't even talk, I don't think he's angry at the one person trying to help him. And if he is, it's because he doesn't understand what is happening to him. As I say, he's a bad man. Stay away from him if you don't have to be there.”
“Got it” she said as the nurse walked away.
“Got to go now, patients to tend to” she smiled “It's going to be OK Lou” she said as she finally left the room.
But Lourdes knew something was up. That man was truly angry at her, he wanted her hurt. And if he was as violent as the nurse had just told her, he was someone to avoid.
In a hospital room
A heart monitor beeped steadily as the man on the bed was connected to it. His eyes were almost glued shut, and he couldn't speak. Unconscious, he lay alone in a room, no windows and no-one there.
His eyes suddenly opened; heavily sedated trying to rip off his drip. His angry eyes looked around to see no help, and no one to stop him. He fell off the bed as his medication didn't allow him to have full control of his body.
He growled, his mouth unable to make any other sound. He couldn't speak or make full words.
“It's your own damn fault” a woman said as she sat on the hospital bed he had just fallen off. “You aren't going to wake up properly for a while. The best thing to do right now is to just lie down, quietly” the blonde spoke. “There's no sympathy for you. And you hurting the strongest person alive … highly unwise”
A nurse entered the room, panicking in her attempt to get him back on the bed, groaning as hard as he could towards the woman on his bed. But the nurse did not react.
“She can't see me you idiot … only you can. I'm here to basically torture you for the rest of your life as an impotent being. I'm Karen by the way. Karen Nandler”