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Detroit Riverview Hospital. 28th November, 2005. Callia Carter stands as a statue. The room is small, but to her it is a gargantuan cavern. She feels a biting wind, hears the echoes. She looks over her husband; lifeless. An incessant beep the only reminder of his existence. Fragile. A tear flows down her porcelain cheek. She didn't mean for this to happen. Regret and Remorse. Guilt. Michael enters the room, his rapid steps slow to cessation, gazing wide-eyed on his Father. So helpless.
MICHAEL What's wrong with Daddy?
CALLIA Papa dort.
Resorting to French, what is natural. She couldn't deal with the cognitive process of forming the sentence, then translating it. That would make her think about it. And she couldn't do that. She couldn't think how she loved him, and how she'd hurt him. How she broke him. Men had been trying for years, and no one could. Even this; he will recover. But Callia Carter broke him. Twilight creeps across the room, Michael turns on the lights. Chloe enters. She's been here since he arrived. Eyes are heavy. Tired baby, real tired.
CHLOE Michael, go talk to Virgil outside.
MICHAEL Why?
CHLOE Just do it. It won't be for long. Me and Mommy have to have some grown-up talk.
Michael leaves. His eyes turn back to his Father. He dashes back into the room, clambering onto the bed and hugging him. He missed his Father, he loved his Father. Satisfied, he withdraws, and leaves. Chloe glares at Callia.
CHLOE It's your fault.
Tactless. Honest. Brutal.
CALLIA Pourquoi?
CHLOE You weren't here when he needed you. Two months, Callia. He hadn't seen you or Michael or Becky for TWO MONTHS. He loves you, he needs you. He's said so more than I can remember. And he's never admitted to needing anyone. Not ever. But he admitted you needing you, and you just weren't THERE for him. And so he wasn't, he wasn't as ready as he should have been. And so, Carl Sturm, Kael Stanton, Easton Hall, they did this to him.
CALLIA Je ne pense pas que vous pouv--
CHLOE SPEAK ENGLISH! SPEAK FUCKING ENGLISH YOU STUPID FUCKING BITCH!!
Frozen. The hatred is out now. It fills the room. Overpowering. Michael pushes open the door; he heard it, the whole damn wing heard it. Chloe and Callia engage in a dewy-eyed staredown. Callia inhales, the tears flow. She turns and leaves. Michael stares at his Aunt, then his Mother, then his Father. Immediately, he runs to him.
[LOVE WILL TEAR US APART [JOY DIVISION]]
Carter Plaza. 16th December, 2005. In the bedroom, Steven packs his bags. Warzone looms, the Gauntlet must be run. Callia watches, cradling Rebecca. There's a distance between them, the room lacks the warmth it once did. Steven shuts the suitcase and walks past them, kissing Rebecca on the forehead as he does. Callia follows.
CALLIA Nothing for me?
Her tone is accusatory.
STEVEN You've made it clear where I stand to you, Callia. You took my family away from me, for two months I didn't see my children. Then, when I nearly DIE at the hands of Easton Hall, you show up. You show up, and then you decide you can't handle it, so you leave again. Without even saying a word to me. Hell, you would have taken Mikey again, had he not begged to stay with me. And then, for the past two weeks, you've spent more time comforting Kaylie Mayfield over the fact that Ar--
He stops himself here. He hadn't looked at her, but he punches the wall in anger. Though, this was not anger directed at Callia. Arlen didn't deserve what had been handed him. And Steven knew that.
STEVEN --that Arlen can't see, than trying to comfort me and help me get back to full-strength. I'm not asking for much, Callia, I don't think asking for your wife's company is too much. But obviously I'm not worth your time, because in the last three months I've seen you for a grand total of two days. TWO DAYS. If that's all you feel for me, if that's how much I mean to you, then no, I got nothing for you.
A tear flows down Callia's cheek, Rebecca unknowingly runs her hand through it.
STEVEN We're changing in our ways, Callia. Taking different roads. I never thought it would happen, but you're just going down a path that runs opposite to mine. I don't know what happened, what caused this, I haven't got a clue. I just hope you take solace in the fact that it was a combination of Carl Sturm and Easton Hall that damn-near ended my life. So, at least partly, you were right. I just hope that makes you happy, because it's clear I'm no longer able to do that.
CALLIA But I still love you.
Melancholy. Anguish. Rage. All spoken with a heavy sigh.
STEVEN I love you too, and I always will.
A Pause. Pain. Anger. The tongue bubbles acidic.
STEVEN But sometimes that's just not enough.
Nothing more is said. Steven leaves the room and the door swings slowly shut. Callia stands alone, clutching Rebecca close to her. Isolation. Then, all of a sudden, it's so cold.
Detroit Riverview Hospital. 28th November, 2005. Callia Carter stands as a statue. The room is small, but to her it is a gargantuan cavern. She feels a biting wind, hears the echoes. She looks over her husband; lifeless. An incessant beep the only reminder of his existence. Fragile. A tear flows down her porcelain cheek. She didn't mean for this to happen. Regret and Remorse. Guilt. Michael enters the room, his rapid steps slow to cessation, gazing wide-eyed on his Father. So helpless.
MICHAEL What's wrong with Daddy?
CALLIA Papa dort.
Resorting to French, what is natural. She couldn't deal with the cognitive process of forming the sentence, then translating it. That would make her think about it. And she couldn't do that. She couldn't think how she loved him, and how she'd hurt him. How she broke him. Men had been trying for years, and no one could. Even this; he will recover. But Callia Carter broke him. Twilight creeps across the room, Michael turns on the lights. Chloe enters. She's been here since he arrived. Eyes are heavy. Tired baby, real tired.
CHLOE Michael, go talk to Virgil outside.
MICHAEL Why?
CHLOE Just do it. It won't be for long. Me and Mommy have to have some grown-up talk.
Michael leaves. His eyes turn back to his Father. He dashes back into the room, clambering onto the bed and hugging him. He missed his Father, he loved his Father. Satisfied, he withdraws, and leaves. Chloe glares at Callia.
CHLOE It's your fault.
Tactless. Honest. Brutal.
CALLIA Pourquoi?
CHLOE You weren't here when he needed you. Two months, Callia. He hadn't seen you or Michael or Becky for TWO MONTHS. He loves you, he needs you. He's said so more than I can remember. And he's never admitted to needing anyone. Not ever. But he admitted you needing you, and you just weren't THERE for him. And so he wasn't, he wasn't as ready as he should have been. And so, Carl Sturm, Kael Stanton, Easton Hall, they did this to him.
CALLIA Je ne pense pas que vous pouv--
CHLOE SPEAK ENGLISH! SPEAK FUCKING ENGLISH YOU STUPID FUCKING BITCH!!
Frozen. The hatred is out now. It fills the room. Overpowering. Michael pushes open the door; he heard it, the whole damn wing heard it. Chloe and Callia engage in a dewy-eyed staredown. Callia inhales, the tears flow. She turns and leaves. Michael stares at his Aunt, then his Mother, then his Father. Immediately, he runs to him.
[LOVE WILL TEAR US APART [JOY DIVISION]]
Carter Plaza. 16th December, 2005. In the bedroom, Steven packs his bags. Warzone looms, the Gauntlet must be run. Callia watches, cradling Rebecca. There's a distance between them, the room lacks the warmth it once did. Steven shuts the suitcase and walks past them, kissing Rebecca on the forehead as he does. Callia follows.
CALLIA Nothing for me?
Her tone is accusatory.
STEVEN You've made it clear where I stand to you, Callia. You took my family away from me, for two months I didn't see my children. Then, when I nearly DIE at the hands of Easton Hall, you show up. You show up, and then you decide you can't handle it, so you leave again. Without even saying a word to me. Hell, you would have taken Mikey again, had he not begged to stay with me. And then, for the past two weeks, you've spent more time comforting Kaylie Mayfield over the fact that Ar--
He stops himself here. He hadn't looked at her, but he punches the wall in anger. Though, this was not anger directed at Callia. Arlen didn't deserve what had been handed him. And Steven knew that.
STEVEN --that Arlen can't see, than trying to comfort me and help me get back to full-strength. I'm not asking for much, Callia, I don't think asking for your wife's company is too much. But obviously I'm not worth your time, because in the last three months I've seen you for a grand total of two days. TWO DAYS. If that's all you feel for me, if that's how much I mean to you, then no, I got nothing for you.
A tear flows down Callia's cheek, Rebecca unknowingly runs her hand through it.
STEVEN We're changing in our ways, Callia. Taking different roads. I never thought it would happen, but you're just going down a path that runs opposite to mine. I don't know what happened, what caused this, I haven't got a clue. I just hope you take solace in the fact that it was a combination of Carl Sturm and Easton Hall that damn-near ended my life. So, at least partly, you were right. I just hope that makes you happy, because it's clear I'm no longer able to do that.
CALLIA But I still love you.
Melancholy. Anguish. Rage. All spoken with a heavy sigh.
STEVEN I love you too, and I always will.
A Pause. Pain. Anger. The tongue bubbles acidic.
STEVEN But sometimes that's just not enough.
Nothing more is said. Steven leaves the room and the door swings slowly shut. Callia stands alone, clutching Rebecca close to her. Isolation. Then, all of a sudden, it's so cold.