Chapter 13: Sunday Evening, 5:22PM

Mom’s head whipped around, her eyes widening. “Laura...” she said in a placating tone, holding her hands up.

“It’s fine,” Will said calmly. “She’s just hungry, I bet. Have you eaten much lately, Laura?” He looked over at the girl who was currently angling the tines of her fork towards herself.

This again? Mom, how can you fall for something so stupid? I can’t believe I fell for it when she first told me.

The fork fell from Laura’s hand and clattered onto the table, and she flinched slightly. “Um ... N-no, I didn’t...” She stared at the food in front of her.

“Well, eat up, then. Can’t have you wasting away, can we?” Will grabbed the serving spoon and scooped a medium-sized portion of lobster mac and cheese onto Laura’s plate.

Lobster mac and cheese that I made! Alaina managed to keep a pleasant smile on her face. “I made lots, so don’t be shy!”

He held his hand out across the table, and Mom passed her plate over. “Such a gentleman!” she remarked, her gaze not leaving Laura. The plate returned to her a moment later, completely filled.

“May I?” Will asked, turning to Alaina. His hand inched towards her plate.

“No, you go first,” she said, forcefully smiling back at him.

He shrugged, then started filling his own plate. “I’ll try to save you some, but no promises.”

She snorted. “I don’t think you and the guys could finish a pan of this in one sitting.”

“I smell another bet,” he said, passing her the spoon with a grin.

“You’re—Wait a minute, I’m on to you,” she said, rolling her eyes. She started spooning delicious-looking lobster mac and cheese on her plate. This actually looks even better than I’d hoped.

“What?” Will said with an innocent expression.

“I only cook for people I like,” Alaina said. And Laura, just this once. She put the spoon back. “You really think I’d cook for Daniel?”

“What do you have against Daniel?”

“He’s... Daniel?”

“I know, that’s the best part about him,” Will said. He looked around the table, then shrugged. “Looks great, let’s see how it measures up...” He grabbed up his fork and took a big bite.

“Mmm, Lainy, this is amazing!” Mom exclaimed, taking another bite and chewing slowly.

Alaina scooped up a forkful, grabbing a few gooey noodles and a small piece of lobster, and put it in her mouth. The cheese flavor is rich and powerful, but it’s not overshadowing the lobster. And I think I cooked it just enough; the lobster is still soft, and the whole thing isn’t dried out at all. Not bad for a first attempt.

“Wow,” was all Will said, a dazed look appearing on his face as he reached for another forkful.

She glanced across the table. Mom and Will were both eating with abandon, but Laura was just staring at her plate.

“Laura, try some,” Will said, looking at the girl sitting next to him. “It’s really good!”

“Okay...” The blonde reached for her fork again, hesitated, then picked up her spoon instead. She scooped up a couple noodles and a piece of lobster and stared at it for a moment. She glanced over at Alaina, then cautiously raised the spoon to her lips.

Laura’s eyes widened as she chewed, and she stared down at her plate with a suspicious expression after she swallowed. “It’s ... good?” She turned to look at Alaina, a small smile appearing on her face. “It’s really delicious!”

“I’m glad you like it,” Alaina said in a warm tone, showing another fake smile. Flattery won’t get you anywhere with me. Once I get Mom back, you’re toast.

Laura’s smile wilted, and she stared at her plate.

“Laura, you said you’d eat,” Will said, turning his head to look at the girl he was addressing.

“Sorry,” Laura said quietly, her head dipping.

“It’s alright, just keep eating if you’re hungry.”

Laura hesitantly ate another spoonful.

Dinner continued mostly in silence, with Will gently encouraging Laura to keep eating after every few bites when she stopped. Alaina’s mom watched carefully, and Alaina ate.

“You really outdid yourself tonight, sweetie. Thanks for making this,” Mom said as she set her fork down on her plate.

“I’ll say,” Will said. He squeezed Alaina’s leg under the table. “Amazing what you can do with a capable sous-chef, isn’t it?”

Alaina snorted. “Let’s not go overboard with the self-praise just yet. You only just learned the difference between chopping and dicing tonight.”

He gave her a weird look. “I also learned that you prefer your milk with mustard. Gross.”

She wrinkled her nose at him.

“Um ... Thanks, Alaina,” Laura said in a soft voice, looking up from her plate. “I ... really liked it.”

Of course you did.

“Laura,” Will cut in, turning his head to the blonde girl. “I need to talk to Alaina’s mom for a few minutes about something. If I go into the other room, will you promise to be good until I get back?”

Laura glanced past him and her lip trembled. “Um ... Do ... Do you have to?”

Ugh.

“It’s really important,” Will said.

What could he have to talk to Mom about that’s important?

Mom reached across the table and retrieved Laura’s plate and silverware, stacked it on top of hers, and started towards the counter. She gestured to Alaina with her head as she passed.

What now. Alaina grabbed her plate, then grabbed Will’s as an afterthought and marched over to the sink where her mom was waiting. She put the plates on the counter and stepped closer to her mom.

“Thanks, Lainy,” Mom whispered, rubbing Alaina’s shoulder. “I’m really happy to see that you’re trying. I know this is tough on you.”

Alaina sighed. “It is.” Need it to be believable, at least.

“I’m proud of you,” Mom said, smiling. “I’m going to try to fix Will up, and then we’ll know if my theory was right.”

“Fix?” Alaina stared at her mom in confusion.

“He told me he’s missing some memories, and I’m pretty good at that finding them.” Mom gave her a look.

Ohh. Why didn’t I think to ask her about that?

“Keep an eye on Laura. We’ll have our own talk after.” Her mom patted her shoulder, then started towards the dining room.

Will rose from his seat.

Laura clutched at his hand for a moment before he slowly pulled it away.

Alaina’s mom and Will disappeared around the corner through the dining room doorway, leaving the two girls behind.

I wanna just start grilling her, but that’d look pretty bad if Mom came back in and found her pretending to cry. I’ll mind my own business for a little longer. She turned the tap on low and started scraping and rinsing the plates into the sink, depositing each one into the dishwasher after.

“Um ... Should I ... put this somewhere?” came a timid voice to her right.

Alaina slowly looked over.

Laura was standing on the other side of the dishwasher door, holding the pan containing the remaining lobster mac and cheese with an uncertain expression on her face. “I, um ... I’ll just ... I’ll put it here,” she finished in a rush, setting it down on the island and retreating hastily to her seat where she once again curled up and pressed her face into her knees.

That was a little weird. She must know I’m on to her by now, doesn’t she? Or is she just that dedicated? She pulled out a plastic container from the cabinet under the island and started scooping the remaining lobster mac and cheese into it.

The container went into the refrigerator. I’ll need a few days of salads to make up for today. Bleh.

Alaina set the pan to soaking in the sink, and suddenly there was nothing left to do. Ugh, what am I supposed to do now? Talk to her so she can lie to me? She rolled her eyes at the thought. I guess I’ll just take a seat and watch her. She took a seat on one of the stools at the island and leaned on her elbow, looking out over the rest of the kitchen.

Laura, for her part, didn’t move.

They sat in a stalemate for several minutes.

“I really am sorry,” Laura said in a quiet voice. “I just wish...” she trailed off.

Wish you hadn’t gotten caught? “What are you sorry for, Laura?” Alaina asked, affecting a concerned tone.

“Everything,” Laura said, sounding miserable. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table and her face in her hands. “I wasn’t in...” She sighed. “No, I did it. I ruined everything, just like I always do.”

Ruined everything? Did she not stick to her plan or something?

“This was...” The blonde girl sniffled. “I shouldn’t have—”

“Laura,” Will said from the doorway leading to the front door. “I remember everything.”

Is Mom going to do something now, or do I still need to talk to her first?

Laura turned around in her seat slowly, a terrified look on her face. “No,” she breathed, staring at his neutral expression.

He pressed his lips together and nodded.

“I’m so sorry, Will,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Tears spilled from her eyes. “I should...” She rose from her chair and bolted towards the garage.

Will was faster, or he had anticipated it. He caught the fleeing girl after two steps, wrapping his arms around her from behind and pulling her to a stop.

“No! Let go!” Laura shrieked. “Will, I can’t anymore!”

He pivoted, spinning them around in place.

Laura’s eyes were wild as she thrashed against him.

“Laura, calm—Ow!” Will winced and released her with his left arm, holding his side.

Laura went limp in his remaining arm, falling out of his grasp and onto the ground. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” she sobbed as she curled into a ball, clutching her legs to her chest. “I just want it to end already!” she wailed, shaking as she continued to cry.

Alaina looked on in disgust. Now you’re just overselling it. Now that he’s got his memory back, what’s the point in pretending like this anymore?

Will knelt down and put his head next to Laura’s ear while he held her shoulder with his hand.

After a moment, she froze. “No,” she said softly, sniffling again. “No. No! No, Will, you can’t! You can’t!” she howled.

Did he tell her he’s gonna turn her in and testify? Way to go, Will!

“I can,” Will said, giving Laura a concerned look. “I forgive you, Laura.”

What. The. FUCK?

Alaina stared.

“Okay, sweetie, that’s enough eavesdropping,” her mom said, coming up behind her. “Let’s go talk for a little while.”

“What—”

“Now, Alaina,” her mom said in a more serious tone. “Otherwise I might lose my patience and forget to give you back your keys.”

Alaina glanced back at Will and Laura one more time before her mom dragged her into the dining room and around the corner into the sitting room.

Mom pulled her over to the sofa with an unyielding grip. “Sit.”

Alaina sat. She stared at the wall, her mind reeling.

Mom pulled up a rocking chair and sat right in front of her. “You have questions, and you said you had something important to talk to me about earlier,” she said, pinning Alaina in place with her gaze. “What do you wanna start with?”

Alaina struggled to pick a question out of the roiling mass of thoughts in her head. “Is she mind-controlling you?” she finally blurted. Her eyes widened, and she clapped her hands over her mouth. Fuck, I wasn’t supposed to say that!

Mom gave her a perplexed expression for a moment, then rolled her eyes. “Lainy, please. Do you really think some kid is gonna be able to pull one over on your old mom?” She sighed. “I thought you’d at least thank me for fixing that bump on your boyfriend’s face first,” she muttered.

“But isn’t that exactly what you’d say if you were being mind-controlled?” Alaina persisted.

“You’ve really gone all-in on the conspiracy theory, haven’t you?” her mom said, giving her a pitying look. “And how am I supposed to prove that I’m fine, then?”

“Kick her out!” Alaina hissed. “We had dinner like you wanted. If you’re you, there’s no reason for her to be here anymore, right? Tell her to go home or something.”

Her mom tapped a finger on her lip. “Let me see if I understand. You think that because I’m helping someone you don’t like, I must be getting mind-controlled?”

No, because you’re doing this much for Laura, and she obviously doesn’t need your help! Alaina frowned. “That’s not—”

“Alaina, I was wrong before,” her mom said, staring into the distance over her head. “I forgot that you’re still a kid.”

“I’m not—”

“Let me finish, please,” Mom said in a tone that was not for making requests. “I don’t mean it in a bad way, I just mean that you’re still young and idealistic. You kept saying you wanted to be a doctor like me, and I guess I automatically assumed you knew what it meant to be a doctor.”

What it means to be a doctor? She gave her mom a confused look.

“Lainy, I don’t choose who I’m going to treat,” Mom said in a gentle tone. “I’m a doctor. And not just someone with the degree who’s in it for the authority, or the money, or whatever. I’m doing this to save lives. Do you think it matters even the tiniest bit whether you dislike one of my patients? If a patient of mine is about to go into the OR, do you think I’ll tell the nurses to turn the gurney around because my daughter doesn’t like the person we’re about to operate on?”

Alaina closed her mouth.

“You asked me to take care of Laura,” her mom continued. “I took her on as a patient, and that makes her my responsibility. If a patient dies on my watch, it’s my fault, Alaina. If I don’t exhaust every reasonable avenue of treatment, I have to live with knowing that I might’ve been able to save them for the rest of my very long life. Is that what you want?”

“I...” Alaina struggled to form words for the idea that was raging in her head. I don’t want any of Mom’s patients to die, but it’s Laura! She’s not going to die, she’s faking all of this!

Mom reached over and squeezed her shoulder. “If Laura was sick and died,” she said quietly, meeting her eyes, “and it was because you told me not to help her and I listened, would you be able to live with yourself? Because I really hope I’ve raised you not to be the type of person who can say yes to that question.”

“No!” Alaina shook her head quickly, her hands clenched on top of her legs. Does Mom really think I want Laura to die? “I’d never want you to abandon someone who really needed help!”

Mom stood up from her chair and sat down next to her daughter on the couch, pulling her into a hug. “I know,” she whispered, patting her daughter’s back. “I know you wouldn’t.”

“If you become a doctor,” Mom said, leaning back and cupping Alaina’s face with one hand, “and I mean a good doctor, which I know you would be, this is the kind of thing you have to be thinking about. The situation with Laura isn’t normal, but I’m doing what I can to try and resolve it anyway. I brought her here even though you don’t like her because I think it might be the only way to fix the problem.”

Ohh, I get it now. She did all this because she knows that Laura’s lying and she’s taking advantage of it to corner her. That’s really smart. “I’m ... I’m sorry, Mom,” Alaina said, meeting her Mom’s gaze. “It was so soon after the thing with Will, I just couldn’t imagine you had a reason.” She sighed. “I mean, now I get that you wanted Will to talk to her once you fixed his memories, but...”