15: Double Checking Fate

It was written I should be loyal to the nightmare of my choice.

Joseph Conrad

“Thank the goddess!” Bea exclaimed when Peg appeared at the edge of the living room. “Tabs, everyone, Peg’s back!” She turned, opened her arms wide with a kindly smile on her face. “How’d it go?”

Peg sighed, approaching nervously, eyes downcast as she sat beside Bea, as Paul ran in with a plate of food. “It worked perfectly. I released my other self from her coma, Frank was arrested and I tore him a new one, but...”

Bea enveloped Peg, practically smothering her. “But what?”

Peg didn’t resist, but shook her off a moment later, too upset to be comforted. “But it doesn’t seem to make any difference. I rescued the other Peg, though I left her bruised and bloody, likely with no memory of what happened, yet I’m still here. Apparently, it was never me.”

“Wait, isn’t that a good thing?” Tabitha asked, as everyone else, including Lee, Anna and Tim, gathered around.

“It’s where I belong ... now,” she said, glancing at them beseechingly, “but ... what’s the point? If it didn’t affect me personally, didn’t affect Frank at all, and didn’t avenge Jason, what’s the purpose of revealing it to me?”

“That’s a silly question,” Tabitha said, kneeling before Peg and grasping her hands. “Are you glad you did it?”

“Uh ... yeah. Of course.”

“And did it help someone?”

“Definitely.”

“And could you have lived with yourself, if you hadn’t?”

Peg shook her head, still confused.

“Then that’s your answer. It didn’t solve every problem, but made you a better person, resolved your doubts about yourself and us, and restored your confidence. What did you expect, a bloody miracle?”

Peg held her hands up and studied them, still surprised they weren’t a mess. “Well, they were a while ago.”

“You clean up nicely,” Bea teased, kissing the top of her head.

“So, what happened to Frank?” Paul asked. “The other Frank, that is.”

“I had to wait forever, and despite considering every possible approach, I couldn’t come up with anything.” She rubbed her head where she’d struck the floor absently, continuing. “But once he started assaulting comatose Peg, I lost it, forcing myself into her. When I woke, paralyzed, I fought until I recovered, a bit at a time. When we were done, Frank had no tongue, one less ball, and was bleeding like a stuck pig with no one doubting his guilt.”

“Way to go!” Paul cheered.

“How about you?” Andre asked, grasping Paul’s shoulders from beside him. “How traumatizing was it?”

“I’m ... not sure. At the time, I was too angry, trying to save the other Peg. I was fighting for my life and never considered how it affected me. But no matter what, I wasn’t going to allow him to pull that crap on me!”

“If you took over her body, and you’re here now, what happened to her?”

“I don’t know.” She ran her hand over her cheek. “He hit me several times, and maybe broke a rib, but now that I’m back, I’m fine. Only ... nothing’s changed.”

“What were you expecting?” Andre pressed.

“If this is an alternate reality, created when I entered the coma, then why am I here, rather than back there? And if that was the alternate world, then why did they show it to me? What’s the point, if I had no part in it. Aside from feeling better for saving someone, it didn’t change this world at all.”

“Some things you just can’t understand,” Anna suggested. “We make the best of our situations, figure out what we can, but once we run out of answers, we simply move on. We aim to solve the unanswerable questions, but we can’t determine everything. The search for explanations takes centuries, not weeks. Accept your victories, nurse your wounds and move on.”

“Be happy you’re still alive and with those who love you,” Bea advised. “‘Cause we adore you, and we’re damn glad you’re here with us. If they ever come calling, we’ll fight as hard as you fought for your other half, recognizing how she felt and knowing how to help.”

“Still, just as I knew I missed something when I couldn’t help, it’s clear I’m still missing it. There’s something remaining I have to do. I only need to figure out what.”

“So, what are you planning?” Tabitha inquired.

“Yeah, you always have something up your sleeve,” Paul said. “Either another ace, or a heavy club.”

“I’m going to do what I planned,” she said, standing, “talk to Detective Wilks.”

“Now?”

“If I wait, I can’t do it until Monday, and this will eat me alive. I need to resolve this, once and for all.”

“I’m not sure I like the ‘for all’ part,” Tabitha said. “Sometimes, surviving is enough, especially when surrounded by those who love you.”

“This is something I have to do,” she insisted. “What time is it?”

Andre glanced at his watch. “It’s two twelve, and I’m guessing you haven’t eaten, despite your rough morning.”

“You can’t go anywhere without a meal, young lady,” Bea said.

“Don’t worry,” Anna said. “We knew you’d be hungry. We’ll pack the sandwiches we prepared so you can take them with you. I suppose this will take a while?”

“It won’t take as long as traveling to other worlds, but there are several things to arrange. I ... need to do this for Jason, and me. But,” she added, “I can’t do it alone, nor do I want to. So, let’s prepare everything and then I’ll run off.”

“Good, because we have a few other details to discuss with you first,” Bea suggested.

__________
“Mom?” Peg asked, standing behind her mother coming out of the bathroom.

“Jesus!” she exclaimed, spinning around. “How the hell do you keep sneaking in?” She glanced around, keeping her voice low. “Frank knew you’ve been in the house. He’s set up remote cameras to catch you in the act.”

“Thanks for the warning.” She indicated the bed. “Can we talk? It’ll only take a few minutes, but once we’re done, I’ll be out of your hair forever.”

Melinda walked to the door, closing and locking it before turning back.

“It’s not that I don’t love you, but you’re making things incredibly difficult. I have no idea what’s going on: either with you or what you’re up to, but you’re ripping our lives apart.”

“I’ve got a family that wants to adopt me. They have a beautiful house in Manhattan with plenty of money and can get me into an excellent school. They’ll cover all my expenses.”

“I’m not trying to get rid of you.”

“And I’m not cutting off ties, but as you say, you’re no longer able to cope with me. These people are willing to. They love me, know how I think, and will stand by me through anything. I tell them everything. Well ... almost everything.”

“Honey—”

“When you’re ready, if you still want to be a part of my life, they’ll pay for you to visit. That way, you can leave when it gets to be too much, yet still keep in touch. You can play as big, or as little a role as you want. You’ll get everything you want, and all it costs is a single signature.”

“That will take time to set up. They have to draw up the proper legal documents. We’ll each have to contact a lawyer, which we can’t afford, and it’ll take months and multiple visits to a judge.”

Peg pulled her bag out, retrieving something, and handed her mother a letter and a pen.

“What’s this?”

“It’s all there. It’s not final, but gives them parental rights to make decisions for me, so I can enroll in school before I fall any farther behind.”

Melinda sat, unfolding and studying the document. “This sounds fairly formal. I’m not sure I’m ready for this. I need to consider it.”

“I’m sorry, but I need a safe place to live. I can’t continue living on the streets. It’s not safe. I was fighting for my life this morning,” she said earnestly.

“This is asking a lot. I need time to consider this, before giving you up forever. We ... haven’t gotten along, but it doesn’t mean I don’t care for you.”

“There’s something else, Mom.”

She sat back, considering her daughter. “Why am I not surprised.” She crossed her arms. “Okay, what is it?”

“It will really help if you’d sign it today, because ... I want to confront Frank one last time, just to see what he says. If he denies everything, or objects in any way, I’ll disappear forever, but I don’t want this hanging over my head indefinitely.” She paused, staring into her mother’s eyes. “I also don’t want him to know where I’m living. As I said, I want to feel safe. Frank has ... friends. All it takes is one phone call, and...”