“How are te feeling?” Mike asked softly. The medical staff had taken care of Simon, and now they were left alone for a moment.
“Physically? Like my insides are on fire” Deb groaned.
“Must be the medication wearing off” Mike detto concerned. “You want me to go get someone”
Deb shook her head and tried to grab his hand to stop him. “I want my head to be clear” she explained. “What happened? The last thing I remember is standing in front of Joe and then he stabbed me”
Mike frowned, confused and frustrated. “You don’t remember being in the elevator with me?”
“I was in the elevator with you?” Deb repeated surprised.
“Carroll and collina dragged te there and then the electricity went off and te were stuck in there” Mike said. He noticed a sudden change in Deb’s expression. Her tired eyes were now widened in fear. “I take it you’re not a fan of elevators? te did say te freak out in small, dark places”
Deb tore her eyes away from him.
“But te don’t need to be afraid now. You’re not in a small, dark place right now” Mike detto slowly, when he suddenly remembered something else. “You know, te acted really weird down there”
“Weird how?” Deb asked scared. She hadn’t dato away any deep hidden secrets from her past, had she?
“You thought I was your dad. te were sorry about something and te begged me not to put te back. What was that all about?”
Deb cast him a shocked glance, but then quickly looked away again. “I have no idea” she mumbled. “Must’ve been my imagination getting away with me”
It wasn’t so that Mike couldn’t read the signals Deb was sending him. She wanted him to stop asking questions. But he wasn’t going to give her the time of day.
“Your parents are here” he tried a different approach.
Deb turned her head again and she seemed genuinely surprised. “My parents? What are they doing here?”
“You’re their daughter, Deb. It’s their responsibility to be here” Mike replied sharp.
“And we are here”
Mike turned his head to see Mr. and Mrs. Parker stand in the doorway. “Agent Weston, would te allow us a moment alone with Debra?” Mrs. Parker requested.
Mike leaned in to Deb’s ear. “Didn’t te say your mom’s a bitch?”
“I never detto that!” Deb replied defensive, recitazione shocked. “At least not with those words. Now, go. I’ll be fine. Tell Ryan I’m up. I want to hear what I’ve missed”
Mike left quite reluctantly, still with that nagging feeling in his gut that told him Deb’s parents had a secret agenda.
Deb smiled shy at her parents. “You can sit down if te want to” she offered bashful. Seeing her parents after so long made her feel like a little girl again.
Mr. and Mrs. Parker each took a sede, sedile and sunk down.
“How are te feeling, Deb? We were so upset when we heard what happened to you. Beth detto they buried you. That’s must have been so terrible for you” Mrs. Parker started. Her words suggested that she was indeed horrified da the latest cruelties her child had gone through. However, there were no tears to prove it. No trembling in her voice, her hands were steady.
“I’m okay” Deb said, not quite convincing, but it was enough to reassure them.
“You should’ve never left” Mr. Parker sighed, shaking his head. “None of this would’ve happened if te had just accepted your fate”
“My fate?” Deb repeated, looking from her father to her mother. “You mean, being with Dale?”
“Dale’s a good man” Mr. Parker replied sharp.
“Dale’s a fucking bastard who is so sexually frustrated that he needs to force himself on young girls” Deb grunted between her teeth, but they heard it anyway.
“Don’t te dare speak about him like that!” Mrs. Parker yelled. She stood and walked to the bed, slapping Deb hard in the face. As Deb looked up at her, with tears of pain and humiliation, she said: “That is but one of the many te deserve”
She stepped back and sat down again.
“Don’t blame your mother, Debra” her father detto calm. “She’s a little emotional. Dale is sick. He’s dying. Cancer”
“I hope he’s in a lot of pain” Deb snapped hostile.
“Deb” Mr. Parker reproached softly. He coughed, preparing for the hardest part. “He wants to see you. What te did, had consequences for all of us. What te did, cut right through his cuore and it took him a long time to come to terms with that. But now he’s ready to forgive you”
“What?” Deb asked breathless.
“He claims he can’t let go of life without granting te forgiveness” Mr. Parker clarified. “So, if te could just come with me, then te can say sorry and te can say goodbye. I know te want it”
“No” Deb answered soft, but determined.
“It’s his dying wish, for God’s sake!” Mrs. Parker hissed and she stood up again. “Why do te always have to be such a trouble child?”
“I nearly died, but te don’t seem to care at all” Deb replied emotional. She was grateful she was sober now. She wouldn’t have been able to fight back had she been dato any medication for the pain.
“We do care!” Mr. Parked defended themselves fiercely. “We are here, aren’t we?”
Deb shook her head heavy. “You’re just here to manipulate me into coming with you. But it won’t work…Get out”
“Deb, be reasonable. Don’t te think it’s time to make amends?” Mr. Parker said.
“I detto GET OUT!” Deb screamed. Her hand disappeared underneath her sheet and when she withdrew it she held a coltello in her hand.
Mike looked up. Even from outside the hospital he could hear Deb scream.
“Deb, calm down” Mr. Parker detto sharp. He stood up, with his hands in the air. “There’s no need to get violent here. Now put the coltello down, before te hurt yourself”
“I used to cut myself. Did te know that?” Deb revealed softly and in tears. “I was trying to make myself ugly, because I thought it was my fault that Dale was attracted to me…Doesn’t that sound ridiculous?” she added with skipping and high pitched voice.
“Dale loved you. He still does, even after everything te put him through” Mrs. Parked muttered hateful.
“How can te do this to me?” Deb cried, looking at her mother now.
After taking note of everything that was happening inside, Mike carefully pushed the door open, inch da inch.
“You forced me inside that room, mom. What kind of a mother does that?”
“The kind of mother who only wants best for her child” Mrs. Parker replied fierce. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Deb climbed out of letto and walked towards her mother, but instead of running into her, she ran into Mike.
The coltello scraped against his giacca and ruined it. He grabbed her shoulders tightly and prevented her from going after her mother.
“Let me go!” Deb screamed and she wrestled to free herself. Her eyes gleamed murderously as she looked at Mrs. Parker.
Mrs. Parker swallowed.
Mike tightened his grip on Deb. It was Unbelievable how much strength she had.
“Deb, calm down, please” he begged, as she again attempted to attack her mother. “Give the coltello to me. I don’t know what they did to you, but killing them will only make things worse”
Deb finally jerked her eyes off her mother and looked at Mike. It was as if she only saw him now. She bent her head and gave him the knife.
“I want te to leave” Deb mumbled.
Mike knew she wasn’t talking about him, so he turned his head. “You heard her. Get out” he ordered Mr. and Mrs. Parker.
As soon as they had left Deb felt her knees go weak. She gave in to the gravity, forcing Mike to sink with her.
He put his arms around her and she buried her face inside his neck. He frowned compassionately when he felt her shoulders shake and hear her muffled sobs against his skin. Whatever Deb’s parents had pushed her through, he would find out and he would make them pay, in any possible way.
“Physically? Like my insides are on fire” Deb groaned.
“Must be the medication wearing off” Mike detto concerned. “You want me to go get someone”
Deb shook her head and tried to grab his hand to stop him. “I want my head to be clear” she explained. “What happened? The last thing I remember is standing in front of Joe and then he stabbed me”
Mike frowned, confused and frustrated. “You don’t remember being in the elevator with me?”
“I was in the elevator with you?” Deb repeated surprised.
“Carroll and collina dragged te there and then the electricity went off and te were stuck in there” Mike said. He noticed a sudden change in Deb’s expression. Her tired eyes were now widened in fear. “I take it you’re not a fan of elevators? te did say te freak out in small, dark places”
Deb tore her eyes away from him.
“But te don’t need to be afraid now. You’re not in a small, dark place right now” Mike detto slowly, when he suddenly remembered something else. “You know, te acted really weird down there”
“Weird how?” Deb asked scared. She hadn’t dato away any deep hidden secrets from her past, had she?
“You thought I was your dad. te were sorry about something and te begged me not to put te back. What was that all about?”
Deb cast him a shocked glance, but then quickly looked away again. “I have no idea” she mumbled. “Must’ve been my imagination getting away with me”
It wasn’t so that Mike couldn’t read the signals Deb was sending him. She wanted him to stop asking questions. But he wasn’t going to give her the time of day.
“Your parents are here” he tried a different approach.
Deb turned her head again and she seemed genuinely surprised. “My parents? What are they doing here?”
“You’re their daughter, Deb. It’s their responsibility to be here” Mike replied sharp.
“And we are here”
Mike turned his head to see Mr. and Mrs. Parker stand in the doorway. “Agent Weston, would te allow us a moment alone with Debra?” Mrs. Parker requested.
Mike leaned in to Deb’s ear. “Didn’t te say your mom’s a bitch?”
“I never detto that!” Deb replied defensive, recitazione shocked. “At least not with those words. Now, go. I’ll be fine. Tell Ryan I’m up. I want to hear what I’ve missed”
Mike left quite reluctantly, still with that nagging feeling in his gut that told him Deb’s parents had a secret agenda.
Deb smiled shy at her parents. “You can sit down if te want to” she offered bashful. Seeing her parents after so long made her feel like a little girl again.
Mr. and Mrs. Parker each took a sede, sedile and sunk down.
“How are te feeling, Deb? We were so upset when we heard what happened to you. Beth detto they buried you. That’s must have been so terrible for you” Mrs. Parker started. Her words suggested that she was indeed horrified da the latest cruelties her child had gone through. However, there were no tears to prove it. No trembling in her voice, her hands were steady.
“I’m okay” Deb said, not quite convincing, but it was enough to reassure them.
“You should’ve never left” Mr. Parker sighed, shaking his head. “None of this would’ve happened if te had just accepted your fate”
“My fate?” Deb repeated, looking from her father to her mother. “You mean, being with Dale?”
“Dale’s a good man” Mr. Parker replied sharp.
“Dale’s a fucking bastard who is so sexually frustrated that he needs to force himself on young girls” Deb grunted between her teeth, but they heard it anyway.
“Don’t te dare speak about him like that!” Mrs. Parker yelled. She stood and walked to the bed, slapping Deb hard in the face. As Deb looked up at her, with tears of pain and humiliation, she said: “That is but one of the many te deserve”
She stepped back and sat down again.
“Don’t blame your mother, Debra” her father detto calm. “She’s a little emotional. Dale is sick. He’s dying. Cancer”
“I hope he’s in a lot of pain” Deb snapped hostile.
“Deb” Mr. Parker reproached softly. He coughed, preparing for the hardest part. “He wants to see you. What te did, had consequences for all of us. What te did, cut right through his cuore and it took him a long time to come to terms with that. But now he’s ready to forgive you”
“What?” Deb asked breathless.
“He claims he can’t let go of life without granting te forgiveness” Mr. Parker clarified. “So, if te could just come with me, then te can say sorry and te can say goodbye. I know te want it”
“No” Deb answered soft, but determined.
“It’s his dying wish, for God’s sake!” Mrs. Parker hissed and she stood up again. “Why do te always have to be such a trouble child?”
“I nearly died, but te don’t seem to care at all” Deb replied emotional. She was grateful she was sober now. She wouldn’t have been able to fight back had she been dato any medication for the pain.
“We do care!” Mr. Parked defended themselves fiercely. “We are here, aren’t we?”
Deb shook her head heavy. “You’re just here to manipulate me into coming with you. But it won’t work…Get out”
“Deb, be reasonable. Don’t te think it’s time to make amends?” Mr. Parker said.
“I detto GET OUT!” Deb screamed. Her hand disappeared underneath her sheet and when she withdrew it she held a coltello in her hand.
Mike looked up. Even from outside the hospital he could hear Deb scream.
“Deb, calm down” Mr. Parker detto sharp. He stood up, with his hands in the air. “There’s no need to get violent here. Now put the coltello down, before te hurt yourself”
“I used to cut myself. Did te know that?” Deb revealed softly and in tears. “I was trying to make myself ugly, because I thought it was my fault that Dale was attracted to me…Doesn’t that sound ridiculous?” she added with skipping and high pitched voice.
“Dale loved you. He still does, even after everything te put him through” Mrs. Parked muttered hateful.
“How can te do this to me?” Deb cried, looking at her mother now.
After taking note of everything that was happening inside, Mike carefully pushed the door open, inch da inch.
“You forced me inside that room, mom. What kind of a mother does that?”
“The kind of mother who only wants best for her child” Mrs. Parker replied fierce. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Deb climbed out of letto and walked towards her mother, but instead of running into her, she ran into Mike.
The coltello scraped against his giacca and ruined it. He grabbed her shoulders tightly and prevented her from going after her mother.
“Let me go!” Deb screamed and she wrestled to free herself. Her eyes gleamed murderously as she looked at Mrs. Parker.
Mrs. Parker swallowed.
Mike tightened his grip on Deb. It was Unbelievable how much strength she had.
“Deb, calm down, please” he begged, as she again attempted to attack her mother. “Give the coltello to me. I don’t know what they did to you, but killing them will only make things worse”
Deb finally jerked her eyes off her mother and looked at Mike. It was as if she only saw him now. She bent her head and gave him the knife.
“I want te to leave” Deb mumbled.
Mike knew she wasn’t talking about him, so he turned his head. “You heard her. Get out” he ordered Mr. and Mrs. Parker.
As soon as they had left Deb felt her knees go weak. She gave in to the gravity, forcing Mike to sink with her.
He put his arms around her and she buried her face inside his neck. He frowned compassionately when he felt her shoulders shake and hear her muffled sobs against his skin. Whatever Deb’s parents had pushed her through, he would find out and he would make them pay, in any possible way.