Something in the Water

BEN:

I have to go searching through the house to find Mr. Sullivan. He's asked me to come, but didn't say why. I guess it has something to do with what Emma's told me, about never going back to the Evaluation Center. Unfortunately, I've listened to her, and I haven't been punished yet. This might be my punishment. If not, it must be something else about Emma.

I've already decided that he can't convince me to let them take her baby away from her. So if that's his intention, I won't be here very long. But on the other hand, Emma's been quiet the past few days. I'm not exactly sure why, and I'm starting to think maybe this is what the surprise meeting is about.

"Mr. Sullivan?" I ask the empty space infront of me. I didn't expect anyone to be home, except maybe Emma. Her parents usually work until dinner during the week.

"In here, Ben." I hear his voice coming from his wife's study. When I stand in the open doorway, I notice something off about him. It's very subtle, and it's difficult to pinpoint exactly what it is. Maybe his tie is a little loose, or his shirt is missing a button. Whatever it is, it's preventing him from earning that stamp of perfection the Evaluators go for.

He's sitting in one of the reclining chairs, massaging the bridge of his nose. He's thinking intently about something, which doesn't surprise me.

I try to get it over with. "Look, if this is about me not showing up for work, I really don't have an excuse other than I just hate it there."

He shakes his head with a careless frown. "Don't worry about that. It's taken care of. Take a seat, please."

There is no way it's that easy. "It is? Shouldn't there be some kind of -"

"I said it's taken care of. Would you like some kind of punishment?" He eyes me curiously.

As I sit across from him, I question the reality of this conversation. He doesn't wait for an answer.

"Last Sunday I made a trip to the hospital with Emma for her check-up. You know, I wasn't there beside her during the initial visit." He implies that I prevented that from happening.

I open my mouth to defend myself, but he keeps going.

"So, on Sunday, I had the opportunity to see exactly what it is that makes Emma so obsessed with the baby. And I'll be honest with you," His eyes dimmly light up with his smile. "It was like nothing I'd ever experienced. Not even when I saw Emma for the very first time. I've realized how special she really is, and I'm guilty that I hadn't seen it until recently. I believe, as her father, that I've been looking at this from the wrong angle."

I smile half-heartedly. I'm happy he's seeing this in a different light, but it's contradicting his original opinion, which makes everything unstable. I don't know if I like that.

"But on top of all that, I know that I've underestimated the greatness and responsibility in both of you. To be tossed something as significant as a baby, and to deal with the surprise as young adults is a task I never imagined could be tackled without an intervention. "

I'm hopelessly confused. "What are you saying?"

He lets me sweat it out for a minute, and I don't hesitate in sweating. Finally, he says it. "I'm saying that I will do everything in my power to make sure Emma's baby is never taken away from her."

It's like I've gone deaf, or his statement has flown right through both ears. "You what?"

"I know I haven't exactly shown much effort in understanding your side on this, but I'll always love Emma, and I want her to be happy. I believe in her, and I know you do, too. So, I'm asking for your help in making it happen."

The smirk on my lips can't be discouraged. "You want me to help you break the law?"

He shrugs. "More or less."

"What if you get caught? You'll lose your job."

"I'll probably lose more than that." He says openly. "But Emma is worth the risk."

There's something new fueling me. I don't know if it's rage, or determination, or just adrenaline. But it feels awesome. "So what are you thinking?"

"Slow down, now." He nearly laughs out loud at my urgency. "We need to set some ground rules first." I wait impatiently for him to continue. "I don't want Emma to know about any of this just yet. It's better that she isn't worried if she doesn't need to be."

That must be why he asked me not to tell her they wouldn't let her keep the baby. He didn't want her freaking out, because he was working on a plan in his head. That might be a stretch, but it still works.

He continues after my nod. "I don't want anyone else knowing about this, either."

"Your wife?" I interrupt.

"Especially not my wife." He points a sharp finger at me. It's completely the opposite of what's expected of an Evaluator. He's lying, keeping secrets, breaking the law. Mr. Sullivan, what a rebel. "Everything will be discussed in the privacy of my office. I don't trust something this serious anywhere else."

I nod again, though I know I'll have to tell Emma I'm going back. Either that, or I'll have to lie to her. I'll probably have to lie either way.

"And lastly, if we're caught, I will be subject to all penalties and punishments. I won't allow you to take any heat for this."

"But -"

"If you have so much as a smudge of something like this on your record, they'll never pass you in the Evaluation. I can't risk that for Emma."

I don't nod this time, but I silently agree.

"So that's that." He finds a comfortable position in his chair. "What will need to be done is a bit overly dramatic, but it's the only way I see Emma able to raise her own baby."

"What's that?" I ask eagerly.

"Well, first thing's first. She'll need to leave."

It's not at all what I was expecting. "Leave? To go where?"

His eyes trace the ceiling. "Anywhere but here. The next Evaluation Center is only two states away, but I think she'd be safest farther away than that. There are ten Evaluation Centers in the entire country, and they all only focus only on the clients that live in the bordering states. By moving Emma to a Center four or five states away, we can guarantee there isn't any possibility of overlapping."

It sort of stuns me at first. "Will you go with her?"

"I don't know. We'd have to keep everything as normal and subtle as possible. If I don't have a legitimate reason to relocate to another Center, I can't leave. Neither can her mother. Emma's too young to go alone - but I might be able to get around that if we get through this first."

I force myself to accept it for now. "Then what?"

He shakes his head. "I want to focus on finding somewhere for her to go before we get too involved. This is still a shaky decision. I won't send her anywhere unless I know she'll be safe."

It's such a tease, but I'll take it. It's better than fighting him. At least now we're on the same side.

. . . . . . . .

EMMA:

Sam hasn't said a word since we sat down for lunch. I assume he's just tired, or he didn't do well on a test, or something like that.

Ben, on the other hand, won't shut up. I honestly don't even know what he's talking about. Gym class? No, no, there aren't any frogs in gym class. Maybe biology?

I blink, and I'm stunned to find Sara occupying that empty seat next to Sam. He doesn't even look at her, like he expected her to show up. Ben finally closes his mouth to breathe.

"What?" Sara asks, like it isn't a big deal that she's sitting at our lunch table for the first time in over a month.

"Nothing." Ben answers after a second of silence. He finally notices the droopy eyes of his best friend. "You okay?" He bumps his arm with his fist.

Sam barely responds, just glancing up at Ben.

"He's upset." Sara says quietly. "Our dad's in the hospital again."

A pit forms in my stomach. "Is he alright?"

"Still having heart problems?" Ben guesses.

"He works too damn hard." Sam mutters. He pushes his lunch aside. There must be a problem if he isn't eating.

I know their dad works as an airline pilot. He's rarely ever home, even though he has the weekends off. It's hard on them, but that family loves eachother to death. This is the third time Mr. Shepherd has been in the hospital with a poor heart.

"We keep telling him to retire. And I know this time they won't let him back in the air. His heart won't be able to take it, he loves his job too much. It'll change him." Sara drops her head to rest on her elbows.

"I'm sorry to hear that." I mention. I know it doesn't mean much, but I don't know what else to say.

"How long will he be there?" Ben wonders.

"Just for another day." Sara says. "They say he'll be home by tomorrow for dinner."

I look at the frown on Sam's face, and I hate it. Seeing a guy like Sam with a frown like that is heartbreaking. "He'll be okay." I try to reassure them both. "He's strong."

"It's just a matter of what will happen to us." Sam says, kicking his chair away from the table and exiting the lunchroom just as fast.