Trust Me?

Chapter 18

Not Okay

Ingo jumped when he heard Lakes wail from the room he had been thrown into. It wasn't the observatory. Although he could see it when they parked. Or rather, what was left of it. This building they had gone into hadn't been there before.

"What are you doing to, Lake!?" Ingo tried to pull free of Steel's grip. The man had a vice for a hand and he refused to let go.

Ingo recoiled away from the woman that appeared right in front of him. Getting in his face and smiling almost too sweetly.

"Us?" She giggled getting up and turned around walking toward the monitor. Ingo could see that her stomach was protruding now. She was definitely pregnant. His guess was it was Deed's child. "Nothing...your brother on the other hand. Not so much." She clicked the video to show just what had happened. Ingo looked horrified and almost heartbroken.

"Take me to them!" Ingo demanded. Barbara smiled as she walked toward the room.

"I'll allow it for now. But only because..." She stopped and glared. "I want her to stop making that horrid noise. If you do not shut her up...I'll do it myself." How could this woman be so hateful to her own daughter? Barbara walked him toward the room. Her hand unconsciously rubbing her midsection.

The door opened and Lake pushed herself against the wall even more. Ingo could only see her back. He walked into the room hearing the door slap shut and the electric lock click into place.

Ingo slowly walked over as soundlessly as he could. Reaching up, running a gentle hand over Lakes back.

"Don't touch me!" Her voice cracked as she screamed, her fist connecting with his wrist. She didn't even pull the punch. It rather hurt his arm. She meant it, she was so afraid of everything around her.

Ingo turned and glared at his brother who held his head. Ingo reached out, touching his brother's hand.

"What...did you say to her?" Ingo asked his brother. Emmet audibly gritted his teeth. He slowly looked up at his brother. His head hurt, and the crying wasn't helping at all.

"You left me...you chose her over me..." Okay that wasn't what he had expected in the least bit. Ingo stood up and glared down at his brother.

"The only one who has left is you. Where is my brother?" Ingo asked. Emmet pointed to Lake. "Oh yes, that's a little girl, One who is crying because you're an idiot." Okay that's not what Emmet thought he'd hear from his brother. He honestly thought his brother would at least sympathize with him. But then they...ow...

Ingo had pinched his brother's arm. Emmet jumped and grabbed his hand looking at him. It was like he woke up from a bad dream. He looked around the room. That was a cruel way to wake him up. Effective but cruel. They'd have to have a talk about it later.

"Are you awake now?" Okay that sobered him up. Emmet looked from one part of the room to the other. It was like his senses were turning back on one by one.

"Ingo...what...happened? Where are w..." Something else filled his senses. He jumped up and slowly padded over to Lake.

"Don't..." Ingo called from the bed. Slowly making his way over to Lake. "She's...panicking." It was the best way he could describe it. What happened to Emmet tended to happen over prolonged or unannounced absences of his and that one time with Lake. But at least that was at work and nowhere near Lake.

"I don't know what you said to her, but she's not okay." Ingo told his brother. Emmet looked scared. He did this, he did this to their baby? She was crying so hard that she sounded like a newborn baby.

Emmet reached down and touched her shoulder. Lake jumped and turned around, swatting at his hand. "D--n- ---ch m-" She was beginning to lose her voice because of the wailing. Emmet shook his head looking up at his brother. He turned back and looked at Lake. The horrified look on her face when she realized it was him.

"I'm sorry, baby. I'm really sorry. I didn't..." He sat down watching as Lake pushed herself even more against the wall. His heart was breaking, even the cries he was hearing from her sounded like they were breaking.

"Emmet has...an issue with his mind. Sometimes he's not all there. Sometimes he acts automatically and he doesn't think properly." Ingo tried to explain to the young scared child who honestly felt like she once again had lost everything. If she couldn't be with Ingo and Emmet she didn't want to be anywhere else. In her small mind, this was the end. So why were they trying to fix her? What was going on?

Wait...

She looked from one person to the other, as realization dawned on her...or rather...how she saw it.

Ingo was trying to fix her. Emmet...didn't try very hard to. He was just sitting there like he got into trouble. So that must be why...was that why Ingo signed the adoption papers and Emmet didn't? Emmet was the one who didn't want her? She uncurled and slowly made her way over to Ingo.

It was like testing the water Ingo realized. She was...panting, looking around. Looking from one of them to the other like she was searching for something. Neither of them moved, they knew how she was. One wrong move and she would run. One slight look and she'd go back to the corner. So when she climbed up into Ingos lap and wrapped her arms around his shoulders and put her cheek onto his chest. Finally Ingo touched her. She flinched but accepted the hold.

"We have got to start looking into having your therapist talking to you about these episodes. Especially with her in the house with us." Ingo said as he rubbed her back softly.

"Lake...are you okay now?" Emmet asked. Lake tried to talk, but nothing came out. Her head hurt, and frankly she felt so tired.

"Ingo...she's not talking." Ingo nodded as he sat down on the bed and sighed.

"I'm afraid her voice is exhausted after the torture it was under. It'll take a few days to feel better." Ingo had the same problem once, but it was because he was searching for someone in the mountains. As a warden they had lost people all the time.

"Come on Lake, honey...let's get you t..." He tried to put her onto the bed. Lake gasped and clung to him. She didn't want to let him go. She protested by starting to cry again. "No no no...don't cry. I won't put you down if you don't want me to. I'll keep holding you." Ingo looked up at his brother who looked incredibly apologetic.

There was an odd sound that filled the air. It resembled the sound of nails sweeping over Vinyl. Ingo knew that sound. He had heard it a few times. Emmet on the other hand had no idea why there was a bright light in the middle of the floor. It kept getting bigger and bigger.

The door slammed open and Steels cried out for them to go out the door. They needed to get away from the portal. To Ingo, he didn't want to go back there. But it was the only way. This was how he could protect his family from Deeds. He could protect the cave and whatever it was inside. This time he had his family with him. This time...he reached out and grabbed Emmet, pulled Lake to him and they fell through the portal into Hisui (or so he thinks). What he didn't plan was Steels jumping in after them just before the portal closed.

The End.

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