The Hauntings

Chapter 33

"I can't!" Elizabeth whines.

Her feet are rooted in the empty waiting room, facing Scarlett. 

"You're so fussy, Liz." Scarlett shakes her head in exasperation. 

"Just please make sure everything is cleared up, I...I don't want him to hate me." Elizabeth begs.

No matter how desperately Elizabeth wants to see Francis she can't unless she is certain that he knows it wasn't her that hospitalized him. However this can't seem to be confirmed with Scarlett flimsy confirmations that she has sorted out this misunderstanding, she dosen't understand the importance of this.

"It's the polite thing to do by visiting him. Stop being so petty, he doesn't have to hear it ten times from me that it was actually Micheal not you. He's figured it out. Why do you care what he thinks, anyway?" Elizabeth asks, although perfectly aware the reason for this.

She likes him. Simple but Scarlett is confused with how this happened and why especially with the mind games and torment he has put Elizabeth through. Has she managed to develop some form of Stockholm's syndrome? It's very painful way to 'fall in love'. Scarlett just hopes it's not a unrequited type of love. There will be words, or more accurately further near-death experiences for Francis.   

"Because you wouldn't want anyone to hate you either?" Elizabeth quips in frustration at Scarlett's lack of cooperativeness in comforting her everything is sorted out.

"People are going to hate you whether you like it or not. That's life Liz. Besides you should have a mutual hatred for each other considering what he did to you. He almost made you commit bloody suicide Liz." Scarlett vouches trying to understand what Elizabeth feels for her sadistic brother. 

"Yeah but still..." Elizabeth shrugs her shoulders, not pleased that Scarlett still has dislikes and doubts for Francis after all this. 

"You don't want him to hate you because you like him, don't you? Don't you Liz?" Scarlett bluntly states folding her arms in her judgmental way. 

"Shut up!" Elizabeth flinches back, her hackles are risen and she feels herself turning a very bright red.

Scarlett has hit the nail on the head but Elizabeth refuses to make eye contact and admits the truth. Instead annoyance spikes through her, who is Scarlett to judge what she feels? 

"It's like you have developed some type of Stockholm's syndrome or similar disorder that has caused you to develop these feelings for your tormentor." Scarlett continues mercilessly, determined to get to the bottom of this or the very least to make her friend realise the hazard she is embarking on.

Her loyalties lay with her best friend not with the slowly healing brother down the corridor, who at the moment only shares blood with. 

"He didn't kidnap me Scar." Elizabeth mumbles indignity. 

Scarlett turns away, heading to the door, having had enough of this confrontation. 

"He kidnapped your life." Scarlett points out trying to hammer in the point that this isn't right the man for Elizabeth.

Elizabeth replies with the door slamming shut in the private waiting room.

Scarlett stands in  the blue carpeted floor surrounded by armchairs and a kitchen in the far corner. The kettle clicks loudly to indicate that it has finished boiling the water.

At the end of the day Scarlett can't stop Elizabeth having feeling for someone, she can only warn her and pick up the pieces afterwards.  

Scarlett prepares her mug of tea, sighing she settles into an armchair, waiting for Elizabeth to be done with her much anticipated visited.