Relative Strangers (Book 2) No Man Is An Island

34. Confessions

When E woke up, it took her a minute to work out where she was, as she had no memory of ending up in the medical bay in the ARC.
As she began to take in the room around her, she realised that she was not alone.
Matt was perched on the end of her bed, which didn't surprise her, as she knew how clingy he was.
But what did confuse her was that every other member of the team was crowded around her bed, even Lester and Jess were there.
There was no hated coming from any of their faces, even Becker's was filled with remorse.
E tried to push herself up into a sitting position, but her body seemed to be working against her.

"I know you don't like doing as you're told, but you really do need to take it easy and lie still" warned Matt.
For once, E decided to trust him, and made no more attempts to push herself up, as her body was in a lot of pain.
"What happened?" She asked.
"You don't remember?" Questioned Matt.
"I remember watching you get beaten up by General MacNamera, but that's about it. Did I black out?" Quizzed E.
"Sort of. Becker rescued us from the basement, but while we were getting readings from the anomaly in the centre of the island, you collapsed and started having a seizure. We couldn't stop you fitting until we carried you away from the anomaly".

E suddenly saw flashes of herself standing opposite the anomaly on the island, but she couldn't remember anything past that.
"Oh. Well, thank you for getting me out of there" E said quietly.
"You're welcome. But that's not the only thing that happened. While you were seizing, several small anomalies appeared around you, and they didn't disappear until we had removed you from the area" revealed Matt.
E frowned, "That's not possible".
"It shouldn't have been possible. But your radiation readings were through the roof" admitted Matt.
"Did you record them?".

Matt nodded and handed E the device Connor had been using to take the readings.
"They've never been that high before" mumbled E.
"Do you think that they spiked because of your proximity to that anomaly?" Asked Matt.
"Is that what you think?" Questioned E.
"It was the conclusion that we came to, yes"
"Well, I can't confirm your theory until I've looked further into it. But I don't feel well enough to work yet".

"What we want to know is why there is radiation inside you, that matches the anomalies?" Questioned Connor.
E raised an eyebrow at Matt, "You didn't tell them?".
"The first day I met you, you begged me not to, and I haven't broken my word since then" revealed Matt.
"Wow, I must say that I'm impressed" commented E.
"So, are you going to tell us? Or is Matt the only one who is allowed this special knowledge?" Asked Lester.
"That depends" sighed E.
"On what?"
"On how you answer my next question".

"What do you want to know?" Quizzed Matt.
"It's not a question you can answer Matt. Only they can" admitted E.
"What do you need us to tell you?" Asked Abby.
"I want to know what you are all doing here right now?" Demanded E.
"Well, we're all visiting you, since you are in the medical bay" answered Emily, as if the answer was obvious.
"Yes, but why? I never got the impression that any of you, except maybe you Emily, cared about me" admitted E.
"But I-" started Matt.
"You are exempt from this conversation Matt, since I believe that I know how you feel about me" interrupted E.

"But you don't believe that we care about you?" Questioned Jess.
"No. I've never felt that any of you really want me on the team, yet here you are, crowded around my sick bed. Connor likes that I'm smart, but hates that I'm smarter than him. Becker thinks I'm a liability, because I'm not a soldier. Lester thinks that too, and he hates that he can't control me. He also thinks I'm a emotionless killing machine. Abby likes my attachment to the creatures, but doesn't trust my morals. And Jess, you're scared of me, which is why you tattled on me to Lester when I first arrived. You all see me as Helen Cutters daughter, so feel like you can never truely trust me. None of you like me, so why are you here now?" Asked E.

E's speech stunned everyone for a few moments, as no one seemed to know how to respond.
"Is that really how you think we feel about you?" Questioned Abby quietly.
"It's what I believe to be true, yes. I have listened to how to talk about me, and observed how you act around me. It doesn't take a genius to work out that I'm not welcome here" replied E.
"But we all defended you to Lester, and got you on the team"
"You did that because you wanted my knowledge and my tech. You didn't do it because you liked me".
Matt opened his mouth to object, but E silenced him with a look, reminding him that he was not a part of the conversation.
"I'm not scared of you" announced Jess.
"Yes, you are. Don't worry, I'm not offended, since I know that I am quite an intimidating person" admitted E.
"You're wrong. I'm not afraid of you. Maybe I was a little put off by you, when you first arrived. But that was over a year ago, and I am definitely not scared of you now".

"And I might be jealous that your intelligence rivals mine, but I don't hate you for it" insisted Connor.
"I don't hate you either. I love that you care about the creatures as much as me, and want to return them to their natural habitat. I've always considered you a friend" added Abby.
"So have I. And I don't think that anyone here hates you" admitted Emily.
"She's right. I certainly don't hate you. We may not always see eye to eye, but I actually quite like sparring with you. Maybe you're not as good at reading people as you are anomalies" teased Becker.
E rolled her eyes, "That may be true. But I still don't think that anyone but Matt is happy that I came back. I get the feeling that a lot of you would've been happier if I stayed away".

"If you had never come back, my life certainly would've been a lot simpler for sure. However, that doesn't mean that I don't want you on the team. It pains me to admit it, but you are an asset to this group. And sometimes your ruthlessness and superior intelligence saves lives. Besides, without you, an insane billionaire would have created his own Jurassic Park and revealed the anomalies to the world. So it was a good thing that you were here to help us stop him" admitted Lester.
"That almost sounded like a compliment" grinned E.
"Don't be silly. We all know that I don't give out praises" replied Lester.
"No, the world would really come to an end if James Lester gave a compliment to someone".

"So, have we convinced you that we don't hate you?" Asked Abby.
"I guess perhaps there is a small chance that you are all gathered around my bed, because you are genuinely concerned for my wellbeing... Maybe I've just become so used to be disliked, that I failed to see how you all felt about me, because I just assumed that you wouldn't like me. You're right that I don't know humans as well as I know creatures. And maybe I am not good at noticing subtle signs that someone likes me, as I'm only used to recieving hatred, or over the top affection like Matt gives me" confessed E.
"Does this mean that you are going to tell the others the truth?" Asked Matt.
"Yes, it does. I think it's about time they learned what the consequences of being me are" sighed E.