History of the Trap: Epilogue - Morgan Cracks A Window Part 2

2

Westland Village is a small but very upscale subdivision on the northern edge of Loren, close to the border of the wealthiest part of Huron.  Many of the most well off of Huron lived here, including the Tighs.

It was a large Tudor style home, looking impressive with a gray granite front around the doorway, and large oriel windows with red shutters, and white stucco laced with brown framing squares.  There was a huge enclosed garage, currently closed by a massive garage door.  Inside the garage were a couple of the newest model Cadillacs, but outside the garage in the driveway was another car, the red Camaro convertible that Eddie "Speedy" Tigh had given his daughter, Morgan LaDona Tigh.  The vehicles were easy for Eddie Tigh to acquire as one of the businesses he owned was Speedy's Cadillac & Chevrolet. Morgan had used her Camaro very little in the last month, as she was not going to school.  Her mother, Lu Ann Tigh, had decided it was okay for her not to go back to school until the fall.  Eddie was less sure keeping her out of school was a good thing, and there had been frequent intense arguments, usually winding up with Morgan shutting herself up in her room.

And this is where Morgan was now.  In her room, after another fight about school, she was furiously scribbling another note to bring to Lance.  Many of these notes she wound up crumpling up and tossing aside.  She felt she did not have Lance's gift for language, and often was embarrassed by the naked sentimentality of what she wrote.  She knew she had to balance things just right with Lance.  She wanted to support him, make sure he knew she loved him and would always be there for him, but do so without smothering him.

She had seen Lance three more times since the Razzbutt incident.  She probably should be grateful that she could see him at all, after pretending the Razzbutt was an explosive.  But Dr. Duncan had seen the value in her contact with Lance, and she had been on her best behavior since. 

It was hard to talk openly with Lance, as they both believed their conversations were being monitored (they weren't just being monitored - Doctor Duncan was recording every word - Recording Sessions MTLM1 and on).  Sometimes they would just sit and hold hands.  She was content with that, something the old Morgan never would be.  Once or twice she had felt him gently squeeze her hand, and at that her heart would almost flip out of her body.

She was careful in the notes she brought him, fearing they might be scrutinized by others.  She brought one longer note, running from three to five pages, detailing mundane things about her own world, and about things she thought might be of interest to Lance.  But she also brought him one very short note, on a small scrap of paper that fit into her hand and she would surreptitiously slip it into his. One had been as simple as "I am with you - always".  The most recent had been, "I think he can be approached again" and also included the initials of the person she was referring to.  Lance shook his head no, but even though she wanted to be completely respectful to Lance's wishes, she also knew she needed to do whatever she could to help him be free again.  She now understood she just couldn't just bring him out of his confinement, but that didn't mean she couldn't figure out ways to help.

Frustrated, she crumpled and tossed the note she had started, a half page that had already started to dribble into over romantic nonsense.  She was preparing to start over when she heard a knock on the door.

"Honey?" inquired her father.  "You in there?"

What an interruption!  She didn't even want to answer him.  She saw the door knob turn.  "Don't come in here!" she shouted.

"Why not?" shouted back her father.

"I'm not decent!" she indignantly replied.  She was actually fully dressed, in blue jeans and a red t-shirt.

"Well, get decent, sweetpuffs.  There's someone here to see you!"

Morgan was skeptical that it was anyone she wanted to see. "Who?"

"Does that matter?  It's company!  It's someone who wants to see you!"

"It does matter, Daddy!  Who is it?"

"It's just your old boyfriend.  You know, the one you were crazy about until just a few weeks ago?  C'mon, honey!  It's Mark Granite."

Her breathing actually stopped.  She turned pale, and after a few seconds, she gasped. "No!  You know I don't want to see him!"

Eddie Tigh stood outside his daughter's door, his anger building.  He thought her visits with Doctor Duncan might have made her better, but they had left her pretty much the same.  She was a bit more cheery, but still stayed isolated and obsessed with that murdering scum, Lance Martin.  If he could see that she was getting worse, he might be able to sue Duncan's ass off, but so far that had not been the case.  What the heck, he thought, I might sue him anyway. 

Her change of attitude towards Mark Granite confused him the most.  They were as thick as thieves before this pretend Trap nonsense, and he was sure he was going to be the one.  He was a gifted athlete, and he came from a good family.  Mark's father was the head of surgery at Huron General.  Eddie had reached his limit.  "Morgan, I don't care.  You've got to stop this.  You're going to come out and be courteous to this boy.  He just wants to see that you're doing okay.  You and he were very close until this nonsense, and I insist you at least come down and say hello."

"No!" she asserted.  "I'm not going to do it!"

"Yes, you are!" he shouted.  Morgan could picture her Daddy literally putting his foot down.  He continued in a quieter but more menacing tone. "You know, you only get to see Lance because I give my permission that it can happen."

"I don't like being threatened, Daddy.  That's not going to go over well when I tell Doctor Duncan."

That shocked Eddie a bit.  "Look, I'm sorry.  I lost my temper.  I'm just asking as your father, and I'm sure your mother agrees.  She's downstairs with him now.  I'm begging you.  Please come down and see him."

Morgan sighed.  She put down her pen, and realized what she would have to do.  She didn't want to put it off any longer.  Everything that evil psychopath did in the Trap came flooding back to her.  It terrified and shamed her.  "All right, Daddy.  Give me a minute to get dressed and I'll be down there.  You go down and tell him it'll just be a minute, okay, Daddy?"

"Sure thing, sweetpuffs!"  Eddie left, happy, excited to tell Mark Granite that Morgan would be coming down soon.

Morgan grabbed a light jacket and opened her second story window.  She knew what she had to do.  And it certainly wasn't meeting Mark Granite.