And In the Morning We Are New

Emerson turned her head to the side after Lourdes' gentle prompting. She was sitting on the edge of the gurney with her ankles crossed and her hands folded neatly in her lap. At first glance, she looked calm and at ease but, from across the room, Ben could tell she was anything but. Her jaw was so tense he was sure she'd be in pain later. Her knuckles were white against her skin and her eyes were glassy.

Lourdes was gently in her exam. She made sure every move she made was well within Emerson's line of sight. She didn't move fast and she asked if she could touch her before she did. Emmy was silent and curt the whole time, only answering in single words or with movement of her head. Ben sighed and looked at his feet, his arms crossed over his head.

They had still been in the shower when Tom knocked on the door. Ben had stepped out and answered, his father going slightly red at his state of undress. Lourdes had returned to look over Emerson. Ben had originally refused to let the exam take place outside of their room but Lourdes was just as stubborn in insisting it took place in the infirmary where her tools and medicines were. Tom had stepped in when it appeared as if neither one of them would stand down and told Ben it would probably be better for Emmy if the exam took place in the infirmary. At that point, Ben agreed reluctantly.

Emerson had gone without saying a word. Moving stiffly and quickly down the hall, she allowed Lourdes to inform her of what would happen during the exam. As Emerson stripped out of her clothes and put on an old hospital gown, Lourdes explained that a full rape kit wouldn't be necessary since Emerson said Ian hadn't raped her. They would still need to examine her and make sure there was no permanent damage but they would proceed quickly.

Anne had offered to perform the vaginal exam but Lourdes insisted. Anne backed off but requested that everything be recorded and looked over to make sure everything was done correctly and without error. They didn't want any questioning the process or the credibility of those involved.

As soon as those words were uttered, Ben found Matt and Hal and set them in motion, having them ask around and see how well Ian was liked. It didn't take them long to return with reports of Ian's unpopularity among the Second Mass. Apparently, Ben wasn't the only one unnerved by Ian's obsession with Emerson. Several people had noticed and weren't pleased. According to Matt, everyone loved Emerson. She was considered many things to many people. An older sister, a young sister, a friend, a child, a teacher, and an inspiration. All in all, there weren't very many people who didn't like Emmy and even fewer who liked Ian.

People weren't going to ask questions.

Lourdes was almost done checking Emerson's face for damage from Ian shoving the door in her face when Tom poked his head through the curtain. Emerson's eyes zeroed in on Tom and Ben pushed off from the wall to speak to his father. He met Emmy's eyes before closing the curtain behind him and facing Tom.

Weaver, Hal, and Pope were standing a few feet away and Ben turned blank eyes to Tom. Tom sighed and walked them over to the small group. "Matt asked Pope how people felt about Ian and he got suspicious. He probed until Hal stepped in and…gently explained what was happening and he wanted to…help." It was almost as if Tom had to force the word help from between his lips. Ben didn't take the time to process his father's words before turning his eyes to Pope.

"Everyone likes Emmy. She doesn't have a bad word to say about anyone and she's always smiling when people see her. She's one of the only non-Berserkers who can stand being around all of us at once. I wanted to make sure nothing else went down." Ben blinked before nodding once. He turned back to his dad. "Is that all?" Tom looked taken aback before composing himself and setting a hand on Ben's shoulder. "No, that's not all."

Ben took a deep breath and waited. Tom looked at every person in the group and nodded once. Ben drew his eyebrows together and looked at the men surrounding him. Hal was standing slightly behind and to his right, his knees bent slightly and his arms pushed out away from him. Weaver had his hand on the back of his right hip where Ben knew he kept an old issue police night stick. Pope had his hands clenched and his eyes mapping Ben's features. Ben looked at Tom when he felt his hand tighten on his shoulder.

They were bracing.

"Ian just got out of surgery." Ben's body locked and his arms fell from across his chest. Tom placed his other hand on Ben's shoulder and held him in place. "He's in critical condition but Anne said if he makes it through the night, he'll survive." Ben surged forward to move around Tom and that's when he felt it. Hands all around him. A set of arms banded around his waist as Tom wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Another set of arms cemented his arms at his sides and a fourth pair joined Tom's around his neck.

Ben moved forward and took everyone with him, slamming into the wall to his left. Several voices began shouting but they were drowned out by the blood rushing in Ben's ears. He wrapped his hands around Tom's wrists and pulled, feeling muscle loosen and tear beneath his hands. Tom didn't let go, though. His hold tightened as Ben slammed them all into the other wall, punching through it and sending them all crashing to the floor.

Almost everyone's hold loosened on Ben except for Hal's. Ben's hands came up to dislodge Hal's new hold around his neck but Hal shook him off. Hal had Ben in a chokehold, his legs tight around his waist and his arms wrapped around Ben's head. "Calm down, Ben." Ben arched and tried to throw him off but Hal, somehow, held firm. "This doesn't help Emmy. You need to relax." Ben was past the point of comprehension. He was blind with rage and fury. Hal kept his hold frim until Ben started to sag. When he finally stopped moving, Hal loosened his hold and checked his pulse.

When he was satisfied, he stood and brushed himself off, wincing when he grazed his chest. Tom winced and walked towards him, tugging gently on his t-shirt and examining the scratches that Ben's spikes had made against Hal's torso. Hal lightly brushed his hands away and shook his head. "I'll be fine." He turned to look down at his brother. "It's Ben we need to worry about."

Tom nodded and looked at Pope. He would've laughed if the situation wasn't so upsetting. Pope was covered in white dust from when Ben had shoved through the wall. His hair was white and his leather jacket was destroyed. Pope caught his eye and sneered. "Don't start with me, Mason. Help me get your boy locked down." Tom sobered quickly and moved to shift Ben's weight between the four of them, carrying him towards a room they could lock from the outside.

.

Emerson's eyes flickered to the doorway when she heard shouting followed by a few bangs and then a crash before everything went silent. She blinked and looked back at Lourdes' face. It was unreadable except for the fact that Lourdes wouldn't meet her eyes. "He's alive, isn't he?" She asked, quietly. Lourdes swallowed thickly before nodding once. Emerson hummed and allowed Lourdes to continue gently probing her nose and cheeks.

"It's not broken but it'll be tender for several days. Just try to ice it when you can and the swelling and bruising should go down in a few days." Emerson nodded and twisted her hands in the loose fabric of her hospital gown. Lourdes shuffled around the room a few times, collecting items she didn't need and straightening furniture that wasn't out of place. Emerson took a deep breath. "Am I a bad person, for wishing he didn't survive?" Lourdes straightened and slowly looked up at her. She met Emerson's eyes and slowly walked towards her, taking her hands and rubbing her knuckles with her thumbs. "No, Emmy, you're not a bad person. He made you feel unsafe and there's nothing wrong with wanted to be safe." Emerson nodded and looked down at their hands.

"What's going to happen to him?" Lourdes took a deep breath and licked her lips. "If he survives the night, he'll probably live and at that point a council of selected individuals will determine his fate. He'll either be allowed to stay with conditions of he'll be exiled and never allowed back inside the camp. If he dies, well…he dies and there's nothing to be done." Emerson nodded and tightened her hold on Lourdes' hands.

"Do you think anything'll happen to me?" She looked up at Lourdes then, tears in her eyes. Lourdes' eyes widened and she shook her head violently from side to side. "No! How can you even think that, Emmy? Nothing is going to happen to you." Emerson sighed brokenly and allowed the other woman to pull her into her arms and wrap her in a hug. Emerson buried her face in Lourdes' hair and let her tears fall. "If he dies, I'm a murderer and Tom has morals about that stuff." Lourdes pulled back and shook her head. "If he dies, you aren't a murderer. It was self-defense, Em and anyone who says differently is just an ignorant asshole who knows nothing about the situation."

Emerson laughed tensely at Lourdes' description and nodded, pulling back slightly. "You're right." Lourdes nodded and brushed Emmy's hair back from her face. "Ben's probably settled down now if you want to see him. Or you could rest here for a little bit." Emerson nodded and tugged her legs up beneath her. "I think I'll rest here for a while, give Ben more time to calm down." Lourdes was surprised but didn't say anything. She left Emerson to curl up in the bed before turning out the light and closing the door.

Matt was leaning against the far wall beside the body shaped hole with his head hanging between his shoulders. He looked up when Lourdes exited and stood, making his way towards Emmy's door. He leaned his back against the wall and slid down it to rest in the same position he was in before. Lourdes smiled gently at the small sentry standing guard.

.

Ben was leaning back against the wall, breathing heavily and dripping wet. He hadn't been unconscious for very long. He'd woken up right after Tom had locked him in and immediately started to try to break down the walls. The problem was that instead of just being regular plaster and wood, the walls were cement. They had placed him in a basement room so it would be harder for him to escape.

He roared at the door when he discovered that and then proceeded to throw himself against every available surface. His hands were bloody and he was covered in sweat and there was little evidence in the room to suggest he'd even made a dent in his endeavors to escape.

It had been at least an hour, probably longer since he'd woken up and no one had come in. He'd stopped making noise fifteen minutes ago and hoped that would imply to whoever was standing guard that he was settled and collected.

He wasn't.

Inside felt like a hurricane of emotions swirling around in his brain. Outwardly, however, he appeared calm and collected.

He raised his head when the lock clicked and the door was opened. Tom came in with a bottle of water. As soon as the door was closed, it was locked again. Ben flicked his eyes to his father and barely caught the water that was tossed at his head. He scrutinized his father heavily as he drained the bottle before crushing it in his hand and tossing it to the floor.

"Are you finished throwing your temper tantrum?" Ben opened his mouth to retort but Tom wouldn't allow him to speak. "Your commotion tore a hole through the wall of the infirmary. My wrist was sprained. Your brother has cuts all down his chest that correspond perfectly with the spikes on your back." Ben hadn't realized he'd hurt anyone and said as much. Tom nodded and crossed his ankles. "I know. I also know that your girlfriend, the woman carrying your child, is sitting in her room, alone, because you couldn't control yourself."

Again, Ben opened his mouth to speak but Tom cut him off. "She experienced a trauma no woman should ever have to deal with and instead of taking care of her and standing by her, you destroy the infirmary hall way in a blind rage and injure multiple individuals who are trying to help you."

"I didn't destroy the infirmary." Tom raised his eyebrows and Ben looked decently chastened. "Ben, a woman you love, who loves you, needs you more than ever and you're sitting down here in a glorified time out because you couldn't control your emotions." Ben looked away and huffed. "I can't begin to understand what you're feeling right now but you need to understand that this isn't about you." Ben looked at Tom. "This is about Emmy and what she's going through. You need to be able to control yourself or I can't let you out of this room."

Ben licked his lips and clenched his hands, watching his father stand and exit the room, locking the door behind him. He growled low in his throat and punched the wall behind him, resting his forehead against it and closed his eyes.

.

.

.

.

I'm so mad at myself that this took me so long to update. I've been telling myself for weeks to update and I just lose track of time or I get busy. Anyway, this last week has been really tough for me. A really good friend of mine from high school died last Sunday and this whole last week has been spent crying and talking to people about arrangements and all kinds of terrible stuff like that. So, I figured since the best way for me to cope is by writing, why not write. With this chapter I wanted to look at how Ben and Emmy individually deal with the attack and that deepens their character. I also hope that Tom's talk at the end comes across well. I wanted him to be angry at Ben in a way that doesn't make him out to be the bad guy, you know? I hope I communicated that fairly well. Anyway, thanks for sticking with me!