A/N Wow, almost another year has passed, I need to be better about updating, but I have technically not had a computer and right now am using my cousin's computer in the dead of night so I won't keep you waiting, here goes! Oh and I almost forgot…WE'VE BROKEN 200 REVIEWS!!!! Thank you so much and this is an extra long chapter for it!
Chapter 7: Planning and a Held in Breath
Jimmy
Why does she hate me so much? Is it the same reasons father hates me? It must be, but why did she have to go and get everyone else to hate me too?
Thoughts swarmed my head, I felt like I was under water, swimming in threats and hate. Slowly I lifted my head off the soft surface of the pillow and swung my feet over the edge of the bed like surface. It's then that it occurred to me that if Cindy hated me so, why would she have gone to the trouble of turning the healing cubicle on. Or had Goddard done that? I shook my head of these thoughts knowing that it had little to do with whether she hated me or not.
My head felt as though it was on a Lazy Susan, swiveling round and round as I crossed the room to where Vox was.
"Vox, show me surveillance footage, please."
"Viewing footage." She said as a small screen popped up in the middle of the much larger one.
I watched, as Cindy looked around frantically as she pulled me along on the ground. I then realized that she was following Goddard who barked every few seconds as they reached the cubicle. Cindy had a terrible time trying to lift me up into the invention but when she had finally succeeded Goddard hit the on switch with his nose. Cindy then stared at me through the glass, repeating the same words over and over…
"Please be ok…please Neutron, please be ok."
"You can turn it off now Vox." I said. My heart beat fervently in my chest. She cared for me, she wanted me to be ok, so then what was she planning?
Cindy
What to do…what to do…my head spun with the question even as we reached the Candy Bar. They all expected me to have a plan by now, but plans weren't my thing…they were Neutron's cup of tea, with his dumb little brain blasts. But now it's my turn to save him and of course I can't come up with a damn thing! We grabbed a seat and Libby went up to the bar to order some ice cream sodas and one Ultra lord ice cream special.
"So, um, Cindy, do you have a plan yet?" Carl's eyes shone from under his glasses, tears starting to brim clearly from underneath the spectacles.
"Sort of, I mean, yes." I couldn't bare the look on his face. What he must be feeling, his best friend since grade school being treated this terribly, what could be going on underneath that mound of red hair?
I had to think fast it would only be a matter of minutes before…
"So what's the plan Cindy? We gunna kick Mr. Neutron's…" Libby got back to the table.
"No Libbs, we are not, do you think it would make Jimmy happy if we beat his Dad to a pulp?"
"I don't know but it would sure make me happy." Libby smiled.
"I'm sure it would make all of us happy but we have to remember that this is Jimmy's Dad we are talking about and that Jimmy is in a fragile state and truly believes that he deserves his punishments, so, I think first off we should make Jimmy realize that he doesn't deserve this, and that we love him."
"What did you just say?" Libby questioned as Sheen nearly spit out his ice cream and Carl chocked on his half digested spoon.
"That we should make Jimmy realize that he doesn't deserve the way he is getting treated?" I asked, not really sure why they were so upset about my plan.
"No, the part about LOVEING him." Libby said in a hushed whisper as if Sheen and Carl wouldn't be able to hear her.
My heart jumped I hadn't even realized that that had come out of my mouth, it seemed so natural, I wanted Jimmy to know that I loved him.
"Well…I…"
"That's not important right now, we have to save Jimmy, we can worry about Cindy's feelings for him later." Sheen said slightly angered. Libby looked over
at him realizing that he meant business, which was relatively new to Sheen.
"Right, sorry, continue, Cindy." Libby said sheepishly, glancing over at Sheen to see if he was still mad, but he was back to playing with his ultra lord figure, who was now dancing in a puddle of ice cream soup.
"Anyway…as I was saying, after we have made Jimmy realize this, we can deal with his dad appropriately."
"What's appropriately?" Carl asked.
"We'll give him a dose of 'don't mess with Jimmy' medicine."
"Oh, well what's that?" Carl looked at me puzzled and I decided to come clean.
"I'm not sure just yet."
"I know! We can call Ultra lord and he, with his amazing powers, can deal with Mr. Neutron!" Sheen exclaimed with his eyes shining at his 'moment of brilliance'.
"Well that's one idea…but uh I think that Ultra lord is a little busy saving the world all the time to deal with Neutron." Libby said sweetly brushing some of the hair out of her face so she could bat her eyes at Sheen. Sheen contemplated this and stared at Libby with his mouth half open full of ice cream.
"Yeah, you're probably right." He said unable to keep looking at her, and he returned to playing with his Ultra lord.
I suppressed the urge to giggle and Carl looked as if he might throw-up.
"No think what we need is a way to get back at Neutron's dad without violence, something that will hurt him on the inside. Make him see what he's actually doing. I don't think that Jimmy's dad is completely heartless, even though he acts like it; I mean remember all those times when we were kids? He was warm and loving, I just think that with Jimmy's Mom the way she is, he's just completely lost it with grief." I looked around the table and saw everyone trying to push back their hate to remember for a moment the old Hugh.
"I know you're right Cindy, but, I don't think you ever told us, what's the matter with Judy?" Carl asked. My heart twisted a little, I vaguely remembered that Carl had a soft spot for Jimmy's mom, or was it her cookies?
"She has M.S. a very serious case, she is starting to lose her eyesight, and her muscles are deteriorating, She may go blind, or end up in a wheelchair, or, both." I hadn't realized how serious it was until I actually said it. All around me tears were brimming, including in my own eyes.
"Poor Judy." Carl's eyes started to leak and he excused himself to the bathroom. We sat in silence until his return.
"Ok, well first things first, we have to make Jimmy realize that we love him."
Jimmy
"You have a visitor Jimmy." Vox called waking me out of my thoughts.
"Camera's on." I called. When the monitor blinked to life, my father was looking straight back at me.
"Jimmy, get out her I need to talk to you." In his voice I could sense something, but was it regret, or anger?
"Coming!" I yelled into the microphone. As soon as I had gotten out of my lab, Dad grabbed my arm.
"Where the hell have you been?" He said through gritted teeth. I thought quickly, but not quick enough.
"I was…uh…in my lab doing research, you know for mom…"
"LIER!" He screamed throwing me to the ground.
"But Dad I…"
"I saw your fucking friends leave this morning! Do you think I'm stupid, that I wouldn't figure it out?!" He screamed as he raised his leg in the air. I cringed and closed my eyes, but nothing ever came. I slowly opened my eyes to see my father waving and smiling, I looked behind me and there was mom waving at him from the back window.
As soon as she was out of sight, he finished the blow. The next thing I knew I was being drug back behind the lab, out of sight.
"Dad, please!" I cried, I soon felt a new pain and the familiar sensation of warm liquid rolling down my neck.
"Don't call me that, you're no son of mine." He grunted he flung his leg back again and it collided with my face. After that the constant kick to my side, felt like someone was poking me, my mind was trying to escape reality, but it couldn't bring my body with it.
Cindy
We all finished our soda or ice cream and then headed back for Jimmy's house. I thought back to the days where we would walk to the Candy Bar before or after a special mission we had gone on with Jimmy. We had always walked to the Candy Bar, even now when we all had cars and licenses. As we approached Jimmy's house, something felt wrong. We went around the corner, and that's when I saw Hugh Neutron, brushing off his shirt and walking into his house from the backyard, I started sprinting. I ran as fast as I could, but I knew that if something had happened, I wouldn't be able to run fast enough, to turn back time. I turned the corner and ran behind Jimmy's lab, where I saw the familiar face, covered in blood. When the others caught up, they gasped, Carl and Libby running to our side, and Sheen stopped dead in his tracks. I could barely pay attention to him, but I realized after a minute, that he was running towards the house.
"No Sheen!" Libby screamed, but it was to late, he was already pounding on the door. Libby and Carl got up and started towards Sheen, when Judy Neutron answered the door.
"Why, hello Sheen! Aren't you supposed to be in Japan? Jimmy is probably in his lab, what's wrong?" She smiled at him warily.
"Mrs. Neutron, are you seriously that stupid?" He whispered.
"What?! Young man I don't appreciate…" She was interrupted
"LOOK AT YOUR SON!" Sheen screamed. He turned around and saw that Carl and Libby were blocking the view.
"Move so she can see, she has right to know!" They carefully looked at each other, and then moved.
Judy squinted her eyes and slowly moved toward me and Jimmy. When she started to get close enough to see, he eyes began brimming with tears.
"Jimmy?" She whispered. "Jimmy…wake up." I slowly backed off of him as Mrs. Neutron knelt beside him.
"What happened?" She whispered looking up at me.
"Mr. Neutron, he, he, hurts, J-Jimmy" I stuttered, a fresh coat of tears sliding down my cheeks.
"That's why…it all makes sense now…why couldn't I see it? How could I let this go on." I was pretty sure she was talking to herself, but the she turned and looked at me, tears rolling down both our faces.
"I'll go call 9-1-1" Sheen said, as he turned and ran towards the house once again.
As he made it into the house and shut the door, I flash went off in Judy's head.
"Stop Sheen!"
Sheen
I ran towards the house and let myself in. As I shut the door I faintly thought that I heard someone call my name, but I kept, going, I was on a mission, a rescuer mission, like Ultra Lord! But this was no time to get distracted…oooh shiny spoon…what was I doing again? Oh yeah, gotta call for help gotta call for help. I found the phone and dialed.
"Hello 9-1-1 what is your emergency?"
"My friend was hurt very badly, he's unconscious and is bleeding from multiple wounds, and he may have some broken bones."
"How did the accident occur?"
"Well, His Fa…" I was unable to finish the sentence, it was like I was being choked…then I realized, that I was being choked. From behind someone was using the telephone cord to cut off my airway. I tried putting my fingers in between the chord and my throat but it was no use.
"Hello…Hello is everything alright? What's happening?" The receptionist asked repeatedly on the other end.
Everything happened so fast, but I remember hearing a yell, and a thud, and all of a sudden I was gulping air like I had never been able to breathe before in my life. I turned to see Libby holding a pot over Mr. Neutron's head.
"You dummy, didn't you think about Hugh being the house?"
"Not really, Thanks." I said smiling at her, she was so cool…and now if it wasn't for her I might be dead.
"Libby!" I screamed and I pulled her close to me. "I love you." I whispered in her ear. I felt her shiver as she returned the hug.
"I thought I was going to lose you, I love you, too."
Cindy
So much happened the day Hugh Neutron attempted to murder his son, and a neighborhood boy. The news spread faster than the ambulance sped Jimmy to the hospital.
When Jimmy woke up, he was devastated, he felt so guilty, that he got his father sent to jail, that even Mrs. Neutron's love for him wasn't enough to wash the feelings away.
He's doing better now, I can almost see the old sparkle in his eyes. But it only ever happens so often, and he's still obsessed with finding the cure to M.S. I know he can do, I believe in him.
The only difference between his obsession to find a cure is that he is no longer driven by fear, but only love. And every once and again he comes out of that dingy lab, and well….
"Hey Cindy!" Oh, there he is now.
"Hey Jimmy! What are we doing tonight?" His smile is so contagious…I can hardly stand it sometimes.
"How's about we go to the moon?"
"That old place, I was thinking we could go to Saturn, I've always wanted to see those rings up close." I winked.
"For you, anything." I felt his arms encircle me, and our lips touched for just an instant.
A/N Hey there all! Did you like that? Did you think it was the end? WELL IT'S NOT!!!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! This is not the end! So tune in next time and I promise that it won't take another long year to update, hope you liked it and as always…
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