FAMILY TIES
      By Spense
 

Chapter Eighteen

Will walked into the cool, dim private room off the farthest hall in
the pediatric wing of the hospital.  She reflected that there were
definite advantages to having an instantly recognizable and famous
name.  Jonny's room was off the beaten track, easily protected, and
most remarkably for a hospital, quiet.  And probably very expensive,
not that cost was an issue.

The privacy curtain was pulled, blocking the view of the bed from the
doorway, but she could see the couch along the wall perpendicular to
the door.  Benton was seated diagonally on it, leaning into the
corner, his feet on the table in front of him, obviously far away in
thought as he looked pensively in his son's direction.  He hadn't
even heard her come in.  She quietly set her burden on the table next
to the couch and looked towards the bed.

Jonny looked somewhat better.  The drawn look on his face was gone,
but he was still ashen, and the dark circles under his eyes were
readily apparent.  Both Benton and the doctors were concerned about
him.  His recovery was far slower than had been expected.  He just
wasn't bouncing back, and it was becoming a serious issue.

At least he was sleeping soundly.  He lay on his side facing the
window, deeply asleep, comfortably ensconced with several pillows,
cool looking sheets and a light cotton blanket.  After the warmth of
the afternoon, the cool temperature and defused light of the room was
welcome.  Jonny looked comfortable, even with the oxygen and IV
tubing trailing around him.

Benton looked up suddenly, startled.  Will smiled at him.  "Hi, you
looked far, far away."

He smiled sheepishly, and held out a hand to her.  Frankly, Will
thought as she took it, and let him draw her down next to him, he
didn't look much better than his son.  Will settled into the wedge-
shaped gap between him and the back of the couch, and gently traced
his jaw line with her finger.  "You alright?"

He sighed and nodded, then commented, changing the subject.  "What's
all this?" he motioned to the stack of bags Will had brought.

She laughed.  "Jessie and Hadji wanted to make sure that Jonny
wouldn't be bored.  Let's see, there is a laptop, complete with
Questworld equipment," she began.

Benton groaned softly.  "I'll confiscate that.  He doesn't need
anything even remotely as simulating as Questworld right now!"

Will laughed.  "I figured as much.  They also sent books, letters,
magazines, and Hadji's latest computer game.  Mrs. Evans sent enough
food to feed an army.  I didn't have the heart to tell her that Jonny
hasn't been able to handle anything solid yet."

"Oh well, then you and I can eat like royalty," Benton responded with
a quiet chuckle.

"And how is our patient today?"  Will asked.  "He looks a little
better."  She reflected that frankly anything would have been an
improvement.

Benton smiled worriedly.  "Some.  He's still incredibly weak, but his
breathing is getting easier.  His doctors still want him on oxygen,
and to keep very quiet.  That's not too much of an issue right now.
All he wants to do is sleep."  He paused.  "However, the main concern
now is his slowness to recover.  But, he is stable at least, and no
longer in any immediate danger."

Will gave a relieved sigh.  "Staying away from the hospital last
night was one of the hardest things I ever did.  I would have much
rather been here."

"I know, but you really needed the sleep, and Rae needed you."

"But you needed me too, and so did Jonny.  Now what about you?"  Will
returned to the earlier subject.  "And don't put me off, Benton, you
looked light years away when I walked in, and I know for a fact that
you aren't getting any sleep either."

Benton thought a moment, then looked suddenly at Will.  "I'm
unbelievably ashamed at myself, to tell you the truth.  I should have
known something was going on."

Will began to protest, but Benton hushed her with a finger to her
lips.  "It's true," he continued softly.  "I've been so fragmented.
I've been terrified for you; you've been so frail, and worried about
Rae.  It took so long to find out she was lactose intolerant and she
was weighing next to nothing.  Then with work, well, frankly, I've
been torn in too many different ways, and unfortunately, Jonny lost.
I never seemed to have time for him when he needed me.  Then he just
stopped asking, and I didn't even wonder why."  Benton sighed heavily.

Will kept quiet, letting Benton talk himself out.  She snuggled in
closer next to him, trying to at least provide creature comfort.

"You and Jonny had been doing so much better," Benton continued, "I
just thought everything was okay.  I expected some adjustment, but
then his behavior just deteriorated to such an unbelievable degree so
quickly, I just got mad, and, once again, couldn't be bothered to ask
why.  I dealt with the symptoms, not the cause," he finished in self-
loathing.

Will sighed.  "And Jonny's young enough not to know how to put into
words what he's been feeling."

Benton nodded sadly.  "I provided a beautifully fertile field for
Andrea Lainer.  Do you have any idea what it's like to have Jonny
wake up and ask where `Mom' is?  I don't know what's worse---that, or
when he wakes up and realizes what has actually happened."

"Has Jonny told you about anything she said?"  Will asked.

"A little.  He's still very groggy.  But what he has said is
chilling.  As always, Andrea was masterful in what she did.  She
always kept very close to the truth as much as possible, from what
I've been able to gather.  It appears that she'd take an incident of
a comment I'd actually made, then would twist it somehow to
corroborate the image of me she was perpetuating.  It would be close
enough to the truth to make sense, but from anybody else, Jonny would
have just shrugged it off.  However, these comments were coming
from `Rachel', and since she was physically present, and obviously
alive, the only logical conclusion Jonny could possibly come to was
that she was right, and I had been lying.  Then she'd allow Jonny's
own mind to do the rest, carefully and methodically directing him
towards the conclusions she wanted him to reach with a word or
comment here and there."  Benton paused dejectedly, then continued,
obviously depressed.  "Do you know what he asked me last night?"

Will just shook her head slightly.  "What?" she prompted quietly.
Benton was talking almost compulsively, he was so disturbed.

"He was very groggy.  Enough in fact, that he wasn't thinking about
his words carefully, and he was pretty blunt.  He asked why Rae had
all kinds of `stuff', cribs, bassinettes, playpens, etc., in every
single room in the house, and he had a baby picture where he'd been
sleeping in a dresser drawer.  I remember that picture, and I
explained that that was the first trip Rachel and Jonny had taken
with me after his birth.  He was just over a month old, and the hotel
had no cribs available.  So we made do, and it worked just fine, and
we'd gotten such a kick out of it, we took a picture.  I also
explained that when he was born, the kind of portable cribs just
weren't available the way they are now."

Benton shook his head.  "I also tried to tell him how much I loved
him, and how proud I was of him.  But after the last month?  And the
muck I've managed to make of my relationship with him?  I don't think
I got very far in convincing him."

Will's heart went out to her husband.  He loved his son so much, this
was just killing him.  "Have you talked to the psychiatrist yet?" she
asked compassionately.

Benton nodded wearily.  "Yes, he wants daily sessions with Jonny
alone, as soon as he's able.  Then to meet with me separately, and
then me, you, and Race together.  He says it will take time to sort
out, and that Jonny will need patience from all of us."

"Of course."  Will agreed, then fell silent for a moment.  "Then my
news isn't going to help much," she added tiredly.

Benton looked surprised, then resigned.  "Lay it on me."

"When Race dropped me off today, guess who we should run into in the
lobby but Phil Corvin himself, coming in to tell us Andrea was on the
loose again.  She got away.  Again."

"What!"  Benton exclaimed loudly.

Will smacked his arm, reminding him to be quiet, but she was too
late, the damage was done.

Jonny stirred briefly, then opened his eyes, lifting his head as
though it weighed the sum of the earth.  His gaze found his father
and Will.  "Dad?  What's the matter?"  His voice was hoarse and
slurred; his eyes were glazed and missing their usual sparkle.

Will began to get up to go to him, but Benton held her in place as he
answered his son.  "Nothing, Son," his warm baritone was
soothing.  "I'm sorry we woke you.  Everything is just fine.  Go back
to sleep.  We'll be quiet."

Jonny nodded, and lay his head back down.  He was obviously out cold
again, instantly.

"Now what about Corvin," Benton hissed quietly, after making sure
Jonny was asleep again.

`Well," Will began rubbing her face tiredly.  "They were transporting
her to I-1 headquarters.  They thought the gas had really laid her
out, much like Jonny, but not as bad.  She'd been genuinely in and
out of consciousness for a while.  But from what Phil figures, she
began faking it after a certain point.  She escaped.  This morning.
There isn't much more too it than that.  They're sure she's still in
the Rockport-Portland area.  They got roadblocks up immediately.
Terry requested of Corvin that he be assigned to come help find her.
He's fit to be tied.  He's got a real soft spot for Jonny.  Race
turned right around and went back to the compound instead of coming
up to see Jonny.  He isn't leaving the house, and I'm not to leave
you and Jonny, and the agents here at the hospital have been alerted."

Benton groaned.  "That's all we need right now.  Can things get any
worse?"

Will just muttered, "Don't even think that."