In the Shadow

[moko]

that's very true.

anna's not my favorite, but i'm not very fond of how everyone makes her the bad guy.

[Firefly]

Well, Anna is okay, but she's just a minor character. She'll probably only be in a few more chapters.

[Firefly]

Chapter 8~ The Fight

"...More paint?" Doctor sighed. "Listen, I really do not have time for--"
"A life-threatening gash in Mary's head?" Basil interrupted quietly. The Doctor's face paled.
"Y-yes, of course. I'm so sorry... Please rest her on the bed in the next room over." He helped Basil carry Mary, her face paler than any live face should be.
Once they were over to the bed and Mary was safely on top of it, the Doctor began conducting various tests, finally standing up straight again and sighing.
"She is alive for the moment. I found a few shards of glass inside her head. Her brain hasn't suffered too much damage, thankfully, but she might have a bit of amnesia for the next few days. Or... there is a slight chance she might forget everything that has happened in the past year or so."
Basil was silent for a few moments, sorting that out. "...So when will she be able to come home?" he asked.
Doctor sighed yet again. "I'm not postive, but a week or two sounds correct to me."
Anna, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly blurted out, "But who will take care of the Library?"
"You could, Anna," Basil suggested. Anna looked completely taken aback.
"Me? Work there?" she spluttered. "Bu-but, what about my going to the Sqaure to talk with my friends!"
"You'll just have to miss that for a week or two," her husband told her.
Anna's face turned red. "Why can't you do it instead? All you ever do is talk about your stupid plants, you don't even work like every other man in town!"
Basil's face was paling, so he almost resembled Mary. "Neither of us works," he mumbled. "So we could switch days; take turns." Then, more queitly, he added, "I never really realized Mary was the only one who supported the family..."
Anna either ignored the last comment or did not hear it at all. "No!" she shouted, placing her hands on her hips. "I refuse to work there at all! Besides," she added huffily, "it is I who does all the work. I cook, clean--"
"No, I clean. You cook," Basil corrected.
Anna's eyes became tiny slits. "Well, you do a terrible job of it," she sneered. "I always have to--"

At this point, Elli whipered to Ann, who had been promptly ingnored, that it might be a good time to leave. Ann quickly agreed, power-walking outside, while the couple argued inside, raving on and on about if Anna's cooking was really good enough to eat.

)()()()(

The next day, as Ann was walking through the Square, she heard Sasha and Manna whispering together, thier eyes wide and disbelieving.
"Can you believe it?" Sasha muttered to Manna. "And they were so happy..."
Ann decided that they were talking about the fight between Basil and his wife. Since she had heard at least half of it, she ignored them and walked past. But, a bit of information from Manna made her stop in her tracks.
"Yes, I know! I really don't think that that fight was really worth filing for a divorce..."

[Entegy]

Smart move Basil.

[Butterscotch]

I have to re-read the lst few chapters I think. I kinda forgot what was going on. ^^;

[Firefly]

Heh, me too. And I'm the one who's writing it xD

[Firefly]

Chapter 9~ Ann's Theory

Ann blinked rapidly a few times, confused. A divorce? Over that fight? It hadn't seemed like much, but...
"It seems like they've secretly been fighting for years now, but that's been the biggest one so far," Manna added solemnly. "That's one reason Mary is so shy sometimes. Hearing her parents fight has made her meek. She really isn't interested in love, either, probably for that same reason..."
But by then, Ann was racing off to the Clinic. The news she had heard about Mary had not been good. If Mary was so upset about they're small fights...

"Doctor!" Ann cried as she burst through the Clinic doors.
He barely looked up. "Listen, I really don't have time..." he told her in an annoyed voice. But Elli came up to Ann and asked, "Come over here."
Once they were over in Elli's alcove of an office, the nurse asked, "What's wrong?"
Ann took a deep breath before beginning her explanation. "I heard Manna and Sasha talking about Anna and Basil getting a divorce."
Elli nodded; if she had not known this, you couldn't tell.
Ann continued. "Manna also said that was the biggest fight they'd had so far. She then added that that was one reason Mary can be so shy... she had to go through all of those fights during a young age. I thought if Mary was so scarred emotionally from little fights when she was well..."
She didn't need to finish. Elli gasped, stood up, and sprinted-- sprinted-- out of the room, Ann close at her heels.

"DOCTOR!" Elli shouted, louder than a voice Ann had ever heard her use, "This is important! About Mary's health!"
Reluctantly the Doctor turned and started talking to Elli. Obviously her tone of voice worried him. Finally, he seemed to notice Ann.
"Do you mind?" He snapped. "This is a private converse--"
"Ann was the one who told me," Elli argued coldly. "Let her stay."
Again, the tone of voice made the Doctor a little uneasy, so he said nothing more about it, just glared at Ann and returned to the conversation, his voice a little more hushed than necessary.

Finally, after a few more seconds of hushed whispering, the Doctor stood up straight, fixing the stethoscope around his neck. "That theory seems very far-fetched..." Seeing the glare on Elli's face, he cleared his throat and added hastily, "But I'll check on her, anyway."

)()()()(

A few minutes later, the Doctor returned, his face neutral. "She is fine, just sleeping," he told the girls, but was facing Elli as he said it.
Elli looked slightly puzzled. "Sleeping? Five minutes ago when I checked on her, she was wide awake. She even told me--"
"She's asleep now!" the Doctor interrupted sharply.
Elli seemed to shrink back a little. "Y-yes, of course," she answered quietly. "I'm sorry." With that, she went back to her office, her head bent slightly.
Ann frowned, crossed her arms and said, "Was that really necessary?"
The Doctor glared at her, not saying a word. As he turned, however, Ann glimpsed a different expression that she couldn't name. "You can leave now. Mary is safe here. And... thank you for your concerns." His voice was steady and calm, but Ann could tell he was being sarcastic.
"I will leave," she snapped, her temper rising. "I don't need to hang around here with the know-it-all doctor." She turned on her heel and stomped off, fuming at how he had treated Elli.
And to think she likes him! she thought in disbelief. How could anyone like that cold, cruel, spiteful, hateful... The list went on as Ann stomped home. Doug smiled as a greeting to Ann-- he certainly wasn't going to take any chances with speaking to her. Even a simple greeting could send her off when she was in one of these moods.
***

[fxeni]

It's a nice story so far! Keep up the good work ^_^

[VenusAdept]

Good stuff!

[Firefly]

Thanks ^^ Sorry about waiting, like, a month before posting these >.>;;

[hotcakes22]

Love it!

[moko]

good chapter! ^_^

[denise]

Poor Mary! I just read the whole story and I really like it! I can't wait for more!

[me]

Ummm, EXCUSE ME? Karen may be an alcoholic, but she's not mean or cruel! >:(Also, I want to find out more about the strange thing that happened to Popuri! Red paint? Bump on her head? Oh dear, don't tell me she's an airhead in this fan-fic too!!!

[Sakura-chan]

just read all of story and it is awsome!!!! That really does explain why Mary is how she is.... lol.... I could use that in a Mary fic... lol, i'm j/k And personally, reply to "me- guest" Its THEIR fan fic, don't degrade it just because of the way she decided to use the characters! Its rude~!
Keep writing~!
~Sakura