[Darkness. . . Pain. . . A slow, steady beeping sound. . . Voices. . .]
Woman: "*muffled* . . . She probably can't hear you, but you're welcome to have about an hour or so alone with her. I'll be back in a while to check in. *receding footsteps* . . . . . .
Mother: *tearfully* "I can't even see her face. . ."
Father: "Be thankful for that. I got an eyefull when they were bringing her in."
Mother: *choked sob*
Brother: "Well, it looks like she'll be going as Freddy Kruger every Halloween now." *snickering*
Mother: "Jeffrey! That is not funny at all!"
Father: "Jeff. . . Have some respect. This is your sister. And besides, she's going to be the poster child for the new Plant."
Mother: "What? How so?"
Father: "Chemical danger awareness. It'll scare the piss out of the floor workers." *chuckling*
Brother: "OOOHHHHHH!" *loud laughter*
Mother: "Shut up, both of you! That is horrible! How can you even *muffled* . . . "
[Silence. . . ]
Woman: "*muffled* . . . That kind of soft tissue just- *sigh* I'm sorry. There really isn't anything we can do for her eyes. As far as the burns, we can do our best, but she will have so many disfigurements, that-"
Father: "I don't care. I'll buy out every plastic surgeon in this city if I have to."
Woman: "Well, even something like that would take several years-"
Mother: "She's going to be ugly the rest of her life?! Blind AND ugly?!" *sob*
Woman: "Well, I wouldn't say-"
Father: "I don't care. She's still my daughter, ugly or not. She's still a human being and she can still have a career."
Mother: "But what about marriage?! What about grand children?! No one is going to love a deformed freak!"
Woman: "Mrs. Shepard, I'm sure it won't be as bad as *muffled* . . ."
[Silence. . . ]
Father: "I took out the life insurance. . . If she doesn't wake up in a week. . . I'll tell them to do it.
Mother: "It would really be for the best. . . I can't bear her living a half-life as some grotesque cripple. Our family would be ruined.
Father: "At least it wasn't Jeffrey. Our blood. And she never had to find out she was adopted. . . Try to see this as a blessing. Maybe God is telling us we should try again for a second child. . ."
[Faster machine beeps. . . An alarm. . . ]
Mother: *gasps* "What's happening?!"
Father: "Do you think she heard us?"
Mother: "Call the nurse!"
Father: "*Muffled* . . ."
[Silence.]
((And that's the end of my season one. Now to await season two. ^-^ ))