Numb To Pain [4]

Epilogue

Epilogue
A Protector

"No, not like that," Tulip swatted Jason's hand. "You're being too rough with him Dad." Her voice distant as it came through the wall of Abby's new home.

The backyard, save for the patch of land Tulip and Jason knelt into, was all swamp. Alec's old lab was tucked behind a cove of trees just a mile away. Abby still did all her studying there.

"They would be proud, you know?" Abby began as she joined him by the French doors. Mugs of steaming tea in her hand.

Wade glanced at her. He took a mug and blew upon it. Expectant of Abby.

"Thorn, Rose, and Hazel. They'd be proud of you. Of who you are now." She clarified.

He chuckled. He rolled his eyes at the cloudy green liquid. "Did you read my leaves or something, Abby?" He retorted.

She rolled her eyes back. "Don't be a smart ass. I mean it. You've spent your entire life working up to this moment. Becoming who you are."

"And who am I, exactly?" He challenged as he took a sip of tea.

"A protector. You protected your sisters from your mother's cruelty as a child, raised them even though no one raised you. While they got to grow up in under sixth months, you still protected them. Because they were naive to the world."

"Despite the resentment between you four, you were always willing to drop everything to protect them. Thorn. Rose. Hazel. Tulip. Every time, despite the danger, you were on the front lines."

"And where are they now? Thorn is a burn mark on the pavement. Rose and Hazel withered away in my arms. Some protector I am." He hissed.

Abby scoffed. "Don't do that. Don't do the stupid self-pitying act, alright? You're past it now. Those were tragic losses, they were, but everyone is okay now."

"Everyone is not okay, Abby!" He yelled. His outburst was loud enough to attract eyes from outside.

Wade sighed. His shoulders hung and set the mug down on a shelf. "Sorry."

"Don't be," She said. "I know it's not all sunshine and rainbows, Wade, fucking believe me. In the time I've known you, it's never been sunshine and rainbows. But it's also never been better than this."

Wade sighed and turned away from her. He scooped a picture of Abby and Mariah from a shelf on the wall. He sighed and returned it to its place. He started down the narrow hall from the kitchen into the foyer.

Abby followed with pursed brows. "Or am I completely misreading things between yours and Jason's family?"

"You're not. We're good, great, actually. I think, in a way, he's the person that knows me the best in this world. That excites me and terrifies me at the same time. On top of that, I think he loves Tulip more than I do sometimes which says a lot about their relationship. They're happy, Abby. So fucking happy and I'm going to destroy that because that's what I do. I destroy everything." He ranted, breathless by the end.

"Why do you think you're going to ruin it?" Abby questioned. Her utter confusion at his assured sense of demise.

"By dying," Swamp Thing answered for him. His voice booming as he descended the stairs.

Wade could've laughed at how strange it looked. A swamp monster using stairs. But the weight on his chest was too heavy.

"Alec what are you talking about? What does he mean dying? Nobody's gonna die." Abby's raven hair whipped back and forth as she looked between them both.