Thirty Nine Minutes (COMPLETE)

Chapter Nineteen: Parents

"Hines was...an interesting character. Quiet. Kept to himself. Now at least, I can see why he did." Fleur was watching Craig with interest as he pretended not to notice. "Worry not though, Helen. Our intentions are good."

"That's not the first time I've heard that, I assure you. Neil," she said as she turned to him. "Is this your definition of helping?"

"Well...I suppose you could call this my neighborhood watch." His cheeks flushed a little as he shrugged. "Mom knows what she's doing. We're heading somewhere she thinks is significant for Craig."

Fleur didn't say anything to clarify, and Helen was finding it harder and harder to trust anyone anymore. No one but Craig and herself anyway. He was watching her in an attempt to avoid eye contact with Fleur, tail coiled tightly underneath him, watching but not able to listen.

"Can Craig at least be included in this conversation too? You're being awfully rude excluding him from a conversation he's a part of, you know."

Neil looked at his mother, who looked at Odette and nodded. Finally, Odette barked a command at Ichmaél who lifted the heavy lid off the top. Craig pulled himself up, elbows over the side. His brow was furrowed and Helen could tell he was barely keeping it together

"I knew you were behind this, Neil. Taking us back are you? Back to Mr - I mean David?"

"Craig…"

"I know him Helen," he said, silencing her, "I've known him for ten years. And what he said to me when you started working there."

Neil paled, but barely for a second before a mask dropped quickly on top. "Perhaps you could hear me out before you start casting aspersions?"

Craig cursed under his breath, looking to Helen first, who shrugged. They weren't exactly in a position to bargain.

"My mother has a degenerative disease known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. There's no cure for it."

Now taking more than half a second to look at Fleur, it became glaringly obvious to Helen just how awkwardly she was standing. It was clear her spine was heavily twisted and her cane was bearing a lot of her weight as it trembled under her palm. Neil was young, and it became obvious Fleur was probably only in her forties, but appeared much older at first sight. "You think Craig can help her? Neil, you know as well as I do, Craig doesn't have magical abilities."

"That's because magic doesn't exist," said Fleur. Helen noticed that Neil was holding her by the crook of his arm. "What does exist, is science. Knowledge. Professor Hines left something behind in his notes to me."

Craig's eyes widened. "The professor? That's dad, isn't it? His name was Hines! Is he here? Can I see him?"

Those three seconds beared the heaviest elephant to ever exist in a conversation. Helen bit her lip as she inferred what Craig could not as he looked back and forth between Neil and his mother. "No, Craig. He's not here," said Fleur.

"Well...where is he?"

No one wanted to answer. All except Odette, who was partially busy with some paperwork and perhaps unaware of the pregnant pause. "Dead," she said flatly.

Craig's face fell as all the color drained from it. His tail that had been swishing quite jovially hung like a dead fish in the water. "What?" He whispered. "No he isn't." An air of desperation made his voice crack as his eyes darted from Helen to Neil. "He isn't," he said again, shaking his head for added effect.

Helen realized she was holding her breath, she looked at Craig as he put one hand on his forehead.

"He isn't!" With one final denial, Craig pushed down hard on the side of the tank and hauled himself over the side. First his shoulders, then his torso and finally his tail upended itself, and its weight sent him plummeting to the concrete floor. His body made a wet 'thwuck' as it landed and rolled, and he grunted as he held his head. "Owww…"

Helen was already kneeling at his side, hands on his back. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he pulled his torso up and Fleur began to speak.

"I'm sorry, boy, but it's the truth. I went to his funeral and carried his casket. He was a sick man. Late stage prostate cancer, did he not tell you?"

Craig was silent, but Helen could feel him trembling in her arms. "No," he whispered finally. "He was the only one. The only one."

Tears began trickling down his cheeks and dripping off his chin "The only one, who saw me as a person and not as a tool to be manipulated. And I hated him for what he did, for abandoning me in the middle of the ocean with no reason. Now he's dead. Dead forever."

That's when he broke. He began to wail, thumping his fists on the floor and calling out for his dad, screeching that he was sorry over and over again. Helen did her best to comfort him, but he was bordering on hysterical.

"I don't have time for nonsense tantrums," said Fleur in a glacial tone. "Boy, there is a cavern you will be entering. A very rare organism lives deep inside. It is what David Kotohiki and his team are after too."

"My feelings are not nonsense! I'm not nonsense!"

"Give the guy a damn break!" Helen stood, standing protectively over him and pointing an accusing finger at the frail woman, who returned it with a dispassionate stare. "Listen to me, you picked up my scuba diving gear, right? You tell me where to go, I'll do it for you. Craig is unable to dive more than two meters anyway." She knelt once again, placing a hand on the small of Craig's back as he sniffed hard. "Just tell me what to do."

*****

"It's called the Magi plant. Completely white. It respires anaerobically directly in the water, and its stems are white as it doesn't use photosynthesis to produce food."

Fleur's voice was vapid and disinterested. Helen had to concentrate really damn hard to keep her attention on her. Beside her, back in his tank but with arms flopped over the side was Craig. He was utterly deflated, all his energy spent earlier. His eyes were half open but not really looking at anything. A heavy weight grew in Helen's stomach, and she tried to swallow it away and looked at Fleur's frail form and Neil sitting quietly beside her. As she watched him as her attention drifted off for the tenth time, she decided she really missed his suit.

"We have tanks readily available, and your diving suit is prepared. This will be dangerous, Helen."

"Don't remind me," she muttered, standing up. Craig didn't move. "Just give me the damn map to this cavern."