Thwarted Dreams -- Chapter 3

Disclaimer: The TV show Dark Angel, all of the characters that appeared on it (Colonel Lydecker, etc.), and everything else that has to do with the show belong go their respective owners, not to me. No money is being made off of this fic. I only own the original characters (Caroline, etc.).

“For the last time, Emily, I don’t want to join the committee for the Valentine’s Day dance,” Caroline told one of her friends as she slammed her locker shut at the end of the school day. “I hate dance committees. You know that I’ve always hated them. It’s boring as hell as it’s always a miracle that anything gets done because it’s always the same damn arguments. ‘We should do this’ or ‘we should do that’ or ‘He just broke up with me and I shouldn’t be in the same room with him and I don’t know why any of us should be in the same room with him.’”

“That was only that one time with Steve and Lana and you know it,” Emily said.

“Yeah, right,” Caroline said skeptically. “I’ve heard rumors. Do I look like an idiot?”

“Okay, fine, it happened in the committee meetings for the last Halloween dance with Jason and Katie,” Emily admitted. “You’re right. You win. But come on, Caroline. Valentine’s Day is only a month from now and we need to get this dance together. You’re always good at organizing things. Please?”

“For the last time, no,” Caroline said. “I’m sorry. Even if I wanted to join the committee, I’ve had so much homework since we got back from Christmas break that it’s driving me crazy.”

“Oh.” Emily blinked and shrugged. “I guess I’ll try asking Michelle again if she wants to join the committee.” Sighing, she and Caroline started to walk down the hall towards the main entrance. “You want to go to the mall tonight after dinner? I need to get my homework done before I can go out tonight.”

“I don’t know,” Caroline said. “I have so much Physics homework it’s going to take me forever to get it done. I’ll call you after dinner and let you know one way or another. Is that okay?”

“That works for me,” Emily agreed. “Speaking of the dance, who are you hoping will ask you to it?”

“I don’t know,” Caroline said. “I broke up with Lucas just last week and I’m not sure if I really feel like going on a date with somebody this soon after fuckhead—I mean, Lucas dumped me for Allison. Just because I didn’t want to put out for him…” She shook her head. “Allison supposedly puts out for anybody and anything. He’ll get tired of her faster than any of us can blink.”

“And then you’re going to take him back when he gets tired of her?” Emily remarked skeptically.

“Are you kidding me?” Caroline said incredulously. “If he tries to come crawling back to me, he’s going to be crawling away from me because I’m going to do so much damage to his testicles that he’s not going to want to think about doing as little as jerking off for a long time.”

“Now that sounds like you,” Emily said.

“Yeah,” Caroline agreed. She looked at her watch. “Hey, Emily, don’t you have to be home by three-thirty so that you’re there by the time that your little brother gets home from school?”

“Oh, shit, you’re right,” Emily said. “I’ll see you later, Caroline. Don’t forget to call me.”

“I won’t,” Caroline promised. She waved to her friend and decided to get a drink from one of the water fountains. She started to walk in that direction when she was interrupted by a young man stepping in front of her, blocking her path. “Lucas, this isn’t funny.”

“I just wanted to talk,” Lucas, Caroline’s ex-boyfriend, said.

“About what?” Caroline asked. “Lucas, if you’re already tired of Allison, I don’t want to hear it.”

“I never said that I was tired of Allison,” Lucas said.

Caroline rolled her eyes. “Oh, let me guess. You want to be with both Allison and me at the same time? Nice try. It’s not happening.”

“I never said that’s what I wanted,” Lucas said.

“I know you too damn well,” Caroline reminded him. She saw two teachers approaching them from the opposite end of the hallway and sighed. “I’ve got to get home now. If you want to make a scene right in front of Mrs. Willis and Mrs. Fowler, go right ahead. I won’t stop you.”

Lucas looked annoyed, but he got out of Caroline’s way. “Fine. I’ll leave you alone for now.”

“Fine.” Caroline walked back towards the entrance, “accidentally” stepping on Lucas’ foot while she walked. “I won’t injure you too badly for now.” She left the building and walked to the student parking lot and found her car and got inside. She drove back towards her house, frowning when she saw her father’s car in the driveway. “That’s weird. Dad shouldn’t be getting back from Washington for another few weeks at least.” Caroline parked her car along the curb and got out and went inside her house. “Mom? Dad? Dad, why are you home now? Mom, is something wrong?”

“Oh, Caroline,” Mrs. Robinson said. She broke down in tears. “Caroline, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“Sorry for what? Dad, what’s going on? Why is Mom crying? Tell me what’s going on!” Caroline insisted.

“Sweetheart, you need to sit down,” Mr. Robinson said with a sad sigh. He waited until Caroline had sat down on the living room couch before he sat down next to her and started to talk. “Your mother got a call this morning from Chris’ base. There’d been an accident when your brother’s unit was doing live ordinance drills. Chris and several other members of the unit were badly injured and were taken to the nearest hospital. I flew here from Washington as soon as I could after your mother called me to tell me.”

“Is Chris okay?” Caroline said, panicking. “He’s okay, right? He had to be okay! What exactly happened?”

“We don’t know,” Mr. Robinson told her. “All that we were told was that there’d been an accident and that we’d be given complete details later once everything was sorted out. You know how it works, right sweetie? I’d told you.”

Caroline nodded. “I remember, Dad. But Chris will be okay, right?”

“All we can do is to think positive,” Mr. Robinson said. “All three of us need to think positive and hope for the best. Chris is a tough young man. If anybody can pull through, it’s Chris.”

The three of them just sat in the living room silently for what seemed like forever. Occasionally, the phone rang and Caroline tensed every time it did, praying that it would be somebody calling to tell them that Chris was going to be fine. But every time, it was just somebody else, never somebody important. The time stretched out unbearably until sometime just past when they normally would have eaten dinner, the phone rang again and Mr. Robinson got up and answered it. He didn’t say much, but nodded once or twice.

“Thank you,” he barely whispered. He hung up the phone and turned to his wife and daughter.

Caroline looked at him and her blue eyes widened in horror. She knew. “No,” she whimpered. “No. Please, Daddy, don’t let it be true. Please don’t let it be true!”

“I’m sorry, Caroline,” he said. “I’m sorry, Lauren. I’m so sorry.”

“No, my baby,” Mrs. Robinson sobbed. “My little Christopher. Not my little Christopher.”

“No, Daddy,” Caroline begged, the tears flowing down her cheeks. “Please, Daddy, tell me that you’re lying! Tell me that you’re lying!”

“Oh God, I wish I was,” Mr. Robinson said. “I want to tell you otherwise, but I can’t. I can’t.”

“No!” Caroline sobbed. She buried her face in her hands and cried uncontrollably. “Chris, no! No…”

TBC