Echo of Your Last Goodbye

Part 3

by Chris

At school, Tina tries to get out a lemonade out of the machine again. Caleb gets out some coins and tells her how to do it. Her hand gets stuck, and Caleb throws in his money. Tina begs him not to push the button as she could break her hand, but he only tells her that in the bible there's the expression "eye for an eye" and that Lucas told him that. Without flinching he pushes a button, the machine breaking Tina's hand.

Ben goes back to Judith's house and sees shadows of children running away. When he is inside Merlyn appears and tells him what he smells is the truth. She tells him he watched her die. "What could I do?" he asks. "Anything," Merly answers. "Scream, cry, denounce. Anything." Ben is stricken. "I'm tryin' now, I'm tryin' but I feel like I'm blind or something." Merlyn tells him to look around him. He sees children appear all around him. Merlyn tells him if Judith had survived, there might have been a place for these children. "It's too late for us, Ben, but not for you." The children and Merlyn dissappear; a moment later Tina comes in, freezing and crying, her hand bandaged. Ben convinces her to come with him to the hospital. Before he enters the car he sees Lucas stand on the street in his coat, staring at him, but after a few seconds he simply dissappears.

Lucas brings Caleb to the hospital to see Tina. When Caleb tells him he feels sorry for what he did Lucas tells him remorse is for babies.

At that moment Ben comes out a door, and Lucas tells him, "Good work, Deputy." After Caleb goes on to see Tina, Lucas tells Ben, "You defied me." Ben simply says, "Yes Sir I did." - "I consider that house a sacred place, Ben. A woman that I... that I cared for invested a good part of her life there." - "I know." - "I suppose she would've been proud of you." (Love that little sound GC makes there!) Ben: "I can't look the other way anymore, Lucas. If I see something that bothers me, I'm gonna speak up about it." Lucas tells him, "Okay. Well? Say it." Ben does: "You raped her, and then you killed her." - "Who?" - "Judith Temple. Caleb's mother." Then he walks away. Lucas calls him, "Hey Ben. You know what? You're right. But if you ever defy me again, I'm gonna cut off your head and use it for a bowling ball." Ben seems relieved, and wishes Lucas a good night, then goes.

Billy and Ben talk about Tina's condition. Her hand is broken, but she's also hypothermic, so she could've frozen if Ben hadn't found her. Ben offers to pay for her treatment, and Billy says Lucas couldn't be so bad if he hired someone like Ben, but Ben says, "He hired me cause I was a weak, yella sack of manure." Billy: Oh, I thought that was your aftershave I was smellin'." Ben tells him what he smells is fear, but he'll deal with it now. Billy tells him he'll call tomorrow before he leaves.

Caleb tells Tina he's sorry for what he did and was ashamed, it was like something made him do it. Tina says she learned to trust Ben, but not Caleb - not yet.

Selena sits at the bar, still waiting for Billy as Alison closes. She says she was never stood up before, but maybe he had to stay at the hospital, and that Lucas never did this. After she finally left, Alison goes to turn off the music box, and Ben comes in, asking if she has already closed. Alison - who turned into Merlyn - looks up and tells him he did real good. "My momma would've been proud of you." Ben asks her, "What about that dance?" so Merly chooses "Echo of Your Last Goodbye" on the jukebox and they begin to slow-dance. Ben tells her, "You know I finally think I figured out what my problem is." Merly asks, "What's that?", and he answers: "All the good ones are dead." Merly smiles and leans her head on his shoulder as they dance on...

THE END


PART 2


1 Pilot2 A Tree Grows in Trinity3 Eye of the Beholder4 Damned if You Don't5 Dead to the World6 Potato Boy7 Meet the Beetles8 Strong Arm of the Law9 To Hell and Back10 The Beast Within11 Rebirth12 Ring of Fire12 Resurrector14 Inhumanitas15 Plague Sower16 Dr. Death Takes a Holiday17 Learning to Crawl18 Echo of Your Last Goodbye19 Triangle20 Strangler21 The Buck Stops Here22 Requiem



Buck MansionTrinity NewsWho Am I Floyd?Let Your Conscience Be Your GuideThe Joy of a Thousand TrumpetsTrinity Museum of (Un)Natural HistoryThere's No Such Thing as 'They' in TrinityTrail MixJohnson BridgeContact Chris


1. August 2002