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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Disclaimer: See chapter one
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Turn Evil Into Good
Part 7
Wake up and relieving painful moments
A long time after ending the connection to Jay’s cell phone Jarod calmed down somewhat.
He was still shivering so Parker looked up to see if there was a blanket. There was one in the living room but not here in the studio.
She grimaced. When she carefully entangled herself from Jarod, he grasped her arm firmly.
“No, stay,” he gasped.
Parker’s eyes flew down to his face. It was partly hidden from her view because he was facing away from her. From what she could see, his eyes were still closed.
“Hush, I’m here,” she reached out to touch his face again. When she made contact with his skin, he leaned into her hand and breathed deeply.
He was still clinging to her arm, holding onto it as if it was life itself.
“Jar, look at me,” Parker pleaded. She wasn’t sure if Jarod’s movement had only been out of reflex or if he was indeed coming back to himself.
Jarod slowly turned his head towards Parker.
Parker sighed when she met his eye. Though she was grateful that he was conscious again, she was taken aback by the pain and fear that still lay in the pearls of soft brown.
“Hey,” she smiled sadly.
Jarod didn’t respond but merely continued to look into her eyes. Parker didn’t brake eye contact either and gently caressed his cheek and hair.
Feeling that he started to relax, Parker let herself calm down.
“Jar, what happened today?” she asked, her head crocked to the side.
Jarod swallowed with difficulty. He tried to turn his face away from Parker but she firmly and yet gently held him back in place.
“Come on, you told me once that to overcome a trauma, you had to work through it,” she paused. “I’m here. You won’t have to deal with it alone.”
Jarod’s eyes flew back to her face and Parker could still see hesitancy in them, so she went on. “You helped me so very often to work through my traumas over the years, let me help you now. You don’t have to do this alone.”
Jarod swallowed and clenched his jaw, yet he couldn’t stop the tears from escaping.
“It was… I never knew…,” he tried to start but the words failed him.
Parker brushed a stray of tears away from his face. “Hush, it’s ok.”
Jarod breathed deeply to regain his composure and organize his thoughts. “I felt strange the minute we got of the elevator on SL-24 but I couldn’t make out why. I had never been on that sublevel before… or so I thought. I had been on that sublevel, I just couldn’t remember being there,” he swallowed again and shivered.
Parker drew him a little closer and ran her hand up and down his arm in an effort to comfort and warm him.
“I had flashbacks when we were on that sublevel and when Danny opened that door, it was as if opening the door to the memory, opening Pandora’s box. It was as if I was back in the position I had been in all these years ago,” he hesitated. “I was reliving it all over again. I could see myself there,” he clenched his eyes shut tightly.
Parker kept on stroking his cheek.
When Jarod looked up at her again, desperation was written all above his face. It went till deep down into his soul. “I could feel the pain again,” he whispered.
Parker gritted her teeth and breathed deeply but stayed silent to give Jarod the time he needed before going on.
“It was Christmas time. Sydney was gone on vacation and I… I…,” his averted his eyes. “Raines was in charge. Raines and… Lyle,” he mumbled so softly that Parker could barely make out the words.
Anger rose in her chest, anger at what they had done to Jarod this time. She struggled to keep her own emotions at bay, failing in doing so.
“They tested…,” Jarod shivered violently and then pushed his emotions down vigorously. “They tested pain stimuli. How long I could perform correctly and how they could mix the stimuli to achieve the ‘best’ effect,” he continued in a detached voice, as if he was reporting the headline of a newspaper article.
Parker chocked and a hand flew to her mouth. “God, Jar,” she sobbed.
“My instincts kicked in, telling me to run.” The blank recital wavered and Jarod’s eyes filled with emotions again.
Parker only nodded and they both fell silent. Jarod averted his gaze but she had been able to see the turmoil in the soft brown eyes nonetheless.
After some long minutes, Jarod looked up at her again. “Thank you,” he whispered after breathing shakily. He reached up a hand to cup her cheek.
She leaned into his palm and tried to smile but it turned out to be more a grimace than a smile. “You have nothing to thank me for,” she shook her head. “You have done it for me more often than I can recount. I just wish that I could have helped you more often over the years.”
Jarod smiled. “You did without knowing it and you are here now. I don’t know how long it would have taken me to get out of this without you.”
He sat up slightly and turned towards Parker fully.
“Thank you, Melina,” he repeated and leaned into her, to hug her.
Parker easily accepted the hug and encircled his form with her arms.
They sat like that for a long time, rocking each other softly.
To be continued…
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Part 7
Wake up and relieving painful moments
A long time after ending the connection to Jay’s cell phone Jarod calmed down somewhat.
He was still shivering so Parker looked up to see if there was a blanket. There was one in the living room but not here in the studio.
She grimaced. When she carefully entangled herself from Jarod, he grasped her arm firmly.
“No, stay,” he gasped.
Parker’s eyes flew down to his face. It was partly hidden from her view because he was facing away from her. From what she could see, his eyes were still closed.
“Hush, I’m here,” she reached out to touch his face again. When she made contact with his skin, he leaned into her hand and breathed deeply.
He was still clinging to her arm, holding onto it as if it was life itself.
“Jar, look at me,” Parker pleaded. She wasn’t sure if Jarod’s movement had only been out of reflex or if he was indeed coming back to himself.
Jarod slowly turned his head towards Parker.
Parker sighed when she met his eye. Though she was grateful that he was conscious again, she was taken aback by the pain and fear that still lay in the pearls of soft brown.
“Hey,” she smiled sadly.
Jarod didn’t respond but merely continued to look into her eyes. Parker didn’t brake eye contact either and gently caressed his cheek and hair.
Feeling that he started to relax, Parker let herself calm down.
“Jar, what happened today?” she asked, her head crocked to the side.
Jarod swallowed with difficulty. He tried to turn his face away from Parker but she firmly and yet gently held him back in place.
“Come on, you told me once that to overcome a trauma, you had to work through it,” she paused. “I’m here. You won’t have to deal with it alone.”
Jarod’s eyes flew back to her face and Parker could still see hesitancy in them, so she went on. “You helped me so very often to work through my traumas over the years, let me help you now. You don’t have to do this alone.”
Jarod swallowed and clenched his jaw, yet he couldn’t stop the tears from escaping.
“It was… I never knew…,” he tried to start but the words failed him.
Parker brushed a stray of tears away from his face. “Hush, it’s ok.”
Jarod breathed deeply to regain his composure and organize his thoughts. “I felt strange the minute we got of the elevator on SL-24 but I couldn’t make out why. I had never been on that sublevel before… or so I thought. I had been on that sublevel, I just couldn’t remember being there,” he swallowed again and shivered.
Parker drew him a little closer and ran her hand up and down his arm in an effort to comfort and warm him.
“I had flashbacks when we were on that sublevel and when Danny opened that door, it was as if opening the door to the memory, opening Pandora’s box. It was as if I was back in the position I had been in all these years ago,” he hesitated. “I was reliving it all over again. I could see myself there,” he clenched his eyes shut tightly.
Parker kept on stroking his cheek.
When Jarod looked up at her again, desperation was written all above his face. It went till deep down into his soul. “I could feel the pain again,” he whispered.
Parker gritted her teeth and breathed deeply but stayed silent to give Jarod the time he needed before going on.
“It was Christmas time. Sydney was gone on vacation and I… I…,” his averted his eyes. “Raines was in charge. Raines and… Lyle,” he mumbled so softly that Parker could barely make out the words.
Anger rose in her chest, anger at what they had done to Jarod this time. She struggled to keep her own emotions at bay, failing in doing so.
“They tested…,” Jarod shivered violently and then pushed his emotions down vigorously. “They tested pain stimuli. How long I could perform correctly and how they could mix the stimuli to achieve the ‘best’ effect,” he continued in a detached voice, as if he was reporting the headline of a newspaper article.
Parker chocked and a hand flew to her mouth. “God, Jar,” she sobbed.
“My instincts kicked in, telling me to run.” The blank recital wavered and Jarod’s eyes filled with emotions again.
Parker only nodded and they both fell silent. Jarod averted his gaze but she had been able to see the turmoil in the soft brown eyes nonetheless.
After some long minutes, Jarod looked up at her again. “Thank you,” he whispered after breathing shakily. He reached up a hand to cup her cheek.
She leaned into his palm and tried to smile but it turned out to be more a grimace than a smile. “You have nothing to thank me for,” she shook her head. “You have done it for me more often than I can recount. I just wish that I could have helped you more often over the years.”
Jarod smiled. “You did without knowing it and you are here now. I don’t know how long it would have taken me to get out of this without you.”
He sat up slightly and turned towards Parker fully.
“Thank you, Melina,” he repeated and leaned into her, to hug her.
Parker easily accepted the hug and encircled his form with her arms.
They sat like that for a long time, rocking each other softly.
To be continued…
