Filling Empty Promises

"Brian, please. I need a few minutes with Matt so he can update me. Can you all just go to the empty room next door for five minutes so he can catch me up, and then I'll explain it. Or Matt will. I promise. I am so glad you're here right now, and if you just give me a few moments, you'll find out why." She knew there was a lot of bad news coming in a very few sentences, but she trusted Matt, so she needed to hear it from him first. Then she would find the words to explain it to her friends.

Brian nodded and opened the door for Gabrielle to take Abbey out, followed by Mari. "It will just be a couple minutes, I promise."

Matt began as he knew Gabrielle and Mari were already out the door. "Khaat, you really look like you just need some rest," he told her. "You've been through hell this week, but you aren't quite home yet..." he said sadly. "You're father told me...that he was in charge of your affairs and such until you are better." he said. "So, he's told me that he want's you to go into hiding. But I told him I wouldn't have it, so I didn't approve that file..." he said. "You're your own Khaat. I'm not going to allow someone to control you..." he told her.

"I can guess what he wants. He wants me to go live with Brian for awhile. He's really just protecting me from the press. Matt, you have to know that if I had known, I'd have told you. Rob lost control at Sparks the day I miscarried Abbey. Became someone so evil I had never seen them before. That part of him, well, I didn't know it existed. Didn't know about how he made his money. I thought it was old family money. Not...this. He'll never own up to the fact that he caused all this. Never.

"I'm glad Daddy's taking control. And I'm glad Abbey won't grow up with the name of Dent haunting her. I think Daddy and I both feel that the press won't give me an instant's peace. And I want better for Abbey than that. And if I know Daddy, he wants Rob to take some financial responsibility. You'll have to act fast to lock up his funds or he will be manipulating all his assets so you never find a single penny of it. He doesn't truly care if Abbey and I starve to death. The money means more. I've always known that. He's left me without food and shelter before. He's not above doing it again--not even to his child. Tell me--what's going to happen to us? Abbey and me? This is all just happening so fast. Overnight he's become a man I don't think I ever knew at all."

Matt sighed but put his finger to his mouth so she would be quiet. "Khaat, don't worry. I've already managed to secure his Money. It's already being put into your name." he told her. "Me and your father have this covered, but you won't be going to Brian's. You can stay with me, or I can tell the press to bugger off." he said giving a weak smile. Matt was a little shocked with what she was telling him, all this happening to such a good person like Khaat. "Everything will be alright Khaat," he said quietly. "Rob will be put away, for you own safety...I should go and check with him soon. I haven't spoken to him since before you had Abbey..." he sighed heavily. "This is going to suck..." he added.

"You and Abbey will be safe, Khaat if I have to take you in myself! You and Abbey will stay safe!" he said standing up. "Listen Khaat, I have to go see Rob now....I hope you're okay. If you need anything you can ask me..." he added walking to the door. "I also suggest you speak with that Blaire Murray fellow. I think he has a bit of a thing for you." he added chuckling as he exited the room.

Brian saw Matt leave, and told Gabrielle and Mari, "They're done. He's gone. I need to get back to Khaat. You ladies are more than welcome to come along with me if you like, and bring Abbey before her mom goes just a little nuts worrying about where she is," he smiled warmly. "I'm glad you came to see her. The last couple days have been pretty ugly for her. She needs her friends."

He opened the door and waited for them to return to Khaat's room. When Brian got back, Khaat said, "If you see Blaire, send him in, would you, please?"

"Of course, Babe," he smiled.

Blaire was wondering around the Hospital, just looking around for odd jobs. He practically lived there these days, all because of Khaat Lupin. She had gone through alot these days, alot of hell. He passed through a door and found himself in an empty room a few people just leaving. He spotted Brian over by the door, about to shut it. He quickly made his way over, stopping the door. "Brian." he called to him. "How is Khaat doing?" he asked him.

"Amazingly well, all things considered," Brian said, disgusted by the day's events. He showed Blaire the article in the wizarding newspaper that had, of course, come to only a partial truth about Khaat. The only thing they had right was that she was in intensive care. The rest was just conjecture geared at getting Robert or Matt to finally make a statement about Britain's Chief Warlock and Director of St. Mungos. So far, neither Robert or Matt had caved to that.

"Well, that's just the tip of it," Brian said, "Its only going to get worse. Her husband and sister in law are going to be convicted and sentenced to Azkaban. They...made some serious mistakes. Khaat was in the dark about all of it, and now we're looking to shield her from this sort of crap that's going to get blown all to hell in these rags." He indicated the papers again. "Neither her nor Abbey deserve that. And--she knows its coming. Rob and Jenifer, of course, get hidden from all that in prison, but Khaat still has to live here, and if I were her, I would not be looking forward to being hounded at every turn. I guess my temporary assignment just became permanent--or at least semi-permanent." He sighed heavily, thinking about the hell Khaat was going to have to live through while Rob and Jen didn't feel any of it.

"So far, she's coping about as well as anyone could expect her to. Her father is doing his best to shield her, and he's doing a good job of it--he and Matt Lestrange. She just can't do it for herself right now." He heard a noise to his left and turned and saw a clutch of reporters coming down the hallway towards them, hunting Khaat.

"Oh, joy," He sighed sarcastically. "Just what I wanted to deal with. I suggest we both go inside her room and seal her door before they actually get this far. Where are Matt and Robert when you need them?"

As if on cue, Robert apparated behind the mob, strategically positioned in a lobby, to draw them off Khaat, and draw them in the opposite direction from where Brian and Blaire stood. "Gentlemen," Robert said, looking refreshed and appearing the perfect face of absolute calm, "Please don't come here and disturb these critically ill patients. If you want answers, you need to get them elsewhere. Not from these poor people. What exactly is it you want to know?" Brian almost breathed a sigh of relief, but he felt some pity for his dear friend who was now purposely their target instead of Khaat. Robert was instantly besieged with people and questions.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," he said, "I am Robert Lupin--Chief of Staff for St. Mungo's. I will give you one statement about our Director, and then you really must leave. The Director is hospitalized because she went into premature labor and delivered her baby early. It was a very difficult delivery, and it is not uncommon for women to need careful care after such ordeals. We have every hope for her of a complete recovery. The baby is doing very well indeed. The baby is a girl, and her name remains uncertain at this date. To give you any more would simply be conjecture, and your readers need facts, not fiction. That's all St. Mungos will release at this time. Now, please leave before you are escorted out. "

Robert had no intention of revealing yet that his granddaughter was not a Dent anymore. She was a Lupin. That was not out for publication just yet. Nor did he want it revealed just yet that Khaat was not a Dent anymore, even though she was still technically married to one. Khaat was again a Lupin and had reclaimed her maiden name. Robert had done it purposely to demonstrate immediate distance between her and Rob, showing Khaat's distaste for Rob's behaviors. He was hoping to salvage a life for her and Abbey with as little ridicule as possible.

The crowd of reporters was steadily getting larger as more and more people wanted the scoop on what exactly had happened to the ‘dear’ Director of St. Mungo’s. Cyrus Skeeter was standing in the middle of the harem, taking the coffee-spurred atmosphere. The reporters with the cameras down the front were smoking something that definitely wasn’t a cigarette but frankly Cyrus just didn’t want to know. He had his notebook and quick quotes quill floating in the air beside him and his own camera in his hands. He had people taking pictures for him but he preferred to take his own because he didn’t trust the eye of his ‘assistants’. He watched as the father of their dear director walked out into the hall and the cameras began to flash and quick quotes quills sprang to attention.

Cyrus listened but was slightly distracted by the scratching of his own quill. He imagined that the thing was quoting Lupin word for word though. A few of the reporters began to disperse and Cyrus followed. He was behind a small gaggle of women and listened to their gossiping with interest. He heard words like ‘werewolf’ and ‘freak’ but what also caught his attention was the fact that they had accused the father of being missing during the birth and after. This interested Cyrus to no end and turned around one of the columns holding up the roof. He peered around the side and walked down the hallway. He slipped past Robert and into the intensive care unit. It was there that he found the small cluster of people around the near-deceased. She might as well have been dead anyway because she was wasting valuable room and hell, she looked like a corpse warmed up. Not in the least bit attractive at that moment in time.

“Isn’t this a touching scene?” his voice was soft but condescending and the sordid smile on his face told those inside exactly what he thought of the situation. It was all rather boring in his opinion. He didn’t honestly know why they bothered. As far as he knew there had been numerous incidents during the pregnancy ranging from depression to the need to take illegal potions. That was a crime though wasn’t it, possession? He wasn’t sure but even if it was he wouldn’t have had the time to actually be the woman’s friend. She didn’t even appear to have an ounce of independence. Perhaps he was being cruel, you could hardly be assertive when you looked like a skeleton but she was clearly worth less than what they were all hyping her up to be. It seemed as if a new diet was the rage with their beloved Director and Wizengamot Head.

He snapped the camera and there was a flash, storing the picture of the skeleton on the bed. Disgusting really, even Cy wanted to wrinkle is nose. Bury the dead, they stink up the joint. “Let’s see...how could we phrase this then? Near-dead, skeletal reproduction of the St. Mungo’s Director is what this reporter found upon arriving in the intensive care unit. The woman is clearly a shadow of her former self and a far cry from what we all remember.” The quill was scratching away, getting every word. “It would almost be sweet if her husband was here. Bittersweet. The dying Lupin being mourned. A pity. Where is your husband Mrs. Dent? Run away? Can’t imagine why.”

Robert apparated there instantly, feeling Khaat's alarm. He apparated so close to the intruder that he was nearly on top of him. He waved the blankets over Khaat's head, as Brian waved his wand and blew the reporter's camera to bits.

"Well, well,"Robert said coolly, "Little Cyrus Skeeter--all grown up, are we? How nice for you. With a nose as big as your grandmothers and a genetic talent to try to go where you aren't wanted. I told all you reporters that you could not disturb any of the patients. You will have to leave immediately. Unless you want me to remove you--somehow...." he let that trail off threateningly. "I"m sure you will write whatever you want, and it really doesn't matter since nobody reads your column anyway. What question, exactly, do you need answered? I could answer it, but you wouldn't tell the truth anyway, so why should I bother?" He took hold of Cy and began muscling him out of Khaat's room.