The Story of A Button: Epilogue

It never occurred to me that those crazy conspiracy theorist types would be right. But then again, I had never encountered men in suits with guns, IDs and files who managed to secure a private room for an "interview" in a hospital. They even managed to override the protests of the attending doctor and nursing staff and had Willa in the room, albeit in a wheelchair.

Willa looked at me, worry furrowing her brows, as the men who corralled us into that private room seemed to study us in silence. As the silence stretched, our apprehension grew. Were we looking at the start of years of incarceration? What was going to happen to our kids? The urge to throw up hit me but I swallowed the bile that rose up my throat as the older of the two men cleared his throat.

"I'm assuming neither of you spoke to the authorities, apart from the FBI agent that is."

He seemed to relax a little when I nodded my head, my throat too tight to speak. I forced the words out of my mouth when he turned towards WIlla.

"M-my wife isn't to blame, I-I'm the one responsible for—"

"Look, Mr Milles, we know what both of you did. And I mean all that you both did."

As Willa and I looked at each other in dismay, the younger one piped up.

"But, as long as we can come to an agreement today, you can count yourselves lucky and get away with manslaughter."

A ghost of a smile crossed the younger man's face as Willa's eyes widened and I swallowed hard.

"Now, let's get some things straight. You thought both of you were exposed to a higher dose of a synthesised version of the Botulism toxin. That was in part thanks to a neighbour of yours who worked in a level 3 laboratory. What you don't know is the synthesised toxin and the antitoxin that was never officially commissioned and doesn't exist. At least not officially. The scientist involved in the creation of both is now in custody after Homeland Security successfully blocked his attempt at selling the toxin and the cure to a foreign organisation. If the sale had gone through, that foreign entity might have pursued an agenda which would have severely compromised the security of this country."

His partner impatiently took over the narrative. "Let's just say that the scientist was effectively persuaded to create a placebo with all the nasty effects but negligible toxicity for a sting operation. But no one expected your neighbour to steal the placebo and share it with your wife. When the placebo was discovered to be missing, a lockdown of the facility was triggered. The list of suspects was quickly narrowed down, but obviously not quickly enough because the perpetrator we were ready to swoop in on was spotted fleeing in a car and after a short chase, they crashed. The team who was on the ground intercepting communications caught the call your wife made and sent in a team. They treated you with the anti-toxin though you were only given the placebo. Up till then, the placebo had been assumed to be completely safe. But apparently, even negligible toxicity was enough to cause really nasty effects. Thanks to the two of you, the scientist was able to observe the strength of the placebo's effects and filter out the remnants of the toxicity in the formula. And so, here we are now, sweeping up the last pieces. "

The glare that accompanied that last statement made it clear he was referring to us when he used the term "last pieces". I was sure our expressions spoke of utter shock, but as expected, they ignored us and continued their little show and tell. If it had happened at any other time, I would have asked for cola and popcorn. The horror of being lab rats for an untested placebo beat the B-grade movies they showed on cable.

"If your neighbour had survived the car accident, he would probably have joined his colleague in custody. There would have been little chance of either of them regaining their freedom in the foreseeable future."

At that point, I could hold back no longer and opened my mouth to speak. Willa pre-empted me.

"But, but what has that got to do with either of us?"

Willa's question surprised the agents, then again, Willa's actions in the last couple of weeks probably surprised us all.

"Well, because if either of you ever leak any information about the existence of the synthesised toxin, the placebo or the sting operation, you will be introduced to your late neighbour's former colleague as his new cellmate, Mrs Milles."

Willa looked at me with panic in her eyes.

"Now, John, let's not frighten the little lady. Mr Milles, let's just say that Fate has been kind to you both. Mrs Milles' and Mr Heynous' involvement in the poisoning of your neighbours and friends will only ever be recorded in classified files. They won't see the light of day for the next 50 years and even when they are declassified, they may never be released as long as plausible deniability is required."

"As for your part in the car accident, while you do bear some blame in having imparted the knowledge needed to sabotage the car, Mr Milles, you never actually worked on that car. Only Mrs Heynous' and Mrs Smith's fingerprints were found."

I heard Willa's gasp as she grasped the full truth of the accident that claimed her friends' lives. I tightened my grip upon her trembling hand. Between us, we'd caused the deaths of our friends and neighbours. The most unwilling and unwitting accomplices we may have been but accomplices nonetheless.

"So here's what the official story is going to be. There was an unfortunate case of food poisoning which happened at a party due to food that had gone bad. You and Mrs Milles were rescued by emergency services, who were really the team we sent in. Mr Heynous tried to rescue his wife and her friends but they perished in an unfortunate automotive accident. A most unfortunate incident for your small neighbourhood. But nothing more than bad luck."

"But the FBI agent—"

"—has been debriefed and will go with the official line."

The older of the two leaned forward and stared hard at both Willa and me.

"No synthesised toxin. No placebo. No sting operation. Pure bad luck."

"Let up a little, Doe. Now you're frightening them both."

The younger man tried his turn at playing good cop.

"No cause for concern, Mr and Mrs Milles, we just need you to sign these papers declaring that you have no knowledge of any synthesised toxin, placebo or sabotage. However, if there should be any leak of information relating to this case and it's traced back to either of you, you will be held under the Patriot Act of 2001."

I looked at Willa as she stared at the two men. I knew she'd struggle with the implications of the deal that lay on the table before us. Under normal circumstances, Willa would never take that deal. But this was not normal, not by anyone's standards. When she turned and looked at me, I knew we'd both capitulated. There was no justice or anything approaching right in this situation but we could only save ourselves.

When we'd signed a whole stack of papers, we leaned back, mentally and physically exhausted. The two men packed all the files and were about to leave when the guy named Joe stopped. Looking at Willa, he took a slim file from the stack he was holding and said, "This came from Mrs Heynous' lawyer, we couldn't find a relative who could handle her estate and who could be counted on not to ask inconvenient questions. Do you wish to handle her estate? I believed she'd asked to see you before she passed."

His eyes darted between us before settling on Willa with an expression that was scepticism defined. It was clear he knew all that had gone down between me and Willa's friends.

Willa surprised us all with her soft murmur of "yes" before taking the file.

I left Willa alone with the file after the detectives left. For the first time, I was singularly incurious about Rita's private affairs or the history between her and my wife.

When I walked back to Willa's bed side, I was disturbed by the sight of Willa wiping her red rimmed eyes as she regarded a little photo that lay on top of the closed file.

"What's wrong, Willa?"

Willa chewed on her lip as she looked at me, clearly debating if she should reveal more of Rita's secrets.

"Willa, nothing can be solved if you keep me in the dark."

I was about to give up and walk away when Willa took a shaky breath and started telling Rita's story. I listened quietly, respect for the dead trumped my personal feelings about that woman.

"Rita was flirty even as a junior high student and when she'd made it to the cheerleading squad, it only became worse. She'd slept with a few boys but hadn't made the slut ranks yet. And just before the incident, she seemed to settle down after going out with one of the quiet nerds in school. That quiet nerd was Steve, my cousin."

She started choking up as she recalled the past, only managing to whisper parts of it when emotion overwhelmed her.

Becky was the first to suggest pranking Rita that weekend. After all, the boy she'd set her eyes on for prom date had just invited Rita to prom and Rita had decided to dangle the possibility of accepting the invitation in front of an angry Becky as a joke. While most of their friends knew she'd not have agreed because she was serious about Steve, Rita's attitude rankled and Becky decided it was time they taught her a lesson. Willa reluctantly joined the rest as Steve, her cousin, had quarrelled with Rita over the invitation and was deeply hurt by Rita's refusal to openly decline the invitation.

It was the party where the football team's victory over their bitter rival was to be celebrated and the group knew Rita had to attend as a representative of the cheerleading squad. Becky had purchased a small bag of pills that her friend had assured her was a harmless stimulant that would just make someone more relaxed and a lot more fun. With the help of the rest of the group, Becky managed to spike Rita's drink and everyone watched as Rita began to dance on top of the table. By the time the girls realised something was not quite right, Rita seemingly passed out and was helped by several of the guys to a room upstairs to rest. Any thought of helping Rita that might have crossed Becky's mind was waved away when she spotted Rita draped over her intended date for prom as they helped her to a room to rest. Led by a piqued Becky, the group of girls exited the party with only a worried Willa calling her cousin and urging him to check on Rita.

It took till Monday morning for the news to spread in the community but by then, the damage to Rita was irreparable. Steve had arrived at the party only to find his unconscious girlfriend naked and covered in cum in a room upstairs with most of the football team, some of whom were debating if they should go for seconds. His attempt to get help for Rita resulted in him getting beaten up. Eventually, Steve managed to help Rita into his car and drive her to the town hospital where she was warded. Rita woke to a shattered reputation, parents who condemned her for her loose behaviour and a boyfriend who could hardly look her in the eye. When a bitter and quiet Rita returned to school a week later, she was already labelled the slut. Despite the group's attempt to explain matters to the authorities and the rape kit that had been done, the school authorities and parents were eager to settle matters quietly.

Rita was pressured into not pressing charges by the school authorities and the town community who wanted to protect their star team. The entire football team closed ranks and claimed the sex was consensual despite the fact that Rita was completely comatose throughout the ordeal. Of course, it helped that the police chief at the time was the father of a football player. Even Steve was warned not to spread "lies" about what had happened that night. A month passed and just when everyone was starting to settle down to the new normal, tragedy struck again. Rita had found herself eight weeks pregnant but was advised to abort as the venereal infection she'd picked up at the party might affect the child she was carrying.

A morose Steve accompanied her to the clinic where the termination procedure was to take place and left her a letter which she read when she left the hospital. In that letter, Steve apologised for not being able to help her and their child before expressing his hope that she'd be able to start over elsewhere once she was ready to leave town. When Rita had recovered from the shock and tried to contact Steve, she found herself speaking to a police officer who informed her that the owner of the phone had hung himself in a motel room and had been sent to a nearby hospital. Steve's parents had him transferred out of state for further treatment after he was declared to be in a vegetative state. Rita had followed Steve to the medical facility but was apparently given the cold shoulder by his parents who blamed her for his plight. A month later, Steve passed away. There was no funeral and Steve's parents never came back to town though they gave Rita part of Steve's college fund.

Rita suffered a mental breakdown and was placed in an institution for six months. A subdued group of friends tried to visit her but were told the patient declined visitors. The only thing Rita said to the rest of the girls was apparently "You owe me" when she'd recovered enough to return for graduation before leaving for college.

"That was the full story or so I thought till today."

"What do you mean?"

"Rita didn't abort the child that day. She refused to abort Steve's child and ran out, hoping to persuade Steve to run away with her. Unfortunately, Steve had left by then. Rita read Steve's letter and ran after him. It was Rita who discovered an unconscious Steve. Panicking, she called my aunt and uncle before calling the police. When the old police chief arrived, Rita and Steve's parents threatened him with going public with charges of date rape against his son and the rest of the team. That's why the chief decided to go with the story Rita and Steve's parent invented."

"So your cousin didn't die?"

"Steve survived but he was in a non-responsive state. Even when Rita brought their son and placed him on Steve's chest, Steve didn't respond. Oh God, I can't believe we caused Rita and Steve! Such suffering."

As I gathered my wife's trembling body in my arms, I started to feel twinges of an emotion that had become increasingly familiar; guilt. I had treated Rita little better than most of the men she'd encountered in her short life. Willa sniffled and slowly pulled away when she realised she'd cried all over my shirt.

"So what happened to the child?"

"Rita refused to put the child up for adoption but couldn't care for her son by herself. While the baby hadn't suffered from the dreaded complications of the venereal disease Rita had contracted because of the incident, he was of weak health. So when Steve's parents offered to adopt their grandchild, Rita agreed. But she had certain conditions, she wanted to see her child at least once a year, even if she couldn't openly acknowledge him as her son. Every year, she would claim she was visiting her aunt down in Florida but actually, she visited Steve and her child."

"And Steve's parents were okay with that? "

"Not initially. But I guess Rita's devotion to Steve and their child moved them. And when Rita finally married Ashton, they were happy for her and gave her their blessings."

"I guess things seemed to get better for Rita for a short while, but that didn't last. Steve junior had a rare form of leukaemia and had to have a bone marrow transplant. Rita got tested but wasn't compatible. After Steve's parents got tested and were proven incompatible, Rita then hit upon the idea of conceiving another child in hope of creating that match for her son."

"But she found out Ashton wasn't capable of giving her a child?"

"Not right away, she only found out a few months later, after trying without success to get pregnant. She'd thought it was possibly a result of the venereal disease, but she got tested and it wasn't her."

"So she thought it was Ashton?"

"She probably suspected it. But it was that weekend at her in-laws where she confirmed it."

"So she went crazy then?"

"No, what pushed her over the edge was Steve."

"Wasn't he unresponsive?"

"Apparently, Steve could understand what was said to him and he'd been learning how to communicate using new software that tracked eye movement. It had taken almost 12 years but he was able to communicate with short phrases. He seemed to have understood his son needed help and he asked to be tested. Rita broke down when she saw him type 'test' and 'save son'."

"Steve wasn't a match?"

"No," Willa sighed and shook her head. "Fate was cruel. Steve was a match and of course, he wanted to save his son. His parents couldn't bear to reject him, but couldn't decide what was worse: rejecting help for their young grandson or putting their son at risk. Steve got his way and donated his bone marrow to his son. He even insisted on cryogenically freezing some stem cells in case Steve junior needed any help in future. It was as if he knew he wouldn't..."

"He didn't make it?"

"No, his immune system was already weak and compromised. He contracted an infection after the surgery and died a month later. He managed to see his son one last time and died with a smile."

Willa shook her head as tears ran down her cheeks.

"That was what made Rita snap. She blamed us, all of us for what happened to her and Steve, even for the broken family Steve Jr had to grow up in. That's when she gave up on her marriage. That's when she gave up on life. Because nothing was ever going to make up for the tragedy that has dogged her since that stupid prank. "

I didn't know what to say. Should I be honest and say that on some level I agreed? Was my guilt towards the ladies, specifically Rita, making me feel more sympathetic? A thought made me pause.

"That's why Rita targeted the husbands of all her friends?"

Willa looked pensive. "It could be. She did say she wanted us all to know what it felt like to have love ripped away and to live in hell."

I bit my tongue. What was I to say? I thought I was a lucky guy who'd the chance to sample the ladies. In the end, the joke was on me. I was part of a twisted revenge plot and I got burnt good.

"So she just wanted revenge huh? That was what that file is about?"

"No, she was hoping if anything happened to her, I would help keep an eye on little Steve. She knew I'd hesitated joining in the prank. If I'd known that prank would destroy my friend, my cousin and wreck a young boy's life, I would never have allowed it to happen. I would never have just stood by or join in with the rest."

The sense of tragedy seemed overwhelming and we lapsed into silence. In our own minds, we were probably thinking about the same thing: what would we have done if that kind of tragedy dogged our lives? Would we have reacted in the same way as Rita did?

"Will you do it? Will you help with the boy?"

The old Willa I knew would not have hesitated but the Willa beside me had shown she was human like the rest of us, as given to the foibles of hate and anger as I was. I wasn't even sure I could think of Ashton and not feel anger despite the complicated configuration of who owed whom between us.

"I will, I guess. I owe it as much to Rita as to Steve. I won't disrupt his life but I will let my aunt and uncle know that I'm there if they need help with little Steve."

I never knew how much I missed that look of placid calm that was back in her eyes.

"I know what you're thinking. I won't deny it. It'll hurt. When I see little Steve, I might think of Rita, the past, what we all did. I will always feel pain when I think of you and the girls. But I guess it's hardly comparable to what Rita went through."