22. One Flew Out of the Cookoo's Nest (D1)

__ "R. Lee, you can't," Ardy pleaded. She pushed against his chest and put on her best pitiful expression. "You can't leave here. It's too dangerous."
__ "I am leaving here," he said and zipped the satchel closed. "Where's the gun?"
__ Ardy shivered and pulled back. "What? You can't be serious after--"
__ "Not for me, little girl. For you."
__ She avoided glancing toward the bedroom and hoped they could get through this without disturbing Doug. Doug hadn't gone through what they did. He wouldn't understand their argument, or Munson's passion.
__ "R. Lee, please."
__ Munson grabbed her by the upper arm and turned her toward the door. "Let's go."
__ She tried to pull away but his grasp was too tight, pinching. "Ow! You're hurting me."
__ He stopped and spun her to face him. He clamped his hands on her arms to hold her straight and leaned into her eyes. "You can't stop me. No way. And you know this is somethin' I gotta do."
__ Ardy shook her head. Tears, from where she couldn't fathom, trickled from her eyes.
__ "And I need ya, Ardy. I need ya to bring 'im back."
__ Mustering all the strength she could find, Ardy ducked and spun away from him. She ran around the fortune telling table and stood with it between them.
__ Munson glared, sized up the table. Ardy knew the old R. Lee Munson would have simply toppled it, the lamp, and the cracked crystal ball to the floor. But the new Munson didn't.
__ He simply took a deep breath, turned, and sprinted out the front door.
__ "NO! R. LEE, WAIT!" Ardy caught part of the table as she tried to run after him and fell to the floor.
__ "You'll come after me!" He called from the storm. "You'll have to." His voice trailed away as he rounded the side of the building and sloshed to his car.
__ "R. LEE!"
__ Ardy got back on her feet and stumbled toward the door. Doug burst from the bedroom and caught her in his arms just before she got to the rainswept threshold. She collapsed, weeping, into his arms, crying, "Come back. Come back."
__ The gutteral rumble of Munson's car echoed around the building until it pointed West on Route 9. Doug and Ardy saw his ghostly profile as he sped off into the storm. Lightning flashed and made it appear like his car winked away into nothingness.
__ "He's gone? Where did he go?"
__ Ardy's eyes met Doug's. She sniffed. "He went to where he buried Clye. He thinks I can bring him back to life and he can somehow ask forgiveness for killing him."
__ "That's insane." Doug said it without realizing the entire night has been insane.
__ Ardy blinked more tears away. "And this isn't?" She pulled away from him and motioned at the room, recalling everything that had transpired here from Munson's original threats and attacks to the gun battle between the trio and the Pizza King twins.
__ Not to mention the two spontaneous resurrections.
__ "Why did you try to stop him, Ardy? You know he can't do anything but get arrested. Maybe that's the penance he deserves."
__ "No. No, it isn't. I'm supposed to save him, Doug. Me."
__ Doug looked out the open doorway. Lightning flashed again. Sheets of rain speckled the rivers of runoff water from the rural route. He could only shake his head slowly, unable to see what she was thinking as easily as she could read his mind.
__ Ardy put her hand to his chin and turned him to face her. "I know you can't understand why. I know you can't imagine what I seen tonight -- or what he's experienced."
__ "'Cause I didn't die and come back, y'mean."
__ "It's more than that, Doug." She sighed. "How can I explain?"
__ "I know," he shrugged. "You've seen stuff."
__ "I was with him in Hell. Jesus -- or God -- somebody spoke to me and told me to save him."
__ Doug studied her eyes. He finally smiled weakly. "You don't have to worry about me. I've seen things here I can't explain and never could. I trust you."
__ Ardy turned and moved toward the bedroom.
__ "I don't want you to go after him alone."
__ She stopped and turned. "Even if I could bring Clye back from the dead, I would want you by my side."
__ Doug's brow creased. "How do you mean 'if I could'?"
__ Ardy went back to him and put her hands in his. "Don't you know?"
__ He shook his head, confused and bewildered.
__ "Doug," she whispered. "I'm not the one who brought R. Lee back to life. And I sure as heck couldn't resurrect myself."
__ His shocked expression misted over like the speckled sheen of rain on the picture window.
__ "I'm not the healer, Douglas Testerbird. You are."