Chapter IX
Anger

The resounding slap filled the air causing Julia and Willie to jump. Willie had come to dread these scenes. They were violent, cruel, and unyielding. Willie's Master was cruel, and worse yet very deadly. He was aware that something so horrible it was unspeakable had happened to Dr. Hoffman. His master had been the sole cause of whatever it was, but Willie would not ask nor question it. He was a slave to that unnatural creature upstairs, and he could not escape. Many times he wanted to, but knew it was futile.

Maggie's screams reverberated the walls of this grand old structure. Julia and Willie would do nothing, could do nothing to help. Julia had thought she could control Barnabas Collins, Willie had warned her she was only fooling herself. Now, they just acted like the slow agonizing death of Maggie Evans was a fact of nature like the sun rising every morning, and did nothing.

Julia Hoffman wanted to help Maggie, but an invisible barrier of fear prevented her from moving. Paralysis engulfed her entire being, and entwined itself, and was now a part of her. Consciously, she could not put words or bring life to her lack of action concerning Maggie Evans, so she would continue with her scientific research regarding the endless tests she would take from Barnabas to see how he was progressing, as the vortex of pain and emotions swirled around her. She wanted her old life back, but realistically knew it was no more.

"Julia, is everything okay?" Willie asked.

"Yes, Willie, everything is fine. I'm going to go back to Collinwood. I'm through here for the night. I'll see you tomorrow," Julia replied in a monotone.

Willie hoped the screams would stop. Maggie shouldn't argue with him. She should know better by now. She seemed to deliberately aggravate him. Then he heard her say "you're sleeping with Victoria Winters, aren't you? You're going to marry her, and leave me. I'll kill myself if you do. I swear it, " Maggie screamed in a hysterical voice.

Willie ran upstairs when Maggie screamed and screamed, and Willie heard the sounds of Barnabas relentlessly hitting her.

"Barnabas! STOP!" Willie shouted, as he was trying to pull Barnabas away from Maggie. Willie was horrified at what confronted him. Blood was everywhere it seemed, pouring from Maggie's mouth, nose. Willie knew he had to stop Barnabas, and stop him now or he was going to kill Maggie.

Grappling with Barnabas, and pulling him with everything he had, he finally made him let go of her. Maggie was lying on the floor in front of the fireplace very still.

Willie walked over to her, and checked to see if she was still alive. Thank God, Willie thought to himself.

"Barnabas, Maggie needs to go to the hospital," Willie said. He was afraid to go any further, although it seemed as though Barnabas had calmed down some.

"Get Julia, Willie. She'll take care of her," Barnabas replied in a stiff tone of voice.

"Julia left," Willie said.

"Well, where the hell did she go?" Barnabas asked irritation in his voice.

"Collinwood." Willie said.

"Well, go get her, Barnabas said shortly.

Willie, having left, and Barnabas calm now, walked over to Maggie, bent down, and cradled her in his arms, rocking her back and forth.
That's how Julia found them. The front of Barnabas' shirt covered in Maggie's blood, as he was holding her. She was awake and sobbing into his chest. Stroking her hair, not saying a word, he held her.

Seeing Julia enter, he picked her up and lay her down on Josette's bed for Julia to examine her. She clutched at Barnabas not wanting to let him go, and it seemed as if he was content to hold her.

Julia looked intently at Barnabas, and knew it was time for her to do something, she didn't care what happened to her anymore. As a physician, she owed it to Maggie to try and save her now.

"Leave the room, Barnabas!" Julia said very firmly.

Maggie was moaning, "no, no, Barnabas, don't go. Please don't go."

Julia looked at Barnabas, "LEAVE the room now! I need to examine her, and see what you have done this time," Julia said in a voice that brooked no argument. Barnabas still holding Maggie, bent his head down and whispered to her, "Darling, Dr. Hoffman needs to examine you. You are hurt. I will be right outside the door. It will be all right. You may spend the day with me." Maggie clutching at him, not wanting to let him go, nodded hesitantly, as Barnabas disengaged himself from her and laid her head gently on the pillow.

Barnabas looked at Julia very harshly, and she returned the look, equally as harsh, pulling an iron veil down to squelch the fear that threatened to rise up and overtake her.

After Barnabas left, Julia began a complete and thorough examination of Maggie. Satisfied that the blood that was so apparent, upon entry of the room earlier, was nothing more than superficial wounds from the tiny blood vessels under the skin, the blood loss was more than it should be, due to Maggie's apparent state of health. She had noticed Maggie clutching her abdomen and wincing. Julia palpated her abdomen, and Maggie gasped involuntarily. "Does that hurt?" Julia questioned the young woman.

"No," Maggie answered defiantly.

Julia felt a hard growth as she prodded further, noticing Maggie would wince every time she palpated.

"Maggie, when was the last time you ate anything?" Julia asked her in a professional tone of voice.

"Lunch," Maggie replied cryptically.

"You seem a bit dehydrated. Are you nauseous, and throwing up?" Julia asked.

"No," Maggie lied again.

Julia could tell that Barnabas had not taken very much blood from Maggie by looking at her eyes. Maggie wasn't hurt very bad. Obviously, Barnabas wasn't doing to Maggie what the screams implied. What was wrong? Something was. Maggie looked very sick. She would draw blood, and have it tested tomorrow. Julia could see that Maggie looked very depressed, chronically depressed. Of course, this was just a cursory exam. Hopefully, the blood test would tell her more. It occurred to her she should do a pelvic exam, a very minute one.

Upon her examination, Julia found that Maggie would probably need some reparatory surgery. There was bleeding at the initial part of the examination, but upon further examination, Julia's eyes widened in astonishment! It couldn't be. It was impossible. Something would have to be done. But what? She was afraid for Maggie. Maybe she was wrong. The blood test would tell her. She didn't want to question Maggie right now, Maggie was too depressed.

"Maggie, here take this," Julia said handing Maggie a pain pill. Maggie quietly took the pill, holding it in her hand, while Julia poured her a glass of water.

"I'm going to give you some tranquilizers for your nerves. I don't think you will need anything further for pain. Take some aspirin, if you do, and if that doesn't help, let me know, and I will prescribe you something stronger," Julia said.

Maggie nodded despondently.

Julia busily wrote out the prescription, and reached in her medical bag, and found a small medicine bottle, and took two small pills and gave them to Maggie.

"Maggie, these are the tranquilizers. I'm giving you a couple to hold you until you can get your prescription filled. Better yet, I'll give it to Willie, and see that he does it for you. I'm sure Barnabas won't mind, " Julia said.

Maggie just nodded, as if hearing, but not really listening.

"I'm going to go and find Willie, and I'll send Barnabas in," Julia said.

Julia noticed that Maggie seemed to perk up some, but she still looked very sick.

"Barnabas, you may come in now," Julia said flatly.

Barnabas came in the room, still dressed in his bloody shirt. He had dispensed of his jacket by now. He went straight to Maggie, and sat down on the edge of the bed, and pulled her into his lap, then he looked at Julia, and said, "well, is everything okay, Doctor?"

"Yes, I think so," she answered him cautiously, not looking at him, but took the vial of blood and put it in her bag.

"Julia, would you mind finding Willie for me? I don't want to leave Maggie, " Barnabas said.

Julia nodded affirmatively, and went off to find Willie.

"Barnabas, I'm sorry," Maggie said drowsily, as the pain medication was beginning to work.

Barnabas was about to reply when Willie knocked and entered. "You wanted me?" Willie asked.

"Willie, bring me a basin of warm water, and what's necessary for me to clean Ms. Evans up," Barnabas said softly not wanting to disturb Maggie. Maggie was almost asleep by now.

When he had finished cleaning Maggie up, and changing her clothing, he cleaned himself up, and picked Maggie up and took her downstairs with him to the drawing room. Laying her on the sofa, he knew it was almost dawn.

Dr. Hoffman had left, and Willie was waiting to take Maggie home, when Barnabas informed him Maggie was going to stay with him today.

Barnabas looked down at Maggie sleeping peacefully, wearing nothing but his shirt, he wrapped her up in the comforter from the sofa where she was laying, in one powerful swoop, he picked her up, and walked down the stairs to the cellar.

Maggie Evans belonged to Barnabas Collins totally, body, soul, and spirit. It seemed as nothing or no one would be able to stop the rollercoaster ride of destruction that Maggie was riding.

Elizabeth Stoddard had tried to stop what was happening before it started. She had seen what was coming, although she didn't know why it would bring nothing but sorrow. Roger, on Elizabeth's behalf had talked to Barnabas, using the arguments of the Collins name, social status, all the rest that the snobbishly rich called upon, when needed. All of it had fallen on deaf ears. Barnabas had listened politely, nodding at the appropriate moments of the conversation, noting Roger's reluctance in the whole affair. Barnabas had suspected Elizabeth was behind it, therefore, he acted interested. He did not want to be the cause of his Cousin Elizabeth's discontent, and vowed to himself, at the time, that what happened that day would not happen again, but, of course, it had. Elizabeth had let the matter go or so he thought.

Sam Evans could not sit still. He had listened to Loomis tell him that Maggie was going to spend the day at the Old House.

Deciding what he had to do, Sam Evans backed his car out of the driveway, and headed towards the Collinwood Estate.

Knocking on the door, Sam had worked himself into a slow mounting anger -- "Yes," he heard a voice say. "I need to talk with Elizabeth Stoddard, NOW!" Sam exclaimed, very angry, and very determined.