many people had Zachary driven
away before they got a chance to do it to him?
At least one, Julian thought miserably. And not without reason. Going in with guns blazing to a sick
man’s room and delivering bad news with one hand and a slap across the face
with the other didn’t make him a prince in the slightest.
Pyon howled quietly, twining around his
legs. He’d been off looking for other kems and exploring, and now he’d come
back to the only person he really loved and trusted. Who he believed in the
deepest part of his kemmish heart, would never leave him or hurt him. “I did
hurt you, though,” Julian whispered. For the same reason as
he’d hurt Zachary. Pure and utter thoughtless selfishness.
He sighed and picked Pyon up, nuzzled his
soft fur. “I don’t deserve you, little fella.” Pyon just licked his face.
Deserve, don’t deserve, didn’t come into it with kems. They were stuck with you
until you died. People were different.
He popped Pyon onto his shoulder, and
stroking his kem’s fluffy tail, he walked back inside and went up to the
orthopaedic wing. He was a little surprised to see Zachary in a wheelchair,
wearing a rather nice deep blue bathrobe, with Linis sitting sedately on his
lap. He’d progressed a lot in the couple of weeks since Julian had last visited
with Leo.
Zachary’s expression became stony as he saw
Julian come in. He pressed the control on the wheelchair
which turned it, motored over to the window, but said nothing.
Julian cleared his throat. “I, uh…saw Leo. He looks okay.” Nothing. He walked into the
room a little way. “Zachary, I'm sorry. Those things I said, they were
revolting.”
“You meant them, though. Every
word of them. You’re only sorry because Leo didn’t approve. He did
though. Agreed with you that I'm disgustingly selfish and cruel.”
“He never said that. He’d never say that,
and he doesn’t think it. I don’t…I really don’t think that. Selfish
yes, not disgustingly selfish. And you don’t mean to be cruel, you
just…are, sometimes, because you want the best and you don’t seem to realise
we’re all just human.”
“Believe me, I'm very aware of that. I
thought I told you to go away.”
“Yes, you did. But if I go away, I can’t
apologise or talk to you, or see how you are, and ask if you’re still worried
about him, or if your leg hurts, can I?”
Zachary turned the wheelchair around. As he
did, Linis leapt off and came over to Julian. Pyon hopped down and the two kems
began to lick and groom each other, eyes half-closed in pleasure. A sight which once had delighted Zachary, now made his lips
thin with anger.
“You subvert my uncle, you subvert Linis,
you insinuate yourself into my home and my life, and now you want to be my
friend? Why? So you can teach me a lesson? Take away everything that’s mine and
show me how I'm supposed to live? What do you want, Julian? Gratitude?” He spat
the last word out at Julian, his eyes stormy.
“You make it sound like this is some kind
of evil plan! I never expected any of this! You think I wanted you to have an
accident?”
“I think you’re exploiting an opportunity.
I’ve known people like you.”
“No, you just think you have. I'm not the
ones who hurt you, lied to you, cheated you. I'm
just…ordinary. Someone who thought you were a prick and got caught up in this
situation, and got to know your uncle, and you, and Linis, and this is hurting
me too. You think I don’t know how afraid you are that Leo might die? Do you
know what we went through when we thought you would? I cried with relief, you bastard! So did he.”
A nurse put his head around the door.
“Zachary? Is there a problem? Mr Godwin, you’re being very loud.”
“I'm sorry,” Julian mumbled, staring at the
ground. Could this day get any worse?
“There’s no problem, thank you,” Zachary
said coldly. “We’re just discussing…family matters.”
“All right.” The man gave Julian a
away before they got a chance to do it to him?
At least one, Julian thought miserably. And not without reason. Going in with guns blazing to a sick
man’s room and delivering bad news with one hand and a slap across the face
with the other didn’t make him a prince in the slightest.
Pyon howled quietly, twining around his
legs. He’d been off looking for other kems and exploring, and now he’d come
back to the only person he really loved and trusted. Who he believed in the
deepest part of his kemmish heart, would never leave him or hurt him. “I did
hurt you, though,” Julian whispered. For the same reason as
he’d hurt Zachary. Pure and utter thoughtless selfishness.
He sighed and picked Pyon up, nuzzled his
soft fur. “I don’t deserve you, little fella.” Pyon just licked his face.
Deserve, don’t deserve, didn’t come into it with kems. They were stuck with you
until you died. People were different.
He popped Pyon onto his shoulder, and
stroking his kem’s fluffy tail, he walked back inside and went up to the
orthopaedic wing. He was a little surprised to see Zachary in a wheelchair,
wearing a rather nice deep blue bathrobe, with Linis sitting sedately on his
lap. He’d progressed a lot in the couple of weeks since Julian had last visited
with Leo.
Zachary’s expression became stony as he saw
Julian come in. He pressed the control on the wheelchair
which turned it, motored over to the window, but said nothing.
Julian cleared his throat. “I, uh…saw Leo. He looks okay.” Nothing. He walked into the
room a little way. “Zachary, I'm sorry. Those things I said, they were
revolting.”
“You meant them, though. Every
word of them. You’re only sorry because Leo didn’t approve. He did
though. Agreed with you that I'm disgustingly selfish and cruel.”
“He never said that. He’d never say that,
and he doesn’t think it. I don’t…I really don’t think that. Selfish
yes, not disgustingly selfish. And you don’t mean to be cruel, you
just…are, sometimes, because you want the best and you don’t seem to realise
we’re all just human.”
“Believe me, I'm very aware of that. I
thought I told you to go away.”
“Yes, you did. But if I go away, I can’t
apologise or talk to you, or see how you are, and ask if you’re still worried
about him, or if your leg hurts, can I?”
Zachary turned the wheelchair around. As he
did, Linis leapt off and came over to Julian. Pyon hopped down and the two kems
began to lick and groom each other, eyes half-closed in pleasure. A sight which once had delighted Zachary, now made his lips
thin with anger.
“You subvert my uncle, you subvert Linis,
you insinuate yourself into my home and my life, and now you want to be my
friend? Why? So you can teach me a lesson? Take away everything that’s mine and
show me how I'm supposed to live? What do you want, Julian? Gratitude?” He spat
the last word out at Julian, his eyes stormy.
“You make it sound like this is some kind
of evil plan! I never expected any of this! You think I wanted you to have an
accident?”
“I think you’re exploiting an opportunity.
I’ve known people like you.”
“No, you just think you have. I'm not the
ones who hurt you, lied to you, cheated you. I'm
just…ordinary. Someone who thought you were a prick and got caught up in this
situation, and got to know your uncle, and you, and Linis, and this is hurting
me too. You think I don’t know how afraid you are that Leo might die? Do you
know what we went through when we thought you would? I cried with relief, you bastard! So did he.”
A nurse put his head around the door.
“Zachary? Is there a problem? Mr Godwin, you’re being very loud.”
“I'm sorry,” Julian mumbled, staring at the
ground. Could this day get any worse?
“There’s no problem, thank you,” Zachary
said coldly. “We’re just discussing…family matters.”
“All right.” The man gave Julian a
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