Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ Midvalley's Serenade ❯ Father and Son ( Chapter 29 )

Father and Son

After the surgery on Nick was finished and he seemed to be resting comfortably, I listened to the medical staff stammer excuses for a couple of minutes about what happened to my partner. I registered that they were probably terrified that the murderous sax player was going to blow their brains out. I hadn't really wanted to threaten anyone, but what I did got action and Nick's life was out of danger for the moment.

With the crisis handled, I just felt numb. I tuned out explanations about why my lover had almost died and sat down in the chair by his bed sank my head in my hands and tried to deal with the emotions that still agitated me.

I was still worried about him, wondering how to avoid a repeat performance of today's medical fiasco. My partner was seriously wounded and might not live. Much as I had wanted to be positive, I had to face facts now while I thought of the best thing to do. I didn't even want to think of what wild card Chapel the Evergreen might throw into the deck.

I tried but could not entertain the thought that Nick would die. I had to assume that he would live as I made my plans. I thought deeply about Nick and all the things that he had shared with me about his life and I began to get the glimmer of an answer. When I was ill with the side effects from my concussion, the thing that got me back to normal was doing the thing I love most, making music. It was obvious to me now what Nick loved the most, and it was children. And so the insight came to me that if Nick was in for a lengthy convalescence, there was no place he would rather be than the Orleans Orphanage where he sent most of the money he made week after week. I was going to make sure that he got there.

It was just after I had my brilliant idea that I saw Chapel the Evergreen enter the room. He came over to stand by me.

"You didn't meet me at the depot."

I don't know if he realized how much it pissed me off to hear him say that.

I stood up and not out of respect. I was damned if I was going to look up at him. I'm pretty much of a height with Nick. The Evergreen was a few inches shorter and I was glad for the intimidation advantage. Chapel the Evergreen is a dangerous man, but I can deal with the best when necessity arises. There was no way I was making excuses to a man whose son was lying gravely injured not a yard away and the first words on his lips were that I didn't meet the sandsteamer he came in on.

"My partner had a medical crisis. The care he was getting was sub-par and I had to make a few threats to get action. I think he would have died if I hadn't."

The Evergreen turned to the bed to look at his son. The sight of my lover's pale face gave my heart a pang. It hurt to see him look so ill. I watched to see the father's reaction to his son's condition. He reached out his hand and rested it for a moment on Nick's forehead. I couldn't tell whether from curiosity or tenderness.

"He has a slight fever," he said. "I can see it with my implants."

I felt it through the link.

"Not two hours ago, his temperature was so high he was delirious and they had to use ice packs to get it down, so he wouldn't get brain damage."

The dour priest seemed to consider this.

"I read in the Epril Town Crier that Nicholas foiled a robbery attempt. The news was also picked up on the satellite. The report is that my son risked his life to save yours. The article says he pushed you out of the path of the bullet."

"That's true," I said.

"Master Knives was very interested when he heard the story and mentioned that he wants Nicholas for a special assignment, when he gets well of course. It's been a dream of mine, that something like this might happen. To be Master Knives' body guard-I can think of no greater honor."

I knew that Chapel the Evergreen put loyalty to Master Knives above everything else, including his love for his son. It had always been of the greatest importance to me, as well, even though I had never been in the man's presence. The only ones to see him were the Evergreen, Leonof the Puppetmaster, Legato Bluesummers, and a doctor who made regular visits to aid in his regeneration.

I supposed that with his reliability having come into question because of efforts of Jake Berkis and Ben Evans to get him discredited, Chapel the Evergreen was trying to regain his position of trusted advisor to Master Knives. As for me, I still revered Knives, but when I thought of what was important to me now, I could see that I put my love for Nick at the same level and that frightened me somehow. What if I should ever have to choose? Just contemplating that for a moment awakened intense anxiety in me, until I realized that loyalty to Knives was just as important to Nick as it was to me.

"Your wire mentioned new assignments," I prompted him. "I'd like to remind you that I am still on mandatory medical leave on Legato's say so. I still have three weeks of it left."

"Understood. Legato wants you to take advantage of the time and use it however you see fit. He speaks of your abilities with great respect, and that is why he wants you fully recovered, so that you can act as his executive officer, his right hand man, when your leave is over. Leonof and I have been hoping for this for years."

"Do you have any plans with regard to your son?" I asked him.

"Well, naturally I'm as concerned about his welfare as you, Midvalley. I may not show it all the time, but I am very fond of Nicholas. I was thinking of taking him back to the academy infirmary to get well. You're not the only one who knows how inconsistent the care is in hospitals."

"I was giving your son's situation some thought and I believe that he would make faster progress at the orphanage in December."

"Nicholas has visited the orphanage in the past and when he does, it seems to do him good. My only concern would be that he will need continuous medical treatment because of the infection. You would have to have a nurse in attendance at all times. And the trip to December takes a good four days by sandsteamer, more if there are delays. There have been reports of bands of outlaws, raiding the sandsteamers when they reach the Badlands, and several have been attacked."

"I hear the same news reports that you do. But I should be able to do it. I have the money to finance his medical care, but I need to run a few errands today. Is it possible for you to stay with your son for several hours. There is no one else that I would trust with his welfare."

"Of course," said the Evergreen.

With one last look at Nick's drawn face, I left the room, and proceeded with my plans. I had so much to do.

My first agenda was to talk to Dr. Reed. He was having a coffee in a small café near the hospital. He looked visibly flustered when he saw me walk in the place and even more so when I sat down at his table.

"Your partner's health is all right, isn't it? I swear I did my best," he said in an agitated voice.

I found his display of naked fear annoying.

"Relax," I said.

I've seen more than a few surgeons work in my day, and I could tell that Reed was very good.

"I was just as upset as you were when I saw your partner's condition," Reed began.

"Not remotely," I said with withering contempt.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't compare the situations, but I pride myself on my patients' survival rate. I could not foresee your partner's nurse would be assaulted while she was on a short break. I was certainly not aware that her back-up would behave so irresponsibly. I heard the story of what happened from the orderly on duty at the time…"

"I don't need excuses," I said. The doctor paled. He probably thought I was going to kill him and that a long story would buy him time.

"I'm not going to kill you," I said.

"You're not?" said the surgeon with an audible sigh of relief.

"I need help. I want to transport my partner from here to a facility in December and I know I need a qualified nurse or doctor to oversee his care. I would like to leave today."

"December is so far," Reed said as he rubbed the bridge of his nose and considered my proposal. I gave him a minute to think about it.

"It could be done," the doctor continued, "but you'd need someone very qualified to care for him and to deal with potential emergencies. That's why we prefer it if the patient stays at the hospital to assure a certain level of care."

"The level of care at your hospital almost killed my partner."

"True enough," said the doctor, "and I'm sorry. I'd offer my services, but I don't think you could afford me."

"Try me," I said.

"Fifty thousand double dollars," said the doctor, "half for the medication and half for my services."

I didn't tell him that was a drop in the bucket to me, but it pretty much was. The mini-album sales had been brisk, and after just a couple of months in distribution, it had generated enough profit to fully replenish my bank account and then some.

"It's a deal," I said. "But I'd like to leave this evening."

"That could be arranged, but I'll need payment in advance. I have to purchase the medicines and equipment. Proper planning is paramount."

"True," I said, "so you'd better start. I will send a courier with the money . You'll have it within the hour. I'll buy you a round-trip ticket and my plan is for us to leave on the evening sandsteamer.

After I handled the bank business, the biggest thing still to accomplish was following up on the paperwork to claim the bounty for the three robbers. With time running out and Nick drifting in and out of consciousness, I decided to bypass the strict legalities, so I copied Nick's signature from a transmittal slip and ended up forging the power of attorney. An hour later, I picked up a check for $$200,000 and deposited it into Nick's account.

With packing yet to do, and arranging for Angelina's transport I began to think that maybe I had taken on too much and got a little discouraged, but I went back to my house to pack.

I saw Lenny's van parked outside the studio, and when I went in, I found Lenny, Dave, Dixie, and the rest of the band inside. Even Hot Lips was there. It looked like they had just arrived.

Dixie walked straight into my arms and pulled me into a hug.

"I saw it in the paper last night. You must be going out of your skull, Midvalley. I know how much you love him."

There's just something so direct and disarming about Dixie, that her hug and her words hit me with the force of a hammer blow. After all the tension I'd been through and with Nick's future still so uncertain, even though I had tried hard not to, finally I couldn't help myself. I broke down and cried.

The emotional storm didn't last long, and the men in the band were sensitive enough to give me some privacy while I cried myself out. I'd have done the same for them. Dixie held me the entire time, patting my back, but after some time, she started crying too, and I knew she was grieving for the husband she had lost. Fate had been kinder to me than to her. The one I loved was still alive. And with the tracks of my tears still wet on my face, I held her and comforted her as she wept and kissed her softly on the top of her head.

I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was Randy.

"Hate to interrupt," said the musician, "but that's my job."

He took the still weeping Dixie into his arms, and looked down tenderly as he embraced her and soothed her with whispered endearments.

"You needed a good cry, Dixie. You've held it in so long. You always think you have to be so strong. It's okay, honey. I'm here for you."

I felt their need for privacy and wanted some too, so I stepped outside onto the shaded porch and closed the door behind me. It was a little after 10 o'clock and the sun had evaporated the early morning dew. The worst of the day's heat was yet to come. I had to get into action soon and the thought agitated me.

I still carried Nick's pack of cigarettes and matchbox, so I took one out, lit it and smoked it until the knots in my heart and gut started to loosen.

I knew I needed to get busy again, but I couldn't push myself to do it just yet. The door behind me opened and Hot Lips stepped out.

He stood with me in silence. I offered the pack of cigarettes to him. He took one and I lit it and we smoked. After a few more minutes of quiet, Hot Lips said, "We visited the hospital this morning, just after you left, and heard about your plans from Chapel's father. We thought you'd be heading back here and that maybe you could use some help."

"I'm going to be away for a few weeks, and I want to make sure someone takes care of the studio and can keep the business going."

"We figured as much. Sunny already talked it over with Kima, and since she's been running the disk operations for a few months, she's just going to keep doing it for a while longer, if that's okay with you."

"Fine," I said.

"We were surprised at the coincidence when we heard you were planning to take Chapel to December, because we've been discussing finishing the tour. After Augusta fell, everything was so screwed up, we never made it to December, but things are a little more stable now. We were actually thinking of leaving today."

"Is this more Mouth of Gabriel business?"

"No…well, yes. It is a coincidence, but if you're going to be in December, you should meet the intelligence cell. I heard about your new promotion. Master Legato wants you by his side. Can't say I'm surprised. Your talents are impressive."

I exhaled a puff of smoke with a deep sigh.

"That's a laugh."

"Don't sell yourself short, Midvalley. You've got more talent than me."

"Legato expects a lot." Hot Lips had no idea just how much. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Is this about you and Chapel?"

"I said I don't want to talk about it."

Hot Lips took inhaled a puff of smoke held it then exhaled.

"Hey, Hornfreak, in my day, I was just as famous as you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"How did you think I got my nickname, just because I blow the horn good? I knew what to do with my lips and tongue. I had as many groupies as you did."

"Oh, fuck. I really don't want to hear this."

"I'm trying to tell you something. I had a reputation, and then I fell in love. Just like you."

I took the last drag from the cigarette, dropped the butt and extinguished it with my shoe.

"I've got to get ready to go."

"I fell in love with your mother."

Now he had my full attention.

"I knew your mother before you were born."

I stiffened when I heard that.

"I wasn't Mouth of Gabriel then. But I met her nearly thirty years ago. I was a traveling musician, going from one town to the next. I loved music the way you do. Then I met your mother after a long road trip. I didn't get along with my band mates back then, not the way you do, Midvalley. I was lonely and she was so beautiful. You know that.

Well, as I say, I fell in love with her. I stayed in town with her every chance I got. It killed me sometimes that she slept with other men. I courted her, even asked her to marry me, but she wouldn't do it. She wanted her independence. It broke my heart. So I had to leave. I couldn't stand the way the jealousy ate at me when she had customers. I didn't come back for the longest time.

By the time I did, I was part of Mouth of Gabriel, recruited by Master Knives himself. He saw my talent and found a use for it. I hope some day you'll finally meet him. As lovely as your mother was, I think Master Knives is the most beautiful creature I ever laid eyes on. He's not a man, and he is more than an angel. Even with his body broken by his brother's treachery, his power shines.

His brother has chosen a dark path, and Master Knives only wants to guide him back to the path of light. He gathers about him men and women of talent to serve. I have served for more than twenty-five years.

You were ten years old when I met your mother again. In her business she was well-placed to gather intelligence. So I made her one of our informants. I never stopped loving her and when I met you and started to give you lessons, I could see you had the talent too…"

I knew now what he was telling me. I could see it in his eyes, the same brown shade as mine. He was my father. He opened his arms to me. I stepped into them and hugged him back with a lump in my throat so thick I couldn't breathe, but only listened to the sounds in my ears as I swallowed tears with my eyes closed and heard the rustle of his jacket as he held me. It was the creaking of our shoes on the wooden porch floor that ended the moment and we separated.

"Does anybody else know?" I asked him.

"Dixie's seen the likeness."

"Why did you decide to tell me today?"

"To offer you my help and for you to know why. One of the biggest regrets in life is that I wasn't there to help your mother, but it has meant a lot to me to have you in my life.

Like you, I have some healing ability. I want you to let me help you with your friend Chapel. Offer him some of my strength. I can see how important he is to you. You'd give your life to save his, I think.

But I don't think you've really looked yourself in the mirror lately. You've lost weight. I've seen how ill you've been. I'm afraid if you use your healing ability too often, you'll be drained to the point of no return. Legato had your best interest at heart when he ordered your medical leave of absence.

I want to help you, Midvalley. I haven't been a father to you, but I can help you with this."

"Thanks. I'd like that."

"But there's something else. I'm happy that you've found love, but you need to understand, where your priorities lie. Your mother was just as loyal to Knives as I was, so there wasn't a problem. It seems to me that you and your friend, Chapel have the same loyalty. Being apart was hard for your mother and me, and I know the separation from your partner will be hard, but at the risk of repeating myself, you have to know where your priorities lie.

Don't let the sense that your skills are inferior to Legato's rob you of the chance to serve Knives. Your own abilities are considerable. You can meet his expectations and Legato's."

I sighed again.

He still didn't know what Legato expected of me and I wasn't about to enlighten him.

With that we went inside and made plans with the rest of the band who were happy to help me.

Lenny took charge of buying the sandsteamer tickets. Dixie helped me pack my belongings and Nick's. Dave, Randy and Hot Lips took responsibility for making sure that Angelina and the Cross Punisher made it safely to the depot storage bay. By four o'clock all of my business was finished and I was ready to go back to the hospital.

When I arrived I saw that Nick was sleeping peacefully still. The Evergreen was sitting by Nick's bed, reading a leather-bound book. His bible, I thought. But when I got closer, I saw the blue print of a weapons system. Production plans for a weapon like Nick's Cross Punisher.

The Evergreen closed the book.

"Your friends from the band visited this morning. I trust you found them."

"Yes, they helped me prepare for the journey. Have you had any word from Dr. Reed on his progress?"

"Dr. Reed is a remarkably well organized man. We could use someone with his medical skills at the academy. I have offered him the job. I believe he means to take me up on the offer."

"So will he be ready to leave on the sandsteamer this evening?" I asked.

"Yes," responded the priest. "Dr. Reed has arranged everything with one change only. He wants to bring along a nurse. You weren't here to say yes or no, but I agreed it was a good decision."

He talked on and on for awhile, a monologue that commented on the weather, trends in sandsteamer travel and the sad state of medical care in Mei City. I ignored most of it while my eyes caressed the planes of Nick's face and watched the rise and fall of his chest, but then Evergreen's tone softened and I could tell he wasn't just making conversation anymore. He was saying something true and I started to listen.

"I never wanted to mollycoddle him, you know. I was always afraid if I treated him too softly, he wouldn't be ready for the worst and I wanted him to survive. I tried to be impartial, not favor him over the other students. Maybe I went too far the other way. I could see how special he was from the beginning, not talented like the rest of you, but special in his own way. That's why I adopted him. Something about him just called out to me. I wanted him to have a better life.

He was average but his passion to please set him apart. I never saw anyone practice so hard or achieve so much by practice, but I could never praise him for it. I was afraid to. I thought it would make him soft. I didn't hug him much for the same reason. I think it made him sad that he thought he couldn't please me, but that didn't stop him from trying again the next day. He's always been so loyal and optimistic, part of what makes him so lovable I suppose.

I know you think I'm blind to my son's welfare. After all where was I when my son was raped?"

I was startled to hear him mention it.

"I would not have wished what happened to him on my worst enemy. Despite the violence of his upbringing , Nicholas was in so many ways an innocent. He was so miserable that hot season, so quiet and withdrawn and I found him crying more than once. I told him not to be a baby. I didn't find out about Mazarov until after the Eagle magazine came out with the pictures of him and his gang. I felt my blindness then. You can't imagine how harsh I was with myself.

And compared to me, Nicholas was the soul of mercy. After what they did to him, he didn't kill them, but he made the punishment fit the crime. What wasn't reported in the magazine was that a month later I tracked them down and killed them for what they did to my son, and I have never regretted it for an instant.

Still, I was afraid the rape would affect my son's ability to his job. So, when the Drake execution was proposed, I thought it would help Nicholas overcome his fears. I knew that Drake raped his houseboys and knowing that, because of that, I suggested that Nicholas would be a good choice for the job. And so I sent him into danger.

I was so proud of what he did that day. So very proud of him. I just wish that he knew I love him. I can't tell him. Now, he just gets angry when I'm around, like he hates me. I'm not a perfect father, I know."

"I'm not blind, Midvalley. I know you've been good for him. And I thank you for what you did this morning. The doctor tells me that your quick action probably saved his life. Do you know why I wanted to take him back to the academy infirmary with me? Just to have him around me, to know he was safe, to be able to look at him. He's away so much now. We've grown into strangers.

But you were right. You try to see what's best for him. He does love children. I think they make him happy, the hope that they represent. It was the same hope in him that made me want to adopt him. I only hope I haven't killed that thing in him that made him so special. He can't show it to me anymore."

The Evergreen got up from his chair and said, "Take care of him for me, Midvalley. I'll see you in a few weeks."

He left the room.

I looked at my lover lying so peacefully with his eyes closed and saw a tear roll down his cheek.