Hi everyone! This is my first King's Speech fanfiction so please be kind…
He was late. It was really no difference to Lionel if his patient was on time or not, but Bertie was always on time. Lionel was just beginning to worry when he heard a soft knock on the door. He quickly walked up to the double and doors and opened them to find Bertie.
"I-I apologize for b-being late." Bertie said this short sentence with much effort.
"It's quite alright, Bertie. Better late than never." Lionel said pleasantly.
The king walked into the room slowly and sat on the couch in the far corner of the room. He sighed softly and looked down at his feet.
"Would you like some tea?" Lionel asked, already knowing the answer.
"N-no –t-thank –y-y-you." Bertie stammered.
"Well, I think I'll have a cup."
"W-why has m-my stammer gotten worse?" he asked quietly.
Lionel turned around to face his patient. "Have you been experiencing anxiety or stress lately?"
"I've b-been thinking q-quite a bit about m-my brother."
Lionel took a chair and made sure it was a proper distance from the couch. He studied Bertie; he had dark circles under his eyes and was obviously troubled by something.
"Ah, yes. David, right?"
Bertie nodded. "He lives in Baltimore now, with Wallace, I presume." He spat in disgust.
"Do you miss him?" Lionel seemed genuinely curious.
"W-we were-"he stopped, fighting off a stammer. "Close a-as kids. A-as we got older, he n-never took me seriously."
"Because of the stammer?"
"What other bloody reason would there be?" Bertie barked.
Lionel took another sip of his tea.
"I-I apologize." Bertie said quietly.
"It's alright. I obviously pushed too far."
"No, no you didn't, Logue."
"I had a brother. We were very close; I always tried to look out for him being the eldest. But I failed him…" Lionel trailed off.
"W-what happened to him?" Bertie looked at his speech therapist in concern.
"He decided to enroll in the army. He was killed and I wasn't there to save him."
"Oh, Logue. I am very sorry." Bertie said with sympathy.
There was a silence. "There was nothing I could have done to help him. But that is all the past." Lionel said. Bertie could tell he was trying very hard to keep his voice level.
"I do miss him." Bertie said to no one in particular.
Lionel looked up. "Why the sudden change of heart?"
"I've spent so long b-blaming my brother f-for… everything. B-but I could have l-lost him."
Lionel gave him a perplexed look. "What did you blame him for?"
"W-when he left me to clean up his mess as k-king. David let d-down his people." Bertie was struggling not to stutter. "I suppose it was… b-bittersweet when he l-left for America. When he left I was u-upset, but I'm s-sure my father would be glad that he was not r-ruling."
Lionel nodded. Even though he couldn't begin to understand what it was like to be king, he had a great deal empathy and could almost feel Bertie's pain.
"I-I hope David is happy, wherever he may l-live. W-we may not see eye to eye on everything but we are b-brothers." Bertie rubbed his temple and sighed.
"We can end this session early-if you want." Lionel suggested, noticing the emotional stress on Bertie.
"N-no. It's alright." Bertie bit his lip and looked away.
The two men sat there for a few moments. Both were in their own world, remembering a simpler time. Before war, before responsibly, before growing up.
"H-he told me I wouldn't make a good k-king, when we were c-children." Bertie bit his lip and tired to stop his hands from shaking. "Even m-my f-father told me that I would n-never be a good leader." He wasn't looking for attention or sympathy, Bertie merely wanted to give his therapist perspective.
Lionel remained silent. He couldn't say anything to comfort Bertie, he was almost positive that he didn't even want comfort. Bertie probably just wanted someone to listen, someone who didn't judge. Lionel liked to think that he was a good listener, apparently Bertie thought so too.
"Logue, will my stammer ever be… completely gone?" Bertie asked. His hands were still shaking, but not as violently.
Lionel thought about this carefully before answering. "I don't think it will ever be 'completely gone' but if you keep up with the exercises I've taught you, I 'm very confident that will be barely noticeable."
Bertie pondered this thought for a second. "I would v-very much enjoy my stammer going u-unnoticed."
Lionel smiled. He noticed that Bertie looked significantly better. He no longer had that dull look in his eyes; it was replaced by a look that wasn't really happy or sad.
Bertie looked at his watch. "I seem to be out of time." He began to stand up.
"No, you're fine." Lionel said simply. "We didn't accomplish anything and I just so happen not to have another appointment for an hour."
Bertie sat back down with a small smile on his face. "Thank you, Lionel."
Reviews are welcome! I hope you enjoyed my story!
On a random note, I'm still so happy that Colin Firth won best actor! That was really random….
Anyway, thanks for reading… not like the others