Chapter 2
As soon as Ivy got the call she listened, then asked questions, then thanked the caller and hung up before leaving the green house and hurrying over to the mansion. She entered the house by the kitchen door, where she saw Rose sat at the table with her son.
"I'm hoping I'll have at least a couple of weeks before I have to start thinking about treatment, I need that time... just a bit more time with my family," Ozzie said as his mother held his hand.
"And then you can get well," Rose reminded him.
As he looked into her eyes, he suddenly reminded her of the little boy he had been long ago as she saw fear in his gaze.
"If I die, it's the thought of leaving you all... that's the worst part..."
"You won't die!" Rose said firmly.
Then Ivy closed the door and they both glanced at her,then Rose let go of her son's hand, got up and offered her some tea.
"Yes please, I need to talk to Ozzie, so I'll be here for a while," she replied, and as she sat down at the table, she smiled.
"I have some good news – I heard from the hospital. The doctor who saw you the first time has since transferred, but they have your notes and test results and they said they can start your treatment tomorrow."
Ozzie stared at her as his face paled.
"No...I can't do that -"
"Yes, you can," Ivy replied, "And it should be a lot easier on you than the torture your Dad went through years ago. They can split the dose into a much easier to handle formula that can be given twice a week for six weeks. Unfortunately they said because of the way it works, the side effects are still chronic pain and weakness. But you can have something for the pain - and the treatment lasts for an hour and you can come straight back home and rest each time. The pain relief has be to be injected but I know how to do that and so does your Uncle Ed, so either of us can help with that."
He was staring at her in disbelief.
"I have to start treatment tomorrow?"
"Yes, the sooner the better," Ivy replied.
Rose had made the tea and she set it on the table and then sat down and joined them.
"You're going to be very weak right after the dosage," Ivy added, "You won't be able to get out of bed after each session. Who would you like to help you? Do you need your parents or -"
"Uncle Ed," he said, then he glanced at Rose, "Sorry, Mom... I'm not a kid, I need to cope with this on my own and I know Ed helped my Dad a lot when he was sick. I couldn't ask Dad, he's been through too much, it wouldn't be fair."
Rose sipped her tea and looked at Ivy.
"This is all positive," she said, "A way forward... getting the treatment quickly has to be a good thing."
"My thoughts too," Ivy agreed.
As his mother and his aunt spoke together, Ozzie sat there in silence. His hand shook as he sipped his tea and as he placed the cup on the saucer again, china rattled nervously against china.
"What's in this formula I'm going to be given?" he asked, as his face paled and he broke into a light sweat.
"It's plant based but it's very strong and very smart," she told him, hoping her explanation would ease his fears, the dose you're taking will still be painful but its a lot safer – less strain on internal organs. It will work its way through your body and find the genetic fault that causes the illness and destroy it."
Ozzie sipped his tea again, swallowing hard as he set his cup down and fixed his gaze on Ivy.
"So how dangerous is it? I mean for example, compared to a sick person like me, what would it do to a healthy person if they took it by accident?"
Ivy frowned, processing his odd question as she gathered her thoughts on the matter.
"Well... it wouldn't find anything to destroy in a healthy person," she replied, "But it would still cause weakness and chronic pain that would need management while the dose was effective. Each one takes around two days to properly wear off. In someone sick as you are, the meds will make you feel twice as much pain while they are working. I mean a healthy person would get cramps and stiff joints and aches to the bone, but it will be harder on you because of your condition. But the new way of giving the treatment is a lot safer. Does knowing that help?"
His face was still deathly pale.
"Not really," he said nervously.
Rose placed her hand over his and smiled.
"You will be fine," she promised.
"I didn't want to go through this... I just wanted a few more normal days...a week maybe..."
"Ozzie, you have to get on and face this! The sooner you start the treatment, the sooner you will recover," Rose reminded him.
"You're right, Mom," Ozzie agreed quietly, then he hugged her tightly.
Oswald parked the car outside the house that overlooked the beach and walked up to the front door and tapped on it sharply with his cane. A curtain twitched, then Fish opened the door. She was wearing a silken robe and by the way her nipples showed through as sharp points in the fresh morning air, he guessed she was naked beneath it.
"Oswald?" she said in genuine surprise. One look at him told her he was not the confident man with the world at his feet who had taken her so passionately in her bed on his last visit; he seemed tearful, there was a look of devastation in his eyes...
"My son is dying!" he said as emotion broke his words into tearful pieces.
As he started to weep she reached for him, placing a hand on his shoulder as he stepped over the threshold, then she led him through to the front room. They sat together, she offered him a drink but he shook his head, saying only that he would need to drive back home for mid day, he couldn't leave his son too long.
As Fish sat beside him on a soft leather couch and leaned back comfortably she looked at him. The thought had crossed her mind that a family crisis would be the prefect time to try and find a way into his empire... but not right now, not while his son was so unwell. Perhaps afterwards... She had never stopped her scheming ways, but she had no intention of trying to steal some power while Ozzie was on his deathbed.
"You came here for comfort?" she asked.
His head was bowed, he couldn't look at her as he nodded.
"But not the kind you think..." he turned his head and met her gaze as pain reflected in his eyes, "My son is sick because I selfishly conceived him while I was suffering from a condition that ran in my family. If I'd waited until the cure was found, this wouldn't have happened. My son would have been as healthy as my eleven year old daughter Karina. But poor Ozzie never got that chance because I was too impatient to wait!"
He took off his jacket, then his tie and finally his shirt. He left his cane leaning against the chair and stood up without it, then got down on his knees, took off his belt and folded it in half and as Fish stood up and looked down at him, he handed it to her with a lost and haunted look in his tearful eyes.
"Do not pleasure me afterwards," he said as he paused to kiss her shoes, "Just beat me. I deserve it."
"No," she stated, and she laid the belt on top of his discarded clothing and then joined him on the soft carpet, kneeling in front of him as frustration burned in his eyes.
"This is not the way, not at this moment," she told him as her fingertips traced a gentle feather-like touch over his cheek, "I will not beat you because you hate yourself for the decisions you made! You may call when you need to, and the sound of my voice will remind you that I am here for you. But while your son is so sick, he needs his father. I'm not so cold that I'd take advantage of you in this frame of mind, Oswald. Now get dressed!"
She kissed his cheek then rose up from the floor and handed him his shirt. He struggled to stand on his damaged leg and put his clothing back on in silence. Fish was right, he knew that – and next time he saw her, he would remember how kind she had been. Taking a beating wouldn't have changed anything – except he would have had to go home to his husband and his wife and later in the bedroom, showed them the welts and the bruises.
Neither would have been impressed that he had done this without their knowledge. He didn't even know how Rose would react to knowing he had wanted to be hurt like that without her knowledge. Ed would have eventually come around to the idea, often in bed, Ed had slapped his ass or bitten too hard on his nipples because he liked to hear him cry out, especially when climax was close. But coming here without his knowledge and getting that from Fish? No, it wouldn't have gone down well at all...
Oswald straightened his tie and put on his jacket. Fish surprised him with a brief hug. As he rested his head against the curve of breasts that felt warm and soft beneath the fabric of her robe he gave a sigh.
"I should leave."
She placed her hand beneath his chin and raised his head. As their eyes met, she kissed his lips softly and a smile flickered about her mouth so see the startled look in his eyes.
"Go home to your family, they need you, Oswald," she said, "But next time, when things are better at home, if you still want me to beat you, I will. Mama will beat you so bad you'll cry, and I will not give you release. If you want it harsh, I can be very harsh. But for now, go home where you're needed."
He nodded, then reached for his cane.
"You're right. I am needed at home."
She walked him to the door, he turned to her hoping for another kiss but she wasn't giving him a second taste. Then she said goodbye, and he hobbled back to his car, got in and drove away, taking the road that would lead away from the beach and on to the highway where the signposts pointed back towards the city of Gotham.
Later on, Bridgit Pike turned up at the mansion.
"You don't have to be afraid, Ozzie."
She had spoken those words as soon as she had entered the house, she had hugged him and then made that promise.
Worry was plain in his eyes as he looked back at her.
"I won't pretend I'm okay – I'm terrified! These meds are like poison! I'm going to be in pain, I'll be weak..."
"And I want to you marry you, Ozzie."
Bridgit's words stunned him into silence. She smiled, looking past him, then he turned his head and saw Rose and Oswald lingering back in the hallway.
"You've got my blessing," Oswald reminded him, "Marry the girl, she loves you!"
Bridgit smiled recalling her phone call to Oswald, the one she had made after leaving the house later that day. Oswald had returned from the coast just after mid day and she had phoned him and explained that under the circumstances, it might be good for Ozzy if they married, and sooner rather than later. Oswald had agreed at once. His son needed something to look forward to...
"But Bridget, I'm dying," Ozzie said, "I can't marry you and then die - that's not fair on you."
"Think about the future, we do have one!" she told him as hope shone in her eyes, "I've started making the arrangements – two months from now, start of summer – we'll marry here at the estate, in the gardens. And you won't die, you will live and then you'll be stuck with me!" she laughed softly.
He hugged her and then let go, looking thoughtfully at her.
"Say something?" Bridgit looked at him hopefully.
He smiled and then nodded.
"Okay, let's do it. Let's get married!"
As they laughed and hugged and shared another kiss, Rose looked on as she stood beside Oswald, and her hand linked with his as they exchanged a glance.
"He's just twenty years old - and getting married," Rose said, sounding slightly nervous.
"It might be his only chance to marry her," Oswald reminded her in a lowered voice, "At least he's smiling now."
As he stepped away from Bridgit's embrace, he glanced back at his parents.
"I'm getting married!" he said joyfully, and for that brief time, Ozzie sounded like all the pain and worry had melted away.
Rose:
'Ozzie's joy didn't last for long. The day he was due to start his treatment, he was physically sick with fear. He was late leaving the house because he needed to throw up. My pale and shaking son left with his Uncle Ed, and two hours later, he returned home with a dressing covering the needle mark on his arm. Ed needed my help to walk him from the car to the house, the pain had kicked in already and he was aching to his bones. Oswald hugged him and told him this would get easier, and that he was proud of him, but after we took him upstairs and Ed undressed him and put him to bed, as he layered on more blankets to warm him up and ease the cold pain that had sunk deep into his bones, he looked up at him and whispered "I want to die."
Then Ozzie called Bridgit and told her not to come over until he was feeling better. Then, he slept for hours. Ed kept a close watch on him, and gave him a pain shot when he finally woke. Ozzie couldn't face food and could barely move.
So much of what he was going through took me back to those terrible days when my husband had been sick. But the difference was, Oswald had fought it all the way. Even towards the end when his life was hanging in the balance, he had stayed defiant of the odds and said he was going to live. But not Ozzie. He was taken over by pain and weakness and had little fight left already... It was killing me inside to think that my son could be dying. But as long as he was alive, as long as he was having treatment, I still had hope, and so did his father.'
Ozzie woke up feeling drugged from the pain relief and looked at the clock. It was just gone seven am and the pain was starting to wear off. His body felt heavy as he sat up, then he grabbed his phone, checked his messages and paused for thought before searching his contacts and then sending a text. The phone vibrated as a reply came back and he read it quickly, then blinked as the text blurred and his eyes started to mist again, another side effect of the drugs.
"Okay..." he murmured, "Decision time..."
Then he sent another message.
The reply came back, he deleted everything and then put the phone away and laid on his back, feeling sore and tired. There was a knock on his door. He knew that tap tap of her cane too well.
"Come in Lilly," he said, pausing to adjust the covers up to his waist.
She entered the room and sat on the edge of his bed, looking fondly at him.
"How was yesterday? Uncle Ed said you had it rough."
"Yes and I have to face more of the same torture today," Ozzie replied, "Lilly, I may not be able to continue with this. You have no idea how bad the pain is. I can't do this for six weeks."
Her ice blue eyes widened in alarm.
"You have to do it! If you stop -"
"If I stop treatment, I could live for another eighteen months. I can do a lot in that time. You know I'm getting married?"
Lilly nodded.
"There's no guarantee this treatment will work, Lilly. You and Dad got lucky. I don't think I can take much more of this. I don't want my final days to be spent in pain."
Lilly's eyes filled with tears and then she leaned closer and gave him a gentle hug.
"Don't you die on me, little brother!"
"I'm having the treatment today. I'll see if I can cope this time. If I can't, I'm stopping it. And before you say anything, I can do that. It's my life."
"Think about your Mom and our Dad," Lilly begged, "Please..."
"I am," he replied, "It's not fair on any of you to see me like this – especially if the effort turns out to be for nothing. I know how bad I feel. I think I'm wasting precious time on something that has a significant failure rate."
Just then Karina came in. She was in jeans and a t shirt and she was wearing one of her grandmother's fancy silk scarves.
"Hey Ozzie," she said as she entered the room, "Are you feeling better?"
He smiled as love shone in his eyes and he looked to his eleven year old sister.
"Karrie, I'm not very well," he reminded her, "I don't know if I will get better. But you're the best little sister in the world and there's nothing you could do to change this for me. But you do make me happy every day. I want you to know that."
She smiled, her thoughts far from the gravity of the situation.
"I know that," she agreed.
"I want you to remember that always," Ozzie added, and Lilly felt uneasy as she wondered why he was talking like that, it was almost like he was saying goodbye...
"You should go downstairs and have breakfast, I think Grandma's called you twice," Lilly told her.
"Okay!" Karina said, and she left the room.
Then Lilly lowered her voice, looking intently into her brother's eyes.
"You'd better not be thinking of the other way out."
He stared at her.
"You freak me out when you do that, sis."
"When I do what?"
"When you read my mind."
Lilly took hold of his hand as she fixed him with her piercing gaze.
"We love you!"
He paused for a moment, then spoke softly to her.
"I'm taking the torture again today. If I'm still struggling, I'm stopping treatment. I'm not telling the rest of the family, I'll just tell the hospital that I've made my decision and then I'll come home and I'll have a few days to get strong again, for as long as I can be strong. Then at least I'll have a few months left with all of you – maybe longer. I don't want to live in pain, Lilly. I'm not thinking about suicide, just stopping treatment. Please don't make this hard for me."
She hugged him and then pressed her lips to his cheek, kissing him fondly as that intense look stayed in her gaze.
"Please don't do that," she said, "I want my brother to live! I couldn't bear to live, knowing you are no longer in this world!"
As she left the room Ozzie gave a heavy sigh, then he picked up the phone again, and this time he sent a message to Bridgit, a simple reminder that he loved her.
Ed was up and dressed before Rose and Oswald. He cast a glance back at the two people he adored who were sleeping side by side in their large, made for three bed, and then turned to the mirror, brushed a crease from the jacket of his green suit, and then he remembered to go back to the bathroom and take his anti psychotic meds.
As he swallowed them with water and then looked into the mirror and no Riddler appeared to taunt him, it struck him as ironic that those pills kept the worst of him at bay and kept his family safe from his true crazy depths – yet he could go out secretly under cover of darkness with Lilly and help her set up her elaborate executions. Maybe there was two sides to his crazy, the one he feared, and the one he did not... He knew he needed his pills more than ever now Ozzie was sick; when his husband had been dangerously ill twenty years before, he had gone so insane he had held a razor to the throat of Rose, his friend, Oswald's wife, the woman he had vowed to protect in his husband's absence...
"That won't happen again," he said aloud, and smiled at his reflection, knowing Riddler was far from his reach.
Then he left the bathroom and saw Ozzie's door was open. He went in and said good morning, and one glance at Ozzie, looking pale and tired and weak with shadows under his eyes, told him all he needed to know:
There was no way he would last six weeks on this brutal treatment...
"I want you to try and cope with it today," he said as he stood over his bed, "At least try, Ozzie."
"I doubt if I'll be able to stand after another dose," he replied quietly.
Ed drew in a slow breath. He recalled the journey home from the hospital the day before, when the pain had kicked in and Ozzie had looked at him and said, I can't take much more of this, Uncle Ed...
He sat down on the edge of his bed and spoke quietly to him.
"Have you considered other options if the treatment fails?"
"No," Ozzie said quietly, avoiding his gaze as he looked away.
"If it doesn't work, there's the cryogenic option."
"I don't want to be frozen and wake up years from now with everyone I love dead and gone. No thank you, it's not for me!"
Ed's heart was aching at he looked at Ozzie, who suddenly seemed so frail from the pain that he had struggled to handle.
"I didn't say anything about how bad it was on the way home yesterday," he added, "But if it's the same today, you'll fight on?"
"No."
"You want to stop treatment?"
Ozzie met his gaze.
"Yes," he replied in a hushed voice, "If it's as bad as yesterday, this is not how want to spend my final days. I don't believe I stand a high enough chance of the treatment working and I don't want to die in pain."
Ed drew in a breath and then gathered his thoughts.
"Okay, listen to this..."
Behind his glasses, his eyes misted with tears as he took hold of Ozzie's hands and spoke gently to him.
"If you carry on with the treatment and it doesn't work, what's the plan?"
"I don't know," Ozzie replied, and the despair he saw in his eyes broke his heart.
"I'm going to talk to you about the stuff your parents can't begin to think about, because someone has to do it," Ed told him, "If – only if the treatment fails, if you see it through and it doesn't work, do you want to spend your last days at home?"
Ozzie nodded.
"And do... do you want..." Ed paused to clear his throat as he blinked away tears, "Do you want me to help you... when the end comes?"
Ozzie's eyes widened.
"What?"
"I'm asking if you want me to help you... at the end. I won't say a word to anyone, not even your parents... if you want to control this thing, if you're scared of dying in pain, I can help you. When you feel the time is right – if it comes to that – I can painlessly end your suffering. I have medical knowledge, I used to work in forensics. I know how to make a pain shot not look like an overdose."
Ozzie was shocked at his suggestion.
"You want to put me down like a dog? No, no that's not how I'm going to go!"
"I didn't mean it like that. I'm saying, if you want to go painlessly – if it came to that – I can help. And I would, because I love you! I've raised you since the day you came into this world - I was there at your birth! If I can help you with your last breath too, if that's what you need..." Ed's voice began to crack with emotion, "I'll do it if you want me to release you from pain."
Ozzie gave his hand a squeeze.
"No, I won't die that way. I understand how much you love me and how this could be the only way to help me, but no, I don't want to go like that."
Then he reached for him and Ed gave him a gentle hug. As he let go he was still tearful, but managed to hold back from weeping.
"Do you need any help with the bathroom, or getting dressed?"
"No, I think I can manage."
"Then I'll leave you to it," Ed replied, "If you need me, just call out. I'm going bring your breakfast upstairs. I know you don't feel like eating, but you should try. You have to stay strong."
Then he left the room and Ozzie stiffly sat up. He felt overwhelmed with emotion as he thought about what his Uncle Ed had just offered to do for him, if it came to it. Then he grabbed his phone and checked his messages again.
"Last time," he murmured as he put his phone down, "No more torture after this dose... I can't take any more..."
After breakfast, Ozzie stiffly made his way downstairs and managed to spend some time at the table with his family. He saw his father smile as he took his seat, and the hope he saw in his mother's eyes made his heart ache. She mentioned that Bridgit would be starting to make arrangements for the wedding, and that it would be a matter of weeks before Ozzie was a married man. He spoke to his family about how much he was looking forward to that, then he looked nervously at the time.
Half an hour later, Ed reluctantly reminded him he was due to leave for his appointment. He hugged his parents tightly before he left, then he followed Ed outside and got into the car.
As the car drove away, Rose and Oswald stood at the door and watched them leave, then they went back inside.
"I wanted to go with him," Rose said as Oswald closed the door.
"So did I," he replied, "But Ozzie doesn't need to be overwhelmed with family, he needs to take this one day at a time. I think Ed's getting him through it okay. Maybe it's easier for him to involve Ed and Ivy more than us – we're his parents, he's afraid of upsetting us."
"I hadn't thought of it that way," Rose replied, "You're probably right about that."
Just then his phone rang. He answered it and began speaking, then as Rose listened, she realised it was Victor Zsasz, he had just heard about Ozzie. As her husband talked about the situation and thanked him for his concern, Rose looked about the hallway, then down at the floor and the thought hit her that she had been on this very spot more than twenty years back, when Ozzie had been born, here in the house, right by the front door on Halloween night. As Oswald ended the call and put his phone in his pocket, he noticed his wife looked tearful.
"Rose?"
"He was born right here, where we are standing," she reminded him.
Memories flickered through his mind of those dark days, when he had been terrible pain and fighting every day to stay alive, to be with his son. He remembered his birth, his first cry and holding him for the first time.
"And two months from now, he's getting married," he reminded her, focusing only the positive, "I am sure by then the treatment will have been successful. Ozzie is stronger than he realises."
"Do you really think so, Oswald?"
Their eyes met.
"I sincerely hope so," he replied as he felt an ache in his heart, then his phone rang again and he glanced at it.
"Business. I shall take this call in the study."
Then he walked off and she looked back at that place on the floor where Ozzie had been born two decades before. Her arms ached to hold her son. She checked the time. He would be back in a couple of hours, and he wouldn't have to go through any more pain for another week. At least he would have some time to get over this ordeal before it started all over again. With that thought in mind she headed for the kitchen to find Gertrude, whose bright and positive stories of the strong and resilient Kapelputs that had gone before her always gave her hope.
Oswald went into the study and locked the door behind him. He answered the call eagerly, hobbled over to his desk, pulled out the chair and sat down, feeling instant relief and escape to hear Fish Mooney's voice on the end of the phone.
"How is your son today, Oswald?"
"I have good news, Fish! He is currently having his second treatment. He seemed a lot better today – not nearly as afraid as he was yesterday. And he's planning to marry Bridgit Pike. I think having this marriage to look forward to has given him renewed strength to carry on fighting. The treatment is painful, but he's coping."
"You sound much happier," she said, "Do you still believe you deserve to be beaten?"
Her words felt like an invitation as he slid down a little, getting comfortable on the padded chair. His was instantly hard and he tugged at his zip and freed his hard cock and began a gentle stroking motion as he looked downwards at his solid erection.
"Yes Fish, I'm worthless... just your umbrella boy... a bad boy who has been away for far too long!"
"And you disrespected Mama," she said as her voice darkened, "Fucking me like you're some kind of big man who thinks he can control me!"
"I think you should do something about that, Fish..."
He caught his breath, then slowed down on the motion of his hand as his hardness grew solid and arousal threatened to take over completely.
"I should teach you a lesson!" she said in a menacing tone, "What would you do for me, Oswald?"
"Anything!" he gasped as he began to perspire and instantly felt too hot in his fine suit as he rubbed harder.
"You will be punished. I'll make you beg me to stop. But not yet.."
"Please, Fish... I deserve it..."
"Not yet. Your son is sick."
Her harshly spoken words had just done the equivalent of shoving a tray of ice cubes down his pants. His arousal drained away and he gave a heavy sigh.
"I wanted to get away from that today... I was having a good day!"
"Not while Ozzie is sick," she repeated, "Stop masturbating over your punishment, Oswald!"
"I couldn't masturbate if I tried after you said that! What did you wreck it for, Fish?"
"I told you before, wait until your son is recovered. He will need you far more than I do. I should let you get on with your day now."
"Will you call me again soon?"
"Soon," she replied, and then the call ended.
Oswald stood up and tidied his clothing, then he ran his fingers through spiked hair and took a deep breath, as a flicker of guilt ran through his mind. He didn't know why he needed to keep this domination game with Fish so secret – he had never kept secrets from Rose or Ed. Maybe it was just that he was desperate to escape his worries, that had to be the reason why. He would tell them soon enough, when it was appropriate... He unlocked the door and left the study.
Just over an hour later, Ed's car was back into the driveway, but as he opened the front door, Oswald's hope of having a good day instantly came crashing down:
Ozzie was so weak and in so much pain, Ed had to carry him from the car. His son was shivering and barely able to speak and this time, the pain was too much to bear. Ed put him to bed and gave him a pain shot. Then Oswald sat at his bedside, watching over him as he slept, as the sight of him so weakened frightened him more than he dared voice aloud – it was all too much for Ozzie. It seemed his son was fighting a losing battle and there was nothing he could do to change it...
Ozzie finally woke up late that afternoon. Oswald had just finished some tea kindly brought to him by his mother, and as his son opened his eyes he smiled.
"Good afternoon, Ozzie. You've had a very long sleep! And you are looking much better."
Ozzie gave a sigh and the effort of it made the rise and fall of his ribs send an ache radiating around his chest.
"I hurt to my bones, Dad."
"I know you do, but it's not forever. You'll get better, son."
Ozzie looked up at him as a flash of panic hit, and all the things his father didn't know dashed through his mind.
"I need to tell you something! I wanted to say it before... but... but I had no choice... I had to do it!"
There was a desperate look in his son's eyes as he raised his hand and grabbed at the fabric of Oswald's jacket, "Dad, I HAVE to protect you all! I love you too much to let you get hurt because of this... because of me!"
He paused for a moment, gasping for breath as he shivered. Oswald reached for a blanket at the bottom of the bed and drew it up, giving his son another layer of warmth.
"Ozzie, you're rambling. I don't doubt I was the same twenty years back. I know how tough this can be..."
"No, Dad!" desperation shone in his eyes, "It's my problem...my sacrifice, for the good of everyone I love, I have to handle this my way... too much is at stake!"
He gave a gasp and then closed his eyes, and slipped into an exhausted sleep. Oswald reached for a sponge next to the bed and drew it from a bowl of water, gave it a squeeze to drain it and then bathed away the sweat from his son's damp hair, then as he bathed his face and shoulders, he spoke softly to him.
"It's just a bad dream, you will feel stronger tomorrow."
He placed the sponge next to the water, then drew the covers up to his shoulders, protecting him from the chill as he recalled how unbearable his own sensitivity to cold had been when he had fought his own battle against the same enemy so long ago.
"Rest now, Ozzie, my precious boy," he whispered, then Oswald leaned over him and placed a tender kiss on his brow, before quietly leaving the room.
He didn't give a second thought to all Ozzie had just said, not realising his son had just tried to make a confession. But later, after much heartbreak and the darkest of times, it would all make sense, in the end...
