Chapter 8

Surprise

The next day Leon went to see Gomez. He knocked on door 105 twice and when nobody responded, he turned the handle and opened the door, stepping into the white sterilized room.

A lot had happened after he had left Wesker's place. Well, maybe not a lot, but enough for Leon. His situation seemed to change every day: nothing was the same for more than a couple of hours. Once he had accepted his new situation, it changed into another. And all he could do was to try to keep up with it.

Last night, when he had been in the shower, Wesker had arranged everything behind his back.

"From now on you don't need to worry about your security in this facility," Wesker had begun, keeping a towel around his hips as he talked to Leon who just had opened the bathroom door. "Your guard will show you the way to your room for the last time: tomorrow you will meet your new team and get another place to stay."

"A team?" Leon had asked, unable to understand what the man meant. He was again caught by surprise.

Wesker ignored his question. "And Gomez you will find in room 105 in the hospital building. Give him this," Wesker put a note in Leon's still moist hand. A couple of water drops landed on the paper and handwriting from Leon's messy wet hair, ruining some of the perfect curves of the letters.

Wesker walked past Leon to the bathroom, closing the door behind him and leaving Leon to look after him in shock.

And here he was now, in room 105 in the hospital building, still not aware of his current situation. He had woken up early just in case: he didn't want to meet any more gorillas even though Wesker had assured he was safe now. He still didn't have any good reason to believe in Wesker and what he said...

A memory from last night reached his mind. Wesker's hot skin against his. Pain. Lust. Pleasure. His own moans echoing in the dark room. Wesker's predator eyes...

The shivers ran through his spine and a slight blush reached his cheekbones. He didn't want to think about it! Nothing had changed between them. Wesker just used him and that was it. He had done what he had to.

And he had enjoyed it.

Leon shook his head and pushed his thoughts out of his mind. He had Gomez to think of now.

Gomez was asleep, lying on the hospital bed tucked into the sheets. He didn't seem to be in pain and one look at the monitors told Leon that Gomez's state was in balance, at least now. Leon couldn't help but feel awfully guilty for what had happened. If he hadn't been there, if he and Gomez hadn't met, the man would be still unharmed.

Leon took a seat and sat next to the bed, looking at the Latino concerned. He couldn't help but think all the people he had put to the risk of dying, or had caused their death. Luis. Mike. Ashley. Now Gomez.

When Leon thought of Ashley, he remembered what Wesker had said to him on the island. Leon's life had meaning to him, not Ashley's. What had he meant by it? Leon couldn't know, but Wesker could have saved Ashley if he had wanted. And he hadn't. Maybe Ashley's death served him somehow? If it was meant to make Leon lose all his hope, he had succeeded. He couldn't go back to the USA. Of course he could, but he couldn't bear the guilt and look the president in the eye. He had failed in his mission...

"Damn you, Gomez..." Leon mumbled, not noticing he did so. "Why did you try to protect me..."

"Because you're so pitiful and I felt like saving your sorry ass." Leon was about to drop off the chair when the lump in the sheets moved and talked.

"Fuck! Gosh... Never do that again! I was about to have a heart attack!" Leon got back his balance on the chair and glared at Gomez who just laughed.

"Yea, yea..." Gomez barely said, coughing, and tried to sit up.

"Take it easy." Leon tried to help, but Gomez didn't let him. "I'm fine."

"No you're not, c'mon. Let me..." Leon stood up and took the pillow and put it behind Gomez's back so he could lean against it.

"Fine, thanks, and Leon..." Gomez began and Leon realized Gomez used his first name. He had used it before when he had thrown the knife. Gomez looked awfully serious now, staring at his own hands, and even though Leon showed he was listening, he seemed to wait for Leon to say something.

"What is it, Gomez?" Leon asked carefully, unable to not look at the bandage that was all around Gomez's torso. Gomez had the right to be mad at him.

"I helped you because I wanted to. Stop blaming yourself." Gomez's voice was hard, commanding even. The deep brown eyes turned to look at Leon's. "I don't regret that the first time in my life I did something right. You're not the only one who has a dark background. So just stop looking at me like everything was your fault."

"It is my fault." Leon insisted, but he couldn't ignore Gomez's words completely. What did the man mean by his background?

Before Leon said his questions aloud, Gomez continued:

"No it isn't. Remember when you told me about how you met Wesker and what you did before you came here? Just like everyone here, I don't have anything waiting for me outside this facility. I closed every door behind me when I came here to work for Wesker." Leon let Gomez talk when he finally did so, he was sure that this had to be the first time the man shared something about himself.

Gomez glanced at Leon shortly, making sure that the man was listening: "My story isn't really anything special. I was adopted at the age of five to the USA so it wasn't hard for me to learn the language and earn the citizenship. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. My parents lost their jobs and therefore didn't have enough money for my continued education."

"We had to move into another town. You can only imagine the atmosphere where I used to live: every single day I feared for me and my parents lives, not to mention my siblings'." Gomez sighed, shaking his head slightly like he still couldn't believe it. "My elder brother, not biological of course, died of brutal violence in the street. I didn't have any other choice than to go into the military. I was doing fine in the military, I really was. It was the best thing that had happened to me in a long time, but when I got in a secret mission in Asia, everything changed." Leon could see in Gomez's eyes how telling all of this was hard for him, but the determination of doing so was stronger. "I knew already that the world was a cruel place to live in, but nothing could have prepared me to what I experienced in Asia. I was then just a soldier among others and of course I didn't know what the mission was all about..." Leon could already guess what was coming. "There had been an outbreak, but those people weren't infected yet. We just killed everyone. Every man, woman, child and animal."

Gomez was silent a short moment, furrowing his eyebrows and closing his eyes, recalling the painful memory. "I came across a little girl in a cabin. She had been hiding there with her teddy bear. The orders were simple, but I refused to do it. I just couldn't kill her just like that! My teammate shot her right between the eyes, but that didn't save me. I had disobeyed..." Gomez opened his eyes and looked at Leon who listened to him carefully, trying to imagine the pain Gomez had went through. Leon had experienced a lot, but he had never been forced to kill a child.

"Long story short: I got suspended and I couldn't find any other job and if I did find something, nobody wanted to hire me. Then one day a man approached me in a bar, telling me that his boss would like to give me a job. I still don't know how they had found me and so, but I accepted the offer. And now I'm here, have been for a couple of years." Gomez seemed to relax, telling all of that was like getting a huge weight off his shoulders.

"Sorry, I must have bored you to death," Gomez said when Leon didn't say anything, laughing uncomfortably. Leon shook his head. "No, you didn't." He couldn't find anything else to add. He was sorry to hear all that and so, but saying that felt so plain and empty. He could say he was thankful because Gomez told him his story but that didn't feel any better either. They remained silent, Leon looking at his hands and Gomez stared at the white wall. The clock ticked on the wall and monitors hummed.

Then Leon remembered the note Wesker had given him. Of course he had tried to read it but as he had feared, Wesker had written it in Spanish. That asshole.

"Gomez, Wesker asked me to give you this. What does it say?" Leon searched the note from his pocket and passed it to Gomez who had already slipped back to his memories.

"Just call me Juan." Gomez took the note and read it quickly through, the eyes running over the delicate handwriting.

"What does it say... Juan?" Leon asked again, anxiously wanting to know already.

"Calm down nothing... serious, I guess. I'm now ordered to look after you in case something happens." Gomez glanced at Leon and as he had guessed, Leon didn't like to be supervised. "And you will become the captain of Spica and I will be your vice-captain. You will have four other subordinates and you will meet them today in the training ground."

"Nothing serious?! You gotta be kidding me! Me? A captain?" Leon was astonished. What the fuck was Wesker thinking? Leon had never ordered anyone around and always worked by himself or with a partner, not with a team. Wesker had talked about a team, but leading one...

Gomez reread the note and then nodded. "That's how I understood it. Well, shall we go then?"

"No way," Leon said straight off and pushed Gomez back to the bed when Gomez was already trying to get up. "You're still injured - and a lot worse than I was."

"I'm already better," Gomez assured. "I promise I'll take it easy. And this looks worse than it is."

"Yea, right..." Leon didn't like the idea but when Gomez waved the note right before his eyes, he understood that they didn't have really much to choose from. It was an order.

"Fine, I'll help you." Leon gave in and helped Gomez to stand up even though the man didn't really want him to do so. Gomez didn't have his uniform on anymore and if he wanted to go out the hospital, he needed a proper outfit. "Do you know where we could find you clothes?" If somebody knew, it had to be Gomez.

"Actually, I'm not sure. I've never been here as "a guest" before. There must be a nurse somewhere, ask her. During that, I'd like to go to the bathroom if you don't mind." Gomez smirked and Leon couldn't help but smile back, understanding well that the man needed some privacy. "I'll be back in a minute," Leon said and left the room.

Leon had no clue where to start looking for clothes or a nurse so he decided that going back to the reception area was his best alternative. When he had come into the hospital, he had just greeted the lady behind the desk: then he had known where to go. Only problem was that he didn't remember anymore which way he should go back. He tried to remember the route he had walked and the signs but he had been so into getting to Gomez as soon as possible that he hadn't made a mental note about it. He felt stupid. He had gotten out of Raccoon city and many other hellholes but didn't remember how to get out of a hospital. Great.

He turned to the right from room 105. He wasn't sure if he had come from there, but he would find out soon when he came across someone or a sign. He walked pass a couple of rooms until he heard a very familiar voice.

"I know well by myself what I can do and don't, girl. Now, get out of my way!"

The noise came from room 109 and the door opened when Leon was right at it. The nurse started when she almost collided with Leon. They looked at each other's eyes a fraction of a second and then the nurse was already running away, screaming for other nurses to come to help.

Leon blinked and turned to look in the room, seeing a tall and muscular man standing next to the bed and the broken shattered monitors on the floor. The man looked like he was ready to kill someone, probably everyone that he had on his way.

There Leon stood, right at the door, looking at his worst opponent ever straight in the eye. Leon couldn't believe his eyes; neither did the man a couple of meters away from him.

"Krauser?" The name slipped from Leon's lips.

If Krauser was alive,

Leon was soon going to be dead.

A/N

Hello! This chapter is a bit shorter than usually, mostly because it's kinda in two parts (I noticed that the chapter would get too long if I don't cut it). But no worries people, I try to get you the "part 2" ready for Xmas.

Thank you again your patience and if I don't get my chapter published before New Year, I wish you Merry Xmas and Happy New Year ;)