CHAPTER 11 : A FINANCIAL UPHEAVAL

On Gawaine's advice, Merlin had continued working. It seemed to be getting easier and he never did bump into Uther.

His mother had insisted upon staying longer. He'd spoken to his great uncle about it and he'd laughed as Gaius had said, 'Not much to ask, Merlin. She worries about you and has gone back into 'mummy mode' An extra week in London will do her good, she'll feel she's needed and you will have cooked meals and a much cleaner house!"

She had been so determined to stay around until, he was no longer in pain. They had had a few visits with Arthur and he knew that his mother was crazy about him, well maybe not as crazy as he was, but she did like him. Arthur had been in a good frame of mind over the week and his mother had returned home following her extended compassionate visit.

He smiled to himself as he went up the steps to the office, crossing the lobby he nodded at the girl on reception. He was approached by one of the security guards, a massive fellow, very friendly with whom he was on talking terms. "Percy, 'Morning, how did your weekend go?"

"Mr. Emrys, you will have to follow me."

Merlin was immediately surprised by the formality of Percy's tone. He obediently, followed him to the security offices and as Percy opened the door, he turned and said, "I'm sorry, Merlin, just following orders."

Merlin was asked to sit and was handed a sealed envelope. He opened it and read it, surprised by its contents. He was being fired! Nothing else, just that he would be taken to his office to remove his personal affects and then he would be escorted outside the building as his contract had been terminated.

Another guard came over and asked Percy if he would be needing help and Percy had shaken his head. He then said to Merlin, "Are you all right?" Merlin nodded. "Well then, why don't we go upstairs now? The place is empty as most people have yet to arrive. You can collect your things in peace." Merlin was grateful as it meant escaping prying eyes and pitying looks.

He looked at his few personal belongings. There was nothing to speak of, so he was able to slip a few things into his satchel with his laptop. He carried in his hand, the pewter dragon paperweight with the Welsh flag which Gaius had given him years ago. He glanced once around the office which had been his home for four years; he nodded at Percy and the two of them walked to the lift.

Gawaine was walking into the building as Merlin was being escorted out. He grabbed Merlin's arm when he saw the look on his face and said, "What's wrong?"

"I've been let go…"

"Arthur will fight it." Merlin just looked down and shook his head.

Percy said to Gawaine, "Sir, it would be better for you if you didn't get involved." Gawaine letting go of Merlin's arm, turned on the stairs to watch him walk down the street.

Merlin's nerves were shot and his visit to Arthur that evening weighed heavily on his mind. He really wanted to go home, crawl into bed and die. He was without a job, he had only two months rent set aside, well maybe three at a push and if he couldn't soon find something, he'd be out of his flat. He could always return home but he knew he wanted to stay in London. There was something holding him there.

-0-0-

Arthur worked hard at physio and the results reflected that. He had graduated to walking between two parallel bars or even with two staff members if they were available. His eyes brightened as he told Merlin that soon he was going to prepare his muscles to climb stairs again. He laughed, "Honestly, Merlin, I'm going to get so good at this that I will be able to run up stairs in the end…and the doctor said that if I do all my exercises and keep to the routine and not over-extend myself, there is no reason why I couldn't kick a ball around in the future."

Merlin's heart was heavy but he masked it well and smiled. Each day Arthur seemed brighter and more interested in life…and him. "So, what did Gawaine say about that?"

"I haven't told him, he doesn't really understand…no I shouldn't say that, he does understand my injuries just not the effort that is needed to even achieve something such as standing upright. There is always in the back of your mind the fear that your knees won't hold you up, that your therapist will become distracted and that you'll crumble to the ground. The actual ability to lift yourself using your knees is something even I didn't understand. We take everything for granted. I want to show you something. Put my chair near the bed and make sure the brakes are on."

As Merlin watched, Arthur reached for the bar above his bed and holding it lifted his feet and heaved himself over so that he was sitting on the edge of the bed. Merlin was quite nervous. He'd seen Graham help him do it but now it was only him present and he was worried that Arthur would fall and hurt himself. Arthur leant over and put his hands on the armrests of his chair and lifted his trunk onto the seat. He turned to Merlin to see his reaction.

"Should you be doing that without the staff present?" Merlin said still apprehensive.

"Merlin, before I'm up and running there will be many falls and bruises but aren't you even impressed?"

Merlin sat on the bed and ran his fingers over Arthur's arm feeling the muscles which he flexed just for his benefit, saying, "I could always see the beauty in a nicely defined body but I now understand and marvel at muscles for what they can do. Yours are more obvious everyday."

"Feel my calves, I've been working on them." Merlin did as he was told and could feel the tautness in the muscles as Arthur lowered his heels. "They're getting stronger aren't they? Now, give me your hand." Merlin did as asked and Arthur placed in on his thigh and retracted and relaxed the muscle causing Merlin to nod as he felt it.

"Does it hurt?"

"No, sometimes it is frustrating as I can't isolate the muscle I want to move." He put his foot straight out and Merlin could see him concentrate while moving a muscle that he made his kneecap jump. He grinned before adding, "I'm getting there!" Arthur put his hand over Merlin's as it lay on his thigh and smiled, "Now, tell me what happened in your life today."

Merlin became serious as he said, "The police contacted me and I refused to lay charges." He flexed his elbow and moved his shoulder, "See, like you, I'm practically brand new again!"

"I still think there should have been punitive damages for the pain and suffering." Arthur was playing with Merlin's fingers as he looked up at him expectantly, "All right, you haven't told me everything, come on, out with it!"

Suddenly all his feeling rushed over him and he dropped his head saying quietly, "I was given a letter stating that I was being terminated without cause. It stated that my services are no longer needed and the reason given was economic reorganisation. My work finished immediately as they gave me 'pay in lieu of notice." His voice broke, "I was taken to my office to remove everything personal and then escorted off the premises. I felt so embarrassed even though I knew I had not done anything wrong."

Arthur said nothing but gripped his hand even harder. "Merlin, I'll kill him, I really will. He thinks he's so clever but he'll not get away with it. Of course, you did nothing wrong. Pass me my phone!"

"Arthur, no! Let's give it a few days to settle down. Maybe it was done in the heat of the moment and he will have a change of heart."

"Merlin, it's been four weeks since he assaulted you! He's been sitting there planning this. Checking with his cronies, all the avenues available to him and then coming to a decision which I promise, will come back to haunt him. I hate him!"

Merlin slipped his hand away, placing it on Arthur's shoulder; he turned Arthur's head so that he was looking directly at him. "Stress, isn't good for you. I'm all right financially; they have paid me until the end of next month. As much as I would like to send the cheque back to him, I can't afford to."

Arthur shifted in his seat saying, "Oh, yes you can, Love! I can reimburse you for the amount." Merlin shook his head, but Arthur continued, "In return, it would give me great satisfaction helping you compose a letter to my father and to include the cheque. Please, Merlin, accept my offer."

Merlin raised his eyes seeing only love and compassion in Arthur's. He realised how much he cared for Arthur and the wonderful feeling of having someone standing, well sitting beside him, who would be in his court. A warmth spread through him and the burden on his shoulders was lifted. He looked at Arthur who was watching him with raised eyebrows waiting for his answer.

Leaning his head forward until their foreheads met, Arthur again said, "Please, Merlin?"

For a flash Merlin wondered if this was what being a kept man felt like, being financially supported by a wealthy person but then he decided that Arthur's offer and his acceptance were based on something deeper. He decided that he would pay Arthur back every penny loaned.

"I will accept but only as a signed, witnessed personal loan until I can pay you back."

Arthur didn't hear the rest of the sentence following the 'I will', he was too busy smiling as he reached forward and wrapped his arms around Merlin.

There was a persistent tap on the doorjamb and Merlin finally pulled out of Arthur's embrace, glancing around to see Gawaine who bustled into the room saying, "What in hell happened? I could get nothing from my superior just that you were gone and I tried to phone you all day and you didn't answer. I was scared shitless and then I decided you would probably be here." He relaxed noticeably and managed to say, "Sorry, I hope that I didn't interrupt anything special."

Arthur laughed as he said, "Nothing really important, Merlin just said, 'I will'!"

Merlin punched him lightly in the arm, "He's kidding it was something else which I agreed to."

Arthur nodded at Gawaine but held the feeling in his heart that maybe one day, Merlin might repeat that answer when the moment was right.

-0-0-

Merlin brought Gawaine up to date on the day's happenings, including the police telephone call. Arthur then took over and told about his plan for Merlin to return the cheque. Gawaine wanted to know if he could afford to do that, however Merlin explained Arthur's offer to loan him the money. Gawaine let his eyes flick over to Arthur who mouthed the word 'give' and he smiled. He'd known Arthur for years, knew all about his mother's family as somewhere way in the distant past they were sort of related. He also knew why Arthur spent so much time with his family over the school holidays and about his mother's property in Devon.

He'd always liked Arthur from the time they had met as seven year olds in boarding school. Even at that young age, he'd realised that there was something wrong with Arthur's relationship with his father so, he had begged his parents to adopt him. His mother hadn't laughed just explained kindly that they couldn't because Arthur had a father. Gawaine was heart-broken. Years later, he remembered that the phase 'who loved him' had been omitted. His parents had however promised to allow Arthur to stay with them whenever he wanted as long as his father approved.

The friendship had grown stronger over the years and Gawaine trusted Arthur when he said he wanted to help Merlin. He had no idea what Arthur intended but he felt sure that it wouldn't stop with helping Merlin compose a letter to Uther.

-0-0-

Arthur slept well that night; he had a new interest in his life. Even if he couldn't get Merlin his job back which in his opinion wasn't the best idea anyway, he had decided to challenge the termination. Pendragon Holdings was doing well, the books would prove it. Economic reorganisation was just a cover up. Tomorrow, he would get in touch with Nigel Brooks and put the whole mess in his lap. He would give him the background information which he was sure his father had omitted when he had requested Merlin's dismissal.

Merlin couldn't fall asleep; he felt at a loss. Did he even need to get out of bed tomorrow? Should he tell his mother or wait a while? He dreamt of police cells and bank drafts, cat food and vet expenses, wheelchairs and footballs. He awoke at his regular time and it wasn't until he was sitting on the edge of the bed that he realised, he had nowhere to go.

Merlin had withheld two things from Arthur. One that months ago he had been offered a handsome amount of thousands of pounds to stop the hospital visits, and two that Uther had used threatening derogative language after he had hit him. He had told Gawaine about the former and only his mother about the latter. As neither event had been witnessed, it would be his word against Uther's.

He smiled sadly to himself remembering the old adage, 'Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me!' But they did, a paralysing pain which clawed at his heart, at his very essence. Did the word hurt as much as his collarbone break? His shoulder was healing but the word, the viciousness in which it was delivered and the cruelty which was intended had shaken him to the core. This was not some stupid kid yelling at him in the street, this was an educated man who knew him and who had purposely used the word to hurt him, to get back at him because he represented a lifestyle which his son had chosen.

He tidied the kitchen, jotting down a few things he needed and showered. He was going to treat himself to a coffee before the shops and maybe even a quick visit to the library. He knew Arthur would be in physio so he planned to visit later in the afternoon when he usually rested.

He knew what he wanted to look up. He got a computer and typed in 'termination without cause'. The list of research material was extensive but if he was going to do something about it, he would need to be knowledgeable. He browsed through a few books. He really didn't want to work for PenD Group again but it was the principle of the matter. He was a little cog in a big wheel but he was going to stand up to Uther if for no other reason than his son.

-0-0-

He nodded at the guard on duty as he went down Arthur's corridor. Arthur had listed visitors who were allowed in anyone else was turned away. His father had never made contact since the incident or approached the hospital admin demanding that he be given visiting rights.

Merlin peeked into Arthur's room. He was stretched out on the bed, oblivious to not only his visitor but the background noises from the trauma floor. He walked to the end of the bed and remembering his first few visits, he said to himself, 'Hello, Arthur, it's me Merlin! How did physio go this morning? You'd have laughed as when I first got up this morning, I was mentally prepared to go to work.' He walked around the bed to the window, it was a beautiful day and he decided that Arthur needed to get some fresh air.

He left the room quietly and went to the nurses' station. Sheila was on duty so he said, "If I took him in his chair, is there anywhere in the grounds that we might go for a little fresh air."

Sheila pulled a chart from a file and read it saying, "Yes, Arthur can leave this floor as long as he is accompanied but not off the premises without a doctor's permission. There is a small garden off the main entrance for mobile patients or…" She pulled out another list, "You can take him up to Four, there's a sunroom with access to a large outside terrace. That would be my choice as it overlooks a park and is more private."

Merlin thanked her and made his way back to the room. This time he didn't creep in but said, "Wake up, Sleepy Head! We're going on a little outing."

Arthur stretched lazily saying, "Don't think you could manage the wheelchair in the Tube."

"Well, we're going somewhere a little closer which I am certain will be less crowded and less smelly! Do you want me to get someone to help you in the toilet?"

"Not if you're willing to help me, I just need a hand with the door and holding the chair steady." Arthur blushed slightly, "Do you mind?"

Merlin shrugged his shoulders, "Not, if you tell me what to do…"

In no time, Arthur was ready to leave the room with his trusted chauffeur. They nodded at the guard in passing and then Shelia as they passed the desk said, "Four, right!" Merlin nodded. "…and don't get any ideas about scaling the hospitals walls to escape, Arthur!"

It was lovely exploring another floor. They made only one wrong turn and had to backtrack and they passed another chair bound patient who grinned and said, "…seen the two of you around before haven't I?"

Arthur laughed, "Hopefully, we're on the right track this time."

Merlin marvelled how in a hospital people happily chatted to passers-by. It was almost like a village community as they were all neighbours, some for a short term others for longer.

-0-0-

The large sunroom situated on the south-west corner of the fourth floor, must have been recently renovated. It had easy chairs, low tables, a drink and snack machine and a proper table at which wheelchair patients could sit. The photos on the walls were of London skylines. Any elderly man was sitting in the far corner with his head back, snoring quietly. Merlin whispered, "Maybe he wanted to escape from his roommates." Around one table were teenagers visiting a woman who could have been their mother. Merlin pushed Arthur's chair towards the door onto the patio, "Want to try outside?"

Arthur nodded so Merlin opened the door and carefully negotiated his precious cargo through it. The sun was gorgeous; they could hear the birds and see across the skyline to St. Paul's. In the far distance, Merlin if he stood on tippy-toes could see the shining ribbon of the Thames.

"This is heaven!" said Arthur. "I almost feel as if I am no longer in a hospital. I've missed being outside. Can we come tomorrow?"

"That, young man, will depend upon how you behave today." He smiled at Arthur explaining that was what his grandmother used to say to him. He wheeled Arthur to the railing and watched the smile spread across his face.

"Look, there in the park, I can see kids playing ball." He burst out laughing as a white dog managed to intercept the ball and the whole gang of children traipsed after it into the bushes.

It did Merlin good to see Arthur so happy. He'd known him since December but only in his hospital room so it was for him a treat to see this other side of Arthur. "Would you like a Pepsi and some crisps? You don't have any dietary restrictions do you?"

"Just not to put on too much weight until my muscles are stronger."

"All right, how about a half a can and a half packet of chips?"

Arthur punched him in the arm, "Merlin, I never realised how cheap you were!"

"For that, Mr. Moneybags, you are going to have to pay for both cans."

Arthur laughed as he put his hand in his sweatpants pocket and realised he had no money, "I can't believe it; I've been here since December and have never had any need for cash."

Merlin just laughed and went back into the sunroom to get their snack. It suddenly crossed his mind that Arthur could have done something stupid like trying to stand on his own but as he turned he saw that he hadn't. He would have to take this carer business seriously.