Hey guys.
First off, thanks to everyone who reviewed, faved, followed, etc. It is all greatly appreciated.
Secondly, I know that the stuff going on in the story is tough going. I would like to apologise to those who perhaps feel it went too far or have experienced strong emotions because of it.
I tried to keep the majority of it to a bare minimum but this part of Gaius's life is one of its defining moments so it has to be a certain way.
I have no problem at all with people giving up on the story if it becomes too much for them. It is not what I intend but I also don't want people unhappy. I write because I like to and would hate to think that it caused others pain.
So that is it! Thanks for reading my rambling note and I hope that those I have upset or offended can accept my apology!
:D
edit: Part of the note got deleted! - There is still some sadness to come but not quite on the same scale. I don't intend on removing it so just giving fair warning to everyone!
Chapter 52
A Different Day
"Mom..." came a small whisper.
Shepard lifted her head and gazed at the half-open bright blue eyes of her little boy, unmistakable even with his face covered in gauze.
"Hey, little bird!" she responded with enthusiasm. Tears boiled out her eyes and streaked down her cheeks.
"Why... are you... crying?"
Shepard grinned. "I am just so happy you are awake, baby."
The little head nodded carefully before one of Gaius's hands came up to his face and tried to remove the bandages.
Shepard quickly stilled the hand in its job. "No, honey," she hummed. "You got to leave those on."
"Really? It's hard to breath and see..." he whined.
Avitus took the offending hand in his own. "How about you leave them on until the doctor arrives. You can ask him yourself if you can take them off."
"Okay."
The little voice huffed out a breath. Avtius and Shepard looked at each other and they both gave a small half-smile.
"I wanna get up now," came Gaius's warbling voice once more.
"I am sorry but no, Gaius. You have a lot of healing to do," Avitus responded as cheerily as he could for his grandson.
He almost chuckled as he watched the bandaged face manage to frown.
"I don't like this."
Shepard cuddled in close. "I know, baby. I don't either. Do you... want to talk?"
"No."
"Okay. You know you can talk to me whenever you want."
"I will. I just don't want to now."
Shepard nuzzled his head. "That is okay too."
Atilius and Garrus wandered slowly up to the ward.
"Its times like these that hospital should let people smoke."
Garrus merely hummed. The older turian tilted his head at him.
"I want to be alone to talk to Shepard and Avitus."
"Sorry... what?" asked Garrus.
"I said I want to be alone to talk to them. You should stay with your boy."
"Atilius..."
"Let me feel it, Garrus. Too often I make decisions that affect other people but never understand the consequences. I owe it to your father to tell him personally."
Garrus nodded slowly before he knocked on the door.
Avitus answered it. He embraced his son before he quickly pulled back.
"What have you two discovered?"
Atilius hummed. "I would like to talk to Shepard and you outside it that is alright. I think there is a small meeting room around here somewhere."
Garrus's father stared at his old friend. "All right," he said carefully.
Avitus stepped out of the doorway and let Garrus past.
Shepard was sitting on the bed with a now awake Gaius propped up. His nurse was busy checking vitals while the boy sniffled and sneezed.
Shepard saw him and got to her feet. She hugged him.
"Garrus..."
"I know. I know..."
She pulled back from him. "Atilius said you know who did this?"
Garrus held her hands carefully in his.
"He wants to talk to you and my father alone. They are waiting outside."
"Garrus?"
"I will stay here with the little bird. Go on."
Shepard ran back to Gaius and nuzzled him. She whispered to her child before she started for the door. As she passed by Garrus, she ran her hand over his.
"Keep him occupied. He is getting bored. And... see if you get him to talk."
He nodded at her and watched her leave.
Garrus turned back to see Gaius staring at him. He gave a tight smile as he walked over.
"How are you feeling?"
"Okay. Sore."
"Ah."
Garrus bent over and nuzzled his son's head for a moment.
He took the seat beside the bed. Garrus didn't know what to say.
He felt as though he should be on his knees begging for forgiveness for something he could never have predicted.
There was this deep feeling in his gut that, once Shepard came back from her meeting with Atilius, nothing would be the same.
He sat there idly, distracting Gaius with little things.
His son took fleeting glances at his father when he thought Garrus wasn't looking.
He knew that he should be more attentive, more together for his child but it was finally all hitting him. The previous twenty hours was not damn dream. This had really happened.
There came a knock on the door.
Garrus got up to answer it, waving away the concerns of the attending nurse.
It was Sidonis and Kate. The human carried some small board games in her hands. Garrus let them in.
"Auntie Kate!" chirped Gaius happily.
The pair stayed for a time, playing board games with Gaius and distracting him from his bed-bound state.
Garrus felt like the odd man out in the group.
So instead he dealt with official things and sent a message to Victus asking him to keep the boys at his place until the following day.
That would give them time to deal with the fallout of Atilius's revelations.
Sidonis and his wife eventually left. They had other things that needed to be sorted out before nightfall.
Garrus sat once more next to Gaius while the boy snored lightly in sleep.
Trebia had crossed the sky in the time that his father and Shepard had been gone.
The sun was now nearly gone itself, the stars slowly emerging with the encroaching darkness to take its place.
He sat with a blanket provided thrown over him.
Eventually, he heard the door creak open and Shepard emerged.
Her eyes were red-rimmed and seemed barely able to stay open. Garrus had never felt more alert. He was tense as if waiting for her to deliver the killing blow.
To his surprise, she merely padded over to the bed. She looked over and checked the sleeping child before taking the blanket off him. Shepard settled herself into his lap and placed the blanket over them both.
"Shepard?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you... okay? I mean... are we okay?"
"I am not going to be okay for a long while, Garrus." He felt her small hand reach his and intertwine its fingers with his own.
"About us... we are good though."
Garrus let out a breath of relief.
"I was worried."
"Why?"
"That maybe you would blame me... rightfully to."
"Garrus, it's not your fault. You can't know everything. No one knows everything. I know you did your damnedest to keep him safe."
She nestled her head into the crook of his neck. Garrus skimmed his mouth-plates over her forehead.
"So... what next?" he mumbled.
"We will figure out that tomorrow. Your father and Atilius have left. Avitus said he will be back early tomorrow. He is contacting some salarians he knows."
"Salarians?"
"He wants Gaius to get the best treatment."
"Hmm. He will need a lot of it."
They sat in a comfortable silence for a while.
"Garrus?"
"Yeah?"
"I think you did the right thing with... Perdita."
Garrus clutched her close to his body.
"I wanted her dead. I still do."
"So do I. Inside, I want to just hurt her and never stop. But... she is ill. If we killed her, we could lose Gaius and Hadrian. If we put her in jail, Marius would just release her. In a strange way, helping her with this sickness of hers in this way is actually helping ourselves too."
"Hmm."
"You don't sound convinced."
Garrus hummed, "I still prefer my idea."
Shepard nuzzled his neck. "So do I."
