Dad looked at me closely, studying my face before he decided to speak. It was like a staring contest between the two of us in the sense that neither one would look away. But, two people came down the hallway, forcing us both to avert our attention.
Case and Max hurried towards us, with Max in the lead. I jumped up to greet her and we embraced tightly.
"Girl, are you 'k?"
I nodded. "I'm fine. Have you been to see James?"
"We were just 'dere," she replied.
"How's he looking?"
"Not too bad. He's pretty pissed that he blacked out on ya."
I laughed for the first time in what seemed like an eternity. "Typical James. He's such a gentleman."
"That's notta bad thing-is it?"
"Of course not," I responded. "I'd rather have him like that than a Neanderthal."
"A monkey with crusty underwear!" Max blurted.
"What? Where'd the monkey come into the picture?"
"And the crusty underwear?" Case asked.
Max shrugged, continuing to laugh as it shook her whole body. "Although, James is really far too mucha gentlemin to have crusty underwear."
"Ok…a little bit too much sugar," I told her as she sat down, giggling uncontrollably. I then turned to Case, who was standing slightly off to the side. "What did you feed her this morning?"
He shrugged. Suddenly, as if he had remembered something important, he pointed at me with his thumb. "I got to talk to you 'bout something."
"What?"
"Later," was all he said.
That's when I remembered that Dad was still in the picture. By this time he had risen up from the chair and was eyeing my friends and I over suspiciously. I could see the indifference in his eyes as he watched the three of us.
Clearing my throat, I inched towards Dad and held out my hand politely, motioning to him. "Dad, this is Case and Max. Max and Case, this is my dad, Zack."
Max waved and gave a faint hello between giggles. She was pretty much being ignored by everyone who figured that it was better off to leave her alone. She was, after all, rather explosive prone.
Case, on the other hand, had dropped his chin to the ground, and was staring blankly at Dad, more shocked than anything. "You-you-you're Zack?"
Dad nodded.
"Do you remember me? Remember my dad, Charlie, when Mom died?"
"Yes, I do."
I could sense that Case was going to start getting all emotional, but I decided to let it go. It was his battle after all, not mine or anyone else's. "You don't know how much it meant to me that you came to us…after Mom died."
"It was the least that I could do. It was my fault that Tinga died. I had to do something."
"You really didn't. But, you did. And you helped clear the past up for Dad and I. You made it so much better."
"I still hurt you both."
"Mr.…?"
"Call me Zack."
"Zack, I'm going to be eternally hurt, but you let a scar form over the wound. I didn't know where my Mom went, neither did my dad. We were both so alone and scared, and then you came to us, and you told us that she…that she…" Case bit down on his lip, inhaled sharply, then continued. Like he said, there was scar, but it was still a wound nonetheless. "That she had died.
"And you told me that there were others 'like me'. Why…God…why did you have to be so damn right?" Case hissed, although it was not in anger. Max, by this time, had ceased the laughing and was watching Case intently. Dad was fixated on this mere boy in front of him who was bringing up something that neither of them really wanted to talk about, but needed to be resolved.
"My girlfriend's part X5, one of my best friends is nearly a double X5, and you knew, you knew, didn't you? That we would meet up like this?"
Dad shook his head. "I didn't know."
"Then how could you be so right? When you came to us in Europe, you nearly predicted my future. Told me I'd meet others, that Mom would never leave me, that Lydecker would always be connected to me…Why did you have to be so right? Why?"
"I-I don't know," Dad acknowledged.
Case turned away from Dad and wiped the tears that had formed in his eyes away, so that Dad wouldn't see them. He had waited twenty long years to confront my father, and now that he had, the pain was more than he had imagined.
Dad, surprisingly, rested his hand on Case's shoulder, taking him under his wing. "Case?"
Slowly, under Dad's guidance, Case turned back around to face Dad. It wasn't until they met eyes that Dad began to talk.
"Lydecker's dead, that part of what I told you is finished. Just because your genetics are related to Lydecker's doing, doesn't mean that he can get you anymore. It's not true; he's dead, Case, long dead."
Case paused and examined Dad's words, then he took a step back. "That's where you're wrong," he whispered as the tears glittered in his eyes, ready to overflow. His face was stiff and jagged, poised to bring about anger or sadness.
"What?" Dad asked, his eyebrows scrunching together in question. "What do you mean?"
Case backed away even more. And, just before he turned and fled down the hallway with Max in tow, he answered, "He's closer than you could ever imagine."
