Chapter 7 ~ Stuck in the Past
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"Some friends become enemies, some friends become your family, make the best with what you're given. This ain't dying. This is living!"
"Movin' On" Good Charlotte
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"Don't they have guys who can do this sorta thing?"
"Yes but they cost money peaches." Lorne said as he directed Gunn and Angel through the door with the piano. Cordelia stifled a yawn as she sat slouched on a stool at the bar,
"Lorne as much as we don't like helping you at every possible moment can't this wait?"
"Sorry cherry pie but it's needed for tonight and I don't think that it would last long in that alley. Left a bit - No! Left you big meringue." Gunn dropped the piano down and Angel let go too. It made a dull twanging noise that wasn't in tune as Gunn leant on it,
"Who you calling a meringue?" he asked glaring a Lorne. The green demon put his hands up in mock surrender,
"I would help you sweet potatoes but I'm more of the singing and dancing type of demon. Less of the lifting and carrying and rescuing of fair maidens. I'm more Barry Manalo and less James Bond." Gunn sighed before picking up the piano again.
"Come on Angel man. You're supposed to be fitter than me." Angel grunted as he lifted the piano, glaring at Gunn,
"Eternal life has its strains. I think I should work out more though. I'm really not at fit as I used to be. I think I've got flab."
"Quite yapping you two and maybe you'd be fit enough to move my piano. Isn't that right Cordelia honey?" Lorne asked over his shoulder.
"He's got puppy fat." Cordelia said wearily, too tired for using tact, not that she did it the first place. Angel dropped the piano causing Gunn to stumbled and fall, the piano clattering again,
"I don't do I?" he said looking down at himself. Lorne rolled his eyes,
"Uh - Angel cakes?" he asked softly,
"You might want to be more interested in your friend than your nonexistent puppy fat." He said indicating Gunn who was struggling to hold the piano up.
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"Mr. Pryce. How are we feeling?" the doctor asked coming into the room and picking up Wesley's chart,
"A little light headed no doubt?" Wesley nodded at the doctor,
"A little."
"Well I don't see any reason for you to stay here. You seem stable, just make sure you drink plenty of fluids over the next few days, help replace what you've lost." The doctor said putting the chart back on the end of the bed,
"Is there anyone who can pick you up?" Wesley thought for a moment and shook his head. Everyone would be asleep by now, even Angel. He didn't want to trouble them.
"I'll get a taxi." He said pulling the covers back,
"Okay then. Your clothes are in a bag in the night stand, and there's just a few forms to fill in before you go." The doctor said turning to go,
"Thank you." Wesley said smiling faintly as he pulled them out of the cupboard and went to the bathroom to get dressed.
Wesley stood in front of the mirror for a long while, staring at his pale reflection, gaunt and almost ghost like. He tilted his neck slightly, pulling back the gauze pad to inspect the bite marks, as if making sure it had really happened. He still couldn't grasp the fact that his father was dead. Twice. It also led to the question of what had become of his mother. He realized that she was probably dead too. His eyes turned downwards as he felt tears pricking at his eyes, as he lent on the sink, his shirt half buttoned. He could feel his bare feet sticking to the linoleum floor but he didn't move. The light above the mirror flickered and he pulled away from the basin as it hurt his eyes.
Even though he had spent so many tormented years of his childhood in his fathers grasp, taking everything that he got pleasure from away he would still miss him. He had spent so many years trying to make his father proud and he realized he had nothing to prove to the man. But that did not mean he wouldn't miss him any less.
He missed his mother's cooking. He missed the small country cottage that they owned. Even though he did not have the run of the fields at the back very often he enjoyed the view. No one had ever corrected what his father had done, and Wesley had never known any better. He was told that was what happened to ever boy who was bad and as a naïve child he had believed it.
He missed being watched over though. Even though his parents never showed him their love and affection for him they had always been there; watching out for him, doing things because they thought it was for the best. He had people who really cared and loved him now, but he felt as if no one was watching him. He was on his own, the solitude of his flat like the solitary confines of his cupboard.
Wesley angrily pushed his tears away as he continued to button up his shirt and finish getting dressed. He wasn't alone though. He had family; he had Angel, Cordelia and Gunn. They were there for him. He had Angel Investigations. He had things going for him he had never imagined. But there was a nagging voice at the back of his mind though,
'You are alone though, aren't you Wesley?' Oddly, it sounded exactly like his father's.
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"I'll drop off at the hotel Angel then I'll go see if they'll allow English home."
"You should get some sleep Gunn." Angel said, watching the traffic light, seemingly stuck on red, through the blanket from the back of his convertible.
"Yeah, sleep will come." He said as he shifted gear, and rounded the corner into the alley at the back of the Hyperion. He pulled up on the dark side and got out, painfully,
"Man that piano was heavy." He said holding his ribs slightly,
"Kinda digs in yah know?" he said glaring at Angel when he got out of the car. Angel frowned,
"Sorry Gunn."
"S'alright. Do yah want your car left here?" he asked slamming the door,
"'Cause I was gonna take mine to pick up Wes."
"Why don't you call the hospital first? Wes might have made his own way home." Gunn nodded as he followed Angel into the Hyperion, watching him smoke slightly in the suntrap that was the garden out back. He stepped into the hotel behind Angel and made his way to the desk picking up the phone. Angel cast the blanket on the sofa, removing his jacket,
"Telephone directories under the desk. Unless Cordelia's -" he broke off as he opened the door to Wesley's office to hang his coat up,
"Wesley, what are you doing here?" Angel watched the pale form of Wesley behind the desk, his nose buried in a book. Gunn put the phone back on the hook as he heard Angel, coming into the office behind him.
"English? I said I would pick yah up man. Yah didn't need to get a cab."
"I thought I could be useful here. Lots of paperwork to do and also research." He said shifting the papers about on his desk randomly,
"Wes there's nothing to research and Cordelia's filed everything." Angel said moving to the chair on the other side of the desk and sitting down. Cordelia had told him it wasn't his business, but she was at home in bed, and he couldn't sit by and watch Wesley suffer like this.
"Wesley," he paused clasping his hands, not sure of how to start,
"Do you want to talk about anything?" he asked, looking the ex-watcher in the eye. Wesley shook his head, looking down at his papers in front of him as they started to blur,
"Not really." He mumbled under his breath,
"Wes, my father was never really the best of role models, always down on me." He stopped realizing this was going the opposite way in which he intended it to,
"But your father Wes, he had no reason to do those things to you. You're a good man Wes, and we just want to let you know I'm there for you." He said, still watching Wesley intently.
"We all are man." Gunn chimed in. Wesley pushed the seat back from the desk and stood up going to the coat rack,
"If you need me you can get me on my cell phone." He said taking his jacket from the stand and leaving the Hyperion. Angel stood up both Gunn and him watching Wesley go.
"Well that went well." Angel said sarcastically,
"Maybe I should -" Angel held up a hand,
"He knows we're here."
*********************************************************************
"Some friends become enemies, some friends become your family, make the best with what you're given. This ain't dying. This is living!"
"Movin' On" Good Charlotte
*********************************************************************
"Don't they have guys who can do this sorta thing?"
"Yes but they cost money peaches." Lorne said as he directed Gunn and Angel through the door with the piano. Cordelia stifled a yawn as she sat slouched on a stool at the bar,
"Lorne as much as we don't like helping you at every possible moment can't this wait?"
"Sorry cherry pie but it's needed for tonight and I don't think that it would last long in that alley. Left a bit - No! Left you big meringue." Gunn dropped the piano down and Angel let go too. It made a dull twanging noise that wasn't in tune as Gunn leant on it,
"Who you calling a meringue?" he asked glaring a Lorne. The green demon put his hands up in mock surrender,
"I would help you sweet potatoes but I'm more of the singing and dancing type of demon. Less of the lifting and carrying and rescuing of fair maidens. I'm more Barry Manalo and less James Bond." Gunn sighed before picking up the piano again.
"Come on Angel man. You're supposed to be fitter than me." Angel grunted as he lifted the piano, glaring at Gunn,
"Eternal life has its strains. I think I should work out more though. I'm really not at fit as I used to be. I think I've got flab."
"Quite yapping you two and maybe you'd be fit enough to move my piano. Isn't that right Cordelia honey?" Lorne asked over his shoulder.
"He's got puppy fat." Cordelia said wearily, too tired for using tact, not that she did it the first place. Angel dropped the piano causing Gunn to stumbled and fall, the piano clattering again,
"I don't do I?" he said looking down at himself. Lorne rolled his eyes,
"Uh - Angel cakes?" he asked softly,
"You might want to be more interested in your friend than your nonexistent puppy fat." He said indicating Gunn who was struggling to hold the piano up.
*********************************************************************
"Mr. Pryce. How are we feeling?" the doctor asked coming into the room and picking up Wesley's chart,
"A little light headed no doubt?" Wesley nodded at the doctor,
"A little."
"Well I don't see any reason for you to stay here. You seem stable, just make sure you drink plenty of fluids over the next few days, help replace what you've lost." The doctor said putting the chart back on the end of the bed,
"Is there anyone who can pick you up?" Wesley thought for a moment and shook his head. Everyone would be asleep by now, even Angel. He didn't want to trouble them.
"I'll get a taxi." He said pulling the covers back,
"Okay then. Your clothes are in a bag in the night stand, and there's just a few forms to fill in before you go." The doctor said turning to go,
"Thank you." Wesley said smiling faintly as he pulled them out of the cupboard and went to the bathroom to get dressed.
Wesley stood in front of the mirror for a long while, staring at his pale reflection, gaunt and almost ghost like. He tilted his neck slightly, pulling back the gauze pad to inspect the bite marks, as if making sure it had really happened. He still couldn't grasp the fact that his father was dead. Twice. It also led to the question of what had become of his mother. He realized that she was probably dead too. His eyes turned downwards as he felt tears pricking at his eyes, as he lent on the sink, his shirt half buttoned. He could feel his bare feet sticking to the linoleum floor but he didn't move. The light above the mirror flickered and he pulled away from the basin as it hurt his eyes.
Even though he had spent so many tormented years of his childhood in his fathers grasp, taking everything that he got pleasure from away he would still miss him. He had spent so many years trying to make his father proud and he realized he had nothing to prove to the man. But that did not mean he wouldn't miss him any less.
He missed his mother's cooking. He missed the small country cottage that they owned. Even though he did not have the run of the fields at the back very often he enjoyed the view. No one had ever corrected what his father had done, and Wesley had never known any better. He was told that was what happened to ever boy who was bad and as a naïve child he had believed it.
He missed being watched over though. Even though his parents never showed him their love and affection for him they had always been there; watching out for him, doing things because they thought it was for the best. He had people who really cared and loved him now, but he felt as if no one was watching him. He was on his own, the solitude of his flat like the solitary confines of his cupboard.
Wesley angrily pushed his tears away as he continued to button up his shirt and finish getting dressed. He wasn't alone though. He had family; he had Angel, Cordelia and Gunn. They were there for him. He had Angel Investigations. He had things going for him he had never imagined. But there was a nagging voice at the back of his mind though,
'You are alone though, aren't you Wesley?' Oddly, it sounded exactly like his father's.
*********************************************************************
"I'll drop off at the hotel Angel then I'll go see if they'll allow English home."
"You should get some sleep Gunn." Angel said, watching the traffic light, seemingly stuck on red, through the blanket from the back of his convertible.
"Yeah, sleep will come." He said as he shifted gear, and rounded the corner into the alley at the back of the Hyperion. He pulled up on the dark side and got out, painfully,
"Man that piano was heavy." He said holding his ribs slightly,
"Kinda digs in yah know?" he said glaring at Angel when he got out of the car. Angel frowned,
"Sorry Gunn."
"S'alright. Do yah want your car left here?" he asked slamming the door,
"'Cause I was gonna take mine to pick up Wes."
"Why don't you call the hospital first? Wes might have made his own way home." Gunn nodded as he followed Angel into the Hyperion, watching him smoke slightly in the suntrap that was the garden out back. He stepped into the hotel behind Angel and made his way to the desk picking up the phone. Angel cast the blanket on the sofa, removing his jacket,
"Telephone directories under the desk. Unless Cordelia's -" he broke off as he opened the door to Wesley's office to hang his coat up,
"Wesley, what are you doing here?" Angel watched the pale form of Wesley behind the desk, his nose buried in a book. Gunn put the phone back on the hook as he heard Angel, coming into the office behind him.
"English? I said I would pick yah up man. Yah didn't need to get a cab."
"I thought I could be useful here. Lots of paperwork to do and also research." He said shifting the papers about on his desk randomly,
"Wes there's nothing to research and Cordelia's filed everything." Angel said moving to the chair on the other side of the desk and sitting down. Cordelia had told him it wasn't his business, but she was at home in bed, and he couldn't sit by and watch Wesley suffer like this.
"Wesley," he paused clasping his hands, not sure of how to start,
"Do you want to talk about anything?" he asked, looking the ex-watcher in the eye. Wesley shook his head, looking down at his papers in front of him as they started to blur,
"Not really." He mumbled under his breath,
"Wes, my father was never really the best of role models, always down on me." He stopped realizing this was going the opposite way in which he intended it to,
"But your father Wes, he had no reason to do those things to you. You're a good man Wes, and we just want to let you know I'm there for you." He said, still watching Wesley intently.
"We all are man." Gunn chimed in. Wesley pushed the seat back from the desk and stood up going to the coat rack,
"If you need me you can get me on my cell phone." He said taking his jacket from the stand and leaving the Hyperion. Angel stood up both Gunn and him watching Wesley go.
"Well that went well." Angel said sarcastically,
"Maybe I should -" Angel held up a hand,
"He knows we're here."