Good evening! Here is the next chapter. Well, I hope not to disappoint…this one is nerve wracking. Well, let's see how you like it. There will be more explanations in the future chapters. Hope you enjoy.
Guest: Well, you'll find out soon enough. Let's see if you like it….
Guest: Okay…now you are going to make me watch GoT….You and everyone else is pushing me to watch it. LOL.
Guest: The end is coming soon…I only have a few chapters left. ;) and it will be an HEA…I don't do depressing fics. LOL
SnyperLady: Well, let's see if you guessed right. LOL. And Lance will be a pain until more is known to him. Such is life and the imperfect human.
Pawn4975: Thank you! Thank you! Your review really brightened my day. I hope you like this chapter. I was very, VERY disappointed with the Netflix series too…I twitted the writers to tell them how disappointed I was. It really just killed me….Urgh!
RossodiSera: You know. I aim to please. Hopefully, this chapter falls on another special day of yours. LOL. You know…I've often thought the same thing. Kind of like in the movies…the hero fights a dozen enemies but the dozen don't fight him at the same time? Well, if they did, the hero would die and the movie would be over. If we kill Lotor…how do we finish the fic? This is very troubling…and you have a point. Next time, I'll just shoot him dead and see what I come up with next. LOL!
LibAkilah: Oh the poison…yeah…guess you're going to have to read to find out. And, what did they see? Again…it will all come together at the end. Hopefully, you'll take the journey with me?
GoPinkLion: I love the lions too…I hope you enjoy what happens with them. They, of course, are part of the story, I just couldn't make them just machines in this one. Ahh…what did they see….well, I'll soon let you guys in on that one. Sam, poor Sam… Let's see what Romelle finally dishes out. Thank you soo soo soooo much for reading. This is actually my favorite story from all my stories so far. I really do wish I could have finished it sooner.
Mertz: My friend. Thank you. You really know how to edit my grammar. One day, I'll know when NOT to capitalize Captain…or captain…Urgh!
Feli 3: I could never kill Keith. Nope, not going to happen in any of my stories. Just can't do it. What's the point? I just don't see why we need to kill any of the characters off…It would have to be a damn good storyline to be able to read through it without one of them. Maybe, if I write a short…but I wouldn't be able to sleep…too traumatizing.
For those of you who haven't noticed…I LOVE Audiomachine! Honestly, they are the inspiration for this fic.
Playlist
Audiomachine-Through the Darkness
Audiomachine-Can't Go Back
Audiomachine-I Will Find You
Chapter 31
A vacant waiting room awaited Allura when she walked in. Slightly disappointed, she believed that at least the team would wait to see Keith's status before they went on their own business.
Altair watched as a nurse walked out of the entrance of MedTech. Immediately, she intercepted her, "Hi, I want to know the status of Captain Kogane."
The nurse gave her a weak smile before answering, "I was on my way to see Advisor Coran for that same reason. Dr. Gorma can't leave the captain at the moment."
Allura's blue eyes glazed with worry, "What's wrong with him?"
The nurse sighed in regret. "I'm sorry Lieutenant Altair, I'm not at liberty to divulge any information regarding the captain's status until I speak to Advisor Coran," the nurse offered before she walked past Allura and out of the waiting room.
Allura's determined gaze fell to the double doors of the entrance of MedTech after the nurse exited. She did not like the nurse's secrecy. "Something's wrong," she whispered. Deciding that she would not wait for Coran to enter, she pushed the doors open and marched right into chaos and the medical staff attempting to stop her.
"Lieutenant, you can't walk in here!"
"This is a restricted area!"
"You don't have access!"
She ignored every comment and walked past all of them. Some of the staff, afraid of her, opened a path for her to walk through as her frigid cold blue stare met their challenging gazes.
"Where's Gorma?" She asked a young girl, who looked like a nursing assistant. Her dark eyes widened in fright at seeing the intimidating actions of the pilot. The girl pointed to a room located on the left side of the aisle, toward the end of the hallway.
Allura walked right passed her and into the room where she saw Gorma beside the bedside, placing an oxygen mask on his patient, "Captain, you must relax and ease on the breathing, you could hyperventilate."
She heard the forced sounds of labored breathing even through the oxygen mask the doctor placed on him. She cringed at what she saw. Facial bruising, circular shaped burns on his torso, arms, abdomen, maybe even his back. Allura was horrified. Lotor was an animal. Shaking and heaving to gasp for air, Keith laid in bed conscious. He looked at her and his eyes widened in surprise. He did not expect her there.
He looked incredibly sick. Allura's heart began to thump faster, "What's wrong?"
Gorma turned around, surprised to find her standing there. "What are you doing here," he asked, clearly annoyed at seeing her. "I asked for Advisor Coran. This is a restricted area and you're supposed to be home resting!"
"Spare me your arrogance, Gorma," her eyes narrowed at the doctor. "This isn't the time for you to follow protocol, especially when it concerns my superior officer. Now, what's wrong with Keith?"
Gorma eyed her for a moment, still unsure whether he should tell her. He knew their history; it shouldn't have surprised him to see her there. He looked at the captain, who nodded his permission, "Lotor poisoned him."
"Lance told us Lotor was electrocuting him."
Gorma nodded, "Yes that is true. But, aside from that, I believe the captain was administered some type of poison prior to the lieutenant rescuing him. The electricity activated the poison and spread it through his organs."
Allura looked at Keith as he continued gasping for air, "What type of poison is activated by electric shock?"
"I have no idea. It may be some type of toxidrome that's turning into an infection in his immune system and lungs."
"Meaning?" Allura questioned, confused by his words.
"His lungs are failing. He's manifesting the symptoms from the poison. The shaking, the lack of oxygen going through his lungs, and the fact that he's not producing antibodies seem like the main ones."
Breathing heavily through the mask, Keith asked, "What…can you…do?"
"Relatively speaking, I can kill the poison by killing you," Gorma replied as he looked back at the captain.
"That's the…best...you…got…Doc?"
"I'm not kidding, Captain."
"Gorma? Can you do something," Allura asked.
"I can place the captain in an induced coma with a drug called oxycodone," Gorma began. "While comatose, I can administer small dosages of Serotonins that will eventually shut the body down. As the body shuts down, the bacteria living within the organs will also die. Once their levels are low enough to prevent them from multiplying, I can then administer the third medication that will eventually kill the infection and stop administering the Serotonins so the body begins to activate."
"And that's going to work?" Allura looked doubtful.
Sighing, Gorma answered, "I…I don't know." He turned back to the captain, "This is all theory, but if I don't do something, you will die."
"Do it," they heard Keith state.
Allura looked at him, "Keith!"
He shook his head, "Got…to…it's the…only way."
Both held each other's gaze for a moment. Neither spoke, but they each knew what the other thought. Keith kept gasping for air as he looked at Altair. He only nodded.
Allura turned back to Gorma, resigned. "When can we begin?"
VVVVVVVVVV
For the last two hours since his return, Lance, Darrell and Hunk watched as the lions grew restless. None of them wanted to go back in their cylinders. Instead, they roamed around freely, growling, and at times wailing. The only exception was Black Lion, who stood by the doors, as if waiting for his master to appear.
"What's going on with them?" Hunk whispered, not really to anyone in particular, but mostly to himself as he watched the display in front of him.
"I'm not sure," Darrell replied, "Keith's back. Everyone is safe…they shouldn't be this stressed."
"Maybe they feel something's coming?" Hunk replied.
Lance shook his head, "No, they wouldn't be reacting this way for an attack. They'd be preparing, ready to fight. This is something different."
"Then, what is it?"
Walking over to Red Lion, Lance tried to get his attention, "Hey!" The lion turned, walked over to him and stared at the pilot intently, growling in a low tone, "What's going on? Why are you acting this way? Talk to me damn it!"
The lion turned and placed itself into an attack position before it roared. Lance, on impulse took a step back. Red turned around and walked over to the black lion, who sat silently facing the entrance doors of the lair. Walking back to the others, Lance sighed.
"Subtle," Darrell replied sarcastically.
"Whatever," Lance replied looking back at the lions, "I just don't know why they won't communicate with us."
"They do when necessary," Hunk reminded them.
"It doesn't make sense," Lance argued. "They are choosing when to communicate with us. Keith is able to do so whenever he wants. How is that possible?"
"Maybe it's time to ask him," Hunk answered.
Nodding with determination, Lance replied, "Maybe it is."
"Yes, Coran," Darrell suddenly interrupted the conversation as his comm. link went off, "Yes. We'll be right there." Turning to his two friends, Darrell said, "Coran wants us at MedTech. Something's wrong."
VVVVVVVVVV
When they arrived, the three found Allura and Coran sitting in the MedTech waiting area. Allura looked worried and scared. Coran, usually very good at hiding his thoughts and feelings, at that moment wasn't attempting to hide anything. He looked just as worried.
"What's going on?"
Allura looked up, "It's Keith…he's not well."
"What's wrong with him?" Hunk stepped forward, leaving Lance and Darrell lagging behind.
"Lotor poisoned him," Coran explained. "His lungs are shutting down. Gorma said that if it doesn't get treated soon enough, he will die."
"Can anything be done?" Darrell asked.
"Gorma said that he can shut down his body," Allura answered, "I don't know…do some procedure that will mimic death…shut down the body to kill the infection just enough to then bring him back, but he doesn't know if that will work…it's a gamble."
"It might not work," Coran continued, "Lance, he wants to talk to you."
"Me? Why?" he asked.
"If this doesn't work, you will take command," the advisor sighed. "He's given authorization to provide you with plans and combat procedures when Voltron cannot be formed. But, he needs your consent to do that."
Lance didn't know how to take the news. He didn't want this to happen. Keith wasn't a friend, but…
"Lance?" Darrell said, "You should go now."
"Yeah," he nodded, "Right." Before entering, he looked at Allura. She held herself strong, but he could see the walls cracking. Her love for Keith hadn't subsided one bit, despite everything that happened.
Walking in, he asked a nurse for Keith's room and she pointed to the last room in the hallway. He knocked before the doors slid open. Lance found Keith in bed, sitting up in a semi Fowler's position. A cannula wrapped around his face and ears giving him oxygen. The light blue colored scrubs covered the bruises he'd seen earlier. Keith's face, however, was battered all over except for his eyes. He wondered why Lotor hadn't hit anywhere around the eye area. His eyes were closed, but he opened them when he felt Lance's presence.
"Coran…spoke to…you?" Keith asked as he gasped in between his words.
"Yes," he nodded. "He said you needed my consent to take over should you…"
Keith nodded, "You'll need…to…address Garrison…immediately…after…my death."
"Okay," Lance answered, not happy that Keith was so direct about things. "It may not come to this."
Closing his eyes, Keith swallowed hard before speaking, "Hopefully not. But…we have…to…prepare. Coran will give…you…all processes and…full command. Black…will stay…dormant…till a…new…pilot…is chosen."
"Why are the lions acting up?' Lance suddenly asked. "Is it because of what's happening to you?"
Without opening his eyes, he answered, "They sense…my pain."
"Keith, how is that possible? How can you connect to them in such a way?"
At this, Keith opened his eyes, "Captain's secret. Let's…keep it…that way."
"Why?" Lance's anger grew. "Why are you keeping secrets from us? Are you planning to take them with you to the grave?"
With determination, Keith answered with all the strength he could muster, "Some secrets are…meant to protect. This is…one of them." He gasped hard, trying to control his breathing.
About to speak, Lance was cut off again when Keith spoke, "One more…thing. The code…to the…Brownstone…is 55021. Agatha…will…ask you for a password…tell her...it's…Alfor."
"What's in the Brownstone?"
"Information…you'll need. She will…tell you…once you…give her...the password."
"Keith."
"Do you…consent to taking over, Lieutenant McClain?"
"Yes," he sighed.
"Then, you are dismissed," Keith closed his eyes. With that, Lance knew that the discussion ceased.
He walked out of the room, feeling empty and yet, sad. Why? Secrets, years of secrecy, and no answers as to why everything in their lives had transpired the way it did. Lance couldn't take it anymore. Turning back to the room, he walked in. With anger radiating from his features, he asked, "Just tell me one thing? Before you leave this world. Why? Why Keith? Why did you damn us all? Why the hell did you destroy our family when you killed Sven? Why did you feel the need to kill all of us with him? And why did you destroy everything that meant anything to Romelle?"
The question shocked Keith, his eyes widened in agony and for a moment Lance thought that he'd give him a reason that would give him and everyone else peace, but in a flicker of a moment, Kogane went back into full command mode, looked Lance straight in the eyes, "Simply put…it had to be done."
"You're a monster," Lance whispered. "I hope you do die. We'll finally get rid of you once and for all."
And with that, Lance walked out.
VVVVVVVVVV
As the others waited outside in the waiting room, Romelle walked in, "Hey." She noticed the sullen expressions and the stillness of the surroundings, "What's going on? Dad?"
Coran stood and walked to her daughter, "Keith may not make it, Romelle."
"What?" she gasped, "What do you mean?"
Allura explained what occurred and what the next steps would be, "And Lance is inside talking to him right now. Oh God, Romelle. I don't know what I'll do if I lose him."
Romelle needed to talk to him. If he died, the secret would die with him. And, that just couldn't happen. They needed to know. He couldn't die having them think…
"Lance?" Allura turned from her cousin, "What did he say?"
He looked at Romelle before answering, "Nothing. Just gave me some orders and dismissed me. Despite everything, he's in his typical command mode."
"Nothing about the lions?" Hunk asked.
Lance shook his head, "Just said that they sense his pain. Nothing else. Guess they'll stop once the arrogant bastard dies."
Everyone looked at him in surprise. Emotions circled around the waiting room like tornadoes swirling the dark sky. Allura held the defiant steady gaze of her best friend as he stood his ground. "How could you say that?" she almost yelled, blue eyes igniting with fire as she looked at him.
"He's a killer!" Lance retorted with venomous tone, "He killed one of us. How could you even think differently?"
"He's your friend! Your brother." Allura spat as she looked at Hunk and Darrell, who stood silently near Lance, but held their own quiet retaliation against her. "Whatever happened…it's in the past."
"Maybe for you it is," Lance lowered his voice, filled with coldness, "But not for me. Sven should have seen his daughter grow up. Romelle should have lived the life that she wanted, the life she deserved. He took that away from her…from them!"
"No!" Another voice burst in the room, "He didn't."
All four turn around to see Romelle speak. Her long hair was neatly pulled back in a thick bun. Her beautiful face filled with hurt, but also with anger.
Coran walked up to his daughter and somehow, he knew, "Romelle, what do you know?"
"I need to set things right. We have all suffered too long, for one mistake, one terrible mistake!" She spat out with heart-filled anger that resonated around the room.
"What are you talking about?" Allura tilted her head in question, her azure eyes looked into her cousin's dark blues.
"Keith didn't kill Sven willingly. Sven made him do it."
VVVVVVVVVV
"What do you mean, he made him do it?" Darrell walked up to the older blonde woman. "What haven't you told us Romelle?"
Sighing, the woman took a deep breath as she would now begin speaking of the secret that she had kept locked for so many years, "Sven…secretly worked for Zarkon. He was his informant."
Hunk moved to stand next to Darrell, "That's impossible!"
"I found it hard to believe myself," Romelle mirthlessly laughed. "To think the man that I had fallen in love with had not only betrayed his planet but, his own friends…" She couldn't finish as she fought her tears.
The room, silent for a few moments, felt a turmoil of emotions as it occupants tried to understand what they had been told.
"What happened?" Lance now asked with a soft tone as he approached her.
"Zarkon knew about the raid hours before you all deployed into battle. He knew he was finished, he didn't have anything to fight you. Most of his allies either left him or allied against him. As you all know, Sven was to deploy with all of you on one of the Alliance starships that accompanied you on your journey. But he left all of you before to gather more intel," she looked at her father, who confirmed the story with a nod. "He didn't leave to gather intel. His plan was to reach the castle first, set explosives in strategic positions where all of you would find Zarkon and…kill you."
Lance shook his head in disbelief, "No…Sven would never do that."
"Contrary to what you think and feel for him, yes he would. And, almost did." Romelle replied firmly. "When he arrived before all of you, he landed quickly, disembarked and ordered the ships to pull back until further notice. He claimed that he had secret orders from the Garrison operate within the castle."
"No one questioned that?" Darrell asked, dumbfounded.
"He made sure that his crew was lower in rank from him. They wouldn't question his orders," she answered. "He was pretty cunning."
"So what happened?" Lance continued asking as he took a seat, trying to grasp the information.
"Seeing that it wouldn't take long for you to reach the castle, he first made sure, upon Zarkon's orders that Lotor would be safe. He's the one who helped Haggar and Lotor escape. Zarkon ordered Zolon to leave with his brother, but he wouldn't hear of leaving his father behind. As they fought, Sven went back to work, making sure the devices were placed and ready when all of you arrived." Tired of standing, Romelle sat next to Lance as she continued the story, "At some point, after killing Zarkon and Zolon, Keith crossed paths with Sven."
"This is crazy!" Hunk almost shouted, "Why would Sven want to kill us?"
"Envy."
They all turned when Allura voiced the word aloud, "He was envious, wasn't he, Romelle?"
The older woman nodded her confirmation of the statement, "You all held the souls of the lions within you. It always bothered him that the lions rejected him. When you took Blue, Allura…it almost killed him."
Darrell shook his head, "But that's no reason-"
"I know, Darrell," Romelle cut him off, "I don't understand it either, but maybe part of him longed for the bond you all had. He saw it. It stood out, you all know that, and as juvenile as it sounds, he felt left out."
"How did Keith…" Lance began, "I mean…what happened once Keith found out about Sven?"
"I don't know anything more than what we all saw on the surveillance video," Romelle shrugged as tears began to fall down her cheeks, "All I know is that once Sven knew he was finished, he asked Keith to end his life."
"Who told you all this?"
"Keith."
Lance stood up, "Then this doesn't prove anything! For all we know, he convinced you to believe all this."
Shaking her head, Romelle answered the man's counter argument, "No, I know he told me the truth."
"Why is that?"
"I heard Sven contact Zarkon the day before from the study in our house," Romelle replied. "He spoke to him about rendezvous points, what he planned, and the locations where the explosives would be placed."
"Oh my God," Allura now realized, "You told Keith. You told him what Sven planned to do."
Nodding, Romelle answered, "I privately contacted Black Lion as you all flew there. Keith hoped to convince Sven to do the right thing."
"But, we all saw Keith kill him!" Hunk declared "If all you say is true, why didn't he tell us anything? Why did he hide the truth?"
A sigh of relief escaped Romelle. Allura thought she saw her cousin grow a bit younger as the weight of her secret lifted from her, "If the Garrison knew of Sven's dealings with Zarkon, they would have deemed him a traitor. He would have lost his ranking, his position in the military and our child would have lost any status on Earth as well as on Arus. We would have lost his pension, which would have meant nothing for me or her. My father would have lost his rank as Advisor…the consequences of Sven's actions would have affected all of us in more ways that we know."
"That would have been correct," Coran sighed. "The Garrison wasn't as accepting of magic as it is today, back then the world was much different than it is now. They would have pulled back. All negotiations and relations with them would cease. And knowing the Garrison…as it was back then," he looked around the room, "They would have stripped you all of your rankings as well."
"We wouldn't have been able to go back to Earth," Darrell acknowledged.
Hunk thought about all he would have lost if the Garrison 'disowned' him. Not meeting Lucy, not spending time with his parents, everything that he cared for on Earth would have been taken from him.
"Does Ryan know about this?" Lance asked.
"No," Romelle shook her head, "I met Ryan, years after all this happened." She sighed. "I've never told him. In the long run, I wish I would have had someone to share this with." She looked at Lance, who turned his gaze away from her. "Garrison ruled Sven's death as first degree murder, but since Keith had done good prior to the murder, they gave him a lighter sentence."
"And knowing him, he told you to keep your mouth shut," Allura snorted.
Romelle nodded, "He said he wouldn't put Hope through this mess because Sven decided to become selfish in the end." She laughed mirthlessly at the memory. "The day of his trial, he asked me to deny all knowledge of what I knew. As they grilled me with all those questions…God, I wanted to say the truth, and I almost did, but he gave me this look…" she began to cry. "I did what he asked me to, for my sake, for my daughter's sake, but he…he lost everything." She finished looking at Allura.
With a stern look, Altair asked angrily, "Why didn't you ever tell me? Why did you keep it a secret and let me live all these years thinking he was-"
"He begged me to keep quiet! He told me that you would have moved heaven and earth to help him and that would put us jeopardy."
"Damn that man!" Allura turned to look at doors on the other side of MedTech.
"Allura…all of you. Don't hate him. He did it for me…for us."
Just as the group processed what they had just heard, Gorma walked out, "It's time. I've given him the first dosage, so if anyone has anything to say to him, now would be the time."
Allura walked over to Gorma, "I'm going to be with him." Turning to Romelle, she said defiantly, "This isn't over, Romelle! Right now, I can't stand to see you. When I come out, you better not be here." With that, she walked into MedTech.
VVVVVVVVVV
Keith felt sudden warmth in his hand that he didn't feel in the rest of his body. When he opened his eyes, he thought he saw her, but with his blurry vision and obscure thoughts floating, he thought his mind played tricks on him.
"I'm here," Allura reassured him as she whispered into his ear, "I'm staying here and I'm not leaving until you come back."
"Mind…really playing tricks…on me," he managed to voice aloud through a weak smile. She felt him squeeze her hand.
"I'm really here, Keith. I'm not going anywhere," she whispered again, but this time her voice felt like echoes.
She heard a light knock on the closed door. Her gaze shifted from Keith to the door and there she saw Lance, Hunk and Darrell enter rather quietly, "How is he?" Lance asked, his brows furrowing as he looked at his friend. Keith looked back at him, but his eyes glazed as they seemed more confused as to whether they were there or if again his mind continued its game against him.
A shake coursed his body before he laughed sarcastically, "Damn! Gorma's really…screwing me over." Before closing his eyes.
"No, it's really us," Lance told him with a quiver of a smile. "You better come back, there's a celebration we need to have that's long overdue."
"Celebration?" His eyes were still closed, "Don't bring…the strippers…Altair…will have my ass...if…you…do." Keith squinted his eyes. He looked like he was in pain.
Lance turned to Allura, asking a confirmation to his previous question, "Gorma will induce him into the coma with the second set of medications."
Hunk came closer, "For how long?"
Shaking her head, she answered, "We're not sure, it depends on how fast or how successful his antibodies start to reproduce." Turning back to Keith, she brushed his hair with her hand, "He better come out of it soon, he still needs to explain to us why he kept us in the dark about Sven."
"Allura…" Keith called out to her in a mere whisper.
"Yes,"
"I'm sorry…about…Sven. I didn't want…to kill him."
"He asked you to."
"Yes…but you don't…know that."
"He's delirious," Darrell mentioned, his concern shining in his expression.
"It's the side effects of the drugs," Gorma stated as he walked into the room. He approached the bed and looked over the digital charts on the video screen above the bed. "I didn't want to put him under immediately to avoid any heart palpitations. The smaller the dosages, the better for his heart," he finished as he pressed some buttons on the digital chart.
"What happens now?" Hunk cautiously asked.
"I'm about to administer the last of the medication. This will completely induce him into the comatose state. From there, it is up to him to wake up once I begin to decrease the dosages."
The room became quiet for a moment. "Do it," Allura ordered without hesitation. It only took Allura's words to prompt Gorma into injecting the serum into the IV line. Keith opened his eyes for a moment, probably from the warm feeling as the medication travelled within his body. Allura gently squeezed his hand. He weakly returned the gesture. Then, his eyes started closing. Keith battled to keep them open, but he was losing.
"Allura…"
"I'm here."
"Don't leave…"
"I won't."
"I…love..."
"Me too."
She didn't think he heard her last words because as she said them, his eyes closed, his grip grew lose within her hand, and he took one last breath before he knew no more.
VVVVVVVVVV
The doorbell rang twice before Romelle opened the door. She knew who it would be, as a matter of fact, she expected him. She didn't expect, however, for him to appear so calm. After the bomb she dropped hours earlier in the waiting room at MedTech, she expected not only Lance, but everyone wanting her head on a platter.
"Hello," she cautiously stated as she cleared her throat.
"Can I come in?" Lance asked calmly. She nodded as she allowed him entrance to her abode.
She didn't know what to do or say next. Finally, after collecting her nerves, she spoke, "How…how's Keith doing?"
"He's in a coma."
Romelle placed her hand over her mouth to contain her gasp.
Lance approached her, "Gorma told us that the only way to kill the infection was to shut his body down."
"Allura told me earlier. It's just hard to hear, you know. It's real. Is he going to be alright?" Romelle's eyes began to water.
"We hope so," Lance smiled sadly. "You know Keith. He's too stubborn to lie in bed for long."
She continued walking farther into her apartment until she reached the living room, unfazed by Lance's attempt to keep the situation light, "How's…Allura?"
"She's still pissed as hell. I'd suggest you wait a day or two before dropping by for a visit," he answered, raising his brow.
"I can't blame her."
"I can't either, Romelle," Lance replied. "How could you have hidden this from us for so long?"
"Keith begged me to keep quiet, Lance." Romelle sighed. "You don't know how many times I tried to convince him to do otherwise."
"You could have at least told me," Lance raised his voice. "You knew you could trust me. Why would hide it from me?"
Romelle turned around to face him, "You were Keith's best friend. You sincerely think you could keep your mouth shut? Aside from Allura, you were the last person he wanted to know about this."
"Why didn't you trust me?" he emphasized.
Romelle didn't say a word. For a moment all either heard was the silence of the room around them. She looked at him; her gaze steady, determined. "Trust you? How could I have trusted someone who isn't even sure about his own feelings for me?"
"What are you getting at?"
"Nothing," she shook her head.
Lance walked up to her, "Romelle, I…was wrong about…us."
She laughed, "You come to realize that now, twenty years later?"
"That's not fair," Lance told her. "I have always been in love with you!"
"Then why? Why?"
"You were my best friend's wife. You had a child with him. I…I couldn't do that to him."
"I became his widow, Lance! What was your excuse then?"
Lance ran his hands through his hair, "Romelle…" he couldn't finish. Taking a deep breath, he tried again, "My feelings for you never left me…have never left, but I just couldn't be the guy…who stole his best friend's girl. We all had a code. We lived by it."
Romelle's anger ignited at this point, "Why did you come here, Lance? To tell me you didn't want to be with me because of Sven? Do not give me the petty excuse, you bastard!"
"Rom-"
"No!" she cut him off. "What about after? Did you forget that?" She walked up to him, "What about those nights when nothing mattered but you and me? When you made love to me, when you told me there was no one else but me. You made me feel a fire that I never felt with anyone, not even with Sven!"
"Romelle, I've never felt anything for anyone, but you."
She laughed. "You have a funny way of showing it." She wiped away the tears that began to fall from her eyes, "You threw me away. All because you were afraid of what others thought. I gave you everything, Lance. Everything."
"I've never loved anyone else but you, Romelle."
"You lie!" Romelle began crying. "You left me, Lance McClain, you left me!"
He wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry, Romelle. I'm so sorry. I was a selfish bastard. I was too afraid, too much of a coward…to love you the right way."
vvvvvvvvvv
Darrell and Hunk left the room after some time. There was nothing they could do other than watch Keith sleep and that wasn't going to speed up his recovery. The best thing to do at the moment was work or be with loved ones. Darrell called Hope and even though she didn't want to leave her mother, Romelle told her to go with Darrell, he needed the support more than ever. Hunk wanted to work, but just didn't have the motivation or the brain to do anything. So, he went home. Maybe some mindless television would minimize the stress.
When he opened the door, he was surprised to smell food. From the corner of his eye, the dining room was set. Plates, glasses, utensils, and napkins decorated the once lonely table. It was set for two people. "Hello?" he said loudly. He thought…no, he wished he was right and she was there.
His wish came true when he watched her walk out of the kitchen. She was beautiful. Her red hair fell loosely down her shoulders. She wore cute green overalls with a white long sleeved shirt and white sandals. But, the most beautiful part of all was that now, after some time away, Hunk noticed her protruding belly. Lucy was a beautiful site.
"Hello, Love," she answered with tears welling in her eyes, "Romelle called me a few days ago. Told me about Allura and…I thought…I just couldn't be away. I needed to be here for you."
He rushed to her and wrapped his arms around her small frame before kissing her passionately. She didn't hold back, kissing him with just the same amount of strength and passion she could muster despite the tears that ran down her cheeks. When it was over and they forced themselves apart, Hunk held her close, "I've missed you, Lus. You have no idea."
"I've missed you too, Will," she replied. "I'm never going to leave you again. Never."