Jekyll and Poole were in a ferocious fight. The two were screaming at one another and racing after the other around the house. In Poole's hand was a bent, brass key. Jekyll was in a panic, ragefully chasing after his butler as the man did everything in his power to evade him. All around the house, servants were struggling to get out of the way. Even the poor old cook, Mrs. Radford, had lost a bowl of chocolate pudding to the whole out of control ordeal.
"Give me that key!" Demanded the doctor, furiously, waving his hands around as his shoes hit the richly carpeted floor. "Now I said! Poole! Now I said!"
"No, Master!" Refused the servant, desperately clinging to the brass key. "It is pure wickedness, I say! Pure wickedness! This key is evil itself! You can not have it! It was a keepsake of Hyde!"
The doctor growled, rounding a corner. "I do not care what pathetic sentiments you have about that key!" He shouted, not even caring if the other servants heard him in his anger. "I must have that key! It is mine! I must have that key! Poole! I must have that ke-e-ey!" He screeched.
But Poole refused to be daunted and merely continued to dash around the many hallways of the great house and in and out of its many rooms. As many had remarked in the past, Jekyll and Poole seemed to be ageless, and despite their many years, neither one of them resembled anything less than hounds in springtime. Oh, there were aches and pains, surely, but the race went on and on until finally it abruptly ended once Poole reached the steep staircase leading into the basement.
"Sir!" Cried Poole, flinging himself around. "It is too dangerous to continue this silliness! This staircase is steep! One of us could fall down it!"
Jekyll slowed to a halt, breathing heavily. He glanced at the staircase.
"It is simply not worth it, Sir, to proceed in this state!" Exclaimed the butler, frightened at Jekyll's out of control desire to have the key returned to him.
Jekyll took a few more deep breaths, and then relented. "Fine. You are quite right. I do not wish to risk the health of either one of us." His eyes then lingered on the key in Poole's hand. "You take it then. But I want it back. We will continue this argument at a later time." And the doctor turned away and stomped off, still greatly upset over the loss of so precious an item.
If that was the way Poole was going to be, then so be it. Jekyll could hardly fight him now. It was not that important.
"I feel that it would be best if your brothers came to visit you." Announced Poole when the two had settled down and were together in the living room.
Jekyll gave Poole a long, hard stare. "Why ever should they come here? And what makes you think that I wish to put up with Gene's hypocrisy?"
"I am referring to Jaule and Mozart." Answered Poole, stubbornly.
Jekyll sighed, tiredly. "I want nothing to do with them either."
"Why not?" Asked Poole, simply.
"They do not know anything of Hyde..." Jekyll trailed off into silence.
"I am well aware of that." Stated Poole, closing his eyes. "But they must be made aware of your condition at the least. You are in a horrid state. And someone must take..." He opened his eyes, catching himself and then only sparing Jekyll with the smallest of pauses. "care of you."
"You take fine care of me, Poole." Jekyll hid his face in his mug. "Now kindly dismiss the idea."
"No." Said Poole, firmly. "I do not have the strength to keep chasing you around the house every day." He admitted, honestly. "You are acting like a fool."
"I thought that I was insane?" He made a twisted smile.
"And a fool." Added Poole.
Jekyll's lips turned up in a sneer. "You anger me, Poole. Do not call me a fool. I am far from it."
The butler calmly took in Jekyll's angry form. "I am not intimidated by you, Sir. I served your father a young man and I have served you for many, many years. I am not intimidated by any man after all of that. Not even Utterson. And Richard is weak... Only your father knows how to make me run, and that is only because he is so ornery!" Poole huffed in indignation and stomped away. "I am going to send a letter to your brothers and have them come to this... this disgraced house... this completely disgraced house!" He howled. "and visit you."
Jekyll raised a brow at Poole's outburst. "So be it then."
The doctor was knelt at his bedside, hands folded in prayer. His eyes rested on his covers, the darkness of the room surrounding him in his loneliness. He could think of only one thing to pray for, of only one thing to do with himself. Laying on the blanket was a small, leather book with a golden cross on the front. The book was opened to a particular page, and on this page was the Holy Communion of the Sick.
Jekyll could think only of Hyde.
"Peace to this house and all who live in it.
"I confess to almighty God that I have sinned through my own fault,
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done,
and in what I have failed to do;
and I ask blessed Mary, ever Virgin,
all the angels and saints,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.
"Lord, I have sinned against you.
Lord, have mercy.
"Lord, show me your mercy and love.
"You brought me to salvation by your paschal mystery.
Lord, have mercy.
"You renew me by the wonders of your passion.
Christ, have mercy.
You give me your body and your blood,
to make me one with your Easter sacrifice.
Lord, have mercy.
"Amen."
Jekyll then closed his eyes, his voice soft and soothing like a father's. "Edward..." He said, calmly. "Please, I beg you... Find some peace."
That morning, Jekyll woke up to find Jaule standing over his bed, looking down at him with sorrow in his slender, blue eyes. Jaule was a little taller than Jekyll, with similar features, except that he was wearing his spectacles, and Jekyll's were laying on the nightstand. Jekyll hurriedly reached for his round eyeglasses and placed them on his face, sitting up in bed. He looked at Jaule in astonishment.
"What... what are you doing here so soon?" His voice was weak with emotion. He felt choked.
Jaule was his younger brother, though, older than him in every way. They were both doctors and scientists, as Mozart was too. Only Gene was not either. Their littlest brother was instead simply a psychologist, a successful career nevertheless, just without the PhD attached.
"I came as soon as I heard that you were... Well, not 'unwell'." Jaule rubbed the back of his head. "Rather that... you have finally come round to admitting that you are unwell."
Jekyll scoffed.
Jaule knitted his brows together. "That kind of attitude is only to be expected from you. I thought that I would see nothing less than that sort of reaction from a man who has hidden himself in his laboratory for years."
The elder brother looked away, feeling ashamed. Deeply ashamed. "What of it?" He regretted the question as soon as it left his mouth.
"You have worried Father almost to death. Mozart has given up music. Gene is living in seclusion. And all of my children despise me." It was almost as if Jaule was smiling, but there was no smile there. "My wife thinks that I am mad, my servants are all running about her and her constant tantrums, and my butler is not so patient with me." Jaule looked around the room. "Oh, let me see... What else...? Well, of course, Mother is in heaven ranting and raving about how you should have been committed years ago, and cousin Utterson and cousin Richard are both stark raving mad themselves. Then, well, yes... Poole is stark raving mad also. But has he ever been anything else since he disappeared into your house all those years back when you claimed that you had finally found your purpose in life?" Jaule leaned back, tauntingly. "Now, tell me, Brother... have you at last let go of that ever so splendid purpose to ruin yourself and plunge your family into grief and shame?"
Jekyll let his eyes drift upwards to the canopy. "I assume that you have come here to scold and lecture me all of the day?"
"Why, yes, of course." Said Jaule, coolly. "That is what big brothers are for."
Jekyll scowled, growling. "I am the eldest."
"In age only." Grinned Jaule. "You are very much Daddy's little boy."
Jekyll growled even louder. "Back off, Jaule."
Jaule turned his head, not letting his eyes leave Jekyll's face. He was smiling. That arrogant, self-satisfied smile that could make Jekyll howl with rage. Then Jaule turned away.
"Jekyll..." He said, quietly. "Your room is in great disorder." And indeed it was. There were papers and books thrown about everywhere. "You can not expect Poole to do everything for you."
"Hardly." Jekyll lied, as had become so easy for him. He started to get out of bed.
"Jekyll..." Admonished his brother. "Do not come at me with lies now. No lies. I am tired of your lies." It was something that Jekyll had become used to hearing as of late.
"So says everyone else." Jekyll complained.
Jaule noticed that the older doctor was still fully dressed despite having just awoken from sleep. "You are quite a wreck."
Jekyll ignored him and straightened his clothes. They were badly wrinkled from having slept in them night after night. Jaule was spotless and perfect himself. Apparently, he was taking much better care of himself. The brothers stood near each other, but still apart. Jekyll was hesitant to approach Jaule, and Jaule didn't want to upset Jekyll. He knew that his elder brother was silly when it came to emotions. Jaule preferred to get things done, to get it out and over with. But Jekyll was private and stubborn and everything had to be pulled out of him in a great, terrible fight.
"Where is Mozart?" Questioned Jekyll, finally.
"He is at home, taking care of Father." Replied Jaule, smoothly. "He will be here later this evening, after Father is in bed. He goes to bed early these days, you know. And it is not because he is old." Jaule wiped some imaginary dust off of his long, currant coloured coat. "It is because of you." He ended, ominously.
Jekyll had nothing to say. He knew of his father's grief stricken condition. There wasn't anything that Jekyll knew to do about it. Jekyll had so many problems of his own, he did not know how to care for his family any more. He had lost that great strength in his descent into irrationality.
"Do you want to talk to Father?" Asked Jaule, earnestly.
Jekyll was quiet, then, "Yes... Of course."
"Then come by the house and see him." Ordered Jaule, sternly.
Jekyll fell into silence again. "Utterson and Richard will not allow me."
Now it was Jaule's turn to be silent. "Why?" He asked, simply.
"Because..." Jekyll paused, feeling his deep shame again. Oh, the lies! The evasion! The deceit! "They are worried that leaving the house will make me more unwell. They only allow me to go to work because I simply have no choice in the matter. I must make my living here."
"He is miserable without you." Sorrow came into Jaule's voice then.
"I do not know what to say to him." Admitted Jekyll, helplessly. He held his head in his hand, frustrated.
"Try." Urged Jaule. "Just try. Do your best. Father needs you. He needs you to try."