Octavius POV

Chapter 10: The painful trip

I saw how Jedediah fell on his knees. He grabbed his right ankle and said: "Oh Lord, please take this pain away." I was shocked and looked at it, but I didn't do a thing.

"Is everything alright?" I asked after some time, while it was pretty clear.

"I just landed way too hard on my ankle last time I let myself fall," he answered me with a painful face. "My dear God, it hurts."

"Do you really think that will work?" I just asked. Immediately Jedediah looked at me with an angry look in his eyes.

"Don't mock with God ," he said strict.

"Which God?"

"There is only one God."

"Oh Apollo, he is a Christen."

He held his head a little skewed and still looked angry. "So what?" he asked imminent.

"Nothing," I said quickly. "I have always accept the Jews."

"What it is? A Christen or a Jew?"

"What? There is a difference between them?"

"Yes!"

"Apollo, protect me…," I said just before I turned around. I didn't feel like discussing about religions the rest of the night.

"Hold on," I heard Jedediah saying behind me. I looked behind me and saw how Jedediah found it difficult to pull himself up. He stumble towards me and the stumble past me. I looked amazed at him. "You're coming?" he had to ask after some time. I nodded and started to walk and of course it wasn't difficult to keep up with him again.

"Could we maybe…," Jedediah asked suddenly.

"Could we do what?" I asked back. "Walk faster?" He started to look angry at me again. He never heard of a joke before, had he.

"No, I wanted to ask if we could walk close to the wall," he said while he still looked angry at me. I shrugged my shoulders and walked towards the wall.

I reached it pretty fast, but Jedediah wasn't that fast anymore. With every step he took, he almost fell on his knee again. It had to be a painful trip for him. But his proud and stubbornness were bigger than the pain, so he kept on walking and said nothing about the pain he felt. Finally he reached the wall and he hang against it.

"We can further," he said pretty fast. I shocked my head and moved on, as close to the wall as possible.

Instead of the rhythmic ticks of last time his boots now landed different all the time. Now and then I heard him cursing, moaning or a little prayer to his God. And I have to say, it sounded pretty funny. But then I didn't look behind me. Sometimes I stopped for a while, when I heard he was too far behind. I didn't look back and just moved on when I heard he came closer again.

Until I heard a hard scream behind me. I was shocked and turned around in a reflect. I got even more shocked by what I saw. Jedediah was on his knees again. His two hands around his hurting ankle, his eyes were clenched and also his teeth were clamped. He was all sweaty and I could see it glistening on his forehead. Suddenly I didn't think it was funny anymore. Jedediah raised himself again and I felt like I should help him. I could control myself and just kept on looking at him.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Jedediah asked when he stood up.

"You know, it gets worse when you keep on walking on it," I said serious.

"I know… So…?" he asked calm, but with an angry look.

I turned around and kept on walking and he stumbled behind me again. As long as he was too stubborn to ask me for help, I wouldn't offer him my help. He would definitely reject me when I offered him my help, so I would humiliate myself if I did. I kept on walking, faster and faster, until I couldn't hear Jedediah anymore. I looked behind me again and I saw how he tried his hardest to keep up with me. I turned my back to him again and just waited.

"You can walk further again," Jedediah suddenly said behind me.

After I took one more step I heard how Jedediah fell on his knees again. And I had enough of it. I turned around, grabbed Jedediah by both his shoulders and pulled him up. Jedediah screamed both of pain and terror I think. I looked at the ground and saw both his feet standing on the ground.

"Take your foot of the ground." Slowly and hesitating his right foot raised of the ground. I nodded one time and looked at Jedediah again.

"Octavius, what are you doing?" Jedediah asked amazed. "And when where you planning to let go of my shoulders?"

"If you are too stubborn to ask for my help than I just give to you," I said loud, like I was angry. "And don't you dare to push me away and held your foot of the ground," I said somewhat louder. After that I grabbed his left arm and swung it around my shoulder. My right hand laid on his back.

"You're ready?" I asked calm again. He nodded immediately, but still it took some time before I took the first step.

I can't deny it was very weird. How could everything change so fast? His body never was so close against mine before. And we never were so friendly to each other as we were that night. I didn't dare to look at Jedediah, so I looked before me. But still I could notice how Jedediah became calmer. His breathing became regularly again and slowly he also relaxed his arm who hang around my shoulder. Also our step became regularly and I noticed how it became easy to work together with him like that. I didn't know how long this trip would take, but when I walked there with him I told myself I wouldn't leave him behind, no matter what would happen.

Finally we found a safe haven were we could rest. I carefully helped him to sit on the ground and then I went to sit beside him. After he took of his boot and his sock we could see how red and swelling his ankle was. He should've never walked on it. He used his own sock to bind his ankle.

"Maybe it's better to stay here the rest of the night," I said after we sat beside each other for a while. Jedediah nodded one time.

"Good idea," he said softly. It were the first words we spoke since I putted his arm around my shoulder.

"Octavius?" Jedediah said beside me.

"Yes?" I said. I felt the eyes of Jedediah staring at me, so I turned my head towards him. And indeed Jedediah looked at me too.

"Thank you."

For I moment I didn't know how to reply, I just didn't saw it coming.

"You're welcome."

Chapter 10 of Just call my name is finished! ^^

First of all I wanted to say sorry if I offended someone with the religion part. It wasn't meant to offend anyone with it, it was meant to show another difference between Jedie and Ockie (Because Jedediah was really a Christen and Octavius always believed in the Roman Gods, with his favourite God Apollo). I accept and respect everyone, no matter what the religion: Christens, Jews, Muslims, Atheists and (of course) the people who still believe/like to thank the Roman gods, like me! ^^

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please, leave a message if you did!