Erik's POV

"Mr. Erik…"

When I heard my name being called, I opened my eyes to find Gustave standing at the side of my bed. Oh, what did he want?

"Mr. Erik?"

"What is it?" I lightly groaned, while sitting up. "I'm trying to sleep."

"Where's mama?"

I looked on the other side of my bed, taking notice that Christine was indeed gone. I plopped back against my pillows and sighed.

"I don't know, Gustave. She might have stepped out for a few moments. Now, please, go back to bed until she gets home."

"But I'm always up by eight, Mr. Erik…Shouldn't you be too? You have a park to run."

"That's the wonderful thing about being the owner of a park, Gustave," I said. "You get to make up your own hours. Usually, I would have been there by now, but yesterday, I had an accident. Therefore, I'm not in the best of conditions to work right now. I'm going to rest for a few hours and then, later on I'll head over to my park."

"We are partners, right, Mr. Erik?" Gustave asked, crawling into bed beside me.

"Yes, I told you that we were."

"Then can I come with you to work today?"

"We'll see…"

Before I could say another word, Gustave crawled into bed beside me and snuggled closer to my body. Oh, what was he doing?

"Gustave, did I not just say that I was sleeping?"

"My legs hurt, Mr. Erik… I don't like being alone in my bed. When my legs hurt, I want to be next to you."

"The pain will stop soon enough, boy…" I assured. "It's just going to take a while is all. The doctors told you this already."

"I know, but they look ugly too…"

"Gustave, enough. There is nothing wrong with you. You are a handsome young man…Me, on the other hand, I look like a complete monster."

Gustave brushed his hand over my cheek. "To me you're not…You're the best."

I tried to smile, but instead, I ruffled his brown locks and closed my eyes. "Now, could we please lay here for a few hours more in silence? If your mother isn't back in a little bit, I'll get up and make breakfast. Afterwards, you and I will go to Phantasma and get some work done. All right? Do we have a deal?"

"Yes, Mr. Erik…"

For a while, the boy obeyed my wishes and let me rest. Though, a while later, I began to feel his fingers brushing over my distorted cheek.

"Gustave? What are you doing?"

"Nothing…"

"Then leave my face alone."

To get the child to let me be, I rolled over and pulled my pillow closer to my face. Though, that only made things worse, for now, I could feel him tracing my scars through my night shirt.

"Gustave, please…enough."

"Your back is a maze, Mr. Erik…"

"An endless one at that, now stop your foolishness. I'm trying to rest. If you can't leave me alone, I'm going to ask you to leave my room."

"All right, Mr. Erik…"

I rolled over onto my back and closed my eyes again, only to feel Gustave crawling on top of my chest. Once more, I opened my eyes, spotting the boy lying on his stomach on top of my own. From there, he placed his thumb into his mouth and closed his eyes. Oh, who knew getting the child to sit still was this easy… I wasn't sure how long we slept, for I woke a while later with Gustave still asleep on top of me. After reaching over on the night table for my watch, I realized that it was nearly eleven… Oh, I needed to get to work.

"Come on, Gustave," I cooed, moving his body from off of my own. The boy groaned, but I carried him down stairs and into his room.

"Here, get dressed and I'll take you out to breakfast."

"It's nearly lunch time…"

"Alright," I replied. "I'll get us something to eat on our way. Now, get dressed."

When Gustave was ready to go, I walked us outside and locked the door.

"Mr. Erik, can I ride on your shoulders?"

"If you wish…"

I bent down, only to have the child crawl up to my shoulders. When his legs were set, I grabbed hold of them and rose to my feet.

"I love riding on your back, Mr. Erik…"

"Well, I'm glad, Gustave."

"It's the best thing in the whole world."

"Enjoy it, boy…Soon enough, you will be too heavy for a man of my age to carry upon my shoulders. You're heavy now."

"I only weigh forty pounds, Mr. Erik…"

"Forty pounds too heavy," I jested. "You're heavier than a sack of potatoes."

"Mr. Erik!"

I laughed, and the boy laughed as well. For once in my life, I felt normal… When we entered my park, fathers were carrying their children on their shoulders, and it made me feel normal, for I was doing the same.

"Can we get ice cream, Mr. Erik?"

"I don't know about ice cream." I said. "Maybe we could get some French Fries…Or, we could get some pretzels and lemonade…"

"Yes! Pretzels and lemonade…I like that, Mr. Erik."

A few moments later, I approached the pretzel stand and ordered a few pretzels and a cup of lemonade.

"Here," I handed the boy his lunch and continued to my office. Once inside, I placed Gustave down on my desk and went to work. The boy excitedly ran to the window and sipped on his lemonade. I could only smile and shake my head as I went to work on my documents. Though, a few moments later, the door swung open, the end of it hitting Gustave in the face. Oh, this angered me! As soon as the door hit Gustave, he began to wail out in pain. I shot to my feet and ran to his side, lifting the boy up into my arms.

"It's all right," I placed him on my desk, turning to find Mr. Tilyou standing there. Oh, and he wasn't even sorry.

"Out of here!" I growled, grabbing the man by the shirt. "You are nothing but a slimy piece of dirt! Oh, how I hate you!"

"I came to speak with you…"

"By slamming my boy in the face? Oh, I shall kill you."

"We're partners now, Erik. You might as well get used to it."

"Right, but you didn't have to come in here like a bat out of hell. Now, out with you!"

Oh, I was so angry, that I pushed the man out of my office and slammed the door closed. Poor, poor Gustave…acting fast, I pulled a hankercheif out of my pocket and placed it against his face. Blood was gushing out of his mouth and nose, and I didn't know what to do about stopping it…Oh, Christine was good at this stuff, for she was his mother.

"Gustave, please stop crying."

I pressed the cloth tight against his face, scooping the boy up and carrying him through my park. Oh, where was his mother? I carried the boy all the way to the infirmary of my park, rushing inside and placing him on the examination table. As soon as the doctor saw me, he came rushing over to assist Gustave. The boy was still crying and shouting, but I held onto his hand the entire time. When the bleeding finally stopped, his face was caked in scabs and dried blood. The doctor cleaned him up the best he could, but the boy's nose was busted and his lip had been the same way.

"Come along, Gustave," I said, picking the boy up into my arms. "I have something that will make you feel better."

The boy wouldn't stop crying...even when he was seated at Feltman's ice cream parlor. The entire time I ordered a milkshake for him, he sat there, his face caked in scabs and tears flowing down his cheeks. When I placed his ice cream down in front of him, he took the straw and swiveled it around in the substance, his eyes focusing on his feet.

"Boy, what's wrong?"

I took a seat across from him and patted his hand with my own.

"Gustave, look at me…"

The boy's eyes rose to meet my own…Oh, they were filled with tears.

"Gustave, it's all right… Your face is going to be just fine."

"It hurts, Mr. Erik…"

"I know…Here, drink up your milkshake, it'll make you feel better, boy…"

For a while he tried to sip the liquid up through his straw, but I knew that his lips were bothering him. A few moments later, the door to the ice cream parlor opened, and to my surprise, Christine came walking in. She had some grocery bags in hand, and was currently headed to the front counter.

"Gustave, stay right here…"

I patted the boy on the back and stood to my feet, heading towards Christine.

"I'll take a chocolate banana float, please," Christine said, staring up at the sign that was above the counter. "With whipped cream and a cherry on top."

"Christine," I placed my hand upon her shoulder, causing her to turn and smile at me.

"Erik, what a surprise to see you here…I was just coming to grab something quick for lunch. I've been out shopping for food. I was thinking about making some chicken and a salad for dinner one evening. I know how you tend to work late during the summer…"

When I didn't respond to her, her smile seemed to fade.

"Erik, what's wrong?"

"Christine, there's been an accident at my office."

"Accident?"

I nodded. "Yes, so don't get upset when you see this."

Christine took her lunch and followed me to our booth. Gustave's face was now lying downward on the table and Christine began wondering what was wrong. The woman placed her sundae down on the table and placed her hand on the child's back.

"Gustave, what's wrong?"

As soon as Gustave heard Christine's voice, he lifted his head, and oh, what a disaster that was. Christine immediately gasped the moment she saw the scabs and dried blood that was caked upon his face.

"Gustave, sweetie…Oh, what happened to you?"

Christine lifted Gustave's crying form into her arms, his body wracking with sobs. And then, the woman looked at me. It wasn't my fault! How was I to know that Mr. Tilyou was going to come bursting into my office?

"It was an accident, Christine," I growled. "An accident! Mr. Tilyou came bursting into my office, and the door hit the boy in the face. I took care of him. Oh, you can believe I took care of him for that."

"Did you take him to the hospital?"

"Christine, I took him to my park's infirmary. That's all that could have been done. The doctor examined him, and told me that he would be all right. He has a sore nose and a busted lip, that's all…"

"I should get him home."

"Here," I tried lifting the bags of groceries out of Christine's hand, only to have her refuse my help.

"I think you've done enough damage for today…"

Oh, cruelty! I hated when Christine acted this way. No, she didn't want my help…Not only that, but she was trying to blame this on me. When Christine was gone, I plopped back into my seat and ran my fingers through my hair. Oh, what a lovely day this had turned out to be. For the remainder of the day, I worked in my office, filling out paper work and paychecks. Though, around five, the door to my office swung open once again and Mr. Tilyou came walking through it.

"Ah, I've been waiting to talk with you all day."

"You have no right being in here," I said. "Not after what you did to Gustave today."

"Why do you worry about him? He's not even your child…A bastard."

The moment the words escaped Mr. Tilyou's lips, I went flying towards the man and wrapped my hands around his throat.

"Don't you ever speak about him like that…He is going to be the future owner of this park someday…The boy is like a son to me, flesh and blood or no flesh and blood…It doesn't matter."

Mr. Tilyou didn't seem threatened by my actions, for he reached out and touched a scab that I had running along my neck from my attacker the other night.

"Seems as though you took care of business? Looks as though it wasn't an easy battle, though I could have told you that."

"You speak madness," I growled. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"There is a lot of work to be done," Mr. Tilyou began. "So, I suggest that you get your greasy paws off of me."

I pulled my hand away from the man and stomped over to my desk.

"I was thinking about taking a little stroll with you tomorrow around my park…"

"You don't own a park anymore," I growled. "It's my park now."

"I am your partner, monsieur…I am your partner until further notice."

"Partner? You may be that, but believe me when I tell you that I have control over everything in this park. There is no decision that you can make…No, that is up to me."

"We'll see about that!"

Mr. Tilyou was angry, for he stormed out of my office and let me be. I worked for a while more, deciding to head home around ten. Once there, I locked the door behind me and started up the stairs to my bedroom without even seeking out Christine. I knew she was angry with me, and she had a right to be, I guess. Though, accidents happen, and sometimes, we don't have any control over them. I expected to walk into my bedroom and find it empty, but instead, I found Christine sitting on my bed with Gustave sleeping in her arms, his thumb sticking out of his mouth. I didn't say "hi," nor did I make any kind of greeting.

"Erik, I know I shouldn't be in here, but I was up here getting ready for bed and Gustave came running to me. I sang him to sleep and he fell asleep in my arms…I didn't wish to wake him."

"Well, why don't you take the boy and go downstairs where you belong, so I can get ready for bed?"

"Erik, please don't be this way."

"Oh, I have a right to be, Christine, especially after the way you treated me today. Accidents happen, woman…I had no control over that door swinging open. Gustave was just at the wrong place at the wrong time."

Christine nodded and lifted Gustave into her arms.

"I know…I'm going to put Gustave to bed, but will you meet me downstairs for tea in a few moments?"

When I nodded, Christine pressed a kiss to my cheek and headed downstairs. Oh, she would be the undoing of me…

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