CHAPTER 5 : A MOVE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

Uther Pendragon's secretary called to tell Merlin that he was to come to the office before he went home. Merlin wasn't worried he knew he was doing well as he'd been given further responsibilities in his department.

As the office emptied, he put his laptop in its case and checking that his work area was tidy, he took the lift up to the Executive floor. Uther's secretary nodded at him and lifted the phone. She then said, "Go right in, Mr. Pendragon will see you now." She stood up and taking her bag went to get her coat.

Uther was sitting at his desk. He did not rise or make any effort to talk. He motioned Merlin to a seat in front of the desk.

"I want you to leave my son alone!"

Merlin looked up surprised. It made no sense. Out of the blue, Uther was challenging' him over the visits that he made to Arthur.

"He has no need of a stranger in his hospital room. There is no need for you to say anything." He took a slip of paper off the desk and handed it to Merlin, "Take it, it's yours!"

Merlin looked down to see a banker's draft in his name for ₤5000. He looked up at Arthur's father who said, "No need to thank me. You are doing me a favour..."

Merlin slid the draft back to Uther, shaking his head. He didn't trust himself to speak.

"Playing hard ball, are you?" Uther grabbed the draft and substituted one for ₤10K.

Merlin sat with his hands in his lap his eyes downcast. No one was going to buy him off. He was his own man and would not let this man dictate his behaviour. He stood up; opening the door he said, "Sir!" and left.

Uther stood flabbergasted. How dare that young upstart treat him this way!

Merlin left the office, making his way to the lift in a daze. That was how the rich dealt with suspected competition...they paid them off. He automatically pushed the button to his own floor and exited the lift once it stopped. He was conscious of nothing, tears were streaking his face as he made an erratic course to his office.

Gawaine had packed up his belongings. It had been a hard week and he was looking forward to the weekend. He came out of his office to see Merlin wandering aimlessly, "Merlin, are you all right?"

Merlin lifted his head and Gawaine saw the look of shock in his eyes and the tear stained face. He put his arm around his shoulders, pulled him into his office saying, "What happened? Is it Arthur?"

Merlin shook his head and managed to get out one word, "Uther!"

Gawaine sat him down and reached for a bottle hidden in his file cabinet. It was often used to toast deals but this time, it was to be used for shock. He poured a small shot and passed it to Merlin who shook his head, "Just take a little sip. It will help." He poured a handsome shot for himself and sat facing Merlin.

Merlin shuddered and raised the glass to his mouth, the smell was strong and it reminded him of medicine but he obediently took a sip. He gasped as his senses picked up the taste and he choked.

Gawaine waited patiently. He knew sooner or later, Merlin would tell him why he was upset. Minutes passed. Merlin sniffed and Gawaine handed him his handkerchief.

Finally, he mumbled, "Uther offered me money." Gawaine waited... "He offered me more money than I have ever seen."

"To do what?"

Merlin shook his head, "For God's sake, Gawaine, not that! He wants me to have nothing to do with Arthur. Honestly, I can't believe you thought he was after me!"

Gawaine took a swig of his drink, looked Merlin up and down and gave a little shrug saying, "He could have done worse."

"Gawaine, this is serious!"

Gawaine smiled, he felt better as Merlin seemed more himself, "So, what did he do?"

"He offered me a five thousand to leave Arthur alone and when I didn't bite, he upped it to ten. He had the bank drafts on his desk."

"So, what did you do?"

"Do? I stood up and left!" Merlin put his head in his hands. "Gawaine, I think I'm going to be fired."

"He won't do that as he would have to give a reason for dismissal and I would have to be involved and he might be hot headed but he's not looking to open disciplinary proceedings concerning employer bribery."

-0-0-

Not knowing that Merlin had already decided to end his visits to the hospital, Gawaine seeing that Merlin was in no state to visit, offered to take over visiting Arthur for the remainder of the week. He was furious with Uther and if he had had unlimited funds he would have turned in his resignation. He would still remain friends with Arthur and the others but the thought of dealing with Uther turned his stomach.

However, he couldn't afford the luxury of giving up his position without having some other job. He'd just expected to work in Arthur's father's business until a better offer came along. He smiled, Arthur had often teased that when he took over the company he would put Gawaine on the board of Directors and they would be able to have lengthy lunches and not be glared at if they returned late to the office.

He visited Arthur everyday that it was possible spending most of his time talking about Merlin, telling Arthur how he had stood beside him from the beginning. If Arthur were able, he would have realised that Merlin had impressed his best friend.

However, there was no hand clenching but every time Gawaine said Merlin's name the machines beeped as Arthur's brain waves spiked. Arthur's arms had been moving but had not opened his eyes since that first time and the general feeling was that it was one of those unexplained happenings with a comatose patient who was in the first stage of coming out of his coma.

Gawaine tried something different by deciding to talk to Arthur in a sport's frame. "All right, you have the ball and can't reach the goal line, you have to pass it and let your team mate shoot on goal. That's how a team works.

"At the moment, you and Merlin are a team. He has brought you to within the goal crease and you have to take the ball and score. He is one of the members of your team but a striker, you are a shooter. He will be as pleased with a goal he has set up as if he had scored it himself.

"You are indebted to him. You have to reward him. Not by inviting him out for a drink but doing something even more important...like opening your eyes and looking at him.

"Arthur, I know that you know when he is in the room so it should be easy. He's hurting...he can only keep this up for so long. I know you can hear me so please think about what I am saying. Arthur, between you and me and I swear on my life never to mention it to anyone but we both know your flitting from woman to woman and inability to settle with one has deep roots. If you open your heart to Merlin, I know he will respond positively. Poor chap, he's crazy about you!"

Gawaine laughed, "Maybe, that was privileged information...forget I said it! He'd kill me. He is so unassuming and truly sincere and would hate to think that you and I just had this conversation."

Taking Arthur's hand in his as he had seen Merlin do, he said sincerely, "Arthur, I know you react to him. Just try your hardest to come back to us, we really do love you and the last months have been difficult for not only you but also your friends... he hastily added, "...as well as you father."

'Hypocrite!' he thought to himself. Uther had moved on, he paid less attention to his son's condition than a snake would to its offspring. No expense was spared but the support was all financial nothing emotional.

"You are loved by all your friends, you are precious, Arthur. We want you to be with us again." He felt a movement in Arthur's hand and he smiled.

-0-0-

Finally Merlin could stay away no longer. He was worried about Arthur, even knowing that he was getting the best care and attention, he needed to see it for himself.

He slipped into Arthur's room looking at the man who had affected him so much. He sat holding his hand as he had some explaining to do. Merlin said seriously, "You might feel lost, Arthur, but you are not! I know where you are...I'm holding your hands and won't let go for as long as is needed. Just stay with me and I'll be able to lead you back to your friends…and your family." There was a perceptible pause between the two. He had flashbacks of Uther's office but then he thought of Gawaine and Arthur's other friends.

"I'm sorry I missed coming to see you; I got a little sidetracked but then I couldn't stay away. I missed you. Yes, even as you are lying on your backside like a king with all your servants running around you day and night, if I may be so bold to say, Sire!"

He felt his hand being squeezed and he squeezed back, before lifting Arthur's hand and gently blowing on his fingers. Arthur's hand clenched again and Merlin smiled. "You felt that didn't you. I'm so proud of the progress you are making. By the time the April comes around, you'll be sitting in a chair and maybe even going out into the gardens. Does that sound good? I think it sounds like fun.

"I'm not giving up on you, Arthur Pendragon! One day I am going to watch you play football, maybe even see you score a goal and then, we'll go out for a drink with the others and then...you could drive me home in your posh car."

Merlin wiped away the tears that were streaming down his face. He sometimes found it so hard to remain enthusiastic and there were days when he would go home and just flake out on his sofa. One evening, he had even fallen asleep in the hospital with his head resting on Arthur's bed. He woke to fingers in his hair stroking. He stayed still and could have cried tears of joy when he realised that it was Arthur's hand in his hair.

He had smiled and said quietly, "I feel you, Arthur..."

The hand stopped and then started again and Merlin whispered, "I love you..."

-0-0-

Bridie was on duty on Saturday when he came to visit. She gave him a big grin and waved him into the room. The first thing that Merlin noticed was that some of the machines were missing. He glanced at Arthur and smiled he was really breathing on his own. Until then, he'd had a little clip in his nostrils.

Merlin couldn't stop himself as he said, "Good Morning, Handsome!"

"I presume you mean me," said a voice behind him, he jumped as he tuned to see Roy Fells. "Morning, Merlin, good to see you! As you can see, we have Arthur on very little oxygen, just on demand. He's progressing slowly but it's always in little steps in the right direction, I'm glad to say."

Merlin looked back at Arthur smiling, "Well, Arthur, you got a good report so I now expect you to progress in leaps and bounds." He stopped and stared at Arthur, his eyelids were quivering. He held his breath but nothing else happened.

"He started doing that overnight," said Dr. Fells. "We've been waiting to see if it is preliminary to his opening his eyes but nothing yet. Have a nice visit and keep chatting to him," saying that Dr. Fells took his leave and hurried away.

Merlin nodded as one of the care-workers whom Uther had hired for Arthur came in with the daffodils he had brought in with him today. She placed them on the windowsill and left. She'd have some free time as Merlin was there with Arthur.

Merlin pulled the chair closer to the bed, saying, "The flowers are for you as are these chocolates but as you won't be eating them I'm giving them to the nurses. One day, I will bring in a box just for you and no one else. We can share them, you and I and eat them until we make ourselves sick."

He took Arthur's hands, his nails had been cut short by one of his carers. He wished he'd thought about that before as he could have done Arthur's nails. He decided to check with Bridie to see if family members ever did that. He smiled to himself, he wasn't a family member but he'd like to do something special for Arthur.

He said, "There's a great show in the West End, I have tickets for the Sunday Matinee and, don't laugh, but I'm taking my Mother as it's her birthday and we're making a foursome with Gawaine and Bridie. I'd rather be going with you," he said wistfully, "But...maybe next time. It's Royal Gambit about Henry the Eight and his assortment of wives. I'll give you a private critique of it when I visit in the evening."

Arthur's hand tightened on his and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Arthur's head shift slightly. His heart clenched and he whispered, "Arthur? Arthur, look at me." Again Arthur's head moved slightly and Merlin grinned. That effort was worth an Olympic gold, he decided.

-0-0-

Merlin had stopped at the nurses' station and mentioned to the nurse on duty that Arthur had moved his head. She'd smiled, writing it on Arthur's chart and flagging it for Dr. Fells. She said, "Whatever you are doing, young man, it's exactly what the patient needs. One day, Arthur will surprise us all by waking up and hopefully you will be the first one he sees. He owes you so much, Merlin. You have every reason to be proud of yourself."

Merlin smiled to himself, Sheila reminded him of his Mother. He'd seen her rejoicing with the family of patients who were making progress and supporting those families whose relative had died. She seemed to know exactly what to say in any situation.

The phone rang and she turned to answer it so Merlin walked to the lift. He knew that she was wrong however, as even if Arthur opened his eyes and saw him; he wouldn't know him from Adam.

Arthur's head movement kept him feeling positive as he walked home. It had to be a breakthrough. He's never done it before, maybe he would now start murmuring in response to someone talking to him. In the whole picture of things, it was such a little thing but Merlin felt that it was a huge step in the right direction.

Then reality hit. He'd had Arthur to himself for almost ten weeks; the time might be approaching when others would reclaim their positions of friendship and interest.

Gawaine and he had to this point been his main visitors, was he ready to walk away? Could he walk away? Was he ready to relinquish his hold on Arthur and pass the job to someone else? However, what would happen if his friends' interest then waned and he became one of those patients whose only contacts were the nursing staff?

He knew his most desired dreams would never be fulfilled but was there a chance that Arthur might like him enough to consider him an acquaintance.

-0-0-

He fed Spot and sat on the sofa. The news was on but he wasn't paying too much attention to it. He went over in his mind the progress which Arthur had made. He could move his arms and clench his hands, he had moved his head, opened his eyes once that was documented, squeezed Merlin's hand in response to basic questions. He had even moved his legs according to physio.

Merlin smiled and then he frowned, Arthur had been able, to run, jump, drive, ride, play football, laugh, sing, speak and according to his friends had an excellent grasp on reality and a good insight into business affairs. Merlin felt himself spiralling into despair, compare the two and Arthur was so far from what he had been that his progress seemed negligible.

He was distracted from his thoughts as he recognised a voice on TV and the word 'coma patients'.

A programme was beginning, it was about trauma centres specialising in comatose patients and Arthur's Dr. Fells was the guest. Merlin was interested as Dr. Fells explained about patients opening their eyes but not focusing, involuntary movement of limbs versus movement on command, recognition of sounds and tracking of same by head or eye movements. He spoke about the GCS (Glasgow Coma Scale) a rating of eye opening, motor movements and verbal responses. A number was given for each action, eye-opening on command resulted in a three, spontaneous eye opening gained a four. Movement on command rated a six, he briefly went over the areas tested. He mentioned conversation and Merlin decided then and there that that was going to be his next goal. He was going to get Arthur to say something, even if it was only one disoriented word, it would be worth something on the scale.

Merlin decided that he would speak with Dr. Fells and then if he was in agreement take his holidays early this year and spend a fortnight at Arthur's side, an intensive two weeks of visits from morning to night if the good doctor agreed.

During the interview, Dr. Fells had mentioned that patients often became confused and agitated as they regained brain function but that the presence of family helped them as they reassured them that everything was all right. As they woke up they often tried to pull out feeding tubes and their oxygen. The more they regained consciousness, the more they were able to understand and then accept what had happened.

Tomorrow, he would speak with the doctor, but tonight he would sleep.

-0-0-

He heard someone calling him. His name was repeated over and over again becoming more recognisable each time it was said. He turned his head and Arthur was standing propped against the wall, he was smiling as if he knew what a great improvement he had made.

Again he said Merlin but this time his tone and inflection changed and it was a question, "Merlin?" He then made it into a statement, "Merlin…" then again with happiness at his success, "Merlin!"

Merlin smiled and said, "Yes, Arthur!" and Arthur crumpled beside him onto the bed with a thump.

He awoke to Spot sitting almost on his face looking at him questioningly. He'd do it he decided. Maybe the first word wouldn't be his name but anything would suffice. He was going to encourage Arthur to say a word…