CHAPTER 15 : AND EVERYTHING SEEMED RIGHT

Suddenly, sitting looking across at Arthur, Merlin became serious, "Arthur, I got drunk!"

Arthur was going to burst out laughing but seeing the worried look on Merlin's face refrained from doing so.

"I did it intentionally as I wanted to get rid of the feelings of being hurt." Arthur didn't interrupt him. "I knew I had to get drunk so I went to a pub and ordered a double whiskey. It was horrible but I knew that if I drank it down, I would feel better. Well, that's what people say, don't they? 'Here, drink this! It will make you feel better…' But it didn't…so I got another then a beer. It was strange, I felt muffled in a blanket but the sad feeling was still there. Then a man came over to ask if the chair opposite me was vacant and he offered to sit with me but I told him to get lost."

Arthur was visualising the mess Merlin had got himself into and was beginning to wonder if the outcome of this story was going to be something which he as having caused it, would live to regret.

"It was warm there so I got another beer. It was strange as the bar seemed to be getting further away from my table. The men were all very friendly…"

Arthur felt himself becoming annoyed; he said under his breath, "I bet they were!" How, could Merlin have been so naive and then he realised that he was equally to blame. He had turned on Merlin telling him to get out.

"The men kept asking me things. Someone asked me to go home with him, something about a well-used bed. I couldn't figure who he was and didn't like what he was talking about. Another man sat and talked to me but I didn't like him as he kept rubbing his hand along my leg. I tried to pull away but it didn't work and then Gawaine arrived…he said that I was his boyfriend. Arthur, that was so funny, I'm not anyone's boyfriend…!" He stopped and looked at Arthur and said, "Well, not really…am I?" But then he continued, "…and Gawaine was going to cut something off him if he didn't go away.

"Then I don't remember much except that Gawaine was with me and I knew it would be all right. I remember being lugged up the stairs and dumped on my bed. I don't think liquor makes you feel better just warm and really confused."

Arthur manoeuvred his chair so that he could put his arm around Merlin's shoulders, "Merlin, I would never have forgiven myself if anything had happened to you. I'm glad Gawaine found you."

"He was so kind, he must have stayed over as he made me breakfast and got something for my headache. He took a day off work. I told him what had happened between us and he said that he knew and that you had asked him to check up on me. I knew I had to come back to apologise for what I had said. I didn't mean it in a nasty way, I would have never done that it was just a phrase but maybe not the best to have used after what had happened…"

"I knew that as soon as you'd left, you hadn't meant it to hurt me," Arthur said, "Because the look on your face was one of utter surprise. I was really feeling sorry for myself but then I realised it was a misunderstanding but it was too late. I think I'm still a little unsure of what happened back in November and rather touchy about the whole situation. I can't believe that Rupert is dead and that one day, I will have to contact his parents."

"Arthur, they know you didn't kill Rupert, he died because that side of the car was hit by the lorry. It was very sad but not something which you should be blaming yourself for. It could have happened when he was going back to town with someone else even his parents. You were both caught in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"But it still hurts, Merlin!" Merlin managed to put his arms around Arthur's waist and held him. Arthur rested his head on Merlin's shoulder. He settled there as if it were the most comfortable place to be and after a little while whispered, "As you are not anyone else's boyfriend, could you think about becoming mine?"

Merlin face lit up into a big smile. He pulled back and looking directly at Arthur saying, "Maybe we should kiss to seal the deal." As he carefully put his lips on Arthur's, Merlin realised that the sooner Arthur's legs were stronger, the sooner he could sit on the sofa and then kissing would be a lot easier.

Arthur decided that Merlin was the best kisser in the world and he would have kept at it but he heard a tap on the door and Gawaine's voice saying, "Anybody home?"

-0-0-

"I guess the lovebirds have made up?"

Merlin smiled and said, "I told Arthur about getting drunk and he wasn't much impressed. Don't think I'll ever do it again as I felt rotten and I know that it wouldn't take much for the headache to return."

Gawaine fished in his pocket for a paracetamol and went to get a glass of water at the sink, "Hey, this is more like it, Arthur; you can cook your own meals and maybe even have an overnight guest." He handed the pills and water to Merlin saying with a wink at Arthur, "If I learnt anything from the Scouts it was 'Be Prepared."

Arthur just shook his head and laughed at him. Merlin knew that he'd missed something but he didn't care, he was happy being with Arthur.

Gawaine looked at the two of them and said, "Is that a sofa bed by any chance?"

"Doubt it but check out the ensuite. Think I'll have one of my bathrooms remodelled as I like the idea of a wet room…we could have communal showers."

"Count me out, communal showers are great after a game but it would feel weird going to someone's house for supper and ending up in the shower…" Realising what he had just said, he came to a full stop.

"Gawaine, some of the stories I've heard about you put communal showering way down on the list of ways to entertain your friends and I would imagine your enemies."

Merlin sat there quite happily listening to the two friends arguing. He heard his name mentioned and came back to the present.

"So, our little friend told you about his drunken escapade at one of those infamous gay bars?"

"Excuse me! I think I may have been a little bit tipsy, I knew what was going on. Didn't I, Arthur?"

"Well," said Gawaine interrupting, "You might have thought you did but the first time I approached you, you didn't know me and told me to get lost."

"I did?"

"Yep! …and to add insult to injury you then let some weirdo sit next to you and I had to save your virtue by threatening him."

Arthur remarked, "Just as you did Randy?" Gawaine grinned at him and nodded.

"Did I really not know who you were? I had been hoping to hear from you all day."

"Well, it might have worked if you had turned on your phone. I rang from midmorning until I decided to come here to see if you had come to visit and then I heard what had happened the previous night. Honestly, I think the two of you deserve each other."

Merlin laughed and said, "Yes!"

"Merlin, he wasn't complimenting us he was being sarcastic."

"Who cares?" said Merlin with a shrug, "I think we deserve each other, don't you?" He looked at Arthur and ran his fingers down his cheek. Arthur smiled and held Merlin's fingers to his lips.

"If you two are going to get soppy, I'm out of here. Anyway, it's nearly supper time, how about Merlin goes downstairs and brings back something to eat and then once supper is over, I can make sure that he arrives safely home.

Once Merlin left, Arthur said, "How bad was that place last night?"

"Well let's just say that in his condition, Merlin wouldn't have woken up at home, more likely in someone else's bed. He's a lightweight, Arthur, and very attractive even when he is, as he calls it tipsy. He had quite a few people eyeing him. As it was, the worse thing that he had as a souvenir was a hangover and hopefully no desire to drink whiskey again."

"I feel awful because I drove him to it."

"No, you didn't. It was a decision he made on his own. If it had been my mother, she would have gone out and bought some cream cakes or chocolates. You can't control his life, he will make mistakes as you will and you will both have to accept each other's failures. I don't think he'll go into a bar alone in a hurry, it was a one off. Next time, he'll be with a group and you'll be able to keep an eye on him and if you get sozzled…then I will take over!"

Arthur smiled, he'd had feelings at one point when he'd come out of the coma finding himself unable to move, that maybe life wasn't worth living, but the stronger he got and with Merlin beside him and Gawaine not too far away, those feelings had never come back. "Thanks for staying with Merlin overnight and today."

"I didn't think twice about it. I don't own the business anything as I'm usually there."

Merlin arrived back with lots of containers and shortly afterwards Arthur's supper tray came as well. They shared off each other's plates, Arthur opting for the chips and Merlin the mashed potatoes. Gawaine made himself a cup of tea and smiled to himself thinking, 'All's well that ends well!'

The time passed quickly and soon Graham came in to give Arthur a hand if he needed, to get ready for bed. The others left and once he knew they were gone, Arthur asked, "How long before I will be able to sit on the couch?"

"Getting on the couch is easy; it's standing up and getting off the couch that is hard. We'll check with your therapist and if she gives you the go ahead, we can practice." Graham smiled saying, "Any particular reason why you want to sit on the couch? Could it be that rather attractive young friend of yours?"

Arthur thought, 'Am I that obvious?' He glanced at the smiling Graham and said unconvincingly, "Maybe!"

-0-0-

Arthur's schedule had been changed so when Merlin arrived in the afternoon he wasn't in his room but in the pool. Merlin removed his outside shoes and slipped on cotton slippers and went over to watch Arthur exercise. He was a good swimmer and certainly at this point more capable in water than on land. He was doing lengths followed by stationary exercises. Merlin smiled at the concentration on his face. He liked the look of a determined Arthur.

He was miles away when something nudged his knee and it was Arthur's wheelchair. Caught in the act, Merlin immediately jumped as in his mind had been in the pool with Arthur doing things which now made him blush.

Arthur raised his eyebrows but said nothing. He laughed, then added quietly, "Liked what you saw, is that it?"

"No! I mean yes, I mean I don't know…" A flustered Merlin was suddenly feeling uncomfortable. His body seemed finely sprung and he felt that if he didn't let off some energy soon he was going to burst. Arthur still had on his swimming trunks but he had a hospital towel around his shoulders. Merlin could still see water droplets on his lower legs and he seemed to glow.

"I just have to go and dry off. Then I have to do a few more exercises before getting back into my sweats. I'd say you could come but visitors are not welcome in the changing area." He winked and raised his eyebrows causing Merlin to almost keel over. Arthur had never spoken to him like this before. It was sexy but endearing at the same time.

Merlin casually stood up as someone called, "Arthur, hurry up they're ready for you. You're holding up our assembly line!"

Arthur laughed and swung his wheel chair around, turning to look at Merlin as he said, "To be continued…"

Merlin was out of there as fast as possible.

Feeling the need to distance himself from Arthur he went to the nearest drink dispenser and got a bottle of water.

He wandered down to the sun room and looked out at a terrace being swept by rain. Slowly he seemed to uncoil and could think clearly. He liked Arthur but he wondered if he were out of his depth already. According to Gawaine, Arthur was a man of the world. He worried that Arthur would soon find him uninteresting. He knew that he could hold his own with him intellectually but after that everything sort of became clouded.

Should he confess that he'd never done more than kiss another boy? He'd been thirteen, it had seemed right at the moment but later he recalled that it had meant nothing to him so, he figured maybe he was destined to be someone whose life would be confined to impassionate hugs from relatives and friends…but then Arthur had kissed him and the feeling had swept him away, it had been electrifying. It had seemed ordained and for his part he knew that he was lost in the world of one Arthur Pendragon.

-0-0-

He checked his watch: Arthur should be back in his room soon. He took the stairs to calm himself down. He'd just reached the fifth floor when Bridie came bustling by with a tray of medications. She smiled saying, "Gawaine said that you two are back on an even footing. That's great…by the way, Arthur's father is in the building he was quite obnoxious but he got no information from us and he went storming off to see the Registrar, he won't get much down there but just to let you know he's around. Maybe stick to the stairs for today."

Merlin nodded, he couldn't face being trapped in a lift with Uther. He automatically flexed his shoulder and put his hand on his collar bone. His energy level dropped and all positive feeling drained from his body. He concentrated on going up the stairs. Should he tell Arthur or would he have been notified? He was a little worried as once he left the stairs; he had quite a way to go before getting to Arthur's room.

He opened the door on R6 and glanced down the hall, nothing seemed to be out of order. He passed a utility room and saw a white lab coat hanging on the wall. For some unexplained reason, he grabbed it slipping it on. He passed the nurses' station without being questioned and made his way towards Arthur's.

He could hear the raised voices as he turned the corner; he sped up in time to see a man being manhandled toward him along the corridor. He froze; no one had to introduce him as he was staring at Arthur's father who was being unceremoniously carted away from Arthur's wing by two large security guards and a policeman.

Merlin stood against the wall as he passed, praying that he would in his white coat just look like a member of staff. Uther was blustering on about the hospital not having the right to keep him from seeing his only son. "They have brainwashed him to say that he doesn't want to see me and if they think they can keep me away, they had better think again…I am a regular contributor to the Hospital Foundation and on best of terms with the Chairman of the Board!" He threatened, "…some heads are going to roll!"

'Hopefully yours!' thought Merlin as he walked towards Arthur room. He was stopped at the door by security who informed him that Mr. Pendragon would be having no visitors until further notice. He caught a glimpse of a doctor as a nurse was tending to someone on the bed. Turning, the doctor saw Merlin and motioned to the guard to let him pass.

Merlin shrugged off the lab coat explaining that he hadn't wanted to be recognised by Mr Pendragon. The doctor and the nurse moved over and Merlin gasped. Arthur had abrasions on his face and a nasty cut done with either a nail or more likely a ring.

"We gave him something to calm him down. He was attacked and when we came in his father was calmly sitting going through his computer and Arthur was on the floor." He said under his breath to no one in particular, "The man's a menace and needs locking up."

"Is Arthur going to be all right?"

"Yes, his arm and possibly his wrist are broken, his face is bashed up but he'll come around. He's a strong individual and this is only a little setback. You can stay with him if you like but he'll be out of it for another hour. Someone will be coming to take him down to X-ray. You can accompany him and stay overnight. The sofa's probably not great but he'll benefit from the company."

Merlin decided then and there that he would after all, file a formal complaint with the police regarding Uther's attack. Yes, he was all healed but in the face of Arthur's current condition, he knew that it was the correct thing to do.

A nurse came with a gurney and Merlin followed Arthur down to A&E, his hand in Arthur's even though he knew he wasn't conscious that it was there. He was sure that Uther was going to come charging out of one of the rooms and attack him but by the time he got downstairs he felt calmer. He sat beside Arthur in a curtained cubicle and waited.

Finally a nurse came in and said, "Family member or friend?"

"Boyfriend," said Merlin without any hesitation.

"Any relative we should notify?"

"No one, who cares…" The nurse raised her eyebrows and he could see her thinking smart-aleck. However, he didn't care, he owed Uther nothing. His allegiance was to Arthur.

They were interrupted by someone with a clipboard who spoke quietly to the nurse who then said to Merlin, "I think we're able to find the rest of the information on his file. Nurse Hythe has been notified." Merlin just nodded.

After what seemed an eternity, the curtain opened and Graham walked in. "I was on supper break and I just heard. Were you there?"

"No, I was in the sunroom and on my way up, bumped into Bridie who told me that Mr. Pendragon was back. I got up to the sixth floor by the stairwell. By the time I got to Arthur's, they were already escorting his father away." He turned and glanced at Arthur, "He's got a nasty cut on his face and they think possibly a broken arm and wrist."

Graham just sighed and shook his head. "Was security at the desk? How in heaven's name did he get through?" He walked over to Arthur and removed the gauze pad on his face. "That's nasty! What is that man's problem?" He reached for another pad and placed in over the cut. "I don't think they will put in stitches but we'll have to wait 'n' see. Are you all right, Merlin?"

"Worried, scared if Arthur's father can get to him in a secure wing what will happen when he is released and wants to return to work?"

At that moment, Arthur stirred and their conversation stopped. He opened his eyes and then closed them again as the bright lights hit them.

Graham said, "Arthur, you're all right. They are just going to check your arm and clean up your face."

"Merlin…?"

"I'm here right beside you," he said lightly squeezing Arthur's good hand.

But Arthur wasn't finished, he said haltingly, "…scared he'd find you. …thought it was you coming… 'You're back, Love!' …felt like my head exploded, tried to get out of way…tried to stand up…knocked me over." Tears were beginning to seep out from between his eyelids, "Said disgusting things …then people came in and someone moved me to the bed." Arthur's voice dropped as he said, "Merlin…I was scared he was going to kill me…"

Graham spoke up, "Arthur, let me see if I can get a doctor to check you face and then we'll see about your arm. Are you in pain?"

"Not if I don't laugh!"

Graham lifted Arthur's top and already there were blue marks beginning to form across his ribcage and hip. "Did you do this when you fell?"

Arthur looked directly at Merlin and said, "No, my father kicked me…"

Graham left and Merlin gently leant his body across Arthur's, he needed to protect him. Arthur smiled at the contact and dozed off again.