The Loving Silence

Chapter 35

"I am so pleased to hear that." Rue beamed.

"What about you, Eilish? You haven't said a word." Mica pointed out.

She kept her gaze firm on the ground as she responded quietly. "It's not that I am not grateful. It's just... I don't know why you would make such an offer to me of all people. After what I did to you... it doesn't make sense for you to be so kind to me."

"You were used by some horrible men and you ended up believing them and making a foolish decision. That hardly warrants the death penalty. Forgive yourself. I have already forgiven you. While I don't wish to steer you in any direction or make you feel obligated to say yes, I very much hope that you do. I haven't been home in quite some time, and I would feel better knowing my apartment and my tenants are well looked after in my absence."

"If you are really sure?" She peeked at both Mica and Rue and found them smiling toward her. She blushed, nodded once and said, "I, too, accept your offer."

Mica clapped his hands. "Great! Now that that is settled, let's eat."

"Aren't you going to tell us what happened?" Lune asked.

"We will, I assure you. But Rue and I are still healing, and we need to eat healthily,  get enough fluids and rest if we are to gain our strength back. So food first, then we can fill you in on the rest."

"Good, because I am starving" Jules admitted.

"You always are." Lune chuckled.

They ate well and savoured every bite. Both Rue and Mica were happy to be able to escape the hospital meal plan, even if it was just for one day. It wasn't really allowed for patients to bring in their own food. Especially not for patients like them. They had been admitted to the ICU together after the ambulance had collected them, and though they were on a normal ward now, they were still very carefully monitored.

As soon as they finished eating, Jules, Lune and Bly gathered up the waste in the bags and carefully slipped out of the room to dispose of it all. A few minutes after they had left, the nurses came in to check on their patients and update their meds. They also handed them their hospital meals. Mica and Rue couldn't say that they weren't hungry, or the nursing staff would end up calling for the doctor, thinking they might have been moved out too soon. They also couldn't be honest and say that they had just gorged themselves on takeout. And so they had no choice but to take a few bites to appease the nurses. Show them that all was well with their appetites.

When the nurses had left and the boys slipped back into the room, it was time to start talking.

Mics and Rue looked at each other and Mica put a hand on his own chest to say that he would go first.

"I stood there by your side, with a burning building behind us. I looked at each of you. So young, the lot of you. And I had seen enough young people get screwed over or forgotten by the system in my life. I couldn't see that happening to you, and I knew that unless I did something, your lives would end. Your lives that had barely been lived. It's true you have been through more than enough heartache and trouble, but even so, all of you have but scratched the surface of the book of life. I then thought about Rue, and I thought about his maternal bloodline. Three generations of harsh beginnings and early, undeserving endings. First his grandmother. Then his mother. And now? He could be facing the same fate. No. I... I couldn't bear it. I just couldn't bear the thought that an old man like me could make it through all of this when he might not." He took a deep breath to try and steady his voice. "That's when I decided. I decided that I had lived long enough. I had experienced so much love and so many moments of pure happiness in my life. I knew that losing my own life was something I could bear. A burden I was prepared to accept. My family, they would be sad and they would grieve, but hopefully not for too long. Eventually they would move on and they would find happiness again.

"I decided then and there to go back inside the burning building. I decided not to leave until they I knew they were both dead. Even if it meant I had to kill them both. End their horror. However, as I turned to make my way towards the door, I thought I saw Rue slipping through it. I blinked and the door was closed once more. Whether my eyes had deceived me or not, I had decided."