In Lennon's infirmary room, Lennon was trying to read a Spanish newspaper, to improve on his vocabulary. He felt that as he wanted to live in Spain, he should familiarise himself more with the language.
The door opened and Dr.V walked in, with Suzanne behind him.
Lennon looked up and slowly smiled, "Suzy...."
"Lenn!" She said as she rushed over and threw her arms around his neck. She squeezed her eyes shut as she took in his familiar scent, which comforted her.
"How did you get up here without detection?!" Lennon asked.
"Dr.V helped me. He told them I was having a check up." Suzanne said.
Lennon hugged her, being careful for the drip going into his hand, "Oh my God, are you okay!? You were so upset on the yacht."
"I'm better now. I just feel all emotional, it must be the hormones." She said as she lifted her blouse to expose her stomach, which still looked completely unaffected by pregnancy, "I'm pregnant.." she announced with a smile.
"Yeah... Javier told me!" Lennon said with an emotional, and slightly glassy-eyed expression, as he placed his hand upon her stomach, "Welcome to the world, little one." He said above a whisper.
Suzanne placed her hand ontop of Lennon's, "Lena, is going to love a little brother or sister. I reckon that, if it's a girl, Hav will give her a Spanish name as I named Lena, but if it's a boy.. I will name him. But I am out of ideas.."
"I am certain you will think of something...peaceful, something calm, as this baby will be born into very troubled waters." Lennon said.
"Any ideas? I like foreign names.." Suzanne said.
"If it's a boy..." Lennon paused a moment, with his hand on her stomach, "River..."
Suzanne smiled, "River? That's beutiful. It's very calm..." Suzanne said quietly, "And very American sounding."
Lennon smiled back, "Well, that's my contribution to your names pool."
Suzanne sat on the bed and rested her head on Lennon's shoulder, "I miss you.."
"I miss you too, darlin'" Lennon said as he caressed her hair.
"I wished we lived together, like we did in the infirmary apartments." Suzanne said.
"To this day.. I wonder why we were both placed in the recovery apartments together. Maybe because we're both so unpopular. But... ain't 'ol Javier takin' good care of you?" Lennon asked.
"Well yeah.. he's a good man, and a great husband. He's teaching Lena Spanish, and takes care of us. Gets us clothes and food, and he gives me money whenever I need it. But, It's weird to think that the majority of his savings is the money that you paid him to marry me..." Suzanne said.
"Well, needs must, darlin'. We had to get you Spanish citizenship, and Hav is a good boy, and he cherishes you, so I think it's out well." Lennon said.
Dr.V walked back in, "I think you must leave now, Mrs Velazquez. I need to redress him."
"Will I see you later?" Lennon asked.
"Yes! But I can't come see you with any member of Spanish security about. They'll tell Javier and I'll get grief from him. He's told me flatly to stay away from you." Suzanne said.
Lennon looked down at the drip feed going into the vein on his hand, "He's...probably right, in the end. He's one of the few honest people around here..."
Suzanne just stared back at Lennon until she was distracted by Dr.V.
"Come on! I have to check your wounds and redress you!" Dr.V said to Lennon, before he turned to Suzanne, "The nurse will see you out.. "
~ X ~
The door to Marcel's luxury private room in the infirmary opened, and Chéri walked in.
Marcel glanced in Chéri's general direction and sighed to himself in silent irritation, as he continued to turn the screws on a tiny hand frame he had built out of thin metal pieces with joints that he planned to wear as his hand healed. He was sitting up in bed, just wearing a long black shirt with one of his legs out of the bed covers, with larged bandages wrapped around his exposed thigh. He also had bandages wrapped around his chest, shoulder, hand and pelvis. Marcel's hair was styled simply, and he wore his small square shaped silver glasses.
Chéri walked up and sat on the small chair by the bed as if it were a throne, then crossed his long, thin legs, showing off his designer heels.
Chéri waited for Marcel to greet him, or say anything for that matter, but he didn't acknowledge Chéri at all.
After a about a minute, Chéri started to sing, "I know something you don't know..."
Marcel looked up at Chéri, "And?"
"Don't you wanna know what it is? Papi?" Chéri asked.
"What is the point of asking? You are incapable of giving a straight answer.." Marcel said as he looked back down at the steel hand frame.
"Ohh..thats a bad wound you must have there..." Chéri said as he looked at Marcel's bandaged thigh. Chéri got up and walked to the bed, grabbing the covers, but Marcel placed his hand on Chéri's face and shoved him to the floor.
Chéri slowly got back up, "How dare you, papi! Shoving me onto the dirty floor!"
Marcel looked unimpressed, "You speak as if you have never lain upon a dirty floor..."
Chéri looked back angrily, "You're an arsehole Papi, you know that? Anyway, it's nothing I haven't seen before, remember...?" Chéri said as he sat back in the armchair.
"You, are delusional. Get out." Marcel said back firmly.
"Oh yeah? Well.. I wanted to see if you wanted to know what I know about you, that you don't know..." Chéri asked.
Marcel placed his tray with all it's small components on his hospital bed table, then turned to Chéri, "No, Chéri. Instead, let us play a different game. About the secret that I know, about you, that Lennon does not know. How about that? Because, you are telling him, a variation, of the lie you told me, even though your mother was complicit in your falsehoods. You, are nothing, but a chameleon, you change your colours to suit your purpose, but at the end of the day...you are simply just, a reptile."
Chéri stared back at Marcel, them slowly started to smile, then giggle, before he hit the back of his head against the back of the large armchair, "Oh my God Papi, it's like you've been wasting your time talking to Ethan Gilvezin! You know... I won't tell you the secret then!"
Marcel smiled back, "Your threats, whatever they are, are weak against me. Shall I summon Lennon here?"
"Lenny would never listen to you!" Chéri said.
"Ohh, I think he would! I think he would at least hear me out! Then...he would want to speak to you." Marcel said.
"Why are you like this!? You don't give a shit about me! You never did!" Chéri ranted.
"Chéri.. I know you are angry about the hand you were delt in life. I know you are rebellious and resentful, young and foolish. You lash out at anyone who attempts to help you! I have no time for your infantile behaviour now!" Marcel said in his thick French accent.
"Oh spare me your attempts at psychiatry, Freud. I've had my psych evaluation this month." Chéri said indignantly.
"Then, why do you continue to lash out at me! And your mother! And members of my security team?!" Marcel said as he folded his arms.
"Actually, I'm the boss... so that makes them, my team." Chéri said.
"Chéri, you are really starting to irritate me. Go, away. Before I get off this bed, and remove you myself." Marcel said.
Chéri walked towards the door, then stopped to look back at Marcel, "You miss her, don't you? But she's gone forever, all because of your own shortsightedness and bigotry. I bet you wish she were still here..."
Marcel stared back at Chéri a moment, "Chérie... you, are a nasty piece of work, and trust me... I will have the final say on you, and then have my revenge, as loudly as how quiet, my silence has been."
"You're only silent because you love your fucking reputation, and you're so bigoted you worry about what other people think! But my word spreads faster than yours!" Chéri said back.
"Just go, and continue to spin your web while you still can." Marcel answered.
Chéri just hit the open button, and as the door opened, he saw Spangna standing there, trying to hit the open button even though her hands were full.
"Chéri.. what are you doing here?" Spangna asked.
Chéri placed his slender, tattooed hand on the doorframe, showing off his long blood red talons, "Marcel really is a miserable, old fucker. You're welcome to him." He said before he walked off.
Spangna called after Chéri, "Yeah...not like I need yer permission, mate!"
Spangna walked into the infirmary private room while shaking her head.
"That Chéri is a bloody little cunt, he is." Spangna said as she place her bags on the armchair.
Marcel didn't respond as he stared at the flat screen, showing a movie on a French channel.
"Marce... how are you?" Spangna asked.
Marcel shrugged his shoulders in a typically French manner, "Mmm...Comme ci, Comme ça."
"Ohh well, here!" she said as she held out a fresh coffee and his book from his bed table, "I thought you'd want your book?"
"Thank you, Mercy." Marcel said as he took the coffee from her, "Fresh coffee, in a polystyrene cup..."
"Yeah, and in a moment, René is going to come up here with the most expensive, ponceyest breakfast I've ever seen." Spangna said.
"I thought that you were opposed to buying breakfast?" Marcel asked.
"Well, it's a treat, bae. For you.." Spangna said as she sat next to him on the bed, and started to run her fingers through his hair.
"So! What's happening here, then?" Spangna said as she pulled the covers from his pelvis.
"My hip was dislocated, but it is repositioned. Dr.V suggests rest, just now."
Spangna was playing with her thick braids as she looked at Marcel, "What? Rest your hips? He's fucking 'aving a laugh! That ain't happening."
Marcel just raised his eyebrows a moment then looked back down at his coffee.
"Marce, home is miserable with you here. It's just not the same without you. I've grown so accustom to you. When I see something on TV, I know exactly what you'd say about it. When I cook anything, I can practically hear you criticise it. I miss having you next to me at night, and I miss how you hold me. I just miss you soo badly."
"So, you know how life with be without me?" Marcel said.
"Yes but, it's only like that for now, right?" Spangna asked as she took his hand.
Marcel just stared down into his coffee, obviously uncomfortable.
"Marce... if this is about what happened on the boat.." Spangna sighed.
"We will talk later..." Marcel said.
Spangna started to look upset, "Marce! Please... just, scream at me! Rant! Shout! Just don't do this silent bullshit..."
"I have nothing to say.." Marcel said hesitantly, and awkwardly.
"Marce... please... don't lock me out. I know you're besieged with situations and drama, but you know that I'm right by your side! We are going to face life as man and wife!"
"Are you sure that you do not want to marry Lennon instead? You will end up in the same boat as Suzanne, who is now a problem of huge magnitude." Marcel said.
Spangna stared back at Marcel in shock before she snapped back, "I oughta smack you right in the cake hole, Marce! And anyway, I have my own suspicions about Suzanne!"
Marcel looked back at Spangna, "Suspicions?! Can you not see what she is doing?! She has inserted herself into the Bordello as a parasite, and now brings not one, but two dependants into the situation with her! When she worked for me, she was lazy and unmotivated! The biggest issue, that I did not care for, was her will to always get her way! She will always get what she wants, at anyone's expense! You are all too busy drying her tears to see what she has done! The damages, will not be apparent now... only, in years to come! And I hope my words ring loud, in the heads of EACH one of you!"