Chapter 5 - Promises
Promises
William’s vision narrowed. “Wh—are you sure? They’ll kill him?”
“It’s not stated outright, but it’s not hard to read between the lines,” Oliver said.
“Could you have misinterpreted?”
“They used the words ‘repurpose’ and ‘spare parts’ in the same paragraph,” Oliver said sharply.
“Fuck,” William whispered. “Fuck. Fuck.” No wonder Oliver had to take a break. What other disturbing shit had he read about while William was watching TV?
William’s shoulders slumped. He was back to square one, except now he was forced to turn down the kind of money that would have allowed him to restore some of Oliver’s freedom. Meanwhile, pieces of shit like Richard had the means to buy entire cities if it so struck their fancy.
“I could have gotten you a prosthesis,” William murmured.
“How many times do I have to—” Oliver let out a sharp sigh. “You know I’m already getting one.”
“It’s taking too long!” William snapped. Every day Oliver spent on that waiting list was a day stolen from him. He would never get them back.
“Do you really think I’d let you trade Adathan’s life just so you could waste your money on something I’ll be getting for free soon?”
“Of course not. I’m just . . .” William leaned back with a groan. “This sucks, all right? When I won, I thought . . . I thought I was finally going to be able to make our lives better. Turns out I only made things worse. Like always.”
“You made things worse? None of this is your fault. You signed up for a competition and won. That’s it. And then they forced you to accept an unacceptable prize.”
William dragged a hand across his face. This was a nightmare. How had he, of all people, ended up being responsible for the survival of someone else? “I can barely take care of myself,” he said under his breath.
“I’ll take him in.”
William straightened. “What? No! That’s not what I meant!”
“I know. I’m still offering.”
“No. I got myself into this mess, I’ll—”
“Will you stop being so stubborn?”
“I’ve already asked too much of you.”
Oliver huffed. “Seriously? You never, ever ask for anything. You give and give and give, and never expect anything in return.”
William opened his mouth to object, but Oliver didn’t let him.
“Have you ever stopped to think that maybe I feel indebted to you?”
“Oliver—”
“Don’t think I didn’t notice how hard it was for you to see me after the accident. But you were there anyway. Always. Pretending everything was okay, so I wouldn’t have to worry about you.”
“It was the least I could do,” William whispered.
“Is that really what you think? You really have no idea, do you? I swear, for someone with two eyes, you can be embarrassingly blind sometimes.”
William made a painful grimace, which then turned into a frown. “Wait. I’m lost. What are you talking about?”
Oliver sighed. “Never mind.”
“Like hell! What were you going to say?”
“This isn’t a good time. Forget it.”
“You call me stubborn, then you pull this shit and expect me to just drop it? Well, I’ve got bad news for you. I’m not hanging up until you spit it out.”
Oliver sighed again. “Fine . . .”
Well?
“I never told you, but . . .”
But what?
“. . . after the accident . . .”
After the accident what?
“. . . I considered ending my life.”
A sharp pain ripped through William’s chest. “You—”
“But you gave me the courage to keep going. You helped me get out of bed. You helped me get dressed. You helped me bathe. You made me eat. You drove me to all my physical therapy appointments. You cheered me up when I could only see darkness. You taught me how to smile again.”
Great. Now William was crying in an upscale hotel lobby.
“It’s you who gave me the will to keep living,” Oliver said. “I owe you my life. So, please. Please let me help you. Let me help him. I need it.”
“The hell, man. Why didn’t you tell me?” William exhaled a sharp breath.
“Sorry. Sorry. I’m not angry. I’m just .
. .” The mere possibility of losing Oliver made his heart ache with despair.
He still had panic attacks when he recalled the moment he’d stepped into that hospital room.
The beeping machines, the tubes, the wires, the bandages—so many bandages.
At the center of it all, Oliver’s broken body, his life hanging by a thread.
“I’m better now,” Oliver said quietly.
William wiped his cheeks with his sleeve. “You sure?”
“Yeah.”
“Promise me you’ll call me if you have those kinds of thoughts again.”
“I promise.”
“You better keep your promise.”
“I always keep my promises.”
William leaned back in his seat with a sigh.
He stared at the sparkling crystal chandelier, its tiny lights dancing to the rhythm of the smooth jazz.
The music faded into a new song, a beautifully familiar melody.
A blanket of nostalgia wrapped around William as a voice he’d heard countless times before began to sing.
He could almost smell the pancakes his mom used to make on Sunday mornings, humming along to her favorite album. Things were so simple back then. Or so he thought.
“Where are you?” Oliver asked softly. “I’m guessing you’re not having this conversation right next to him.”
William blinked himself back to the present. “I’m in the lobby. Adathan dropped a bottle on the floor, and it made a mess. I came down to find someone from the hotel staff to clean it up.”
“How is he?”
“He’s . . . fine. I should go back. I’m worried he’ll think I abandoned him or something.”
“William.”
“Hmm?”
“I want you to call me if you need anything, okay? No matter what. And no matter the time. I’m serious.”
“All right.”
“I’ll take him in if you don’t think you can. I mean it. Give it some thought.”
William nodded slowly. “Yeah. I will. Goodnight.”
He hung up and dropped his arm, his body feeling like an achy sack of rocks. He gazed at the artificial flames shimmering in the fireplace, allowing himself five seconds to relax before heading to the reception desk.
“Good evening! How may I help you?” the clerk asked, pretending she hadn’t just watched him cry.
“Hey.” William looked at her name tag—Felixia. “I have a room here; 1505. We dropped a beer bottle on the floor, and it made a mess.”
Felixia nodded and checked her computer screen. She clicked her mouse a few times before looking back at him. “Someone will be there shortly, Mr. Mitchell. May I assist you with anything else?”
“N—actually . . .”
“Yes?”
William leaned against the polished hardwood counter. “Could you have one serving of every dessert on your menu delivered to my room? And I’ll take a bottle of champagne, too.”
Fuck FIS Poker.
“Of course, sir,” she said, reaching for a drawer. “Here’s our wine list.”
“No need. Give me your most expensive bottle with—do you have unbreakable glasses?”
“We have stainless-steel champagne flutes.”
“Good. Two of those. I’ll take a bottle of Irish cream, too.”
Felixia nodded as she typed on her keyboard and made a few more clicks. “Thank you, Mr. Mitchell. Your order will be delivered to your room shortly. May I help you with anything else?”
“Do you offer overnight laundry services? My, uh, friend cut his fingers while trying to pick up the broken glass, and now there’s a bloodstain on his sweater.”
“We do. You may place the garment in one of the laundry bags you have in your room and hand it to our maintenance staff.”
William smiled. This hotel truly was awesome. “Thanks, Felixia.”
“Have a wonderful evening.”
“You too.”
William wasted no time heading back. He regretted leaving for so long. What if Adathan had panicked again, and had no one to support him this time? That sort of anxiety didn’t just magically go away. It lingered and eroded the soul like a constant drip of acid.
William reflexively held his breath as he opened the door to his room, only to find Adathan curled up in bed like a cat in a burrito of blankets. William let out a quiet sigh and smiled. Turns out he had no reason to be nervous.
He took off his shoes and placed them next to Adathan’s polished white loafers.
“Someone’s coming to clean up.” He snatched the instruction manual and headed toward the bed.
If not for Oliver, he wouldn’t have been aware of Adathan’s fate.
He couldn’t let his emotions force him into a state of ignorance any longer.
William lay on the mattress next to Adathan, letting out a groan as his body thanked him for the rest. “I ordered every dessert on the menu. We both had a long day; I say we earned it. I got us some champagne, too. We still have something to celebrate, don’t we?”
Adathan perked up. “Your victory?”
“My victory,” William echoed. “And your graduation.”
Had he even finished his training?
William pushed the thought aside. It didn’t matter. “Did you find anything good to watch?” he asked as he opened the manual. He skipped the first page—wait. Where was the first page?
“I did! I was watching a documentary about the coral reefs in Australia. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.”
“Yeah.” Did he tear the first page out while I was gone? “Coral reefs are incredible.” He must have found out I was supposed to get Gabriel. “Did you learn anything new?” He thinks I don’t know.
“Mm-hmm! I didn’t know corals were animals. Nature is so full of surprises!”
“It is.” He must have freaked out. “And we’re far from having discovered it all.” Should I tell him?
“You look preoccupied,” Adathan said as he rested his hand on William’s wrist. “May I help you feel better?”
“I’m fine. I’m just tired.” A chapter title caught his eye.
Behavioral Modes
I can behave like a person, Adathan had offered earlier. Had he just been saying what he thought William wanted to hear, or had those morons ingrained within Adathan the key to free himself from his psychological chains?
“Earlier, you said you could behave like a person for me?” William said.
Adathan nodded enthusiastically. “I can if it’s what you want.”
“Good. Then I order you to behave like a person for the rest of the night.”
For the rest of your life.