Page 29 of Gideon

“You won’t see out of that eye for a while.”

“I’ll be all right.” Eric spit blood on the ground beside him.

“Can you stand?” Gideon tried to help, but with his leg a mess, it was a struggle.

“I think the question is, can you stand?”

“It’s an old injury.”

“It’s new now.”

“Unfortunately, yes.” With a little help from Gideon, Eric got to his feet. “But it’s okay, I’m used to limping.”

Eric staggered to the wall and leaned against it. “You’re lucky you found me when you did.”

“I’m the one who’s lucky?”

“Sometimes the hard stuff leads to the good stuff. You should be looking forward to the future.” He grinned, showing off his bloodstained teeth.

“You’re not making sense. After a few knocks to the head, it’s best if we get you to the hospital.”

“Don’t bother. It would be a waste of time.”

“I’m not so sure. You could have broken ribs and a concussion. Can you remember if you blacked out?”

“I remember every last detail. No blackouts.”

“Still, I think you should get checked out. Especially at your age.” And he could mention to the doctor the incident in the park.

“Don’t take me to the hospital.”

“There’s nothing to be afraid of. It’s a bit of a drive, but they’ll all be really nice.”

“I’m not afraid. I just know they’re busy. And I’m not injured.”

“You’re not in any pain?”

“Pain is sometimes subjective.”

“Well…how about I take you somewhere to get you cleaned up, and we can reassess from there?”

“I like that plan.”

The two men hobbled out to the street. Gideon didn’t love the idea of taking Eric to his dad’s place, or the thought of climbing the stairs in their condition, but it was the best he could do under the circumstances. He would have considered taking him to Nikki’s if he was willing to let Eric near her again, but it was out of the question.

“My dad’s asleep, but he won’t mind us using his place. It’s not far. I just hope you can climb stairs because I’m not going to be much help, and I’m not completely sure I can do it. My physiotherapist is going to kill me.”

“Not to worry. Everything will turn out how it should.”

Gideon looked at him sideways. “Yeah, sure.”

When they arrived at the apartment, the two men relied heavily on the railings to get themselves up the stairs.

“Wait here a second,” Gideon said, opening the door and confirming his dad was still fast asleep. “If Icould take you somewhere else, I would. I apologize in advance.”

“No need,” Eric said, limping inside. “This will do perfectly. Lovely spot you have here. Is that your dad?” He nodded toward the loud snoring coming from the couch.

“That’s him. If you want to sit down in the armchair over there, I’ll see what I can find to clean you up.”

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