Lion (manxboy)

Chapter 16

Two weeks went by quickly, Elijah finally finding the courage to see Lion's mother. Elijah ran his hands over his shirt, buttoning the loose opening as he contemplated entering the room. Elijah wasn't afraid of much for a big guy, but when it came to Lion's mother, Elijah didn't feel so prominent in his shoes. Elijah fixed his hair into a neat man-bun before taking his time and knocking on the door. A soft 'come in' was said as Elijah opened the door and entered the room. He noticed the wide eyes on the woman's face, a smile overcoming his serious expression.

"Hello, ma'am." Elijah started, "I'm Elijah Colm, the officer that took in your son."

Charlotte looked stunned, smiling back at the tall man, "oh officer, please, take a seat." She sputtered.

Elijah walked his way around Charlotte's bed, sitting down with his elbows against his knees, "ma'am, I want to speak to you about your son, find out a few things about him, if possible." Elijah began.

Charlotte slowly nodded, "you can call me Charlotte, please, no need to be formal." She giggled, handing Elijah a clean cup of water, "so, what would you like to know?"

Elijah took the cup, observing Lion's mother. She and Lion looked identical, "well, I'll start with the bad news before the good news. I want to let you know what's been going on before we jump into Lion's past." Elijah explained, putting his cup aside before leaning up and pressing his back against the chair. He noticed the look of confusion on Charlotte's face, clearing his throat, "Lion was mixed into a lot of misunderstandings and fought bravely for what it was worth. Your son tried protecting my mother one night because she was in trouble. Sadly, he couldn't fight every man off, and my mother ended up passing away." Elijah looked down to his lap, "my disgrace of an uncle kidnapped him just a few days ago. He tortured and beat Lion. Once we arrived there, we tried compromising with the man."

Charlotte's hands began to shake as she kept her eyes on Elijah, "is he dead? Is Lion dead?" Her voice was soft but shaky, pulling at Elijah's heartstrings.

"No, he's alive. The man cut his throat but missed the artery." Elijah explained, relief over washing the both of them, "Lion is a fighter. He's really a good kid. He tried so hard to keep my mother safe and went through so much pain these past eight months with a fake therapist. It was a long journey." Charlotte swallowed hard, her small, fragile hand wrapping over Elijah's large one.

"You've gone through a lot of pain too. Don't think for a second Lion didn't come running to me the last argument you boy's had." Charlotte giggled, trying her best to hold back the tears, "thank you for letting me know. The nurses here don't care much about sending the word out to people."

Elijah had a small smile on his lips, his head high and proud, "it's my job to protect, especially when it's the people I love." Elijah blushed, his stomach tingling, "now, let's begin with Lion's actual name."

Charlotte rolled her eyes, "aren't you an officer? You should know already." Elijah's blank face was enough to tell her; he didn't, "dear lord. Lion's real name is Alecsander Meyer. I nicknamed him Lion because of his strong heart to fight through anything. Lion wasn't small like that until I got sick. He was captain of his soccer team." Charlotte looked down at her lap, "we had a perfect life. My husband, Lion, and I, before that wretched thief, left us with nothing but our day clothes."

Elijah nodded, his gaze moving towards the heart meter, "you can always make it perfect again, Charlotte." Elijah smiled, "only you can do that."

Charlotte smiled, tears running down her face, "Lion is all I need to have a perfect life. His being my son is the best thing in the world for me. I wish I weren't stuck in this hospital, sick." She sighed, wiping the flowing tears. "Thank you for taking care of my son. I couldn't ask for more."