AVENGE

PART TWO - BETRAYAL - CHAPTER SEVENTEEN - HENRY MORTON

AUTHOR'S NOTE :- I KNOW IT'S BEEN AWHILE BUT I HAVE BEEN BUSY WITH GETTING THE FIRST 'GALAXY AT WAR' NOVEL READY FOR SALE AND I'VE ONLY MANAGED TO WRITE THREE CHAPTERS OF THIS SECOND PART SO FAR. BUT NOW I'M BACK ON IT AND WILL POST ONE OR TWO CHAPTERS A WEEK ON WEDNESDAYS AND / OR FRIDAYS IF THEY HAVE BEEN WRITTEN. THANK YOU FOR YOU PATIENCE.

PART TWO - BETRAYAL

17.

HENRY MORTON

Everywhere he looked - memories. Henry was sitting on his stairs with his head in his hands. He was motionless apart from the rise and fall of his breathing. He raised his head a little - looking towards the kitchen doorway at the bottom of the stairs. A smile danced fleetingly across his face as he remembered little Samuel sliding recklessly down the stairs on his bottom. The smile flickered again as he remembered carrying Ellie down the stairs while tickling her - causing her to giggle. He remembered Samuel running into the hall and being scooped up into his free arm. 

The smile vanished as his mind jumped forward to that very same night. Ellie disappearing backwards over her chair after being shot. The look of surprise on Samuel's face as Henry had reached out for him before Samuel fell forwards next to him. He'd been shot in the back. 

Henry's eyes narrowed and his lips tightened into a thin line as Samuel's profile was replaced by the black youth, still only young himself, who had shot his son. Henry's hands tightened into fists - his knuckles turning white as his face reddened. 

"ARRRGGHH," Henry screamed out in frustration and anger before punching the wall as hard as he could. He didn't even feel the pain as the skin covering his knuckles tore and the plaster cracked beneath the wallpaper. He stood and turned in one fluid motion and stamped up the stairs towards the nearest bedroom. It was Samuel's. 

He entered the room and stood in the doorway looking around but not really seeing anything. His eyes were filling with tears again. He'd done nothing but cry since he'd been brought back home from the hospital by his brother. Steven had stayed the night and the next day but had had to leave later in the day. He had his own family to look after and work to go to. 

Henry's parents had offered to stay with him or for him to stay with them but he had refused both offers. Henry didn't know what he wanted at the moment. He was angry, he was sad. Indeed he was going through every emotion. His life had been destroyed along with his family's. At least - that's how it felt. He took a few steps into Samuel's room and reached out towards a drawing that Samuel had left on his desk. Henry noticed the blood on his hand and withdrew it before it dripped on the drawings. Henry moved quickly to the bathroom and ran some cold water over his, now throbbing, hand. He dabbed a towel on his knuckles and inspected the damage. His hand felt stiff but the bleeding had reduced. He wrapped his hand in toilet paper and walked downstairs. 

Henry entered the kitchen and opened the medical cupboard. He pulled at the bowl that they kept bandages in and took some small absorbent pads, a bandage and a roll of micropore tape. After running more water over his knuckles, then dabbing them dry again, he applied the small pads to the two wounds and wrapped the bandage around his hand. He secured it with the tape before applying three lengths of tape between each finger to hold the bandage in place. It seemed to work. For how long Henry didn't know but it would have to do. 

He was putting the bowl back when his doorbell rang. Henry closed the cupboard and went to answer the door. The bell rang a second time and Henry saw an image behind the small, square, frosted pane of glass that was about head height in the centre of the door. 

"Coming," called Henry. 

The image disappeared as whoever it was had stepped back. 

Henry opened the door and, even in his current state of depression, smiled as he saw his friend standing there. 

"Samuel - how are you doing?" 

"I'm fine Henry. I'm more worried about you. You look terrible." 

"Thanks," Henry stood to one side. "Please come in." 

Samuel stepped through the doorway and waited for Henry to close the door, "What happened to your hand?" 

Henry lifted his hand up to look at it after closing the door, "Oh - nothing much. I just lost it earlier. I punched the wall and the wall won." 

"Do you need to go to the hospital?" 

"No thanks. I've spent long enough there already," Henry extended his hand towards the lounge doorway. "Please - after you." 

Samuel led the way to the lounge and took his usual seat as Henry waited next to him. 

"Can I get you a drink?" asked Henry. 

"No thanks," Samuel indicated the chair opposite. "Please sit Henry. We need to talk." 

Henry dropped into the armchair and looked at Samuel. He had been made godfather to both of Henry's children. He was Henry's best friend and the most loyal, "I'm fine Sammy. Really." 

"I know you Henry," Samuel indicated Henry's bandaged hand, "and this isn't you." He sighed, "I think you need help. Some sort of counselling." 

"No, no, no, no, no Sammy. Definitely not. I just need some time." 

"You need closure as well as time Henry. Are they any nearer to capturing the shooters?" 

Henry closed his eyes. This was why he didn't want to talk about it. Images of his family's last moments began to flash through his mind. 

"Henry. You with me?" prompted Samuel. 

"Yes, yes. Er no - they haven't informed me of anything yet." 

"It's only a matter of time Henry. There must be something in that restaurant pointing towards a suspect. It was a bloody mess." 

"I'm sorry Samuel. I can't do this now," tears had begun to well in his eyes again. "It still hurts too much." 

"No. I'm sorry," Samuel moved over to Henry and knelt in front of him. He reached out and hugged him. Henry cried into Samuel's shoulder - letting out his sadness, his grief. 

"One thing is for sure," said Samuel next to Henry's ear. "I'll do my best to help you get over this. The bastards that did this will pay Henry. Even if I have to find them myself."

AUTHOR'S NOTE :- PLEASE VOTE - THANK YOU.