Wolf-blood

Forgiveness.

"You should rest," Deu said, bringing me the disgusting hospital coffee I had asked for.

"I want to be up when he wakes up," I said to her, sipping the coffee and cringing. "I don't want to leave him again."

"Just take a nap. I'll watch him for you, and if he wakes up, I'll shake you awake. Fair?" Deu asked, taking her seat next to me.

"I don't know," I said worriedly, glancing at Richard.

"Plus he won't want to talk to a sleep deprived you. He'll want the real deal. Now rest," she said.

I sighed and offered her the gross coffee. She took it and placed it on the table next to her. Closing my eyes, I readjusted myself on the chair and let out a deep breath. Immediately, I sank into the chair and started to drift off.

It seemed that no sooner had I closed my eyes, I heard Richard's voice, like from afar. "Carter?" I wanted to open my eyes and see him, but they stubbornly stayed closed.

Then I heard Blod's voice, in the same way that I heard Richard's. "Hi. You must be Richard."

"I must be. And who are you?" Richard asked, sounding distracted and confused.

"My name is Paige."

"Lovely to meet you, Paige. Now, if I am not much mistaken, I am in a hospital." I wanted to laugh. He obviously couldn't be that badly injured if his habit of stating the obvious was still intact.

"That would be correct." It sounds weird to say, but I could hear the smile in her voice as she said that, like she was holding back a laugh.

"Why am I here exactly?" Richard asked, obviously confused.

"We think you fell down your basement steps, but we weren't sure. Lenus and I found you when we were trying to figure out why you weren't answering the door."

"So that isn't my son, Carter?" Richard asked. I could practically feel his eyes on me, and I tried desperately to open my eyes, but they just wouldn't budge.

"No, I mean, yes, I mean- He's your son. Carter just changed his name to Belenus, or just Lenus." I wanted to smile. Deu was cute when she stumbled over her words.

"Carter... Oh, how I've missed him. And you say that you were with him?" Richard's voice turned wistful and sad.

"Yes, he and I decided that, well, it was time to go home. And since I didn't have a home to go back to, I traveled with him." I could tell Deu had another smile on her face and imagined her sitting in the chair next to me and smiling down on my sleeping form.

"So you two are an item, then?"

"What? Oh, uh, no, no I wouldn't call it that." Deu gave a nervous chuckle.

"Uh huh. Alrighty then," Sassy Richard said. "Well, whoever you are, I'm glad that he had you."

There was a short pause, and then- "He loves you a lot you know," Deu said.

"Why do you say so?" Richard asked.

"The way he talks about you, like you were the only thing that he loved in the world, and somehow he ruined it. I think he feels guilty about what happened all those years ago, about Jane's death and abandoning you when you needed him... He just takes on every fault that he's ever done, and I don't think he ever forgives himself." I felt Deu brush her fingers over my forehead, pushing my hair back in place. "I think he needs you more than ever right now."

"What can I possibly do for him that you haven't taken care of already?"

There was a pause, and then Deu said, very seriously, "Forgive him."