Here Comes The Son (Ghost Band / Papa Emeritus fic)

The Sight of a Million Regrets

"Ingrid!" Joel leapt to his feet; without moving he searched the ward for Nurse Warner.

Leaning back from the nurses's station, just out of view from Phantom's bed, Nurse Warner looked over to see what was wrong. Grinning with delight, she rose from her seat, knowing that Joel had to stay at the bedside.

"I'll fetch Dr Stone," she said as she headed towards his office.

Knocking politely, but urgently on the door, she waited until called in.

"Yes, Ingrid, what is it?" He asked.
"Doctor, Phantom's awake," her broad smile drawing similar expressions from both Stone and Larson.

Both exchanged smiles as they followed her to Phantom's bedside.

"You really are supportive of ghouls here, aren't you?" Larson, smiled with surprise. "Much better than my current employer, I have to admit."
"Then maybe you should join us, doctor?" Stone suggested. "We have a lot of ghouls here. Every time Copia goes on tour, there seems to be more!"
"You call him Copia?" She gasped.
"Oh, yes, sorry, I forgot myself. I usually only call him that when it's just him and me, oh and his ghouls."
"He lets you call him by his name?" She paused, before turning her head sharply to look at Stone. "Wait, are you saying he lets his ghouls call him by his name?"
"He's pretty low key." He replied to her astonishment. Now at Phantom's bedside, they all looked down at the newly wakened ghoul. "Phantom, you had us worried. How are you?"
"How's Papa?" Phantom ignored the question. "I don't see him anymore. He's locked in the crypt. Or he was, I'm not sure now."
"The crypt?" Stone replied, surprised by the simplicity of their plan. "How did they think no one would find him there?" He shook his head. "Why did no one find him there?"
"The witch put a spell on the arch she locked him in to make it appear empty, but... oh, Mountain," Phantom closed his eyes as he remembered Copia's agony at seeing Mountain shot before his eyes.
"What?" Stone asked with alarm, knowing that Mountain was also missing. "What happened to him?"

As Phantom went to explain, a tremor of infrasound reached him and he gasped in pure delight as the message unfolded.

"Mount!" He cried with glee. "He's okay, so is Papa! Papa's okay! Not even hurt! Well, Mountain is, but not Papa."
"Wait, how do you know?" Stone asked, puzzled by the sudden turnaround.
"Infrasound?" Larson asked, earning a nod of understanding from Stone.
"He's just sent the message," Phantom leapt out of the bed and to his feet, although almost immediately wobbled and fell back down, landing heavily on the mattress.
"Stay put until I discharge you!" Stone insisted.

Phantom clasped his hands in joy, not even hearing Stone.

"I have to go to Papa," he grinned. "And Mountain."
"You'll stay where you are, Phantom! Until I'm sure you're well, do you hear me?"
"Huh?" Phantom turned a puzzled glance in Stone's direction.
"You weren't kidding, were you?" Larson shook her head in amazement at the loyalty and love on display.
"You think this is unusual? Wait till you see Copia!"

*

Nihil, Imperator and Cazrobal, still in the meeting room, greeted the solemn ghouls, wishing they had better news for them, but the feeling was mutual. Whilst amongst humans it was traditional for the lower ranking clergy to greet the higher ranking first, being much lower in standing, it was considered improper for the ghouls to speak at all until spoken to directly. As such, the only way they had of showing their respect was to bow or curtsey low on their arrival. All six, offered their respectful greeting to the three Council members, the ghouls bowing and ghoulettes curtseying in silence.

"Ghouls," Nihil began, "I am aware that your numbers are depleted and I pray for recovery for them."

Given the circumstances, it was an unexpectedly kind greeting, but in reality, Nihil was merely finding ways to delay addressing the purpose of the meeting, but he could put it off no longer.