Fathers and Law: Lom and Fah Book One

Chapter 44

The next morning Lom awoke and quietly slid out of bed so as not to awaken Fah. He went out to the balcony to return phone calls. First up was the doctor.

"What time do you think you could be here? Fah needs to be thoroughly evaluated, physically and mentally. I want to stop worrying about infections and I'd like to find out if his memories are going to come back or not... Yes... I know you can't say one way or the other but is it possible to check if he's doing any better than before?... Okay, thanks."

He peeked inside and saw Fah was still asleep. He called his father who picked up on the first ring.

"What's going on, Lom? Any progress getting information out of him?" asked Ton.

"Dad, I told you, he has no memory. The overdose erased his memories, he's a blank slate. He doesn't remember you or Mom, he doesn't remember me from before. He is afraid of everyone now. Well, everyone except me."

"Does the judge have any idea where he is?"

"Nobody knows where he is except for me, the doctor, the nurse, and of course, you."

"I want to come by today and see him. I'll find out if his amnesia is real or not." Ton wasn't sure if Lom was lying or if Fah was tricking Lom. He believed Fah's amnesia was a bit too convenient. "I'll come by while the doctor is there so I can hear firsthand what he has to say."

"Fine, but Dad, please don't scare him. It took me a while for me to gain his trust and for him not to be afraid. You can't come in here and be...yourself. You need to be kind."

"Are you saying I've never been kind to you? Or your mother? Or even Fah, before this happened? I gave him a home and I...,"

"Yes," said Lom, cutting his father off, "I know you gave him a home and paid for his lessons and university. You don't have to repeat it. But Fah doesn't remember any of it so please, don't say it when you come here. Be nice to him."

"You're not in love with him, are you? I'm not sure the two of you living together in a one-bedroom condo is a smart idea. You screwed up the abduction because of your feelings for him. If he gets his memories back you're going to have to force information out of him and then you're going to have to dispose of him somewhere where no one will find him. Can you honestly tell me you can do that?"

"Dad, it's not going to come to that. I'm sure, everything will be fine."

"Say it, yes or no, if it comes to that, can you kill Fah?

Inside the condo, Fah woke up and looked around. Lom was awake but he didn't see him anywhere. The bathroom door was shut but no light came from underneath so he wasn't in there. Turning to the other side he noticed the sliding door to the balcony was open. He got up and went over to kiss him good morning. As he neared the door he spied Lom on the phone; he appeared agitated. Before making his presence known Fah listened. Over the ever-present sound of birds in the trees, he heard Lom speaking.

"Dad, it's not going to come to that. I'm sure, everything will be fine."

Okay, Lom was talking to his father. Someone who had raised Fah as well but he couldn't picture a face. He wondered why Lom was speaking to his father.

"Fine, yes, if it comes to that I can kill Fah."

He backed away from the balcony door. He covered his mouth with his hand, his eyes slowly blinking, causing the few tears that built up, to trickle down his cheeks. He thought Lom cared about him, not just cared but loved him. Lom must be a great actor, he realized.

I have no one I can trust. The one person I trusted just admitted he could kill me and that's about as far from love as you get.

He crawled back into bed and shut his eyes. Sighing heavily he lay on his side in the fetal position. He knew now he'd have to make Lom love him or he would die. Pressing his eyes shut tighter he tried to stifle his tears. Unfortunately, tears were coming, he could feel them. Running to the bathroom, he locked the door from the inside, turned on the shower, and stood under the water. Confident that the sound of the water was enough, he permitted himself to break down.

Lom walked inside and discovered Fah wasn't in bed. Seeing the bathroom light was on he went to say good morning, but the door was locked.

That's strange, he's never done this before, thought Lom.

He was about to knock on the door when he heard crying. He knew the sound of Fah's cries. Why would Fah have woken up and gone to the shower to cry? Was it from dealing with amnesia? Or was he still in pain from the gunshot? Or did he overhear my conversation?

Fuck, if he overheard that, he's back to thinking I'm going to kill him and not trusting me. That must be why he's locking the bathroom door now. Lom knocked on the bathroom door.

"Fah, are you okay?"

"Yes."

"Why did you lock the door?"

"I wanted to be alone. There's nowhere in this condo where I can go for privacy."

"Fah, please don't lock the door. If you pass out or hurt yourself I can't get in to help you," said Lom. He waited but Fah stayed in the shower and the door remained locked.

Giving up, Lom made coffee and sat on the sofa watching television. The water turned off but still, Fah did not come out. The crying, however, stopped.

"Fah, are you okay? Are you coming out?" Still no answer. "Fah?"

"I'm fine. Just give me some time. I'm thinking about something, please leave me alone."