Are We Out of The Woods Yet?

Part 36

"So..."Both of them spoke at the time.

"Oh..."

"I..." Aaron stopped and bit his lip.

"I left Vic an..."

"I thought you were dead." Aaron swallowed, looking out of his side window to close his eyes in self annoyance at his inability to keep thoughts inside in front of Robert.

"You thought I was..." Robert sat up straight, shocked. "Why?...What?...What made you?..." He looked at Aaron now, not caring if he was still angry.

"Vic...she...called me five times in the space...of 45 minutes...or something. I just thought that if it was so urgent...that maybe you'd..."

"Died." Robert finished for him. Aaron nodded gingerly. "Did you...did you come to the hospital to say goodbye?" Robert had to stop himself from trying to picture it, Aaron saying goodbye to his lifeless body. His torso shook. Whilst his skin was still pulsing, his gaze swapped between his hands and Aaron, just so he could check if Aaron had noticed he was shaking. It didn't seem like he had. He looked too embarrassed at himself to care about anything else.

"Kind of. I just needed to see if I was right."

"And if you had been?"

"I suppose it would have hurt a bit."

"Yeah?"

"Because the last thing you would've said to me is that you still love me and I don't know if I could handle it." Robert's shaking calmed at Aaron's sincerity, he listened closely, automatically leaning in a little further towards him. "I couldn't...I thought you'd maybe...because I just walked out and left you...you almost got killed because of me."

"No I didn't."

"Yeah you did Robert. You tried to help me and it put you in hospital. How is it not my fault? It's happening all over again." Aaron sniffled, wiping a backhand under his nose.

"What's happening?"

"People getting hurt because they bother with me."

"Aaron. How many people have I hurt that I've gotten involved with? You're not the only one who's done that, trust me." Aaron stayed quiet. "Look, I'm alright. If you think a couple of punches could get rid of me you're wrong. Sorry, I'm still here to annoy ya." Robert elbowed Aaron in the arm. Aaron leaned away from his gesture, their arms still brushing anyway.

"Shame, I was gonna throw a celebration back at the pub." Aaron retorted, slightly impressed by Robert's admittance.

"Ahh you'd all be crying over your beers I know it! What would you do without me wandering round the Village?" Maybe I'd finally be able to move on, Aaron lied to himself.

"Who knows?" He said instead, adding a touch of sarcasm to it.

"Would you...would you miss me?" Robert's voice was obviously smaller at that moment, a sound of hope yet sadness in his voice.

"Yeah. Yeah I would." Aaron admitted to him, giving him his attention just in time to see Robert turn away, his hands were twitching in his lap.

"You wouldn't laugh at the side of my bed as they covered me up?" The mood had darkened.

"Rob..." Aaron's words caught in his throat as he noticed Robert breathing heavily. "Are you alright? If you're feeling car sick of somet..."

"No. No, keep driving. We...we need to get to Vics."

"Vic's?"

"Yes. Joe's waiting for me there." Robert knew the news probably wouldn't go down well as soon as he said it.

"What? You've been in contact with him?" Aaron's brow furrowed deeper, his hands gripping the wheel tighter.

"He came in to my...well in to the hospital room last night. I wasn't in contact with him before last night, I swear." Aaron nodded, relaxing a bit, considering Robert had just come out of hospital. Now was not the time to have a go. He trusted him on that, well he thought he did. He was trying to keep all eyes on the road but he was curious as to what Robert was talking about. "He just came in, and basically we made an agreement..." The knife and the overpowering fear he had felt flashed in front of him. He shook his head, trying to make it disperse.

"What's wrong with ya? You're shaking a lot..." Aaron grimaced.

"He er...he had a knife...threatened me with it." Robert almost whispered, his right hand clenched as though he were holding it. "That's how we er...made the agreement." He looked at his feet. Aaron's eyes were wide, an expression of concern upon his face instead of the previous suspicion.

"And you didn't call for help?"

"No, by then he would've...stabbed me anyway." Aaron nodded, still unsure of what was going on, Joe had what? Visited him in the middle of the night and they'd made an agreement over a knife?

"But he didn't hurt you did he?"

"No."

"So what's the plan then?" He tried to take the subject a little away from the knife as it was clearly affecting Robert.

"The agreement?" Robert glanced at him, Aaron nodded, looking straight ahead. "We're meeting at Vic's...and Adam's..." He added for the sake of Aaron. "Then we're uh going up to Home Farm."

"We're?"

"Yeah...since I never...uh give him the money...he wants to be with me to watch me get it now."

"Right...and you're going to find it at Home Farm?"

"Yeah, I'm going to get Chrissie to write a cheque...Or Lawrence." Robert glanced sheepishly up at Aaron.

"What? Why are you getting them involved?"

"Look he was about to...me alright? Plus he's got Lachlan anyway so they're already involved. I had to think quickly or right now I'd be dead." Aaron could hear the slight rise in his voice. "He's on his own Aaron, all those gits have left him on his own, he's defenceless." Aaron saw an opportunity to stop and drove in to a lay-by off the motor-way. Robert felt the car slowing down and looked up as the ignition died out. "What are you doing?" He looked at Aaron.