Tangled - Part Nineteen

*****FIFTY-ONE : THE ATRIUM REVISITED.

It was a day that neither of us would ever forget. We clung to each-other and cried. Dr. Keen discreetly left us alone and we held onto one another like our lives depended on it. Finally, Lee pulled away and held me at arm’s length, his hands on my shoulders.
“Let me look at you.” He whispered.

His eyes roamed over my face in the dim light. He released one of my shoulders and gently touched the scar on my cheek and then he ruffled my short hair.
“Oh Davey.” He sighed. “I’m so sorry.”
“For what?” I asked. “For my short hair? For a scar? Don’t be silly.”
“I did this to you.” He said.
“No you didn’t.” I replied. “It was an accident and it could have happened to anyone. That’s life! It throws us these curved balls every now and then and we have to slog at them as best we can. It’s what makes us stronger and more durable.”

He smiled.
“God I love you.” He sighed. “Because of who you are and because nothing ever gets you down.”
“Why should it.” I said. “Sooner or later you get past these things and hopefully you come out the other end in one piece. And maybe, you’ve learned something in the process.”

He was silent for a moment and thought about this.
“Well, one thing I have learned is that I will never doubt you for a second ever again.” He said. “I should never have left you after the accident. It was wrong and selfish of me and I’ll always regret it.”
“And I thought you were the man who once told me that you have no regrets.” I said. “Regret is a pointless emotion. It gets you nowhere. Besides, that’s all in the past now and best forgotten. I don’t regret a thing, even when I hated you so much on that day I found out that you were still alive. Hate is akin to love and I could only hate with that intensity because of the intensity of my love for you. That’s why I went back for you.”

“That’s another reason why I love you so much.” He smiled. “You have always been honest with me; you’ve never lied to me.”

“I see no reason to lie to you. What’s the point? You’d probably find out anyway.” I said. “That’s why I had to tell you how I felt about you that night at the bus stop. I knew you’d either find out soon enough or you’d guess how I felt so I just made it easier for both of us.”
“Thank you for that.” He said. “And thank you for everything.”
“You’re quite welcome.” I said.

He smiled at me and let his eyes wander up down my body.
“Well, now that I can see you again; how about a quickie, right here, right now!”
I punched him on the arm.

“For God’s sake!” I said. “Is that all you can think about?”
“Um . . let’s see . . tough question . . !” He pondered and I rolled my eyes. “Oh wait! I know the answer to that . . yes!!”
“And my answer is no!” I said with a laugh. “Maybe later, if I’m healed enough!”

Dr. Keen returned soon after and made me go out and buy a pair of dark glasses with blinds on the sides.
“You must guard your eyes for a few days until they have adjusted completely.” He told us. “Especially outside in the glare. And I want to see you in two days time, okay? We must keep a close watch on your progress over the next week or so.”

So, sporting a new pair of sunglasses which made him look enigmatic, we left the hospital in great spirits. I hailed a cab and gave him our destination.
“Where are we going?” Lee asked.
“I have a surprise for you.” I said “Wait and see.”

We arrived outside the building in no time and I paid the cabbie and he left. Lee looked up at the building and then gasped in excitement.
“Oh wow!” He said. “It looks great finished. I never thought I’d get to see it like this.”

He turned to me and laughed.
“I bet the inside looks just as . . !” He stopped suddenly and turned and looked at the building again.
“Oh Davey!” He sighed. “I can get to see your work now.”
“Well, what are you waiting for? To be struck blind again?” I laughed.

He grinned at me and then took off at a fast pace. Although the building had not been officially opened, some of its offices had already been occupied. Lee pushed through the doors and rushed to the centre of the atrium. He tore off his sunglasses and I winced, but relaxed when I realized that the light inside was fairly dim because of the tinted windows. He turned in a slow circle and studied each mural carefully.
“Oh wow!” He breathed. “Wow!”

Finally he turned to me and smiled. I noticed that a couple of tears were running down his face.
“I was so right to choose you for this.” He said. “It’s breathtaking. Thank you.”
“I loved every minute of it.” I said.

He turned and looked at Youth in Repose.
“That’s it, isn’t it?” He asked. “It’s beautiful.”
“Yep!” I replied. “It’s my favorite.”

He turned back to me.
“I can’t wait to see the album.” He said.

I took it from my bag and handed it to him.
“Why wait?”

We sat on a bench in the atrium and he slowly paged through the album. When we had finished, he closed it gently and sighed.
“I’ll treasure this forever.” He said. “You are truly talented.”
“Thank you.” I replied. “And thank you for believing in me enough to give me the project.”

“That’s one area where I never doubted you for a second.” He said. “I knew you could do it and I knew that it would be spectacular. That’s why I wanted you in the first place, among other reasons.”
“Um . . and what were these other reasons?” I asked sweetly.

“Well, let’s see now! Another tough question.” He put his finger to his lips in thought. “Right, I know. One: You were frustrating to me beyond all reason. Two: You annoyed me intensely to the point of madness. Three: You wouldn’t leave me alone even when I went out of my way to avoid you. And last but not least: I fell madly in love with you despite the first three.”
“Believe it or not, it was exactly the same for me.” I laughed.

*****FIFTY-TWO : THE BROTHERS TOGETHER.

Lee made an incredible recovery and Dr. Keen was impressed with his overall progress. He remarked that he had never seen a patient heal and adapt so quickly to the transplants. After his fourth visit to Dr. Keen, Lee was pronounced fit and healthy and told that he could throw away his dark glasses. Lee immediately snapped the glasses in half at the bridge and tossed them into the waste basket. When we left the hospital, he stopped in the street and looked around carefully. I looked into his brilliant eyes and knew beyond a shadow of doubt that he was back; as strong and as confident as ever.

“That’s better!” He sighed. “I’m tired of looking at a dim world.”
He turned to me and smiled, his brilliant green eyes glowing.

“You see all this Davey?” He said and indicated the world in general with a swing of his arm. I looked around at the busy street.
“I see it.” I said.
“Well.” He continued. “It’s ours!”
“What do you mean it’s ours?” I asked.

“I mean that we can go out there and be and do whatever we want no matter what.” He grinned. “At the risk of quoting a cliché; the world is our oyster.”
“Why this sudden over-bearing arrogance?” I asked.
“Look at us Davey.” He said, his eyes intense. “Look at what we’ve been through; at what we’ve done. There are not many people out there who have lived through half of what we have and come through it in one piece. We’re invincible!”

“Well, Mr. Invincible.” I said with a laugh. “If you don’t move your ass from the middle of the street, you’re going to get it run over.”
Lee was back I knew; with a vengeance.

I called Jack later and asked him to cook another family meal for us on Friday and then I invited Kevin and Derek. Then I called Malachi.
“Hello Malachi.” I said when he came on the line. “It’s David.”
“Hi David, good to hear from you.” He countered.
“I’m throwing a sort of welcome back dinner party at Lee’s apartment for him and I wondered if you might like to join us?” I asked.

“Of course I would.” He replied. “I’d love it.”
“That’s great. It’ll be on Friday evening at about seven. Is that okay?” I said.
“Fine, not a problem, I’ll be there.” He said. “How is he? I’ve been out of town for a few days and haven’t had a chance to catch up with you guys.”
“He’s well and back to his old over-bearing arrogant self.” I said with a laugh.

“Right!” He laughed. “That’s Lee. You could never keep him down for long.”
“So we’ll see you on Friday.” I said. “Bring along a partner if you like . . you know . . a girlfriend?”
“Don’t have one.” He replied quickly. “I’m not the marrying type so I sort of play the field, but I suppose I could rustle up somebody.”
“That’ll be great.” I finished. “See you on Friday.”

I was pleased because this would be the first time that all four brothers were together, in the same place at the same time in many years.

Lee went back to work full time and so did I. He had made Derek a partner and now, he started talking about giving Kevin a partnership too. Kevin had been running the firm along with Derek while Lee had been incapacitated so as far as Lee was concerned, he deserved it.

At The Gallery, Jane greeted me enthusiastically and thanked the world in general for my return.
“That man has been driving me crazy.” She whispered to me and pointed at Danny. “He’s adorable, cute and so sweet but he isn’t a boss’s asshole!”
I laughed and told her I was back for good so she could relax.

Danny had somehow managed to not only keep The Gallery running in my absence but had boosted our sales and initiated a few new exhibitions. I had a chat with him and we agreed that from now on, the responsibility of running the gallery would be shared between us instead of solely on my shoulders as it used to be.

And so our lives returned to what it had been before the accident. I had a quick last minute consultation with Derek over the telephone about a few final arrangements for the house on the beach and was satisfied that everything was in readiness. My plan was to take Lee out there for the weekend, just the two of us. It was a long weekend and neither of us had to be back until Tuesday so we would be able to spend three idyllic days together, alone.

Friday dawned and Jack and Danny went out on a grocery shopping spree. Jack had obligingly changed his shifts around so that he could be free to make our dinner. Danny opted to assist him again. Malachi called and told me he’d be bringing along a friend.
“A girlfriend?” I asked.
“Actually, no.” He laughed. “He’s just a friend. I thought it appropriate as all your other guests are men. I think a girlfriend of mine might feel a little awkward being the only woman present.”
“Not a problem, Malachi. I’ll see you later.” I hung up.