I am Leo (Book 3)

Chapter 14

John POV

“Don’t worry Mrs Holby said it was fine. You’re cool man come on” he says and unlocks the door. We step inside and there are a few other staff members already seated, they all greet and we take our seats. The movie starts and halfway through I decide that I like this movie, the lady Trinity is awesome and the guy Neo, is so cool. Morpheus is my favorite character, level headed, strong and so sure of himself. 7 hours later, it’s almost midnight and the last film concludes and I’m a very happy camper. One of the female staff members has fallen asleep on my shoulder and I quietly get up not to disturb her, some of the guys are also out but Carl is still up. We walk out and head to my room

“So did you like it?” he asks and I nod

“Hell yeah, that was amazing!” I say happily and he seems very pleased with himself

“Next weekend we’re doing Lord of the Rings, if you want to join us again” he says as we stop in front of my room

“That’ll be great thanks Carl” I say as I open my door and step inside

“Well good night man, you’re a really cool guy” he says and I smile

“You too Carl, good night” I say and close the door. I wish I could speak to Violet, I want to tell her about my new friend and those cool movies, but that’ll have to wait until Monday. I take a shower and crawl into bed, feeling a lot happier than I thought I’d be.

Hades POV

“He’s what?!” he yells and I sit there watching my brother-in-law pacing up and down. We came for a visit and quickly realized that Leo has disappeared. We looked for him, but eventually thought the little mischief-maker escaped and came back home, apparently we were wrong. Now before you go all high and mighty, Abby is pregnant with our daughter, she’s tired and irritated. I am a busy man, between my son, my pregnant wife and my godly duties I have little time to waste, that’s why I assigned my best to keep him busy. Anyway back to my dear little brother

“Hades, this is not one of your jokes?” he asks looking at me intently

“No little brother I assure you I am quite serious” I say fixing my cufflinks, he sinks into his seat with his head in his hands

“Mom is going to go ballistic, oh goddess they all are. This is all my fault; I was just so angry. It was a stupid prank, now he’s missing” he says and I stand up

“Cayden this is no-one’s fault except his own. Let’s be rational about this, what’s the worst that could happen to a young, strong man like Leo?” I ask calmly. He drops his hands and lifts his head looking at me with a worn-out expression

“Is that a rhetorical question?” he asks in a dull tone

“No, I’m serious” I say shrugging and he sits back sighing

“Well given his track record, he could literally destroy a country, ruin alliances and maybe cause a war, single handily I might add” he says and rubs his face. Dear oh dear my little brother has way too much on his plate, I do too but unlike them I don’t really need sleep. I just sleep in order to hold my lovely wife, so here I go, Theseis is going to be quite upset about this.

“Cayden, let me handle this. Go to bed, you need rest. When was the last time you slept?” I ask but he shakes his head

“I don’t know, I take naps here and there. There’s too much to do” he says and I take a seat on the edge of the desk, scanning the desk

“You do everything alone, that’s why you’re so drained. Let Amala help you and your general” I say

“I’m fine, I don’t want to bother them, they have lives, and Amala is busy with the kids” he says and I chuckle

“Yes they do, but what about your family? They need their father, and I think the queen would appreciate it if the king sleeps in the same bed as her. You have no balance dear brother, it seems we will be extending our stay” I say and stand up walking to the door

“General” I say and Dimitri appears from the shadows

“Yes Hades, what can I assist you with?” he asks bowing

“Oh stop with the theatrics son, come in” I say stepping back and he walks in. His eyes can’t hide his feelings, he is angry and feels pity toward Cayden and I know exactly how he feels

“The royal family will be leaving for their summer castle tonight, please make sure everything is packed and ready. I will send four of my guard with them” I say and he nods smiling a little

“I will send the Pauci Electi with as well. I will arrange everything, they will leave in two hours” Dimitri says and leaves out the door.

“You can’t do this, I’m the king” Cayden says standing and I nod

“Yes, you are your highness, but I’m a god and so is my sister Athena. I’m sure everyone can do with a little vacation don’t you?” I say and he stands there glaring at me

“I can’t just leave, what about all this?” he asks gesturing at his desk

“Oh that will still be here when you get back, now come on you have to tell your lovely wife the good news” I say gesturing for him to follow me. When he passes me I place my fingers on the side of his head, and he collapses to the floor, fast asleep

“Sorry brother, you’ll thank me later” I say and call my guards. They carry him to the room, where a very worried Amala quickly tends to him

“What happened Hades?” she asks worriedly scanning his limp figure

“He’s exhausted dear sister, he needs rest. So I suggested you go on a little family vacation to your summer castle” I say smiling and she gives me her famous smile, the one that melts ice

“Oh that would be wonderful. He’s been so busy lately, we hardly see him” she says kissing his head

“Yes I’ve gathered. I took the liberty of arranging your traveling arrangements and security as well. You’ll be leaving tonight my dear” I say helping her up

“Oh okay, that’s a bit sudden but you know what screw time right. We need this more than anything else” she says but then her resolve wavers “But what about the realm, the meetings oh goddess school” she says but Dimitri intervenes before I could say anything

“Your majesty, don’t worry about that. We will make sure all that needs tending are attended to, and as for school, it’s just a few days before the school break starts so the kids will be ecstatic knowing they’re going away earlier. Please I beg of you get him and your family out of here” he says and she smiles “Amala please, he’s working himself to death, I’ve never seen you as unhappy as you’ve been the past month and the kids are feeling the tension too” he says and a tear escapes her eye rolling down her cheek

“I know. He missed Zia’s recital, Kit’s game and Raine’s spelling bee. They were devastated, I miss him so much” she says and I wrap her up in a hug

“Okay that’s enough of that, go pack. We’ll get him to the car” I say and she steps back

“For how long?” she asks and I glance at Dimitri, he just shrugs and I smile looking down at her

“As long as you need, I don’t want to see you back here until you’re all rested and happy” and she smiles again

“Okay, thanks guys we owe you” she says and the guards pick Cayden up again

“Oh and Hades, my dearest brother-in-law” she says sweetly and I smile “If you ever sedate my husband again without his or my consent I’ll tell Abby” she says and my face falls

“No need to be unreasonable dear sister” I say and she smiles again

“Now get us out of here before he wakes up” she says and we move, within an hour they’re packed and on their way the security detail in tow. Dimitri clears his throat and I turn to him

“Something on your mind general?” I ask and he glares at me

“Where’s Leo?” he says and I sigh

“Come on, we have work to do” I say and we make our way to the office. This is not how I thought I’d spend my time here, yet here we are. Two hours later we’ve established that his bank account is still untouched, he hasn’t been seen in the realm, yet, and now I have the privilege of informing my in-laws that I lost their son. Lovely isn’t it? Wish me luck

Violet POV

“I don’t know Jess, this whole thing is just weird. From the moment I saw him I had this protective instinct kick in and it has been like this ever since”

“Oh darlin’ isn’t it maybe a little bit of rebound talking?”

“No, no. Goodness no, it’s nothing like that. I mean he’s very handsome and all but he’s more like a brother figure you know?”

“Honey, I get it but just be careful okay?”

“I will, but he’s harmless. Anyway if he wanted to do anything he had ample opportunity to do so. I just feel so bad for him, he doesn’t even know his name”

“The sessions not helping?”

“No it is, but not for his memory. There was this note”

“What did it say?”

“Life is what you make it”

“Hmmm, let’s do some digging, maybe we’ll find something”

“Thanks guys, I miss you”

“Miss you too, see you at the wedding hon!”

“Yup, see you there. Love you guys”

“Love you a bunch, good night Vi”

“Good night” I say and end the call. Hopefully they’ll find something somewhere and he can get his life back. On the one hand I really hope he does, but a small part of me hope he doesn’t. I’m scared of losing him, selfish I know but the last 6 months I’ve lost enough. The fact that I can’t seem to get over Dean also doesn’t help at all. I switch off the light and fall asleep, but like every night I still have the nightmares, it’s like nothing can keep them away. The next morning, I let the taxi drop me at the facility, I can’t wait to see him. He’s in session so I make my way to his apartment and make myself a cup of coffee. A few minutes later he walks in and his face instantly lights up when he sees me

“Violet!” he says picking me up and hugging me, this is the first time he’s ever hugged me like this and it feels amazing

“Hey you, miss me?” I ask still holding on to him

“Not as much as you missed me” he says letting me back down, then I see his eyes are red

“Hey you okay?” I ask scanning his face, he looks tired

“Yeah, just didn’t sleep well. So how was the trip?” he asks and we sit down and share our weekend experiences. He had so much fun, but I can see how much he missed me, and I him.

“That was awesome, have you seen it?”

“Yup, I’m a bit of a movie nerd. But you should definitely watch the Lord of the rings, great series. Not as action packed as The Matrix, but very well written”

“We will, hey you wanna join us?”

“Oh I’d love to but I have plans”

“Oh okay, that’s cool” I see the disappointment on his face

“Hey it’s not like a date, it’s a work thing” I counter and he smiles

“Oh yeah of course, you have a life right” he says but I get the hidden meaning behind his words

“Hey you know what, why don’t we go out Saturday, just you and me” I say and he smiles

“Okay, I’ll just have to get permission” he says and I stand up

“No problem, be right back” I say and rush to the superintendent’s office

“Mrs Holby?” I say as I enter her office

“Oh miss Kendrick, to what do I owe this pleasure?” she asks shaking my hand

“I want to know if I’m allowed to take John out on Saturday? He’s been cooped up here, and I know you’re very good to him, but wouldn’t it be good for him to get out?” I ask and she gives me an apologetic smile

“Oh you have no idea how much I want to say yes, but the thing is what if his memory triggers and something happens? We have no idea who he really is, it’s a matter of safety you understand?” she says and I stand there not knowing how to respond

“I understand” I say and give her a tight smile

“Thank you anyway” I say and turn around but she calls me back

“You can however have the lounge to yourselves Saturday afternoon, I will arrange it for you. Will that suffice?” she asks and I spin around, rush to her and give her a quick hug

“Yes thank you!” I say and run out the door

“Okay, we’re sorted”

“Really we can go out?”

“Well no, but we have the lounge to ourselves”

“Oh, okay that’s cool I guess”

“Hey it’ll be fun, see ya later handsome. I still have a few errands to run” I say kissing his cheek

“See you later Vi” he says and I grab my bag rushing out the door. Oh he’s going to love my idea, hopefully I’m not overstepping my bounds here. The week passes in a blur and soon we’re standing in front of the door of the lounge, he looks really good in the clothes I bought him, had to exchange it twice but it looks great.

“You ready Gigantor?”

“For what?”

“Your surprise” I say and push open the door. Everyone that could is here, the place is made up to look like a ‘club’, not a high-end one, but you get the picture. Carl has some music set up, we made sure there were enough snacks. Unfortunately, we’re not allowed alcohol on the premises, for obvious reasons, but we made punch, got non-alcoholic beers, there are some virgin cocktails and of course we have sparkling juice

“Welcome! Glad you could join the party!” Carl says happily walking over

“What’s happening?” Gigantor whispers in my ear and I turn to face him

“It’s a party, for you” I say smiling

“Oh, why?”

“Just because you are you silly. And besides, we all need some fun” I say and he grins

“Goddess Vi, you’re perfect” he says and I smile. Goddess? Weird thing to say

“Nah, close but not perfect” I joke and he gives me a side hug

“So we gonna get this party started or what?” Carl shouts and everyone cheers with him. Never had such a blast, and without a drop of alcohol, these are real people. You know, not the type you’d talk to normally, but they’re sincere and upstanding people. Seems Carl and John aka Gigantor are becoming good friends, and I’m happy for him.