I am Leo (Book 3)

Chapter 17

John POV“Dude, what happened?”

“Honestly, I have no idea. Violet was angry, not sure why then she burst into tears and now she’s asleep in my bed” I say and he smiles

“Hell yeah man, you got some” he says but I scowl

“No, I’d never take advantage like that. Gross man” I say and he looks down

“Sorry, I was only kidding” he says and I sigh

“Listen, I need a place to sleep, I know it’s against the rules to have guests sleep over, but she can’t drive like this” I say and he nods

“No problem, let’s see what I can do” he says and a few minutes later I’m settling into the staff lounge on the floor

“Sorry I couldn’t get better sleeping arrangements for you” he says but I smile

“This is fine. But what about her?” I ask and he smiles

“Mrs Holby comes in at 9, we’ll have her out by then” he says and I nod turning on my side

“Thanks man, you’re a great friend” I say before closing my eyes. Restful sleep is not in the cards for me, I keep dreaming of the fight. Her words echoing in my dreams over and over. By 5am I get up and sneak back into the room, she’s still sleeping peacefully as I get dressed for my morning run. When I get back she’s awake, looking like hell.

“Hey” she rasps out, her eyes are bloodshot, her cheeks puffy and red. Her make-up is ruined and her hair is a mess, but still she’s beautiful

“Hey, do you feel better?” I ask sitting on the edge of the bed

“No… yes… I don’t know” she says rubbing her eyes with the balls of her hands

“It’s okay not be okay you know?” I say and place my hand on her arm

“Yeah, but it’s not okay to say horrible things to people who care about you when you’re having a tantrum” she says making me chuckle

“I’d call it a meltdown, not a tantrum” I say and she laughs

“Of epic proportions” she says and we laugh, as soon as the laughter dies down she takes my hand, looks me in the eyes and speaks in her kind, soft voice

“I don’t hate you; I will never hate you. I was angry and frustrated, and I took it out on the last person that deserved it. I’m sorry Gigantor, you’re my best friend, my one constant. I can’t take back my words, I wish I could, but I can say I’m sorry” she says and I smile

“No worries Vi, you’re my best friend too. I love you” I say and she jumps into my arms. I hug her tightly, and I really do love her.

“I love you too” she whispers and I squeeze a bit harder

“Can’t breathe… can’t breathe” she gasps and I let her go

“I don’t want to ruin the moment, but Mrs Holby will be here soon and you need to be gone before she comes in” I say and she nods smiling

“Don’t want to upset the warden, thanks for being you J” she says and I smile

“I like J better than Gigantor”

“Tough, it’s what I’m calling you” she says and I get up grabbing her bag. When she passes by the kitchen, she glances around

“You cleaned up” she says

“I did, don’t worry nothing was broken” I joke and she looks at me with an expression I’ve not seen before. She looks sad, happy and overwhelmed all at once

“You are a good man John, any woman would be lucky to have you” she says cupping my cheek. I take her hand, kiss her palm and give her a sexy grin

“I had a wonderful example” I say and she blushes again

“Tease” she says opening her car door

“See you later” she says and I nod. When she drives away I again have no clue what to do with myself. I don’t have session today, but I can fit in another work out. Yeah why not?

Violet POV

I feel like crap, not just because I haven’t slept well in weeks, or that the anniversary of my parent’s murder is coming up or that I bawled my eyes out for three days, but because of the things I said to him. His face when I went off like a psycho last night, for no reason at all. I had no right to say those things to him, he has only been kind and gentle toward me. Okay given I support him, but he’s never made me feel less important or alone. He listens when I talk, looks you in the eye when he talks to you. Has unbelievably good manners and is an awesome dancer, and he cleans up after me, I’m such an i***t. How will I ever repay him? I sit on my patio overlooking my pool and glance at the pool house, haven’t been in there in what, 2 years? So I drag my tired butt over to the pool house and open the door. It’s dusty, a bit cluttered, needs some attention definitely. I open all the windows and start cleaning. An hour later I am on the floor sorting through boxes, most of it is my ex’s stuff he left when he decided his secretary is a better fit than his fiancé, cliché right? Dickhead. Two boxes are decorations for different holidays so I take them to the garage and place them with the other boxes. Dusting off my hands I stand in the doorway looking at the space.

“Some new blinds, a new bed and a thorough deep clean and this place will be good as new” I say happy with my handy work. But then I notice the wallpaper peeling, the carpet is stained so I decide to redo the whole place. I take my laptop, sit down and start my design, a few hours later I glance at the time and grab a quick shower, just as I get into my car my phone rings, it’s Duncan

“Hey Duncan!”

“Hey Vi, how are you?”

“Doing good thanks and you guys?”

“We’re good, listen we couldn’t find anything on your friend, but I have an idea”

“Oh? Do tell”

“We could create an identity for him”

“Like a fake one?”

“Well yeah I mean it’ll be-“

“Whatever you have to do, I don’t care how it works or what it takes”

“Oh well that was easy”

“He needs to get a life, so to speak. He’s going stir crazy in there”

“I get that, okay we’ll need a surname”

“Use ours”

“Don’t you think it’s a bit obvious?”

“Yeah maybe you’re right. Okay how about uhm, Anderson?”

“Hmm, yeah Johnathan Anderson, seems legit”

“Yup that sounds good, thanks Duncan”

“No problem, it’ll cost you though”

“Urgh, fine how much?”

“Well a solid background, with all the bells and whistles will probably be around 3 grand”

“Holy crap! But make him an orphan, it’ll be more believable. Oh and he seems to be about 25”

“You got it, I will let you know when we’ll need the cash”

“Cash, right got it”

“Cool, hey say hi to John. Oh, and by the way we’ll be visiting in two weeks. Jess wants to get the bridesmaid dresses”

“Oh okay, that sounds like fun. Will you be staying with me?”

“If it’s okay with you?”

“Oh yes it’ll be a blast! See you guys then”

“See ya Vi, bye hon”

“Bye Duncan” I say and ring off. Now this is not something I’d usually do, but what other choice do we have? He needs a job, a social security number, a life. Modern day problems require modern day solutions. I drive to the facility and see him sitting under the same tree as always waiting for me. He needs a haircut, not sure how it will work but we’ll arrange something. I park my car and get out

“Hey Gigantor!” I say happily

“Hey Vi, you seem happier than this morning” he says giving me a quick hug

“Hell yeah I am, figured I’m a sucky friend so I did something constructive. Anyway what you been up to?” I ask but he shrugs

“Not much, worked out, ate lunch read a book”

“You read a book?”

“Yeah”

“Which one?”

“Popular Mechanics” he says and I burst out laughing

“That’s not a book, it’s a magazine” I say as we enter his room

“No it’s a book, it has a cover, words and bonus illustrations” he says smiling and I laugh harder

“Well can’t argue with that logic” I say as I plop down on his couch. He sits on one of the chairs his arms resting on the back of the chair.

“What’s your favorite color?” I ask and he frowns

“I don’t know, why do you ask?”

“Just wondering” I say and again my phone rings. It’s Mrs Holby, I excuse myself and answer stepping outside

“Violet hello”

“Miss Kendrick, Agatha Holby. Is it possible for you to come and see me?”

“Sure Mrs Holby, when?”

“Well now if possible?”

“I’m on my way” I say and cut the call, I pop my head back inside

“I’ll be right back, just going to see the warden”

“Okay” he says and I walk to her office, knocking before I enter

“Please have a seat miss Kendrick” she says gesturing with to the chair and I do

“Everything alright?” I ask and she nods sitting down

“Well I called you here because the board has made a decision regarding John” she says sitting back in her chair. My scalp starts to tingle and my ears have a ringing noise and my mouth goes dry

“Yes?”

“We have done all we can for him, we can let him stay here but it’s not beneficial to him. He is prepped for everyday life and his sessions with his therapist will continue, but he needs a stable environment”

“I understand”

“He needs a life, a career, a purpose. We can’t give him that. Carl has spoken to me about this. John has no health issues, and as far as we can tell no psychological issues either. He’s a normal, fit young man with his life ahead of him”

“I agree”

“The reason I called you, not only are you the only person outside from the facility he knows, but we need someone to take responsibility for him. We can’t just let him out on the street”

“No need, he can come stay with me”

“I meant if you can assist in some type of living arrangement, not in your home”

“No it’s fine, I have a pool house he can stay there. I live alone, it’ll be good having a man around to help”

“I won’t recommend it”

“Well why pay for extra if I already have it?”

“Miss Kendrick, what if he’s violent? We don’t know what would happen if he regains his memories”

“I appreciate your concern Mrs Holby, but he is not a violent man. That man has more integrity and honesty in his finger than most people have in their entire family. And besides, I can hold my own” I say firmly and she nods. She opens her drawer and hands me a folder with documents inside

“Well, he must attend every session promptly every week. There are some recommendations in there as well as some exercises that needs to be completed and for the rest I wish you luck”

“No problem, when must he leave?”

“Well you are paid up until the end of this month, so he can leave after that”

“So a week then?”

“Yes. Please sign the page in front and the last page. We must inform the police and APS that you have taken him into your care, they will have random check-ups”

“I understand, thank you for everything Mrs Holby. Hopefully one day he’ll get better” I say standing and she takes the signed documents from me

“I sincerely hope so miss Kendrick, it was a pleasure having him here” she says smiling. I walk back to the room and he stands when I enter

“So?” he asks looking nervous

“You’re getting out of here” I say smiling but he looks panicked

“Oh s**t Vi, I’m sorry I-“

“Whoa there bud, relax you’re not in trouble. They can’t help you anymore, besides I think it’s time you get out and see the world, well maybe just the city for now” I say and his eyes light up

“That would be awesome!” he says and fist pumps the air

“Okay stay calm, we’ll be going by the end of next week. Gives me a little bit of time to get your place ready” I say

“What? No, Violet please I can make other arrangements. You’ve done so much for me already” he says and I chuckle

“Honey, this is the real world. You get nowhere if you don’t have a little help” I say but he won’t budge

“No, I can’t possibly impose like this” he pleads but I shake my head

“Too late, I already signed the paperwork. You are officially under my care, now let me explain before you blow an artery” I say and sit down on the couch explaining the whole process to him. We research and check everything on the internet, and go through the documents in the file

“So I can get a job?” he asks and I smile

“I mean yeah, once we’ve got you legally registered or whatever. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there” I say and he nods leaning back

“Thank you” he says his eyes closed

“No sweat” I say but he wraps his arm around my shoulder and pulls me in for a side hug

“No really thank you. For the first time I feel like there’s hope” he says and my heart breaks. I can’t even imagine what he must be going through

“One day, you’ll be able to help someone else, then you just pay it forward” I say and he grins

“Okay” he says and sighs. I lay my head on his shoulder and close my eyes. We sit in silence for a long time, at one point I glance at him to make sure he’s not sleeping but he smiles and look back at the ceiling

“So your favorite color is…?” I break the silence and he sits up

“Don’t know, can you show me some and then maybe I can choose” he says and I get up, grab my phone and open some color pallets, giving him the phone. He scrolls for a while then points to a light blue, then to emerald green and finally black.

“Okay, I could work with that” I say writing the colors down

“What are you doing?” he asks and I smile

“You’ll see, now are we going to do something or would you rather have dinner?” I ask and he ponders for a bit

“We could eat and then go for a walk” he says and I nod. I order pizza, half with pineapple, half with banana. Yes he likes banana on his pizza, no I don’t know why he’s weird. Later after dinner we’re strolling around on the grounds

“Vi” he says and I look up

“Yup”

“Last night, you were so angry” he says and I see he’s conflicted. He’s not sure what to ask

“Okay yesterday was a bad day, I took it out on you and it was wrong. I’m sorry I yelled at you, and nearly wrecked your table and hit you. I have no excuse for my actions, it was wrong and again I’m sorry, it won’t happen again” I ramble and he stops looking down at me

“You will not apologize for your feelings. Next time tell me about your bad day, who upset you so that I can kick their ass or hug you, whatever you need. But don’t you ever think you can’t share the bad with me like you share the good. I’m your friend Violet, I want to be there” he says and I, well I look at this wonderful man and wonder where he’s been all my life. Why didn’t I meet him before Dean? He could’ve spared me heartache