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Immunity 5b/5
Terry L Odell (tlco777@JUNO.COM)Mon, 21 May 2001 21:24:21 -0400
Immunity, by T. L. Odell
Part 5b/5
Disclaimers in Part 0
* * *
As Duncan scraped away five days of stubble, he nicked his chin.
Swearing under his breath, he wiped away the blood. That hollow
feeling in the pit of his stomach came back again. *What if
someone comes for me while I'm like this? How can I protect Anne? Or
will she have to protect me? What if I never recover sufficiently to
be able to defend myself in the Game? Will I have to spend the
rest of my life hiding on holy ground? Will I still able to feel
other immortals? Can they detect me? Will I start to age?*
"Damn," he swore out loud. But somehow, telling himself to snap
out of it didn't cut through that wall of anxiety that had built up
over the previous days. He climbed out of the tub, dried off, found
the sweats he had packed and joined Anne and Joe. He forced a
smile and sat down at the table.
"Can I get you some tea?" asked Anne.
"Yes, please."
Anne poured a cup of the steaming liquid. "Extra honey. The
glucose will do you good."
Duncan accepted the proffered cup and held it between his palms,
enjoying the warmth. "I'm sorry, but I can't seem to shake this
fear of losing my immortality," he began. "And -"
"Don't feel so bad, Duncan," Anne interrupted. "While you were
in the tub, Adam Pierson called. It seems that there have been
about thirty cases of this flu reported. Depression and anxiety seem
to be a common side effect. Face it: You've always been very
much in control. Feeling helpless goes completely against your
nature. You're susceptible to this fear, and you will be as long as
you're carrying the virus in your system."
"Sorry, but I have to get back," said Joe. "I can't leave the bar in
Mike's hands too long, you know."
"Joe, you know Mike's a perfectly good manager. Feel free to
stay," said Anne.
"No, I really do need to leave." He stood and started for the door.
"Mac, you take it easy and listen to the doctor. She knows what
she's talking about."
"Thanks for coming Joe. It did help," Duncan said somberly.
"Don't get up; I'll see myself out. And I wasn't kidding, Mac.
Anne, you call me if this guy gives you any trouble whatsoever;
I'll be back in a heartbeat to sit on him."
Anne got up and kissed Joe on the cheek. "Thanks," she
whispered in his ear.
"No problem. Take care."
"Can we go into the den?" asked Duncan when Anne returned to
the kitchen. "I think I'd be more comfortable on the couch."
"Now you're being sensible. Sure." Anne picked up her cup and
followed Duncan to the other room. He took the cup from her
hands and put it on the table.
"I've had some time to think, Anne," Duncan continued, taking her
hands in his. His voice shook as he started. "First, I meant it when
I said I was happy for you. But I think I'm a little jealous, too.
No, please. let me finish," he said as Anne started to speak. "I'm
not looking to rekindle our relationship; I like the way it has
evolved, and I like where we are. I think I wasn't ready to admit
that you could have found someone else. It's not logical - I
certainly didn't expect you to pine away the rest of your life, but
somehow, a part of me didn't want to see you with another man.
Maybe it's because you left me, that you couldn't deal with who I
am.
Anne spoke softly. "I'm moving away, but I'll always carry a part
of you with me. Just as you had Tessa, and all those other special
women in your life. They were still there when we were together.
There's room. Jared is a big part of my life, but you'll be there,
too."
"Will I see Mary?"
"Of course. You're her favorite uncle and always will be. As a
matter of fact, I was hoping that the four of us could get together
before the move."
Duncan took Anne in his arms and held her tightly, smelling the
peach shampoo she used. He nuzzled her hair, then pushed her to
arm's length to look at her face. He saw happiness through the
tears in her eyes, and hugged her again.
"This house will always belong to Mary," he said as the embrace
ended. "I'll be more than happy to be the landlord. I'll have my
lawyer work out the papers before you're ready to move out. If
you, Mary and Jared want to come here for vacations, or ever
move back, the house will be here for you."
"You are something special, you know." Anne wiped her eyes.
"I'll get something for those scratches. Doctor's orders."
Duncan looked down at his arms. Perhaps it was his imagination,
but he could swear that they were healing. Maybe he could believe
Joe and Methos after all. He would do his best to be a good
patient. It might not be so bad to have someone looking after him
for a while.
Anne and Mary were moving. That was reality. He'd try not to
dwell on the way his chest tightened when he thought about it.
Long distance friendships were difficult, but certainly not
impossible, especially in this day of air travel and email. He hoped
Jared would understand that he wasn't competition and allow him
to stay in their lives.
He was already thinking about what he'd get for Mary for her new
room in her new home when Anne came back with ointment and
gauze.
"Where are you, Duncan?"
"Hmmm?"
"You're a hundred miles away."
"No, I'm right here with a very special friend. Thank you."
"For what?"
"For being part of my life."
She sat next to him and rested her head on his chest. "And thank
you for being part of mine."
The two friends sat there, under the watchful eye of the large black
and white Dalmatian, and enjoyed the peaceful afternoon.
The End
***
In had a great time writing this. Feedback to tlco777@juno.com welcome.
......visit me at http://users.fbs.net/~odell , but there's no HL fiction
there.
A lot of travelogues, though.
"Age does not diminish the extreme disappointment
of having a scoop of ice cream fall from the cone. "
-----------------------Jim Fiebig