Marriage is Murder

"He knows," Michael said.

"How do you know?" Kate frowned.

"Look," Michael said. "If you all recall, when the curse first hit him, he was uncontrollably violent--except with me. Is that not how I got to be his handler? You all couldn't touch him, and he was going to fight you if you even tried. He talked to me because I was the only one who remembered the sign language he was using. And because he wasn't going to burden any of you with all the dark thoughts the curse was causing him.

"He has known he wasn't doing as well physically, but the curse wasn't going to allow him to be any different. He also knows its going to be a hard road back for him to be as physically fit as he was. He wants to train but he just doesn't have the energy yet. I am continuing to try to help in whatever he'll let me do. But tonight? You're not going to get him away from Brian. Thats' just not going to happen."

Robert heard Jess say that Brian had woken. "Yes," he said. "Only for a few seconds. Not enough for us to know anything except that he's not unconscious anymore. We aren't going to know more for several hours. He's weak. He needs sleep."

Jess nodded and sat down close by she knew not to push Robert away from Brian as she could feel he would not leave his side. " I am right here if you need me to fetch anything." She told him marking Brian's vitals on the chart at the end of the bed he lay in.

Moving back to the chair she picked up a book she found there and opened it to read quietly while checking on Roberts energy levels as well as Brian's as she could feel it weakening the longer he kept life support on Brian.

"What I need you to do, Jess, is go to bed at a reasonable hour. I need you to not stay all night," he said. "I don't know that I can honestly stay here and provide life support for two days straight. I will need you and Jeffrey to take shifts to relieve me. Jeffrey will be coming in, at about midnight, to at least take over providing the life support spell. By 7 or 8, he's going to need relief. I will need you to be ready to take over that spell by then if he still needs it. I might not have enough energy left by then to give anymore. Your staying here all night with me just really isn't going to be helpful."

He just didn't feel like going into detail with her, but he knew that he just wasn't as strong as he was before the curse. He didn't have the energy to keep Brian alive and to also cast healing spells and to do it all indefinitely.

He had put all he had had to try to rid himself of the curse, and he had done so for months. But the curse and his relentless search for a cure had taken a huge toll. And he was well aware that regaining the lost weight and strength and energy and muscle tone was gong to take a long time. He had hoped that this trip to Italy would have started a lot of recovery for all of them. Recovery that, at every turn, James had ripped away from them all.

He tired easily these days, and he still had residual pain from the curse that he told no one about. That as just going to take time, he figured. He hadn't been in the gym yet, but he honestly didn't feel up to it yet. His appetite was almost always off and he figured that was still a residual from the dark curse.

He had hoped to work in the gym with Brian because of Brian's abilities as a trainer. But he didn't know if Brian would ever be able to do that again.

He sighed and straightened himself, his back aching from sitting for hours bent over Brian.

"Remind me to send for some firewhiskey," he groaned, tired of hurting muscles.

Jess listened and nodded "Of course, I'll relive Jeffery in the morning." She said and smiled when he mentioned the fire whiskey " I'll have Jack bring some we have an unopened bottle in our cabin." She said standing and stretching her back out as she then moved to the door. "I'll be back in a moment" she said and left the room.

Entering the bedroom she found a small cabinet and took out the bottle and a glass with ice in it. Walking back she smile as she entered and walked over. "Here " she said poring out some for him and handed him the glass as she placed down the bottle next to him. Jess checked Brian one last time before she looked at Robert " good night Robert." She said and headed to her cabin to sleep so she could take over from Jeffery. Jack was still in the cabin when she arrived.

Cassidy and Steven both yawned and chuckled at Brant " well we better go sleep, night guys" Steven said pulling Cassidy to her feet then wrapping his arm around her waist he lead her down below and to their cabin. Brant stayed up a bit longer as he admired the moon that glowed above them. He smiled as he looked at Michael and Kate.

" do you think Robert would let me take two weeks off after all this is over, I...I'm going to Devon with Amelia, its where we're getting married" he told them both, "But I don't want to leave if he needs me to stay, of course right now I can't leave, not until we know Brian's going to be okay" he added as he lent back on the railings looking down at the cabin door where Brian was.

"Thank you," Robert said, grateful. He picked up the glass and drank some, hoping it would ease the pain he had, especially in his back.

"You may or may not know this," Kate said, "but I am the co-owner of the organization with Robert. I don't use any authority much because I generally don't need to. But--Robert's attentions are needed elsewhere, and Brian isn't able to command. So--in this case, I can and will take over for Robert and Brian as long as I need to. Yes, he certainly would allow you to go for a couple of weeks. You don't need to ask him about that.

"I am giving serious thought to asking Lee to join us when we get off ship and get back to the villa. Lee is one of the people who has the same job Robert does, and Robert could use a peer to help him deal with the mess at the Ministry and also to help him get himself back into some sort of shape. No offense against anyone else here. But Robert doesn't always listen so easily to other people when it comes to himself. He never has. He might, though, listen to Lee. Maybe. I just would like to see him looking well and feeling better. Then he'll start to enjoy his time in the gym with you all again. Any thoughts? Objections?"

Brant stood up and looked at Kate as if he had been bite by a mosquito. His eyes fixed on her as she spoke. His face became relived as she said he could have the time off "Thank you Kate, its the only time we will get, Amelia wants me to know her children and her children to know me as well, before she goes back to school." he told her" I'll send her an Owl to let her know" he heard her mention Lee and nodded " I agree, he can't keep going like he is" Brant said his arms crossed over his chest as he looked at her " I could send him an owl to be there when we dock like you said" he offered now moving to sit on a chair his feet resting on a bar under the table that sat in front of it as he watched them both.

"Brant," she said, "I appreciate that you want to comply with the law, but you really do have a bit of a one track mind. Brian's life is on the line, and all you can think about is your own wedding. If it really is that much of your focus, then perhaps you need to go back to England and work out whatever you need to do there. And if that's what you need to do, then you certainly can take an extended leave to do that.

"I'll wait til morning and see how Brian is before I send word to Lee," she said. "If Brian is still bad, Robert won't dare to try to move him, which means we might need to stay on board, even if we return to the dock. And if Brian is still bad, Robert won't think about himself until he gets Brian stabilized.

"As for me," she said, trying to stifle a bit of a yawn. "I'm going to go check on Brian and then try to see if my daughter is alright. Goodnight, All."

"Goodnight, Kate," Michael said. Kate went down to Brian's room and found Robert by himself. She sat on the arm of his chair.

"You look tired," she said softly.

"I am," he admitted.

"I'll stay with you," she said, refilling his glass. She began to knead his shoulders, massaging them for him. He groaned softly, grateful for the relief.

"No," he said, "You go ahead and go to bed. It's liable to be a long night."

"Its nothing we haven't weathered before," she smiled, kissed his cheek. He looked at her.

"I don't know this time, Kate," he said. "Jeffrey would be right under any other circumstance. Brian might not be the same. What if I can't help him?"

"Robert," she said, kissing him slowly. "Brian understands all about risk. He knows that. We accept that in what this family chooses to do. He lives hard and plays hard. We do what we can, and we do it as a family..."

She heard some slight movement, and saw Brian starting to move. She and Robert perked up. Brian slowly opened his eyes. She and Robert saw immediately that Brian was groggy, dazed and confused. He also looked just plain uncomfortable and hurting.

"Brian?" Robert called. "Can you hear me? You're alright. Its going to be alright." Brian groaned softly and sort of looked at Robert, but Robert didn't think Brian entirely understood. "Okay. I'll fix it." He drew off some of Brian's pain for him and relaxed him a bit. Brian looked at Robert, confused. Robert spoke slowly to help him understand. "You had an accident. You were hurt, but I'm here. Go back to sleep."

Brian's eyes fell shut again heavily, as he slipped back to sleep, his discomfort removed. Robert decided to remove his hand and to begin trying, to slowly try to remove life support and to monitor to see if Brian could survive now without it.

"Do you think that he understood you?" Kate asked softly.

"I have no idea," Robert said. "He was too uncomfortable and dazed. We might know more in the morning."

Jeffrey arrived later and took over for Robert in caring for Brian.

"You need some sleep," Jeffrey told him. "You look like hell. Go on. I'll call you if there is any change at all. And I know you want to check on Khaat's arm. I know how you are about fractures."

"You're right. I do. You give me your word that you'll call..."

"Yes. Of course."

"Alright," Robert said, hesitantly.

"Goodnight," Jeffrey said.

"Goodnight," Robert said, heading to Khaat's room with Kate.

Brant looked at Kate and then at the floor " no, no its okay and your right, I only asked because I was going to ask Robert before all this happened, now I have an answer I'll not mention it again." he told her he nodded as she said she was tired and left to go below. " some times I wonder if I have a sign around my neck that says, once open insert foot" he said looking and sighing at Michael as he sat back down.

After a moment he stood up and looked back at him " I'm going to head down, need to be alert for tomorrow." He said. As he headed to his cabin he saw Kate and Robert and smiled to both of them seeing how exhausted Robert looked at that moment. He knew it was because of keeping Brian alive.

Robert knocked lightly on Khaat's door, and Marcus answered it.

"You two managing in one cabin?" Robert asked.

"Certainly," Marcus said. "Come in." He let them in. Khaat was merely sitting in bed and staring out the window at the night sky. Robert went over to her and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Look at me," he said quietly to her. She didn't respond for a long moment. He was about to speak to her again when she finally slowly looked at him. "He's conscious," he said.

"I know," she said. "Marcus told me."

"You really are allowed to see him," he said.

"I know," she replied.

"Don't want to?" he asked.

"No," she said. "Not yet."

"Are you waiting to see whether he's going to be the man you knew or not?" he asked. There was another long pause between them.

"Something like that," she finally said.

"Okay," he said gently. "How's the arm?"

"Useless," she said.

"Temporary," he reassured her. He checked it and made only minor adjustments to how it was set. "You should be able to move your fingers by tomorrow night or the next morning. But it might take another day or so after that for the bone to mend and for you to be able to use your arm again. The bruising from having it twisted so hard, well, that's another story. You might need pain potion for a week or so."

"That's fine," she said.

"Do you think we need to talk?"

"No," she said.

"You sure?"

"I just don't have anything to say," she said. "I'm fine."

"All the same, I'm going to leave you a sleeping potion in case you can't sleep," he said, setting it out for her. She ignored it.

"I'll tell you if there's any change," he told her.

"I know," she said.

"Get some rest," he said, kissing her forehead. He looked at Marcus, who understood the silent message. Robert wanted Marcus to just make sure she was alright. "Goodnight," Robert told them.
He and Kate headed to bed.

Brant woke and showered early he walked up onto the deck. He'd been up late writing the owl to Amelia letting her know he had the time off when she did. Now he walked up onto the deck to find Jack and Jess already up and talking over a fresh cup of coffee. Seeing him they smiled " morning Brant " They said together.

"Morning, you too seem chummy, what no knives at fifty paces?" He said and Jess chuckled shaking her head as she replied.

"We..talked it out." she said " its not all over but its a truce and a start" she added and Brant walked over to the breakfast table and pored some coffee.

" I wonder how Brian's been doing through the night?" he asked and Jack and Jess nodded.

"Yeah we were wondering that same question too, I guess we'll have to wait until Roberts up to find out" Jack said looking down into the ship.