A Birth day

Ruby listened to Angus and nodded and smiled " we can't force him to do anything he doesn't want, but having him with family after not having any is a good idea, he needs to know he is loved in the right way." she said holding Angus hand as he continued explaining about the list he had done for Elwood "we could send Jack out to fetch it while your talking to him , he'll need it even in hospital after all" she said.

Aria looed at Marcus and nodded she knew he was going anyway. " I'll make sure the place it secure while your with Angus" she said seeing Jack walk past to the barn. Turning to Angus she spoke " Jacks just gone to the barn by the way" she said with a smile as she looked back at Marcus. " he looked worried " she said about Jack " think its about Joseph that guy who came with us to the castle?" she asked.

Angus and Marcus listened while Ruby suggested that Jack go fetch the things Angus was making a llist of. And then Aria said she thought perhaps Jack was concerned for Joseph.

"It could be that he's worried," Angus said. "Sometimes with the really young ones, Jack gets a bit paternal with them, and that new kid seems to be one that just tries entirely too hard at everything."

"The new kid says his last name is Tremaine. No idea if he's related to Michael," Marcus said. "But, I can tell you one thing. He's had some time as a street kid, and now he wants to come across as 'I am not a street kid,' And his act is sort of not holding up. And then there was that business last night of getting bit by a snake and saying he was immune to snakebite. I don't know of anyone that is immune to all snakebite. At any rate, maybe the kid is not up to par after the snake tried to eat him."

"Maybe. Since I'm not a healer, though, I am not going to be any help to him," Angus said. He got up, feeling more tired than he expected to feel, and he went through the motion of making the beef wine broth that so many people on the estate liked when they didn't feel well. He made a large stockpot full of it, and when it was done simmering, he filled 20 32-oz freezer containers with broth. He froze most of it, and he left two containers sitting out to take to St. Mungo's and set a washing up spell in place to clean the kitchen. He looked at the clock. It was 4 pm now. He was goign to be soon running into supper time at St. Mungos.

He headed up to shower. When Marcus had Angus presentable, they came downstairs.

"Sorry, Ru, I know I should be focused on supper prep now, but I want to take this to Elwood while it's fresh. I'll get to supper when I get back, if they don't mind it being late," Angus told her.

"There are a lot of good cooks in this house. Someone can fix something. It doesn't need to be you," Marcus said. "Let's go before your energy runs out."

"I won't be long," Angus told Ruby, picking up a paper bag with the containers of broth, and then he and Marcus were gone.

Aria listened to Marcus and chuckled nodding her head " oh that he does and I was just mentioning it as he looked worried as he went to the barn. " she said then chuckled " he really needs to stop trying so hard." Then looked at Angus as he spoke " you've done enough, rest is what you ned right now" she said but saw him walk to the kitchen and she sighed.

Ruby chuckled and nodded watching as Angus made the broth. Once done and he mentioned supper she smiled to him" don't worry I'll cook or we'll order from sparks" she said to him hoping to eliminate Angus's worry about supper and let him know they can take care of them selves while he does what he needs to.

When they got to St. Mungos, Angus saw Robert standing in the hallway, and Robert appeared to either be getting one of his migraines. Either that or the little brainless nurse that he was trying to educate wasn't getting the message.

"Edie," Robert said, trying hard not to lose his patience with her, 'no, there are not half dose cups. And no, you don't have to whack a dose cup in half. Look. Look here. This is..." He stopped mid sentence, seeing Angus and Marcus walking past. He scowled deeply and gave them a hand gesture that said, "I've got my eyes on both of you." He looked back at Edie. "Look, go find Jess. if she's not in her office, you wait for her. She'll be there sooner or later. If not, she'll be back in the morning."

"But..." Edie began as Robert turned and walked off. Angus knew what Robert's remark had meant. He fully intended for Edie to stand outside Jess's office as long as it took, even if Edie was still standing there in the morning. He just honestly wanted Edie away from him for awhile.

Angus and Marcus went into Elwood's room. Elwood looked clean now, in a clean gown, with clean hair and a clean beard. He looked like he was sleeping. Angus didn't want to wake him. He opened the bag to put the containers of broth on the overbed table, and Elwood woke.

"Is...is it you? The young lad who saved me last night," Elwood said. "You came back? I can't believe my eyes...."

"Why not?" Angus asked, going over to Elwood.

"I am a pitiful creature. You are young and strong. You have better things to do and better people to be with than me," Elwood said, his stomach growling.

"Not true," Angus said. "Are you allowed some clear liquids?"

"I am told I can have nearly anything I want. The trouble is that I want nothing," Elwood said. Angus picked up a clean empty tea cup, and he poured some of the broth in it.

"Try this. It might help," Angus said. Elwood took the cup and looked in it and sniffed.

"My lord, Boy, is it soup or wine?"

"It is a wine broth. Try it."

"My nanna used to make us a wine broth when we had head colds. Haven't had it since I was a wee boy," Elwood said. "Smelled a bit like this, I think." He sipped at it, skeptical at first. Then a broad smile came across his face. It was the first time Angus had seen him smile. "Delicious. Wherever did you find someone who knew how to make it?"

"My gran taught me when I was a small boy," Angus said. "She used to make it too."

"You..made it yourself?"

"I did. I have some training in the kitchen."

"Takes me right back to my granny's kitchen," Elwood said. He took another sip, closing his eyes, remembering. "Such a long road it has been from there to here. And now, I suppose, this is how it ends for a lot of us as we pass. If we're lucky, our families celebrate our births with a lot of glorious cheering and revelry. And, when we depart this world, most of the time it is a pitiful, solitary humiliation as we go."

"Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about,." Angus said. "You don't need to remain here. We really are your family. I am not a penniless man. I have an extra bedroom, and I am fixing it up for you. Elwood. Granddad, you have a home with my family and me as long as you want it. If you do decide to let this all end, you won't be alone. We will be right with you. I know we aren't Pearl..."

"Well, thank God for that!" Elwood said with a bit of spitfire. "She killed our daughter, you know. Our own sweet Charlotte, because she believed Charlotte's energies would heal me. They didn't of course. I thought...you were all dead and gone."

"I dont' die so easily, and no one touches my family," Angus said, determined. "I brought you some pictures so you can see them all."

"Sit. Sit beside me here on the bed so I can see them better. Show me," Elwood said. Angus obeyed and managed to feed Elwood nearly three cups of the broth while they visited.

By the end of the visit, Elwood was promising nothing but he and Angus at least had discussed clothes, his favorite colors, and his precious books. Angus promised to bring him what he had asked for. He had decided that getting Elwood to want to live again would take time.

Jess finished checking on Joseph and ported right to St Mungo's. as she retched her office she saw a nurse stood out side of it " okay who'd you upset" she asked as she opened the door and set her things down as she slipped on her healers coat and picked up her stethoscope and headed back out " follow me and do not talk just listen." she said as she walked her rounds .

After several hours she found herself looking in on Elwood " oh Angus, good to see you " she said and saw the soups " nice idea" she smiled at them both " well your looking better today" she said noting his vitals on his chart as she walked around the bed. Jess noted the nurse and motioned for her to straighten out the bed for Elwood.

" I came from tending to Joseph , his magic is all out of whack, but hes strong and will bounce back, with taking the potion Robert made for him and rest, just as you are Elwood" she smiled to him. as she lent closer to Elwood " Angus is a qualified chef, so I'm not surprised he made the soup for you" she said smiling " now I have other patients to see so I'll leave you tow to continue your talk, nurse Edie" she said and walked to the door and out to finish her rounds.

"Good to see you, Jess," Angus said.

"The boy brings me soup, photographs and foolishness," Elwood told Jess. "Wants me to go live with him and his family. His young family does not need an old bag of bones like me underfoot to strain his house and his budget."

"Elwood," Angus said, "believe me, you will not strain my budget. My own family is financially secure, and, well, it is a very large family. We would not ask you if we did not want you. I'll tell you what. Join us for a couple days, and if you're not comfortable, maybe Jess or Robert would let you come back here if you wanted."

"You do not take no for an answer, do you?" Elwood asked. "Alright. If I am allowed to ever leave here alive, I will come for a day or two, on the condition that I can go to whatever facility will accept me thereafter. But I want it clear that I want to make my own choices and my own decisions. I do not need nor do I want to be held anywhere against my will ever again."

"We don't want that for you either. You make all your own choices, 100%. Absolutely," Angus said.

"Then as soon as this young woman lets me go, I will go with you--temporarily," Elwood agreed.

"You won't regret it," Angus grinned.

"You're barking, you know," Elwood looked at Angus. "Completely barking."

Jess stopped at the door and listened smiling as they spoke to each other " Elwood I'll look into facilities when you want, they will all be good and comfortable ones" she said smiling " if not this room will be available for you" she told him and smiled then chuckled as he said Angus was barking mad " oh you noticed too, e all have been saying that for years." she said and chuckled again.

At the duplex Ruby busied herself cooking supper for every one making Tuna melt pizza baguettes, Easy noodle soup along with an Apple crumble trifle for desert. Once all was ready to be cooked she placed the desert in the fridge and pored some coffee fr herself and sat down waiting for Angus to return.

"I'll find out how soon I can bring you home," Angus said.

"Will there be more soup?" Elwood asked hopefully.

"As much soup as you want, and almost any soup you want," Angus said.

"More of this," Elwood said, showing Angus his empty cup. Angus poured more soup in Elwood's cup for him. "It's the first time in longer than I can remember that something tasted good to me and that I could eat without it making me sick."

"I'm glad," Angus said.

"You're a good boy, you know that?"

"Sometimes," Angus said, with a bit of a cheeky grin. That made Elwood laugh.

"Are you sure you're not a Sanders?" Elwood asked.

"Nah. I'm a Donohue. The house I built is a duplex, and my granddad and my step-gran live on the other side. I wanted them to be close. You'll like him. He has some great adventure stories."

"Adventurer, was he?"

"Werewolf slayer," Angus said.

"That's where I know the name!" Elwood said, wide eyed. "That's your granddad? In the papers? The famous one?"

"That's him. He lives in the other half of my house. You'll get on with him."

"Does he have any cigars?"

"Cigars, pipes, cigarettes, wine, firewhiskey. Anything you want, you'll have it," Angus told him. "So, you're not good with any more red velvet then."

"To the depths with red damned velvet. It's not warm. It's cold. It's not comfortable. It's a damned arrogant fabric that serves no good purpose. Blue--any damned color but red. Warm. Soft. And not some damned old bed that feels like its made of bricks. Damned insufferable stubborn woman, concerned with appearances more than what I wanted. I'd rather go naked than to wear one more piece of velvet ever."

"I agree with you completely."

"And, could I have a pair of warm slippers? Something that actually warms my feet?"

"No point in wearing them if your feet are cold. We can do warm slippers. I give you my word."

"I look forward to not being cold."

"We'll make it happen. I'll talk to Jess and see how soon we can do that for you. In the meantime, I'll give this broth to her to keep in the fridge for you, and if you run out, you let her know, and I'll bring you more straight away," Angus said. Elwood was tiring, so Angus stood up to go. "Keep the pictures so you can look at your family whenever you want," Angus said. Elwood reached out to hug Angus, and Angus gave him a very careful hug.

"You're a good boy...my...son. And you really are my son, aren't you? Part of my family. My...great grandson..."

"I am," Angus nodded with a smile. "I'll see you later."

"I look forward to it," Elwood said with a smile. Angus and Marcus stepped out in the hall. He was hoping to find a nurse to ask to put Elwood's broth in the fridge so he had some for whenever he wanted more.

Jess paused at the nurses station on Elwood's floor she picked up his chart and looked at it smiling she went to a computer and printed out the paperwork " Elwood is going home to his family" she said clipping it to his chart. Seeing Angus walking out she smiled and walked over to him "Here, these are his papers , all he ahs to do is sign them and he can go home" she said " I knew you would get him to agree, oh Edie please put the soups in the fridge in his room please, and that reminds me have one brought in for him." she said with a smile " make sense since hes might have a lot of food home made brought here." she said " that's if he decides to return."

Jess watched as several nurses and a janitor rolled a small fridge into Elwood's room and set it up close by then the nurse cleaned and sterilised it. " can't be too careful" she said to Angus. Taking hold of Angus hand she smiled and relaxed " your doing better too" she said " don't worry I won't tell Robert you came, but you know him he'll find out sooner or later."

"Oh, he knows," Angus said. "As we were coming in he was being irked by some little nurse named Edie that looked like she was about 12 years old. She apparently was wanting to know how to do a charm to cut a dose cup in half so she could give a patient half a dose of a potion, and, as I'm sure you know all too well, Robert does not do stupid. So, he told her to go wait at your office for you, even if she had to wait there til tomorrow, or some such thing. Clearly he wanted her out of his way.

"I had one of those in my time," Elwood said. "It was a potions apprentice, not a nurse. So, I did this." He picked up a clean potions cup from his nightstand and cast a quick nonverbal charm. Then he handed them, in place of the one potions cup, he had two perfectly formed, perfectly functional potions half cups--that were curved on the one side and had a flat side, as if the cup had merely been cut in half. "There. Half dose cups," he told them. "Designed especially for Stupid." Angus and Marcus laughed.

"Amazing," Angus said, amused.

"Stupid is as Stupid does," Elwood shrugged.

"Elwood, I'm going to like having you around. Give me the better part of tomorrow to get your room set up for you, and then I'll be around to get you and take you home," Angus said.

"You're sure you really want to do this?" Elwood asked him.

"Oh, I'm positive," Angus nodded.

"I'm in no particular hurry. Don't go to any trouble for me," he told Angus.

"I'll see you later tomorrow," Angus said. "You have my word."