William's Blood

by S S Bazinet

  “I’m sorry.” Raphael backed away. “We were discussing Annabel. You’re afraid that she’ll make things worse for William.”

  “I know she will.”

  “But isn’t that something the two of them need to work out? Why are you involved?”

  “Whether he admits it or not, I’m William’s only friend. I have to look out for his best interests.”

  “Why do you think Annabel would do anything to harm William?”

  Arel sighed and sat down on the couch again. “I don’t think she knows any better.”

  “What if her interest in William goes beyond the boundaries of what you call ‘our kind’?”

  “What do you mean? What boundaries?”

  “What if Annabel is thinking of her interaction with William in a more personal way.”

  “Personal? An angel doesn’t get personal.”

  “That’s true, but Annabel might want a different experience.”

  Arel’s eyes widened as Raphael’s meaning began to sink in. “You’re not saying that she’s thinking of becoming one of us! She’s not contemplating losing her wings, is she?”

  Raphael smiled. “She’s free to make that choice.”

  “Bloody hell! She is crazy! You have to talk to her, convince her that she’d be making a mammoth mistake, an enormous error in judgment!”

  “Why?”

  Putting his hand to his racing heart, Arel felt suddenly weak. But even worse than his physical woes, he had to confront the feeling that he was helpless to change what was happening. “I can see it all now. I’ll be getting calls from London constantly. Annabel, the ex-angel, will be crying her eyes out when William reverts back to the cold hearted bastard he really is.”

  “I thought you said you’re William’s friend. In fact, you told William that you admired him because he’s slain his demons, so to speak.”

  “Yes, and I meant it at the time, but that doesn’t mean that William won’t revert back to being cold and impersonal if the mood suits him.”

  Raphael stared back with a puzzled look taking over his tranquil features. “Can you clarify what you’re trying to tell me? You said you’re worried about Annabel hurting William. Now you seem concerned about Annabel.”

  “Look, Raphael, the bottom line is that relationships are hell all around for both the parties involved. My friends, Carol and Kevin, are barely keeping it together. Now Carol’s pregnant and goodness knows what that strain will put on their marriage. Then there’s poor little Ariel, their son. How will he fare if his parents keep fighting?”

  “Arel, don’t you think you should calm down a little. You’re letting your emotions become so negative.”

  Raphael was right. Arel’s ranting was affecting his heart. It was doing a jig in his chest as he went over all the possible things that could go wrong with all the people he cared about. Now he had to add an angel to his list of worries. “I guess I could become a loner again. I could ignore everyone I care about and do what William did. Maybe I could travel.”

  Raphael walked over and patted his shoulder. “I’m afraid you know too much for that, dear friend. Solitude is fine for some, but you enjoy having family around you. That’s when you’re happiest.”

  “Do angels have families?”

  “Yes, of course,” Raphael said in a cheerful tone.

  Arel blinked back a couple of times and studied Raphael’s unlined face. It was as smooth as baby Ariel’s. Everything about the angel was peaceful. “Don’t ever give up your wings, Raphael. And pray that I find a way to grow a pair. Tell Annabel we can do an exchange.”

  Raphael’s eyes lit up with mirth. “You still have too much fire and passion in your spirit to be an angel.”

  “I guess you’re right. I couldn’t leave my earthly life now, not when people like Carol might need me. But I swear, after everyone gets their act together. I’m going for my wings.

  Thirty-Nine

  WILLIAM FELL ASLEEP in his downstairs recliner after doing some work in his laboratory. In spite of the fact that he tired easily, life was slowly returning to normal. He was just waking up from his nap when he heard Annabel’s cry of alarm.

  “The mice are gone!”

  William opened his eyes, found the bright, overhead light objectionable, and shut them tight again. “What did you say?”

  Arel came running down the stairs. “What’s the matter?”

  “It’s our mice!” Annabel pointed at the cage. “They’ve escaped.”

  William sat up in the recliner, winced and steadied himself. “How could they be gone?”

  Annabel went down on her hands and knees, peering under the table. “The cage door wasn’t properly locked. I think they climbed down the cord from the lamp on the table.”

  Arel hurried over, looking paler than usual. “Oh hell, maybe I didn’t latch it earlier.”

  William glared back at Arel. “Earlier? You were handling the mice this morning?”

  Arel answered in a hushed tone. “Maybe, what’s the big deal?”

  “Dammit, Arel.” William stood up slowly. His movements were on par with a ninety year old senior, but at least his mind was clear. He held a hand to his gut, trying not to aggravate it. “You’ve invalidated the whole experiment.”

  Arel scowled back. “Come off it Will. You’ve been doing the same thing, and you know it.”

  “Just help me find them, please,” Annabel said as she crawled across the floor.

  William gave the floor around his chair a quick scan and let out a low whistle. “Wolfie? Do you want a treat?”

  Arel got down on his hands and knees too. “He’s not a dog, Will. He’s not going to come when you call him.”

  William didn’t argue, but he knew his mouse was already learning how to respond to his voice and certain sounds.

  “I’ve found two of them,” Annabel announced in a happy tone. “They’re hiding next to a pillow on the floor. It’s Squeaky and Whiskers. They look okay.”

  “Good, that only leaves Wolf.” William continued to call softly as he limped about the room. When he leaned over enough to peer behind his large, oak desk, he was hoping to see his mouse staring back at him. Instead, his worst fears were realized. A small, brown body lay on the tile. He swallowed hard as he held in a sudden spasm of sadness. How could he care so much about a mouse? But he did. The last time that he’d reached into the mouse cage, Wolf had quickly responded. He didn’t hesitate to leap into William’s outstretched hand. The creature’s beady eyes had been so bright and expectant.

  He was a smart, little fellow.

  “William, did you find the missing one?” Annabel asked as she came over to where he was standing.

  “I found Wolf. I think he’s dead.”

  Arel was immediately on his feet and rushing over too. “No, it can’t be.” He paused only long enough to check on the mouse’s whereabouts. “Move back, Will. I have to get behind the desk.” He grabbed an edge and tried to lift it. “Dammit, this thing is heavy.”

  “I think it’s too late anyway,” William sighed.

  “Maybe not,” Arel insisted as he continued to use all his muscle in an effort to shift the heavy piece of furniture.

  “Just stop, your face is turning beet red.” William paused, trying to keep the emotion out of his voice. “Your heart . . . you’re going to—”

  “I’ll help,” Annabel said as she joined Arel. She grabbed the edge of the desk and began to tug it sideways.

  Together she and Arel moved it out from the wall far enough for Arel to scoop up the small escapee. Gasping, he studied the mouse anxiously. “He’s still alive, but barely.”

  William knew what the problem was. “He must have eaten the rat poison the exterminator put down a while back. Bring him to me,” he ordered as he limped over to his recliner. He held on to his injury as he sat down.

  Arel did as he was told and put Wolf into William’s outstretched hand. “Maybe I can help him.”

  “No, you’ve already over-ext
ended yourself.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Your energy is screwed up! Feel your pulse.”

  Arel blinked back in a bewildered sort of way as he put his fingers on his wrist. “I can’t believe this. My heart is going haywire again.”

  William shut his eyes. “So sit down and let me concentrate. Wolf isn’t going to last much longer.” After quieting his thoughts, he could feel the animal’s life force, just as he could feel Arel’s. Wolf’s heartbeat was very faint. The poison was moving swiftly through his tiny body. William had to set his intention at once, willing some part of himself to extract the poison out of the animal’s body.

  Arel seemed to understand what William was doing. “No, stop it. You’re going to poison yourself.”

  William shot back a stern look. “I’ll be okay.”

  Annabel grabbed William’s arm. “Please don’t do anything risky.”

  William waved them both away and shut his eyes again. With great care, he curled his fingers protectively over the mouse and held it close to his chest. It was so small, so fragile in his grasp. But he didn’t allow himself to concentrate on anything but giving himself over to whatever it was in him that had power.

  Let this innocent creature be spared.

  After his plea was offered to the ethers, he slipped into a light trance state. For a moment, he experienced a brief episode of dizziness. The next instant, he felt peaceful, even serene. He seemed to float in a blissful dimension that felt like a dream. He could have remained there forever if someone wasn’t shaking his shoulder.

  “William, come back to us,” Annabel called out.

  William had a hard time waking up. When he opened his eyes, he didn’t know how much time had passed. Then he remembered his mouse. “I hope I helped Wolf.” As he spoke, a small paw stretched out from the confines of his partially closed fist. Then it was withdrawn and a black nose took its place as Wolf sniffed the world beyond the hand that had healed him.

  “He’s okay,” Annabel said with delight. “You did it, William!”

  “Yes, I guess I did.” He stared gratefully as the little animal lightly tested his teeth on a finger and realized that it wasn’t food.

  “You’re a greedy, little ingrate,” William complained as he handed the small creature to Annabel. He gestured Arel to come over. “I’m going to be sick.”

  Arel quickly took William’s arm and helped him out of his chair. “And you call me an idiot,” he said as they made their way to the bathroom. “You really took a big chance for a little mouse.”

  William’s stomach lurched, but the nausea was worth it. “And you’re telling me you wouldn’t do the same for Whiskers?”

  “Oh course I would, but I have more experience, and I’m not already ill.”

  “Listen, Cardiac Poster Boy, experience or not, I’m doing pretty well. I just have to survive what’s next. I have a feeling that my gut is going to go ballistic when I throw up.”

  Forty

  WILLIAM LAID BACK in his recliner, enjoying the icy compress that Annabel had applied to his head. He was still recovering from saving Wolf. “The cold really helps.”

  Annabel smiled. “You have more color in your cheeks. You seem better.”

  “Thanks for your help.”

  “Arel was worried about you. I’m glad he got that call from his friends. It’ll help to get his mind off of things.”

  “He needs to go back to Chicago. The longer he’s here, the worse off we both are.”

  “I thought you two were getting along a little better.”

  “Have you looked at him lately? The dark circles under his eyes? That nervous foot tapping thing he does? He’s a wreck, and he’s driving me batty. I can’t believe I asked him to stay for the mouse research.”

  Annabel pulled a chair over and sat down. “I think you wanted to share something nice with him after he helped you.”

  “No, I wanted to prove to myself that I’m as gifted as he is.”

  “You have to be very proud of yourself. Little Wolf is almost back to normal.”

  “I’m going to padlock that cage and give you the key. Promise to keep us both away.”

  “It was a very good thing for you and Arel to interact with them. Holding an animal can be an excellent way to relieve stress.”

  “Or, like I said, Arel could pack his bags. That would bring my stress level down to zero.”

  “Can I ask you something?”

  “What do you want to know?”

  “I don’t understand why you and Arel fight all the time, and then the next instant, you’re concerned about the other’s welfare.”

  “You think I’m concerned about him?”

  “William, please, you know you are.”

  “Arel has this weird way of sucking people in. I swore I’d never let that happen again. Then the other night, he tells me that we had a life together a very long time ago. I laughed and told him he was delusional.”

  “What did he say?”

  “Nothing, he gave me this forlorn look and walked away. Next thing I know, I close my eyes, and I’m hallucinating. I see these two boys, twins. And everything is as real as the chair I’m sitting in. Our clothes, the dusty road where we’re walking, the scene was so vivid I could smell the fresh air. When I looked down the hill, I saw a town that had to date back to ancient Greece or Rome. It was like a movie, but I was in it.”

  “That’s extraordinary.”

  “That’s Arel’s Madness.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that Arel is a menace. Ever since I had that damn vision, I find myself worrying about him, like we really were brothers. But it was all an illusion, a suggestion that Arel managed to plant in my mind.”

  “Or maybe you two were twins in another life.”

  “You don’t believe that nonsense, do you?”

  “I believe that there’s more to life than people realize.”

  William took the compress off and handed it to Annabel. “Like what?”

  Annabel dipped the cloth in the bowl of ice water. “My opinion doesn’t matter.”

  “I never thought of you as a person who suffers from low self-esteem.”

  Annabel laughed. “I don’t have worthiness issues. I simply respect other people’s opinions as valid.”

  “Could you talk to Arel and explain your reasoning. He has no idea about respecting anything or anybody.”

  Annabel replaced the compress. “He’s very passionate.”

  “Do you think of me as passionate?”

  “I suppose you are, at times.”

  “Do you find Arel attractive?”

  Annabel pulled back. “What do you mean?”

  “Oh come on, Annabel. He can be . . . what’s the word?”

  “Nice?”

  “No.”

  “Considerate?”

  “Considerate? You mean like a baby rattlesnake? Okay, that’s being a bit harsh. Arel does usually announce his presence before he strikes.”

  “I think he’s sweet.”

  “Sweet? Are you using that adjective to mean something that’s pleasing, something that brings a person a bit of enjoyment?”

  “Of course.”

  “My goodness, Annabel, I’m disappointed in you.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you have no discernment.”

  “Could you explain what you mean?”

  “I’d be happy to do just that,” William said as he gave her a satisfied smile. “That quality called sweetness that you bestow on Arel, is not what you think it is. It’s his secret weapon around women. He pulls them in with those blinky, pathetic eyes, then he destroys them.”

  “What?”

  “I’m just warning you. Arel even admitted it. A woman had the misfortune to fall for him, and his uncaring behavior made her kill herself.”

  “William! I’m surprised at you, telling tales. I’m sure Arel never wanted that.”

  William shrugged and lea
ned back. “I’m just giving you the heads up.”

  Annabel laughed again. “Are you jealous?”

  William snatched the compress off his head and glared at her. “Me? Why would I be jealous? I could have any woman I desired if I wanted a relationship.”

  “And you don’t want a relationship?”

  “Absolutely not.” William surprised himself with his inflexible statement. Even though he’d had thoughts about giving up his solitary status, when questioned by Annabel, he suddenly found himself needing to deny it.

  “Really, you’d never consider the idea of being with someone?”

  After his vehement declaration, William made sure his tone was even and indifferent when he answered. “I might consider a brief fling with someone, but all in all, I enjoy my solitude.”

  Annabel studied him for several moments. When she stood up, her face relaxed into its usual composure. “I better go. I have some laundry I need to do.”

  Annabel’s sudden desire to leave made William less sure of the path he’d just taken. “But we were having a conversation.”

  “I’m sorry,” Annabel said as she turned and walked towards the stairs. “I’ll send Arel down after he gets off the phone. He can help you back to bed when you feel up to it.”

  “Ask him about Justina,” he called after her. “You’ll find out just how sweet he is.”

  * * * * *

  Sitting in the living room, Arel put the phone back in his pocket and let out a sigh of relief. Things in Chicago were running smoothly for the time being. Carol was in bed, taking it easy. Kevin was there to help out with baby Ariel and house chores. The young man had arranged some time off from work, and according to Carol, he was doing a splendid job at home. The thought made for a cozy picture in Arel’s mind. Perhaps if the couple spent some relaxed time together, they could work out the bumps in their marriage.

  I guess I can relax too.

  He continued to go over his conversation with Carol and how the baby had another tooth coming in. He wasn’t paying attention to the fact that he was scratching at the sofa arm again. Luckily, he caught himself before he dislodged the tiny bit of fabric glue he’d put there after his earlier mishap.