Confession

AC: Michael sat propped up in bed, his face white from shock. He looked weak, nearly bloodless. His body was still recovering from physical trauma, but it was mental shock that had drained his life away. The normally robust, vivacious, princely man seemed to be reduced to a quivering paper doll. Morgan's accusations still rolled about in his head in soft, leaden thuds. He mumbled tremulously, “He didn't mean it hurtfully... he didn't...”

Georg meticulously checked Michael's wound. It was healing but showed strain from Michael's disregard of Georg's directive to stay in bed. Georg gently pinched the suture. Michael flinched and finally made eye contact with his caretaker. “It's irritated and swelling. I wanted to be sure that it didn't require lancing.”

Michael stared at Georg disaffectedly. He blinked a few times then dropped his eyes downwards again. Tears streamed down, but no sobs emanated from him. Georg palpated Michael's abdomen. A stragulated grunt was the repsonse. Georg replaced the bedclothes over Michael's body and spoke plainly, “You should confide in someone. A therapist, perhaps. He was not wrong in that assessment.”

Michael's voice sounded like a distant echo. “I don't think I can confide what he told me...” Suddenly, he snapped back to his usual tone, “I used to confide in him. I thought he confided in me. That's how it's supposed to work. That's how I thought it always was. Why didn't he tell...”

Georg kept his tone neutral. “Remain calm. Your hectic attitude will aggravate the hemorrhaging.”

Michael paled to the white of the sheets. “I have more than I ever wanted but I feel so empty without him.”

Georg pulled a chair up to the bedside. “He said something akin to the latter when you died. I believe he said, 'Half of me is gone and it is the better half.' You never recovered your emotive link, did you?”

“No, we didn't. Is that.... uhn...”

“Any cramps or aching?” Georg asked clinincally.

Michael nodded, wincing.

“Would you be willing to discuss with me what he said?”

Michael's eyes slowly focused on Georg. Dark circles were starting to show underneath them. “I don't want to discuss that specifically, but he did wonder what my original intentions with the gemen ritual were.”

“They weren't what you told me? You said you wanted an heir.”

“Yes, I did. That didn't change. I did not expect to.. Well, I didn't mean to... “ Michael's voice became increasingly faint as he spoke. He pressed his hands to his face. Tears overran them. “May god forgive me.”

“As I recall,” Georg said in his soft accent, “absolution is only granted if you can admit to what you did.”

Georg could barely make out the words Michael spoke, “I raped him...”