Freeing Cymbal

Chapter 3

Jolie came to on the floor of the music room. It was just like waking up in her room. Cymbal was standing over her with his face inches away from hers.
“Is Jolie alright?” he asked.
She was weak and shaky as she sat up. She wiped her fore head with the back of her quivering hand. She looked up at Cymbal, how? How could she see it in him and why did he act like that?
“Cymbal...why did you do that?” she asked.
He looked at her like he had done some thing wrong, “Cymbal doesn’t know, some thing told him to do it.”
“What did?” she whispered.
He put his hand over his chest, “Cymbal’s heart did.” he said.
She was about to pass out again, but Cymbal caught her and lifted her up with the greatest of ease. He carried her into the living room and put her down on the couch. He sat right next to her unable to stand any longer.
“Is Cymbal in trouble?” he asked apprehensively.
She looked at him, “No your not.”
She was very confused. There was no way a man who had known her for only three days could love her. And if that was possible, why did he act that way? The way that was so like Michael. She looked at him, his cheeks were red and he was breathing weakly.
“You should be in bed, your still sick.” she said getting up.
He looked at her and asked, “What about Jolie?”
“I’m fine. It was just a small spell.” she said.
Cymbal stood up and she walked him back to his room. He sat down on the bed.

“Jolie can’t fool Cymbal. Jolie was scared; he could see it in her eyes. Why was Jolie afraid?” he asked.
She bit her lip and took a deep breath, “You reminded me of some one, that’s all.”
“Who?” he asked.
She swallowed and said, “My husband Michael.”
“Michael...” some thing was bothering him. He looked at the ground his brow was knitted.
“What is it?” she asked.
“What did Michael look like?” he asked.
She thought it was an odd question, but she left and came back with her wedding picture. She handed it to him and pointed to her husband.
“That was him.” she said.
He was starring in awe at this picture. She remembered back to when they took this picture. They both just fed each other some cake and Michael had gotten icing on her face. He was wiping her face with a napkin laughing.
“You know you’re beautiful, right?” he had told her.
She said, “I really don’t think sugar is my thing.”
“Your right, your already sweet enough.” he said.
She kissed him, “That was the corniest thing you have ever said to me.”
She was brought back to this world when Cymbal looked at her and smiled.
“Jolie is very beautiful.” he said, “You know you’re beautiful, right?”
She smiled, “Thank you, I...what did you just say?”
“You know you’re beautiful?” he repeated his smile still in place.
She felt light headed again. Cymbal grabbed her arm and pulled her on the bed as she passed out again.
He picked up the picture and looked at it again.
“Why does Cymbal remember this? When he has never seen it before.” he asked him self.
Jolie began to wake up; once she was fully awake she left the room hurriedly. Cymbal was a little worried so he stood up and followed a ways back. She went into the kitchen and leaned up against the bar with her hand over her eyes.

“This can’t be happening. How does he know all the things Michael has said to me, or how he used to put his hands on mine when he taught me how to play.” she said. She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. She went to a cabinet with a lock on it, she took the key from on top of the refrigerator and she unlocked it. She took out a green bottle and poured some of the contents into a crystal glass. It was blood red, in fact he almost thought it was blood until he saw her drink it in a single pull.
She sighed and poured her self another this time she only sipped it a little. She put the bottle back in the cabinet and locked it. She was coming back so Cymbal ran back to his room and sat on the bed. Running however didn’t agree with him and his stomach started to turn. She came back with the glass of water and she took one look at him and she grabbed a waste basket.
He threw up in the trash can and fell back on the bed with a groan.
“Cymbal feels horrible.” he said.
She said, “Hold on, I’ll get you some thing for your stomach.”
She left and came back with a glass of soda. She gave it to him and told him to drink it slowly. He did and soon his stomach had settled. He got back into bed, but sat up against the head board. Jolie still had her red drink in her hand.
“What is Jolie drinking?” he asked.
She replied, “This? This is wine. It’s a drink made out of grapes and alcohol. I like it, maybe you can try some when your stomach is better.”
“How long does Cymbal have to stay in bed?” he asked her.
“For only a couple of days. I’ll get you some books to read.” she said.
She got up and he said, “Cymbal read all of Jolie’s books.”
She grinned, “No, you only read what was in my hall. I have more books than even you could read in a month.”
He smiled and she went down stairs to the first level of her two level basement. This room was 100x 140 ft and every wall was covered in shelves and shelves of books. You couldn’t even see the blue wall paper she put up in here. She grabbed a card board box and started to pile books in it. She put the whole Dean Koontz series, some Emily Dickinson, Edgar Allen Poe all the great old writers. She hauled it up stairs and brought it to his room. His eyes lit up when he saw all the books in her arms.
“I have thousands of books in my library down stairs. Once your better I’ll show it to you.” she said.
“Cymbal would like that.” he said.

She put the box of books on his table and he extracted one and opened it. Jolie was watching his eyes as they sort of shook from side to side rather than moved along the lines. A few seconds later he turned the page. She left him reading and went back to the kitchen. She sat down at the bar, her glass was shaking in her hand. She took a few gulps and tried to calm her self down. These were just coincidences; she sighed and relaxed, but jumped as the door opened. Skip came into the kitchen and put a white paper bag on the table. She looked at the clock. It was ten.
“What took so long?” she asked.
He looked at her pissed, “I almost got arrested.”
“What?” she said, “Why? They had no reason...”
“Yeah, well all I had to do was mention who I was getting the medicine for and they backed off.” he said.
She put down her glass and picked up the bag. Skipped looked at the glass and said, “Uh oh, what happened?”
“What are you talking about?” she asked.
He said, “Come on every time some thing happens out comes the wine.”
“Not necessarily, I can have a glass of wine if I want to.” she said defensively.
“Uh huh. Yeah, sure.” he said.
He sat at the bar and took out a pack of cigarettes and took out a lighter.
“Not in here, out side.” she told him.
“Oh come on.” he said.
She pointed to the patio door and he sighed and went out side to smoke. She grabbed an ash tray from her cupboard and brought it to him.
“How come you have an ash tray in your house and I have to smoke out side?” he said leaning back against the wall of the house.
“My husband always used to smoke and I made him smoke out side. So the same goes for you.” she said.
He took a long drag and sighed and let it out.
“Have you ever even tried a cigarette?” he asked.
She replied, “Yes I have and their disgusting.”
He chuckled, “Maybe you should try some Mary Jane instead.”
She smirked at him, “I think you’ve forgotten that you’re talking to your parole officer.”

He dropped the glass ash tray and it shattered on the ground. He clenched his shaking fist.
“Oh come on I was just kidding. I’m not going to right that on my report. I know you don’t smoke pot.” she said.
He relaxed, “Sorry about the ash tray.”
“No big, it was an ugly damn thing any way.” she left and Skip put out his cigarette. She came back with a broom and dust pan. He took them from her and swept up the glass. She leaned against the empty door frame.
“Was prison really that bad?” she asked.
“I was only eighteen Jolie. I was fresh meat to those monsters. I only spent two months in there and I was in the infirmary three times.” he said.
She said, “They beat you up?”
He chuckled, stepped inside and sat on the couch. He sighed and looked at the ceiling.
“They beat me up all the time, but only once did it send me to the infirmary. They broke my jaw and dislocated my shoulder. The medical staff is so poor there my arm is still screwed up; I can’t raise it over my head. And every time I yawn my jaw cracks.” he said.
“What happened the other two times?” she asked.
He looked at her and shook his head.
“You don’t want to know. But if I ever have to go back. With out a doubt, I will kill my self.” he said looking at the carpet.
She was very stunned by all this. What could they have possibly done to him in prison to make him fear it to the point of death?
“Wait here a second.” she said.
She went and checked on Cymbal. He was fast asleep. She went to the kitchen and got his medicine. It was another injection. She brought it back into his room, it was a good thing he was sleeping on his stomach. She pulled away his covers slowly and filled the syringe with the milky white medicine. She barely pulled down the back of his pants and injected the medicine. His eyes snapped open as she took out the needle and pulled up his pants again.
“What is Jolie doing?” he asked.
She almost chuckled, “Giving you your medicine.”
She pulled his covers back up and he turned over.
“You’ll be feeling better in no time. Now go back to sleep.” he yawned and closed his eyes. She left and went back to the living room.

“Come with me.” she said to Skip.
He got up and followed her down the other hall. She lifted up her rug and pulled on the metal loop. The floor swung up and revealed the stair case going into her basement.
“That’s cool.” said Skip.
“Thank you. But wait till you go down.” she said.
He followed her down the stair and she switched on the light and he gasped.
“Jolie! You have you own private lab. How the hell did you get all this equipment?” he asked in awe.
She replied, “I get them from the black market. I have a wild side too.”
She closed the door and locked it. He turned as he heard the lock click.
He looked at her and asked nervously, “Wh...Why’d you lock the door?”
“Because I need a cadaver for my experimentations.” she said sarcastically.
But then she grinned, “Because I don’t want you to get away.”
“Away? Away, for what? What are you...What are you going to do?” he asked.
She laughed, “I’m going to take X-rays of your shoulder. Relax.”
He sighed and said, “Why are you going to take X-rays of my shoulder?”
“Because, it shouldn’t be like that. If I can fix it I will. I can’t imagine that it feel very comfortable, if you can’t lift your arm. Now sit up here.”
He gave her a skeptical look and she gave him a demanding one and he got up on the table.
“Take off your shirt and your sun glasses.” she said putting on a lab coat.
He sighed and took off his shirt. His right arm first and then his left arm so he didn’t have to lift it over his head. He took off his shades and put them both on the table beside him. Jolie turned around with a large black plate in her hand.
She looked at him and said, “Oo. How come you don’t have a girl friend? You got a nice bod for a computer geek.”
He looked at her a trifle annoyed, “One I am not a computer geek. I am a hacker and two no girl wants a guy with a record.”
“Bull. You haven’t even tried. Maybe I could hook you up with Private Sarah Mayfield.” she said.
“Oh my god. She is so hot.” he said.

She chuckled, “Looks like I hit the jackpot.”
“But she’s from VINA corp. she will have already found out.” he said.
She shook her head, “Sarah has a record too. However she was framed for her crimes. She only spent a month in jail; I was able to get her out by then with a good case and solid evidence.”
“What was she in for?” he asked.
She sighed, “She was accused of killing her father. I won’t deny it, it’s a good thing that some one finally killed the bastard, but I knew she could never do that.”
He shook his head, “You must be some kind of good Samaritan.”
She smiled and made him lie back. She slipped the black pad under his left shoulder and wheeled the small X-ray machine over. She brought it over his shoulder and stepped back with a small button in her hand. She clicked it once and then twice. She wheeled it away.
“Alright sit up.” she said.
“How did you learn to do all this stuff? I thought you majored in technology in college.” he said.
“I did, but before that I took two years of medical.” she said bringing the film over to the developer.
He sat up and put back on his shirt and his glasses, but then he froze after doing the math.
“Hold on, your twenty six right?” he said.
“Yep.”
“And you took college for four years?”
“Yep”
“But you’ve been working at VINA corp. for ten years? How can you get a job before you go to college and why would VINA corp. hire a sixteen year old? This just doesn’t add up.”
She chuckled, “I graduated from college when I was sixteen.”
“S...say what!? You can’t be serious! You would have had to start college at twelve!” he shouted.
“Yeah.” she said nodding.
“Oh my...wait a minute. You’re that girl. That prodigy child that was on the news when I was real little.” he said.
“The one and only.” she said.

He starred at her in disbelief, “That is so friggen tight! It must be so awesome to be that smart.”
She sighed wearily, “Not really. I didn’t have a single friend until I turned twenty. Every one my age was still in grade school when I went to high school and the same thing went for college. Then when I went to boot camp I was the youngest one there. And then my parents died when I was fifteen. It has many advantages, but all together. It sucks.”
“You have friends now. And you have the money.” he said.
She sighed, “I have you and Tiffany. And you’re forced to be in contact with me.”
“Aw, come on. I like you. And I guarantee that every one at the office likes you too.” he said.
She thought about it as the X-rays came out. She turned off the lights and put them on a light board so she could see them more clearly. She winced when she looked.
“Oh my god, they didn’t just dislocate your shoulder, they shattered it and it healed very wrong.” she said.
He stood next to her, “Is there any way to fix it?”
She said, “Yep. I learned a proceeded that will work quite nicely. I can break the bone apart and put it back together in the right order, but you’re going to have to be awake.”
“You aren’t cutting me open, I’m sorry.” he said.
“I’m not going to cut you open. That’s not how it’s done.” she said.
He asked, “Then what do you do?”
She said, “First I give you a pain killer, then I hook you up to an action X-ray. I make two small incisions in your shoulder and I use picks, chisels and other things to break apart and realign your bone. I place it in a cast and then in about a month it will heal and you can just wear a sling.”
“Uh huh. Yeah, I think I’ll pass.” he said walking to the door.
She said, “Better than living the rest of your life in complete agony. It will only get worse if you don’t take care of it right now.”
He had his hand on the door knob and he took it off and looked at her.
“How would you know how it feels?” he said rather cruelly looking at her.
“How?” she sighed, “I can’t...”

She had told so many people she couldn’t tell them. But Skip...he was different. He knew what it was like to be so scared, to have every one against you.
She sighed again, “Can I tell you some thing personal?”
He raised an eye brow, “Yeah.”
“And you won’t tell another soul as long as you live?” she warned.
“Yeah.” he said.
She nodded and they both went back up stairs. They went to the kitchen and Jolie poured her self another glass of wine and one for Skip. She handed him his glass.
“Every one has been nagging me to start dating since my husband died. Since it’s already been two years.” she started.
“Yeah, I was one of them.” he replied taking a sip of wine.
“Well I dated twice since his death. The first guy was about a year after Michael died. We were a couple for maybe three weeks before I found him in a motel with another woman. After that I didn’t date for another four months and then they finally wore me down and I tried again.” she said.
She took off her lab coat and hung it on the back of the chair. She sighed and took another sip of wine.
“He was another dud?” he asked.
“No.” she replied.” We went out for almost a month and he was the light of my life. I never knew a man could be so perfect. And I was right. Christmas eve he came back to me drunk. He never did drink in front of me ever. But when he walked through the door he still had half a bottle of liquor in his hand. I figured he had just been out with some friends or some thing, until he threw the bottle in the fire place.”
She took another sip of wine a little bigger.
“But then he told me, that he only got drunk before job. He wasn’t making sense, but then he took out a switch blade and had me against the wall. He cut me right here.” she pointed to a thin light scar across her throat.
“I tried to get away, but I only was able to knock the switch blade from his hands. Then he got on top of me and Dean was a big guy. I struggled as much as I could.” she pulled up her left sleeve and showed him the four long scars. His mouth parted a little bit as he starred at her arm. She replaced her sleeve.

“I was able to get this arm free but only after his nails cut me. He got me back down and he was pushing on my shoulder so hard it popped out of the socket. I still wouldn’t stop struggling so he hit me. I was dazed, but then he ripped open my top and listened to my heart. He ripped off my underwear and I started struggling like a wild animal. He hit me again and this time I passed out. When I woke up he was raping me. I tired to get away again but he grabbed my throat and didn’t let go until he was finished. After that he sat up, then so did I. I rammed my head right into his and kicked him in the groin and ran to the kitchen for my cell phone. I managed to get the police, but then he chased me into my room. I grabbed my gun and shot him just as he stabbed me in the side. I waited for an hour for the police and an ambulance to get here. And to make matters worse, I went to prison for man slaughter, but I was out in a week. They didn’t wail on me like you either. I was still injured when they brought me in though.”
She downed the rest of her wine and sighed.
“I haven’t been on a date since and I don’t plan to either.” she said.
He shook his head, “I can’t believe that happened to you. I mean...you of all people!”
“What do you mean me of all people?” she asked.
“You are the nicest person in the world. There just aren’t people like you any more. It seems like all the injustice in the world is all happening to the good and the innocent.” he said running his fingers through his short blond hair. He downed his glass of wine.
“You’ll be the only person I will have ever told this to.” she said.
He looked at her through his yellow sun glasses, “Why me?”
“Because, I knew you could understand.” she said.
She went and put her empty wine glass in the sink and stopped putting her hand on Skips shoulder.
“You don’t have to worry about ever going to prison again Skip. Because no matter what, I will do what ever it takes to keep you out of there. That’s the beauty of having a good friend as a parole officer.” she said.
She patted his shoulder and went to the living room. The clock on the wall claimed that it was still seven in the morning, but the face was cracked so Jolie checked her watch instead. It was actually eleven thirty. She went back to the kitchen where Skip was still sitting in stunned silence.
“You want some breakfast?” she asked, bringing him back to reality.
“Huh? Oh, sure.” he said.
“Pan?” Jolie asked looking around.

“Right here, Chief.” Pan came rolling out on the floor. Jolie lifted her up and put her on the counter top.
“Breakfast for two please.” said Jolie.
“You got it, Chief.” said Pan, the went around the kitchen making eggs and bacon.
Skip was staring at the robot in awe. Pan stopped sensing his stare.
“Take a picture it’ll last longer.” she said.
Skip chuckled, “You actually made a robot with full functioning artificial intelligence. And a personality to boot.”
“Don’t for get free will.” said Jolie, “If it were up to me I would have made her a little less rude.”
“I am not rude I am...free spirited.” replied Pan stirring the eggs.
“If you made her with a free will then how come she’s still here serving you.” said Skip.
Both Jolie and Pan stopped what they were doing. Pan leaned to Jolie.
“He doesn’t get any toast.” she said.
Then she rolled her self to the bar and in front of Skip and poked him in the chest with her small metal arm.
“Because mister nosey, it’s hard to find a good owner. I’d be lying in a junk heap right now if any one had bought me from her. Remember that.” she said and then returned to making breakfast.
If Skip and Jolie didn’t know any better they’d say Pan was listening in on their conversation. After breakfast Jolie left a note for Cymbal in case he woke up and then she dragged Skip back down to the lab. She put a pad and sheet on the metal table and had him lie down with out his shirt again. She pressed a button under the table and it elevated his top like a hospital bed.
“Are you sure about this?” he said nervously.
She replied, “Relax, I’ve done this many times on a computer simulator and never once did I mess up.”
“Good.” he sighed.
She muttered, “Except my first time.”
“What?”
“Oh nothing. Now this will keep you from feeling most of the pain.” she said putting a syringe in his arm.

He looked at her and the syringe, “Most of it, most of it...What do you mean most of it? Why not all of it?”
“Because to get rid of all of it I’d have to put you under anesthesia. And I need you awake.” she said taking it out of his arm.
“Ok, how long is it going to take?” he asked.
She replied, “Maybe about an hour or two.”
He groaned tilting his head back and then said, “Oh wow.” he said up and looked at his arm, “There’s no pain.”
He looked so incredibly relieved.
“Yeah, and after the bone sets you’ll never have to feel that pain again. Are you feeling any of this?” she asked.
“Any of what?” he said looking down at his arm. She had been prodding it with a sharp metal instrument for quite a while.
“Good, now where all set.” she said.
She brought over a small monitor and she put a palm sized pad on the back of his shoulder. She turned on the monitor and she could see the X-ray of Skips shoulder.
“Whoa.” he said flexing his arm. He could see every thing move on the monitor.
She went to her sink and scrubbed her hands thoroughly, then put on a smock and a pair of rubber gloves. She then put on a small pair of goggles and dragged a tray on a stand with her. She sat on a stool right next to Skip and he was looking very nervous again. She clapped her hands and a light descended from the ceiling. She switched it on and pointed the bright light at the area where she would be working on. Skip was blinking trying to get used to the light.
“I’m really not so sure about this.” he said.
She sighed, “I’m doing this for free and I have great medical experience. Don’t worry.”
She took the top off the tray and unwrapped all of the medical equipment. Skip’s face turned white when he saw all the lethal looking items. She took up a piece of gauze soaked in iodine and she sterilized his shoulder. Then she took up a scalpel and he turned away with his eyes closed and waited. He heard her put down the scalpel, but he didn’t feel the cut. He looked back and there were already two small incisions on his shoulder. She was wiping away a few drips of blood. Then she took up a long pick and a small hammer. This time he was very afraid.

She stuck the pick down in the incision and she put it up against the bone, as depicted on the X-ray monitor.
“Brace your self.” she hit the end of the pick with the hammer and he felt a very sharp pain. He clenched his other fist and winced every time she gave the hammer a swing. Soon she had broken up the bone how she wanted it, then she took up another pick and put it in the other incision and began the put it back in place.
This was very uncomfortable, but not the kind of pain he thought it would be. The more she dug around in there the more blood would drip on the floor, but she wasn’t at all concerned about that. After a good thirty minutes she sighed.
“Damn it.” she said.
“Don’t you say that when you have metal picks scraping against my bone.” he said.
“No, its just these won’t stay in place.” she said.
“Then what are you going to do?” he asked.
She said, “I’m going to have to put a metal plate in your arm. It won’t hinder you in any way, except now I have to cut your arm open.”
“Oh my god.” he groaned banging his head back against the table.
“It won’t be that bad. If they can give tolerable C-sections then I can cut your arm open with out you dying.” she said.
“What the hell is a C-section?” he asked.
“When a mother can’t do a natural birth and they have to cut her open while she’s awake to take out the baby.” she said.
She with drew the picks and wiped her bloody gloves on a piece of gauze. She then filled another syringe and injected it into his arm. She went to one of her drawers and took out a jar with screws and a plate suspended in saline.
“This has really gone far beyond what I thought. Not only that, but I think this is illegal.” he said.
“Of course it is illegal. Practicing medicine with out a license is a federal offense.” she said taking out a drill and testing it. Skip felt very queasy right about now. She rolled back over to him and placed her other equipment on the table next to the tray. Now she donned a medical mask and picked up the scalpel again.

“This time you won’t be able to feel any thing but the drilling. It won’t be pleasant, but I can guarantee you it won’t hurt.” she said.
“What do you mean by not pleasant?” he asked.
She replied, “Oh it will feel like...drilling teeth. Except in your arm.”
This time he looked on in interest as she made a longer incision in his arm. She wiped away a dribble of blood and started to cut deeper. His mouth hung open as she reached his muscle. She put down the scalpel and handed him a mask. He put the loops over his ears with the other hand and continued to watch. She started to carefully part the muscle until he could see his bones and tendons and his arm was shattered.
She took up the drill and glanced up at him.
“Grab some thing.” she said.
“I thought you said it wasn’t going to hurt?” he said worried now.
“It won’t but you will want to pull away.” she said.
He grabbed the side of the table with his other hand and she started to drill into his bone. Now she new why. It was the strangest sensation he had ever felt in his life. Much worse than drilling teeth. It made him cringe as he listened to the whir of the drill, he was no longer looking, but trying to keep him self from pulling away from her. She with drew it and he sighed. He was actually sweating from the discomfort.
She replaced the drill bit with a screw driver head and took the plate up. She twisted it and bent it with pliers and her hammer. She put it onto his bone and it fit easily. She took up the drill again and this time she screwed it into place. He noticed two holes in the metal plate. She changed the bit to a drill again and started drilling through these holes. She with drew the drill and stuck small metal pins into the holes and screwed nuts to the ends to keep it in place. She slid the muscle back into place and then took up a suture and started to sew him closed. Once she tide off the suture she turned the X-ray monitor back on.
“Ok, this might twinge a little, but I need you to flex your arm a little.” she said.
He did and winced. The bone didn’t shift so she sighed.
“We are almost done.” she said.
She took off her bloody gloves and got very large syringe filled with saline and she washed him off. She applied some alcohol and got a roll of gauze and started to wrap him up. She put him in a splint and then in a sling. Then she used an Ace bandage to bind his arm to his side.

She sighed again and took off her mask, gown and goggles.
“Finished. In about a week I’ll put it in a cast until then you have to be careful of it.” he tried to sit up, but found his body was numb.
“Thanks and all but...why can’t I move?” he asked.
She said, “That’s just the medicine. It will wear off soon, but then I will have to give you morphine.”
She removed his mask for him and gave him his glasses. He was able to put these on him self.
“How the hell am I supposed to get to my room?! I don’t want to stay down here!” he said.

* * *

“This isn’t what I had in mind!” he shouted as Jolie carried him up the steps into his room.
She chuckled, “Please. You weigh less than Minnie. If you had a girl friend she could carry you up these steps.”
He growled at her. She kicked open his door and put him on his bed.
“Thanks, I guess.” he said.
“Your welcome. When the pain because unbearable scream. I’ll hear you.” she said.
“Ha, ha very funny.” he said sarcastically.
She left his room and went down to Cymbal’s. He was reading the last book in the box. He looked up as she came in.
“Jolie, these books are different from the ones in your hall way. These books read false.” he said.
“That’s because they are fiction. Make believe.” she said.
He read the last page and put the book down.
“Cymbal feels much better now. Jolie’s medicine worked.” he said.
She raised and eye brow, “Already?” She walked over to him and felt his fore head. His fever was gone, he was the right color. She took the bandages off his chest and was surprised to see that his wound was gone and all it left behind was a scar.
“Wow.” she said in astonishment.
“Cymbal can get out of bed now?” he asked.

She nodded still dazed by this phenomenon. He had healed in three and a half days. She shook her head and took off the rest of his bandages. All his burns were gone as well. He stood up and stretched. Jolie grimaced.
“I think you need a shower.” she said.
“Shower?” he said.
She brought him to the bathroom and told him how to operate the shower basically what to do. He spent half an hour in there trying to figure out every thing. He eventually came out clean, dressed in another muscle shirt and a pair slacks Jolie had bought him. She looked at his drenched hair.
“We have to do some thing with your hair.” she said.
She went back to the bathroom and was very close to screaming. The floor was full of water the bottles of soap were open and spilt on the floor and tub and several towels lay on the floor. She didn’t say any thing she just grabbed an elastic band and a comb and closed the door. She took him to the living room and had him sit on the ground, in front of the couch. She got behind him and started to run the comb through his hair. She was surprised that as wild as it was it didn’t tangle. She pulled it back and braided it. It now looked like a long black whip as it hung to his waist. He got up and looked at it in the cracked mirror over the mantel.
She could see his face well and she sighed. He looked very handsome and debonair. Hell his was hot and she knew it. And his eyes made him look very exotic, with their fierce demeanor and their bright color. And yet still they had a soft glow.
“Cymbal likes.” he turned around and Jolie shook her self mentally.
“Me too.” she said weakly.
“Jolie said, she would show Cymbal her library.” he said.
“Oh yes. Of course.” she said getting up.
She led him down stairs through her small hall so they wouldn’t have to pass through the lab and down to the second level. She switched on the lights and his jaw dropped. He looked at all of the books in utter amazement. He stepped forward taking it all in.
“Oh my god. Jolie! There are no words that could express this One’s joy.” he said. He was getting better at his grammar, must be all the reading.
“You can come down here any time you like and read any thing.” she said.
He looked like a kid in a candy shop. He just didn’t know what to read first.

“Has Jolie read all of these books?” he asked.
She said, “Almost. But it took me years to read them all.”
He walked over to one of the shelves and just picked out the biggest book he could find, which was the Encyclopedia of US Law. He brought it back up stairs with them and sat on the couch and began to read. Jolie had just sat down when...
“Jolie! I think I’ve finally reached that point!” yelled Skip from his bed room.
She sighed, “I’ll be right back.”
She got up and went to the kitchen. She got a bottle of morphine and syringe and brought it to his room. He was in absolute agony. She hurried up and filled the syringe and stuck it in his arm.
“How long is it going to take for this stuff to work?” he asked in a strained voice. His forehead was beaded with sweat and he was clutching the bed with his other hand. But soon his grip loosened and he started to breath easy. But then he was catatonic. She took off his sun glasses and laid him down in his bed and left the room.
Cymbal was gone when she came back. She looked around and he was coming from the basement with a dictionary. Apparently he didn’t know all of the words. But then he started reading the dictionary. She shook her head and sat down sighing. She was kind of tired, after her lack of sleep and taking care of Skip and Cymbal. She was glad she was finally getting a break. But then the phone rang.

To be continued...

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RosettaMoon:Getting a little intense huh? Come on, throw the feed back at me, I can take the critisism. So don't be afraid to hurt my feelings because I'm sure as hell not afraid of hurting yours ^-^