Deadly Silence (complete) Chapter 59

Gabriel led the way to the infirmary, where he opened the door and stood to the side, allowing his father to enter first.

Inside was the doctor, who was treating what looked like a gunshot wound on Mr Morris’ upper thigh. Gilbert himself was laying on the examination table, looking bored. Then there was Vivian, who sat cross legged in a corner with her eyes fixed on the man she’d just learned was actually her bodyguard.

Samuel understood what Gabriel had been trying to say and found even he didn’t know the words to express the feeling.

How was she so calm?

Vivian’s face was tight with what appeared to be worry for the man being poked and prodded but otherwise there was a sense of calm about her that had her father feeling uneasy. He’d been expecting her to be a mess, probably crying, demanding answers while falling apart; instead she looked composed.

Where had the frightened girl from the other end of the phone gone?

“How bad is it?” Samuel asked after a second, eyes moving to the doctor who’d looked up upon his arrival. The doctor was young, barely forty, but was one of the best; his past life as a gang member in another city had made finding work impossible. Arrests, jail time in his early twenties, and ties to possible murders were among a few of the reasons he was considered unemployable.

What made him perfect for this job was his loyalty, work ethic, and discretion. The doctor understood the world Samuel and his people lived in and knew what was expected of him and what would happen if he didn’t meet those expectations to the best of his ability.

“He’ll live,” the doctor, Trent Polanski replied, voice sounding as bored as his patient looked. “Through and through, cleaned it all out and sewed it up all nice. Shoulder was a graze, though any further inward would’ve constituted a hit.”

Samuel nodded once, locking eyes with Mr Morris who shrugged; a man of few words and fewer complaints. Turning to his daughter, who was still watching her bodyguard, he wondered how to start the conversation. Should he just rip off the bandaid and jump right in, or ease her into it? “How are you holding up, Vivian?”

Her eyes flicked to him for a second before returning her focus to Mr Morris. “Fine.”

A short response wasn’t a surprise as, like her bodyguard, she was a person of few words. It was difficult to guess at what was going through her mind on a good day, let alone after what had just happened.

Samuel had wanted to ease her into the truth, of his real business practices once she felt comfortable enough to open up just a bit more; but after today there would be no more waiting, no easing her into the idea that her father wasn’t such a warm, caring man when dealing with others. That his hands were stained with blood and violence. Or how his two eldest sons were following the same path.

How would she react after learning all this? The thought of her leaving, escaping from the truth to return to child services … it couldn’t happen — he wouldn’t let it. However… if that’s what she wanted, how could he say no to his daughter? Would he be able to put Vivian’s happiness above his need for her to be in his life?

If living with him put her in danger like it had today, would he be able to live with himself if he forced her to stay and she ended up getting hurt? Or worse, killed?

“Are you sure?” He asked after a moment of silence.

This time when she looked at him she kept eye contact. “No.”

Samuel let out a breath, almost relieved. If she’d insisted he wasn’t sure how to go about getting her to open up but now he had an opening to start the conversation. “Come on, let’s go somewhere more comfortable and talk.”

He offered his hand, which she stared at for a few agonizing seconds before taking it and allowing him to pull her back to her feet. The moment she had her balance Vivian released his hand, her focus back to Mr Morris. *She must have been worried about him*, *Samuel noted. But that’s the job; keeping her safe even if it means dying.*

“Mr Morris will be fine.”

“I know,” she replied without hesitation as she glanced at her father again before leaving the infirmary.

Gabriel had disappeared somewhere, which was fine. The conversation Samuel was about to have with Vivian would be better without another person present.

“Let’s go to my office,” he offered, waiting to see Vivian acknowledge this plan before leading the way.

As they entered his office, Samuel debated where to position himself. His suit jacket covered the blood that’d gotten on his shirt, so sitting was out of the question, but if he stayed standing it could make his daughter uneasy. In the end he decided to lean against his desk, half sitting half standing while Vivian took one of the chairs.

He watched her like a hawk, taking note of every little detail. A scrape on her knee had been cleaned but wasn’t bad enough to need a bandage. Her hair had been in a ponytail but it was no longer neat with stray hairs coming out everywhere. It made his heart ache to know she had to deal with such an incident — that he couldn’t stop it from happening.

There was an extended silence between them as Samuel figured out how to start the conversation, eyes never leaving his daughter who was staring at something behind him though he doubted she knew at what — the faraway look told him she was caught in her own thoughts.

“Vivian… I’m sure you have a lot of questions about what happened,” Samuel finally began, his hands gripping the edge of the desk as he spoke. “But first I want to apologize for putting you in that situation.”

Something in her posture changed at his words causing Samuel to furrow his brow. Why had she just relaxed?

Vivian’s gaze was now on him, her eyes wide, lips pursed tightly as her hands clenched on her lap.

*Maybe I imagined it…* he told himself.

“Why didn’t you tell me he was my bodyguard?” Her first question wasn’t what he expected, but it was difficult to catch him off balance enough not to have an answer.

“I’d hoped he would never need to take on those duties,” he explained after a moment. “The plan was for Mr Morris to be your driver, but act as your bodyguard should the need arise. It was stupid to keep you in the dark because I hoped it would never happen.”

“Why me?” Her next question was more in the line of what he’d been expecting so he already knew how to answer.

“I hold a powerful position in this city, Vivian. Because of that I have strong supporters but also a fair few enemies; people who want to take me out so they can take my spot.”

“And they saw me as your weakness,” she offered, her head nodding once in understanding.

Samuel forced himself to relax his grip on the desk, switching to crossing his arms over his chest. Her reactions didn’t make sense to him. She’d been distraught on the phone, but was acting too calm now. Even if shock had set in and gone away she should still be fearful, want answers, cry… anything. But she simply sat quietly, her body tense as if ready to flee, her voice calm and level with a hint of strain. There was only one explanation for this type of response. “You’ve been shot at before, haven’t you.”

There. Her entire body frozen and her breathing halted for a second before resuming. She didn’t need to answer the question now, but he wanted her to anyway. So he waited.