To Die For

"Ares?" A voice said.

Ares looked up at the door and smiled. "Gary," she said happily.

"Hey kiddo, how you doing?" Gary asked.

"I'm bored as hell and can't wait to get out of here," she answered. "It's kind of lonely too. You're the first person that's been to see me other than Cain. And he hasn't been around since he told me off after I woke up a couple of days ago. Of course, I've been asleep most of that time, so I haven't really noticed."

"Cain's having a rough time with this," Gary said, looking her in the eyes. "Imagine how you would feel in his position. His best friend, who is of the so-called weaker sex, was wounded by a bullet meant for him. He keeps torturing himself with whatif's. He just sits in his room with his head in his hands, and I can tell that he's thinking to himself, "What if she had died? What would I have done?" He would fall apart without you, Ares, we all know that, and the idea that he almost lost you is enough to make him start questioning himself. I'm not asking you to have pity for my son Ares, just to put yourself in his shoes."

Ares looked down at her hands, which were clasped together in her lap. "Oh but Gary, I have put myself in his shoes. That very situation flashed through my head as soon as the gun was pulled on him. True, the roles were reversed, but the idea is the same. Our bond is such that one of us cannot survive without the other, that is always how it has been, ever since we were five. I know his suffering better than anyone, because I know him and I know myself and I know how I would react if the situation was reversed. I don't judge him, I don't pity him simply because I know what he's going through. I wish I could say he should just get over it, but I know he won't. He needs time. My wound will heal long before his does."

Gary looked at her with a mixture of pride and awe. "Ares you know that you are like a daughter to me, and while I wish that neither of you would have had to be harmed, I am extremely grateful that you saved my son's life."

He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. They exchanged smiles. Ares started to say something when suddenly a voice yelled down the hall.

"Where is she? Where is that little bitch? She just haaaaad to go and get herself shot. I'd rather she go and get herself knocked up, at least then she'd be proper disgrace."

Ares looked grimly at Gary. "I guess Mother finally surfaced from her bottle long enough to find out where I've been."

"Oh looky here," a voice said sarcastically from the doorway. "The little hero. And her future baby daddy's father. You little bitch! How dare you get yourself shot! Do you know how high my medical bill is going to be? Well I can tell you one thing: you're going to be paying it. ALL of it. I refuse to pay for a little bitch's-"

"That little bitch as you call her is your daughter, Vivian. And if you call her a bitch one more time, I'm going to have the police search your house and find the marijuana plants in the basement. So choose your words carefully," Gary said standing up and facing Vivian.

Vivian started to interrupt, but Gary lifted his finger and continued. "And if it's your medical bill you're worried about, I'll pay for this visit, considering that she saved my son's life. Now if that is all you wanted to say to your daughter, why don't and I continue this conversation in the hall." He grabbed Vivian's arm and marched her into the hall.

Ares smiled. "Thanks Gary," she said softly. She then picked up the remote and turned the TV on.