Conduit - Season 2

Ch. 16

I stopped at the start of the hallway leading to Frank's room. I visited him twice a day, minimum, and never had to pause and think. But tonight my palms itched. I scratched them as I stared at the doorframe, eyeing the light from inside of the room. The edges glowed, beckoning me. Why was I so nervous?

As I approached, I balled my hands into fists. Frank had been the one to break down my walls, showing my kindness through relaxation and dinner. But I had been the one to make the first move. I kissed him. I stopped him at my apartment door and touched his face, guided his gaze to mine, and moved in close. He didn't stop me, so I kissed him. I let desire take over.

Yet, as my hand wrapped around the doorknob, I held my breath. This was more than desire. This was devotion. When I pulled open the door and his eyes met mine, a smile tugged at his cheeks; this was love.

"Have you told him how you feel?" My father's voice echoed in my head as I stepped inside the room and closed the door behind me.

"Hey." Frank pushed himself up to sit upright on the bed. His gaze slowly lifted, slightly hooded. Had he been sleeping?

I glanced at the monitors attached to him before scanning him myself. His vitals were perfectly fine. His high temperature, which had been an issue yesterday, had finally returned to normal. My gaze stopped when I looked at his arm; his bone was coated with liquid metal and the attached wires were responding well. His nerves weren't saved but his arm was; he'd still be normal.

"Hey." I cleared my throat and sat on the end of his bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Good." He nodded, then lifted his arm and wiggled his fingers. "I think I'm getting used to this."

I chuckled, patting his leg. "That's good. Getting used to it is the hardest part."

"Yeah, well, yours is in your head. That's heavier."

Heavier was a good way to describe it. I scratched my hand forward over my head and looked into his eyes. "A few things heavy happened today," I said.

"Oh? Shit, what happened?" Frank relaxed both of his hands on his legs. "Don't tell me Daniel came back."

"No, no." I shook my head, then sighed. "But my dad did."

"Your dad?"

I nodded. As I spoke, I looked at the single window in his room. The windows were drawn. The moon was visible, which was rare. The dim grey circle poked through the clouds. This was my sign, right? I needed to talk.

"What did your dad say?" Frank asked.

I dropped my gaze and looked back into his eyes. I shrugged and rubbed my neck. "He needed to make sure my proprieties were right—"

"Oh," Frank frowned, "like Daniel?"

"No, no, different. We talked about the, um, importance of being true, committing, focusing—all of that." I waved my hand in a small circle to gesture at the world. Slowly, I passed my hand over my face and focused on him. On his eyes, his cheeks, the small curve in his awkward smile as I didn't continue. He waited and leaned closer. I laughed, passing my hand over my face. "Shit, for a minute, I didn't think it was him, you know. I thought I went crazy.""

"Crazy?" Frank chuckled. "No, no, your dad knows that's what we've been doing." He lifted both of his hands beside his head. "Sure, there's been some bumps in the road but, hey, someone can't fix a problem overnight that's been brewing for years. We're not wizards or anything."

With a grunt, Frank scooted off the bed and stood beside the window. He pushed the curtain further aside to let more of the moonlight in. With him standing in front of me, I looked at the scars on his arm, discreetly labeled with a numeric tattoo. He wasn't an android or a hybrid in any way; the parts in his arm needed to be identified. Government rules and all.