TS 2 Part V Chapter 20

Chapter 20

January 16^th, 2010

The boy had finally seen reason and behaved quite well under the circumstances. Massaiev was pleased with his attitude and behaviour. Guntram did his best to please the boss and kept a straight face when he was kissed, not showing any signs of contempt or disgust and letting the other do as he pleased. He was even returning some of the kisses if the boss showed him care or concern over his general condition. He painted or sketched things, but continued to be silent all the time. He never started any kind of conversation and answered only when a direct question had been addressed to him, looking like a frightened mouse.

'Perhaps the show with the Swedish was too much for him. At least he learned his place and will behave from now onward.'

Four weeks ago, Constantin had brought to the house something like twenty-five large boxes full of art books, novels and some films for the young man and he was surprised and happy at the same time; glad to have something else to do besides looking at the garden or the river, drawing or playing with the cat. Guntram was like a child when he saw the books and kissed the boss -out of gratitude- in the cheek, blushing like a tomato after doing it. A real and genuine public kiss after more than six months.

'This boy is a true gem. We should have taken him the minute he was out of school. Look all the trouble we went through just because Lintorff stole him in Venice. I even had his room ready in St. Petersburg. Maybe he would have shouted for a few months but he would have calmed down and learned to be happy with the boss. I'm sure boss would have let him attend school and make a name for himself.'

'Even the men like him and boss is more amiable than before since he has him.'

'Just a few months more till we move him back home. I am getting sick of this jungle.'

Massaiev looked again at his charge, drawing in a sitting position on his bed while lying his back against the pillows as he was alone tonight; the glass of milk with the sandwich were forgotten over his bedside table. The French-Russian sighed once more. 'He should eat more, lean is fine but he's getting thinner every day.'

“Guntram, finish your dinner at least,” Massaiev huffed. “Do you want some cocoa with your milk?”

“No thank you. I'm not hungry,” he answered without removing his eyes from the paper.

“Well you should, you had nothing since lunch when Mr. Kuragin left. Eat all what is in the tray or I will be very upset with you, young man.”

Guntram left the pencil and looked at the man, gauging if his words were true, but the cold stare he met, showed him that Massaiev was going to punish him if he disobeyed. He put his pencils and paper aside and nibbled the chicken sandwich and drank the milk while his jailer sat in the sofa by the window.

“Do you know when it will stop raining?”

“Subtropical with rainy season weather, Guntram. This is the rainy season. It will stop when it stops. Reminds me to Indochina.”

“Are we in Indochina?”

“Indochina does not exist any longer. My family had a large rubber plantation there. All lost to the communists. We are not in Indochina, boy. One day the rain will stop and the sun will rise. It's very good that you have the books now. You can read and stay inside or go to the interior patio as it's covered.”

“It drives me very nervous to feel the rain over the crystal glass roof. I prefer to watch it from the corridor,” Guntram said and finished the sandwich, before he went to his bathroom to brush his teeth and return to the bed. He took the pills Massaiev gave him and went under the covers watching Sasha jump on top of the bed too.

“When will Mr. Kuragin be back?”

“I don't know, but soon. Nothing important. He's very pleased with you, Guntram and maybe, in a few months, will move to another place. More lively. You will enjoy it.”

“Where?”

“That's a surprise but you will like it. A place where you can raise your baby safely and happily. It would be good to have a child of your own. You like children.”

“I have my own.”

“Yes, and your cousin replaced you in less than a month. I saw the pictures too. You have to think by yourself. Mr. Kuragin will agree to let you have one or two.”

“I don't want children.”

“Very well, maybe you think otherwise in a few months. It's a pity to lose such good genes as those you carry. Good night, Guntram.” Massaiev took the empty tray and walked toward the door leaving the young man alone to read or sleep.

'If I keep on with the charade, they will take me to a place with more people around and that could be my chance to escape. I'm trapped here. It's just a matter of time. I can do it. Why do they press me with the babies' issue? Do they want to use them against me? I have my own kids and they're waiting for me.'

'Does Konrad want you back at all? You went against him in the Courts,' his inner voice taunted him fast as a lightening.

* * *

January 17^th, 2010

Zurich

The waiters moved in perfect unison to serve the first course and left the room in haste, followed by the maître and the sommelier. Konrad took his napkin and unfolded it over his lap while Michel looked at him very coldly without touching the dish in front of him. “I did not ask the chef to poison your soup,” Konrad smirked. “Coming to this restaurant was your idea after all.”

“Yes, this place brings me good old memories. Your father offered me here a hundred million Marks for marrying Sybille and return her share to your family. I said no, as you already know.”

“You should have accepted and none of this would have ever happened,” Konrad answered hotly. “Your family would have been happy with that money and your alliance to the Lintorff house.”

“My father would have never been happy with the leftovers from your table, Lintorff. We didn't need them. Contrary to your beliefs we were never after money. Our bloodline is the true heir to our traditions. Remember from where you all come from.”

“Your brother was a good example of charity and self sacrifice,” Ferdinad snorted vulgarly.

“I don't remember you refusing to marry Gertrud von Lintorff and you signed the prenup in less than a few hours. Touched by greed von Kleist?”

“I fulfilled my duty as a gentleman!”

“Gentlemen do think now and then. Are you aware of this, von Kleist? Two dates and the lady was pregnant from you? Didn't you take biology lessons in that school you attended?”

“De Lisle, Guntram can't possibly be your child!” Ferdinand shouted and Goran placed his hand over his forearm to calm him.

“Please, my friend. We are not here to argue. There will be a time for this,” he said softly and checked his Duke, already looking as he was going to strangle the Frenchman.

Michel sneered and unfolded his napkin too. “The chef used to be better in the old times,” he commented. “I hear he is now at your house, Griffin.”

“Yes, he works for me since 1997. Guntram likes his cooking very much and if he followed the strict diet his doctor gave him, it is because of Jean Jacques. He is very fond of your son,” Konrad answered, already knowing that fighting with Michel was useless. He was more stubborn that Guntram had ever been and more twisted than the old Vicomte ever was.

“What is Guntram's current health condition?” Michel asked.

“It is delicate. He periodically suffers cardiac episodes and has to avoid stress at all costs. Doctor van Horn was considering to implant a pacemaker and a defibrillator as a temporary solution but his overall condition was not good enough as to proceed with the surgery. The thickening of his heart walls have worsened over the years and the medication had only reduced the growth ratio but it has not stopped it as we believed it would. In five or seven years we should consider a heart transplant, but the risk of dying during the procedure is very high.”

“Have you not considered any other surgical options?”

“All of them, but considering that Guntram had already two heart attacks, the risks involved are very similar to a heart transplant. I don't want to cut his life short on a selfish whim of mine. I prefer to wait till the final option is needed. Doctor Van Horn's team agrees with me.”

“Should this not be Guntram's decision?”

“No, he's too temperamental to make it. He would jump after the first solution without carefully evaluating the consequences. If someone tells him that there is a remedy for his illness, he would drink it without further questions. No, I have evaluated the risks and preferred the most conservative and less painful option for him. These surgeries may only delay the inevitable. When the time for the transplant arrives, we will think together what we want to do.”

“I see your position, sir, but still you had no right to make this decision.”

“The body of a spouse belongs to the other,” Konrad recited. “If I were in such position, I would let Guntram decide what to do. He has power of attorney over my life as I have over his. We were not allowed to marry, but I did my best to grant him all the rights a spouse has. Griffins are monogamous creatures no matter what you think and he is my consort for this existence and the afterlife.”

“You are the last person in this world I would like to see next to my son,” Michel said quietly.

“I am not the same man you knew. Guntram changed me.”

“Really? Your behaviour the past months shows me otherwise.”

“We have to be hard with the ones who betrayed and attacked us,” Goran growled.

“They had nothing to do with this. Perhaps they provided Repin with some infrastructure but they know nothing, Mr. Pavicevic,” Thabo intervened. “We also interrogated several of them and we can be as persuasive as you are.”

“I have no doubts about that, Mr. Haymanot.”

“Guntram changed all our lives and I always treated him with the utmost respect. I hated myself for lying about Roger, but I didn't know how to break the news to him. He was never a replacement for Roger and I still wonder what drove me so mad about him in the past.” Konrad said with a quiet voice, oblivious to the other men's talk, his eyes fixed on Michel's. “Your brother and Guntram were night and day. Roger never listened to me like Guntram did or treated me with the same respect. He made me feel loved and cherished. Your son treated me and a simple Kebab vendor with the same courtesy and gentleness, not caring if I was a banker or a simple man and I loved him for that.”

A poignant silence descended upon the table and Michel played with the spoon and the soup. 'I've been betrayed by my own friends and now I've lost my child again.' “Maybe you love him, but it doesn't mean you are good for him,” he said in pain.

“I don't deserve him but I thank God that He sent him to me,” Konrad stated and looked at Michel in the eye. 'Although I want to cut him into pieces, he is my Kitten's father. I can't touch him.'

“The second time Guntram returned from Buenos Aires with you, I was desperate to get him away but it was impossible to come closer to him, Lintorff. The security net around him was one of the strongest my people ever saw and I couldn't approach him. In November 2002 I met Constantin Repin as his cousin, Boris Arseniev was a customer of mine. I asked him to recommend my buffet to Repin. We met in Brussels.”

“Why did you approach Repin?” Goran asked with genuine curiosity.

“Some people were talking about Repin being a stone in your shoe. That is when Lefebvre and Nicholas told me about his previous interest in Guntram. Somehow Luciano knew that Repin had been investigating Guntram. I didn't want to have any association with him, but in the end, the way you treated him, forced me to ally with a gangster. I only wanted to spare Guntram a fate like my brother's. Repin told me he was willing to leave all behind and start anew with Guntram. Later I saw many of the letters they had exchanged over the years and Guntram himself told me that had it not been because he met you first, he would have been happy to live with Repin. “I threw the book at the wrong man,” were his words. Then my son visited my wife's grave and left a letter for me. He asked my forgiveness for being in love with you, Lintorff, but went to Russia, risking his life, to say good bye to Repin.” Michel said. “I almost cancelled everything, but you showed him how much you loved him a week later, didn't you?”

“Please sir, we are not here to argue,” Goran interfered quickly before both men would start to punch each other faces. “So you approached Repin?”

“Yes, he was truly in love with Guntram and was shocked when he heard about your affair with Roger. He promised to try to come closer to Guntram and get him out of the Order.”

“Yes, he kidnapped him in London and terrified him in Buenos Aires. Don't you know the words “no stress” in the case of the heart patients?” Ferdinand huffed. “The poor lad almost had a heart attack and ran away, risking his own life because of you.”

“He should have known the truth since the beginning. When I learned how you treated him in Buenos Aires, I wanted to kill you and I was more decided than ever to get my son away. How could you did this to a person who has never risen his hand against no one? You are absolutely crazy Lintorff!” Michel shouted.

“I apologised to Guntram many times! I never touched him again!”

“You almost strangled him in 2005 because of that stupid portrait!”

“I was out of my mind and I thought he was like Roger!”

“You broke my brother's arm in one of your jealousy fits!”

“He was a slut and my Guntram was learning from him!” Konrad shouted without considering his words as all his fury and frustration finally had broken the dam.

“You are deranged!! What kind of human detritus marries a woman and fucks her under his former lover's nose? You accused him of paedophilia and almost killed him. Larsen told me everything! How you hit him and destroyed his self respect!”

“Let's focus on the story, gentlemen!” Goran bellowed. “What happened in 2007?”

“Mid 2004, Repin asked me to transfer part of his fortune to make a trustee fund for his children's education. That was around 3.4 billion dollars and the money was clean. He told me he had been saving money for his retirement and that he wanted to take Guntram with him. I was not happy with the idea, but I accepted to help him to hide his money in Bahamas and Isle of Man under the name of Ivan Petrov. We bought several companies in Latin America and put them under ghost societies' names. My law firm made many deals on his behalf and I calculate that he has around 4.9 billion dollars more hidden somewhere. We lost track of his money in less than a day. I don't know how it has been done because we didn't do it.”

“What was the deal with Repin?”

“I doubted till the last minute to give him Guntram but you treated him so bad that I finally accepted. You are a slug if you partake the bed with a man like Moncenigo. How long did it take it? A two hours nice talk and a drink? I would have never cheated on my wife!”

“You sent Marcello?” Konrad asked in utter disbelief as he felt his fury rising again.

“Not I, Repin did it to prove me that you were not faithful to him. What did you expect me to do? You killed my brother in cold blood!”

“How did the Masons get in the middle?” Konrad preferred to ignore the accusations before he would have strangled Michel with his bare hands.

“Some of them helped me to hide in 1989 and thought it would be a good time to attack you when Guntram would disappear. There were some moves against you but your people stopped them. Luciano blindly attacked you in Buenos Aires with the police investigation. It was a very stupid move and you killed him for that.”

“It was not stupid at all. I was almost sent to prison! Did you organise the set up with the Colombians?”

“Yes, I paid them and Repin organised it, but I believe he sold me to your people to keep Guntram all for himself.”

“Indeed. Never play with the big boys if you are not one of them,” Konrad smirked. “Where was the original holding place?”

“In Argentina, Jujuy, a small sugar cane plantation. That's in the north part of the country.”

“The Cessna,” Goran remembered.

“Yes, Larsen went with him and I had news from him until July. Since then, I know nothing from Guntram. Repin just vanished from this earth.”

“He could have killed Guntram!” Ferdinand shouted, hitting the table with his fist.

“No, he told me he would hire a prestigious doctor for him. Repin would never hurt my son.”

“No, he only killed five members of my service, three local bodyguards and hacked them into pieces Heindrik Holgersen; two of his soldiers and two other unknown people from his own team. The same that Holgersen probably killed in his room,” Konrad pointed out.

“We needed you to believe Guntram was dead and it almost worked.”

“I will not give up till I have him or his body.”

“After you left Argentina, I tried to contact Repin but he had vanished into thin air. We have no idea of where the money or he are. We believe he hides in South America, but we could never find him. My men interrogated the Colombian boss who organised the attack on you, but he had no idea at all. He never saw Repin, Petrov or any Russians. All his contacts were with some Venezuelan men led by a drug lord called Juan Carlos Rodríguez Pardo, who was killed before we could have spoken with him.”

“Yes, we know that, but he said nothing at all,” Goran growled. “They were giving us trouble in the past, especially in Spain.”

“We followed Rodríguez Pardo's trail to another small drug dealer, Alejandro de los Ríos, but he was killed three weeks ago in Santa Marta. His body and his two bodyguards were believed to have been dumped into a batch of acid. We have no fresh leads since two months.”

“That's Repin trademark. Never understood it,” Goran mumbled. “I am more interested in the people who helped him to escape prison.”

“Ivan Oblomov knows nothing. I spoke with him and he never expected Repin to take Guntram with him. Arseniev does not talk and the team we sent to Smolensk was killed.”

“I'm not surprised. What was Oblomov involvement in all this?”

“He bribed people to take Repin to Smolensk where Boris Arseniev rules everything. I don't know how it happened but in October 2008 Repin, or let's say, Ivan Petrov was standing in my office, ready to get Guntram back. I don't know where he was staying all this time. He pressed me into giving Guntram to him and your behaviour and many of the talks I had with him led me to believe that he was the best option for him. Guntram went to Russian to visit his grave and left a letter for him where he clearly said how important Repin had been in his life. Nicholas also said that it was for the best and when he went to Argentina I told Repin where Guntram was going to stay and he told me he needed only a week to get him. I had no idea that he was going to do something like this! I swear he told me he was going to take Guntram and make you believe that it was a kidnapping for a ransom.”

“I find this very hard to believe, de Lisle,” Konrad said dryly. “You paid the people who attacked us.”

“It was the only way to protect my own friends! You behaved like a crazy wolf, killing Colombians and breathing on my neck!”

“I want all the documents you have on this Petrov and I want them tomorrow at nine.”

“It will not help you.”

“We decide this.”

“I will not...”

“No, you will be quiet and listen to me. You have probably killed your own son by now, but I will look for his body to give him a decent burial with his own people. At my family's vault so our children can visit him. I want everything you have and I will inform you of our results. If I ever see you again, I will forget that you are my truelove’s father and kill you. You have done enough damage as it is.” Konrad used a very low voice and rose from his chair. “We are finished. I know where to look now.”

* * *

Konrad entered in his office like a tornado and almost slammed the door on Ferdinand's face. Unable to control his fury any longer he turned around and yelled without caring if he was heard or not.

“How could this happen?” he bellowed, directing all his frustration, anger and despair at Goran. “Who does our intelligence? The supermarket cashier?”

“My Griffin. Even you saw the pictures of this Lacroix, de Lisle,” Goran answered evenly and Ferdinand looked at both men alarmed, already foreseeing the incoming fight.

“Yes, I did but who told me “he's a respectable lawyer from Brussels? Good Catholic even”?” Konrad yelled again.

“I provided all the information we could obtain about his man. There was nothing that could have made me suspicious!” Goran answered with more emphasis than before. “Who was so sure Guntram's father was so well dead?” he counter-attacked.

“De Lisle was dead! His grave was occupied and the police reports were true!” Konrad defended himself.

“His family killed my own father,” Goran growled in a feral way. “I've renounced my right to make him pay for our blood because I trusted your word!”

“Good, go out and hang him from a butcher's hook, if that makes you feel better!” Konrad shouted, ready to fight with Goran.

Ferdinand placed his body between the two men as he inwardly prayed they would stop arguing before they would kill each other. “Enough!” he shouted. “This is stupid!”

“It's his fault I didn't know de Lisle was alive!” Konrad shouted. “Guntram is dead because of that! You were supposed to look after him! What kind of “brother” are you?” he roared and Ferdinand had to use all his weight to control his long time friend before he would launch at Goran's throat.

“A very bad one,” Goran whispered defeated and heart-broken. “A very bad one.”

“Goran...” Ferdinand started to say only wishing he could comfort his friend.

“I failed Guntram like I failed Pavel and both paid for my mistakes.”

“Konrad, apologise to Goran. This is very unfair,” Ferdinand said. “De Lisle faked his own death, and our whole information processing methods were a disaster since day one.”

Konrad, still furious, looked at the Serb who had walked towards the sofas near the widows and had crumbled in one of them with his gaze fixed on the armchair Guntram used to sit when he was a student. Remorse bit his heart. 'Goran has risked his life for Guntram and me many more times than I can count.”

“I am an idiot, my friend,” Konrad said as he disentangled himself from Ferdinand's hold. “I had no right to tell you what I did. We have all made mistakes in this,” he added softly.

“I may have well killed him,” Goran said with great pain lacing his voice, without hearing Konrad. “Even with the best medical care, Guntram's condition was very serious.”

“Repin would have never hurt him,” Konrad said. “In his own deranged way, he was truly in love of him.”

“It's not a matter of good will or not, my Griffin,” Goran answered. “It's simple physics; his heart can't handle stress or any kind of efforts.”

Ferdinand sat next to Goran and quietly said. “It's not your fault. Goran. You were twenty something when this all happened and still in training with your uncle Mladic. We should have checked the body better instead of trusting the police reports. It was our mistake, not yours.”

“There were no easily available DNA tests at that time,” Goran said.

“Who thinks that someone you buried, checked all the reports about his death and even saw that the grave was occupied can return twenty years later? It only happens in films.” Konrad admitted. “I am sorry for my words. I didn't think at all and perhaps I didn't want to admit my own guilt in all this. I didn't recognize him in the photos. I thought he reminded me someone, but I couldn't place who it was.”

“Dead is dead for most people. Guntram was so convinced about his father's death,” Ferdinand sighed. “What kind of man tells this kind of lies to his own child? Poor Guntram led a miserable life because of this. The bloody Masons ruined his life more than any punishment from the Order. They mentally tortured the lad for over twenty years.”

“We punish with an iron fist, that's right, but they manipulated him till his last breath,” Konrad murmured also lost in his own pain as his eyes fixed once more in the drawing of his children hanging on the wall.

“We don't know that!” Goran said emphatically and both men looked at him. “He may be alive. We will study all what this traitor will give us and I will return to Latin America to look for him. I will bring my little brother back dead or alive, but he will be with his own people.”

“Goran, you know we will do everything what it's in our hands but you must face reality,” Ferdinand said.

“We missed de Lisle or Lacroix because we believed in modern computers. Yes, he is a lawyer but did we ever saw his real papers at the University's archives? No, never. We hacked the databases and those can be hacked beforehand and no one never notices. Lacroix just disappeared for a few years and then returned to Europe with all the money he had. Even the Duke couldn't identify him in the pictures! We must return to the old methods; no more computers! We have to check everything beyond any doubts. If we have to dig someone up, we dig him and we make sure that we put the people in the hole,” Goran said very excited and rose from his chair and began to pace all over the room.

“Repin didn't vanish from this earth alone!” he half shouted. “He must have people helping him from before that he trusts. We must find out who they were and look for them. There are facial recognition software. The American or the Hebrew have million of images collected from airports, train stations and virtually everywhere. It's time we collect old debts and force the Mossad to help us.”

“Brownstein did his best,” Konrad said defeated. “I did my best with my contacts.”

“Not enough, my Griffin. We must give them something big to convince them to redouble their efforts,” Goran said and fixed his eyes on him. “They mentioned me several times the liaisons between the Argentinean government and Hezbollah. Mossad agents feel betrayed that some people on the top now play the “revolutionary” helping these terrorists to attack them in their own soil,” Goran said snugly.

“I think I may have what they want,” Konrad said with a smirk.

* * *

January 17^th, 2010

“Has he caused you trouble?” Constantin asked Massaiev when he returned home very late.

“None at all, sir. He spent the day reading and drawing. I left all his work in your study. He ate little though and spoke less. He's against the idea of having children but almost jumped on me when I said we will go to another place.”

“So he still thinks about escaping,” Constantin pondered.

“It's logical. He's subdued but not truly tamed. Will need more time to truly bend to you, sir. Perhaps after the baby is born, he will feel glad to be with you. He's constantly thinking on Lintorff's little bastards.”

“Yes, I know. If the consequences were not so negative for his psyche I would have eliminated those two monsters years ago. He is starting to ease down his barriers against me. He never had problems to be with me and the only thing that kept him there were the boys.” Constantin huffed. “My only regret in this life is to have waited for so long.”

“Guntram has given up the idea of a direct fighting with us, sir, but he will try something else. You will have to force him to have the child. Once he sees the baby, he will give up all rebellious thoughts. He's not a conflictive person and any kind of fight is very taxing for him. He adapts very easily to new situations and will be happy to have one.”

“I have finally chosen the mother; she shares many of his characteristics, almost like a sister. Sverdloff is working in Moscow with the samples he has. It will be a beautiful baby, indeed.”

* * *

Constantin stood at the entrance, looking at his angel deeply asleep, with the cat curled like a ball on top of the cover. 'Soon, my love. You will be mine and we will return home with your baby. We are going to be very happy together.' The man walked toward the bed and removed his clothes, his gaze fixed on the sleeping form, enthralled by the rising and falling chest. He took the cat and carelessly threw it back to its basket and the animal's offended outcry startled Guntram.

“Hello, I didn't know you disliked to have Sasha on the bed. I'm sorry,” he gulped the lump of fear nesting in his throat.

“If you want to have him in your bed is all right by me, but he should move away if I want to share the bed with you.”

“I'll move to your room in a minute.” Guntram said as he hated to have Constantin in “his” room. It was his sanctuary as the Russian had never tried to have sex there; his safe place. 'Idiot, as if you would have anywhere to run,'

“No, it's all right. I'm too tired to do anything. I just want to sleep,” Constantin said taking one side of the bed. “Long travels are not for me any longer. Retirement was a good idea.”

“Where you far away?”

“Thirty hours plane in each direction, Guntram,” he answered very curtly. “You can wonder which cities have thirty hours flying time between them. I'll help you; I needed three planes to do it.”

“No, it's all right, Alexander,” Guntram mumbled, keeping his eyes downcast. “I didn't want to upset you.”

“Stop thinking about returning to Lintorff, angel. He has replaced you with your own cousin. We can't deny that he really likes the Guttenberg Sachsen's spirit. How long did it take? Four, five months? You saw the photos and the documents naming him tutor. You are out, angel and this is your new opportunity.” He kissed him on the forehead and turned around to sleep, leaving a devastated Guntram behind him.

“It's not like that,” he whispered with infinite sadness.

“No, of course not.” Constantin scoffed. “It's just temporary. You will return and Lintorff will throw himself at your feet, begging your forgiveness for kicking you out of his house after you visited my grave. Do you plan to tell him with whom you were sleeping with all these months?”

“I didn't come here on my own!”

“But you stayed and accepted my touch, Guntram. But go ahead, go back to the man who killed your father, your uncles, grandfather and families. He has only eight dead bodies in his account. Nothing at all. Do as you want, my dear. I'll tell Massaiev to drive you in the morning.”

“I don't believe you and I'm not so naïve as to believe that the minute you're sick of me you´ll put a bullet on my head,” Guntram retorted venomously.

“I would never hurt you, Guntram. You are irreplaceable but I don't understand why you cling so much to a past that made you unhappy and miserable.”

Guntram preferred to remain silent as he also didn't have a clear answer. 'I do love Konrad despite all,' he repeated inwardly but the words sounded shallow to himself.

“You have the opportunity of a new life with me, get your own children. Perhaps you will not been able to exhibit your art as before, but in a few years you can start again. You never cared much about fame and were happy as long as you had somewhere to paint.” he said tiredly. “Let's sleep now.”

“Is it true?” Guntram asked half an hour later.

“What?” Constantin mumbled, partly asleep.

“The baby.”

“Yes, it is and I hope he or she looks exactly as you do. I never lied to you before and I don't intend to start know, angel.”

“I'm too sick to have a baby,” he said sadly.

“Your health is not as bad as you think. Your condition can't be reversed but the symptoms can be reduced, according to Sverdloff. Since you are under his care, you have improved very much. He has spoken about a new surgery in the States. It's not a pacemaker or a transplant. It's still not widely spread but is exactly what you need. Don't you want to feel fine again and do the things a normal person can do?”

“If that thing really exists why did Konrad never mention it?”

“It's very recent, Guntram. I don't know Lintorff's reasons for not trying it. You can't get worse than you are. You could run and have a normal life next to your child.”

“I don't have a child.”

“We could have one. It's very easy, angel. It would only take one sample from you so the doctors can work with it. Both things can be done together. Your surgery and the extraction. It needs some time after, but never more than a year to have baby in your arms. I am more than willing to have a little Guntram around.”

“You would use the baby against me.”

“I'm not Lintorff, dear, but if you don't want one, you don't want one. A real pity.” Constantin sighed. 'So now you're considering the consequences of having him. I'm almost there.' He turned around, once more and closed his eyes, enjoying how much Guntram tossed around, unable to sleep.