Flip the Coin [BL]-Chapter 208. Warrant
Henry’s POV
Kenny fell asleep while I was still talking to him, and when the doctor arrived, he was no longer needed.
"What was that just now?" Kenny’s grandma asked.
"A seizure; this began in prison. He experienced them from the handcuffs first." I stood up and gave her space to look at her grandson, the worry visible on her face.
"We shouldn’t mention or ask about what happened while he was away." I said quietly.
"Then we won’t do that." She nodded and left the room.
I lay down beside Kenny and watched him like I did yesterday before also sleeping. As if the exhaustion of everything we had experienced had finally caught up with me, I felt sleepier than ever before.
The next time I woke up, someone was looking at me, and when I opened my eyes, I saw red ones watching me.
"Hey." I said.
"Yo." He answered before a strange silence descended between us.
I had hugged him to sleep again, and now he was turned sideways to me, nestled in my arms. The fact that he wasn’t pushing me away was already a miracle, yet it was also concerning; he was too apathetic.
"How are you feeling?"
"Empty." He answered after thinking a bit.
"My memories are foggy."
"Mhm, that’s okay." That happens if you’ve experienced traumatic things.
"Should I tell you some good news?" I asked him, and he shrugged.
"Your counterpart is in prison in your stead. Instead of being known as a murderer, you are now known as the savior of the South District."
Kenny raised his eyebrows, looking surprised.
"You brought Kenny3 into this world?"
"Yes. It’s partly over; at least the murder charges are." I smiled and watched him get a bit emotional, though he tried to suppress it.
Turning away, he put his palms on his eyes.
"How would they believe that? What about the pictures of Henrietta2 and Kenny2? My counterpart is much older."
"Yes, but the statements of The Four Hundred about you saving them, together with all the faulty evidence, and your grandmother telling and paying anyone, along with Kenny3 confessing, did the trick. Additionally, he is not tattooed, and you were when these pictures were taken, and he has the same eye color as the pictures of Kenny2."
"He confessed?" Kenny took his hands away and looked at me.
"He did." I nodded. That came as a surprise for everyone. No idea if he did it because he was in a strange world and felt more comfortable in prison or if he thought they were talking about one of his victims from his world.
"The only evidence that they really had was the palm prints, and he has the same. They immediately locked him up the moment they saw him, even if he looked older, because they mistook him for you. And because you were not among the survivors, they simply took him in your stead."
"Fucking hell, I can’t believe it." He pressed his palms against his eyes again while I twirled a strand of his hair between my fingers.
"So, I am a free man now?" There was a smile in his voice.
When I heard that, I froze.
"I am sorry, Kenny, no." I whispered and looked at him again as he put his hands away and just numbly stared at the ceiling without even asking any questions.
I raised my body and intercepted his gaze, bending over him so he was looking at me.
"They built a center for The Four Hundred. Psychological sessions, questions, and the like. It is probably what you heard your future self talking about. We can go there together. You can use your phone there; you can receive visitors—it’s like a vacation. You will come with me, won’t you?"
He just looked at me, and I started to panic, licking my lips.
"You won’t leave me again, will you? It’s better than prison or a laboratory. You will come with me, won’t you?" I grabbed his shoulders, becoming more desperate.
He won’t disappear on me again, right?
"What are you panicking for? Of course, I’ll go." He flicked my forehead, and I finally felt able to breathe again and put my head on his shoulder to listen to his heartbeat.
"You won’t go again?"
"I won’t."
"You won’t leave me behind again?"
"I won’t."
"We will go to the center together?"
"Yeah."
"Good. Do you promise?"
"I promise." He conjured up a cigarette and took a drag.
"I want one too." He put his cigarette between my fingers, and I smoked sideways, holding it so his clothes wouldn’t get burned.
When I finished, it still had not disappeared, showing me that Kenny had leveled up quite a bit, and when I raised my head to look at him, I saw that he was fast asleep again.
What to make of his promises, which were obtained far too easily? I should be happy, but I am scared instead.
No, don’t panic. Let’s just let him rest a bit.
****************
I woke up because I heard a commotion downstairs.
They have come.
"WE HAVE A WARRANT FOR KENNITH HOWARD, STEP ASIDE!" Not only one person shouted; they did so in hopes that everyone present would hear it.
I smiled and hugged Kenny tighter, covering his ears as best as I could.
"How impolite to wake someone up." I uttered, hearing what happened downstairs because it was so damn loud.
Someone’s steps wandered in front of our bedroom door, without opening it, telling me that these were Mrs. Howard’s bodyguards.
"YOU ARE HINDERING A POLICE OPERATION!" The one from before yelled, and I heard them coming to our floor.
"Gentlemen, my name is Ethan Hendricks. It is too early for such a ruckus. The Kennith Howard you are talking about is currently in prison; who did you hope to find here?" I don’t like him, but he is good at what he does.
"STEP ASIDE!"
"No. I am a lawyer, and whatever warrant you have, please let me see it first before acting."
There was some paper rustling and a long pause.
"You have a warrant for Kennith Howard, I understand; yet again, there is a Kennith Howard in your custody already, so who are you speaking of?"
"The red-eyed murderer, hand him over!" The police officer finally toned down a bit.
"No, there is no red-eyed murderer here, only a red-eyed savior. Are you perhaps referring to him?"
"Yes, we have quite a few charges open for him."
"Mhm, how do you know he was here?" Ethan asked.
"That is none of your concern."
"It is; I am his lawyer, and I have been his lawyer since two years ago when you put a tracker inside a minor’s body, as he was in prison because he had been falsely accused."
"....."
"Gentlemen, please contact your supervisor, and let’s all sit down together to have a nice chat. We are willing to cooperate, yet there is now a patient that needs to rest. There are also plenty of doctors inside this mansion who can confirm that my client is not in a good state right now."
Very good, though we could also fight it out.
Nobody is going to take him away; he had promised himself to forever stay by my side.
