Lee nodded and stabbed what was left of his own piece of chicken. "I get it." he said. "You know what..." He paused, and thought for a moment. "Go get your clothes out of the car later on. Tomorrow, when we go find a new mattress, I'll make a couple more stops wherever you want. Get new movies, or find some games. I mean, I've never been much for taking care of anyone, other than myself anyway... Not much of a father type, but I guess I can try..." He was twenty. His own father had been more absorbed in his work. His mother was a timid, annoying type that didn't know how to be a real mother. But Lee felt he could do something right other than kill people and leave little trace, if he actually put his mind to it. Maybe it'd be a nice... change of pace. He nodded to himself, and started cleaning up.

Squirrel blushed a little and nodded. He would find it hard to want anything. He wasn't used to such kindness. His heart skipped a beat when Lee said that he could try being a father for him. "It's ok... You are already the best person I have ever met," he squeaked, feeling his face burning. He was flattered that the cold man would try to be something he wasn't for him. He got up and went towards the couch. Half way there, he scurried towards Lee and hugged him tightly around the middle. Before the man had any time to react, he rushed back to his seat on the couch and turned his cartoons on.
He had no idea what the day was, or even what time of the day it was. All he knew right now, he was happy. The happiest he had been in a long time.

He yelped in a bit of surprise, startled at Squirrel's sudden and unseen approach as he ran hot water into the sink. But he wasn't annoyed, for once, as he usually was. Perhaps because he could understand where Squirrel came from. Besides, this may have been the first time in quite a long time someone showed any attention to him that didn't involve them getting something in return. Perhaps that was why he could stand to be around the boy. He nodded, finishing up the dishes and going back to the grinder and its bucket. Setting it near the table, he scooped up the remaining bones onto their baking sheet and deposited it onto the round table surface, sitting alongside it to finish them up. Squirrel had done quite a good job while he had worked, Lee had to admit. And it wasn't hard to do.

Squirrel became lost in the world of the cartoons once more, not even hearing Lee grinding the bones. He laughed at all the jokes, letting himself feel the wonders of being a child. After the tape had finished, he needed to use the bathroom. Getting up, he walked down the hall, straight to the toilet.
Washing his hands after he was done, he turned to return to the living room. Suddenly, he swayed and found himself on his knees. His head was splitting again. It was so painful it brought tears to his eyes, and knocked any scream from him away. He couldn't ask Lee for help as he panted heavily, clutching his head. It felt like it was going to explode. His eyes started to dim, and then his world went black as he passed out.

Squirrel was on the streets again, watching the house with interest. A man lived there, but he never seemed to be there that often. When he did arrive, he left just as quickly. Perhaps he could sneak in to escape the heat of the day. He crept towards the house, making sure no one was around and the truck that the man drove was nowhere in sight. As he found that the front door was locked tightly, he went around to the back door, opening it with ease.
He came into a small living area, curling up in the corner. Suddenly, he heard the truck pull up in the drive and the man get out. He appeared in the doorway, screaming as he saw Squirrel. He lifted an axe, bringing it down on the boy's leg. Screaming in fright and pain, Squirrel stared up at Julius' angry face. This was payback. Squirrel should have never broken into his house...

Lee wasn’t a superhuman. He had to rest his arm from time to time, and as he did, stretching and flexing his fingers and rolling his wrist, something didn’t seem right. A thump. What was it? Wasn’t Squirrel on the...? No. Looking down the hall, he saw the bathroom light on and door open. A shadow cast short on the floor. He went forward, closing the distance in just a few strides and grabbing the boy. There was nothing to discern injury from the outside, but Lee knew something had to be wrong. One didn’t just fall completely unconscious at a random interval of time. Narcolepsy wasn’t an option, considering the boy hadn’t done this any time before.

He went toward the two bedroom doors and looked in at the one he’d not used in a few years. Old bed. Nothing good could be inside that mattress. He went into his own room, kept almost as clean as that of a coroner’s office. Setting Squirrel on that bed, a clean, newer one, he studied the boy. What was wrong with him? He crossed his arms, tilting his head as he thought. High blood pressure. Low immune system. That was probably a big factor. Unconsciousness could be brought on from a brain issue, a tumor being first on the list. He was alive, Lee could see his chest rising and falling as he breathed. Rather quickly. He must be having a nightmare... Lee sat on the edge of the bed. Julius could wait until later. Roy’s flesh had to be boiled as well---but that could also wait.

Squirrel's eyes snapped open, and he gasped suddenly. It had been a horrible dream, but now he didn't know where he was. He glanced about the clean room, blinking heavily. His eyes were blurry and unresponsive. He hoped he wasn't going blind. He saw the figure sitting near the bed, noticing the dark hair he knew that it was Lee. He tried to sit, but his head was still aching and he felt dizzy. Taking deep breaths, he rubbed his eyes, trying to get the blurriness to go.

"Lee? Where am I? What happened? I was going to the bathroom and then..." He struggled to remember anything but that nightmare. He knew it had been a nightmare, because he could feel he still had a foot. He blinked again, the blurriness subsiding. He looked about, realising that this was Lee's room.

Lee shook his head. "You took a fall, kid." He muttered. "Pretty good one, but no head injury." As Squirrel had slept, Lee had looked over the boy's head, checking for any outer damage. No bumps, and no visible bruises. But he couldn't get it out of his mind that something was wrong. He'd seen a lot of issues go unnoticed, then kill someone very suddenly.

"You might have something." Lee said at last. "A possible illness. Perhaps brain damage. It's difficult to tell considering you've lived on the street for so long. Perhaps it's a good idea to take you to a doctor..."

Squirrel frowned. He had never been to a doctor before. He heard that they were very smart people that could fix you when you were broken and give you meds when you were sick. Why would he need to go see one for a headache? He sat up now, still feeling a little weak, but no longer dizzy. He had never fainted before, so that did worry him slightly.

"It's ok, it's just a headache," he assured Lee. He didn't want the man to stop everything and worry about him. He had never had anyone care for him in his life, it felt weird that the man was making a fuss. "I've had it for as long as I remember." He wondered if it was brain damage, like Lee had said. He had been hit quite a lot in the head when he was younger.

Lee shook his head, bringing up a cool hand and pressing it against his forehead. "I don't know, kid. There are a lot of issues you could have that bring on headaches. And even worse, you've shown that it leads to unconsciousness. I don't like that at all. It might be an aneurysm, a tumor, a micro stroke, even." He stood and crossed his arms. "I'm not going to force you, Squirrel, but you have to know, if it's something serious, it could do a lot of damage in a short amount of time. But I don't want to chase this around the block: Do you want to get it checked out, or no?"

Squirrel frowned and felt his forehead. He couldn't feel any thing that gave away a tumour or something. Then again, they probably never showed anything physical. He wondered why it was so bad, but he had never seen Lee concerned. Maybe he should go. He nodded slightly, feeling silly.

"When we go down town next," he added, not wanting them to drop everything at once. "You still have HIM to deal with." He shuddered, remembering his nightmare.

Lee uncrossed his arms. "Okay then. In the morning, I'm taking you right to the doctor's office. Then when they clear you, we can take care of everything else." He stepped forward, and leaned down. "And I promise you. I'm leaving Julius alive for a while. I do it more often than not. My kills are slow, painful, hinted with a little hope that maybe they'll be spared if they just beg enough, or make empty promises. Then when I do kill them, it's nice to see that hope fade. Because they don't deserve hope. And Julius especially doesn't." He grinned widely, then stood up. "Okay, if you're feeling okay, you can come on back in. For tonight you can sleep on my bed, that other one's... far too dirty right now." He shook his head as he thought of it, then turned, and went back to what he'd been focusing on.

Squirrel sighed and hugged his knees, staring at the wall opposite. He felt scared and happy at the same time. At least Lee cared enough for him to take him to the doctor. He thought about joining Lee out in the kitchen, but he found no real reason to. He was still full and he wasn't thirsty. He crawled under then clean sheets and curled up, resting his aching head on the pillow. He hoped Lee wouldn't mind that he was going to sleep without saying good night. He felt tired, even though he had just been asleep. He focussed on happy thoughts, hoping it would stop the nightmares as he fell asleep. Lee was one of those happy thoughts.

Lee seemed to finish the bones quickly considering he'd still had quite a few. As he finished up the last of the fingers and toes, however, he recalled the meat still unboiled. Shaking his head with a sigh, he pushed it from his mind. Usually he ground it up, and considered it dog food. Just tossing it would be a bad idea, and going into the desert too much would raise suspicion from those around him. Tapping the side of the bucket, he flushed the rest of the dust out of its gears and set it aside. Tying the bag, he pulled it up and set it on the floor, moving everything else back to the little pantry it came from and setting the bag on the counter. He'd get rid of it soon enough, somewhere in the city. Never the same place, however. He left no prints, and made sure never to keep his hair back when he got rid of the remains.

With a huff, he set himself on the couch and closed his eyes. It was better to sleep, though Lee desperately wanted to go back downstairs and beat the hell out of Julius. He felt he could, though as he shut off the light and television, his eyes closed.

It was morning when Squirrel opened his eyes. It took just a while to remember where he was. He sat up, happy that he no longer felt dizzy. He got out of the clean, white sheets and left the room. He went to his room, and remembered that his clothes were still in the back of the ute. Chuckling slightly, Squirrel left the house and received his clothes, returning to the bathroom. He stripped down and had a hot shower.

When he finished cleaning his body, he stepped out of the shower and found his new clothes. He put them on and then his new cat hat on top of his clean hair. He picked up his dirty clothes and placed them in the laundry room, before heading to the kitchen to ask for breakfast. his head was thumping dully, but it wasn't anything too painful. As he passed the door which lead down the stairs, he slowed to see if he could hear Julius. The man must have been gagged. Maybe he had died. Squirrel found that he didn't really care. He continued to the kitchen.

Lee's half-opened eyes stared unblinkingly at the television. The news had told him, and the other watchers throughout the city, of Julius's disappearance. They were searching on various leads, specifically, those that would consider him a threat or hold a grudge against him. Many gangs and singular people. Lee chuckled. Glancing around as the floor creaked, he found Squirrel in hew clothes, with his hat on. "Hey." He stood. "Not much time for a big breakfast. I woke up early this morning and made an emergency appointment with the doctor's office. They set you up with a CT scan to check your brain for abnormalities, so we're off to go in an hour." Going around to a cupboard, he pulled a few boxes out. "Cereal is pretty quick, but I don't have many choices. Take your pick." He went to the refrigerator, pulling out a gallon of milk and setting it down, and digging out a stick of butter for toast.

Squirrel looked at the bland cereal and muesli. He wished that Lee had something chocolate or sweet, but chose the apricot muesli. He poured it into a bowl and filled it with milk. He dug around in the drawers and found himself a spoon. He took his bowl and sat at the table, eating quickly.

"What's a CT scan?" he asked. He had never heard of such a thing, it sounded almost alien to him. He nervously adjusted his hat. He hoped that Lee's fears were just that, and there was nothing wrong with him. He was scared that he was going to be told his head was going to explode or something like that.

Lee glared at the toaster as it did its work. It never failed that the popping up startled him, no matter how ready he could be. He hadn't realized that the kid might not know what this particular medical event would entail. "It's... like an X-ray, but shows more than bones. It shows your entire brain, without your skull." He jumped as the bread popped back up, and cursed under his breath. "Anyway... With this, we'll be able to see your brain, and anything that might be wrong with it. Well, if there's anything there that isn't supposed to be there." He buttered the toast and set it on a napkin beside Squirrel. He had already eaten before calling the hospital, and went down to check on Julius. He was still alive, and woke from a light, fitful sleep when Lee had gone down. Blood had begun trickling away from the broken, shattered limbs, and that pleading look was in his eye. Lee had gone away without speaking to him, though. Julius had called for him, his voice dry and cracked. Not of much use, really, so he fell silent quickly.

"Wow... Cool!" Squirrel squeaked, finishing his cereal. Still a little peckish, he helped himself to some bread. He folded it in half and then in another half, shoving all of it in his mouth. He chewed the spongy bread with his cheeks bulging. He was still a little scared, but excited that he was going to be able to see what his brain looked like. "Will it hurt?" he asked Lee, watching the man spread his toast and eat it.

Lee stared at the boy for a moment. "No, not at all." He said at last. "It's a large machine, and you'll be put into it. You have to be very still, but it doesn't hurt. It's something like... taking pictures, but deeper. You'll have to be alone at the time, though, Squirrel, but we'll all be right on the other side of a wall of glass. I don't want you getting scared, being alone in there. You have to follow the doctors' direction, though, I did have to bite a lot of bullets to get you in on such short notice." He bit into his toast and paused. "I trust you can handle it, though."

Squirrel felt happy that the man had trust in him. It did sound a little scary, but he knew that it was all to help him. "And then the doctors will be able to help my headaches?" he questioned, fidgeting nearby. He wanted the man to hurry so they could go. He wondered if they would be able to still go shopping today as well. He was kind of looking forward to it. Maybe he could convince the man to drive him to Skye's grave. He'd always wanted to put flowers on his friend's unmarked grave.

Stuffing the rest of the toast in his mouth, Lee dusted his hands and reached for the keys on the counter. "Okay, kid. We're going to be a bit early, but best to get there earlier than later." He stepped around and out of the kitchen, to the back door. Glancing around, he laid eyes on the front door. Perhaps he should make the place look... more normal. Take off the padlock, put on a real lock, and clean up the place. All the furniture was old too. Mismatched. A peeling coffee table. A relatively out of date television. But that could wait until he got a better bed and dresser, perhaps a mirror, for Squirrel's room.

"Come on, kid, we're heading out before morning rush hour!" Stepping out, Lee sniffed. He always liked how the air was... calm, cool, early in the morning.

Squirrel jumped up, and followed Lee closely. He hurried out of the house and stood by the truck, waiting for Lee to catch up. He wondered why the man hadn't answered his question, but shrugged it off. Doctors could always fix you. That's what they were for. He watched as Lee stopped and smelt in the air. Squirrel did the same, never noticing how nice it was in the mornings out here. He looked around the empty street, his eyes falling on the alley he had lived down for months. He saw the bus stop and felt sad.

A part of him wished that it was his parents taking him to the doctors. But, he knew now that the parents he dreamt about were a figment of his imagination. His real parents wouldn't have cared. "Hurry up da..." he called out to Lee, silencing himself and blushing. Why on Earth was he about to call him Dad?

Lee glanced around as the kid took off to the truck. Da...? He shook his head. Dad. Never had he been called that, even by the young ones he tended to help when he could. He hadn't even said the word... for years. Perhaps since he was five or six. Then it'd always been a simple 'hey'. He went to the other side and unlocked the door, reaching over to raise the lock on the other side. Starting the engine, he reached around for the seat belt. "You ready, kid? You'll have to take your locket off, and your hat, before you enter the machine. I'll keep it with me when that time comes, okay?

Squirrel didn't like the idea of parting with such valuable treasures, if only for a little while. He supposed if Lee looked after them, he'd feel a little ok with it. He nodded, still feeling uneasy. The car wasn't as unnerving any more. He enjoyed the view and how high up they were in the truck's cab. He watched people as they walked past on their errands. It seemed the city was only waking up. Everyone had a rushed, sleepy look about them. It made Squirrel smile.

Lee couldn't help but run through the list of possibilities in his mind. Squirrel could have something that might not show up on the scans... Or it could be so deep inside his brain that they couldn't get it out. Or, Lee tried to push those thoughts away, it could just be from undernourishment, like many independent streetgoers deal with every day.

They seemed to drive in relative silence, aside from the rumble of the engine and that of other vehicles growling past. The tall, white hospital appeared to the right, among a wide expanse of green lawn and some heavy shade trees among stone benches and a parking lot in front of it all. "There we are." He nodded to it. "That's where we're headed, kid."