Eric woke up to the smell of something cooking. He tried to stand up but a sharp pain pierced his being.He looked down only to see his side bandaged.However,he refused to let a small injury keep him in bed.He forced himself to stand up,he got dressed and decided to walk down the stairs to the living room.

That turned out to be a big mistake. While he was carefully climbing down the stairs,he suddenly felt a dizziness.He stopped walking, expecting it to pass soon. After all,it was just a scratch. How much damage could it possibly have down?

It was his last thought before he lost control of his legs and fell down the stairs. Before he lost consciousness,he felt two strong arms holding him,more strongly that needed.

When Eric opened his eyes again,he was lying on a big couch and George was hovering over him both angry and concerned.When he noticed that Eric was awake,he breathed a sigh of defeat and sat on a nearby armchair but standed straight up again almost immediately when Eric decided it would be a good idea to try walking again but George grabbed his shoulders and guided him back down to the couch.

-No.You are not going anywhere. You should be in bed and that is where you are going as soon as you relax a little. When you passed out you became too heavy for me to carry upstairs. What were you doing up,in the first place? Do you have any idea how reckless and irresponsible was what you did?

-You are overreacting. Again.

-Really? It was only by chance that I happened to be at the bottom of the stairs and I caught you in the last minute.And the irony was that I was coming to check up on you who was supposed to be lying down!If I had come a second later,you would have hit your head on the rail and trust me when I tell you that a head injury is the last thing you need right now.

-A head injury would be a valid reason for me to stay in bed.But a small injury on my side where no vital organ was remotely in danger is not an excuse to sleep all day like I am on my death bed!

-...What is the last thing you remember?

Eric tried to remember but the intense thinking caused him a headache and wasnt able to remember much. He recalled the reception,Raphael finding out the truth and trying to kill himself and Anthony stoping him in the last minute by pointing the gun elsewhere,hitting him by accident.After that he woke up inside George's house.

-I think Anthony accidentally shooting me in the gala is my last memory of the event.

-Thats strange.You were pretty talkative in the ambulance.

-What ambulance?

Eric wanted to ask more but then he noticed the bandaged hands of George.Those wounds werent there yesterday in the party where he saw him.

-What happened to your hands?

George was quick to hide them

-Nothing.I burned myself while cooking.You know how clumsy I become when I am distracted by other thoughts.

Eric understood George's attempt to guilt trip him but his try was too simple to affect Eric who suspected that these wounds on George's hands had come from another source.

-I dont believe you. Let me see your hands

-You are the one that is hurt.Dont worry about it.It will be gone in a couple of days.

But Eric had already gently grabbed George's wrists but he let them go as soon as he touched them when in terror he felt a strong wave of foreign energy current emitting from these wounds.And it was his energy, nonetheless.

-George! These are energy burns.And are still infected.I need to absorb the energy back before it destroys the tissue in your hands.Are you mad? You could lose your hand.

-Eric,its no big deal anyway.Dont try to do anything. Your energy system is still.....Eric!

As George was talking Eric was already absorbing the energy,cleaning the hands.When he finished,the wounds have been closed, leaving not even a scar but George wasnt as pleased as he should be.On the contrary,he was more angry than before.

-Damn you Eric. Now I must leave your body to reabsorb the energy back to your system and that means I can't interviene with any of your body functions until the process is completed and that could take days,even weeks.I wad going to heal your wound but now I cant and we must treat it the normal way meaning that you will be in pain for days.Why do you never listen to me and do only what you like?

-Are you in your right mind? You risked losing your hands because you wanted to reduce my recovery time from 10 days to 1? Why? Do you think I am that weak?

-Thats not it and you know it.

-Then what is it George? What?

-Its because that even though you are biggest egoist I know you seem to be incapable of taking care of yourself! Dont joke by saying that you would have kept a low profile until you have healed! On the contrary,you would see this as a perfect opportunity to test your limits without even knowing your condition! The bullet pierced your main artery!I had to heal it otherwise you would have bled to death! I had to see you losing half your blood in front of me! You!My soul brother! The one who has half my soul! And you are asking me why I want your wounds to heal as soon as possible!Not to mention your energy system which in order to keep you alive got so stressed it nearly collapsed! You fell down the stairs not because of blood loss but because your energy system was too tired to collaborate again with your nervous system so it shut down! Your energy system shut down for a minute,Eric! Shut down, understand?!

George was crying by the end of the monologue but Eric didnt make any attempt to comfort him even though he wanted too. George left to checkout the food in the kitchen,a bit embarrassed and afraid that Eric would judge his lack of self contro,despite the fact that Eric has never been so insensitive.

-You knew I was the Shadow of Egoism when you chose to bond with me.