“All right, just let me know if you can hear me, okay Mr Silvano?” Colonel Gillian said with a very kind patient tone. 

Silvano tried to open his mouth and make a sound but in vain, he was unable to utter anything. 

“It’s okay, don’t force yourself, you have been in a coma for over 7 months, it will take time to get used to moving and talking. I can imagine you are surprised and maybe scared? But there is no need, there is no one here that means you any harm”. Colonel Gillian was innately an amicable person so his manner of speaking was actually a little helpful. 

“You don’t need to talk, just nod or blink so that I know you can respond. That’s great! Thank you, Mr. Silvano!” 

Silvano first tried to nod but couldn’t properly control his movements so he just blinked several times. By this time he could already see more details. The man in front of him may have sounded friendly but his looks are quite imposing: in a neat, dark blue military uniform, with a tall stature, wide shoulders, massive rough arms and a large scar on the left side of his neck stretching to his ear, up to the cheekbone. The scar didn’t look ugly rather it was more charismatic. 

“Kkh…uh” Silvano was trying to say something but couldn’t manage to make a comprehensive sound. 

“You don’t have to hurry, we know it’s still  hard for you to talk. You can take your time to get used to movements and speaking”. Colonel Gillian was a hunky rough guy with a lot of military experience but he still found Silvano’s desperate attempts to speak quite pitiful. He squatted down beside Silvano’s bed to seem less imposing. ‘You really don’t need to worry about anything now, little guy, you are carrying the child of one of the strongest and most influential people on our planet, and believe me he wouldn’t let you be wronged in any possible way’. He really wanted to say aloud what was on his mind but, afraid that this might be considered overstepping his conduct, he didn’t. 

“C.hh.can I…?” Silvano was able to force out some articulate sounds and that made Colonel Gillian and Thesa surprised, they thought it would take days until he could pronounce any comprehensive words. The Colonel got closer so that Silvano didn’t have to strain his throat. And Thesa ran and brought a cup of lukewarm water with a straw. 

“Please drink Mr. Silvano!” Her actions were very caring and gentle, but she couldn't know that this was the first time ever for Silvano to be treated this way. He grew up on a farm, most of the time without any kind of care at all. Therefore it felt totally unnatural for him to open his mouth to be served a drink, especially by a caretaker who smiles at him full of sympathy and kindness. It was maybe fortunate that he still didn’t know how many daily procedures were performed for him during these 7 months or he’d pass out once again. 

At this moment the doctor rushed in panicking and panting. First addressing Colonel Gillian afraid to be criticised for arriving late. 

“I was on standby, honestly! I swear, I only went to receive a package from home at the entrance, seriously. It took 10 minutes to rush from the gates to Mr. Silvano’s room, Col…! He’s really awake?” 

“Easy, easy Mr Silvano!” When Thesa was helping Silvano with the water there was a small accident, as he wasn’t able to properly swallow yet, half of the water got spilled out on the pillow. While Thesa was afraid that their precious patient would choke, Silvano’s main worry was actually getting scolded. For him to be helped to wipe his face off of just water, which otherwise would just dry out by itself without even leaving a stain, seemed like an excessive display of care. And he couldn’t comprehend why he’s being treated this way. Also they keep calling him Mr. Silvano? Mr.? He can remember being called many things… but Mr. is not among those. Who are these people? Even if his head was filled with countless questions there was one overshadowing the rest, one that he couldn't wait to ask even if it was so hard to talk. 

“Can I kke..?” After swallowing some water it had gotten a little easier to speak. And with three pairs of attentive eyes observing him, Silvano was finally able to ask. 

“Cc…Can I keep..pph.. the ch-ch-child…?” It wasn’t said very clearly as the sounds coming from his throat were very hoarse and dry, and his voice trailed off at the end of the question. Only after his hand moved over his rounded belly they grasped the meaning. But, they all stayed silent just looking at each other, not sure of how to answer. Whereas Silvano took it as a refusal and tears started welling in his clear purple eyes with sadness overwhelming him. 

Colonel Gillian was the first to react as he felt strong emotional fluctuations. 

“Mr. Silvano, please don’t worry so much, I can assure you nobody is going to separate you. We didn’t answer because we don’t really have authority to make decisions, you know that the child has another parent too”. 

Even though the first sentence Colonel Gillian said appeased Silvano a little, the second one threw him into even greater agony. 

“Je…ro…!?” With a terrified face he barely uttered some letters and started trembling. 

Fluctuations were getting critical! 

“What? I’m sorry I couldn’t understand your words”. Colonel Gillian then turned to the doctor and Thesa. “Please, leave for a moment”. When there were just the two of them the Colonel brought a chair closer to the bed, sat there putting his elbows on his knees and leaned in to carefully listen to Silvano. This pause and changes actually did help and he could clearly feel Silvano getting a little less agitated. 

“Now please tell me what is worrying you so much?”

“I..” His jaw and lips were shaking and fingers trembling, clearly this was his limit at this point. He could only quietly ask with his broken voice “Je-rome...?” It’s hard to say what his face reflected when he was pronouncing that name, all degrees of despair, disgust and fear were there. His dark purple eyes were filled with immeasurable grief… 

“Oh, that bastard, he’s in jail, together with his revolting family”. Colonel Gillian tried to say it as lightly as he could, feeling a taste of bile coming up in his throat. He’d gladly go back to the prison and look at their sorry state once more for some peace of mind. 

“Seriously, Mr. Silvano, you don’t need to worry about them even in the slightest, they are currently rotting in prison, I’ve seen it myself.” At the last phrase he leaned closer and gave a sinister smile. But he couldn’t see the result he expected. Silvano’s tension eased only slightly. Colonel Gillian couldn’t resist feeling soft about this youngster.

During these 7 months that he has been looking after Silvano he himself underwent certain changes: at first he felt quite irritated inside because he had to put aside his massive workload and highly responsible missions to look after a questionable pregnant male+ brat in a coma. But that gradually changed after a period of time, he started to feel a certain genuine affection towards this unfortunate fellow. And lately, even though he couldn’t see like the Admiral could, he has started to sense a very unique tranquillity and warmth radiating from this silent patient from time to time. He would never forget the expression on Admiral Carnage’s face when one day he gathered his courage and asked his superior ‘Admiral, sir. May I ask what exactly does Silvano’s soul look like?’  Such a gentle expression… he has never seen the Admiral smile like that. With that special smile and as if looking at his personal treasure and almost whispering he said ‘Golden, mixed with silver sparkles’. Immediately after he got ordered to never tell anyone else about this fact. That’s when Colonel Gillian realised that they all misjudged both Admiral Carnage and Silvano. He realised that the Admiral is not looking after Silvano just for his baby’s sake, he simply cares for this person very deeply. And Silvano, even in a coma, possesses such a pure and kind soul that is able to bring peace and clarity to a turbulent, anxious person just by being in a close distance. So lately the mission of guarding Silvano has become not just a duty but something he does sincerely and very seriously. 

That is why now the sight of Silvano’s silent weeping was breaking his heart. “What is it, is there something else worrying you?” He said as softly as he could.

Silvano tried to put his chaotic thoughts into short words.

“But… my c-cousin…” Silvano couldn’t say the whole sentence afraid that if this person didn't know he’d be the one giving away such a terrible secret. 

Colonel Gillian finally understood!

“Ah, no, no, really!” It was actually a major blunder on their side. If they said just one word from the beginning this young person wouldn’t go through this much inner torment. 

“I’m terribly sorry, Mr. Silvano. I should have informed you right away, you need to know that the baby you are carrying now is not Jerome Ulime’s”. Colonel Gillian said in one breath. 

“Whaa..t?” This statement was completely out of his expectations. Silvano was shocked and wary. 

“Really, you can be sure. Actually the child’s father is my direct military superior and my mission here is to look after both of you and your well being. I cannot really give answers to all the questions you might want to ask, for that we’ll have to wait for his return. But you can rest assured he means no harm to you or the child.”

“He can-nn…” Silvano had a hard time finding words and processing information. “…c-can be?” 

“I’m sorry?” The Colonel asked gently. 

“The ba…by…canhn uuhs..s-st-stay?” Silvano was barely keeping his eyes open at this point. 

“Yes, yes!” Colonel Gillian tried to reassure him before he drifted away into sleep. 

After hearing the affirmative answer, Silvano finally exhaled a big sigh and fell asleep. Colonel Gillian was seriously affected by this conversation, feeling a heavy dull pain in his chest. He called back the doctor and the nurse. 

“Check Mr. Silvano’s condition, I think he’s asleep but please do check. And Thesa, wipe his eyes with a warm damp cloth, he has cried a lot. Has anyone reported to the Admiral?”

“I reported to Military Assistant Bartel earlier, he said the Admiral was not accessible at the moment.”

“Yes, there were very important negotiations happening today. You keep a close watch over Mr. Silvano. I'll make a report.” Colonel Gillian looked very imposing at the moment staring right into Doctor Sherum’s eyes. 

“Yes, of course Colonel!” The doctor was taken aback to see the usually friendly Colonel with such a fierce appearance. With his short but slightly curly golden hair and bright blue eyes even though very tall and masculine he is always perceived as everybody’s friend, because there is always a little smile on his face. Hard to believe that with just that small smile removed he would look so different. 

When outside Colonel Gillian used an encrypted military device to contact Assistant General Bartel. 

“Yes, is there any development?” The Colonel could hear Bartel’s slightly hushed voice. 

“Reporting to the Assistant General. Mr. Silva… Can you hear me?” There were some movements on the other side, then he heard a very familiar oppressive voice. 

“Be concise, what’s the situation?”