Four days passed since Wendy
arrived at Jenner's home. Jenner persuaded Wendy to come outside with him for a
little walk. The two of them hadn't spoken at all after their last
conversation. She refused, however. She hated him from the deepest of her soul.
When she slept, she saw him sticking his blade into Justin. Her Justin.
All she wanted was to go home, her own home. She kept on crying all day, every
day. Jenner hated that. He hated the fact that she just couldn't be happy here.
And the worst part was; he couldn't blame her. He hated the fact that he was
stuck in here with a bunch of lunatics as well. Sometimes he even longed to the
past, the past where Nicodemus and he were still friends. And then he would
hate the fact that he had gotten sentimental.

 

He didn't give up, though. He
knocked on Wendy's door again and again and again, but she still wouldn't go
with him. He had to make her love him. Like a daughter should love her father.
‘Perhaps it is a hormone thing.' He thought to himself.

His spy didn't quite manage to
bring any news about Justin, either. He had no idea how his condition was. If
he had at least some info, he could pass that on to his daughter, but he
hadn't. So there was only one thing he could do.

 

‘Wendy?' Jenner softly said as he
knocked on her door.

‘Oh... won't you give up?' Wendy
said from behind the door.

‘You want to see Justin?' Jenner
said. While he said it, it felt like as if his throat was being chocked. Man,
he hated that kid. Probably because Nicodemus loved him so much. Back at NIMH,
Justin and he were actually pretty close. He had to admit; the kid was smart.

But, as goes for most parents,
no-one was good enough for his daughter, especially not him. But she loved him.
She loved him.

He opened the door by using the
key again. He found Wendy sitting up in her bed, the uniform still in her arms.
Her face was puffy because of the crying. She looked at him with an
not-understanding expression on her face.

‘Well don't just sit there, go
wash you face! You don't want to go to Justin looking like that, do you?'
Jenner said and he forced himself to smile the nicest smile he owed.

It made him look silly according
to Wendy. She frowned her forehead as she didn't move from her bed.

‘Don't joke about that! That's
terrible!' Wendy said, while she took a handkerchief to pad the new tears away.

‘I'm not joking. Get dressed! We
are going to the Castle. But there are some conditions, of course. I will stay
behind and you will go in. Don't get any ideas, I'll be close enough to keep an
eye on you. You'll have thirty minutes together with Justin. Then you come back
to me. If it takes you longer than thirty minutes, you won't get to spend ONE
more minute with him ever again, do you hear me?' Wendy slowly nodded.

‘Don't you dare to escape. People
will get killed if you do so.'

‘I won't, I promise.' Wendy said
and her face began to shine again. He meant it! She was finally going to see
Justin again! She rushed to her bathroom immediately. Well, bathroom is a big
word, but it was ok. She plashed cold water onto her face and checked her fur.

The cold water made a huge
difference when she dried her face again. She took a better dress out of her
back, telling her father that she would be out in a second. Jenner shook his
head and whispered; ‘Women.' But he smiled as well. It was almost like bringing
his daughter to a very important dance. A few moments later she was ready to
go. Looking as beautiful as she always had.

‘Come, we don't want to waste more
time, now do we.'

Wendy shook her head and smiled.
The both of them started walking in the direction of the Castle.

 

Jenner stayed behind in the thick
bushes as he pushed Wendy in front of him.

‘Remember thirty minutes, not a
second longer.'

‘I promise, I promise.' Wendy
quickly said, and she took off to the entrance of the infirmary.

 

‘Wendy! It's so good to see you!'
Brutus said as he came out of his chair in front of the infirmary-doors.

‘I'm sorry Brutus, I've only got
thirty minutes to see Justin.'

‘I see, you have to go back... He's
right over there.' Brutus pointed.

Wendy started walking more and
more slowly. Judging from the rhythmic movement of his breathing, Justin was
sound asleep.

‘Justin? Can you hear me?' Wendy
softly whispered.

She gently touched his shoulder
and shook it a bit. Justin's breathing stopped for a while, then he took a deep
breath and opened his eyes. A smile appeared on his handsome, though fragile
looking face.

‘Wendy, you're back.' He
whispered.

‘Yes, I'm back, but I cannot stay
long.'

Justin's smile slowly disappeared
and his face looked sad again.

‘We have thirty minutes. Thirty
minutes, that's quite long isn't it?' She said, hoping to see that smile back
again. Oh God, how she loved that smile of his.

‘He let you out to go visit me?'
Justin asked.

‘Yes, he did. How are you feeling?
Are you feeling a bit better?'

‘Now you are here, definitely.'

Wendy smiled and kissed his lips.
‘I have missed you so terribly much. I was so scared. I didn't know what had
happened to you. All I saw was blood.'

‘Shhhhh, it's alright. I'm going
to be better now.'

Their heads softly stroke each
other.

‘How's Joshua?' Justin asked.

‘He's great. Give me your hand.
He's really active lately. Can you feel him?'

‘Wow, I missed this so much, I
missed you so much. Please tell Jenner that I'm grateful to him, okay?'

‘I will, I will....'

‘What's it like? Living in there?'
Justin softly asked.

‘It's alright, it's not that bad.
But it's a little like living in a mental institution if you're asking me.'

Justin softly laughed. ‘A mental
institution? How come?'

‘Those barn-rats are... quite
strange. They hardly communicate, with words that is, and they have this
strange look in their eyes. Well, at least I don't have to face them that much.
Everything I need is in my room. Jenner locks the door. It kind of makes me
feel safe.'

‘I can imagine that.' Justin said
and he gently kissed her lips.

Wendy answered the kiss and the
two of them were lost in each other for a couple of seconds. They didn't even
notice Nanny coming in. But Nanny didn't say a word, she just looked at the two
lovers and smiled. ‘He's going to be alright now.' She thought to herself.

 

‘Wendy! Pssst. Sorry to interrupt,
but your thirty minutes have almost passed.' Brutus said as he walked into the
room.

‘You have to go now.' Justin said.
‘I love you with all of my heart, don't you forget that.'

‘I love you too, so much that it
hurts. I hate to leave you.'

‘Go Wendy, I'll see you soon.'
Justin whispered and he gave her a wink.

Wendy quickly hugged Brutus and
Nanny and went outside again, to the place where Jenner was waiting.

 

‘How is he?' Jenner asked on their
way back.

‘He's going to be alright. He
wanted me to thank you from him, that we could see each other.' Wendy said and
she looked at Jenner.

Jenner only nodded and softly
squeezed her shoulder.

 

Later that night, Wendy knocked on
the wall which connected Jenner's room to hers.

A moment later, her door was
opened.

‘I wanted to thank you again for
you did this morning. I really needed that.'

‘I know you did. I don't want to
see you cry. I hate crying women.' Jenner said, pulling his cloak more around
him.

‘May I ask why you lock my door?
Don't you trust me?'

‘I do trust you, I just don't
trust them.' Jenner said with cold bitterness in his voice.

‘Them? You mean the barn-rats?'

‘Yes, them.'

‘Why would they want to hurt me?'

‘Because they hate rats of NIMH.'

‘But you are a NIMH-rat, too.'

‘That's why I also lock my door.'

‘You what?'

‘That's enough questions for
today. Perhaps you would like to dine with me tonight. In my room.' Jenner
said.

‘Dine with you? Oh... okay.' Wendy
answered.

‘Then I'll pick you up, at eight.'
Jenner said as he left her room again.

She could hear him lock the door
behind him. Wendy sat on her bedside again. She picked up Justin's shirt. ‘I
love you Justin King.' And she kissed the uniform.