"From what?" Sin asked.
Benedict's hand slowly slid down and tapped at Sin's dark fingers. The synthetic ones. "God gave us brains and expected us to use them. Listen and he will lead you, Sinclair. He always has." He smiled and let his eyes close. "You are what I'm most proud of. The son I never had. I love you, boy."
That was the first time Benedict had ever said those words. He'd taken Sin off the streets when he was only fifteen and showed him a better option. After the accident with his father, Benedict had made arrangements with the police, testifying incourt that the boy would never harm anyone without just cause. That had kept him from serving time, thanks to an agreement that Sin would join the church by the time he turned eighteen.
Two days before his birthday, he had. Benedict had put him off that long, telling him he needed to live a little before he dedicated his life to service. Now, for the last thirteen years he'd been in the priesthood, the Praetor had been everything to him a father should be, but he'd never once told Sin he loved him, not like this. He'd spoken the words as a priest, but never as just a man.
"I love you too," Sin whispered. "You made me the man I am. You shaped every part of me, and I swear I will never forget that. Benedict, I'm going to miss you so much."
"I'll be watching," Benedict promised. "Maybe I'll even get my own wings." The old man lifted his chin to the door. "Now go on. I don't want you to watch me die, and I can't keep my eyes open much longer. Just remember what I said, ok? Use your brain, Sinclair. Nothing in the Good Book is set in stone, not even the first precept. There's nothing wrong with you. Not adamnedthing."
With tears filling his eyes, Sin stood. His voice refused to work, so he did the next best thing. He leaned over and kissed the Praetor's head gently. Pressing his cheek against Benedict's hair, Sin left moisture in his wake. Then, with a heavy heart, he stood and looked at Benedict one last time.
"You were the best father I ever had. May you find peace in God's arms, Benedict."
"Amen," the old man whispered.
Sin left then, making no effort to hide his anguish. They all knew the two had been close. It had seemed like a foolish thing to hide. Julie tried to stop him, but he wasn't in the mood, so he pushed through the crowd until he reached the elevator. There, he pressed the button.
Nothing happened, so he pressed it again. Panic began to build in his heart. He had to leave the hospital. He had to be out of the building before Benedict died. He needed to get to the safe. From what Benedict had said, something important was in there, and Sin needed to find it fast. Still, the elevator did nothing.
Sin pressed it again—this time with his fist.
"Sinclair," Julie hissed. "The building does not understand grief, and your actions reflect on the Praetor!"
"Leave me alone, Jules."
The elevator finally dinged, and he took the chance to escape, but Julie wasn't willing to make it easy. She stepped through the door with him, reaching up to gently push the button for the first floor.
"Benedict told me to watch you," she whispered.
He chuckled. "Yeah. He told me a few things too."
She nodded, her eyes locked on the numbers slowly ticking down. "He said your angel can solve this problem. He wondered if this might be why God wanted you to watch over her."
"He tell you what the problem is?" Sin asked.
"No," Julie breathed. "He just said the first precept is a part of it. It shouldn't be, but it is now." She reached up to scratch at the back of her neck, and Sin grabbed her wrist.
"Who else is enhanced? What priests, Julie?"
"Us, Rob, Davis, and a dozen regular priests who joined later in life. Why?"
"The first precept," he said. "Respect life. It's been taken to be the same thing as avoid enhancement, but it never said that. The Good Book says we should respect the life God made and find joy in its beauty, but there's no prohibition on using modern medicine."
"Right?"
"So why did Benedict want you to watch over me, not Trent?"
She sniffed and rubbed at her nose. "Because Trent can be an insensitive ass?"
"And he's a normal," Sin said. "What's the fastest way back to the Legion from here?"
"Green train to 82nd, gold to the lower south, take the skywalk across the river. You can't leave now, Sin." She glanced back to the elevator. "He doesn't have much time."
Sin nodded. "I said my words. Stay here. I have something I promised him I'd do."
When he stepped off the elevator, Julie made no move to follow. Sin walked through the lobby again, but this time he wasn't in a rush. The receptionist looked up, her eyes large and filled with sympathy, but he didn't give her the chance to say anything. He simply kept walking. For now, he had a purpose, and that would hold him until he made it home.
