DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. If you are offended by 
sexually explicit material or are under the age of 18, stop reading 
now. This material cannot be reproduced for commercial purposes 
without the consent of the author.

JC: Ed Biggers
Part 1: Epiphany
Chapter 5
By
Lazlo Zalezac
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2004

As Kelly looked over the menu at Maria's Cantina, Ed looked 
around the room at the other people around the tables. A few 
would look over at him and Kelly before talking quietly with each 
other. Proud that he was seated with the most beautiful woman in 
the room, he knew that the majority of conversations were not very 
flattering about him. 

A very nervous Rosa came to the table with a tray. She was a very 
buxom Hispanic woman and hated the stares that her chest usually 
attracted. Ed was the worst, almost always commenting on her 
build. She set a shot of tequila and a beer in front of Ed and turned 
to Kelly ignoring Ed completely. She asked, "What would you like 
to drink?"

Kelly looked at Ed with a question. He understood that she wanted 
wine with her meal and winked at her. Despite telling her several 
times that it didn't bother him if she had something to drink, she 
felt like her taking a drink tempted him to fall off the wagon. She 
answered, "I would like a glass of red wine."

Looking at the beer and shot, Ed said, "I'm sorry, Rosa, but I 
would prefer iced tea with my meal."

Rosa stepped back as if Ed had threatened her. Not quite believing 
his request, she asked, "You don't want your regular drink?"

Wondering how long it would take for him to loose his reputation 
as a heavy drinker, Ed replied, "I quit drinking. I'll just take an iced 
tea. Thank you for the thought."

Uncertain what to do, Rosa put the beer and shot on the tray. As 
she returned to the bar, she set the beer on the table of another 
customer saying, "On the house."

In the back, she drank back the shot in a single swallow. Maria 
watched with dismay, since her sister almost never drank. 
Concerned, she asked, "What happened?"

"Ed sent it back."

Maria jeered, "He's never sent a drink back."

Shaking her head, Rosa replied, "You serve him. He scares me."

Maria, well aware of her sister's feelings towards Ed, asked, "What 
did he order?"

Rosa said, "A red wine for the woman and a glass of iced tea for 
him."

Maria gave the order to the bartender. After a minute, she loaded 
the tray with a glass of wine and a glass of iced tea. She carried it 
over to the table and set the wine in front of the woman and the 
iced tea in front of Ed. Ignoring Ed, she examined Kelly 
wondering what her story was. What ever it was, it had to be bad 
for her to take up with Ed. Watching Maria, Ed could read the 
thoughts going through her mind. He said, "Maria, I'd like you to 
meet Kelly. She's my lady friend. Kelly, this is Maria. She owns 
the restaurant."

Surprised by the introduction, Maria found herself turning to Kelly 
saying, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Smiling at the other woman, Kelly replied, "This is a very nice 
place you have. You must be very proud of it."

Warming to the woman, Maria smiled and answered, "I am, but it's 
a lot of work."

"I bet."

Maria liked the woman and just couldn't imagine what she saw in 
Ed. Afraid to become involved with a woman that had taken up 
with Ed, she changed the subject by asking, "What would you like 
to eat?"

Kelly winked at her and said, "What do you recommend for a 
young woman wanting to watch her figure?"

At least the woman had the normal concerns of all women. 
Smiling, Maria answered, "How about a taco salad that's light on 
the meat, cheese, and dressing?"

"Sounds perfect."

Maria turned to Ed and, in a less than friendly manner, asked, 
"How about you?"

"I think I'll have the Enchilada dinner," answered Ed. He added, 
"You do them just right, Maria. I think they're the best in the state."

Maria stepped back and looked at Ed as though he grown a horn in 
the middle of his forehead. She answered, "Thanks, I'll put the 
order in right now."

Maria had just stepped away from the table when Harry Burton 
stumbled into her. He looked up, swaying drunkenly, and stared, 
first at Ed and then at Kelly. For almost a full minute he stared at 
Kelly. Finally, he shouted, "Hey, Ed. Who's the whore?"

After a collective gasp, the entire restaurant turned quiet as a 
cemetery. A very angry Ed turned to look over at Harry. Skin 
flushing at the less than nice characterization of her, Kelly glanced 
at Ed seeing his eyes narrowed with anger and muscles along his 
jaw tight with tension. All eyes turned to Ed, waiting to see his 
reaction.

Harry wobbled, finding it difficult to stand. His skin was a pasty 
white and beads of sweat formed on his forehead. Hands over his 
stomach, Harry was swallowing heavily as though trying to keep 
from getting sick. One thought went through Ed's mind, 'Harry is 
going to vomit.'

Jumping up, Ed raced over the Harry and threw a hand over his 
mouth. With his other hand, he grabbed Harry by his belt and lifted 
him butt up in the air. As he carried Harry out the fire exit, he 
heard someone shout, "Oh my God. He's going to kill Harry."

Carrying Harry over to the trashcan, they reached it just in time. 
With the noises familiar to everyone, Harry lost the contents of his 
stomach in a heaving retch. The anger drained out of Ed at the 
sight of the man being sick. Having years of experience getting 
sick after drinking, Ed rubbed him on the back and said, "Easy, 
Harry. Just relax. Don't force it and don't fight it."

When Harry tried to stand, Ed held him over the barrel with a light 
touch on his back. He said, "You've got some more coming up, 
Harry."

Groaning in misery, Harry threw up again. Ed stayed with him, 
making sure he was okay. When Harry finally stood up, Ed looked 
at him and could see that he was seriously ill. He was a very pale 
white and his whole body soaked with perspiration, possibly 
suffering from alcohol poisoning. Tottering like an infant, Harry 
bent over and threw up in the barrel again. 

The Sheriff came around the corner. The dark scene, lit by a single 
dull light bulb, didn't allow too many details to be seen. From 
where he stood, it looked like Ed was stuffing Harry in the trash 
can. The Sheriff shouted, "Let him go, Ed."

Ed shouted back, "You better get an ambulance here."

Based on the report called in, the Sheriff was convinced that Ed 
meant to kill Harry and pulled his gun. He approached cautiously, 
knowing that Ed could fight as dirty as anyone he had ever 
encountered. When Ed helped Harry stand up, he lost his shot 
since Harry was between him and Ed. The Sheriff stared in 
surprise when Harry, hanging onto Ed, said, "Ed, I don't feel very 
good. Thanks for being here."

Ed helping him stand, answered, "Don't worry, Harry. I'm here to 
help you. The Sheriff is here and he's called an ambulance."

The moment of control was over as Harry bent over and vomited 
again. By this time, the Sheriff realized that Ed wasn't hurting 
Harry. Holstering his weapon, he came over to help. Just a glance 
was sufficient to see that Harry was really sick. At least an 
ambulance was already on its way, a precaution taken as a result of 
the call received at the Sheriff's station. Working together, the two 
men helped Harry stand up. With the wail of the ambulance in the 
background, Ed took a close look at Harry noticing a black drool 
from his lips. In a tone of real concern, Ed said, "Sheriff, he's really 
sick. I think he's throwing up blood."

The Sheriff looked at Harry and could see that he was in dire need 
of medical attention. He ordered, "Let's carry him to the front. The 
ambulance will be here in a few minutes."

Carrying Harry around to the front of the restaurant, they reached 
the parking lot as the ambulance pulled up. There was a sudden 
loosening of Harry's bowels and a terrible stench filled the air. The 
ambulance crew quickly took charge of the situation. It didn't take 
them long to get him onto a gurney and into the ambulance. It was 
a relief when they pulled out of the parking lot. Neither man had 
realized the tension they were feeling.

As the Sheriff watched the ambulance drive off, he asked, "Ed, did 
you hit him?"

Ed shook his head and replied, "No, I didn't. I took him outside 
because I didn't want his throwing up to spoil my date's evening."

"Are you sure you didn't hit him?"

"I didn't hit him. Of course, you have no reason to believe me." Ed 
straightened up and looked at his hands. There was vomit on them 
acquired when they had carried Harry around the building. He said, 
"Do you mind if I get cleaned up and let Kelly know that I'm going 
to the station with you? You might want to wash your hands as 
well."

The Sheriff didn't know what to say. Ed wasn't his favorite person 
in town, he'd had more than one run in with Ed. His past record 
suggested that he had beaten Harry. The problem was that he had 
seen Ed helping Harry. Harry talking to him and thanking him. 
Deciding that he would wait until he had more information, he 
said, "Sure. Let's get cleaned up."

The two men went into the restroom of the restaurant walking past 
a scared Maria. The Sheriff washed his hands while Ed looked at 
the sleeves of his coat. Frowning, he took his coat off. After 
checking the pockets, he threw it in the trashcan in disgust. 
Turning to the Sheriff, he said, "First time I wore it, I got blood on 
it. The second time, vomit. I guess I'm not cut out to dress nice. At 
least the shirt is clean."

The Sheriff said, "Tell me what happened out there."

As the Sheriff dried his hands, Ed stepped up to the sink and 
started washing his. He said, "Well, Harry said something very 
rude about my date. I just about lost my temper, but I looked at 
him and could tell that he was in bad shape. When I realized he 
was about to vomit, I put my hand over his mouth and carried him 
by the belt outside and over to the trashcan so he could vomit 
there."

"That doesn't sound like you."

Ed agreed with the assessment. He replied, "No, it doesn't."

The Sheriff said, "Let's go in and talk to your date."

Ed led the way to the table. The looks he received from everyone 
in the restaurant were very accusatory. When he reached the table, 
he sat down next to Kelly and pointed to a chair. He said, "Sheriff, 
I'd like you to meet Kelly. Kelly, this is the Sheriff."

Relieved to see Ed and worried about the presence of the Sheriff, 
Kelly didn't know what to think. She had wanted to follow him out 
the back door in an attempt to stop him from hurting Harry, but 
others had held her back. She had been left sitting there, scared and 
alone, wondering what she was supposed to do. Maria, after calling 
the Sheriff, had returned to the table and tried to comfort her. It 
had angered Kelly more than comforted her to hear the woman say 
that Ed was just a bad seed. The problem was that she had seen the 
anger flare up in his eyes.

The Sheriff looked at Kelly and said, "Nice to meet you."

Kelly looked at Ed, fearing for the worst, and replied, "Thank you. 
It's nice to meet you too. I just wish the circumstances were 
better."

The Sheriff took in the beverages sitting on the table. The lack of a 
beer bottle surprised him as much as everything else he had seen. 
Watching Ed take a sip of the iced tea was an additional shock; he 
didn't believe that Ed knew what iced tea was. The Sheriff sat 
down and signaled Maria over to the table. He asked, "Did they eat 
yet?"

Glaring at Ed, Maria answered, "No. I held off on putting in the 
order."

The Sheriff said, "Well, put in the order and add a couple of tacos 
to it. I'll take some iced tea, as well."

Startled by this turn of events, Maria glanced at Ed, the Sheriff, 
and finally at Kelly. She backed away from the table. Before she 
had taken three steps, Ed said, "Maria. Don't worry about what you 
said to Kelly. She's heard it before from me. I know you're just 
trying to spare another woman some pain."

Turning back to Kelly, he said, "Don't worry about Harry. The 
ambulance took him to the hospital. I think he's going to be okay."

"The ambulance?"

Hitting his head with the palm of his hand, Ed said, "Stupid me, I 
should have called you. You're a nurse and would have known 
what to do."

Kelly repeated her question, "The ambulance?"

Ed nodded as he answered, "He was really ill. We were lucky that 
Maria called the Sheriff and he called an ambulance."

The nurse in Kelly emerged and she asked, "What was the matter?"

Ed said, "He was throwing up blood."

With a glance in the Sheriff's direction, she asked, "Did you hit 
him?"

"No, I just carried him out to the trashcan where he could throw 
up. I didn't want to spoil our date."

"So what is going to happen now?"

Ed shrugged and said, "I imagine the Sheriff is going to take me to 
the jail until we hear from Harry that I didn't hit him. I don't know 
what will happen if Harry doesn't remember the events of tonight. I 
guess that is up to the Sheriff."

The Sheriff watched the exchange with interest. Kelly shook her 
head and said, "It's not going to go that easy. If he was throwing up 
blood, odds are that he'll die before he gets to the hospital."

The look on Ed's face was one of horror. He leaned forward and 
asked, "You can't be serious."

After a glance at the Sheriff, she answered, "Very. I bet if the 
Sheriff makes a call now, he'll get the news."

As the Sheriff stood up and left the table, Ed held his head in his 
hands and moaned. He said, "There's no way anyone is going to 
believe that I didn't kill him."

Putting her hand on his neck, she whispered, "You're a good man, 
Ed. They won't blame you if he had a medical problem."

Ed just shook his head while thinking about how he had done the 
right thing for a change. It didn't matter what others thought, he 
knew the truth and that was all that mattered. The thought gave 
him the strength to sit up straight. He said, "Don't worry, I'll be 
okay."

The Sheriff came back to the table and sat down heavily in his 
chair. He looked around the room and then at the pair. He asked, 
"Do you want the news now or after you eat?"

Prepared for the worst, Ed sat back and said, "I'll take it now, if 
that's alright with you."

"Well, your girlfriend was right. He died before he got to the 
hospital." The Sheriff looked at Ed, noting that he didn't protest his 
innocence. He asked, "What do you think about that?"

In a solemn tone of voice, Ed answered, "I feel sorry for Harry. 
What a horrible way to die. He spent the last minutes of life with 
someone that he detested bent over a trash barrel sick as hell. It's 
not fair, not fair at all."

Kelly nodded her agreement and said, "Sad. That is very sad."

That was not the reaction that the Sheriff had expected. Ed looked 
at the Sheriff and said, "I assume you'll be pressing murder 
charges."

When Ed had made that statement, Maria showed up with their 
food on a large tray. Hands trembling, she set the dishes on the 
table in front of them. The Sheriff answered, "No. They cleared 
you."

Puzzled, Ed asked, "How could they clear me?"

Standing off to the side, Maria listened with interest. She was 
convinced that Ed had killed Harry and was willing to testify to 
that in a court. The Sheriff answered, "The doctor said that if you 
had hit him, he would have died right then. I saw you taking care 
of him while he was throwing up. He talked to you and there 
wasn't any fear in his voice."

Kelly looked very relieved and looked at Ed in admiration. While 
everyone had been thinking he was killing Harry, Ed had been 
helping him. Ed nodded and said, "I'd be lying if I didn't say that 
I'm mighty relieved."

The Sheriff said, "It was good that you took care of him."

"I'd appreciate it if we don't make a big deal out of that." As Ed 
looked at the food on the table, he thought about how Harry had 
died.  In light of the events of the evening, his appetite had 
vanished. He asked, "So what killed him?"

"Stomach ulcer. All that booze he drank tonight ate through a vein 
or something."

Kelly shook her head and said, "Throwing up didn't help. It puts a 
lot of stress on the body."

Ed said, "Let's just try to find a way to put it so that his dignity is 
preserved. There's no need to mention the booze or throwing up. 
He died of a stomach ulcer."

The Sheriff said, "A lot of people are going to think you killed 
him."

"People will think what they want. I know the truth and I can live 
with it."

Maria backed away surprised by what she had heard the Sheriff 
say to Ed. Rather than killing Harry, he had been helping him. She 
hurried off to the kitchen where she could tell Rosa everything she 
had heard the Sheriff say. By morning, the story would be all over 
town.

Relieved that he didn't have to arrest Ed, the Sheriff started eating 
a taco watching the two of them eat. It was clear they were madly 
in love with each other. The real puzzle was Ed. A lot of stories 
were going around about Ed and the Sheriff didn't trust what he 
heard.

Working over the salad, Kelly ate in her normal manner. Appetite 
destroyed by the events outside, Ed picked at his food, eating about 
half of what was on the plate. It was good, but sat heavily in his 
stomach. Even worse, the meal was far less intimate than Ed had 
planned, He hadn't planned on having the Sheriff at the table with 
them. 

Looking up at Kelly, he watched her eat. He loved the way that she 
would stir the lettuce around before picking out the leaf she was 
going to eat. The fork would descend rapidly, stabbing it, and then 
slowly raise with the leaf impaled on the tines. She caught him 
watching and with a smile raised the leaf to her mouth.  Ed leaned 
forward and watched as she nibbled on the leaf of lettuce. It was 
almost anti-climatic when the lettuce disappeared into her mouth.  
He said, "You even eat pretty."

"Don't watch me eat. It makes me self-conscious." She put on a 
great act of being self-conscious, but she giggled the entire time 
appreciating the attention. Smiling at him, she added, "Watch the 
Sheriff."

The Sheriff had watched the interplay between the pair and started 
laughing. Sitting back, he said in a loud voice that carried across 
the entire room, "My God, Ed is in love."

Ed reached across the table with both hands and took her right 
hand in his. Even though she still held the fork, he leaned down 
and kissed the back of her hand. In a voice that conveyed true 
affection, Ed said, "My God, Ed is in love."

Kelly giggled and said, "My God, Ed is in love."

Almost sick from the sweet talk, the Sheriff shook his head in 
disbelief. He had not realized that this was a real date for Ed. He 
wouldn't have joined them if he had known, but the alternative 
would have been worse - spending the evening in the jail. 

When everyone had eaten as much as they wanted, Kelly stood up 
and said, "Let me go to the powder room."

Ed replied, "I'll be waiting with bated breath."

When Kelly left, the Sheriff turned to Ed. It was his intention to 
finish the last bit of business and then leave. He asked, "So Ed, 
how are things with your new neighbor?"

Taken by surprise by the change in topic, Ed replied, "Fine."

"I heard he beat you in a fight."

"Yes, he did. Quite easily."

The easy manner in which Ed admitted defeat troubled the Sheriff. 
"You don't have a problem with that?"

Without delay, Ed said, "The better man won."

The Sheriff leaned forward and looked at Ed with a very serious 
expression. He said, "I don't believe you."

Ed leaned forward so that their faces were less than a foot apart. 
Looking the Sheriff in the eye, Ed whispered, "Check up on John 
Carter. You'll see that I'm right."

Surprised that Ed mistook the subject of his doubts, the Sheriff 
shook his head and said, "I meant that I didn't believe you don't 
have a problem with the fact that he won."

Ed sat back and laughed. He said, "Don't I feel foolish. Go talk to 
him and you'll know what I mean."

The Sheriff replied, "Ed, I've had you in my cell too many times. I 
have to warn you that once more and it may become long term. It 
was very close tonight. Leave John Carter alone."

"Sheriff, you and I go back a long way. Hell, you were arresting 
me when you were still a deputy and I was in high school. When I 
tell you that John Carter is a better man than I, believe it. I'm not 
going to hurt him."

Kelly came back to the table. As she sat down, she asked, "Were 
you talking about John Carter?"

The Sheriff nodded and answered, "Yes, we were."

"He's such an amazing man. I couldn't believe …"

Ed interrupted, "Kelly, John asked me not to talk about anything 
that came out at the hospital."

Faltering, Kelly said, "Okay."

Realizing that he wasn't going to get any more out of them, the 
Sheriff stood up and said, "I'm getting out of here."

Ed stood and extended his hand. Looking the Sheriff in the eye, he 
said, "I'd like to thank you for your considerate treatment of me 
tonight. By all rights, you should have had me in cuffs and in the 
jail."

Surprised by the gesture and the statement, the Sheriff shook Ed's 
hand. He replied, "Thanks, Ed."

Ed smiled, "You're a good man. Dinner is on me."

About to argue, the Sheriff decided just to drop it. Leaving the 
restaurant behind, he went to the hospital to double check on their 
report. He didn't know what to make of the change in Ed and felt 
like part of the answer was at the hospital. 

When Maria came to the table, Ed took care of the bill. As he set a 
good tip on the table, it dawned on him that it had already become 
habit. For years, a quarter was his standard tip and now it was 
twenty percent. As they left the room holding hands, Maria stood 
by the door in her customary spot. Ed paused at the door and fished 
out his wallet. Taking a fifty from it, he handed it to Maria. At her 
blank look at the bill, he said, "Maria, maybe you can take up a 
collection for Harry's family. Here's a little starter for it. Don't let 
anyone know that the money is from me."

Eyes misting, Maria turned to Ed and asked, "You really did try to 
save him?"

Watching him with eyes filled with love, Kelly listened as he 
answered, "I had a chance to save someone tonight. I tried, but I 
failed."

Ed led Kelly out of the restaurant, pausing to look up at the stars 
overhead. It was a clear night and the stars shown brightly. She 
could tell that he was in a very quiet mood and  stepped closer to 
him to provide a little comfort. He wrapped an arm around her 
pulling her closer. He asked, "Have I told you that I love you?"

"Only about a million times and that's just today." Kelly really 
loved Ed, but she had never told him that. Thinking about 
mentioning her conditions for marriage, she kept her thoughts to 
herself. This was not the time for that discussion, he needed 
support now. She kissed him and then said, "And you can tell me 
that a million times tomorrow."

"Greedy, greedy," chastised Ed with a chuckle. They walked to his 
house holding each other tightly. The night was warm, the stars 
bright, and the air calm. Tonight was the first time that Ed was 
sorry he lived so close to the center of town as he would have 
enjoyed walking with her like that forever.

Arriving at the house, Kelly kissed Ed goodbye. He watched as she 
drove down the street heading to her home. It would have been 
nice if she had been able to stay the night, but she had to work 
early tomorrow. The headlights of her car illuminated John Carter 
walking up the street. Ed moved to wait for John.

"Hello, John," called Ed as he waved to the man.

John looked up and called back, "Hi, Ed. I saw you walking home 
with your lady friend. You look like a cute couple. It reminded me 
of my time with Betsy."

Ed picked up the very slight tone of sadness in John's voice. When 
John was within normal conversational distance, Ed asked, "You 
miss her, don't you?"

"I miss her a lot," answered John. He looked up at the sky and then 
back at Ed. He said, "I'm sorry to be so down, it's just that we were 
together for such a long time."

"Have you tried to talk to her?"

John replied, "Not directly. I rent a room from Mrs. South in 
Austin. She's been talking to Betsy in an attempt to patch things up 
between us. I'm afraid that Betsy is still very mad at me and won't 
accept my calls."

Ed tried to imagine how he would feel if Kelly walked out of his 
life. He'd be devastated and could understand how John must be 
feeling. A couple of weeks ago he would have been telling John 
that he was a pussy whipped wimp. He said, "I'm sure that she'll 
calm down."

"You don't know my Betsy. She's a very passionate and strong-
willed woman."

Not knowing what to say that would help, Ed simply said, "I must 
admit that I'm pretty much a novice at dating." 

John responded with an easy laugh as he said, "I don't think there's 
a man alive that really understands dating."

Chuckling heartily, Ed replied, "That's reassuring to know. I was 
worried that I was doing it all wrong."

"From what I saw, you were doing all the right things." John 
smiled like he was sharing a well guarded secret. 

Changing the subject, Ed asked, "So how's your work going?"

John leaned against his walking stick and answered, "It's going 
well. I'm happy that things have been quiet here. No gunshots, 
fires, or dying people to save. It gives me much more time to 
work."

Ed said, "Well, Harry died tonight. I tried to save him, but I 
couldn't. He had a bleeding ulcer that ruptured."

John asked, "Did you do the best that you knew how to do?"

"Yes."

"That's all that anyone can do," replied John. He added, "We are 
not Gods or Goddesses. We can only serve them."

Ed looked at John for a second wondering what John meant. He 
asked, "Gods and Goddesses?"

John answered, "Yes. I am in the service of the Goddess. She gave 
me the ability to heal quickly so that I can act as I need."

Ed wasn't sure what to make of this talk about Gods and 
Goddesses. There were only two religions in the area, Catholic and 
Baptist. While the Catholics had lots of saints and the Baptists 
didn't, they both had a single God. He asked, "Is this some kind of 
devil worship?"

John looked at Ed and laughed. He replied, "No. I serve the good. 
We have two major rules. If it harms none, then do it. Protect the 
weak from the strong."

"That doesn't sound like too restrictive of a religion." Ed thought 
about the Ten Commandments and all the various sins. How could 
two rules compare to all of the Christian restrictions?

John asked, "You ever say something really nasty to someone and 
hurt their feelings?"

There was no way that Ed could deny that. He answered, "Many 
times."

"That's not allowed under our the harm none rule. Theft, greed, 
lying, and many of those other things that are sins in Christianity 
are also wrong in our religion. However, it gives us a context in 
which to judge when a given act is a sin. It is very difficult to be 
good since the rules aren't absolute." John watched the expression 
on Ed's face as he thought about what had just been said. 

After a while, Ed asked, "So what happened when you grabbed my 
balls? I'd be lying if I said that it didn't hurt. Wasn't that a sin under 
your rules?"

Embarrassed, John answered, "I'd say it was protecting the weak 
from the strong."

Ed recognized that there was a truth to that far beyond what John 
might even realize. He replied, "Yes, it had far greater 
consequences that I would have predicted."

John smiled at the mention of the word consequences. He said, "If 
it harms none, then do it. That is an expression that deals with 
means and consequences. It is so hard to predict consequences that 
most Druids tend to act only when the consequences are clear."

"Oh." Ed didn't know what to make of this discussion. He wasn't a 
philosopher and needed to think about ideas like this for a long 
time before making up his mind.

John added, "Don't worry, I'm not trying to convert you. Druids 
don't do that."

Ed asked, "Do you have any religious symbols, like a cross or 
pentagram?"

John's hand came up to brush the medallion as he answered, "Not 
quite. Only those that are in the service of a God or Goddess have 
something that was given to them by the God or Goddess."

Ed noticed how John brushed his hand against his chest and 
recalled the medallion that had hung around his neck at the 
hospital. Rather than pursuing the discussion further, Ed said, 
"Well, I won't keep you from your work anymore."

John smiled at Ed wondering what the guy thought of him. He 
said, "Thanks. I'll see you around."

Almost as an afterthought, Ed asked, "If it harms none, then do it?"

"Yes."

"Okay, good night," replied Ed. He went into the house as John 
headed over to his. Once inside, he thought about what John had 
said. If it harms none, then do it. At first glance, it seemed simple, 
but as John had said it was really quite complicated. It made the 
correctness of ones actions depend on the consequences of the 
action rather than the act itself.

Considering the activities of the evening, he now knew that if he 
had hit Harry then he would have killed him. The consequences 
would have been horrible. The consequences of doing nothing 
would have perhaps been worse than what he had done. Harry 
might have died in a pool of his own vomit in public, a pitiful 
spectacle. He had tried to save Harry, but hadn't managed it. The 
only consolation was that he had saved Harry's dignity to a certain 
extent. 

His thoughts soon turned to the marriage that Kelly demanded. He 
wondered who would be hurt by such a marriage. That made him 
wonder how John would view sex between men. He tried to figure 
out where it could harm and when it couldn't. If it harmed none, 
then do it. What about harming society by undermining morals? 
Could an action that harmed none undermine society? That last 
question bothered him tremendously.