Part Four

Ah, the beauty of sleep.

And Relaxation.



Hm.

Where was I?

I wasn't a captive anymore.

Something was beeping. Hey! It matched my heartbeat. That meant I was alive in a hospital—right?

But where was everyone else? They all survived, RIGHT?

AND WHAT THE STINKIN' HAPPENED?!?

I opened my eyes. The ceiling looked nice. Nobody was there, but for some reason, that wasn't so bad. I needed some time to think by myself.

 I still wanted to know what happened.

I looked around. To my left: a wall.

...Yeah.

Unfortunately, turning my head wasn't so pleasant. My neck complained of a burn, not healed one bit. Okay. I could work with that.

And then my stomach. It didn't like for me to breathe with my lungs. That one wasn't quite so workable.

But I wasn't done surveying the land yet. Slowly, V E R Y S L O W L Y, I turned my head to the right.

“Hi James.”

“JOHN!” or at least, that's what I wanted to shout in gloriously relieved excitement. Instead, all that came out was, “pqkjh.”

John laughed. At me.

“Don't try to talk,” John giggled as I coughed with great difficulty. “You got a tube down your throat! The nurse said you can get it out, like, tomorrow.”

TOMORROW?!? I about cried. Actually, I did.

“James, dude, it's okay! You're better off than I am.”

And that's when I noticed my older brother's condition.

 He really did not. Look. Good.

He had scars, burns, and bandages crowding his body! He had all KINDS of wires and cords keeping him stable... alive. In fact I wondered how I recognized him in the first place.

And yet he was still cheerful.

And happy.

Like... always.

‘John, I'm soooooo sorry! This is all my fault isn't it!—’

‘James—!’

‘I mean, how did you get so banged up? How—?!?’

‘JAMES! Shut up. It wasn't your fault.’ He looked at the ceiling, suddenly upset. I was worried. ‘It was... actually... my... fault. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be in this mess. I'm the one who should be sorry. And... I am....’

I was stunned. I couldn't accept what he said. My brain just wouldn't process it.

 ‘But I really didn't mean to. I tried, SO HARD, to keep you safe. But my best just... wasn't good enough. I'm sorry. Now let's just drop it and be best buds again. Fair?’

I still didn't quite grasp the full stretch of what he was saying, but I felt positive anyway. I couldn't let ANYTHING get between us.

‘Fair.’


*sigh*