Part 1
Alive.
Chris Redfield dropped the phone upon hearing this. He stood for a moment, still disbelieving at what he was hearing. The reaction caused both Jill and Claire to jump up from the couch and run over to him.
"Chris? What's going on?" Jill asked. Claire picked up the phone, putting it to her ear, listening in hopes of finding at least some kind of answer to her brother's reaction. The only words she had the chance to hear were:
"Piers Nivans..."
Chris took the phone from his sister, and hung it up.
"Chris, what's this about?" Jill asked.
"Chris, this has to do with Piers, doesn't it?" Claire said.
"Piers? What about Piers?" Jill asked.
"He's alive." was all Chris said, though still disbelieving. He kept thinking that maybe it was some kind of cruel trick. But, then again, who waits a whole year after someone's death to drudge it all up again in the form of a trick?
"What?!" Jill and Claire both asked unison.
"But, how is that possible?" Claire asked.
"Chris, are you sure? Do you really believe it?" Jill asked. Chris could see the suspicion in her eyes just as she could see it in his.
"I don't know. But, they said he's at the hospital, and I'm going to find out." Chris said.
"We're coming with you, Chris." Claire said. The three of them were silent on the way to the hospital. Chris had thought he had put this behind him, that he was finally moving on with his life, but for some reason, it seemed it couldn't let him be.
"Chris, are you really sure? I know they never found his body, but could he really be alive?" Jill asked, as they walked into the lobby of the hospital.
"For two years, I thought you were dead. But, here you are." Chris said. He was right. Jill had been presumed dead, by everyone, even Chris, but, when he found that there was a chance she was alive, he stopped at nothing to help her. If this was really true and Piers was alive, he owed him no less.
"Excuse me." Chris said to the nurse at the front desk, "My name is Chris Redfield. I got a call saying that Piers Nivans was here." He expected the nurse to look at him as if he'd lost his mind, but her reaction was the complete opposite.
"Ah, yes. Follow me." she said. Chris felt a bit sick. If this was some kind of sick joke, would the hospital really be in on it? The nurse led them down a hall, and finally into one of the rooms. Chris, Jill and Claire, stood there silently, unmoving, staring at what they saw. There, in the hospital bed, was the man the three of them recognized to be Piers Nivans. He was unconscious, and his right arm was wrapped in bandages. Chris remembered that as the arm that had gotten crushed by debris, and that Piers had been forced to separate from his own body by pulling away from it. Chris flinched as the image played again in his mind. Claire stared at him. She remembered the picture on his memorial stone, recognizing that it was definately him. Leon, Ada, and Helena were already standing in the room when they got there.
"Piers." Chris said.
"That really is him, isn't it?" Claire said.
"How is this even possible?" Leon said.
"How many times did we think Simmons was dead? And, he just kept coming back." Helena said.
"Viruses are unpredictable. You can never be sure what they'll do." Ada approached Piers, and Jill and Claire followed after, then, Helena, then Leon, then, Ada walking over last.
"Chris. Be careful." Jill told him. One of the doctors walked into the room.
"What's going on?" Chris asked, "How...?"
"He was found washed up on a beach two days ago, just like this, unconscious. His arm was in pretty bad condition, but, it's been healing rapidly. The biggest, and only issue really, is the coma. We're not sure when he'll come out of it, if ever. His brain isn't damaged. There's no physical reason he should be in a coma. All we can do is wait and see. There is an antibody for the C Virus in his blood, but it was in a dormant state. We gave him the vaccine, which seems to have cured it, though he'll probably always carry the antibodies for the virus in his blood, and he may have some side effects, but, all in all, he should be alright if he ever comes out of the coma. It's hard to say whether he can hear or feel anything around him, but, it's possible." the doctor explained.
"Thank you, doctor." Claire said. The doctor and the nurse left the room. Chris couldn't believe it. Piers was alive, but if he didn't come out of the coma, they could lose him again. And, again, there was nothing Chris could do about it. Chris put his hand on Piers' arm.
"Piers, I'm so sorry I couldn't save you. You've got to come out of this. You've come this far. You're strong. I know you can do it." he said.