Chapter 2: Ouch
Wilbur winced in his subconscious state. In the distance, he could hear the steady beeping of a monitor, assuring him he was alive. Slowly, he tried opening his eyes, but quickly closed them again because the room was so bright. He tried again, and this time squinted, keeping them open. He knew he was in a hospital room. He looked down to see the IV tube in his left wrist, and the wires connected to his chest under his shirt to keep his heart steady. Then, he heard a silent sniff coming from his right. He slowly turned his head, and saw Franny sitting in a chair beside his bed. Looking further, he saw Cornelius sitting in a chair beside the window, his face buried in his hands, glasses sitting on the table beside him.
Wilbur wanted to call out to them, to let them know he was ok, but his throat constricted, and he couldn't talk. He tried to do something; move a foot, lift a finger, anything, but he couldn't. He had no strength whatsoever.
Finally, after a few minutes, he swallowed really hard, despite the pain, and managed to croak, "Mom…"
Immediately, Franny's head snapped to her left. Seeing her son finally awake, she gasped and practically flung herself on top of him, bursting into tears. Cornelius almost sprinted over to Wilbur's left, and put his arms around them both.
After a few moments, Wilbur groaned under Franny, "Mom, I can't breathe!"
"Oh, I'm sorry," she sobbed, sitting up.
His parents both sat there, staring at him for several minutes as Franny stroked his hair. Finally, Wilbur lifted his eyebrows, and said, "Ok, I'm ok now! You can stop staring!"
Franny and Cornelius laughed, knowing their cocky son was indeed going to be fine. They both looked away awkwardly, then returned their eyes back to his face seconds later. Rolling his eyes jokingly, he asked, "How long have I been here?"
"Two days. EMT's got you here by ambulance after the explosion, and you've been out cold ever since." Cornelius replied.
Frowning, Wilbur asked next, "What about John, Shelly, and Rick? Are they ok?"
His parents looked at each other sadly, and Cornelius replied, "Wil, you're the only one who survived."
Wilbur's eyes widened, and he looked down, not sure what to say. Then he noticed all the cuts and burns covering his arms.
His voice barely above a whisper, Wilbur said, "John's experiment killed him…"
Cornelius looked at his son and said, "That's our problem because no one knew what was going on in there. Thankfully you survived, not only because we'd die without you," he smiled playfully, "But the police also needs someone to tell them what happened. But we can do all that later. Right now, why don't you get some rest?"
Wilbur merely nodded and minutes later slipped back into the mode of subconsiousness.
