Chapter 2- Old Pain, New Hurt.
Mordecai stood in his one spot for a long time, staring at the space where Rigby once stood. He felt like the biggest jerk in the history of all jerks. He felt like an even bigger jerk than that albino douche nozzle, Jeremy and that was saying something! He just ruined the possibility of an entire relationship for Rigby all because he felt jealous. But, as Rigby had pointed out, Mordecai just didn't understand why he felt jealous. What was there to be jealous about? Mordecai was pulled out of his musings when he heard a crash and a slightly muffled 'thump'.
"Rigby?" Mordecai yelled out. No answer. The blue haired male stood and walked briskly over to the storage unit. Mordecai tried yelling for his friend again and when he received no answer, he opened the door to the closet like structure. What he found was Rigby lying on the ground, eyes closed and convulsing violently. It took Mordecai a second to realize that Rigby was having a seizure and panicked before rushing over to his side and checking him for injuries all the while trying to dial 9-1-1. Mordecai sighed in relief when he saw that Rigby's convulsions seemed to be stopping. Just then, the 9-1-1 operator picked up.
"9-1-1 Operator, what is your emergency?" asked the woman on the other side of the line.
"Yes, I need an ambulance- my friend, h-he just had a seizure and I have no clue what to do or what's wrong with him and..." Mordecai said frantically.
"Okay sir, just calm down. Can you tell me your location?" The operator said and Mordecai took a deep breathe.
"Y-yes we're at the park on Walkerton Street, by this small food joint called the Snack Shack." The blue haired male said, holding his friend's small, limp frame.
"Okay sir, help is on the way. An ambulance should be there in five minutes. Would you like to stay on the line until they arrive?" Mordecai sighed in relief when he heard that help was on the way. So relieved in fact that he forgot to answer the operator lady. "Sir, the ambulance should be there by now. Is everything alright with your friend?" she asked and Mordecai shook his head.
"uh yes, yeah, everything's fine. He stopped seizing." The blue haired male answered. Just then the EMTs showed up and immediately focused on Rigby, picking him up and placing him in what they called the recovery position.
Everything that happened in the past few hours felt like a blur to Mordecai. Rigby getting strapped into the ambulance, a paramedic asking him if he wanted to ride to the hospital with them and finally now, sitting in the waiting room explaining the situation to a concerned ( and very loud) Benson over the phone, waiting for the doctor to come out and explain what's wrong, or for Rigby to wake up so he could go see him.
"Well is he at least going to be alright?" Benson asked, finally calm enough to ask the question (not that it meant he was any less loud and angry sounding).
Mordecai sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"The doctors haven't told me much, but from the way no one seems to be freaking out, I'd say it can't be that bad." Mordecai turned his attention to the doctor who had made her way into the waiting room. "Hey listen, I think Rigby's Doctor just came out. I'm going to go talk to her." Mordecai heard Benson sigh.
"Okay. Call if you need anything." Benson said.
"Yeah, thanks Benson. I'll talk to you later." With that, Mordecai hung up the phone and walked up the doctor lady. The woman smiled kindly as he approached her.
"Are you here for Rigby?" She asked and Mordecai nodded. The doctor's smile widened. "That must make you Mordecai Vitali. I'm Dr. Van Buren." Mordecai shook hands with the petite woman.
"Nice to meet you Dr. Van Buren. Is Rigby alright?" Mordecai asked, nervously biting his lip. Dr. Van Buren gave him a reassuring smile as she lead him to where they could speak more privately.
"Yes, Rigby is quite alright. We've been monitoring him for the past hour and he has not seized again since he was brought in. it seems that this is a standard seizure." Mordecai did a double take at that last part.
"Wait, what do you mean 'standard seizure'? People don't just randomly have seizures! Do you even know what's wrong with him?" Mordecai said, careful not to raise his voice, despite his incredulousness. Dr. Van Buren raise a confused brow.
"Mr. Vitali, we don't have to find out what's wrong with your friend, because he's already been diagnosed by a previous doctor. This seizure was most likely caused because his medication is no longer affective at it's current dosage." Dr. Van Buren explained.
"M-medication?" Mordecai stuttered as he continued to look at the woman like she had grown a second head. Dr. Van Buren puzzled for a moment before understanding lit up in her eyes.
"Mr. Vitali, you are aware that Rigby suffers from Epilepsy, yes?" Dr. Van Buren asked gently. Mordecai 's jaw dropped in shock.
"Epilepsy?" The blue haired boy murmured and Dr. Van Buren nodded.
"Yes, Epilepsy. What happened to him today is called a Conic-Tonic seizure, which is the most common type of seizure among people with epilepsy. I would be correct in assuming that this is the first seizure that you've seen Rigby have, right?" Dr. Van Buren waited for Mordecai's slow nod to continue on with her explanation. "Okay, so this is the thing about Epilepsy: it varies. Some people are easier to treat than others. Some people, like Rigby, can take one anti-psychotic at the minimum dosage and be fine and others need some more tweaking. Some people even need to take more than one medication. And once you find something, it usually works, that is, until it doesn't. From what we've been able to gather from the tests we ran is that Rigby's seizure was triggered by his medication. Do you understand that?" Dr. Van Buren said, taking the time to make sure Mordecai was following what she was saying.
"Yes" Mordecai said hoarsely, before clearing his throat and answering again, "Yes." He said more clearly.
"Okay, so what we did was that we upped his dosage on the medicine that he is currently taking. We're going to keep him over night to make sure that he won't have any adverse reaction to the higher dosage of medication." Mordecai nodded numbly at the doctor's words. The blue haired male ran his hands over his face and sighed, long and loud. Sensing his distress, Dr. Van Buren placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Mr. Vitali, Epilepsy is not curable. Rigby will have to live with it-has been living with it- his entire life. However, while Epilepsy isn't curable, it is treatable. And the fact that you, one his closest friends, has never seen him have one, speaks bounds as to how well he's being treated for it okay?"
Mordecai nodded numbly before looking at Dr. Van Buren.
"Can I see him?" the blue haired boy asked and Dr. Van Buren smiled.
"Of course. Please, follow me." The petite doctor lead Mordecai further down the hallway towards the elevator. Mordecai watched Dr. Van Buren press the button for the third floor and ran a hand through his hair. There was a tiny hurt stinging underneath the relief at the knowledge that his best friend was okay. As Mordecai sighed for what felt like that millionth time, only one thought ran through his mind.
'Why wouldn't he tell me?'
When he woke up, the first thing that Rigby felt was confusion. 'Where the hell am I?' the brunette thought, 'did I fall asleep on the floor of the Snack Shack again?' Rigby settled comfortably snuggling warmly. 'Wait. Comfortable? Since when is the floor of the Snack Shack comfortable? Hell, not even my bed is this comfortable!' Rigby forced open his hazel eyes, only to realize he was staring at the white, sterilized ceiling of a hospital room.
The next thing Rigby felt was embarrassment as he remembered, however vaguely, the reason for being here. He'd had a seizure. Not only had he had a seizure, oh no, the fact that he was here meant that someone saw him having a seizure. And not just anyone. Mordecai saw him having a seizure. The embarrassment was quickly followed by anger. At himself mostly. Did he really have to have to have a seizure? It couldn't have waited until he was alone? 'He probably thinks you're a freak.' Said the same little voice that told him to get out of bed that morning. Just as Rigby was about to tell the voice to shut the fuck up (in his mind of course) the door to his hospital room opened, revealing a smiling woman in a doctor's coat with Mordecai trailing behind her.
"Hello Rigby! How are you feeling?" the small woman asked and Rigby looked away with a huff.
"I'm fine." Rigby said, still not meeting the doctor's gaze.
"Rigby." Mordecai said sternly. So sternly in fact, that it made Rigby look up. Mordecai's eyes were serious, devoid of any of their usual amusement. It made Rigby want to flinch, but the brunette swallowed that automatic reaction and chose to stare back defiantly. In an attempt to make Rigby more comfortable and willing to talk to her, Dr. Van Buren switched to her native tongue to accommodate Rigby.
"Rigby, Prefieres que hablemos en español (Rigby, Would you rather that we speak in Spanish)?" The small doctor asked with a soft smile. Rigby smiled back weakly.
"Si no fuera mucha molestia, por favor(yes, if it isn't too much of a bother)." Rigby replied and Dr. Van Buren grabbed her clip board and sat near Rigby. Out of the corner of his eye, the small brunette could see Mordecai scowling up a storm.
"Esta Bien entonces! Dime cuando fue la ultima ves que tomaste tu medicación (Okay then! Tell me, when was the last time that you took your medication)?" the doctor asked and Rigby sighed.
"Esta mañana (this morning)." Rigby answered in frustration still not understanding what brought the stupid seizure on.
" Y te la has estado tomando regularmente? Sin falta (And you've been taking them regularly? No skipping any doses?)?" Dr. Van Buren asked, still scribbling notes on her clipboard.
"Todas las mañanas al despertar y todas las noches antes de acostarme ( Every morning when I wake up and every night before I go to bed)." Rigby replied with a confused frown on his face.
"Esta bien Rigby, solo una pregunta mas. Anterior de esta instancia, has tenido mas convulsiones (Okay Rigby, one more question. Before today's incident, have you had any other seizures)?" Dr. Van Buren asked and Rigby bit his lip and looked away. Dr. Van Buren looked at Rigby in concern. "Rigby?"
The small brunette looked hesitantly at the young doctor. 'Should I tell her about the other two?' Rigby thought, nervously worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. Seemingly sensing his reluctance, the petite doctor offers Rigby a reassuring smile that was all warmth. The brunette let out a sigh and looked up at Dr. Van Buren from beneath his lashes.
"Yo e tenido dos otras convulsiones como esta antes de hoy (I've had two seizures before today's)." Rigby mumbled and Dr. Van Buren's face turned serious.
"En quanto tiempo (In what time span)?" Asked the petit woman and Rigby swallowed audibly.
"Heh, Este, f-fueron los dos la semana que paso (Heh, Um, t-they were both last week)." Rigby mumbled.
"What?!" Dr. Van Buren yelled, switching languages unconsciously. Mordecai jumped out of his seat in concern, mismatched eyes frantic. Rigby had almost forgotten that his tall best friend was even there.
"What? What's going on?" Mordecai asked in worry.
"Rigby! Why wouldn't you come to the hospital? That was incredibly reckless!" The woman said, shaking her head, scribbling furiously on her clipboard.
"Again, I reiterate. What is going on?" Mordecai asked in frustration. The two Latinos ignored him, however and continued to talk.
"Tenia una sita con mi doctor hoy despuese de mi turno en el trabajo por que no quería que nadie supiera que yo tengo epilepsia. Pero me dio un ataque antes de poder ir (I had an appointment with my doctor today after my shift at work because I didn't want anyone to know I had epilepsy. I had an attack before I could make it)" Rigby explained, trying to placate the clearly agitated woman. Dr. Van Buren deflated and nodded her head with a sigh.
"I understand. I've upped the dosage on your medication. That should fix it, if it doesn't," Dr. Van Buren said sternly, yet gently "Please come and see me, Okay Rigby?" The Doctor gave a smile when Rigby nodded. Dr. Van Buren glanced back at Mordecai's confused face and sighed. "You two clearly have some things you need to talk about, so I'll give you some space. Press the red button if you need anything." With that Dr. Van Buren left the room and closed the door softy behind her.
The room had been empty for barely a second, but it felt like an eternity for Rigby, what with Mordecai boring his eyes into Rigby's and the small brunette trying hard not to squirm beneath the intensity. It was so quiet that Rigby jumped when Mordecai finally broke the silence.
"So you have epilepsy." The blue haired male said and Rigby snorted.
"Yeah." Mordecai's eyes flitted to the ground. He looked very much like a kicked puppy. A very tall, very sad and very blue puppy.
"Why wouldn't you tell me? I get everyone else, but why not me? I'm your Best Friend. Why wouldn't you tell me?" Mordecai whispered lowly, almost too low for Rigby to hear.
It was quiet again for what could've been seconds just as well as it could've been minutes or hours, before Rigby spoke in voice just as tentative as Mordecai's.
"Connie Fisher." Rigby said as if that name would answer all of his friend's questions. For his part, Mordecai just took the seat that was occupied by Dr. Van Buren and looked expectedly at Rigby, prompting him to continue. The Brunette sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"You remember that my family and I moved here from Arizona halfway through Seventh grade right?" Rigby asked and Mordecai nodded.
"Yeah, I remember, but what does that have to do with this Connie person? Or your epilepsy for that matter?" Rigby looked at Mordecai with tired, sad eyes.
"Connie Fisher was my Best Friend in Arizona. We both had epilepsy and we met in the line at CVS when we were each picking up our prescriptions. We bonded over a mutual hate of the assholes that went to our school. Now me, I've had it easy with my epilepsy so far. I could hide it easily and my meds have been pretty much accurate when it came to which ones to use and at what dosage to take them. Connie's was difficult though. Hers was hell bent on just consuming her whole brain and none of the meds seemed to work. Oh but Connie never let that stop her. She was bright and beautiful and strong. So fucking strong. Connie never let anyone treat her any different from anyone else simply because she had epilepsy. She was everything I wished I could be." Rigby voice had grown thick with tears he didn't even know he was shedding. Mordecai put a large, comforting hand over Rigby's small trembling one.
"What happened to her?" Mordecai asked, although if he was being honest, he already knew the answer. Mordecai was not, however, expecting the sharpness that Rigby's tone took on when he spoke again.
"The people around her happened. Connie was strong, but it's hard to be the only one fighting against an entire school full of jerks and Bystanders who didn't do shit to help you. I tried to help as much as I could. I kept the bullies at bay believe it or not. I had a very mal-tempered reputation back then." Rigby said with a bitter smile that made Mordecai want to flinch and shy away.
"It worked for the most part. Connie and me against the world, but people still found ways to hurt her. Mostly when I wasn't around. The fucking cowards always waited until I wasn't around." Rigby growled. "Well, when my mother's birthday rolls around, she decides that we should take a family vacation to the Dominican Republic and visit our relatives." Rigby took a shaky breath and Mordecai squeezed his hand comfortingly.
"There was this guy who took extra special pleasure in making Connie's life hell. His name was Mark Saunders. My punishments for kicking his ass were always worse because he was the Principal's son. While I was gone, Connie had a seizure. A really bad one during a class that she shared with him and while the teacher went to get help, Mark decided it would be funny to put a marble shaped key chain in her mouth even though he knew that it could break her teeth. And what do you know, it did." Rigby's tears were flowing again and Mordecai's heart broke when Rigby's broken gaze met his.
"But that's not the worst part. No, of course not. Mark Fucking Saunders not only breaks all of Connie's teeth, no. he makes a video and puts it on the internet. And everybody sees it." Rigby shook his head and dried his sad, angry tears. "I was gone for a week, Mordecai. A fucking week. And when I come back, it's to a dead friend and a school full of hypocrites pretending that they're oh so sad that she's dead." Rigby's stared blankly at the white wall in front of him, his eyes distant. He barely registered Mordecai's weight being added onto the bed.
"So how do you think I feel when I find out that my friend is dead because Mark Saunders deemed her 'Unworthy of his presence'?" Rigby spat out the words like a poison. "I hunted him down and beat the everlasting shit out of him. Of course, I was expelled immediately because obviously I was the one in the wrong. But I didn't give a flying fuck because I was happy with the knowledge that Mark Saunders didn't leave the hospital for a week. My family and I stayed long enough to hear Mr. Saunders say that he wasn't going to press charges after a very persuasive talking to he was given by my dad and Mr. Fisher and then we moved here. You know the rest." Rigby sighed and closed his eyes. He felt so tired and Mordecai's weight next to him was warm and comfortable. Rigby was almost completely asleep when Mordecai finally spoke.
"You'll always be Rigby to me. You'll always be my best friend, no matter what. We promised remember? Through thick and thin." Mordecai murmured and Rigby wasn't sure if it was real or if he dreamt it, but before he snoozed off, Rigby swore he felt a slight pressure on his forehead. Almost as if Mordecai had pressed his lips to it.
'Huh, weird.'