Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible. She is owned by Disney and Mark McCorkle and Bob Schooley. Any original characters shown or mentioned belong to me and can not be used without permission. Got it?
Sidekick, No More
Chapter 2: Recovery
The last few hours had been particularly nerve wrecking for Kim. After she had recovered from the shock of seeing Ron's body, she quickly had Wade call up the hospital and send in an ambulance as quickly as they could. When it arrived, Kim and Shego helped the EMTs place Ron in the back of the vehicle, completely overlooking the fact that Monkey Fist and his minions had escaped. It barely crossed Kim's mind though as she was totally focused on keeping Ron alive. Or rather praying that he would be alive. It was a feeling that only increased when they got to the hospital and had to be separated from him. Of course praying wasn't her only option. Once she was finally able to think clearly she had Wade call in the best plastic surgeons in the country to help with the surgery. A favor from Global Justice ensure they were on the next super sonic jet to the hospital and made it there in no time flat. It was just one of the many favors she had to call in that night.
Even after the surgery, Kim was not allowed to see Ron until after all the doctors were done examining him. At the moment the two plastic surgeons she brought in where in Ron's room and looking him over as Kim paced outside in the waiting room, chewing nervously on the tip of her thumb as Shego tried to comfort her. At about her fifth lap around the row of plastic chairs, Bonnie came running up to them, still wearing the white shirt, black pants and orange vest that made up her Smarty-Mart outfit, complete with name tag. She stopped in front of them and took a moment to catch her breath before she glared up at Kim.
"Where is he?!" she demanded frantically.
"Well look how finally made it," Shego retorted, a bit defensive at the brunette's tone towards her nearly traumatized girlfriend.
Bonnie turned her angered glare towards the older woman.
"Don't start with me!" she snapped, jabbing a finger in Shego's face. "I tried go leave work the second you called me but my stupid boss told me that only could for immediate family members! So I had to stay and finish the rest of my stupid shift as a nervous wreck!"
"So why didn't you just leave?"
"Because some of us actually need to have a job because we don't have tons of money saved up from the time as a super villain!"
"That sounds like a personal problem to me," Shego retorted.
Bonnie glared angrily at her for a second as her hands balled up into fists and her frustration continued to grow. She was about to tear the pale woman a new one but instead her head snapped over towards Kim again. Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she stalked forward and grabbed Kim by the collar to her mission shirt.
"How could you let this happen?!" the brunette screamed, pulling the redhead's face close to her. "I thought you were the great Kim Possible! You could do anything! Except apparently, take care of your supposed best friend!"
Kim's shame filled eyes turned away from Bonnie's accusing ones. On any other occasion, the redhead would have given back just as good as she got and it would probably end up being another back and fourth between the two of them. Just like the old days in cheerleading practice. But those days were gone now and she had to deal with the fact that nothing would ever be that simple again.
And it was all her fault.
She scrunched her eyes shut to try to clear the tears out of them. She then tilted her head in the direction of corner room Ron was currently in. Bonnie stared longingly at the door for a moment before the angry glare came back into her eyes and she snapped her head back towards Kim again, tears starting to well up in the corners of her own eyes.
"You're suppose to keep him safe!" she screamed. "You said none ever really gets hurt on these stupid missions of yours! What happened to that Kim?!"
"Hey back off!" Shego snapped, pulling Kim away from the brunette. "She's in no condition to handle your bitching!"
Unfortunately, the outburst just caused the outraged brunette to turn her attention to the older woman.
"You were there too, why weren't you trying to help him?!" she accused, poking Shego in the chest roughly with her right index finger.
"Because I was helping Kim deal with Monkey Fist," Shego snapped back. "How the hell were we suppose to know he planted a bomb?! He never did anything like that before!"
"Well aren't you heroes supposed to be the look out for that kind of stuff?!"
"Not when we're not expecting it! That's why it's called 'a surprise'!"
"Well that 'surprise' nearly killed the guy I love!"
"And it could have killed either of us too, but you don't seem to broken up about that!"
"Hey! Hey!" a new voice called out angrily.
All three women turned their attention to the source of the voice to see Dr. Cox marching over to them, an even deeper scowl on his face than usual. He stopped right in front of them and crossed his arms over his chest as he glared at each one of them.
"This is a hospital!" he growled. "There are people who are sick and/or dying here and it would be nice if they could do that in peace! Now if you two want to go at it so badly I'm sure The Janitor could set up a kiddie pool of lime Jell-O out in the parking lot and you to could just wrestle around in it to your hearts' content but while you're in this hospital, my hospital, you're going to be quiet! Are we clear?!"
"Hey, Dr. Lippy, so not in the mood to listen to one of your smartass rants," Shego countered.
"Oh does She-Hulk want to go, cause we'll go," Dr. Cox challenged as he started to wave his fists around like a 1920s style boxer.
Before the scene could degenerate any further, the two doctors who were examining Ron finally stepped out of his room. Unlike the other doctors in the hospital they were dressed in rather expensive looking, well tailored suits. The taller of the pair has short, black hair and kept checking out every female nurse, doctor, and patient that crossed his path. He looked more like he was in a club looking to score a one night stand rather than a doctor who had just checked up on a patient.
The shorter one had short brown hair and seemed much more professional. He also had the look of a man who had taken a serious beating from life but tried not to let it get to him. He was looking over Ron's chart as they walked over to where the quartet stood waiting to hear whatever news they had to share. Or at least the three women were. Dr. Cox looked even more annoyed than before as he focused his ever present evil eye on the other two doctors.
"Weeeellll if it isn't my least favorite versions of surgeons ever: the plastic surgeons. And if that isn't bad enough one of them has to be the biggest horn dog since Caligula," he remarked, staring intently at the taller one.
"Nice to see you again too Perry," the other doctor remarked.
"You two know each other?" Shego asked, noticing the underlying tension between them.
"We've met," Dr. Cox said curtly.
"More like encountered each other," the darker haired doctor quipped. "Sean you remember I mentioned Perry. He's the guy who wouldn't go any further in his career because he's such an intolerable ass none of his bosses can stand him."
"True dat," Dr. Kelso muttered as he walked by the group.
Dr. Cox gave him an odd look for a second then turned his attention back to the other two.
"Yes we have met before," he said, answering Shego's question. "Allow me to introduce Dr. Christian Troy, one of the best plastic surgeons in the country. Of course that's like saying E. Coli is one of the best deceases in the country."
"Charming," Christian countered. "So Perry, how's that hot wife of yours?"
"Still as shrewish and hate filled as ever. I'd ask how are all your various girlfriends are but I'm sure at this point they're all rotten from the inside by all the various STDs you're crawling around inside you."
"I'll have you know I get myself checked regularly and I have a clean bill of health."
"Well obviously that doctor's as much of a quack as you are."
"Excuse me," Sean interrupted, stepping forward. "Now I don't mind you calling out Christian on his sexual indiscretions, hell I've said worse myself, but I will not have you undercutting either of our abilities as doctors."
"'Undercutting'. Well that's an interesting word for you to use," Dr. Cox said in a mocking tone. "Of course that's not surprising considering you scalpel jockeys only know how to speak in terms of knives and cutting and anything else that doesn't require higher level thought processes."
"What is your problem with us, anyway?"
The cynical doctor's eyes suddenly lit up like that of a kid's on Christmas morning. A sideways smirk crosses his face as he took a deep breath before even trying to answer the question.
"Oh I am just so glad you asked the question," he beamed. "You see my problem with you is the same problem I have with all the surgeons here. And you meant want to lean in close cause it's a bit of a secret." He then leaned forward and placed a hand over one side of his mouth for dramatic effect. "The thing is, you're not really doctors. None of the surgeons I've ever met have been real doctors, they're just walking scalpels and other pointy things that like to just go around cutting whatever gets in their way.
"Buuuut to be fair the surgeons here actually do serve somewhat of a purpose as sometimes us real doctors do need to push our patients into the operating room to get something cut out. Of course half the time we don't expect to get them back because surgeon's brains are just too tiny they can't seem to comprehend the complexities of the human body. Nevertheless it's a chance that needs to be taken.
"You two, however, perform completely unnecessary surgeries by preying on people's fears of the imperfections in their bodies, most of which are not that big a deal."
"And what about the things that are a big deal?" Sean countered. "Tumors that need to be removed?
Tendons that have to be repaired? Any number of reconstructive surgery?"
"Then I would recommend that they go to a real hospital where real surgeons can kill them. At least that way they have a better chance. Not a big one mind you, but still a better one."
"So...so how is Ron, Dr. McNamara?" Kim spoke up, abruptly ending the fight between the two doctors.
Sean regarded Kim with a sorrowful expression. He hated giving bad news to grieving family or friends. It was the absolute worst part of being a doctor. While the news he had to give wasn't completely bad he could also tell the by redhead's face that it wasn't going to be the news she wanted to hear. He cast his eyes down to the clipboard in his heads as he tried to think of the best way to tell her her friend's fate.
"Well as I'm sure you're aware he had multiple scars and a few minor burns all over his body. Particularly on his face. To be honest it's a miracle he's even alive at all," he started optimistically.
"That's what everyone keeps telling me," Kim muttered a bit bitterly.
"So what does that mean?! Is he going to be alright?!" Bonnie cried out desperately.
"Overall he's going to be fine, and we'll try to fix as many of his scars and burns as we can but..." he paused to let out a deep sigh. "Some of them are going to be permanent. The tissue is just too deeply damaged for us to get rid of them completely. I'm sorry."
"Got any other 'good' news there doc?" Shego scoffed.
"He's never going to be able to talk again. I'm sorry but his vocal cords and voice box were just too badly damaged."
Kim's eyes screwed shut again as she turned and buried her head in Shego's shoulder. Shego brought her hand up and gently held Kim's head as she whispered into her ear to try to comfort her. Bonnie stared wide eyed in shock for a moment before she stumbled back into one of the plastic chairs and buried her face in her hands as tears started to flow freely. The assembled doctors looked at the three grieving women with the same mix of frustration and sorrow they usually felt when they couldn't help a patient. Dr. Cox decided to take his frustration out on the two plastic surgeons who irritated him so.
"Alright you two butchers are done. Why don't you just get the hell out of here?!" he snarled.
"You know what? Fine. But we will be back here tomorrow morning to start treatment on our patient," Sean snapped back then took a card from his coat pocket and handed it to Shego. "If you have any questions please feel free to call us."
As she took the card from him, Christian walked in between them and threw an arm over his friend's shoulder.
"Come on Sean, if they don't want us around I'm sure we can find some way to pass the time. There's going to be some clubs we can scope out in this little town," he said in slightly arrogant tone.
Dr. Cox continued to glare at the two until they rounded the corner and disappeared from sight. He then turned his attention to the three women still in front of him and quickly thumbed his nose as he crossed his arms again.
"Alright now you three," he started in his usual stern and annoyed voice. "You can either stand out here and continue to bicker amongst yourself in which case I'd get that giant security guard with the fro and hook hand to forcibly remove you from the building. Or you could stay here and cry all over the floor which would probably cause it to become so slick The Janitor would have to come by and mop up and trust me you reeeee-eeeeeee-aaaallydo not want to get on his bad side and yes I do speak from personal experience. Or, and this is a crazy idea, you could pull yourselves together, get your asses in there and give that boy the one thing he needs now more than ever: friends. Someone he knows who cares about and can give him the strength he needs to pull through this." He paused to title his head a bit. "So, what's it going to be?"
Immediately, Shego and Bonnie's eyes turned to Kim. They all knew that she should rightfully be the first to go into Ron's room. Even if Bonnie wanted nothing more than to run into that room right now and try to hug and kiss his wounds away. But she would have to wait her turn. No matter how much it pained her.
For her part, Kim desperately wanted to go into that room. She wanted to go see how Ron was doing and try to cheer him up. She wanted to do that more than life itself. But she couldn't. She just couldn't. She knew Shego and Bonnie were expecting her to go first because of the bond she and Ron shared. A bond that had formed in Pre-K and lasted throughout their whole school career. It even survived their short and rather awkward relationship. But it was this very bond that was holding her back. She was supposed to the responsible one of the duo. She was supposed to look out for him. She was supposed to keep him safe.
And she failed. She failed on so many levels. The thought of going into that room and seeing him laying there hurt and suffering because of her was just too much.
"I...I can't!" she cried out before she spun around and ran down the hallway, tears flowing freely from her eyes.
"Kim! Kim wait!" Shego called out, running after her without a second thought.
Dr. Cox watched them both run off with a disappointed scowl on his face.
"And they're out," he muttered.
He then focused his eyes on the remaining brunette.
"You! Get in there!" he commanded, nodding his head towards the door then adding with a whistle, "Go on! Get!"
Bonnie stared at him blankly for a moment. At first her natural resentment of being told what to do kicked in, but it was quickly buried under the mountain of exhaustion she was feeling as well as her need to go into the room and check on her boyfriend. So she clenched her jaw and nodded then made her way over to where Ron lay silently. As Dr. Cox turned to watch her walk into the room, he felt a very familiar and very annoying presence suddenly slide up next to him.
"See, it's that kind of care for your patients that makes you my hero and inspiration," JD said tenderly as he placed a hand on Dr. Cox's shoulder.
"Newbie take your hand off me or I swear by all that is holy you will be doing your rounds with a bloody stump," he warned.
JD quickly did as he was told and took an extra step back as a precaution.
"There ya go," Dr. Cox muttered with a nod.
Bonnie was oblivious to the rather odd scene taking place in the hallway as all her attention was focused on the mostly still body laying in the bed in front of her. If it wasn't for the gentle rise and fall of his chest and the rhythmic beating of the heart monitor she could swear that Ron wasn't alive at all. But thank God he was. She didn't think she could handle losing him. Not after everything else she lost. She couldn't lose the one good thing she had in her life right now.
She took a few careful steps over to the bed and rested her hands on the guardrails surrounding it. Her eyes filled with tears as she looked down at his bandaged head. She just couldn't imagine that his boyish, freckled covered face was gone now. Well obviously it wasn't completely gone but from what those two plastic surgeons had said he'd never look the same again. It was just so...unbelievable. To not see that goofy grin on his face again. To hear his infectious laugh when he found something really funny. Things that she didn't find particularly funny but she couldn't help but laugh when she heard him in the throws of a good belly laugh. It made her regret that she has put him down and ignored him all those years in high school.
And now all that was gone. He wouldn't be able to laugh again, let alone even talk. She let out a long, heavy sigh as she sat down in the chair next to the bed then snaked her arm through the railing to gently cup his hand with her own. She gave it a soft squeeze as a tear slowly slid down her cheek. She knew that Kim blamed herself for what happened to him, and even she had blamed the redhead at first, but she knew who was really to blame...
"It's all my fault," Bonnie sobbed. "It's my bad karma! I was starting to get too happy and for some reason you were punished for it. I'm sorry Ron, I'm so sorry. If I had known I never would have asked you out. I never would have stayed with you!"
She covered her eyes with her free hand as she wept openly. Normally she wouldn't allow herself to be seen like this. To look weak. It was why she was so stubborn in asking for Kim's help. She was supposed to be a strong, independent woman you didn't really need anyone. But now she did. She needed Ron and the thought of him being so badly hurt was just too much for her. She shoulders trembled as she continued to cry for a minute or so. She really wasn't sure how long she cried but it felt like forever to her. Eventually though she was able to regain control of her emotions and fought the tears back. She rubbed her now bloodshot eyes and focused her blurry version on Ron's still form.
"I shouldn't have stayed with you," she repeated softly as she tightened her grip on his hand a bit. "But now that I have stayed, I never want to leave you. And-and I won't. I promise you that. No matter what'll happen or what you'll look like I'll be there for you, you hear that? You did so much for me over the last few months and now it's my turn to repay you. I just...I just want you to get better. Just please get better, okay?"
She let out another sigh and dipped her head a bit in sadness. It snapped back up again when she felt him squeeze her hand back a bit. Her eyes widened with hope but fell again slightly when she saw he was still asleep. Still, it was a sign that he was not only alive but had heard her somehow. That was good enough for her for now. She smiled softly and returned the squeeze, hoping that he would get her message.
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Shego wandered around the hospital's hallways in her search for Kim. She had planned to just follow the sounds of crying but it seemed there were far more of those in hospitals than she ever would have expected. This of course made it rather difficult for her to track down her own grieving girlfriend. She eventually did stumble upon her in a row of three plastic chairs down an mostly empty hallway. She had her head buried in the crock of her elbow and her body was trembling slightly. Shego inhaled deeply before she carefully walked over to Kim, trying not to startle her. She sat down in the chair next to her and laid a soft, comforting hand on her shoulder to let her know she was there. Kim immediately took the unspoken offer and once again buried her head in the older woman's shoulder. Shego wrapped her arms around the redhead and gently padded her back and head.
"It'll.-it'll be okay Kimmie," she said, trying to sooth Kim as best as she could.
"How?! How will it be okay?!" she wailed, looking up at Shego with wet, reddened eyes. "Ron's laying there in a disfigured mess and it's all my fault!"
"No it's not!" Shego insisted. "If you want to play the blame game then lay it on the person it really belongs to: Monkey Fist. He's the one who tried to steal that stupid scroll thing and he's the one that set that bomb. So it's all his fault."
"But I was the one who forced him to go!" Kim spat out through her sobs. "He wouldn't even have been there if it wasn't for me!"
"Oh that's just crap!" the older woman challenged.
She then tucked her fingers under the redhead's chin and held her head up to force her to look her in the eyes.
"Now you listen to me, Kim Possible," she started forcefully. "I know I've made a lot of snide remarks of Ron not being the brightest bulb but even I know he's not that stupid!" She sighed then her expression and tone softened. "Look, Ron's not some completely blindly loyal puppy. He didn't go on that mission or any mission just because you told him too. Yeah that was probably part of it, but the real reason he's out there with you is because like you, he knows it's the right thing to do. You're both so irritably goodie-goodie it drives me nuts sometimes!"
The right corner of her lip curled back a bit in a smirk as her thumb gently rubbed Kim's chin.
"But that's exactly what I love about you and what I can...tolerate about him," she confessed. "You're heroes. More so then me even in my Team Go days. And every hero knows the risks of going out there and doing the right thing. You put your life on the line every time. You know, I know it, and Ron knew it. He still took that chance though because it was the right thing to do. He wanted to do it. Trust me even dogs are only so loyal. Yeah it's horrible this had to happen but it was just a freak accident. There was nothing either of us could have done about it, so stop blaming yourself or I'm gonna go back to kicking your ass, got it?"
A very small smile tugged at the edges of Kim's mouth for a second but it quickly faded. Still it was enough encouragement for Shego to crack a smile of her own. She leaned forward to give Kim a quick, hopefully uplifting, kiss on the lips.
"Now as much as I hate to agree with that jackass Dr. Cox, he's right, we really should be in there to support Ron," she said.
Any comfort Kim felt before quickly evaporated at the thought of having to step into that room. Even after Shego's pep talk she couldn't quite get over the feelings of guilt and shame when thinking about the injured Ron. She shook her head violently and buried her face in Shego's shoulder once more.
"I...I can't," she blubbered. "Not just yet. I just can't go in there yet."
"It's okay Kimmie," Shego soothed her. "You don't have to go in there right n ow but you will eventually. For now...how about we just go home and get some sleep? Maybe...maybe that'll help you get your strength back."
Kim nodded and slowly pulled herself away from the older woman. She rubbed her red, swollen eyes free of any linger tears then slowly stood up. Shego stood with her to and placed her hand on her shoulder for support. She pulled her in close as they started to walk down the hallway in search of the nearest exit. Kim looked behind them as they walked, staring down the long, white hallway. She knew she wasn't anywhere near the room Ron was in but she still felt like she was looking right at it and could practically feel Ron's eyes on her.
I'm sorry Ron. I'm just so, so sorry, she thought sorrowfully with another tear rolling down her right cheek.
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It was near dawn when the pair arrived home. The events of the last few hours had been exhausting and it was now finally starting to catch up with them. Kim in particular could barely make it through the door. Her eyes dropped and her shoulders slumped as she dragged her feet through the living room. Shego was close behind her and was just slightly more awake and coherent then her girlfriend but she was very much looking forward to slipping into bed and getting some sleep after all this whole ordeal. Which is why she let out an loud, irritated growl when she heard the phone ring.
"Kimmie, why don't you go ahead into the bedroom and I'll deal with whoever the hell this is," she snarled.
The redhead nodded wordlessly as she continued to her make her way towards for the bedroom. Shego watched her for a second then stomped into the kitchen to stop that annoying ringing. She snatched the phone off the hook and brought it roughly to her ear.
"What?!" she snarled.
"Shego?! Is everything alright?" Ann's distressed voiced sounded from the other side.
The pale green woman let out a small sigh of relief and embarrassment as she relaxed.
"Sorry about that Ann, it's been kind of a...rough night," she explained.
"So I've heard. Some friends from the hospital called and told me what happened to Ron. Is he alright?"
"Well..he's...stable," Shego answered, not really sure what to tell her. "But apparently his face is going to be scarred up for...ever. And he won't be able to talk again."
She heard a horrified gasp from the other end of the line.
"Oh my God. Poor Ron..." Ann whispered in shock.
"Yes it's...well it's not the best situation to deal with," the pale green woman replied with a heavy sigh.
"I take it Kim's not handling it well."
"Not really," she response as she twirled a strand of her ebony longs around her finger nervously. "That kinda brings me to my next question. Do you...think you can watch Shin for another day? With everything that's going on here lately I don't think Kimmie's really ready to handle her again and I've got to deal with her, so..."
Shego could almost feel the smile on Ann's lips as she answer.
"Of course," she said cheerfully. "It's kind of been fun having another baby around here. Plus the boys have taken a real liking to their baby niece."
"I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that last part. Just make sure they don't try to launch her into space or something."
"Oh you sound just like Kim."
Well now there's something I never thought I'd hear in my life, Shego thought in amusement. Aloud she replied, "Well in any cause I appreciate it. And, um, Ron's parents...?"
"I'll break the news to them," Ann replied in a more somber tone.
"Good. Thanks for everything Ann."
"You're welcome. Just do you best to help my daughter through this, alright?"
"Trust me, I will."
"I know."
Shego nodded then after saying her goodbye she hung up the phone and headed towards the bedroom she shared with Kim, her feet dragging even more. When she stepped inside she found Kim laying face down on the bed, fast asleep. Apparently the redhead had managed to get her mission cloths off but collapsed before changing into her usual sleep attire. So she laid there in nothing both her pink bra and matching panties with her head turn to the left and a slight puddle of drool starting to form under her open mouth. Despite everything that had happened recently, Shego couldn't help but giggled a bit at the image.
She picked up Kim's discarded clothes and dropped them into the hamper next to the dresser before she stripped out of her classic black and green catsuit and tossed it into tho hamper as well. She then made her way over to the bed and carefully crawled onto it, not wanting to wake Kim. Of course given how exhausted she seemed, Shego highly doubted she could wake her even if she completely shoved her off the bed. Which in a way was a good thing because it allowed her to pull the covers over both of them and rolled Kim's body into her arms. The sleeping girl quickly readjusted to the new position and placed her head on Shego's shoulder just above her left breast. As she laid there she let a few whimpers while whispering Ron's name sorrowfully. Shego looked down at her helplessly, not really sure what she could do to sooth her lover's no doubt awful dreams. She settled for simply rubbing Kim's back and giving her a kiss on the forehead.
"Everything will be alright Kimmie," she whispered softly, trying to convinced herself as much as the sleeping redhead. "Everything will be alright."
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Ron watched the TV absently as he laid in his hospital bed. JD was standing near him and telling him something about the healing process and what they're doing to make sure he was going to be okay and a bunch of other stuff he really wasn't paying attention to. He wasn't trying to be rude or anything, it was just that his thoughts were preoccupied by something else. Something much more important. Something that had been bothering him for quite awhile now.
His face hurt. Not just from the scars he got in the explosion but also from all the surgeries he had to try to get rid of those scars. His entire head felt sore because of it. He had a headache from listening to all the stupid beeping from the heart monitor, his eyes itched from the bandages scratching against his lids each time he blinked and his throat was still really sore. Apparently that was taking its own sweet time to heal up as well. It didn't hurt as much as it had when he first arrived but it was still too sore for him to eat solid foods and so they had to give him chicken or beef broth.
Joy! He thought bitterly. Man I'd love a naco about now.
His stomach growled at the thought of his most cherished culinary treat and he tried to think of something else to get his mind off it. Unfortunately, the only other thing he could really think about was the horrible situation he was in. His face was messed up beyond all repair, they had told him that enough times, his voice was completely gone and worst of all, Kim hadn't stopped by to visit him in the week and a half he had been stuck in the hospital. His parents stopped by and of course Bonnie was there almost every day and even Kim's mom stopped in to see him a few times. But not Kim herself. It depressed him but it didn't really surprise him. Knowing Kim, she was probably blaming herself for what happened to him and bumming hard. It was not out of character for her but it was really stupid. After all it wasn't her fault he was injured, it was his own. He was being is usual goofy, careless self and he paid the price for it. Which, oddly enough, wasn't the worst pain he felt, despite the seriousness of his injuries.
Hurting Kim? That was what really got to him. It actually hurt him more than his scars. He hated, absolutely hated, seeing that depressed and downtrodden look on her face. Especially when he was the cause of it. It was part of the reason he stayed away from her immediately after their breakup. Not only because his own feelings were hurt but because every time he saw that sad expression on her usually chipper face, it just twisted his insides even more. If that was how she reacted to their mostly mutual breakup, he couldn't even imagine what she would look like when she thought she responsible for his accident.
And yet, oddly enough, he actually wanted to see her. Yes it would be painful for both of them, but like getting over their relationship, it was really something that had to be done for them both to move on. At least, he hoped they could move on. He still wanted to be a part of her life but he wasn't sure if he could handle causing her pain every time he saw her.
Ron shook his head to try to clear away those bad thoughts. The last thing he needed was to make himself even more depressed. Instead he decided to turn his attention to what JD was saying.
"...and from what the plastic surgeons tell us you should be up and around soon," he concluded as he put the chart back down into the holder attached to the foot of the bed. He then looked at Ron with a more serious expression. "Look man, I know this whole situation sucks you've got to take the good with the bad. I mean, it could have been a whole lot worse, right? And you have no idea how many people I've seen come in here looking perfectly healthy and then dropping dead. It's...not really the best part of being a doctor. So I hope you'll forgive me if I try a little harder to get you to appreciate that you're still alive and try to keep you that way."
Ron nodded slightly.
"Good," JD nodded with him. "And hey look at this way you're getting some great plastic surgery out of it all. Most people can't even afford to get the stuff they want done. Though I've never really been sure why exactly people would want to fix things that's not really wrong with them. I mean if you have one gazanga larger than the other you'd need it right?" he joked as he held one hand close to his chest and the other further out. "Other than that I just don't get it. Although there is one thing I've always wanted to do if I ever got plastic surgery."
He ended his sentence by tilting this head to the left and looking up, his eyes taking on a far away look.
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"Alright now we're going to take the bandages off slowly," Turk warned JD.
The bandaged doctor just nodded as he laid in his hospital bed. He looked around him to see all his friends where there; Turk of course, Carla, Elliot, and naturally Dr. Cox. He smiled happily under his bed as he felt the concern and care radiate from them. He closed his eyes as Turk started to unwind the bandages wrapped around his head. Within seconds the white gauze was off and everyone gathered in the room let out a gasp at the sight before them.
"How do I look?" JD asked.
"You look great," Turk replied as he handed his friend a mirror.
JD slowly lifted the hand mirror to his face, his hand shacking nervously. He stopped half way when saw the right have of his face which looked as it always did. He continued to move the square mirror over until he caught sight of the left side of his face which he had worked on. That side of his face no longer looked like him at all. Now, it was a perfect replica of Turk's face from his bald head right down to his mole. A wide smile crossed JD's now two tune lips as he looked up at Turk.
"Now we'll be together forever," he said affectionately.
"Just like it was always meant to be," Turk said back as he patted his friend on the shoulder.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Life would be so prefect," JD muttered absently as his fantasy ended.
Ron stared uncomfortably at the day dreaming doctor. He really wished he was able to walk out of the room right now. Thankfully, the rather awkweird moment was brought to an end when the sounds of footsteps and a slight whirling sound approached the room. Both Ron and JD looked towards the door to see a boy in a high tech wheelchair and a Latino girl entering the room.
"May I help you?" JD asked cautiously.
"We're friends of Ron. We just wanted to visit him for a bit," the boy explained.
The doctor looked towards Ron who merely nodded in reply.
"Well alright then. I guess I'll leave you three alone," JD said then walked out of the room.
Ron watched him go then turned his attention to Felix and Zita as they moved towards the bed. While it wasn't much of a surprise to see Felix, seeing Zita did surprise him. Especially seeing them...together.
Wait. Are they together together?! He thought in confusion. Naaah! That couldn't be...well maybe. It's surprising but-well I mean it could...huh.
"Hey Ron man, how ya doing?" Felix asked lamely.
A slight shift in the bandages indicated that Ron cocked his eyebrow at the question. A slight blush came to Felix's face as he realized how dumb is question was.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," he remarked. "But it was the only thing I could think of to start off the conversation. But aside the obvious how are you doing?"
Ron shook his right hand a bit in the classic "so-so" motion. He then pointed to Felix then Zita and moved his finger between them in an inquiring manner.
"Oh. Yeah. We're kind of a...couple now," Zita stated uncomfortably.
Ron's eyes widened behind his bandages.
"It's a bit of a shock, isn't it?" Felix tried to joke.
He nodded.
"Look, the only reason I didn't tell you before now was cause...it was kind of...weird. You know with the whole 'guy code' and everything. But it's not like I went after her right after you guys stopped dating or anything."
"Especially since you weren't even at the school right after we broke up," Zita pointed out.
"Yeah there is that."
Ron brought up a finger to interrupt them and tried to think of the best way to make a questioning gesture with his hands but couldn't think of anything. Thankfully, Zita seemed to pick up on his intentions.
"How did we get together?" she asked for him.
He nodded again.
"Actually it's kinda funny," she mused. "I mean we barely saw each other at school but we kept running into each other at gaming conventions. One day we decided to go out for lunch and well...things kinda took off from there."
"And we've been having fun since then," Felix added. "Even though she DOES get a little cranky when I level up before her in Everlot."
Zita suddenly glared down at him as she placed her hands on her hips.
"It doesn't count when you cheat!" she started firmly.
"Hey knowing a few nifty tricks isn't cheating. It's just good game playing," he countered.
"Just keep telling yourself that."
Felix shook his head then looked back up at Ron with a more serious expression.
"So...you're okay with this, right man?" he asked.
Ron nodded as he raised his hand and made the "OK" sign. Both Felix and Zita smiled in relief and relaxed a bit.
"Good," Felix nodded. "And to help break the tension a bit more I brought something along you might like."
With that he pressed a button on the arm of his cyber-robotic wheelchair and a small laptop flipped up from the side. He detached and opened it then did a bit of type. A few seconds later he placed it carefully into Ron's lap as a video began to play. The clips on the screen alternated between shots of old video games and a young man with dark hair and glasses dressed in a white button up shirt and tons of pens in his shirt pocket playing them. And he didn't look very happy to be doing so. While all that was going on, a rather unique song was playing.
"He's gonna take you back to the past
To play the shitty games that suck ass
He'd rather have a buffalo
Take a diarrhea dump in his ear
He'd rather eat the rotten asshole
Of a road kill skunk and down with beer
He's the angriest gamer you've ever heard
He's the Angry Nintendo Nerd
He's the Angry Atari/Sega Nerd
He's the Angry Video Game Nerd"
When the theme song ended a cartoon title card appeared of The Nerd fighting off a horde of zombies with the title "Zombie Mayhem" above it. That faded away to show The Nerd himself sitting on a couch with a game disk in his hand and an irritated expression on his face.
"Zombie Mayhem for the original Gamestation. Oh man was this a huge piece of donkey shit," he started out.
Unfortunately he didn't get much farther as Ron paused the video. He noticed his friends' questioning looks and minimized the video's window so he could bring up a writing program to type up a quick message before he handed the laptop back to Felix.
"It hurts too much to even TRY to laugh right now," the screen read.
"Oh right," Felix nodded and closed the laptop. "Well maybe when you're feeling better. It's a great episode."
"Yeah," Zita added with a giggle. "He really tears that game a new one. Though is it bad it kinda makes me want to play it?"
"I think it has that effect on everyone."
The two shared a quick laugh before Felix's expression grew serious again.
"Hey Zita, would you mind leaving us alone for a bit?" the brunette boy requested.
The Latino girl looked at him quizzically for a second before she glanced between the two and Felix's meaning sank in.
"Oooh right. Yeah I'll just go get us a soda or something," she said before she left the room.
Felix waited until she was down the hallway a bit before he wheeled his chair closer to Ron's bed.
"Alright, I tried to think of a lot of ways to say this without sounding cliche but unfortunately I couldn't come up with anything better," he confessed. "So here goes." He paused to give a sigh. "Ron, I know how you feel."
Ron gave him an odd look as best he could through the bandages.
"Yeah, yeah like I said, total cliche," he remarked as he shook his head in shame. "But it's true. I mean I'm sure you don't want to hear this word but you are handicapped now."
A long exhale from Ron's nose signaled a sigh of acceptance as he nodded a bit.
"Good," the wheelchair bound boy nodded back. "At least you can accept it. That's the most important part. Trust me, it really wasn't easy for me to come to terms with this," he said, gesturing to his legs. "I was probably feeling the same way you are now, angry, fearful, depressed. You know, all the good emotions."
He laughed a bit and from what he could see through the bandages it looked like Ron was smiling as well. It was a good start.
"Eventually I realized there were one of two things I could do. I could either stay depressed and angry and just become more bitter or I could accept my fate and move on. I decided to do that latter. I mean, yeah obviously there are some things I'm just not going to be able to do, but for the most part I can still live a pretty normal life and have fun. I mean I beat you on the basketball court plenty of times, right?"
Ron waved his hands and shook his head in a "Not true!" motion.
"Oh don't give me that! You know I beat you," Felix shot back. "I swear you're a sore a loser as Zita."
He crossed his arms over his chest and glared.
"Okay, okay, no picking on the guy who can't comment back," he agreed. "But at least this shows you're dealing with it. And that's the most important part. You can't let the handicap control you, you have to control it. Again, I know that sounds really cheesy but it's true. It's how I learned to get over everything and just...deal," he shrugged. "It's not going to be easy though. People are going to stare at whatever scars you're going to have left. Just like people stare at my wheelchair when they first meet me. I mean just look how Kim reacted."
Ron rolled his eyes and nodded vigorously.
"See. I could have been offended by that but I know she was just trying to be nice so I took it with a grain of salt and let her get to know the real me instead of just the chair. You've just gotta keep at it and eventually people will look past your scars and get to know you. Of course it'll help that you're friends will all be behind you no matter what. You know that, right?"
He smiled as best he could and nodded again.
"Good," Felix smiled. "Cause otherwise I'd have to call Zita back in here to bop you on the head and trust me she does it pretty well."
He chuckled and even Ron seemed to laugh a bit before he went into a strange wheezing fit. Felix looked alarmed and turned his chair to go get someone when Ron sudden grabbed onto his arm. He shook his head then pointed to himself and gave an "OK" sigh with his free hand.
"Are you sure?" his friend asked.
He nodded to hopefully reassure the other boy.
"Well if you say so," Felix remarked, calming down a bit.
The sounds of footsteps out in the hallway drew their attention. They each thought it was just Zita returning with the promised sodas so they were surprised to see Kim standing in the door way. Ron especially. The former couple starred at each other from across the room and the tension in the air was palpable. So much so that Felix began to feel not only uncomfortable by it but also a bit smothered.
"Umm...I think I'm gonna take off now. You sure you're gonna be alright man?" he asked Ron once again.
The bedridden boy made one more "OK" sigh and Felix nodded. He then wheeled out of the room, giving a quick "Hello" and "Goodbye" to Kim as he passed her. The redhead returned the pleasantries then turned her attention back to the person laying in bed. Her best friend, her better half, her former boyfriend. One of the most important people in her life. And he was laying there all thanks to her. What was she suppose to say to him? What could she say to him?
Without really knowing what she was going to do she started to walk forward. She to exactly three steps into the room before her composure completely broke down and she ran towards him as her eyes flooded with tears. When she reached the bed she hugged him as best she could as she blubbered into his shoulder.
"I'm sorry Ron! I'm so, so, so sorry!" she cried. "I didn't mean to let this happen to you! It's all my fault! I-I should have been more careful. I should have returned that stupid scroll! I just...I-I-I..."
Ron just laid there in stunned silence. He knew Kim would have blamed herself but she didn't know she would take it this badly. He wanted to tell her that it was all okay. That he didn't blame her for the accident it and was all his fault. He wanted to, but he couldn't. He literally couldn't! And it was tearing him up inside. So much he wanted to say and he just lacked the ability to do so. So instead he just wrapped his arms around her and hugged her with all the strength he had, hoping it would convey his message.
The two stayed like that for a long time, longer than either of them could really tell. Not that it mattered though. All they really cared about was being there for each other again. Even though it had only been a week and a half since they had seen each other it just felt like a lot longer. Especially considering all the personal agony they had been through over that short period of time. It's what they were both getting out at the moment; Kim with her crying and Ron with this hugging. Eventually, Kim pulled away from Ron and sat back in the chair next to the bed. She sniffled and rubbed the remaining tears out of her red, puffy eyes.
"I'm sorry Ron I just...I don't know what came over me," she said. "Wait. No. I do know what came over me. I did this to you! I let you go off without even thinking about it and you got hurt! Shego keeps telling me it's not my fault but it is! How could it not be?"
Ron stared at her in amazement for several seconds before he frantically started to look around the room. He pointed to a small desk on the other side, indicating that Kim needed to go check it out. She cocked an eyebrow at the request but went ahead and did it anyway. She checked the top of the desk and found nothing but when she pulled out the drawer she found a note pad and a pencil. She held them up to him and he nodded excitedly. She then brought the items over to the bed and handed them over. He snatched them away and quickly scribbled something down. He then tore off the note and handed it over to her.
"NOT your fault! Mine!" the note read.
Kim blinked in surprised as she sat back down in the chair. She stared at the note a bit before she looked up at Ron, her eyes starting to water over again.
"But...I..." she started again.
Ron held up a hand to cut her off then wrote another note and passed it to her.
"I was the one who wasn't paying attention. I screwed up, not you."
"No," Kim shook her head. "If I was being more careful, if I was being the...leader I should have been then you wouldn't have gotten hurt."
"I can take care of myself. I just screwed up," another note read.
"But you're only in the situation because of me!"
Ron started to write something else, but then stopped and tore of the small piece of paper and crumpled it up. He let out a small sigh through his nose before he wrote a new note and handed it over.
"How about we stop playing the blame game? We BOTH screwed up. I got hurt but I'm kinda okay now. How about we both move on?"
A small smile tugged at Kim's lips as she looked over the note.
Same old Ron, she thought happily. Aloud she said, "Yeah. Yeah I think that's for the best."
She reached out and laid her hand on top of his. He smiled beneath his bandages and turned his hand over so he could gently squeeze hers. She squeezed back as she looked up at his wrapped head.
"Ron I just want you to know that I'm going to be here for you," she said gently. "We all will. Me, Bonnie, Rufus, even Shego. We're all going to help you get through this. But you've got to be strong too. You've got to help us. I know it's not really like you but I also know something like this could change someone. Please just...don't get too withdrawn, okay?"
He nodded then slipped his hand out of hers so he could write again.
"I won't KP, I promise. But I'm going to need some time to myself. I need to think some things over."
She nodded herself. "Of course. Just know we're here for you. I'm here for you."
"I know. Thanks KP. You're the best friend I ever had," he next note said.
Another tear ran down Kim's cheek as she leaned forward and hugged him again.
"And you're the best friend I ever had," she repeated. "I don't ever want to lose you. I don't know what I'd do if I did."
Ron set the pad and pencil aside then wrapped his arms around her again. It was kind of weird that this kind of embrace might have felt a bit awkward during the last few weeks of their relationship but now, as just friends again, it felt comfortable. It felt right. The relationship just seemed to make things too complicated. They had all those ideals and social pressures they're supposed to live up to. But here they could just be themselves and realize that they would always be there for each other. They were best friends through and through and at least that would never change.
But Ron knew deep down that if he wanted to stay by Kim's side, to truly be the friend-the partner-she needed then he would have to do something drastic. Something he had been mulling over for awhile now and this whole incident just did more to reinforce the idea. Unfortunately, it'd mean he'd have to break this promise to Kim. He'd have to go away for awhile. He didn't want to but it had to be done. There was just no other way around it.
I have to go back... he thought solemnly as he laid his head back and held Kim tighter.
To Be Continued...
Author's Notes: Well seems I just missed making an update in February. Stupid shortest month of the year, could have just made if it had more days. Well...no use crying over spilled milk I suppose. So there was this chapter. A simple title for a pretty emotionally heavy chapter. It's part of why it took so long to write, it's really hard to keep up that level of emotions all the time. I certainly hope you guys all enjoyed it though. I know it's not the most exciting or action packed chapter but it had to be written. I would like to think the inclusion of the doctors from Nip/Tuck helped lighten the mood a bit. Especially Christian's interaction with Dr. Cox. I know I was personally excited for that. Just the idea of putting those two together in a scene was just too good to pass up. Of course Dr. Cox stole the scene but he pretty much steals most of the scenes he's in. Mostly because he has so much dialogue! Much respect to John C McGinely for not only being able to say all that dialogue but also for getting it all out in almost one breath most of the time. God's speed to that man.
The other "cameo" in this chapter of course being the small appeared by Internet sensation The Angry Video Game Nerd. Created and played by the extremely talented James Rofle. It's a great series and I recommend everyone check it out at www. cinemassacre .com. Just fill in the blanks cause of FF.N's weird non link thing they do. I have to warn you though The Nerd videos are full of cursing so timid ears probably shouldn't listen to it. But he also have a lot of other great videos up and I highly recommend that you guys check 'em out.
The theme song from the AVGN series was written and sung by James' equally talented friend Justin Kyle. It's a simple melody but one of the catchiest damn themes ever. And popular to remix apparently given all the different versions of it floating around on YouTube.
Well anyway time to bring this rambling to a close. Be sure to come back for the next chapter to see where exactly it is that Ron needs to return to. Though I'm pretty sure you guys who are familiar with the series might already have figured that part out.
Next time guys!