CHAPTER TWO - Return Home

Matt unlocks his apartment door and goes inside, shutting the door behind him. He slowly sulks into the living room and stands in front of the couch where he had found Ryu collapsed and coughing blood. He stares down with sad eyes at all of the blood that Ryu had coughed all over the couch and floor. He goes to the hall closet, then returns with a rag and spray bottle and begins to clean up the mess. After a while of scrubbing and cleaning, he sets the now bloody rag and spray bottle aside, then sits on the couch where Ryu usually sat and lays his head back against the couch and closes his eyes. He lets out a deep sigh and tries his best to keep it together and be strong, but he eventually breaks and the tears slowly run down.

"This isn't happening..." he says to himself, still shaken from the whole mess of drama. "It can't be happening..."

After a long while, he feels something brush up against his leg and looks down to see Todd, who stares up at him while wagging his tail slowly. Matt picks him up by the scruff of his neck and lifts him onto the couch.

"Ryu's not coming home for a while, boy. She's very sick."

Todd, Ryu's pet fox pup, softly licks under Matt's chin to try and make him feel better, sensing that he's upset and hurting. Matt smiles softly and ruffles the fur on Todd's head, then Todd curls up in his lap. Todd catches the scent of Ryu's blood in the stain on the couch and lets out a small whimper, flattening his ears, and Matt gently strokes his back.

"Ryu's a fighter, Todd. She'll be okay." Matt sighs and glances over at the picture of Ryu sitting in a frame on the couch's end table. He stares at her picture and looks into her eyes as if she were really there with him. "..."

Five days later, late at night, the house phone rings. Matt hadn't slept in the entire five days, so groggy and exhausted, he gets up and answers the phone.

"Hello?" he says, tiredly.

"Hello Sir, is there a young man by the name of Matt there?"

"This is Matt."

"Hi Matt, it's Dr. Johnson at East L.A. Hospital. I'm the doctor you spoke with the other day in the lobby."

Matt listens, concerned.

"How's Ryu? Is she okay?"

"Yes, she's doing fine. She was strong and pulled through. As bad off as she is, she still has fight in her, the poor thing. Anyway, she's actually in good enough condition to check out now, so I thought I'd give you a call to let you know that you can now come and get her and take her back home."

Matt then smiles, relieved.

"I'm on my way."

The doctor smiles.

"Alright, son."

At the hospital, Ryu is sitting up in the hospital bed with her feet hanging over the side of the bed. Dr. Johnson then walks in the room and stands beside her.

"Okay Ryu, I called Matt. He's on his way."

"Thank you."

"No problem at all. I'll have my assistant bring in a wheelchair for you."

Ryu flinches, fear apparent in her eyes.

"Whoa. Stop. What?" she asks.

"What?" the doctor answers blankly, one eyebrow raised.

"You'll get a what for me?"

"A wheelchair. I'm sorry, but I don't believe you're quite ready to get back on your feet yet. So, just in case-"

"No." Ryu interrupts, sternly. "I don't need a wheelchair. I can walk fine on my own."

"Ryu, as sick as you are, I think it's best that you stay off your feet and go out in a wheelchair."

"NO. I don't need a wheelchair." She quickly gets to her feet, lightheaded and dizzy, but pulls off showing no expressions of struggle.

"I'm not taking any chances. I don't trust that you're well enough. I'm getting a wheelchair."

"I SAID I do NOT need a god damn wheelchair!" Ryu raises her voice, now frantic with fear.

"Look Ryu, please just cooperate with me."

"NO!"

"Ryu!"

"I'M FINE! I'm not crippled!"

"It's for your own good." The doctor gestures to his assistant nurse. "Go get a wheelchair for her."

"Yes, Doctor."

The nurse leaves the room, and Ryu narrows her eyes at the doctor and lets out a low growl. The doctor doesn't bat an eye, and when the nurse returns Ryu glares at the nurse as she approaches with the wheelchair and points one finger at her.

"If you come any closer to me with that thing I swear to god." Ryu hisses.

The nurse hesitates, and the doctor gives a strict remark.

"Ryu, stop resisting. This isn't even that big a deal, we're only doing this to make sure you don't hurt yourself."

"For the last god damn time, I DO NOT NEED a fucking wheelchair! Stop worrying about me! I don't need your help!"

"This is in your best interest." Dr. Johnson takes Ryu by the arm and pulls her toward the wheelchair, but she jerks out of his grip and tries to run out the door, but Dr. Johnson stands in front of the doorway with his arms spread out, preventing her from escaping. The nurse then grabs Ryu from behind, and on instinct Ryu thrusts one arm backward and elbows the nurse in the face with great force, and as the nurse lets Ryu go and reflexively puts her hands over her now bleeding nose, Ryu quickly grabs the wheelchair that the nurse had brought in and holds it out in front of her as both a shield and a weapon.

"Stay the hell away from me!" Ryu threatens.

Dr. Johnson realizes the trouble that could erupt from this situation, so he hands the nurse a tissue to apply to her bleeding nose and whispers in her ear to go wash up and also to send in any other available doctors as emergency backup. The nurse then quickly leaves the room to go get help, and meanwhile Dr. Johnson tries to calm Ryu down.

"Ryu," he says calmly, slightly raising his hands with caution. "Calm down. We're only trying to help you. Please don't fight, okay? We don't want you or anyone else to get hurt."

"I said I don't need your help." Ryu says harshly, gripping the wheelchair firmly.

"It's not only that, but also the rules. It's strictly required by our policy that if a patient's health is at risk we are to take every precaution necessary to ensure that the patient does not sustain any more injuries or any other health issues."

"How many times do I have to say I'm FINE!"

"Ryu please, don't you realize how sick you are? Your lung disease is very unstable, and any kind of drama or stress can cause you a lot of pain, because high stress will undoubtedly set off a dangerous reaction in your lungs. I've been a doctor for thirty years so trust me, I know what I'm talking about. You need to settle down and take it easy."

Ryu holds the wheelchair up higher, making the doctor take a step back.

"Don't tell me what to do! You are NOT the boss of me, and you are NOT putting me in a wheelchair! SO BACK OFF!"

What Dr. Johnson doesn't know is that Ryu had lost both her mother and stepfather in a car accident when she was 13. Her mother had been driving, her stepdad was in the passenger seat, and her older brother Roderick, who was 19 at the time, was sitting in the back with her. They were all just leaving the local movie theatre after seeing a movie together as a family, laughing and such and each agreeing to how good the movie was, when suddenly a drunk driver seemingly came out of nowhere, speeding at 50 miles an hour on a 30 mile per hour road, and headed straight toward them and hit them head on. The drunk driver was uninjured and fled the scene on foot and was later caught and arrested, however Ryu and her family were not so lucky.

"Ryu, please... put down the wheelchair. Please just let us help." Dr. Johnson pleads, calmly and softly. Ryu refuses, beginning to turn red in the face while her arms begin to shake slightly. She grits her teeth in sadness, anger, frustration, and so many other emotions, and she starts sniffing and tearing up as flashbacks of that one horrible, tragic night race through her mind.

Ryu, her brother Roderick, and both her parents were all rushed to the hospital. Ryu had been lucky and only sustained minor cuts and bruises and a slight concussion, but the rest of her family were much worse off. Her brother had only one injury, however it was very severe and he was bleeding profusely where the large gash in his leg was. He had to undergo immediate surgery before he bled to death. Sadly, her stepfather was pronounced dead on the scene upon arrival to the hospital. As for her mother, she had slammed headfirst into the windshield of the car the moment they crashed and was instantly knocked out. She had also slammed into the steering wheel as well, and the of the collision of her stomach and the wheel had severely bruised her internal organs. Tragically, the doctors were not able to save her before she bled to death internally.

Ryu couldn't hold back her tears any longer, and she begins to cry.

The last time she saw her mom was when they were both being rushed to the ER on stretchers. Ryu was the only one who had not been knocked unconscious in the crash, so she had no choice but to watch in horror as the rest of her family were rushed away, fearing that she would lose them all and be left all alone to fend for herself. Ryu glanced frantically over at her mother on the stretcher next to her as they were both rushed through the halls on separate stretchers, side by side. Her mother was covered in blood with her eyes tightly closed and a pained expression on her face.

"Mom?" Ryu cried, desperately. "Mom, please... answer me! Are you okay? Mom!"

Ryu's mother never responded, and then she was separated from her as they were taken to separate ER rooms.

"MOM!" Ryu cried out desperately with tears in her eyes, but she was never answered. Her mother then disappeared around another corner, and that was the last time she ever saw her mother alive.

Three days later, Ryu was fully recovered and back on her feet, waiting anxiously to be told that her family was okay. Then, during the night on the third day, one doctor came to Ryu's hospital room while she was lying in the white bed reading a magazine. The doctor sat in the booth next to her bed and gently put his hand on her shoulder.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Fine." Ryu replied. "What about my family? Are they alright?" she then asked, greatly concerned.

The doctor then compassionately informed her that both her parents had died, and that they had done all they could and that he was truly sorry. That terrible news had hit Ryu like a kick in the gut, and she was absolutely devastated. Then the doctor told her that her brother had survived and was going to be okay, however he sadly had to havehis left leg cut off in order for his life to be saved. Ryu begged to see him, and she was taken to the infirmary, where her brother was sitting in a wheelchair with his head down. Ryu rushed over to him and threw her arms around him, burying her face in his chest and sobbing uncontrollably in both relief and sorrow.

"Rod... Mom and Dad... th-they're... they're..." Ryu sobbed, between sniffs.

"I know." Rod answered softly, gently stroking his little sister's hair, trying to be strong for her because he knew that she was scared and hurting and that she needed him, so he did his best to hold back his own tears and instead put all of his focus into calming Ryu down and comforting her, trying his best to silence her cries with gentle strokes to her hair and rubbing her back softly, protecting her with all of his being in a strong, protective embrace.

Dr. Johnson then notices Ryu's watery eyes and trembling body, and as all the horrific flashbacks overwhelm her she drops the wheelchair and falls to her knees, wrapping her arms around herself and heaving with sobs. The doctor's eyes soften, and he crouches down on one knee beside her.

"Ryu... what's the matter? What are you so scared of?"

"None of your business!" Ryu cries. Ever since the incident with her parents and her brother, she had been terrified of hospitals, stretchers, wheelchairs or anything else that had to do with hospitals at all, because just the sight of them reminded her of that one horrific, tragic night. She just couldn't bear all of those painful memories of the loss of her parents, whom she loved dearly, nor the fact that her brother was now forever crippled, doomed to the confines of a wheelchair for the rest of his life. However, she never was willing to share those kinds of personal stories with anyone she didn't know.

Backup then finally arrives, and three other doctors join Dr. Johnson and surround Ryu. Two of them each grab one of Ryu's arms and carefully haul her to her feet, while she grunts and struggles to wriggle out of their grip.

"Let me go!" she shouts furiously, still crying.

"Ryu, this is your last chance to go willingly." Dr. Johnson says firmly, but gently.

Ryu finally manages to pull free, then lunges forward and punches Dr. Johnson in the face.

"I SAID NO! Do you hear me? NO! I'm NOT getting in that wheelchair and you can't MAKE ME!"

The other three doctors then spring into action before things get out of hand, all three of them tackling Ryu and pinning her down on the hospital bed, trying their best not to injure her in any way in doing so.

Dr. Johnson then fills a syringe needle with a sedative, then takes it over to Ryu's side. Ryu struggles and fights but the other doctors hold her down while Dr. Johnson sticks the needle in her arm and injects her with the sedative.

"NO! Don't put me in that wheelchair! Please! NO!" Tears stream down Ryu's cheeks as she instinctively cries out to her mother, just like she always had in the past whenever she was scared. "Mom! Please help me! Don't let them take me! MOM!"

Ryu continues to sob in fear and cry out desperately to her dead mother, until at last the sedative takes effect and she finally passes out.

Dr. Johnson looks down with sad eyes at Ryu's lingering frightened expression and tear soaked cheeks. His assistant nurse then returns, informing him that Matt has now arrived. Dr. Johnson nods, and he and the other three doctors then carefully lift Ryu's unconscious body off of the bed, then gently set her down in the wheelchair and take her down to the hospital's front lobby, where Matt awaits patiently at the entrance.

— 3 Hours Later, 12 A.M. —

Back at their apartment, Matt is sitting loyally at Ryu's bedside, watching her closely. He is absolutely exhausted, this being his fifth night without sleep, but refuses to leave Ryu's side until he knows for certain that she will be alright.

"Mom..." Ryu mumbles in her sleep. "Mom please be alive... Please don't die..."

Matt's eyes soften, and suddenly he notices the dried tear stains on Ryu's cheeks. He stares, slightly confused, and then it hits him. Ryu had shared with him the story of how she lost her mom once before in the past, and he knows that she has been terrified of hospitals ever since. Matt could only imagine the terror and painful memories that she must had suffered in the hospital these past few days. Gently, he reaches out and grabs her hand, gently caressing the top of her hand as a means to comfort her. After a moment of thought as to find any other way to comfort her the best he can, he then begins to sing the lullaby that Ryu's mom had always sang to her as a child, which Ryu had also once taught him.

"Don't cry, everything will be alright

I'll always be there to hold you, and to comfort you

Ohhh my sweet baby girl, I love you more than anything in this world

Yes it's true I love you, I would even die for you

Don't be afraid, I'll always protect you

and I'll never let anything harm you..."

Matt continued the song softly, stroking Ryu's hand tenderly.

"Ohhh my dear little girl

I will always watch over you in life and in death

and when my time comes to draw my last breath

don't cry, don't be afraid, just know that I'll always be with you

Don't cry for me, don't grieve for me

Just know that I'm with you always

and even when I'm gone, I always will be

Don't cry my child, everything will be alright

Whenever you miss me, be strong and fight

Always remember me, and know that I'm with you

and I always will be."

Matt finishes the lullaby with a gentle kiss to Ryu's hand, and though still asleep, the slightest hint of a small smile spreads across Ryu's lips. Matt smiles down at her lovingly, drying away her tears with his thumb.

"Your mom will always be with you, Ryu." Matt says quietly, gingerly kissing Ryu on the cheek and brushing her hair out of her eyes. "And so will I."

Matt then patiently continues to sit beside her bed, watching over her closely for the rest of the night.