Disclaimer: All Resident Evil characters belong to Capcom
"Hey, Chris." Claire greets as she steps into his room, a bright smile on her face hiding the real worry that is present. She closes the door before she proceeds towards her older brother, the bright smile still on her face- she just hopes it looks genuine.
"Will he remember me?"
The doctor standing next to Claire takes a few seconds to answer, and when he does it's slow, as if he's thinking carefully on each word that comes out of his mouth. "We ran some test, and he responded well and passed most with little to no trouble at all. He does know he has a younger sister, but I don't know of the smaller details he might not remember,- that only you can give entail."
Chris is sitting, propped with a pillow as he leans his weight against it. His eyes roll over to meet her, and Claire isn't sure if she likes what she sees there. They don't hold the same warmth she is used to, but the opposite, they are cold, sad and far. Claire tries to not let it affect her. Her brother has been awake for a few days, and it's only now that the doctors allow her to see him.
"What do you mean I can't see my brother!?" Claire asks sternly, her voice borderline yelling. Her brother is finally awake, and the doctor tells her she can't talk to him, see him in person, but instead stay behind a glass window and watch as he talks to the dead? Claire can't allow that.
The doctor doesn't react how Claire expects him to, which is to get defensive about her reaction, but instead stays calm and professional. "He wasn't properly treated when he was injured. He suffered from both physical and emotional trauma and we don't know to what extent his memories have returned to him. Redfield did not receive the adequate treatment since he fled the hospital, and was so long with that condition. The longer a patient suffers from amnesia, the more serious the injury or trauma is. We want to evaluate him before allowing anyone to see him. That's why we are asking for some time. So it can be safe for Redfield." The doctor pauses, glancing at Chris before he proceeds. "If the test goes well, then in a few days, three at most, you will be able to talk to your brother."
When the doctor puts it that way, Claire finds her gaze lowering as she admits defeat. Leon steps behind her, giving the doctor a nod before he wraps an arm around the grieving Redhead and leads her away from the window.
The room isn't brightly lit, but it's not uncomfortably dark either, easy on the eyes Claire concludes as she steps cautiously closer to her brother. The doctors are waiting on the other side of the door, in case they are needed. They don't know what can trigger a negative reaction from Chris, though the thought of her, his younger sister, causing Chris any form of pain makes her feel uneasy.
So when Chris finally looks up at her, from looking off into the distance, meets eyes with Claire, and gives her a small, lopsided smile, the tension instantly runs off her skin as she almost collapses onto Chris' bed and wraps her arms around him. Claire didn't even notice she was crying until she feels herself hiccup into Chris' shoulder.
Claire heard what happened in Edonia, she heard what happened in China. How Chris lost his team, his friends, the people he considered and treated as family. She heard about what happened when Chris and Piers went to rescue Jake … she heard about…
The thought can't be completed as more tears well in her blue eyes and she tightens her thin arms around Chris' thick neck and buries her face into his strong shoulders.
Piers should be here.
"Claire…"
Hearing her brother's voice brings with it a sense of security, familiarity and love. It's his voice, her name- Chris knows who she is. At least they can start from here. Chris remembers who she is, and Claire can take over from here. She doesn't mind. It's her older brother. She will help him get through this, the same way he held her together and helped her through the death of their parents. At that time she was too young and choking on her own pain to even begin to think about what Chris was feeling and going through, but not this time. Chris was able to think on her, take care of her, and she will do the same.
Leaning back, she looks into Chris' brown eyes. They still don't hold that same warmth that radiates from his very being. Eyes that shine even when there's no light reflecting against them. They currently look empty, and she can guess why.
"How are you feeling?" The words come naturally to her, as she takes a seat next to Chris and wipes her eyes with the back of her hand.
Chris answers with a small shrug. He was never one to talk about how he feels, and if he does, it's never in debt or about real serious matter that plagues him day in and day out. So Claire doesn't press him, like always- though a part of her wonders if she is doing the right thing by letting him answer with a simple shrug.
His hair's a mess, unruly and outgrown. It brings back memories of how he used to keep his hair. There are bandages decorating his body, the most prominent being the one's wrapped around his torso. He has bruises all over his face and body, his left hand in a tight bind. At least it's not how he came back from Africa. He had second-degree burn, especially on his left arm from trying to push a volcanic boulder and save Sheva from Wesker. His right hand was so badly beaten and bloody the doctors thought he would never be able to hold a gun ever again, but like always her brother defies the odds.
Above the battered look, the fatigue and the empty look in his eyes, what bothers Claire the most is the small, almost unnoticeable, glances he keeps giving the left side of the room.
"We told him, over and over again that Piers Nivans has passed away." The doctor starts to explain. "I think he's starting to understand that Nivans is no longer with us. I asked him earlier today if Nivans is alive, and he answered 'no'. Though, he still does talk as if someone is in the room when we are not here, unaware that he is being monitored. But I think he's slowly getting better. He's answering how he should, and that's a good sign."
Claire's jaw tenses slightly, because the way Chris keeps glancing at that direction makes the Redhead feel that Chris is still seeing Piers. Not wanting to seem crazy and placed under more medication Chris says what the doctors wants him to say.
Blue eyes land on Chris' untouched food. "You haven't eaten. Hungry?" she asks, reaching over for the plate placed on the small table next to the BSAA captain.
Chris presses his lips together, before he nods his head. "Yeah." He finally says, but that was after he glanced to his left again, as if looking for some kind of approval, and Claire doesn't miss the subtle glances that are still being aimed at the left side of the room.
The younger Redfield keeps the smile on her face as she picks up the warm plate of food, the nurse bringing the plate not too long ago. It's untouched, but Claire is planning to make her brother eat. Wrapping her thin fingered around the familiar silver object, she scoops up some of the white rice, slowly lifting it from the plate, cautious as to not let any grain of rice fall out of the small spoon by placing her other hand under the spoon to catch any rice that might fall, before she proceeds to hover the spoon towards Chris.
"Claire," Chris calls out, a raised eyebrow as he sees his sister bring the spoon closer to his face. "I can eat by myself." he states matter of factly, reaching for the spoon himself. Claire is faster than Chris and pulls her hand back, far enough that her brother can't pull the metal utensil from between her fingers. "Chris, just this once. Let me take care of you." she tries to convince Chris, even though she can see the famous Redfield hardheadedness slowly take over- and it's shown by the press of his thin lips and the way his brow furrow slowly.
"Here comes Redwing,~" She says playfully, and with a small smile, using her older brothers nickname from when he was in the air force, as she lifts up the spoon and brings it once again to Chris' lips. "Ready to land."
"Not funny." Chris says with a roll of his eyes before his eyes land on the left side of the room, and Claire doesn't miss the small smile that takes his lips, and that makes her happy.
For a second Claire thought she lost the ability to make her brother smile, but he's doing it now. If it was her that made that smile form on Chris' lips Claire doesn't know, but she hopes she was the one to make Chris smile...
And to Claire's surprise, she sees the stubborn pout leave his lips and his brow lighten up. So when Chris complies and opens his mouth, Claire is more than shocked. But she's not shocked enough to not take advantage and quickly slip the spoon in his mouth.
Chris swallows thickly, after he chews and Claire wonders if it's because his throat is dry. Quickly, she looks at the glass of water on the tray of food. "Want some water?" She asks her brother, reaching over for the glass.
"No, I'm fine." Chris denies it, slouching back on his bed and his brown eyes once again drifting to the left side of the bed, something Claire is starting to really notice.
"Chris, I was thinking that maybe, after you've recovered enough, we can go for a vacation… somewhere where there's a beach? I haven't tanned in such a long time, and I can use a good swim. Chris?" Claire calls when she sees her brothers attention elsewhere- only to look at her when she calls his name. The Redhead leans forward, a small worried line taking her lips.
"What were you saying?"
Right… Of course you're not here. Your head, what you see, and hear is elsewhere.
"I was saying that I want to go to the Caribbean." She says a little less enthusiastic. "I think we both can take a long vacation… just the two of us. Redfield bonding time. Ya'know?" Claire says, bringing up the spoon to his lips again.
"Yeah, I'm hungry." Chris answers while he looks to the left side of the room.
Claire bites her bottom lip, trying not to let what she's seeing affect her. The doctors did warn her about this…
"You're allowed you to see him tomorrow."
The words leaving the doctor's lips are like music to Claire' ears. After waiting a few days, which felt like an eternity, the doctor finally decided to let her see him. That can only mean Chris is getting better. The smile that takes her lips is genuine, her eyes darting to the general direction of where her brother is being held.
"Even after such a long time with amnesia, there is no real complication. His motor skills are almost flawless, and his speech as it should be." The doctor starts, but like always there is a 'but' and that has the smile that was slowly forming on Claire's face drop. "He tends to repeat many of the answers we ask him. As if he either doesn't remember if he answered or he spaces out, and then answers the same question. " He continues to explain when Claire stays silent and just looks at the doctor as if asking for more information. "He answered perfectly fine, but before I left the room he answered me again. He also doesn't seem to processes questions like I would want him to, but it's to be expected. The longer patient has amnesia the harder it is for the brain to bounce back," The doctor tries to clarify. "So it's nothing that time will hopefully heal."
Claire nods her head, not liking what the doctor is telling her but if he might heal, then that's something to look forward to.
A/N: Thank you for all the reviews! Chapter 3 is in the making lol. Thank you for reading!