Chapter 3

An Understanding Brother

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Now, don't judge me about the make up. I don't really know much about it, and I don't think Jay does either.

XD When I mean goopy stuff (for the make up, not the iodine on Lloyd's arm), I mean it. Yeah, I am a girl though! :D

"Uh…um…" I stare into Sensei's blue eyes and realize this won't do. I either have to come clean or…I have no clue.

"Yes?" Kai furrows his brows, possibly with suspicion in his mind.

Do something, Jay! Faint! Pretend to faint!

I shut my eyes and go limp, nearly slipping out of Zane's arms. "Jay!" mingled voices exclaim in unison.

I can feel me being carried, as well as hear heavy footsteps in the hallway. "Is he okay?" Nya's voice sounds quite anxious.

"He probably needs rest and he may have lost too much blood," Zane responds.

"Well, then shouldn't we take him to the hospital?"

"No, we can do a blood transfusion here. Besides, Lloyd has type O."

"That's good."

I open my eyes sleepily to look like I just woke up and tug at Zane's sleeve. "Jay, are you alright?"

I stare without any sort of response. I am kind of dizzy and sick, maybe from being bounced up and down in Zane's arms since the moment I came back to life. Kai pushes a door open, a personal hospital room we have, just in case we meet with any minor mishaps. Zane sets me on a silver table while Pixal flips the light switch on.

Apparently Lloyd returned just now and he sits in the donation chair to my right and Zane walks briskly to his side. "Which arm?" he asks.

"The left," Lloyd responds, his face pretty pale.

Zane stretches it out, putting a paper towel under his arm from a metal table nearby. The ice ninja makes a tourniquet from his belt, tying it on his upper arm and making Lloyd squeeze the paper towel roll. Zane then rubs his arm upward and puts an aluminum seal clip to show which vein he's drawing the blood from.

"Let go of the paper towels," the ice ninja instructs.

Zane puts a blood pressure cup on his upper arm over the tourniquet and asks, "Iodine?"

Lloyd nods, like he understands all of this, but I definitely don't. He rubs goopy stuff with a q-tip looking thing on him and then applies a different goopy thing, rubbing it in circles. I'm totally lost. I wish I could ask what's going on.

Zane looks at his watch and says, "We have to wait for thirty seconds." Lloyd nods, clutching the sides of the chair fearfully.

This information is…new. I've never seen much of a blood transfusion before. After thirty minutes Zane takes out a gauze and asks Pixal, "Is this sterilized?"

"Yes," Pixal responds.

Nya takes my hands in hers and says, "It's all going to be okay, Jay." I nod, forcing a smile. I despise needles and I know they won't let me off the hook this time. I turn around, not able to watch this kind of stuff at all. I slowly drift to sleep.

I wake up from a dream where I could speak and told Nya what happened to me after proposing to her. It's so sweet. I wish it were real. I look at my arm and realize there isn't an IV anymore; then glance around to see everyone else is gone.

Zane is sitting in a chair next to my blue bed, taking my pulse. Ugh, my skin feels clammy and my head aches something fierce. "You're awake," he states flatly.

Uh, yeah, I am. "Ah…" I start, but that's all that comes out. Oops. I must have forgotten about my lost speech.

"You're mute, aren't you?" Zane asks softly, now putting the back of his hand against me.

I shake my head, but of course he knows. He takes my head in his hands and puts his cheek against my forehead. Okay, what's he doing?

"I am making sure you don't have a fever. In the movies, people use their hand, but I heard the cheek is best for feeling body heat." I suppose Zane sensed my discomfort or something.

He hands me a notepad and pencil. I look at him quizzically.

"To write what you want to say," Zane tells me.

I roll my eyes, wishing he didn't figure things out so quickly, but here goes nothing. I scribble stuff down with my chicken scratch, hoping he will be able to read my atrocious handwriting. I shove it in his face, pretty nettled at his persistence.

I told you already, I don't have anything wrong! My throat just hurts!

Zane sighs, seeming a bit hurt by what I wrote. "Don't deny it. I called the medical examiner. He said your vocal chords were damaged from the accident."

Dang it! I write more and show it to him again, nicely this time.

Did you tell the others?

"No," he responds, "I knew you wouldn't want me to say anything."

Thank you Zane. Please, don't tell them.

"Rest assured, I won't."

We sit in silence for a while until I scribble down some more.

How do I explain about my lost voice?

"I'll tell them you scalded your throat from drinking tea. Merely put up a façade of pain."

Can you explain the last sentence in English?

Zane smiles grimly and says, "Pretend it hurts."

It does, a lot.

"Then there shouldn't be any issues."

Uh…yeah right. I died and a guy dressed in white brought me back, telling me I would never be able to speak again and I would have pain for my entire life. What if Cole finds out?

"What about him?"

That was not the reaction I expected. Well, duh! He'll tell everyone I'm a cripple! What will Nya think then?

Zane crosses his arms. "That won't happen. I'll help you, Jay."

You will?

"Of course and Jay, you're not a cripple. You're my brother."

I'm about to break down. I can feel the tears weighing down my eyelids and threatening to take over me. I write down as neatly as possible. Thank you so much Zane. I really appreciate it. How do I hide this problem for a long time though?

Zane takes the pencil and note pad away, setting them on the table and tucking me in the covers. "Don't worry, brother. There's always a way. Now, go to sleep. We'll discuss this later, or perhaps in the morning even if you let me take care of it. One step at a time, okay?"

I nod, already feeling pretty drowsy and let my weary head sink into the cotton pillow. A scene of a serene lake engulfs me.

I'm sitting on a luscious, green lawn of grass, with the girl of my dreams cuddling in my arms.

"Nya," I smile, "You always invade my dreams you know that?"

"Oh, if you'd rather, I could leave," she says.

"No, I love having you around."

"Jay, wake up!" I hear Zane's frantic voice calling my name, though he's nowhere to be seen. "Jay, get up! It's time to get up!"

"What?"

I open my eyes, seeing the brown ceiling above my head, and turn to see Zane shaking my arm gingerly. "Mm?" I mumble.

"Cole needs to talk to you. He says it's urgent."