A/N: Helloooo to everyone! Glad I could update again. :)
In this chapter: Dr. Ross wishes he never has to examine another patient like Ro again, Zee wonders about insects, and Ro... well, you'll see. Hope you guys are enjoying it so far! Please tell me what you think.
o—O—o
Chapter 4
Zee's Decision
Dr. Ross rubbed the side of his face gently. "Well, I'll tell you one thing, Mr. Smith. She sure is strong," he said.
"I apologize on behalf of Ro," Zee said. "If she was herself, she would not have hit you."
"I understand," the doctor said. He now sported a fresh bruise on the side of his face, one on his left arm, and another one on his right shin— all Ro's doing, of course.
"Well, here's what I've gathered so far," the doctor said, sitting on a chair as he faced Zee, who sat on a chair in front of him. "There's a small bump on the left side of the back of her head, which she probably got when she fell, but, thankfully, no fracture. This may or may not be the cause of her amnesia. But what I'm more concerned with is determining what caused her to lose consciousness. If she fainted due to an undiagnosed medical problem, we want to find out what's going on so we can treat it," he said. "I wasn't able to detect anything wrong with her heart or her lungs; she actually seems to be very fit and healthy. I'm assuming she exercises frequently."
"Yes," Zee said, thinking of all their encounters with bad guys, policemen, security guards, natural disasters, and the NSA. "We run a lot."
"That's very good," Dr. Ross said. "Now, although she seems fine physically, like I said, there could be some masked condition that's affecting her. We don't have the medical equipment necessary to perform those types of diagnostic exams here in this town. You should take her to a hospital in Central City or somewhere else to have a full medical evaluation."
"I understand, doctor," Zee said, looking extremely sad as he looked at Ro. Her gaze was focused out the window, at a bird that had landed on the sill.
"And, the amnesia…" Zee asked. "Is it permanent?"
Dr. Ross frowned as he shook her head. "I'm sorry. I can't determine whether it's permanent or transient. If it was caused by head trauma, it could be either. It may take hours, days, months, or years to recover her memory, and, even then, she may not recover all of it. If it was caused by a medical condition, you'd have to know how it's affected her brain to come up with a possible prognosis," he said.
Zee's disheartened gaze met the floor. "It was my fault. If she hadn't been with me…"
The doctor felt sympathy for Zee and patted his arm. "It's all right, son. Things like these happen without announcing themselves; it's not your fault. Blaming yourself won't help your sister. What she needs from you now is help and support; you need to take action to help her recover." He took out a small, electronic business card and handed it to Zee. "Here's my number. When you get your sister to a hospital, give me a call and tell me how you're both doing."
Zee took the small card and nodded. "Thank you, Dr. Ross," he said.
They both stood, and Zee went to Ro's side. She looked up at him wordlessly.
As he observed how tired and tormented Zee looked, Dr. Ross added, "Tell you what. I noticed that she didn't eat what you brought her, and you haven't eaten anything since you arrived. Why don't you stay a bit longer and rest; you must be very tired. And maybe you can get your sister to eat something this time."
Zee was about to decline, but then remembered that Ro hadn't eaten anything. A taste of orange juice was the only thing she'd had so far.
"That's very generous of you, Dr. Ross. Thank you," Zee said.
"You're welcome," the doctor said, and then shook Zee's hand. He made his way to the door, but then turned around and added, "Oh, and I noticed that you don't have an extra cot in here. Where did you spend the night? On a chair?" The doctor chuckled.
Zee was about to answer, but then the doctor went on. "You can get an extra cot from the next room. Nobody's there right now. I'll go and tell my assistant to bring you some food and an extra pillow. If you need anything else, just call me or ask Patty, my assistant," the doctor said, before leaving Zee and Ro alone in the room.
Zee looked at Ro. Her inquisitive eyes met his.
"I'll be right back, Ro. I'm going to get a cot from the next room," Zee explained. He had no use for a cot, but he had to do what any other human would do in his situation, for fear that he would raise anyone's suspicions.
Ro gazed at Zee with curiosity as he left the room and closed the door, leaving her alone.
o—o—o
Once he entered the next room, Zee located a folded cot that was leaned against the wall. As he took hold of one side and moved it slightly, a cricket jumped out and landed on the back of his hand.
Zee's holographic eyes widened. He moved his hand closer to his face and smiled as he looked closely at the small creature with interest. He wondered if crickets were considered "gross" to humans and thought of showing it to Ro to ask her.
But then he remembered that Ro wouldn't know about it. She didn't know what orange juice was and she didn't know who Zee was. It was as if she'd forgotten everything she'd ever known and had started over from the beginning. It wouldn't be logical to expect her to know about insects and crickets anymore.
Once again, Zee was overcome by a pang of guilt for having ever involved Ro in his quests. Sadness gripped at his central processing unit.
What good was he to Ro? If he thought about it, it seemed as though he was only causing her more harm then good in her life, always dragging her from one place to another, putting her in unnecessary danger. The NSA had her picture on a wanted poster. She was a wanted fugitive, thanks to him.
Thinking about all that he'd caused her made him feel miserable. But then he remembered what Dr. Ross had said. Ro needed him to take action to help her; he wasn't helping her by wallowing in his sadness and guilt.
"I will help you get better, Ro," Zee promised resolutely. "You did not give up on me when I was in trouble. You went against everything to help me. I promise that I will do whatever it takes to help you. You're strong and persistent, and I know that you will recover."
He looked down at the cricket sadly. It moved its antennae around before making a leap to the floor.
"But when you do, I won't cause you any more trouble, Ro. I have brought too much stress into your life. You deserve to be happier."
And so, as Zee picked up the cot, he decided that he would leave Ro once and for all, after she made a full recovery.
His figurative heart was torn. He was deeply saddened, but he knew that it was for the best.
o—o—o
As Zee effortlessly carried the cot down the hall, he paused, noticing that the door to Ro's room was slightly open. 'Hmm...'
"Ro?" Zee asked, walking into the room.
He set the cot down beside the wall and looked around.
"Ro?"
He scanned the room, checking the bathroom and the closet, but Ro wasn't there.
Zee went out into the hallway and scanned it, but there were no signs of Ro. No other door was open, and his acute hearing only picked up the sounds of the doctor and another patient talking from within a nearby room.
He quickly made his way down the stairs, to the guest waiting area. There was no one in sight, but once Zee looked around, he immediately noticed that the front door was half open…
'Oh, no... Ro...'
o—o—o
To be continued...
Now what will Ro get herself into? Stay tuned!
...in the mean time, please submit a review. Thanks!
