Author's Note: Directly mentions events of Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon. Credit where it's due to Bruce's genius. Again contains quotes from Striking Thoughts and Artist of Life, starred of course. Also mentions Bruce Lee's personal favorite home blend of tea! You can now purchase this blend from the Bruce Lee Store, courtesy of Shannon Lee and the Bruce Lee Foundation! Should be in select stores by the end of the year, and into the next. Chapter title inspiration remains Elle King: this time it's her scorching southern soul searcher Last Damn Night.
10:50pm
Penthouse District
Reid Residence
District Attorney Frank Scanlon was used to these late night calls to the Reid Residence. In having the confidence of the Green Hornet, he had to be ready to haul ass at a moment's notice.
What he wasn't used to, however, was awaiting the Green Hornet in his garage. And when he did, it never bode well. He was with Ms. Case, the other in the trinity who knew of Britt's alter ego, after arriving not five minutes earlier to find her wringing her hands and wondering out loud if she shouldn't call.
"He didn't say anything besides what you've told me?" He asked again.
"No! I…all I know is that Kato's in trouble, and he tried to hide his trouble from Britt and handle it himself. Including taking the Black Beauty."
Scanlon fingered the ear piece of his glasses that contained the Green Hornet's transistor and minute speaker for quick communication. No signal had come through yet.
"You don't…suppose Kato's hurt, do you?"
He shook his head, "No, he's indestructible."
"And only human. The people he's running up against are more than the normal gangsters this city sees. And he's doing it alone."
"He should have told Britt."
"He's doing this for Britt! He was afraid to get him involved."
He looked sidelong at her, feeling her anxiety creep up on his own. They stood in silence at the workbench, watching the tunnel for the Black Beauty. As if on cue, her powerful engine sounds ricocheted off the tunnel walls towards them like a rocket on lift off.
"He's coming in fast!" Scanlon yelled over the racket.
Both scattered as the Black Beauty appeared front end first instead of Kato's usual artful display of backing in.
"Britt's driving!" He shouted over to her. The color drained from her face when she saw the look on Britt's, his cheeks smudged…with blood. He bolted from the car even before he had it in park. The passenger door opened on silent command. His Hornet jacket was off, revealing the now- heavily bloodstained white shirt he wore underneath. Casey held back a yelp, covering her mouth. Scanlon uttered a few choice words, rushing forwards thinking it was Britt who was bleeding. He ignored both their reactions to give orders, "Frank, I need your help! Casey, get the safe room ready. First aid kit too, quickly!"
She nodded rapidly, backpedaling, trying to get a look inside the car. Britt positioned Frank outside the opened door as he reached in, gently urging Kato to get out of the car. She turned away to get at the task given her, deciding she'd see soon enough.
"Kato…Kato, we're home. Give me your hand."
"…I can get out of the car myself. I—augh!" A reflexive cry cut off the rest as he tried to move.
"Sure you can. Now give me your hand-your good hand."
Scanlon swallowed and leaned in, deciding the need to differentiate between 'good' and 'bad' extremities was exceptionally bad news. Britt gingerly hefted Kato out by his right side, draping Kato's arm over his shoulder. Britt's coat had become a blanket/ pressure compress. It fell away. Finally, he got a look…and coughed to cover his gag.
Kato was a mottled bloody mess. His face was bruised and cut like a hunk of meat, but his left side…looked like he'd met up with a saw blade.
"Get him, Frank! And watch that side!"
Well, he's was going to get bloody sooner or later, so he stepped up, mindful of the ripped shreds of skin and cloth. He eyed the odd but nevertheless deadly barbed weapon protruding from his body. Kato was immeasurably light: his deadweight was featherweight. He leaned into Britt, muttering darkly to let him walk on his own.
"No, rather you didn't. I got you, what are you worried about?"
Kato continued to bleed, leaving a long splattering trail behind. His feet alternately walked and dragged themselves through it. He also felt incredibly hot. A fever had set in. Uncontrollable shivering and the onset of shock simultaneously rocked his body.
"How did this happen?" Scanlon demanded.
"No questions. Not now." Britt replied, steely voiced.
Casey was hurrying with the safe room's amenities, putting fresh sheets, blanket and pillow on the cot. In a purposely nondescript area of Britt's basement, it was where the Green Hornet kept those deemed worthy as 'guest', complete with CCTV monitoring capabilities.
She pulled the extra first aid kit from its shelf and set it within reach, wondering how much of it they'd need. It was fully stocked with pilfered professional grade wares, a parting thank you gift from Dr. Hannah Thomas to the Green Hornet.
She rushed from the room in time to see Kato turn the corner, heavily assisted on either side by Britt and Scanlon. Damned if Britt saw or not, she had to turn away to bit back on a sob, eyes scrunched shut in dismay. The enclosed room intensified the stench of blood. The telltale black spots formed in front of her eyes, accompanied by the other beginning signs of a faint. The hell if she was going to let Britt see her go female on him. She sucked in a breath, looking past the blood to see the man underneath.
Britt settled Kato on the cot with a tenderness that belied his chomping-at-the bit urgency to get Kato stable. Scanlon peeled off his soiled suit coat and tie to toss them in the corner. Casey knelt next to Britt, scissors in hand.
"We have to cut that uniform off him."
Britt took charge of that. Kato tossed his head side to side, sweat droplets flicking off the tips of his hair. His agitation made Britt's hand wobble, "Easy, Kato, easy." He patted him on the shoulder, keeping his hand there to steady him. Kato's right hand reached across to touch Britt's, but the cross body action was too much.
All three helped to remove the remnants of the uniform and gloves. They sat back in stunned anguish: Kato's well-muscled torso was a sweaty eggplant colored roadmap to a severe beating. Gouging claw marks slashed his chest. Running from under his floating rib to just above his left hip, the chakram, jutting from the center of the wound up to its middle, had lacerated far into the muscle. His left palm was a miniature version. They were ugly sinewy wounds with dangling strings of tissue and coursing blood lost that left each sick.
Britt moved beyond the initial recoil. "We need to get pressure on these. Casey, give me those compresses. Frank, there's a pitcher of water there. Cool him down some. The iodine too, Casey…"
He wasn't sure where to start on the wound. Scanlon pressed a soaked cloth to his forehead, washing with extreme care across the bruises, any blood or grime. While working on the larger wound, Britt took a fingertip inspection of Kato's rib, the worst of the bruising over them. "Definitely broken ribs…"
"He's burning up."
"I know, I know…Kato, I'm sorry, man, this is going to sting." Kato grunted in response. Casey pulled the blanket across his bare back, stroking his cheek when he flinched on the stinging application of the iodine. She took the other bottle of the stuff to work on his hand. Britt kept pressure but the piling stack of used compresses was not encouraging. He wiped his upper lip with the back of his hand, feeling sticky himself.
"How's the pain? Do you want something for it?"
"…No…no drugs."
Britt pursed his lips, "Christ Kato, if you're in pain…!"
"Drugs are no good…dull pain…and mind."
Britt sighed, hastily checking the wound underhand, disliking the slick hotness coming through the gauze with the blood. Scanlon draped another water soaked towel around his neck, the last seemingly evaporated free of water by the fever. Casey continued on his hand, dabbing iodine and ointment on the tightly wound bandage wrap.
Britt wiped his forehead, his hand shaking just enough for him to notice it. "Really got you pretty good this time, huh?" He dropped his voice just for Kato; their old call and response when one was injured. Kato was with it enough to laugh mirthlessly. More of a hiccup, really, "…No…no stupid beer bottle to blame this time…!"
Britt licked his lips, "No, no beer bottle. You're two for two on your strike outs in ten years. Those are some stats, aren't they?"
"…Yeah."
Britt cringed on Kato's next face contorting spasm of pain, masked by the shivering. Scanlon reached out to put a similarly comforting hand on Britt's shoulder to bring the young man's attention around to him. "Britt…he has to go to the hospital. This is ridiculous."
"Don't you think I know that, Frank? He won't go."
"...No...no hospitals." Kato suddenly perked up from his stupor, alert and fidgety. "No hospitals." He shook his head, the movement ripping skin and sending him into another fit of shaking and spasms. His breathing was increasingly shallow and hitched. Casey shushed him quietly, urging him to relax. "He's in shock, he needs blood." She implored Britt, "Can't you take him to Dr. Thomas?"
"He won't go! I tried."
"I said…no hospitals!"
Britt took his friend's wrist, this time glove-free for full contact with clammy skin. Pulse was fluttery, his color pasty white. The emotions of the night finally caught up with Britt: the futility and failure on his end, and the fact Kato had ultimately attempted to pay on that damn blood oath for his sake. It was like that night on Laguna Beach. He wanted to scream and beat someone's head in for this but neither would help him help Kato. That was the futility…not to mention, Kato was bleeding out in front of him, just as he swore he wouldn't allow and still…! Still Kato refused. Overwrought, the red-rimmed warmth of his eyes gave him away. He clutched his friend's hand, moving his grip so Kato could hold on too, with an encouraging burst of strength, "Kato, if you won't go the hospital: where? I'm begging you. Tell me."
Kato drifted on those words, his well of reserve energy dried up. He wanted to pass out. Even if he didn't wake up again, he wanted that sweet cool darkness instead of this twisted hot purgatory.
Live a life worth remembering, Hayashi: that's your secret to immortality.*
The rawness he saw in Britt's gaze tugged him back. He should have known the ties of the Blood Oath would never let him pay on it. Couldn't leave like this…not ready. Kato clamped down on Britt's hand with crushing force, "C-call Jimmy…Jimmy Kee. Golden Lotus" He coughed, "Tell him…to get the Three Brothers to his place, because you're coming for them. He'll know. Do it fast…because—."
Britt felt him slip. Kato's hand lost his, falling limply away. His pulse was like butterfly wings taking flight.
Nononono!
"Britt, he's-!"
"Kato!"
Fully spent, he fell like a noddle into Casey's and Scanlon's arms. They laid him lengthwise on the cot, covering him in blankets. Britt had one hand over his heart, the other about his wrist, "…He's out. He's just out." A very small 'just', at that. "You stay with him!"
Britt ran for the lift, slamming his hand on the emergency automatic button to his office. Jumping off the cage, he grabbed the phone with steady hands, adrenaline curbing the shakes. His voice dropped to the chilly calculation of the Green Hornet, crisply giving his order and hanging up on the younger man's stammering.
He had no time to change his shirt, but enough for a new jacket. His mask and hat were still in the back seat of the Beauty. He stopped off at the safe room long enough to make sure Kato was still breathing.
"Stay with him until I get back. Anything happens, call me immediately. There's extra mask for him in first aid basket, get that on him. I'll buzz you, Frank, to give you and Casey enough time to get upstairs."
11:15pm
Golden Lotus Café
Chinatown
Jimmy Kee wrung his hands in his doorway, vigilant for the dazzling green headlights of the Green Hornet's supercar. Upon hearing the Hornet's glacial growl on the phone invoke the name of Three Brothers, his worst fears had been confirmed. His warning for the Green Hornet and his partner to be careful with the Black Dragon had been for naught. Why hadn't they heeded it? We're they that arrogant? Had they not believed him?
There! The quicksilver glint of moonlight off black skin and fierce green orbs boring down on him made him quiver. Would the Hornet blame him? Jimmy turned away from the car as it slinked to a stop at his curbside. The back seat passenger door swung open to beckon on him and his party. Jimmy ushered three tall wraithlike figures before him, issuing gentle assurances.
Jimmy bucked up, sliding in last. The first thing that hit him was the overwhelming stench of blood. He nearly gagged. The second thing was the devilishly intense stare of the Green Hornet in the rearview mirror.
If the Hornet was driving, then his companion was...?
"Mr. Hornet, " Jimmy began his platitudes earnestly. They were ended by the masked eyes looking away and a gloved hand passing back four blindfolded.
"I'll have to ask you to wear these, gentlemen."
Jimmy took the blindfolds with a heavy heart. The Hornet was furious, he could tell, but it was a well-controlled, tightlipped time bomb fury. He assured the Three Brothers as he secured their blindfolds. He did his last, succumbing to the dark without a sound. The Hornet wouldn't listen anyway...
11:15pm
Reid Residence
Safe Room
Casey kept her fingers about Kato's wrist, marveling at how his pulse's fluttering had rapidly settled to a slow, almost nonexistent yet steady beat. He was sleeping so deeply, he was unreachable.
"How do you do it?" She whispered at him, dunking a new towel into the ice pitcher for his brow. Scanlon continued to apply pressure to his side, watching her watch him. "This was never supposed to happen." Casey looked to the DA, "Kato had other ideas."
"No, I mean…I always thought Britt would be the one. You know, Kato always seemed…"
"—Indestructible?" She supplied, the very same term he'd so flippantly tossed off earlier. Bet he was regretting that now. "Yes," He said, indeed full of regret, "I should never have said that. He is only human, you were right to counter with that. It's just...I've had my fair share of nightmares from sending Britt and Kato into situations that I knew were overtly dangerous to them, yet in all of those nightmares, it was supposed to be Britt." He frowned on that admittance, taking off his glasses to chew the real ear piece thoughtfully, 'I guess that's a terrible thing to say, but…" His glasses returned.
Casey wiped her brow, only to realize her hands were stained a coppery red -Kato's blood. "There's, uhm," she went on, her voice cracking, "A blood oath between them, did you know that?"
"A blood what?"
"A blood oath. Ten years ago, Britt saved Kato from being drowned by a bunch of guys Britt thought were his friends. By that time Kato was already his bodyguard but when Britt fought for him like he did, Kato decided the only thing to do about it was to make a blood oath. From that point, on pain of death for the rest of his life and for the rest of Britt's life, Kato swore he would be there to protect him. That's why the Green Hornet partnership works so well, and works the way it does. With this, tonight, Kato thought that if he got Britt caught up in it, would be too dangerous. He…made good on the blood oath."
Scanlon had a deep look of awe and respect blossoming on his face. He lightly touched the young man's shoulder in solidarity. "I didn't know…What's that quote again, Ms. Case?" He mused in a low rumble. "... 'Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.'" He suddenly reached for the transistor earpiece, "There's his buzz. Get the mask." Casey gently slid the accessory over Kato's bruises. When they heard hesitant footsteps approaching, they made their escape upstairs, locking the main exit from the basement behind them.
In Britt's study, she turned on the CCTV to observe the safe room, while the DA took to the bathroom to scrub his hands and splash his face. He returned to the wet bar to pour much needed libation. On screen, she watched the Green Hornet lead four blindfolded men in single filed. She recognized Jimmy Kee. The strangers must have been the aptly named Three Brothers. Dressed in floor length black robes, they were ungainly in height with long spidery fingers to match their braided stomach length beards. In hand, each carried a satchel.
"The most unusual doctors I've ever seen." Scanlon commented. He nudged a glass into her hand to encourage Casey to drink up. She was grateful. "You didn't fool me, Ms. Case…I don't blame you, I almost went over myself. You did alright, though." He raised his glass to her in salute. They sat back to watch in silent observation.
Same time, in the Safe Room…
The Green Hornet closed the door behind them. "You can remove your blindfolds."
Jimmy tore off his first to assist the other three. The aged men were disorientated, looking to Jimmy for guidance. When they saw Kato's thin frame under blankets, their whisperings instantly became strictly business. They set their bags up around them to begin, pointing and nodding at various points of injury.
Jimmy blanched on the reveal of the most gruesome of wounds, spinning away with the back of his hand pressed to his mouth. The room was thick with sweat and irony sweetness. He was suddenly claustrophobic. "M-Mr. Hornet, may I speak you outside, please?"
The Hornet, still at the door standing guard, considered this...and nodded. Once out in the corridor, Jimmy gathered his bearings. It was underground where ever they were...maybe a basement...or one of the Hornet's lairs.
"If you're thinking about trying to figure out where you are, Jimmy." The Hornet shook his head slowly, those cold enigmatic eyes never once straying. "Don't."
Jimmy threw his shoulders back in indignation. He originally wished to express his sorrow for this turn of the events but this man didn't even appeared fazed by what was happening with his partner! "I'm not! ...do you think I wanted to hear such a call as yours tonight? The Three Brothers mean only one thing to our community: fixers...miracle workers; where you go when a gung fu fight goes bad! No, Mr. Hornet. I gave you my warning about Cānglóng so I wouldn't have to send out the Three Brothers to you or anyone else. Why didn't you listen?!"
Under the mask, Britt was asunder anew by just how much he didn't know. Playing along as if he had been privy, the Hornet flicked out a dangerous finger in Jimmy's face. "Don't question me, Jimmy! How we play things is our business!"
Jimmy took a step back in repugnance, "You played...with your man's life? How can you do that! He's your partner, isn't he?! You fight together, side by side, him risking his life for you. And you gamble with his loyalty as if he is nothing to you?!" Jimmy's voice fell to a hoarse whisper. "You are a monster!"
The Hornet pounced, slamming Jimmy against the wall with tremendous force, knocking the wind and spite out of him. Their noses were inches apart. Kee clearly saw the jump of pulse on the Hornet's neck. The wildly incensed look magnified by the mask made him shrink back. He'd struck a definite nerve.
"You talk too much." The Green Hornet snarled.
He wrenched the kid off the wall by his collar. Pulling the safe room door open once more, he threw Jimmy in. The young man staggered, but didn't fall. He spun around to plead forgiveness, but that dangerous looking rod the Hornet called his Sting separated them by a foot. The Hornet pulled back to his full height, under some resemblance of control again. He tossed a small remote at Jimmy's head. Jimmy examined it in a glance and saw only a single green button.
"When they're finished, or if you need me...signal me with that. I'll be around."
The door locked. Jimmy slumped and shoved the remote in his pocket. From the masked companion's side, where hands and instruments worked with lightning intricacy, the eldest of the Three Brother's reprimanded Jimmy in softly spoken Cantonese. Jimmy nodded in agreement, taking up post at the door. "Yes, I know...I've misjudged him...and so has everyone else..."
Meanwhile, upstairs…
Casey scrubbed her hands and nails. Dull pink water sloshed down the drain. She turned off the hot for cold and splashed her face. She felt flushed, drained—it was a marathon she'd run, or so it seemed. She heard Scanlon tell Britt she was in the bathroom.
"Hey."
She patted her face dry, smiling in the mirror. "Hi."
"You alright?"
She replaced the hand towel. "I could ask you the same thing." At least he'd change out of that bloody shirt.
"More like look at what the cat dragged in, huh?"
She didn't laugh. Britt was trying to make her laugh; that dark humor he easily tossed back and forth with Kato to great effect wasn't hitting her in the same way. "Um, would you like a drink? Think you could use one."
She left him standing in the bathroom doorway, giving her a sideways glance. "Sure."
Scanlon was watching the CCTV with rapt attention, refreshed drink in hand. "Is he going to be alright?" Britt swirled the ice cubes in his glass as Casey poured the bourbon, taking another one to rub across his forehead. "I dunno. Too soon."
"Can we talk about what the hell happened tonight now, or…?"
Casey saw Britt's eyes flash at the DA. "What the hell happened is someone tried to kill Kato and I want his ass, that's what happened!"
"That's not what he meant," Casey blandly interceded.
"Ohhh, I know." Britt charged his desk, taking heaping handfuls of the files on Lao Yin. "A gang of criminals led by Lao Yin, from Hong Kong, have brought their games to the city. I thought it was just a construction racket, now I'm not so sure. Kato put himself right in the middle of whatever it really is because somehow, his old kung fu teacher got involved and disappeared. Tonight, their muscle, Cānglóng, tried to kill him for attempting to put a stop to it. He didn't tell me. I didn't know until it was very nearly too late." He jabbed his finger at the CCTV, "Jimmy Kee knew. He put Kato onto it. That's not happening again. Now I'm getting involved."
"And heads are gonna roll, right?" Scanlon retorted.
"Well, what would you have me do?!"
"Relax, Britt." Scanlon insisted. "Kato's going to need you. Running off into something you don't understand won't help."
"I have to understand this."
"Alright, then let me look into it. Hell, use the paper. Just no Green Hornet. It's a partnership, not a one-man army. We all learned that tonight." He raised his glass to him and down it with a swift two gulps. "Let me know how it turns out with Kato. I need to get back home if I'm going to be any use in the morning."
Britt sighed, realizing he was increasingly letting his temper get the best of him tonight: first, Jimmy in the safe room, now Frank. "Frank, wait."
He met up with him as he was leaving. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to get angry, I-."
Scanlon took Britt's hand to shake it, seeing that raw look returning, "I understand, alright? Don't worry. He's my friend too…but I don't think that covers it with you two, does it? Ms. Case told me about the blood oath. That's a brotherhood I couldn't even begin to understand. So…if you snap my head off more than once the next few days, I get it."
Britt's eyes cleared, "Thanks, Frank. For everything. You went above and beyond tonight."
Frank clasped his hands, "Take care. Call me."
Casey sipped her drink, continuing her vigil at the TV. She turned away briefly when things got a little messy with the chakram. "What's the matter?" Britt was immediately next to her, peering at the scene with perverse attention.
"His side…"
"Oh." Britt pulled his chair up to watch, the gore remotely relevant. He wiped his eyes to clear fuzzy vision, sniffling. She felt her own resolve crumbling at his attempt to not fall apart either. "We're doing great, aren't we?" She muttered rhetorically. "I need another drink."
"Be careful with that. That's more than you've had in a while."
She rattled the glass stopper of the bourbon colander, her own eyes flashing at him. "How do you know?"
He gawked at her snappishness.
Casey ignored him, pouring and dropping ice in. "I'm sorry." She said into her glass after a moment of awkward silence, "I—I keep thinking about yesterday. Well…actually," She looked to the clock. Midnight. "Two days ago now. It seems so far away, different life all together. I had no idea, neither did you. Yet I felt so confident in telling you, 'Oh. Don't worry. Kato's Superman, he can handle it. If he wants you, he'll let you know.' And you believed me, face-value."
She pointed messily at the screen, "This is what that advice got us." She held out her hand, since washed clean but decidedly still feeling dirty, "I have his blood on my hands. So, if you'll excuse me, I'll be having more than one." She shook her ice at him. Britt tracked her process back to the bar, watching her finally crack, inch by inch, until she held her head in her hands.
"Casey…"
Her shoulders shook in silent sobs. He quietly moved behind her, presenting his shoulder to cry on. She wouldn't look at him, let alone surrender to the offer given, so he pulled her into him, hugging her tightly. The absurd thought that she'd finally gone utterly female on him so he was just pitying her made her sob harder. Must have been the bourbon, if not, then her feminist was showing because of the bourbon …"C'mon, Casey." He said into her hair. "It's okay to cry, especially in front of me. I mean, if you can't, then who can you let it all out too?"
"I know it's okay to cry!" She yelled, muffled by his shirt, fully burying her face as another round hit. If anyone could understand how horribly short-circuiting beating oneself up could be, it was Britt, "You can't blame yourself." He whispered, "And if you do think I blame you, you're crazy. If there's any one to blame…it's me."
That picked her head up, green eyes brilliant behind the sheen of tears, "You can't."
"Sure, I can. He's my best friend, my partner, isn't he? That's supposed to count for something…yet I let him go without question. Seconds thoughts when things started going sideways, absolutely, but before that...? Yeah, he was Superman. That's not right. I can't believe I got so comfortable with something so dangerous to the most vital part of the partnership. False logic," he shook his head, holding her close, "Killer. We're going to have a nice long talk when he's able, about all this." She felt his own tide wave of emotion as much as she heard in his voice, "I don't know how you haven't cracked yet."
He shrugged, "What good would it do me?"
She blinked remaining tears free, moving to her purse to retrieve her handkerchief. "You know better than that, to internalize it."
"You sound like him now."
She wiped her nose, replacing the square of cloth back in her bag. "Because he's right."
Britt held his hand out to her, taking her back over the TV to sit and watch. She stood behind him as he slipped into his chair, the wear and tear showing in his deep sighs and heavy-lidded blinking.
"Soon."
"Soon." she agreed, but even that didn't unclench the tense muscles across his back and shoulders. "Hey… you have to relax, you know."
"No, can't. Still gotta drive them back."
"Don't fall asleep, just relax. I'm not going to blame me if you're not going to blame you. Yeah? But you can't play your emotions so close to the chest. You're going to explode."
He grunted. Without any preamble from behind, soft yet firm hands worked and massaged the exhausted muscle. He gave in, tension wavering then disappearing under her touch, "I, uh…haven't thanked you yet." His childhood-begotten Texas drawl was much more pronounced, a good sign. "I liked the way you handled yourself tonight."
"Did you think I would faint on you, Mr. Reid?" She asked, playfully droll.
"Heh. No. No, what I mean to say," He grew serious, "Is that you were there when I needed you...and you didn't shy away when a lot of others would have. That means a great deal to me."
The CCTV watch continued in comfortable silence.
12:30am
Monday
May 6th, 1968
Reid Residence Safe Room…
Jimmy Kee summoned the Green Hornet.
He materialized moments later, unlocking the door. The Three Brothers bowed as he approached the cot where Kato was under blankets up to his chin. He reached out to his partner, touching his arm. His friend's stillness disturbed him so much so the gloved hand moved to the chest to judge its slight rise and fall. The eldest motioned to Jimmy he wished to speak and wanted him to translate.
Jimmy spoke softly, "Your partner is weak and still feverish, Mr. Hornet. His wounds are very serious. The only reason the chakram shuriken did not do more internal damage is because your partner has extremely well developed musculature in that area. It provided some protection. That said, he likely will make a full recovery. To do so, he must have complete rest in quiet. Overall, his constitution is remarkably sturdy. He will have no trouble as long as he is given what he needs to rebuild his body."
Elder Brother spoke again, Kee following his words, "Also you must know that while he was given intravenous fluids for his dehydration and shock, he did not receive a blood transfusion. Before they managing to stop the bleeding, your friend did lose a fair amount…again they believe his body will be able to recover on its own, as the Three Brothers would prefer for him. He will remain weak until his hemoglobin and red blood cell counts return to normal. Watch him carefully; make sure his intake of meat protein and iron are steady."
Jimmy looked back to the Eldest, awaiting the next chunk. He nodded, and continued, "They are leaving an assortment of herbs and sustenance with instructions, that will help him. No doubt, your companion already has these but this supply will supplement his as necessary." He pointed to the first aid basket, where several large pullstring cloth bags had been added.
The Elder motioned he had one more thing to say. Jimmy averted his eyes, as it was to scold him once more. He shuffled his feet in embarrassment, "They want me to apologize for my outburst earlier. It was unfair, and uncalled for." He bowed. "If…if you were really a monster, you would have let him die. And I wouldn't have asked you to intercede with such faith. I will, to my dying day, be forever grateful to you for trying to help us, to great personal risk, and…thoroughly wishful it had ended differently. Like Britt Reid, you are a true hero. I believe that, our people believe that, even if you are misjudged by others… If you are ever in need again, the Three Brothers will gladly be here for you and your partner. Xièxiè, thank you."
The hard shell of the Hornet fell away again as he took in all the news and instructions to bare them down to basics: he would live. "Thank you." he said stiffly, the rough exterior returning. "I…am in your debt. Not a position I'm used to, but one I will never forget nor ignore. There are many questions I have for you, Jimmy Kee…but now's not the time. However, it is time to get you all out of here." The four blindfolds appeared again. "Gentlemen, if you will?"
6:00am
Monday
May 6th, 1968
Chinatown Underground
Lao Yin pursued his mentor with long strides to keep up. He was not his usual cool customer today, and had no idea how the Black Dragon could be. Looking as though he'd gone a 15-round prize fight to just barely scrap out a win (emphasis on 'scrap'), with a splinted left hand on which all fingers but his thumb were broken, and not even breaking a sweat, he was contently strolling through his drafty underground palace as any Dragon would a new domain.
"You should have called me immediately, my shīfu!" His words appeared as punctuated puffs of air in the cool, dank atmosphere of the tunnel.
"So you could have talked him to death?" His sharp chastisement burned Lao Yin. "With respect, sir, you should never have confronted him! Your personal agenda has no place! Not when we're just establishing ourselves!"
The Black Dragon turned on him, the Dragon's eye smoldering. "That is your problem, Lao Yin. Not mine. I am here because I was summoned here, by you, on the accord that everything was in place. It is not, is it?"
"I freed you," Lao Yin corrected, "Not summoned you."
Cānglóng bared his teeth, "Difference of wording and opinion."
"An important difference…sir."
The Black Dragon resumed his stroll, reviewing the changes and reinforcements on this section of the Chinatown tunnels. Above them, the damage to the Buddhist temple was quietly being attended to. "I suppose, Lao Yin, if I truly wish for things to be done my way, I shall have to do them. Shì de?
Lao Yin rushed to stand next to him, "What do you mean?"
"The Green Hornet and his partner represented a threat. I was content to let the threat play out. Instead the threat came to me. So I dealt with it. The Green Hornet won't dare approach without his partner, and I assure you, his partner will not be much use for anything for a great while."
"I can appreciate that, but you too took a risk. How did you know you would win?"
"I destroyed the image of my opponent. He had no cover. I laid him bare, as he was taught to do long ago. In doing so…I have confirmed my suspicions: I know who he is. By him, I also know who the Green Hornet is." Cānglóng favored Lao Yin's fish-mouthed expression, "Oh yes. You underestimated me, Lao Yin. Do not do that again?" He was already several feet ahead when Lao Yin snapped to and caught up, "Who are they?"
He ignored the question, instead delivered a withering glare at the other man, "The question you should be asking, is not 'who', but 'why' and 'how'? Why did they come last night? How did they know? Someone is talking who shouldn't be. That is on you. Can you explain?" Lao Yin stumbled of the uneven tunnel ground, stepping in a nasty primordial puddle of mud and gunk in the process, speechless.
"…Jimmy Kee." Canglong responded to his own question with airy surety. "You tutored him while establishing the home network, did you not? And is he not back to claim his tong? And does he not," Black Dragon halted and pressed a hard palm into his chest to stop him as well, "have the Green Hornet's favor?" His gloating omnipotence bowled Lao Yin over, infuriatingly so. "You created a monster. Your own downfall, if you wish. I saved you, little man."
He had no choice but to bow down, as this quasi-demi god demanded it. In fact, he had to go to his knees in the cold mud and kiss his master's splinted hand, "Wǒ zài nǐ de zhàiwù, I am in your debt my Master."
Cānglóng coldly smiled his approval, "Now…we may decide how we wish to deal with this, can't we?"
Lao Yin hurriedly reclaimed his feet, trying to wipe the dirt away with some dignity. He needed to redeem himself in his Master's eyes. He needed something that would appeal to the mastermind's thirst for vengeance… "I have just the idea, Shīfu. …Jimmy Kee is being married to Mary Chang on Friday. Most of the important members of the community will be in attendance. A strike there would send a very clear message."
"Can we handle the attention?"
"Indeed. Our men are working around the clock. By Friday, our network of tunnels will be safe. We will go underground. I will then put a rush order on the rest of my work sites. You will be completely secure."
"I hope so, Lao Yin, for your sake. Let us walk on to discuss it further…"
Hayashi Kato crawled home. His row back from the Island, and the trek inland, had taken everything his body had left. Now he hadn't the strength to walk. Guànjūn, the Champion, and he was crawling…
Under the moon's guidance, he reached the temple doors of his mentor and great teacher, Yip Man. They were of course open, as Man would never present a closed door to anyone in need of an open one. He was Shaolin, and Shaolin monks lived the Tao as much as they expounded its virtues to their students.
Kato held back tears at his own personal agony, and at the agony he would cause Man. He should have listened when the old wise man said no instead of puffing out his chest with self-importance to go do the exact opposite. He would face that now, among the many new realities of his life post-fight.
In the courtyard where he'd spent his childhood and most of his teenaged years learning wing chun and the ways of the Tao, he collapsed. His weak call to Man was carried on the wind yet Man heard somehow, from his room above. His speed was not of a man his age, neither was his gentleness nor his flexibility as he knelt down beside his favorite student. "Hayashi…"
Feverish and cold, his torso and feet bare, there was not an inch of his skin that wasn't cut and bloody. His back and chest especially, had been slashed open. "Yíhàn… y-yíhàn, my shīfu…"
"I can indeed see you are sorry. You are also on death's door, come." Yip Man lifted him to his feet, supporting him in the dragging walk inside. In his own bed, he deposited the boy and set about cleaning his wounds. An iodine soaked rag and homemade slave alternately prickled the scored skin with painful stings. The fever was another matter. Kato was growing delirious, reaching out to the mother and father he hadn't had since early childhood. He shouted enrage curses at the evil Han, his body jerking and tossing in would-be acts of gung fun.
Yip Man brought forth broth and tea, guaranteed to maintain health and spirit against illness and fever. The tea, a homemade mixture of ginseng, royal jelly and honey, was Kato's favorite, and he needed fluids desperately. Man suspected the boy hadn't had anything to eat and drink for a least a day; his skin turgor was terrible, and with his body already going into shock, the situation was grim.
Yip Man soothed his student with quiet assurances his ordeal was over. He carefully fed him sips of broth and tea. Several times Kato tried to explain but Man would say, "Later, my son. Rest now."
The fever refused him his rest, however, as it pushed itself ever hotter to a boiling 103 degrees. Yip Man's brought the fever to task with every remedy he knew, and also called in the local doctor for reinforcement.
The doctor shook his head, "The fever is only half illness, Shifu. The other half is yours to fix. I leave him to you."
The fever plateaued, going no higher. In his state, Kato tried to get up, still believing there was a fight to be won. Yip Man hurried him back in bed. "No, my son. That battle is over."
He sat with the boy, continuing to feed him and wash away the sweat. "A fever is your body's own fight against invasion, Hayashi. Relinquish that thought. You are safe. You are wounded but that will heal. I will be here. Take my hand. I will walk with you wherever you go…
Monday
May 6th, 1968
3:00pm
Kato's Room, Basement: Reid Residence
Britt still wasn't sure how to restrain him properly; there were so many bandages and stitches. "Kato. Kato, it's alright. Shhh, c'mon, buddy."
Kato abruptly ended his jerking torment, groaning and shifting under the blankets to resume his sleep. Britt held him gently into the bed by his chest a second longer just to be sure, before releasing him. He checked his jaw with a probing finger point and winced. Even out cold, his partner had a wicked punch.
These nightmares began after he'd returned from dropping off the Three Brothers and Jimmy. The safe room had been convenient at the time, but would not suffice long term. Britt ever so carefully carried his unconscious partner to his room, putting him to bed and then returning to the safe room to remove the CCTV equipment. He replaced it in Kato's room for easy monitoring. Casey had remained long enough, so Britt urged her to go once he knew he'd be able to watch Kato himself. She left exhausted, but not without giving him the quickest of kisses on the cheek. He was stunned just long to muster up a schoolboy grin.
He'd turned on the CCTV, expecting to see Kato unconscious. Instead he was a mess of tortured agony, screaming undecipherable Chinese and the name Han over and over. Britt swore, and raced down to Kato's basement sanctuary to calm him, afraid he'd start tearing stitches next. He'd stayed in Kato's room the rest of the night and into the early morning hours, combating three more like the first.
This last one had been different: he called out to Yip Man several times, begging forgiveness. He would descend into the undecipherable Chinese at that point and Britt would lose the context from there. The fever was relentless on his mind; was he getting any rest at all?
Britt dug through the first aid kit he'd left on Kato's dresser, separating out the little draw string bags the Three Brothers left. He was relieved to see the instructions for their uses and when they should be given to Kato were in English. The recommended tea blend sounded delicious even to Britt, who wasn't the biggest of tea drinkers himself. He decided to leave Kato be, who was the quietest he'd had been all night, and get to the kitchen to work through some of these recipes.
The phone was ringing in his study when he returned upstairs. He answered it, hoping it was Casey, but instead heard Axford's blustering on the other end.
"Britt! Where are ya? I got those prints on your desk. Aren'tcha coming in?"
"It's three in the afternoon, Mike. What do you think?"
He heard Mike gathering himself for his next round even before he'd finished his sentence. "…Well Holy Crow and Saint's preserves us, Britt Reid, you're a lout! Your father, Bless his soul, came to work every day, on the dot, even on the day you were BORN! It'suh Monday in May for God sakes! What could be so import—"
"Mike, will you just shut up!"
Axford lost his head of steam, stammering and stumbling through: "I—what—you—shut up?!"
"Yes. Just shut up for two seconds, okay?"
"Mrrr-fine!"
"Thank you. Jesus, Mike. …Kato's sick. Is that satisfactory enough for you? I can't leave him here alone, he needs to be watched. So if you don't mind-!"
"Oh! Oh…uh, I'm sorry to hear that. Kato…sick? That's unusual. Uhm. Wellsure, Britt, that's more important. Why didn't you just say so?"
Britt muttered something crude under his breath. "You hardly give a man a chance, that's why. Look, is Ms. Case there?"
"Er, no, matter a fact she's not. Think it's a bug goin' around? I mean, Kato's sick and now Casey."
Britt twitched his mouth, looking down at his hands, scrubbed repeatedly through the night. "No…I know what's wrong with her."
"Huh?"
"Nevermind. Leave the prints on my desk. I'll…get them later."
"Uh, well, iffin' you don't mind me suggestin', I could bring them over? This story is breakin' by the minute, Britt! We can't let ourselves get scooped!"
Britt frowned, "What do you mean?"
"Only that I was down at the work sites this morning, trying to make up for yesterday, and getting' caught. They're buzzing like beehives. Looks like the City finally lit a fire under Lao Yin's ass!"
"Wait…you're saying they've starting work again? Just like that?"
"Just like that. I discreetly asked one of the boys down there, as a curious citizens you know, what the big rush was. He said the word comin' down to them is it's a personal rush order on the sites from Lao Yin himself.
The game is complete! He's getting out of town.
Britt slapped the top of his desk, "Bring them over, Mike! Quickly as you can!" He hung up on him to call Casey's apartment.
"Hello?"
"Casey, it's Britt."
"Ohhi, hey…sorry, I'm kind of out of it today."
Britt smiled, "I understand completely. Look, um, I hate to ask this, since it's only been about…14 hours, but can you come over?"
"…What is it? Is Kato worse?" She asked, suddenly anxious.
"Well…he's still out but he's had these nightmares, kind of fits actually, throughout the night. I sat with him to make sure he didn't hurt himself worse. Thing is, the situation is changing rapidly with Lao Yin. Looks like Kato stirred up something last night: I just heard from Mike that Lao Yin's put a rush order on all the work sites to be completed ASAP."
"He's running."
"Exactly. But not before I know what the true game is and how Kato and his master are involved. I owe that much. Obviously Kato still has to be watched…"
"I'll be right there."
Britt relaxed, rubbing his tired eyes, 'You're an angel, you know that?"
"Like you said before, flattery will get you everywhere." She said, and he knew she was smiling as she said it. Britt grinned, rubbing the spot on his cheek where she kissed him. "That's the general idea. Hey! Wait, uhm…how good are you with Chinese food?"
"You mean making it? Can't say I ever have. It's the little bags the Three Brothers left, right?"
"Yeah, there's tea and some other things. He has to eat…especially for the blood loss."
"Long as there are instructions, I can give it a shot."
"Great, see you in a bit." Britt hung up a lot easier than he had on Mike and rushed to the bathroom for a shower. He'd only scrubbed his hands and changed his shirt since the ordeal began. The accumulations of sweat, blood and grim elsewhere wasn't helping his concentration any, although sleep deprivation probably had a lot do with it as well. He'd sleep later, much later. And eat… these were the small things he couldn't afford right now.
Jumping in for a hard scrub, and right out ago with quick toweling, he dressed in a casual long sleeve and khaki pants. Mussing his hair with his fingers, Britt returned to the study and the CCTV: Kato was resting easy. The doorbell rang…he waited for the telltale sign. Hard insistent banging on the door followed. Bingo.
"Coming, Mike, coming!" He switched off the CCTV and jogged for the door. Axford marched in even before he was invited, waving the photos, 'Got 'em!"
"Good to see you too." Britt intoned dryly, closing the door. "Keep it down, will you? Kato's trying to sleep."
"Oh, uh, yeah. Sorry." He handed the photos off triumphantly. "There's that fella I was tellin' ya about." He crowded in to point out the beefy Chinese, dressed in a long black trench coat, cinched ankle pants and sandals. The black dragon tattoo across his shaved head and down around his eye stood out with commanding effect.
"Cānglóng…" Britt whispered, spitefully. So Kato's assailant was indeed with Lao Yin. Talk about connections…
"Huh?"
"Nothing. Thanks, Mike. There are some more angles to this story I have to work out. Keep up the good work. Call me with any more developments, okay?"
"More angles? Whaddya mean? Can I help?"
"No, Mike." Britt steered him towards the door, patiently shaking his head. "Just let me handle it? Your, uh, usual tactics wouldn't go over so well for this work."
"Usual tactics? And just what do you mean by that? My dynamic and tireless pursuit of a good story, is that what you mean? Why, Britt…! That's a sign of a true reporter, you know that!"
"Oh really?" Britt opened the door for him, "And here I thought I was just a lout. Bye, Mike." The sour look on Mike's face as the door closed on it was priceless. He brought the photos to his desk, building up the mounds of paperwork. He looked over the mess, chiding himself to organize or he wasn't going to get anywhere. Shuffling the papers around into presentable stacks, he picked up the sheet detailing Lao Yin's activities in Hong Kong. The untranslated phrase 'dâ zhàng' bit at the back of his mind.
What if that's the key?
He switched on the CCTV and sat back in his chair, mulling it over. He picked up the phone, juggling it in his hand. Even if it wasn't the key, dâ zhàng could present the break he needed to find the real one. He dialed the number for the Far East office of the Daily Sentinel, transferring twice through the delegated channels until the he was patched through. He gave his name, received the due respect and cordiality as the big boss, and then asked to be transferred to the linguistics department. The head of that department, Feng Wu, answered. 'Mr. Reid. It's a pleasure, sir. How may I assist you?"
"Feng, I have a few questions I need to be answered for a story back here in the states. My first one is just a matter of translation. The phrase dâ zhàng —it's not translated in the files. What does it mean?"
Gnawing open silence on the other end: "Feng?"
"…Please hold, Mr. Reid. I'm afraid I can't answer that. I will transfer you to someone who can. Good day, sir." He sounded as though he was shaken by the question and at the same time mightily glad he didn't have to answer. Britt was puzzled by that reaction. His call was rerouted and answered by a gruff and short, "Britt?"
He blinked, floored by the voice, "Charlie?"
Charlie Rose was an old friend of his father's; an old man himself, now. He was the Chief Editor of the Far East office, or had been. Britt could have sworn he'd retired ages ago. "Charlie, you old warhorse! Is that you?"
"Hehehe, hey kid. What the hell's going on with ya?"
"Jesus, I thought you retired!"
"Don't even look at whose checks ya sign, huh? You haven't grown up a bit, ya punk!"
Britt grinned, genuinely pleased to hear the berating. "Old enough to know better but still young enough not to care all that much about it. You're not Chief Editor still?"
"Nahhh. Left that job. I hang around to make sure these young jokers don't start things on fire over here."
"Hah! You're the best one for that job! Started a few fires yourself in your day."
"Your father was a showman and liar, best there was. Only believe half of what he told you." Charlie chuckled over the line. He cleared his throat, hacking through the phlegm of too many years spent smoking cheap cigars. "Uh, Britt. So the reason you called…"
"Yeah, I just need a translation: dâ zhàng. I asked Feng Wu from Linguistics but he said he couldn't answer. What does that mean? It's not a difficult question, is it? He rerouted me to you."
"Uh, yeah. Yeah." Charlie sounded resigned, as if this call had long been suspected and awaited. "That, uhm, was your father's doing."
"My father?"
"Yeah…so Kato finally told ya, huh? I didn't think he ever would."
Britt swallowed, his eyes darting to the CCTV. "What are you talking about?'
"…Wait, he didn't tell you?"
"I don't…have time for th—Charlie, just tell me what the damn phrase means!"
"Well hell, kid. It's a lot more complicated than you realize! If Kato hasn't told you yet, then it's not my place to explain!"
Britt sat forward in his chair, angry at being yanked around. The last 14 hours, he'd had his fill of it. "You have to tell me, Charlie. Something big is going on over here. I need all the answers I can get! It's personal to me, now. Kato is involved…and I have to know why, fast! So you better just answer the goddamn question or I'll forget how much you mean to me and meant to my father!"
Casey arrived, letting herself in with her key. She heard the yelling through the door, and cocked her head at the topic of conversation. She peeked in to Britt's office to find him pitched forward in his chair with a piqued tinge in his cheeks. No doubt those piercing aquamarine eyes were flashing too. She gave a quick wave to let him know she was here. He nodded at her, completely absorbed in the call. She shrugged and made her way to the kitchen to look over the things left for Kato's recovery.
Britt's ear crackled with Charlie's long drawn out sigh, obviously annoyed and very ticked at him for busting his balls like that. "All right, kid. I'll tell ya, but the minute I get off the phone with you, you go and ask Kato to explain the whole story because I'm only going to give enough to cool ya off!"
"Fine, fair enough."
"Alright," Charlie barked, settling in to tell his half, "Look… dâ zhàng …is the Chinese name for the underground fight rings of Hong Kong, and China at large. These underground fights are like our prize fighting, only here it's kung fu—every form and style imaginable. Some are until a fighter gives…most are to the death. There's honor in all of them…to a point, because there's a shitload a' money going in and out on 'em. The elite fund and run these fights, mostly Tong and government men. A lot of 'em run their own fightyards, training these kung fu men and loaning them out like gladiators."
He paused here, clearly not wanting to continue but Britt's glowering presence on the other end forced him, "Your father made me swear to stick around here in Far East office as long as I could…just in case this call you're making right now, ever came. And if it did and if I was still kickin' around, it was to be transferred to me only, and I would answer to try an' explain. The old dâ zhàng of Hong Kong ended 14 years ago with a very blood and now-legendary tournament at the island estate of Han, the biggest of the Asian narcos. He was one of those guys who thought his shit didn't stink, and everything he did in the name of gung fu was right and just. His fights and tournaments were the worst…kinda seemed right and fittin' he finally got his in his own yard. Anyway, that last fight brought the whole set up down around everybody's ears, and the kid who did it, singlehandedly, was smuggled out of Hong Kong very soon after by his teacher and mentor under the protection of Henry Reid, owner/publisher of the Daily Sentinel, courtesy of yours truly. You were never supposed to know until it was decided you should."
A cold chill swept over Britt, giving him goosebumps. His mouth opened and closed several times wordlessly as he struggled to comprehend. His eyes returned to the CCTV. Kato tossed and turned in the onset of another nightmare.
"Charlie,' he gasped, "Are you telling me…Kato…?!"
"Ain't saying nothing more. Get off the phone, kid, and do what I told ya. I said my bit. Take care."
"Charlie, don't hang up!"
He clicked off, leaving Britt dangling. Britt slammed the receiver down, swearing, "Shit!" He huffed out several breaths, staring at the CCTV, in stark naked disbelief. All those nightmares, the cursing of the name Han…
"What is it?" Casey came in, wiping her hands on dish towel.
Britt swallowed, covering his mouth with his hand as he dealt out how he would tell her. "I, um, figured some things out." He said through his fingers.
"That's awfully cryptic?" she said, bemused.
"For one thing, I just figured out what dâ zhàng means."
"Oh?"
He didn't answer, instead checked the screen. Sure enough, "I have to go to him. He's having another one of those nightmares." They went together down to Kato's room. The air was ripe with sweltering tension. "Oh my God," Casey exhaled, watching his twist and toss under the covers. Britt positioned himself next to the bed so he could gently and easily hold Kato still by his chest. His jaw visibly worked. Why did you never tell me! "Be surprised at what the subconscious can dig up."
"Hayashi…Mr. Reid offers you so much more than I ever could. The papers are signed, you have a passport and a visa—American. Take his offer: go."
"Leave you? You would ask that of me? I realize what I've done is wrong and against everything you have taught me, and I go to my knees for forgiveness, Shīfu!"
"Don't, my son. On your feet. Do you not see that this is for your own good? Hong Kong is turmoil over this! You killed one of the most important men in all of China, nevermind the most contemptible—it is not our place to judge. You are too well known for all the wrong reasons—Han's men will come for you. I mustn't allow that."
"Then I will fight them too!"
"Hayashi…you are barely healed. You can't stay. The decision is ultimately not yours to make. I am in keeping of you, and I decide. You are going. America is for you, now."
"No! It's a foreign land, I will not know anyone!"
"You know Mr. Reid. He's a good man. And Mr. Reid has a son, just about your age. You will grow up with him. They are a fine family. You will thrive in America with them. Make a name for yourself. Honor me and your homeland, always, Hayashi Kato."
"Shīfu Man! Please! I will stay with you! They will come for you, too. What then?"
"You leave tomorrow. Sleep now. You will need your strength for the long journey…"
6:00pm
Kato's Room
Basement: Reid Residence
…White topped waves dashing on the rocks, screams of agony and mercy. Breaking glass, streaked in red….
Kato was flung from unconsciousness by the crystalline crashes of a distant past. He panted, looking around wildly with a fist cocked and ready. His chest felt tight, constrained against his rapid breathing.
"Wha-?" He flung off his covers. His torso and left hand were tightly wrapped in bandages and gauze. Absorbed by the gross change, he slowly pressed himself into the blankets face first as the hot poker pain returned with fragments of memory.
"Gǒupì! Wángbā dàn…!" He moaned, cursing into the bedcovers. He sucked air; picked himself up with tender hesitancy, taking in the surroundings. He recalled he hadn't been in his room, as he was now. He must have been moved. When: time was elusive to him.
The settings were comforting, but lonely. The lights were off and there was a dare-to-hope feeling present, as if he was being watched by someone who was afraid of seeing some unwanted result. He decided to test himself, wiping his brow of hot perspiration as he dangled his legs over. His arms wobbled with the effort.
The lights came on in the basement. He jerked away. Hurried footsteps rushed the stairs, "Kato!"
Britt caught him just as feet touched ground and legs buckled. "I've got you, I've got you…" He returned him to bed, hands resting easily on his shoulders. Kato nodded gratefully, coughing through the hitch in his ribs. "We... we have to stop meeting like this." He joked weakly. Britt laughed, pressing his hands down to rest more firmly in a brotherly squeeze. "We do, don't we?"
He looked Kato over, relieved to see him awake. His color was poor, and there was a permanent pained skew in his features, but he was trying to put on the cocky unbeatable confidence for Britt's sake. "I, uh, I was worried about you." Britt said. The minimalist approach to his concern wasn't fooling either of them; that rawness had returned to Britt's face as Kato affected a more relaxed lean. "Didn't I say I'd always be alright?"
"Heh, you did…took some convincing this time, you know?"
I won't accept losing you was heavy-pressed into that statement. Kato nodded, "I know." His side seized with two huge hammer blows, the spasm pushing him into the bed for relief. He squeezed his eyes shut and thought of something else. Britt hovered, "What is it? Your side?"
A quick nod, "It's fine, it's fine. It's passing."
"Could be some are stitches are loose; you were very restless. I can unwrap the bandages to look? They should be changed, anyway."
"No, no." Kato waved the idea off. "It's- it's gone." He sat up, keeping the way he held himself in close check, "I, uh, I would like to eat something, actually."
Britt relaxed, "Hungry?"
"Starved."
Britt liked that attitude. "Alright, great. We prepared some stuff for you."
"'We'?"
"Casey was here. She couldn't stay, still wiped out from last night…"
Kato sobered, keenly aware of what they had done for him…and forced to see in the process. He rubbed his nose, "I'm sorry."
Britt paused on the staircase, looking back on him as he apologized; no doubt the first of many, "We'll talk about that later. I'll be right back." He returned with a tray of home. Kato brightened at the choice of fare. "The Three Brothers?"
Britt nodded, taking Kato's armchair and pulling along beside, "About two hours with you…how come you never mentioned them before?" Kato tasted the noddle soup, savoring its spice. "Didn't think I'd ever need them." He admitted, "They're a last resort."
"Jimmy Kee said the same thing."
At Jimmy's name, Kato looked over the rim of his tea cup (pleasantly surprised to find it was his master's old blend), expecting Britt to use it as a launching pad. He didn't. "How long was I asleep?"
"Seventeen hours. It's about 6 now, Monday."
He grunted, "Was I…out of it?"
"You could say that."
Kato frowned, "That's my usual. I'm glad you only had to see it this once."
"So you've been this badly injured before?"
He swallowed his mouthful of tea, returning to his soup before answering. "Yes." Again, he suspected Britt wanted an explanation, but still he didn't push. This was becoming a tricky dance. Britt reached back for the first aid basket, searching without looking for their mercury thermometer. "Hey, when you're done with your soup, I need to take your temperature."
Kato felt his own forehead: still hot. "No, don't worry about it. I just need more sleep. I'll be better tomorrow."
"It's not going to be a matter of days, Kato. They said lots of rest in quiet. So don't think I'm going to let you get up and move around."
"I have to get up at some point; I may be adept at staying quiet, but not staying still."
"You lost blood—and you didn't have a transfusion. So yes, I think you should get used to be still and quiet." Britt gave it right back to him, steadfastly adamant. Kato was aware of the Three Brother's aversion to blood transfusions unless strictly necessary to maintain life; he was also aware that half his weakness was from the fact he'd lost enough for a transfusion to even be an option. Bravado wasn't in Kato's nature; his confidence and cockiness was stemmed from a wholly different and nobler source. Neither was being sick and beholden to someone else. It made him uncomfortable, so downplaying as much as possible was a natural mechanism.
Britt recognized his discomfort as more than physical and tried to reassure him, "How many times have you sat with me? Partners, remember? I'm not riding off into that sunset without you."
Kato nodded fondly at that particular line, and melted into the sheets under him. "I give." He grinned. Tea and soup devoured, bathroom visited, Kato drifted off again. Britt stayed in vigil far into a night of inner contemplation.
