Chapter 7

Finally done this! Now I know it's not late or anything, but this took me forever to write, and I have no idea why. Maybe it's cause it's my longest chapter, or maybe cause I've been uncontrollably hyper for the past few days or maybe it's cause I just suck at writing. (My money is on the last one :S)

Now on to the story!


"So you weren't joking about this."

I was at Snake's bedside, which was becoming a usual spot for me. If I wasn't out raising money to get Snake his surgery and him out of the hospital, I was at the hospital visiting Snake. Of course, it was just me talking to practically a dead body, but it was a lot better just having Snake in my presence. As far as I knew, I was the only one visiting Snake this frequently. The rest of the gang only visited Snake once in the whole week and a half. So when I heard a different voice, from behind me I was surprised. Surprised that the owner of this voice, which I easily recognized, would come to visit Snake. I turned around to see the green powerpuff girl. She was floating, so she was at my eye level and had her arms crossed, and didn't look like she was in a very good mood. I raised my eyebrow at her.

"I wouldn't joke 'bout this, Buttacup." I said, in a "I told ya so" attitude. She rolled her eyes, and let out a deep sigh, then looked at Snake. "How is he?" She asked me. Her eyes fell to Snake again.

"I don't think I've ever seen Snake this bad, even after one of our beatings. He looks like a corpse."

"Well, thanks. That makes me feel a lot betta." Buttercup sighed.

"Just what are the doctor saying?" I felt my shoulders tense up, as I'm not quite comfortable in telling of Snake's health at the moment. Epically if I have to add the part when I have to say it was my fault, but luckily Buttercup already knew that.

"Doc says he need some surgery, and he won't get betta with out it." She nodded, still looking at Snake. After a moment she tilted her head, as if another question popped into her mind.

"And how are four street punks going to be able to pay for the surgery?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well that's why I was muggin' that old lady. The gang and I have been muggin' and robbin' people left and right tryin' to come up with the cash!" I said, not thinking over my words as I blurted them out.

"Ya know, it's not always a smart idea to tell a law enforcer about your crimes against society." Damn it. I punched the dry wall for the second time, forgetting just how badly it hurt. Cussing to myself, I turned to Buttercup.

"Cut us some slack Buttacup! This is a matta of life and death! We have a good reason this time!"

"So it's been a three weeks which is three quarters of your time, and you've barely raised two thirds of the cash?" She raised an eyebrow. I nodded. We were doing good... right? She sadly shook her head, ready to tell me something, but was cut off when the door swung open.

"BUTTERCUP!" two super powered girls bust into the room.

"Buttercup is every thing all right?" Blossom asked. Buttercup, wondering why her sister would ask that, nodded.

"We were so worried when we found the note that said "going to the hospital", we thought you got hurt!" The youngest said. "Why are you even- OH MY GOD! What happened to him?" Bubbles said looking at Snake, then looking at me for an answer.

"I... I.." My voice began to crack. Why was it so hard to tell people what had happened. I mean, I hit Snake all the time and never ever had a issue, but know even thinking about it made me feel guilty, and sad.

"Well, Ace here was being a great leader just as he always is, and left Snake unable to move in the middle of a road and this was the result." Buttercup said, crossing her arms. "Is he going to be okay?" Bubbles said holding back tears. I even noticed Blossom's face fall and show empathy. The two was so kind hearted and such "good guys". It didn't matter to them if we were worst enemies, they cared for Snake's health. That's so sweet, it makes me sick. If one of them got hurt I'd celebrate.

"No he's not." A voice said behind me. I turned to see the doctor standing behind me. His voice sounded strangly calm, as if he wasn't all that concerned. I stared at him, wondering what he meant by that. "Mr. Ingleberry's condition has gotten much worse, and even life support might not be able to keep his heart beating." I could feel my heart beginning to beat faster, as I went into a slight state of shock.

"Does that mean he'll need more surgery?" I nervously asked, not wanting to get even more money to cover the medical bill. The doctor, who still hadn't looked at me, shook his head.

"No, it just means he might pass before you are able to afford the surgery. On the subject, how's the funds going?" He finally looked at me, but with a raised eyebrow and disbelief. Did he not believe we could get enough to cover the bills? And how could he calmly say "He might pass" like that? Was Snake's life not important enough to him? Great doctor.

"Good. We got almost thirty-five thousand dollas." I said answering his question with an added smirk.

"You do realize that is only about two thirds of the required payment, and it's been about three quarters of the time?" He said. What was the big deal? We were going to get enough money!

"Yeah..." I said. He exchanged looks with the girls, like as if they were keeping a big secret from me.

"Ace..." Blossom spoke up. "If you continue like that, you won't make ends meet. You won't have the fifty grand." I felt my jaw drop.

"Oh... I knew that." I said rubbing the back of my head. Holy shit, I didn't know that! I thought we were doing good, but then again I don't know anything about numbers. Ugh, and I finally became slightly unstressed about this, and now all that stress is back, and it brought double the interest along with it.

"C'mon ladies let's go." Blossom said, probably noticing I was becoming a little more emotional and was smart enough to leave me be. They each said goodbye and sorry again before they flew out the door, leaving the doctor and myself alone.

"Sir, you do realize the seriousness in this situation, and how you aren't close to getting the funds?" The doctor said in a completely calm and monotone voice. "As I mentioned before, Mr. Ingleberry's health has been drastically dropping, and all your efforts might end up being for nothing." I looked at him in complete disgust of his calmness and how it sounded as if he really didn't care how Snake ended up, how "whatever happens, happens" and there is nothing he can do to help.

"How can ya say that? This is a guys life we're talking about! Do ya not care if he makes it out alive?"

"Sir, of course I care. I am only being realistic-"

"Realistic? Since I brought him in here ya have had a negative outlook on this. Ya told me ya were prepared to cut him off life support!"

"Again sir, that's state law-"

"ITS MURDERING!" I screamed, a bit too loudly. The doctor went a shade paler, scared of the tone in my voice. He knew what my anger was like, he saw what I did to the dry wall.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave the building." I took a step towards Snake's hospital bed, and grabbed on to the metal railing.

"Well yer gonna have ta drag me out if ya want me gone!" I wasn't leaving Snake like this.

The hospital ended up calling the cops, and I did end up getting dragged out of the building. I was unwillingly placed in the back of a police cruiser, with two cops sitting in the driver and passenger seat. As we began to drive away, I noticed they turned the wrong way. We weren't going to the dump.

"Umm... Where are we goin'?" I asked the officers.

"Just down to the station. Ask some questions, update some records." The cop in the passenger seat told me. Oh shit. I thought in my mind. There was so much that I had done in between now and the last time I had gotten booked.

So today, I had not only learned that we weren't as on schedule as I had hoped for the funds, and I had learned that Snake might not even live till the surgery, and now I was in shit with the fuzz, and now I was over eighteen, and could easily be sent to jail, and then Snake would be completely screwed. Damn it. Could life get any worse?


What'dya thinka that? Sorry guys if it seems like I'm always hating on BC, but she does become in between Snake and Ace, and she is still my favourite PPG, so in my mind I think it's okay if I'm mean to her cause she is and always will be my favourite... Anyways, review and I think who ever the 25 reviewer is gets a prize! Which I have no idea what it should be... (Great. MORE thinking! :P)3