Chapter 10: Concussion

A throbbing pain in her hands causes Andrea to fade back into reality. Waking up, she carefully brings her hands to her face, studying them. Her right hand and up the side of her arm beams red, blue, and purple. The trickling blood crawling from her knuckles down her arm paint around the overbearing bruise. No blood stains the left hand, however, a swelling bruise extends around the right side of it.

Confused by the mysterious injuries, Andrea proceeds to inspect her surroundings. She first turns to the wall on her right and gasps at the multiple craters punched into it. Making the frightening connection, her head spins to face Akio's cot, only noticing his absence, "Akio?" She twists her legs around and plants them firmly on the ground, sitting up. After glancing down before standing, the perplexed lemur slams herself back against the wall, "Did I...?" Calming herself down, Andrea lowers herself to the floor beside the unconscious lemur. A small crimson puddle encompasses Akio's head, accentuating his pained expression.

Andrea hastily bites and rips cloth from the legs of her suit, tying pieces together to make an acceptable bandage. Gently lifting Akio's head, she inspects the wound: only the skin is badly broken, the skull isn't cracked open. Blood loss remains an issue. Cautiously, Andrea wraps the homemade bandage around Akio's skull, tightly securing the laceration—blood immediately stains the cloth.

Akio's slight motion startles the temporary nurse, "Andrea?"

"Oh, are you awake?" Andrea replies nervously.

"Are you alright? You're not still sleeping, right?" Akio moans, squinting his eyes open.

"What are you talking about? You shouldn't be asking that, you're the one to worry about!"

"What do you mean? You were just screaming a moment ago. Were you having a nightmare?" the injured, but baffled, lemur insists.

"Screaming a moment—look, you're bleeding badly. At least wait until it stops before you start moving and talking," Andrea argues.

"Bleeding? Why would I be bleeding? I only just-" Akio winces as he attempts to sit upright.

"What did I just say? You don't like listening to others, do you?"

Carefully resting his head onto the floor once more, Akio manages, "Not really. Is it that obvious? You're pretty stubborn yourself, you know. Don't ridicule others until you look yourself in the mirror."

"You should ridicule others when you're in a disadvantageous and useless position as you are now," Andrea counters. "Besides, it's hard to find a mirror in such a place as this."

"Ah, I guess you're right about that."

"We finally agree on something."
"I guess so. How fortu..." Akio's voice quickly trails off; his eyelids falling down slowly.

Andrea gently slaps the side of his face, "Hey, don't fall asleep. I need you to be awake for this. I can't move you by myself."

"Why do you...need to move me?" Akio slurs.

"Well, I imagine you might be a bit more comfortable in your cot rather than lying on hard concrete using a puddle of your blood as a pillow."

"I see your point," Akio admits. Submitting to Andrea's assistance, Akio stands up, although wobbly. Andrea directs, nearly carrying him, to his cot and lies him down gingerly.

"Does that suit your comfort, sir?" Andrea bows.

"What way is that to treat someone you clobbered?"

"So you remember?" Andrea questions.

"Yes, I do now. Are you really okay? I'm alright now, so you can say," Akio prods, warily shifting his head—lightly cringing at the pain—so he can see Andrea's expression.

"I've mentioned before I'm haunted by nightmares. I get them often. End of story," Andrea restrains her tears, although her lips quiver slightly. "Anyway, are you sure you're okay? Does your head hurts?"

"Does my head hurt? Only the part where the blood is leaking from the gash left when my head met the pavement after someone's fist smashed the side of my skull. It was quite an encounter. They got to know each other for a while. Interesting conversation."

"You sure can be scornful and sarcastic sometimes. I really enjoy the performance. Is that the agony speaking or has your jackass side revealed itself?"

"Do all criminals speak to their victims this way?!" Akio shouts.

Andrea's jaw drops, dumbstruck. The unwanted tears free themselves from Andrea's hold. Quickly whirling around, Andrea whispers, "Yeah, I guess they do."

Realizing the extent of damage his words bombed onto Andrea, Akio reaches out and grabs onto the back of her suit, "Wait. I didn't mean that. That's not what I meant to say."

"Of course that's what you meant to say. Why else would you have said it? It's true anyway," Andrea mumbles, slumping back down, her back facing Akio who still clutches her suit.

"Well, okay, that's what the jackass wanted to say, but that's not me. I get angry, I say what I shouldn't say."

"What you shouldn't, but what you want to," Andrea solemnly points out.

"I say what I wouldn't say, what I'd never want to say. That is what I mean," Akio struggles, finally letting go of her outfit.

"Are you sure about that? You're contradicting yourself."

"Why are you making this so damn hard? You're putting too much stress on an injured person. My head hurts enough as it is," Akio sighs.

"You said you were fine."

"I lied," Akio admits blatantly.

Wiping her face, Andrea inhales deeply and spins around once more, facing Akio, "You need to stop lying. How am I supposed to know when you're saying things you want to say and mean truthfully and when you're spouting nonsense and lies?"

"You don't. And neither do I," Akio explains flatly.

"What the hell kind of answer is that?" Andrea retorts sharply.

"My kind," Akio replies, faintly smiling. Averting his eyes from Andrea and directing them towards the ceiling, he notes, "I think I'm a little lightheaded."

In response to Akio's declaration, Andrea lifts herself abruptly to her knees, high enough to hover over him.

"Oh, hello," Akio grins in reply.

"What's wrong? You're going pale. Are you still losing blood?" Andrea leans in closer, slightly turning his head. The wrap has done its job, the wound has clotted; no blood seeps from the injury. "No, the blood has stopped. Do you have a concussion? Is there a bump?" Very delicately, Andrea skims the side of Akio's head with her hand and notices a lump expanding from where her own fist contacted with his head as well as on the opposite side where the cement floor assisted in the beating. "Oh, man. Ice...we need ice. Or at least something cold. Well, it is freezing in here. Is there any rocks or something around that could be cold?" Andrea worries out loud to herself. Leaving Akio's side, she scrambles around the small cell, scavenging for anything of use. Underneath her own cot, a few stones decorate the floor—she sweeps them up. Ripping yet another piece of cloth, Andrea wraps the stones in the cloth and returns to Akio. She places the cold pack over the worse of the two forming bumps. "Does it feel cold at all?"

Attempting to cling to actuality, Akio murmurs, "Yes, it's freezing."

Andrea sighs relief, "Good, maybe it will at least do something."

"Thank you," Akio breathes lightly.

"What are you talking about? There's no need for thanks," Andrea bellows.

Tears begin welling in Akio's eyes, "Not just for helping, but for helping despite everything I've said to you."

Shocked, Andrea leans over him, "Don't worry about it. I overreacted."

Battling the tears, Akio's utters, his voice cracking, "No, I said too much. Not just today, but yesterday, too. You're not disgusting. I guess you gave me what I deserved, even if it was subconsciously." Akio lightly chuckles.

"Don't say that. I'm just as stubborn as you are. Geez, what am I saying, just keep quiet! You need to rest and try not to talk," Andrea coaxes.

Ignoring Andrea's suggestions, Akio continues, "No, really. I didn't mean it—any of it. I'm just irritable. Frustrated. Being in here for over a week has done that to me. A week may not seem that long to some prisoners, I'm sorry to say, but for me I'm already breaking down." Akio relinquishes to the forceful tears, "I don't want to be in here anymore. I may talk highly, but I'm just pitiful and weak."

With tears of her own dripping onto Akio's cot, Andrea whispers, "You took on a bunch of Eggman's robots. That's not weak."

"That's what happens when adrenaline gets someone going. That's all it was. I don't have any left in me," Akio whines quietly.

Andrea shakes her head, "You can bring it out again. Plus, you aren't alone in here anymore. I want to get out just as much as you do. We'll figure a way out of this somehow. Maybe we'll get lucky and someone will find us. I don't know who, but just anyone willing to free us and any other captives held here if there are any. We'll just have to come up with a plan."

"Luck isn't really friendly towards me. Bad luck was what sent me to this hellhole. That and curiosity."

"Just don't think negatively. Telling myself that has been the only way I've been able to live until now," Andrea sobs, weakly leaning over Akio, her head resting heavily on Akio's stomach.

"I'll try," Akio murmurs almost inaudibly. With the numbing cold of the stones lifting the pain from his head, the wounded lemur drifts into a slumber.

His argumentative adversary, yet dependable companion, follows him into dreamland.