Chapter 11
It was 10:24 AM, December 29th.
A woman was crying hysterically over the Mushi in a hospital room alone. Her cries hitting the ears of practically everyone on the same floor as her as she just learned the tragic news of her baby boy had just passed just after giving birth to it. The product of 9 months of labor has just left the world as soon as it came out. She wasn't able to hold it while it was alive, but the doctors granted her wish to still see the body. They were even courteous enough to leave her in the room alone while she grieved. While in the room she was able to make a call.
Most of the staff was expecting for the call to be an emotional one but the conversation turned violent as soon as it started.
"I-I'm sorry Charlotte… I really wish I could be there with you-"A sincere sympathetic male voice spoke over the line.
"Well you should you bastard! While I'm here at the hospital having to look at my dead son, you're in your goddamn office, going on with your life!" She screamed, pounding her fist on the counter.
The man on the other line went silent at the woman's snap.
Her crying continued as she tried to regain composure in her voice. "Y-You don't get it do you Hendricks? You don't seem to have a clue of what I had to go through. I had to make a lot of sacrifices for this thing… all while you stayed in your fancy fucking mansion in Yisdrill!"
Hendricks wanted to insert his side of the story but he knew that it wouldn't help as he knew that Charlotte needed to vent out her anger after all that happened to her.
"All you cared about was yourself! You didn't want anybody to know about the fact that you got me pregnant all so you could keep your fucking job! Do you have any idea how selfish that sounds?" She said.
Her words hit Hendricks in his heart as she was practically right. If anyone knew who he got pregnant he would be in trouble and it would be a major setback in his career field especially as a 23 year old.
"It was obvious from the beginning that you wanted nothing to do with all of this. That's why you left me here all alone huh? Because you don't care do you Hendricks? I bet the news of our son dying makes you absolutely fucking ecstatic. Now you can focus all on yourself-"
"Alright that's enough!" He shouted.
"You think I don't care for him? I gave you all that I could for him!" He yelled back. He would have kept on going but he realized that he was at work and getting in a shouting match with someone over the phone was an easy way to get fired.
He sighed, "Listen I know that what I'm doing could be easily seen as selfish and I get that and I'm truly sorry, but I promise when I rise up in the ranks, then I'll-"
"'When you rise up'!? Are you fucking serious!?" She screamed out, interrupting the lawyer.
"I swear Hendricks; you ruined my life… You ruined my fucking life!" She punched a hole through a wall while she spoke to him.
She sat herself down on a nearby chair and covered her face to try and stop herself from completely losing it. But unfortunately for her it was too late as she became more hysterical. She began to throw things around the room, punched more holes through the walls and just about destroy the room she was contained in.
There was a small window in her room that allowed doctors and others to see her breakdown but she didn't care. A few of them tried to open the door to try and stop her from destroying anything else, but they found the door to be locked.
One of the doctors spoke to her, his voice very meek. "Ms. Linlin, please open this-"
"Fuck off!" She then flung a microscope at the door to emphasize her rebellion.
"All right that's it. Someone call security… now!" One of them ordered.
Charlotte stared out the window and saw the faces of the shocked nurses and other staff staring at her in bewilderment. She quickly turned her head back to the deceased baby wrapped up in a blanket which was as still as a rock. She then turned to the Mushi Machine which was still on, meaning that Hendricks had heard everything that happened.
"Charlotte! Charlotte! You're gonna have to calm down or else there gonna take you to jail." Hendricks warned through whispering.
She just laughed at that possible threat. "I don't care about that Hendricks… but I just thought of an idea…" She said this in a low voice but Hendricks was able to pick it up.
She continued "I just thought of a really good solution to this problem."
Hendricks was really beginning to worry but he went along with her. "…What's the solution?"
Charlotte flipped the roughed up cinnamon red hair out of her face. She looked around the room for any cameras and then looked outside to make sure no one could possibly hear what she is going to say. For precaution she also closed the blinds and pushed the medical bed in front of the door to prevent anyone from seeing inside or getting it.
"I'm gonna give this boy one of those barcode things… You know the one that could resurrect him."
The eyes on the snail transponder widened at her "solution".
"A-Are you serious? That's your 'solution'?"
Charlotte hummed a yes.
Hendricks from over the line rubbed his forehead to prevent himself from yelling at her, especially over something as dangerous as this. Just talking about it could get them both in trouble.
"Do you realize how stupid that idea sounds?"
"Do you have any idea how selfish you sound!? I gave birth to this child alone. All by myself , while you sit there in your office and you think you have the right to call me stupid because I think it's unfair that this child hasn't lived a full life? Who the hell do you think you are?"
"… Someone who knows that that plan of yours is dangerous and pointless."
Hearing the word 'pointless' coming from Hendricks made her blood boil.
He continued. "Listen… the cost of the barcode is going to cost you an arm and a leg for one Charlotte."
"Money's not a thing to me Hendricks. You of all people should know that."
Hendricks rolled his eyes at her statement. Unfortunately for him, the snail on the Den Den Mushi did the same action which was visible to Charlotte. "Roll your eyes again and I'll make sure it stays that way!"
Hendricks paused unemotionally and then proceeded.
"Second, having the barcode is illegal and the only way to get it is through underground methods. Third, you will have to find a surgeon who is going to be willing to do an illegal operation to implant the barcode on him and that will cost you another arm and a leg. And lastly, if the surgery is a success and the child is revived, what type of life is he going to live? You're both going to be wanted by the government if they find out."
Charlotte dismissively waved a hand over his rant. "I should be fine. As you know, I have connections Hendricks. I can easily pay for the barcode and find someone to do operation as well and I'll make sure no one finds out."
Hendricks sighed out in disbelief, mostly over the fact that she seemed serious about her plan.
"Charlotte, please don't do this…"
"Too late my mind's made-"
"This is your last warning Charlotte. Open the door or we kick it down!"
She grunted and spoke back into the phone. "Looks like it's time for me to go Hendricks. I trust that you won't tell anyone about my plan right?"
Hendricks scoffed at the tone of her voice. With a topic as illegal as barcode revival, he wanted no part of it. "No I won't tell anyone about this, but… please just think this through. Even if he is revived he'll just die again Charlotte and when he does die a second time he won't be remembered by anyone not even you. It'll be like he never existed."
Charlotte was listening to the harsh words Hendricks used as a loud and aggressive bang came from the door from the room she was in.
She paused before giggling silently, "That is one of the side effects of the barcode isn't it? Being erased from existence" She said lowly to herself knowing the answer.
"But it doesn't matter if anyone remembers him. As long as he can experience the world and that I can spend time with him is all that matters."
The guards were finally able to break through the barred door as they approached the crazed Charlotte with hesitance.
"Charlotte, just remain calm and come with us please…"
The loud intrusion made its way Hendricks's ears. "Charlotte what was that?"
"It's the hospital security that just barged in here. I'm gonna go now-" She said with no sign of worry in her voice.
"Charlotte, wait!"
"Just hang up the phone and come with us please."
"This may be the last time I ever see you again so I guess this is a goodbye. Enjoy your life you selfish bastard."
…
"Charlotte! Charlotte! Shit!"
The phone was slammed back down on the hook making the snail on the machine rest.
He then cupped his face in his hands to try and sort out everything that just happened.
'What a fucking mess. She can't be serious. She's done some dumb shit before, but this…'
Hendricks hadn't known Charlotte for that long. They met at a banquet the firm he was working for held. She was lovely. She was pretty, nice and she spoke like an angel, but that changed when he began to spend time with her. She changed from the nice house woman to a vicious and heartless ice queen out of nowhere. She acted bratty and childish as she always wanted sweets for some reason. If he could, he would leave her, but after finding out that she was pregnant with his seed he didn't find it right to just abandon her at a time like this. Not to mention that her talks of her 'connections' made it possibly dangerous for him to leave her. While Hendricks would be proud to be the father of her child he couldn't because if the higher ups in the firm knew about any kind of child they would send him packing immediately.
He put his mind back to the present and removed his head from his hands and observed the faces of everyone staring at him in suprise. It hadn't occurred to him of how loud he was. He looked around the office for any of his superiors but he hadn't found one so he was safe.
He rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders; he could care less if his co-workers heard him, as long as no one actually important had.
He went back to his paperwork all the while thinking about what Charlotte had told him.
…
"Y-You… You what?"
"You heard me. I want to take him home with me."
The doctors looked at Charlotte in shock.
"You want to… take your-"
"I want to take my goddamn child from you bastards! I have the right as a mother to do that right?!"
One of the doctors tried to reason with her to the best that he could.
"Listen Ms. LinLin, we know that the loss of a child is a painful experience and wanting to spend time with the child after post-mortem is perfectly natural. We're just worried over your outburst you had."
"So you're going to deny me the right to have my child because you all think I'm crazy?" Charlotte was beginning to lose what little patience she had. A day has passed since learning the news of the fate of her newborn son. She wanted to leave the hospital ever since to carry out her plan but after they suggested that she stay to get better, Charlotte agreed to rest for one day. She was trying to get the doctors to release the stillborn child to her, but they were very reluctant much to her chagrin.
"N-no, all we're trying to say is-"
"Cause if that's the case then I have no problem taking these matters to court."
All three of the doctors widened their eyes in fear not wanting any part of that.
They all bowed down to express their regret. "Th-There'll be no need for that Ms. LinLin. We'll get the proper paperwork." After that being said they all left the room.
After being alone she grinned to herself. "Step 1 completed. Now for step 2."
She turned herself from the door and to the opposite side for the Mushi Machine while in bed. She needed to make a call.
She picked the phone up and dialed.
"… … … Hello" Someone finally picked up.
Charlotte's face lightened up after hearing the voice.
"Pekoms?"
There was a pause before the voice on the other line spoke. "B-Big Mom? Is that you? Where are you?"
"I'm currently at the hospital right now. Is Tamago there with you?"
"No, but I can go fetch him for you-"
"No that's alright I don't have that much time to talk anyway. Listen I need you to do me a favor."
"What is it Mom?"
"I need you to find a way to retrieve a…" Before she told him the item she looked around the room for any sign that anyone was listening. "I need you to get me a barcode. The one's for revivals."
"Uhh… sure that will be no problem madam."
She heard the hesitation in the man's voice. "Is there a problem Pekoms?"
"N-No Mom. It's just… if you don't mind me asking… why do you need it?"
Charlotte furrowed her eyebrows. "That's none of your business Pekoms. Just find the barcode and report back to me. I will be leaving the hospital today." She ordered.
Pekoms fumbled around with his words. Last thing he wanted to do was upset her. "I'm truly sorry mam; I'll have the item you requested before you reach back here."
At the end of the conversation Charlotte slammed the phone back down on a hook.
She sighed out loud to calm herself. 'Step 2 down, onto the next.'
Next she would need to find an available surgeon to perform the surgery and she knew just who to get. She was going to need a ride to Flevance.
AN: And there you have it! This was an interesting Chapter that I had to do a lot of research over, so let me know if anything in the story sounds misinformed let me know. Thanks for reading and please leave a review!