The worst that can happen
Chance was on his way to Crystal Valley, a small town in the desert outside the jurisdiction of Megakat City. This small town was home to Jake's sister, Katie Serril. As he got closer to his destination, Chance hoped that her husband wasn't home because she wouldn't hesitate to have him kick Chance out. Chance could see Crystal Valley in the distance, the gap between him and it closing quickly. He wished he had a car, but instead he was stuck with a motorcycle that Jake had last used to go to the new Hanger. Chance slowed down as he pulled into the town, he got many looks from the residential kat's. As he pulled up to Katie's house he saw her outside, playing with her boys. The last time Chance saw them they were barely able to walk. As he came to a stop she looked up at him and glared at him as he removed his helmet.
" Tommy, Alex, go inside." Katie said suddenly.
They looked as though they didn't want to, but they didn't argue. She watched them go inside before turning to Chance. She didn't look too happy about Chance showing up.
" What do you want?" Katie asked as she crossed her arms.
" Katie, can we go inside to talk?" Chance asked, a somber look in his eye's.
" Fine." Katie said, after studying his face.
She led Chance inside, the boys ran from the window in the front room. They were obviously curious about Chance. She gave them a warning look as they peeked around the corner and they disappeared, then she turned to Chance.
" You have five minutes Chance. So, tell me what my foolish little brother has done now." Katie said.
" You might want to sit down for this." Chance said.
" Is he alright Chance?" Katie asked, a concerned look on her face.
" No." Chance said then Katie sat down on the near by couch, Chance sat down next to her and grabbed her hands gently. " You know how Dark Kat is always attacking Megakat City?"
" Yes, it was because of him that you and Jake were kicked out of the enforcers." Katie said.
" Yes, well the salvage yard we were forced to work on, got hit in the last attack. I wasn't there at the time, but Jake was, he got hurt very badly." Chance said softly, watching the shock sink in. " He's at Megakat Memorial Hospital."
" Is he going to be ok?" Katie asked, worry in her voice.
" I don't know, right now he's in a coma. The doctor needs you to decide whether he stay's on life support or not." Chance said, gently stroking her hands.
" I... I can't make that decision." Katie said, trembling.
" I don't want to pressure you. If you want, I can have a friend of ours, Callie, make the decision. She has the authority to." Chance said, wiping away some tears from Kaite's eyes.
" No, no he's my little brother, he's my responsibility. I have to go see him." Katie said, trying to pull herself together. " Will you come with me?"
" I... I don't think it's..." Chance was trying to think of a reason not to go, but the look in her eye's made it impossible to say no. " Of course I'll go with you to see Jake."
Chance sat there a moment as she tried to calm down. He rubbed her back as she got the tears to stop. She wiped the remaining tears away. Chance looked away from her for a moment and saw two sets a eye's peering around the corner. When they noticed he saw them, they disappeared from view. Chance couldn't help but wonder if they remembered him. As he thought this Katie got to her feet, getting his attention.
" Just give me a minute to call Mrs. Ayers to watch after the boys." Katie said as she walked towards the kitchen.
" Ok, I'll wait right here." Chance said as he watched her.
He watched as she walked into the kitchen and out of sight. Chance could hear the sound of the two boys whispering from the other end of the couch. He turned around and saw four little ears just barely over the armrest of the couch. He leaned over and looked at the two, who didn't realize they were being watched. He was able to make out what was being said between them.
" I'm telling you, he's the one who gave my the model jet." The tannish kit said.
" Nu-uh, that was Uncle Jake. He built it himself, I remember because I'm older." The whitish kit said, in a 'I'm better' tone.
" Ya know, if I remember correctly, it was from both me and Jake. And we both worked on it together." Chance said, making the two jump.
" I, uh, ummm..." The whitish kit just stuttered.
" If I remember correctly, you are Alex." Chance said to the stuttering kit.
" Uh huh." Alex said, nodding.
" And that makes you Tommy." Chance said, a smile on his face.
" Yep!" Tommy said, smiling at Chance.
" How's that jet doing?" Chance asked.
" It's great, I take real good care of it. It's my favorite." Tommy said, a big smile on his face.
" I'm glad you like it." Chance said.
Chance couldn't help but smile at the two boys. Their attention turned from Chance, to the sound of footsteps coming their way. Chance looked up, expecting to see Katie but instead he saw her husband, Mark. He looked very surprised to see Chance there. He even looked as though he didn't know who Chance was. He even seemed angry at the sight of Chance.
" Who the hell are you?" He asked, glaring at Chance.
" I see you don't remember me. It makes sense though, we haven't each other for years. I'm Chance Furlong, a friend of Jake, Katie's brother." Chance said, getting to his feet.
" Why are you here? What possible reason could you have to come here?" Mark asked, balling his hand into a fist.
" Whoa, hold on. There's no need to get physical, especially around the boys." Chance said, glancing at the boys, who were now standing next to them.
" Boys, got to your rooms. Now." Mark said as he glared at Chance.
They didn't show any sign of protest as they ran to their rooms. Chance had a bad feeling that this guy was just itchin' for a fight. Mark cracked his knuckles, glaring at Chance. Chance slowly made his way towards the kitchen, hoping Katie could clear things up before someone got hurt.
" Get out of my house." Mark said, a slight growl in his throat.
" Hey, listen. I have a very good reason for being here." Chance said as he got closer to the kitchen.
" I don't really care. That brother of hers has caused her enough trouble." Mark said.
" He won't be causing any trouble." Chance said quickly as Mark got closer. " He's in a coma at the hospital."
" What?" Mark suddenly calmed down, that seemed to be the last thing he expected.
" Yeah, and Katie has to decide if he stay's on life support." Chance said calmly.
" Where's Katie?" Mark asked.
" She's in the kitchen, making a phone call." Chance said.
" That's awful. I hope he recovers." Mark said.
" Ok, Mrs. Ayers will be over in a few minutes so... Mark, what are you doing home?" Katie asked.
" I got off early so I figured I would come home and spend time with you and the boys." Mark said, walking up to Katie and wrapping his arms around her. " Chance just told me about Jake. I'm so sorry honey."
" Yeah, Chance is going with me to see Jake, before I make a decision." Katie said as she buried her face into his neck. " I should call Mrs. Ayers back and tell her she doesn't have to come over."
" I'll take care of Mrs. Ayers. You go on and see Jake." Mark said softly as he pulled back from Katie.
" Ok, Chance we'll take my car. I'll bring you back for your motorcycle." Katie said as she grabbed a set of keys off a table.
" Yeah, ok." Chance said as he followed her out the door.
They got into her car and she took a deep breath before starting it up. The ride was a quiet one, neither of them had much to say, or didn't really want to talk. At one point Chance closed his eye's, tired from not sleeping since Felina found the Hanger. Chance sighed heavily as he thought of returning to Megakat City. He was a little afraid of the chance of Feral seeing him. If it was true that he knew Chance was T-bone, then what stopped Feral from arresting him on the spot. Katie had noticed Chance looked tired, she thought it was from him staying up all night, worrying over Jake.
" Chance, did you sleep at all last night?" Katie asked.
" If you call passing out at a desk, with nothing but nightmares running through your mind, then yes I slept, a little." Chance said, not really caring what came out of his mouth at the moment.
" Oh." Katie said in a very quiet voice.
After a few minutes of silence, Chance felt a little bad about what he had just said. She was only asking because she was concerned. He didn't intend to sound so mean about it, but that's how it came out. Then he wondered why he said anything about the nightmares at all. Chance opened his eye's and looked over at Katie, whose attention was on the road.
" I'm sorry, I'm just so tired. And I can't help it, I'm scared for Jake. He's like a brother to me, and I feel a little responsible." Chance said.
" It's ok Chance, I understand." Katie said as they reached the city limits.
Chance had an uneasy feeling in his gut. He knew something was going to happen that he wasn't going to like. He only wished he knew what it was. Chance watched the buildings go by on their way to Megakat Memorial Hospital. He didn't think he could make himself look at Jake again. The memory of what he saw last time was bad enough, but to see him again. Chance didn't know if he could handle it. He looked up into the sky as they got closer to their destination.
" Uh, Chance, which way do I turn?" Katie asked as they came up to a stop sign.
" You turn left here." Chance said.
" Right, It's just been a while since I've been here." Katie said.
Chance just nodded as she continued down the road. After a few wrong turns and some back tracking, they finally reached Megakat Memorial Hospital. Katie parked the car and they went inside. Chance walked up to the front desk first.
" Excuse me. I need to talk with Dr. Rowlands about Jake Clawson." Chance said.
" Oh, yes, he said you should be coming by." The nurse behind the desk said as she looked over a clipboard. " You're in luck. He's in his office at the moment, and should be there for another ten minutes."
" Where is his office?" Chance asked.
" It's down the hall, on the left. His name is on the door." She said pointing down a hall.
" Chance, I want to see Jake first." Katie said, grabbing his arm.
" The room Jake is in is down the same hall, just a little further down. We can have Dr. Rowlands come to the room with us." Chance said.
" Ok." Katie said, letting go of Chance's arm.
They went down the hall and soon found Dr. Rowlands office. Chance knocked on the door and waited for Dr. Rowlands to answer. It wasn't a long wait as the door soon opened.
" Ah, Mr. Furlong. I was wondering what happened to you." Dr. Rowlands said.
" Well, I found the address book, but the phone number was rubbed away. So, I brought his sister Katie here." Chance said, placing his hand on her shoulder.
" Oh, I see." Dr. Rowlands said, a little surprised. " I'm glad you could come Ms. Clawson."
" Actually, it's Mrs. Serril now, but that doesn't matter. Please, before I make any decisions, I must see my brother." Katie said.
" Of course Mrs. Serril. Come with me." Dr. Rowlands said as he led the way to Jake's room.
This was the second time Chance walked down that hall. He felt an immense pressure in his gut as they got closer to Jake's room. Chance could practically hear his own heartbeat as they came to a stop in front of Jake's room. It was everything Chance had to hold himself together as he walked into the room with Katie. Chance watched Katie as she froze when she saw Jake. She turned and buried her face into Chance's shoulder, unable to stop the tears from streaming down her face. She sobbed uncontrollably as Chance patted her back in a caring manner. He looked at Jake once again, he found it near impossible to keep himself from breaking down. Chance looked into Jake's face, and choked back what tears he could before he led Katie out. He didn't know if he led her out for her sake, or for his own. He stood aside as Dr. Rowlands told Katie of Jake's condition and her options. At first, Chance could only make out a word or two as they talked as his mind was in a bit of a haze. After the shock of seeing Jake again wore off he began to hear the whole conversation.
" So, those are your choices. Considering his condition, it would be understandable if you wished to take him off life support." Dr. Rowlands said softly.
" No, I could never live with myself if I did that to him. Besides, he would want to be kept alive. It's just the way he would want it." Katie said as she finally got her crying under control. " Right Chance?"
At first Chance didn't say any thing, he just stood there, looking at his feet. Katie gently touched his shoulder, making Chance flinch for a second. Chance looked up at her, a little confused. He had heard what she said, he just couldn't get himself to react. Dr. Rowlands watched Chance closely, and he didn't like what he saw.
" Did you hear me Chance?" Katie asked softly.
" Yeah, yeah I heard you. You're right, it's how Jake would want it." Chance said, looking at his feet again.
Dr. Rowlands walked up to Chance and looked directly into Chance's eye's. They were a little red, which was to be expected of someone who had been crying. He wished he had looked at them before he led them down the hall. Dr. Rowlands surprised Chance when he suddenly shined a light into his eye's. Chance wanted to snap his eye's shut, but his reflexes were slowed from lack of sleep. When he finally got them shut, Dr. Rowlands just shook his head.
" Mr. Furlong, did you get any sleep last night?" Dr. Rowlands asked.
" A little." Chance said.
" When was the last time you ate something?" Dr. Rowlands asked, still watching Chance's eye's.
Chance stood there a moment and thought. He came to realize that he couldn't even remember the last time he ate. With all that had happened, food wasn't even on his mind. He wondered why he hadn't noticed this before, why his body hadn't told him he needed food. After a minute, Chance realized Dr. Rowlands was still waiting for an answer.
" I... I can't remember. With all the work we've had, car's being backed and everything. We just didn't have much time to eat." Chance said.
" Mr. Furlong, now, I know I'm not your doctor, and you don't have to listen to me. But I am a doctor, and I am going to give you some advice." Dr. Rowlands said rather slowly, watching Chance closely. " I suggest you go home, get something to eat, and get some rest. Other wise you're likely to collapse and end up here as a patient. Do you understand me?"
" Yeah, I understand." Chance said, trying to pull himself out of his daze.
" Alright, as long as you understand." Dr. Rowland said, then he turned to Katie and spoke to her in a whisper. " I think you should try to get him home soon."
" Yes Dr. Rowlands, I'll do that." Katie said in a low whisper, then she turned to Chance. " Come on Chance. We should get going."
" Ok." Chance said as he followed Katie out.
She gently gripped his arm, concerned he may walk off and not realize it. They got into her car and she decided getting Chance back to the salvage yard was top priority now. After a few minutes Chance seem to come out of his daze. He sat there, trying to think of what to say to explain himself.
" Sorry about that back there. I don't know what's wrong with me." Chance said.
" Forget about it Chance. I think you should do as Dr. Rowlands said." Katie said.
" Sure, when we get back to your place, I'll go straight home on the motorcycle." Chance said as he shifted into a more comfortable position.
" I think it would be best if I dropped you off now. If you tried to drive home on that motorcycle and wrecked while still on the dirt road, you might never make it home." Katie said.
" I guess you're right." Chance said, trying not to doze off.
After what felt like an eternity to Chance, they were at the salvage yard. Chance got out, waved to Katie and walked inside as she drove off. He wanted to fall onto the couch, and sleep the day away. But the thought of food had pushed him into the kitchen. He looked through the cabinets and remembered the other reason he hadn't eaten, there wasn't anything to really eat, unless he wanted to risk food poisoning with what sat in the cabinets. Chance just sighed and decided he would just collapse on the couch for now. Maybe some sleep would make him feel better about all that happened. After Chance laid down he felt something poking him in his side. He reached down and grabbed what was poking him, it was the tv remote. Chance just groaned as he laid his head down. He reached out and threw it onto the makeshift table, accidently turning on the tv. The Kats eye news was on, that was the last thing Chance wanted to see. He tried to ignore it as he buried his face in the couch cushion, but the mention of Razor's name caught his attention.
" Yes, just earlier today we discovered the identity of the crazed kat who fell from Razor's grasp. He was, Tim Brown, an ex-Enforcer who lost his family a few years ago in a fire. We have here with us, Dr. James Vargas, a well known psychologist. He believes he may know what caused the kat to act the way he did." Ann said, then the camera moved to Dr. Vargas.
" Thank you Ms. Gora. Now Mr. Brown was suffering from depression, delusions and denial after his family died. He believed they were still alive and just hadn't returned home. This belief caused him to lose track of his life and everything else." Dr. Vargas said.
" But what caused Mr. Brown to attack the Mayor, and blame the SWAT Kats for the death of his family?" Ann asked.
" That psychotic episode was triggered by the attack of Dark Kat. A few days ago, when one of his missiles escaped the SWAT Kats and struck the rebuilt building that had burned down. The building was empty at the time, but Mr. Brown would go by that building daily, to wait for his family. The sight of the building getting hit by the missile opened him up to the present day, but he was still under the delusion that is family was inside, and he thought his family was killed in the attack. Before there was no one to blame for the loss of his family, but in his eyes, it was the SWAT Kats. And in his mind he thought that he had to draw them out to avenge his family." Dr. Vargas said.
" Very interesting, so the SWAT Kats are innocent victims here." Ann said.
" Yes, and I have taken it upon myself to figure out if Razor dropped Mr. Brown, or if the poor diluted kat slipped." Dr. Vargas said.
" And what is your conclusion?" Ann asked, very interested.
" With all evidence that I have studied, and the past actions of Razor I have concluded that Mr. Brown slipped from Razor's grasp." Dr. Vargas said.
" What evidence did you study? And what do you mean by past actions?" Ann asked.
" Well, first there was the sleeve that tore, there were holes in it, indicating Razor had tried to hold on. Then I watched the video from the copper, over and over to watch Razors mouth. He had said something to Mr. Brown just moments before he fell. Razor had told Mr. Brown to drop the gun and grab is arm, thus proving he was trying to save Mr. Brown, but as strong as Razor was there was no way he could hold onto Mr. Brown in the condition he was in. We've all seen the video, we know the injuries he sustained while he hung from that cable, not to mention what he could have suffered before then. Where as his past actions, he has never let a kat get hurt. And we remember the incident when Dark Kat had used Razor's kind nature against him with those impostures, feigning injury. So after looking all this over there is only one possibility, Mr. Brown slipped." Dr. Vargas said, leaning back.
" Just amazing, I'm sure this information will set Razor at ease once he hears it." Ann said.
Chance had enough of watching the news, as he reached out and grabbed
the remote. Then he turned off the tv and closed his eye's. He felt a
little better knowing Razor's name was cleared, not much, but a little.
He let his mind drift as a much desired sleep sank in quickly.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please Review.