Chapter 13
A pair of Nike sneakers made their way through an intensely clean floor. The hospital was always a place where the concept of worry grew exponentially. Through the corridor, the young figure tried to make his way to a certain room. The receptionist had already told him when he came in that visiting hours were almost over so he had to make it quick. As he went left through another corridor where an arrow pointing the direction had the words INTENSIVE CARE, the figure marched on without hesitation. He knew that the doctors had already taken the bullet out of her. However, Jackie Rambolina was not out of the woods yet.
Everywhere he looked he saw people in rooms where the only thing keeping them alive were machines that could malfunction at any time. The figure shook his head and walked on regardless of what he saw. Finally he came to the last door on the right. He looked at the room number and it was indeed the one the receptionist told him. Breathing in and out, the figure slowly opened the door. He took his time to survey her. The young woman, Jackie was laying on the bed connected to a machine, unmoving. She is the fallen angel, he thought. Her beautiful face unknowing and yet docile, her closed eyes gave her the impression that she was taking a deep sleep.
The young figure then made his way over to her side. He then sat down to her right side. Trying so hard to avoid the beeping coming from the heart monitor, he began to speak.
"Hi." he simply said and knew it was a feeble introduction but he went on.
"I heard about what happened to you. I'm sorry you got shot." He began to cry but stopped himself and did the best he could to continue. "You're the only true friend I've had. You-You're strong for a girl. You can't give up. You can't. I uh…know you can't hear me. But I like to believe that maybe you do even if you don't, you know and I just want you to know something, you may have suffered more than any other person out there…but you will succeed more than other person. I know that….because my dad knows that." Robert said.
Jackie could only further show her unmoving, sleeping state in response.
Whiskey bottles and beer littered the bartender's wall as Rocky looked at the mirror across from him. For the past two days, he was unshaven and depressed. Rocky had not seen Jackie two days since she was shot. He knew seeing her would only make his depression worse. Instead he waited for a call from her doctor explaining any change in her condition. Rocky had been coming to Andy's Bar ever since and what the patrons in the bar could not figure out was why he had not ordered anything any alcohol. Nobody had spoken to Rocky, apparently he looked like he needed to be alone. Even Andy knew, he had a lot on his plate.
Rocky had been a great fighter before. But a head injury prevented him from ever stepping into the ring again. He considered whether he should be taking on Tommy himself. Being a trainer now was not what he expected. Mickey, Apollo and Duke made it look so easy. He wanted so much to be an inspiration to everybody. So why wasn't he capable of guiding someone toward the right path? Why was everybody he ever came into contact defected? Rocky came to the conclusion that he had hit rock bottom this time and there was no way out of it.
Rocky heard the door open behind him but did not bother turning around. Heavy footsteps made their way toward him accompanied by soft murmurrs from the patrons. Rocky could instantly tell who he was but right now, he was not in the mood to talk. The footsteps then grew louder and stopped when the tall figure was right behind him. Two days ago, Rocky received a weird visit from Ivan Drago, the man who killed his friend, Apollo Creed. What Drago offered to Rocky was something totally unexpected. With his strange accent, Drago spoke behind him quietly.
"Are you finally willing to make a decision this time? And I'm not talking about the drink." he said.
Agitated, Rocky responded to him without turning around. "I just want to be left alone."
Ivan went to Rocky's side but did not sit on the stool. Instead he leaned with his back on the bar. "Do you want to know why I came back?" he asked facing him.
Rocky sighed. "Why?"
"Because we have unfinished business..." Drago said.
"Really? So why don't we go back in the alley then?"
"I know you are still mad over the loss of Apollo. I can only destroy, I cannot bring him back to life. But..." he trailed off before he continued. "Ever since you defeated me...I have become changed. At first I was angry that I was defeated for the first time but I realized it made me a better man now. I saw what my people were trying to make me out to be. Seeing you now, makes me angry, very angry indeed. You changed for the worst, Rocky Balboa. If you really meant what you said in your speech that day, you would be by that girl's side now." He then stepped off the stool section and gave a look to Rocky from his left side now.
"You have until tonight and it may be the moment when you will reconsider about what I have said." Ivan then turned around and left leaving a group of spectators speechless.
Rocky now deep in thought considered the possibility of taking his offer. If Jackie comes out of her coma, she will indeed need an intermediary that will help her win the fight against Tommy. Rocky couldn't do everything himself so he knew it was time to get all the help he could get.
Jackie wondered, perhaps out loud if this was an illusion within her mind. A world that unexpectedly was developed through imagination. Her subconscious must have been heavily influenced by the shot in the chest. It was enough to cause trauma. Why else would she be talking to one of Rocky's rivals?
"You're Apollo Creed." Jackie frowned.
"That's right." he nodded warmly.
"Obviously I'm having some side effects from the anesthesia." Jackie spoke out loud. "I've never even met you before in my life. Rocky did. Maybe something he told me about you manifested into this or maybe the doctors must have put me under. I must be hallucinating."
"If that's what you want to believe, I won't stop you. But just because reality is based on rules, those rules can be broken from time to time. In other words, reality can become more than fantasy."
"I'm not following you." Jackie shook her head. "It uh..sounds rather vague to me."
"Believe me that's what I thought at first when I arrived here. This..." Apollo looked above at the stadium ceiling with lights all around. "is a place where fighters with heart feel they need to do something first before they go on."
"'Go on'? What do you mean? Am I dead?" she asked.
"Hey..." Apollo said trying to calm him down. "This is just a waiting area. I came to tell you to keep on fighting, sweetheart."
"You-You talk as if you know me..."
"You have Rocky's spirit. You're pure of heart, strong, and not afraid to stand up for yourself. So you tell me? Do you have a reason to keep on living?"
"What kind of question is that?"
"It's the answer that will get you out." Apollo said.
"Well..." Jackie seriously now didn't know how to answer that question. She shook her head and turned away from Apollo as she found herself contemplating. Jackie knew was a woman who was different than all the rest of the women out there. Her life had been one of pure shambles and despair. Suffering was what she was used to. Everyday she prayed for it to stop. When she continued to go down a dark path, she took what she could get. She even murdered. With everything she had done and experienced, maybe she didn't deserve to go back.
Jack Johnson of channel 11 news cleared his throat about what he was about to present next. The man about to speak was hated throughout the state. Jack could barely keep his anger to a minimum but he tried his best. "We now cut to a live interview with the soon-to-be owner of Philadelphia, George Washington Duke."
Another video was shown with Duke giving a toothy grin. "Hello, city of brotherly love. I have come to deliver a message to each and every one of you. I understand some of you think of me as shady and...evil as some of you may think. But did it ever occurred to you all, that I could save this city from crime and poverty as it is so plagued at this very moment?" Duke then raised his arms in a hugging position. "Come on, Philly! Don't do me like this! Don't judge me if you don't know me!" he joked and then gave a hearty laugh. "Look Philly, Jackie Rambolina suffered an unfortunate accident. I know, I know, poor girl, city like this. But even I know she is in no condition to fight Tommy Gunn. She has been incapacitated for over 48 hours and of course she ain't woken up. I think she may be scared and may feel she really is not up to face Tommy Gunn at all. Jackie may be a smart girl after all. If she still wants to fight, then I want an answer! Is she dead or is she chicken?"
The television was then turned off. The nurse looked down at Robert, looking upset at what Duke just said.
"Visiting hours are over, young man."
"You heard what he said! You guys need to save her!" Robert declared.
"We are doing everything we can. Now you need to head on home. There's a storm coming. Your parents must be worried sick." the nurse then left.
Robert took no heed to what the nurse said and turned the television back on as soon as she was out of sight. As the screen took focus, Robert saw that Duke was still in an interview.
"...and so what you're saying is that you're about to check in on Jackie Rambolina right now?"
"I'm just sending someone in to keep an eye on her. To make she's you know, taken cared of." Duke smiled mischievously.
Robert then grew worried and started to panic. He looked from both Jackie to the screen again where the interviewer once again spoke.
"What do you mean by that, Mister Duke?"
"In about fifteen of my minutes, she will get a special visitor. Just to say hello, I promise."
Robert couldn't believe what he was hearing. Surely, Duke was not going to send somebody in right now. Robert got out from under his seat and opened the door where he heard footsteps coming from the other end of the hallway. Gasping, he closed the door and locked it. Young Robert looked out the window and saw that it was raining hard. He was about to do something inexplicable. Jackie was Robert's friend, period.
Making his way inside Mickey's gym which was now closed, Rocky stood inside the makeshift ring again and waited. He didn't think this time. Every time he thought about something, he would feel worse. Thinking about sad things only makes them worse. He thought. Since he was not going to think about the Jackie situation, he did something else. He pretended he was fighting someone. Practing his jabbing was one of the few moves that made Rocky relive the past all over again. Fighting was the only thing he was good at.
Rocky then heard a door open and in came the physically imposing Ivan. From where Rocky was standing in the ring, he can see that Drago's hard face showed clear understanding. Rocky knew it and it stunned him. Had he really changed?
"So...you're here. Do you have an answer?" Drago spoke.
Rocky sighed and put his hands in his pockets. "You're forgiven."
"Thank you. What about other offer?"
After a few brief seconds of silence, Rocky merely nodded and said with a smile. "Let's get to work."
Robert was clearly not thinking and he didn't care about the consequences that was likely to ensue should he get caught. He was dragging an unconscious Jackie out of the window. Carrying only the assumption that Duke was sending a hitman or somebody else to hurt or to mock Jackie, Robert was taking no chances. He did however, check to see whether the machines weren't going to affect her should he turn them off. Luckily, her condition didn't change as he tried to lift her from her bed. But due to his size he couldn't and had to pull her by the arms.
Breaking the window was not hard for Robert to manage. Grabbing an unknown object, he broke the window and seeing that he was a few stories above, carefully placed Jackie into one of the scaffolds attached to the building. By the time Robert got out of the window himself, he heard someone break the door open. He didn't stop and looked he just held on to Jackie. I have to protect her. She's a sister to me! He thought.
On the scaffold, Robert could hardly grab hold of her due to the immense rain pouring down on him. Thunder and lightning occurred nonstop. Robert looked down to see a ladder leading to the ground. He just had to figure out how he was going to hold on to Jackie while climbing down at the same time. As he thought for a solution, Robert heard yelling from up above the window he went out of. A nurse, a doctor and a man wearing a thick blue and white sport jacket was shown. It's Tommy! He gasped.
"Get him!" A doctor called out. "He's stealing the patient!"
Robert looked all around to see what he was going to do. Limp as she was, Robert got behind her and with a water hose on the scaffold used it to tie Jackie onto her. As they got several seven feet below the ground, Robert slipped and that was when Jackie fell on the pavement.
"NO!"
Apollo Creed looked at Jackie and he could tell she was considering her options. He knew somehow that she didn't think herself worthy to be alive. Thoughts are nothing sacred. He went over to her.
"What makes you unworthy not to go back?"
"Everything I've done for starters." Jackie said crying. As she did, rain began to fall upon both Apollo and Jackie. They both paid no mind.
"We've all suffered in this world." Apollo began. "Life is like that. You don't need me to tell you that."
"If I go back, I know it will be even harder." she said.
"Don't give up, Jackie. Rocky needs you! You need him! I've seen it all! He's going to help you in a way you never thought before. You can win this fight!"
"Then...I will." Jackie smiled amidst the rain and tears.
"Remember rain can't go on forever."
Suddenly a bright flash surrounded the entire area including both Apollo and Jackie.
Robert was held against the wall by a gruesome foe his father fought. He kicked and screamed at Tommy Gunn.
"Let go of me! You monster! Why you doing this?"
"Because I can! Because I ain't no bum like your father!" he taunted. "I mean you just killed that girl right now! You just did Duke and me a favor. How does that make you feel?"
It was that remark that made Robert struggle even more. But it was useless. Tommy's hand was around Robert's throat.
None of them took note that the sun was showing and yet rain was still falling. Yet despite Robert being choked by Tommy, he saw a marvelous sight. Jackie was rising. She looked around her surroundings including the sky. Despite the hospital gown she wore, Jackie looked like an angel that fell from heaven.
Tommy confused by Robert's facial expression turned around and was in deep shock himself. He let go of Robert and as he saw Jackie for a while, her eyes met his. Tommy backed away and walked off. Several people including hospital staff were astounded as to what happened.
"Jackie?" Robert stepped in front of her. "I dropped you. I thought you might have died."
"Hey...you saved my life buddy." she spoke softly.
They both embraced.