(A/N: To get the full effect of this chapter, start playing the song "What I've Done" while reading. Start playing the song 1 paragraph before the lyrics appear in the chapter.)
Chapter 20: What I've Done
"That one's going to hurt tomorrow," Cody said with a small smile as he also looked over his injuries. During the fight, as he had trained himself, he kept his mind entirely on the situation, despite the resulting physical pain. The adrenaline that had been surging within him throughout the fight against Miles allowed him to accomplish this. Now that the adrenaline within him began to wear off however, Cody began to feel very sick and weak. He also started to wonder what kind of damage he had actually suffered from Miles. Several times Cody would have to put his hands on his knees momentary for support. He felt like he wanted to throw up, but did his best to keep the feeling forced down.
"You really should see a doctor about some of these," Rhuben said, as she came across one of the more severe burns Cody had on his shoulder. She also motioned to a few of the bruises and injuries Cody had. Her, Cody, and Riley also inspected some of the other burns Cody had gotten from the flames during the later part of his fight against Miles.
"Its fine," Cody replied as he brushed it. Rhuben shook her head as she looked at the other red patches on Cody's skin as well as the various char marks he had accumulated. Also with Riley and Rhuben's help, Cody began to get the splinters that had stuck in him out. Since Cody's sweat had mixed with the dust and dirt on him, this became a long and painful process. Riley stood by and watched. She also scanned the street as the distant sirens grew closer and closer.
Cody tried several times to pull away again but Rhuben was final. "I'm fine, don't worry about it," Cody said with a frustrated tone, rolling his eyes. He continuously became more and more anxious as the sirens continued to draw closer. By the sound of the approaching sirens, he figured there fire and rescue on its way as well as the police, but that didn't matter to him. Despite the fact that Rhuben was probably right about his need of medical attention, he knew it was in his best interest to remain as clear of the police as possible, even if it meant treating his injuries himself. As the sounds grew louder, Cody became more uneasy and wanted to leave as soon as possible. Also growing frustrated, Rhuben glared at him, telling him to stay put. She stared directly into his eyes as she tightened her grip around his arm. Finally with a sigh, Cody gave in. "Fine, just hurry up." Cody mumbled.
Nearby, none of the kids had noticed that someone else had also made it out of the building. After recovering from her fall down the stairs, Candy had been able to limp out of the building soon after Riley and Rhuben had escaped from the burning building. Candy had also heard the sirens and began to steadily move away from the scene. However as she came around the building to walk away, the corner of her eye caught Cody, Riley and Rhuben standing on the other side of the inferno.
"You bastards..." Candy grumbled, full of anger and hatred. Now that Kyle was dead, she had no idea what she was going to do, was worried that without the protection that association with Kyle brought, she might fall victim to one of Kyle's other rivals. When Miles also hadn't come out of the building, she concluded that Cody had killed him also. "I'll get them for you brother," Candy muttered under her breath, vowing to Miles, her now dead brother. She glanced up at the building as the picture also filled her mind. She shook with anger. "I'll kill them..." she said, her hand sliding onto her own firearm, she began to move into position.
"Look thanks, but-" Cody began but was cut off by the approaching flashing lights and sirens. "Great," he muttered under his breath. Cody had been right about the other sirens and with Rhuben's direction; he began to move back towards the approaching ambulance while Riley walked over to meet the police. With Cody's full attention on remaining as suspicious as possible around the police, Rhuben's attention on him, and Riley busy with the head police officer, all three of them were completely unaware of the danger looming nearby.
Stealthily, Candy braced herself and brought the gun up to take aim. Initially, she hesitated, not knowing which to shoot first. Finally she made a decision.
"Since you saved him, you can die first..." Candy said, pointing the gun at Rhuben. She didn't care that they were surrounded by the police, as she thought she could easily bolt out the opposite end of the alleyway and escape. She raised the gun again continued to carefully aim to ensure her shot would hit its mark. She would only have to move the barrel over slightly to hit Cody with the next shot. Neither would ever know what hit them.
One of the rescue workers jumped out of the ambulance and met the waiting kids. After seeing the burns and marks on Cody, he turned his attention to him first. "What's your name?" The rescue worker asked Cody.
"Zack," Cody replied, knowing that with a fake name, they wouldn't be able to track him through their records after he decided to escape. Also he knew that by using his brother's name, he would probably come up as "dead" when they attempted to search for him. As for when to make his move, he would just have to wait until the time was right to do so.
"Zack...what?" The rescue worker said as he began to scribble the information down.
"Zack..." Cody began again. His voice fell as he turned his attention to Riley and the police officers, wondering what exactly she was telling them. From what he remembered about Riley, she wouldn't turn him in, so he didn't have to worry about that, he just needed to know what details she was explaining to make sure that she didn't tell them too much.
"Zack what?" The worker repeated, this time slightly annoyed.
Cody began to shift his eyes back towards the rescue worker when something else caught his eye. It was Candy. A second later he realized that she was aiming something at them and was about to fire. After moving his eyes from her to figure out the object's trajectory, he concluded where the projectile would land...in Rhuben. Rhuben was the only thing in Cody's mind...she had saved him both now and back three years ago...he wasn't about to let her fall victim to a sneaky, under-handed, shot.
Acting fast, Cody shouted "LOOK OUT!" as he flung Rhuben behind him. Cody's move had surprised Candy as well, messing up her aim slightly as she pulled the trigger twice.
"Wha-" Rhuben began and she attempted to catch herself, also completely caught off guard by Cody's action. Her surprised eyes watched Cody as the ground rushed towards her. Time seemed to slow down as initially shock and resulting anger began to fill her, but then she heard the two shots go off. Each left a continuous ringing sound in her ears. "CODY!" She yelled as she reached out to catch herself against the ground.
Cody clenched his teeth as he waited for the next few milliseconds for the bullet to hit him. Cody never even heard the gun go off. He knew it was over when almost instantly he felt what seemed to be a forceful punch to his chest and to his abdomen.
(A/N: Start playing song introduction here)
The police had also heard the shots and within a matter of seconds several officers scattered to arrest Candy and secure the area.
Recovering, Rhuben quickly got up...Cody was still standing. "Let it have missed, please..." Rhuben desperately thought to herself. Why would he do that? Why would he take a bullet for her?
Cody glanced over his shoulder, one of his hands on his chest, the other was on his abdomen. Moments later, each was completely red. Through blurred vision, Cody looked at Rhuben. "You...ok?" he asked as he attempted to crack a small smile. Rhuben looked at Cody, stunned, as his body began to sway. Without thinking, Rhuben and the rescue worker quickly bolted forward to catch Cody before he hit the concrete.
Once Riley determined that she hadn't been hit, she bolted towards Rhuben and Cody, not caring if future shots hit her. Her sister became the sole occupant of her mind. "Rhuben!" Riley yelled when she got close. Once realized Rhuben was fine, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"We got a hit over here!" The rescue worker yelled to his colleagues as he tore through his gear to grab a cloth to stop Cody's bleeding. "Come on kid, stay with me…" he said comfortingly to Cody. Once the rest of the rescue workers got there, they moved to get Cody onto a stretcher and into the ambulance as quickly as possible. Soon Riley and Rhuben were separated from him by the sea of rescue workers and fire fighters. Finally Rhuben was able to push through, and after some further resistance, were allowed to ride in the ambulance. A final glance out the back window told the two girls that Candy had been caught by the police. They watched as the officers shoved her into a patrol car until the ambulance finally sped around another corner, causing the scene to disappear from sight.
"Cody!" Rhuben said looking back at the weakened boy lying in front of her. Her eyes widened as she saw him spit blood into the breather the medics had put in his throat. "Be ok, come on Cody, fight through," she continued to hope to herself.
Cody barely heard her voice as it merged with the sounds from all the doctors around him, quickly hooking him up to IV machines, trying to stop his bleeding, and fighting to keep him alive. Along with the sound of the doctors and Rhuben's voice, Cody thought he could hear something else. Faint music from somewhere reached his ears, although he could barely make out the lyrics, he knew somehow they were describing him. He almost smiled as his eyes closed and his mind began to drift away.
In this farewell,
There's no blood,
There's no alibi.
'Cause I've drawn regret,
From the truth,
Of a thousand lies.
"Come on stay with us kid..." one doctor said.
"Don't die on us..." another added.
Once at they arrived at South Boston Hospital, the workers rushed Cody inside to the emergency room. They hooked him up to a breather as well as a life sign monitor. Despite their resistance, Riley and Rhuben were forced to stay in the waiting room. In order for them to still help Cody, they filled out the proper paper work for him with what information about him they knew. Once this was completed, each constantly paced around the waiting room, unable to sit still for any length of time.
So let mercy come,
And wash away…
Despite the new atmosphere however, the song continued to play out in Cody's mind. The last thing he saw before his vision began to fade to black was a bright light and the white surroundings that made up the emergency room.
What I've Done.
I'll face myself,
To cross out what I've become.
Erase myself,
And let go of what I've done.
"He's fading!"
"Come on kid! Fight it! Come on!"
"We're losing him!"
The voices of everyone around Cody continued to grow fainter and almost seemed to blend together with the sounds of the emergency room. He didn't even feel any more pain. In fact, he was filled with an almost peaceful feeling, like everything was ok. He was also perfectly ok if he were to die right then because he would have sacrificed himself to save someone he cared about, just like Zack had done for him. Cody also knew that by doing so, no longer was he the feared, cold-hearted bounty hunter he had come to be known as. Nor was he any longer the cunning, ruthless assassin he had allowed himself to become. When he sacrificed himself to save Rhuben, that personality within him was finally destroyed forever.
Put to rest,
What you thought of me.
While I clean this slate,
With the hands,
Of uncertainty.
Once again, Cody was the caring, sensitive boy who had been lost for the past three years. His kind, caring nature had finally overpowered the evil that had reigned within him. "Zack…" Cody said softly to himself. "Please forgive me…I know I was wrong, you were right…thank you for saving me…I…love…you…I'm sorry about my promise…please…forgive…me"
"Heart rate's dropping…"
"60…50 beats…"
"He's still losing blood…get another IV in here STAT…"
Just as Cody's physical strength had, Cody's mind began to fade away…any worldly noises including the doctor's voices became barely recognizable and extremely distant.
"We're NOT going to lose him…lose…him…lose…"
"Come…come…on…come…stay…with…us…stay…with us…"
So let mercy come,
And wash away…
Cody knew he was dying as he felt himself continue to grow weaker and weaker. His feeble breaths became shorter and each time he breathed out, more blood than air seemed to escape him. He could barely even feel his own limbs, let alone have any control over them. He also knew it would only be a matter of time before he completely succumbed to death.
"Bullets are out. Come on kid! Don't you quit on us!"
Cody knew there was still a lot going on around his body, but he couldn't hear the doctor's commands or pleas to him to stay alive. "Zack…I…love…you…" Cody breathed, and with that, consciousness finally completely slipped from him.
"He's flat lining!"
"Respiratory and Cardiac arrest!"
The doctor placed the charge pads on Cody's seemingly lifeless chest and hit the button.
"Defib and charge to 220! Clear! Come on kid…we're not going to quit on you, don't quit on us…"
Darkness was all Cody saw; nothing was all Cody could feel; all around him fell silent.
What I've done.
I'll face myself,
To cross out what I've become.
Erase myself,
And let go of what I've done.
"Cody…Cody," A voice said. Unlike the others however, this one came through loud and clear. Cody opened his eyes, but was slow to do so due to the bright environment around him. Everything was white and shined brightly. "Cody," the voice said again.
"I know that voice," Cody said to himself. Slowly, he finally opened his eyes, using his hand to shield his eyes. Facing him, also smiling was Zack. "Zack…am I…?"
"Hi little brother," Zack said ignoring his question. "I see you finally decided to listen to me."
Despite the comfort that Zack's presence brought him, Cody began to tear up, his eyes glistening as tears began to fall. "Zack, I'm so sorry…you were right, I was messed up…I…" Zack walked over and put a hand on his little brother's shoulder.
"It's ok Cody," Zack said. "I forgave you already for that, let it go." Cody looked up and smiled again as he wiped his eyes. Zack smiled further as his face formed a mischievious grin. "Or else you would have died long before now."
"I guess you're right," Cody said also smiling. He looked over to the side. "At least she's ok…"
Zack looked at him. "You sacrificed yourself for her," he said as he peered into Cody's eyes. Cody nodded his response. Zack smiled as his eyes glistened. "My little brother is finally back. I'm proud of you Cody, it looks like you were able to keep your promise after all." Cody looked up, surprised. Zack took a deep breath as he continued his explanation. "You could have let her die, but you didn't. Also after I spoke with you that night, I could see the battle going on within you. That's when I knew that despite the fact that you didn't want to admit it at the time, there was still a little bit left of the brother I knew. Not much, but there was still something there."
Cody nodded.
"You didn't want to accept the truth, but finally you did," Zack said. "In doing so you freed yourself from the hate that encompassed you. Unfortunately that was something you had to do on your own. Also all the events earlier were necessary because of what you had done the past three years."
"I was suffering the pain I caused everyone else…" Cody replied. He already knew that. He knew that his beating and getting shot were necessary if he was ever to have some hope of redemption.
"It became hard to watch," Zack said. "But you didn't allow yourself to give in again."
"So you helped Riley and Rhuben save me," Cody said, but his eyes twisted. "Thanks again for saving me again, but what was the use if I'm going to die anyway?"
"That's just it Cody," Zack said with a small smile. "It's not your time. You aren't going to die."
Cody looked at him, stunned.
For What I've Done
I start again,
And whatever pain may come.
Today this ends,
I'm forgiving what I've done.
"I'll be watching over you. I want you to promise me again," Zack said, a serious look fell over his face. "That you will be strong, you'll never again give in like that."
"I promise," Cody replied in his sincerest voice. "I promise Zack."
'It's time for you to go back," Zack as he waved his hand. Cody looked down and saw a circle form between him and Zack. In the circle was his hospital room. He saw his body, and all the equipment he was hooked up to. He also saw a monitor near his bed with several straight lines on it, a zero by each line. Near his bed, Riley and Rhuben were looking at him, both extremely concerned and distressed. There were also several doctors who looked like they had finally given up on him and began to exit.
"I look terrible," Cody said cracking a grin. Zack also smiled.
"For now," Zack replied.
"I guess things do come in threes," Cody said. "This is the third time you've saved my life."
"I'm your big brother," Zack said. "I look out for you, it's just what I do. Even if I'm not there with you, I'm still watching over you all the time. And when your time finally does come, I'll be the first to greet you."
"Thanks," Cody said. He was about step down into the circle, but something else caught his mind first. "How are mom, dad, and all them?"
"They love you," Zack said. "They also want you to live a good life. They'll be waiting for you when your time comes. I just told them they'd haveta deal with me being the first one to come get you."
"How'd they take it?"
"They'll get over it," Zack replied slyly, cracking another smile. For the next few seconds, his smile faded as he looked into his brother's eyes. "It's time Cody," Zack said as a soft wind began to blow on Cody's hair.
Cody nodded. "I love you Zack, I guess I'll see you again eventually." Tears came to his eyes. Before he stepped into the circle though, he gave Zack a hug. "Good bye Zack."
I'll face myself,
To cross out what I've become.
Erase myself, and let go of,
What I've done.
"Good bye…Cody," Zack said, growing further and further away. "Good luck…little brother. I…love…you…"
"Thanks for everything Zack…I…love…you…brother," Cody replied in a soft voice as darkness once again enveloped his world. A second later, consciousness began to slowly creep back into him.
What I've done.
Beep…Beep….Beep…
"I got a pulse," One of the doctors said suddenly in a very surprised voice.
"What?" Rhuben along with several doctors grew wide eyed as a look at the machinery around Cody showed signs of life. Slowly but surely, his heart and breathing rates began to climb. Everyone around Cody held their breath.
Several moments later, Cody stirred slowly, his eyes fluttered half open. "H-hey…" he said weakly in a faint, barely audible voice.
"Cody! You're alive!" Rhuben said.
"You gave us quite a scare there kid," another doctor said.
"S-sorry," Cody said as he closed his eyes again. A thorough look told the doctors, Riley, and Rhuben that Cody had gone to sleep as he began his recovery.
"Good night Cody," Rhuben muttered softly. She could have sworn that she saw his hand move in response but knew that he was already fast asleep.
For the first time since the New Years Eve Cody would never forget, Cody fell into a sound, relaxing sleep. "Thanks Zack," Cody said to himself again. "Thanks for saving me three times now, thanks for the second chance. I will keep my promise…" He knew Zack would stay true to his word and watch over him. He also knew that it was time for him to let the past go and forgive what he had done.
Forgiving What I've Done.
THE END
Thank you to everyone that read and reviewed this story and stayed with me again (like my other story) despite my snail's pace at updating it. I hope you all enjoyed reading the story as much as I did writing it. As always, I only own my own OC's, Riley and Rhuben belong to Darkelements10, Suite Life belongs to Disney, and the song "What I've Done," belongs to Linkin Park (if you haven't listen to it yet it is an absolutely AWESOME song!). As for what happens to Cody when he gets out of the hospital, I'll let you decide that. Also as always if anything is left open, feel free to PM me or leave your question in a review and I'll try to answer it the best I can. Please continue to read and review and a final THANK YOU to all that did.