"NO!" Alan shot up in his hospital bed. He looked around frantically trying to figure out where he was at. It occurred to him he was back in the hospital, he was safe. He was gasping for air and the room seemed stifling. His heart was racing and he continued looking around. He could have sworn he was just back at Wharton's…what happened to his imposter? The chasm he was pulled down into?
"A-Alan, are y-you okay?" Alan looked over toward the voice and gave a relieved cry at seeing Fermat sitting up in his own hospital bed.
"Y-your h-here Fermat?" Alan's voice cracked several times and he stumbled over his words. The adrenaline was still rushing through his veins and was making him jittery.
"Of c-course I'm h-here. Where e-else would I b-be?" Fermat stared at Alan with concern. Alan never stumbled over his words, no matter how flustered he was.
"I…I" Alan ducked his head to hide his tears. He had been terrified by what he now knew was a bad dream. Inhaling as deep as he could without coughing, Alan attempted to calm himself.
Fermat had been up for a little over twenty minutes. It was just after nine in the morning. Alan and Fermat both had slept through the night…though whether they slept well or not still stood to be revealed. The younger boy sat watching his best friend having a break down and felt unable to go offer any form of comfort to him. Fermat knew he'd had a nightmare, judging from the way he shot up straight from sleep. Fermat himself had had a nightmare, but it was what he considered to be mild. Alan on the other hand appeared soaking wet; he looked like he was sweating bullets.
"A-Alan, are y-you going t-to be o-okay?" Fermat was worried about his best friend. Alan despised displaying his emotions.
Fermat could count on one hand the times he had ever seen Alan truly cry. One time was after Alan had visited Gordon in the hospital after the Hydrofoil accident; the older boy had returned to the island and had hid in his cove where Fermat found him. The younger boy sat beside his best friend at the time and allowed him to vent about how he felt and had surprisingly held Alan while he cried into his shoulder. The only other time was after a bad argument with his dad. Alan and several other students had gotten some chemical burns when one of the test tubes in the chemistry lab at the old school blew up, and Alan's dad was mad at Alan for misreading the labels. When Alan tried defending himself in the school infirmary, Mr. Tracy wouldn't listen.
Alan at the time wound up running out of the infirmary and right past Fermat and his older brothers. Fermat hadn't been in the chemistry lab at the time of the explosion, as the instructor had asked him to retrieve the plant samples from his office within the classroom. It was a day for experimentation, and they were trying to create a solution that would enrich soil and it had backfired miserably.
As it turns out the explosion really wasn't Alan's fault. Some students had snuck into the lab after hours and managed to switch the labels on some chemical compounds…leading to the inevitable explosion in the lab. After Alan ran out of the infirmary, the instructor came to talk to him. He had found out about the label switch after he had caught some students laughing about what happened and quickly came to reassure Alan that he would talk to the headmaster about not expelling him.
None of Alan's family had been able to locate Alan on the campus grounds at the time. Fermat however knew of a few locations to search for his wayward friend and utilized the distraction of Alan's father and older brothers admonishing the kids that caused the explosion to search. Sneaking off, Fermat had gone down to the basement…near the boiler room. Alan had always been small enough to squeeze in between the wall and concrete panel. It was there he had found Alan crying. He wasn't noticeably crying, just tears were streaming down his face as he cried silently.
Both times, Fermat had felt useless. He tried to leave Alan be whenever he ran off, but there were times where Fermat just happened upon the boy while he battled with his failing emotional wall. Like now, Alan was struggling to control his tears and Fermat wanted to just close his curtain so Alan would feel okay to cry, without being embarrassed by his tears.
"I-It's okay A-Alan." Fermat spoke up and tried to reassure his friend that it was perfectly okay to break down. "I w-won't judge y-you if y-you cry." Fermat felt some relief when Alan sobbed, but he also grew concerned. If Alan was openly crying without care that his best friend was watching, then the dream he'd had must have been enough to terrify him.
Fermat sat silently, making a point to not look at his friend in case he should feel threatened. When Alan finally managed to get his tears and breathing under control he managed to speak to Fermat…without a quivering voice like he had earlier.
"Thanks for that Fermat." Alan inhaled deeply and immediately coughed. His throat was still raw from the smoke inhalation and his crying fit had only strained his throat more.
"N-No problem A-Alan." Fermat waved one of his bandaged hands, dismissing Alan's word of thanks. Even though it was out of character for Alan to openly cry, it was not unusual. Just look at where they were. They were in a hospital burn unit recovering from devastating burns for Pete's sake!
"What time is it?" Alan was hoping Fermat would take the change of topic and hopefully talk about something that was not him and his need to cry.
"It's a-about nine-f-fifteen." Fermat looked at the analog clock above the hospital room door. He was still surprised that he had fallen asleep a little after six and slept through the night.
"In the morning?" Apparently Alan was just as shocked by the big time skip as well.
"Y-Yeah, why w-were you e-expecting it t-to be n-nine-fifteen a-at night?" Fermat grinned slightly at Alan. The previously distraught boy hadn't noticed the sun was shining into their hospital room window shades.
"Yeah, I fell asleep about six yesterday evening. It just kinda shocks me that I slept so long." Alan looked over at Fermat and noticed the grin on his face. "What?"
"Y-You slept j-just about a-as long a-as I d-did. I f-fell asleep a-around the s-same time a-as you." Alan shook his head at Fermat. The older boy always thought his younger friend was easily amused by the goings on around him, and this proved Alan's theory.
"Well, yeah. I was given a dose of morphine instead of Oxycodone for when I got my dressing changed. To be honest it's a surprise I stayed awake as long as I did to visit Scotty. The pain meds don't just make me groggy, they knock me out." Alan shifted under his blankets and grimaced when he realized his sheets and blankets were soaking wet from his sweating bullets earlier.
"D-Do you w-want me t-to page t-the doctor?" Fermat didn't miss Alan's grimace. Fermat felt the same way. Both boys had been running a fever the night prior while they slept and due to the raised temperature plus their distressing dreams, both boys were drenched with sweat upon waking…their bedding, and dressings included.
"Please do. I would do it myself, but I can't exactly find my fingers right now." Alan gazed at his left and right hands to see he still had what appeared to be oven mitts for hands. Fermat nodded, however before he could reach out to hit the nurse's station button…the door lock beeped and opened to reveal Dr. Andreessen.
"Hello boys, nice to see you awake." Dr. Andreessen walked over to Fermat and picked up an aural thermometer from his bedside before slipping the tip into his ear. Fermat made faces at Alan showing his displeasure at having something cold put into his ear. The younger boy succeeded in making Alan laugh. At the beep, Fermat jumped slightly. It was loud when the beep was right next to your head.
Dr. Andreessen looked at the thermometer's window to check the temperature and nodded his head. He was quite pleased. The fever Fermat had developed just after midnight during the med check had broken and the younger boy's temperature was back down to a healthy number.
"Looks like you are good for now young man." Dr. Andreessen replaced the aural thermometer on Fermat's night stand before crossing the room towards Alan.
He whistled lowly upon seeing Alan's sweat slicked skin and soaked sheets. Picking up the aural thermometer from Alan's bedside he repeated the same action. After the beep sounded, he glanced at the reading and smiled. The high fever Alan had developed over the course of the entire day had finally broken and now Alan was only with a slightly raised temperature of ninety-nine degrees.
"Looks like you are okay too. Your fever has broken congratulations. You had some pretty worried family members upon learning of your high fever. I know they will be pleased to hear your fever has broken." Dr. Andreessen replaced Alan's aural thermometer back beside Alan's bedside.
"Speaking of family, when will we be allowed to see them again?" Alan leaned forward when Dr. Andreessen grabbed Alan's pillow. After the doctor adjusted Alan's pillow, Alan leaned back, resting his head on the raised portion of bedding.
"Well, I was going to call them around ten to give them an update on you two. I would have told them to come by a little after one like yesterday due to the times of your dressing changes, but looks like they might be able to come earlier today." Dr. Andreessen inspected the surgical sight on Alan's arm and nodded his head in approval; the swelling in Alan's arm was minimal.
"Really, why?" Alan and Fermat perked up at the new information.
"Because you two are going to get a bath. Your dressings will be changed afterwards, instead of being changed around noon like they had been yesterday. Then you two can have some breakfast. Your wounds might get infected if we don't wash the sweat off." Dr. Andreessen walked over to the wall, and picked up the wall phone to contact the nurse's station.
"Hello Abigail, could you book wash stations four and five for two of my pediatric patients?" Alan and Fermat just looked at the doctor; they were hoping the baths were gentle on their tender skin. "Yes, I'll need a couple nurses to assist me with their baths. No, that won't be necessary. Yes, I'm sure; Sam is busy in his department. I believe he has a couple surgeries going on today." Alan looked over at Fermat with confusion. Hearing only one side of a conversation and trying to understand what was being discussed was difficult.
"Really? Okay, well if you could contact Sam and ask him for help that would be much appreciated." Fermat used his bandaged hand and pushed his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose. He was trying to figure out what was being said by just hearing Dr. Andreessen's side. "Please page Mary and Sandra to see if they could come help us with the patient's baths. If they can't come, then Stacy and Jennifer will have to work."
"Thank you Abigail. Yes, my patients are prepared for transport. However in the event of my patient's family calling, could you notify them of where I am? Thank you, I would appreciate it. No problem Abigail. Good-bye." Within minutes a couple of nurses were permitted entrance to Alan and Fermat's room. Both boys lay in their beds and waved at the two new arrivals.
"Alan, Fermat this is Mary" Dr. Andreessen motioned to an older woman with her red hair pulled back into a bun. "And this is Jennifer." Jennifer was a small woman with graying hair. Both women waved at the boys whom they would be assisting with their baths.
"It's nice to meet you two." Jennifer approached Alan's bed before perching on his bed. "I will be assisting you with your bath this morning young man. I'm Jennifer" The older woman gave Alan a serene smile, Alan felt himself smile in return. This nurse made him think of his Grandma Ruth. She was quiet when speaking to him and he thought she kind of favored his Grandma.
"I will be your nurse Mr. Hackenbacker. Pleased to meet you, I'm Mary." The older redheaded woman approached Fermat and he offered a nod of the head as both of his hands were in a similar state as Alan's.
"P-Please call m-me Fermat m-ma'am." Fermat smiled at his nurse. She was so far very cordial.
"Oh my dear. There's no reason to be afraid of me. I won't bite." Mary attempted to offer comfort to the supposedly frightened boy. Both Alan and Fermat shared a look before breaking out into laughter. The doctor and two nurses just stared at the two boys, unsure of what was so funny.
"Fermat's not scared of you Mary. He's always had that stutter." Alan kindly informed Fermat's nurse of his young friend's speech impediment.
"My mistake dear." Mary turned to look at Fermat before smiling at the boy. Fermat in turn smiled back, before leaning back into his pillows. His sides were kind of sore as was his back, the burns he'd received from his shirt catching on fire hadn't been bad but they still hurt.
"So." Dr. Andreessen turned to the party of four before addressing them. "Jennifer, you and Sam will be working together to bathe Alan and dress his burns. I am assigning you two to wash station four. Just use lukewarm tap water, and when he is done with his full body bath, Jennifer if you would be so kind as to wash his hair, I'm sure he would appreciate it." Alan frowned when he realized that he hadn't washed his hair in several days.
"As for you Mary, I will be assisting you with Fermat's bath and afterwards if you too could wash his hair…that would be much appreciated. We will be working at wash station five across the hall from Alan." Dr. Andreessen paused, looking at his colleagues before pulling up the railings in Fermat's bed to prepare him for transport.
Jennifer did the same with Alan's bed and before they lifted the brake to move his bed into the hall a resounding beep was heard and in walked Sam McNulty. With the arrival of Sam to assist with transport, the group went ahead and lifted the brakes and began their descent down the hall into the main burn unit.
Alan lay in his bed and looked around observing all that he saw. The hall was filled with various patients of differing ages. Going around a corner, Alan spotted a patient attempting to walk with the use of a walker. A physiotherapist stood by the older man's side and assisted him with placing his feet correctly. A dark cloud descended over Alan when he realized that would be him in a couple weeks.
There was no doubt in his mind that should he gain the feeling back into his severely burnt feet, he would need the aid of either a cane or walker coupled with his dad and brother's help just to learn to walk and bear weight again. It made Alan angry. He was angry that he had been trapped in the fire with no way out, but to run through the flames. It made him angry that his best friend was harmed almost as bad as he was. But the thing that made him most angry was his suspicion that the fire had been intentional.
It was common knowledge among the students on campus that there were several other students that wished for the school to burn down. The only thing that shocked him was when the fire had occurred, he had a vague recollection of some of those Wharton hating students crying and scared for their lives and the lives of himself and Fermat. If they were truly scared, then it couldn't have been any of them. Nobody that intentionally set fire would purposefully cry and display that kind of fear.
Hearing a small giggle broke Alan from his morose thoughts. He turned his head and came face to face with a little girl in a bed opposite him. He realized his bed had come to a stop, and he noticed the nurses and doctors helping with their baths were donning surgical scrubs. He looked back at the little girl to see her gap toothed smile; it appeared that she had lost one of her front teeth. Alan decided to be cordial, even if he wasn't feeling it.
"Hello." Alan's voice was muffled by his oxygen mask and grimaced…he would be so happy when he could wear a cannula instead of this bulky monstrosity.
"Hi! I'm Krystina, who are you?" Krystina, the little girl giggled again and her bubbly laughter seemed to raise Alan's mood a little.
"Alan, my name is Alan. It's nice to meet you Krystina." Alan lifted his bandaged left hand in a small wave before allowing it to rest on the bed beside him again.
"Aw, you got a boo-boo also." Krystina's smile fell and turned into a small pout. Alan smiled in gloom at her reaction to his bandages. Most small kids he knew would start bawling at the sight of a badly injured individual, but Krystina seemed to take it in stride. Perhaps because she was amongst those that were injured.
"Yeah, Krystina I did. My friend over there was with me when we got hurt." Alan motioned with his head towards Fermat, and Krystina saw him and her smile returned. "Hey Fermat, say 'hello' to Krystina over here." Alan hoped that by introducing Fermat it would help get some of Krystina's attention off of him. He wasn't good at accepting people's pity.
"H-Hi Krystina. I'm F-Fermat." Fermat raised his right hand to wave at Krystina, she frowned when she saw Fermat's bandages also.
"You got a boo-boo also? What happened?" The child-like innocence and concern only served to bring a smile to both Alan and Fermat's faces.
"We got trapped in a fire. We're okay though." Alan hoped that Krystina would perk up at his reassurance.
"Just like me?" Krystina lifted her left and right arms to show where she was burned also.
"Yeah Krystina, just like you." Alan confirmed what the little girl was asking of him.
"Were you scared?" The little girl picked up a stuffed unicorn and hugged it as best she could with her burned arms. Alan smiled in mirth; the small child was acting like he had when he was the same age.
"Yes, very scared." Alan tilted his head at the little girl. She seemed to be only about seven or eight years old. Alan felt that she was very brave to be going through this.
"Me too. It made me sad when mommy and daddy weren't able to come visit me, but they are here now." Alan tilted his head at the child. He was beginning to wonder what happened to cause the burns.
"Are your mommy and daddy okay Krystina?" Alan looked at the girl with concern. The way she spoke, it almost seemed like maybe her parents had been hurt also.
"Daddy's fine. He saved mommy and me. He and the fi-firemen got mommy and me out of the car when it sploded." Alan's eyes widened when he heard "car exploded"…this little girl had survived a car accident which led to the car combusting. Alan returned his attention to Krystina when she began speaking again. "Mommy was able to go home yesterday. We have been here…um…since August."
Alan opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by the approach of Dr. McNulty and a doctor he didn't recognize. The unfamiliar doctor lifted the brake on Krystina's bed, and as she began pushing it away Krystina spoke loudly.
"Bye Alan, Bye Fermi. See you later!" Krystina giggled again and Alan lifted his left hand and lightly waved at the little girl. She had effectively raised his mood a little bit.
Alan looked at Fermat to see the younger boy blushing…no doubt from his new nickname given to him by the little girl. Alan grinned. So far the events of the day had served to lift his somber mood after the nightmare he experienced the night prior. Hopefully it would continue to get better. One could only hope right?
"All right Alan. Sorry it took so long, I had to sterilize the wash station before you could get in." Dr. McNulty apologized for the fifteen minute wait. Alan waved off the apology.
"No problem doc." Alan gazed down the hall, until Krystina and her doctor rounded the corner. He allowed himself another small smile; the child had unintentionally lifted his low mood and brought a smile to his face, all without trying. He chuckled inwardly as he thought of Krystina's farewell. 'See you later…huh?'