A/N
Let's just get this out of the way from the get-go. I love you guys. In a non-awkward way, of course. I mean, really! We broke fifty reviews. We just bordering on over 3000 regular views. The amount of people who like what I write usually doesn't matter to me, and I don't want to get prideful. That's always been a big thing for me. I write because I love it, and I feel as if it's my mission, even if no one listens, I will get my words out.
But, guys, you're awesome.
The fact that there's a sight like this that advertises my writing is amazing. The fact that there's people like you all who read it and love it is even more awesome. My writing isn't great. You are.
I just wanted you to know that.
By some people's standards, 52 reviews isn't a lot. But, by mine it is. You all made this my most popular and most loved fic. You love it almost as much as I do, maybe even a little bit more.
Yeah...so...now that THAT deal is out of the way...
Epic. Party. Time.
Episode Twenty Six: Here They Come
Of the three hours that it took to get to the major hospital, two of them were spent in blissful and cheerful celebration by Roger, Ralph and F-u. Every single one of them was in a good mood, overall, and it was rather strange that they were getting along. Though, in times of trouble, people often tend to migrate to each other's dispositions.
That didn't make it any less strange, though.
About an hour away from the hospital, however, Roger shut down completely. He clutched the wheel close to him when he drove, making sometimes hasty decisions and maneuvers. It occurred to Ralph then that their getting along was probably just nervousness. Either that, or some weird thing Roger was trying to pull to get him to spill his metaphorical beans. How Roger was able to pick up that whole deal was a mystery to him, but he wished he would just let it go already. I mean, Ralph thought, seriously, the guy obviously has enough problems of his own. He doesn't need to be worried about mine.
Then they pulled into the hospital parking lot. It was a grand-looking place for what it was and where it was; a modern utopia nestled into a little back-water country road. Lights glowed warm and sterile in the large, clear, glass windows. It was just beginning to border on sunset, so many cars buzzed out of the place. Maybe visiting hours were over. Maybe they were too late. Knowing Roger, Ralph thought that it probably wouldn't matter anyway.
"This is it!" Ralph announced, nervously laughing, trying to get the mood up, "We're finally here! Now we don't have to sit in the...car...anymore..."
"Let's just go." Roger sighed. He pulled the keys out of the ignition and slid out of the driver's side. Ralph was about to follow suite, but then remembered his precious cargo and stopped.
"What about the dog?" He asked worriedly, "Won't she suffocate in the car?"
"...She'll be fine." Roger shot back, "Let's just get this over with."
Ralph scurried to keep up with Roger, then the two fell into step. The doors of the hospital-Some divergent of Red Cross-slid open when they approached, as if waking from a long period of sleep; like they'd been waiting a while. A podium sat in the middle of the large, open lobby and Roger hesitated for a moment before walking towards it and drawing the attention of the woman with the short black hair who stood there. Her nametag read: SANTHA. She looked up tiredly. She'd probably been there since they'd opened, and Ralph couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for her.
"Hullo." Roger started, "I...um..."
"Roger." Santha gasped, startled, "It's been so long."
"I sorry." Roger apologized.
"We were just about to call you, actually." Santha puzzled over something, then glanced over to Ralph, who hung back out of respect. The two probably knew each other well, considering the town wasn't that big, and Roger had probably come here many times before. The blonde would have thought that they'd had 'history', if not for the fact that Santha was at least double Roger's age. "Who's your friend, kiddo?"
"That's Ralph. He's Jack's...boyfriend." Roger explained. He wasn't able to come up with anything other than that to help the situation.
"Hi." Ralph waved and stepped forward, offering his hand as common courtesy, "I'm not from around here...I come from the next town over. It's a little bit bigger than this one, but I've been here a lot."
"I think I recognize you from somewhere." Santha smiled politely, "Anyway, Roger, how's college? You living with the big-shots now?"
"No." Roger shook his head in reply, "I don't really want to talk about it. I just came for a visit, that's all."
"Okay..." The receptionist Santha glanced back down at the podium, probably at a room roster or something that she kept there, and scribbled something in quickly. "Well, visiting hours are over, but you know we'll always make an exception for you, kiddo." She kindly nodded them back to the elevator behind her, which sat in a glittering wall paved with shiny stones. There was a little fountain next to it, and if Ralph stood on his tip-toes he could just barely see the ripple and shimmer of the Koi fish that dwelled there. "Room 13-C, as usual. I'll let the resident doctor know you're coming. He wants to talk to you...I think. Your da won't answer the phone."
"...Yeah." Roger muttered, "I know he won't."
"What's wrong, kiddo?" Santha asked, brows bunching up with worry, "Something you want to talk about?"
"No. Not now. I want to get some things straight in my head first, you know?"
"I suppose. But please, be careful. Your family already had to suffer so much...I..."
This is where Roger walked away, leaving Santha alone with her thoughts and words and, for a moment, Ralph. The blonde nodded in thanks and rushed after his gloomy, depressed friend wildly.
"Hey, come on, Rog!" He called, "Wait up for me!"
Santha watched them for a while, then shook her head and went back to work.
Ralph sat alone in the hospital room; well, he had the company of Roger's mother, but seeing as how she was pretty much brain-dead, she wasn't much company. Actually, she was really depressing to be around. He sighed and lay his head on his knees, listening to the muffled conversation, with occasional spurts of yelling, outside of the door. He wondered what the doctor had pulled his friend aside for. He wondered if Roger was going to be okay out there by himself. The blonde sighed again and turned back towards Roger's mother. The heart monitor kept time softly with automated beeps from the cream-colored back wall.
She was actually a very pretty woman. Pretty in the mom sort of way, and Ralph could imagine her opening a home door and welcoming guests kindly, maybe baking something in advance and setting it out on the counter. She was very pale and sickly looking, which was probably due to her condition. Roger had inherited most of his mother's looks. They had the same sleek black hair, the same complexion, the same stature. However, on the paper-work it said that her eyes were amber. Maybe Roger's scarlet ones were from his father. Maybe they were just something new in the gene pool all together. Ralph frowned.
"I don't believe we've met before." He spoke up, trying to strain his ears for some invisible answer. What he heard in the air didn't seem to satisfy him; nothing did not satisfy. "My name is Ralph...and, I guess I'm Roger's friend..."
The heart monitor continued to pulse gently. What a reply, Ralph thought.
"Ms. Williams?" He queried suddenly, still not fully satiated with the way this conversation was going, "I have a secret that I need to tell somebody. Do you think you could keep it for me?"
Ralph paused and nodded his head to the beat of the pulses.
He continued. "Okay, then." He admitted with a touch of shame: "I'm not the person I say I am. I mean, I'm me, definitely me...but I don't feel like me. And there's this other thing too...I-"
The door swung open suddenly and Ralph shot upwards in his seat, shutting his mouth as quick as he could. Roger walked back into the room, nudging the doctor's arm out of the way as they held the door open for him.
"I'm sorry, Roger." The doctor said quietly, "I'll leave you alone. Be sure to tell Santha when you leave."
"Yeah, sure."
the door snicked shut. Roger crumpled onto the floor, falling into a rather defeated position against the door. Ralph was about to get up and offer his chair, but he had a feeling that Roger wouldn't accept even if he offered.
"What happened?" The blonde asked.
Roger grumbled something in reply and put his head between his hands, not saying anything else. Ralph decided to leave it at that.
Eventually, he even fell asleep in the scratchy hospital chair.
Roger looked up, snapping his fingers to make sure of it, and crossed over to his mother's hospital bed. He sat down on the bottom edge of it and frowned. When he was much younger than he was now, he could fit on the bed next to her. He wished his life was that simple again. He wished he were younger. He wished to high heavens that they could all re-do the island and change some things. He wished his father were here so that he could beat his face in with a brick for what that man did to his family.
"It's been such a long time, ma." He sighed, "I'm sorry I didn't come sooner...I had no idea...that...that you didn't have much time left...I'm sorry."
Just like with Ralph, there was no response. But Roger seemed to hear one anyway, and he went on as if that were the case.
"You would be so disappointed in me, ma." He whispered, "I'm everything you didn't want me to be. I'm exactly like father. I'm mean to the people I care about and I'm mean to everyone else too. I've killed someone. I thought I killed two people, but Simon's batty even in death, and he's probably just some wacco ghost that thinks he's still alive. I don't even know anymore. If I told you all the things that have happened to me since I got to college, you'd go batty as well. It's so confusing, you know. I thought that everything would change when I grew up, ma, but really nothing changed at all."
"beep. beep. beep."
"I know you can't talk to me, but I'm not sure if you can hear me or not. I hope you can." Roger finished, "I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry and that I still love at least you, if that even means anything to anyone anymore. And that..." He swallowed, "It's okay to let go if you want, ma. I think I'll be fine. So, if that's all you're living for, and you can hear me now, I just want you to know that it's okay. And...I think I'll be just fine if you die...it might take some time...but...I want you to be happy."
"Beep."
"I have to go. It'll be dark soon."
"Beep."
Ralph jolted back awake then, gasping something about a nightmare and water and such. Roger stared blankly at him. Something new burned in his eyes and Ralph wasn't sure if it was conviction or anger or something else entirely, but he didn't like it. Obviously, the sorrow from earlier had subsided and fully gave way to the next thing.
"She has two weeks left before they have to take her off life support, legally." Roger growled darkly, "...So...let's go."
"Wait, are you sure?!"
"Let's go." Roger repeated sternly, "Jack and his parents will be wondering where we got to."
"But-"
"We're leaving!" Roger shot at him, "I'm finished! I said what I needed to. Now, let's go!"
Without protest, Ralph followed him back to the car.
Hey, all. So, this is probably one of the most depressing chapters. The next has some feels, but not quite as much, and there's some comedy to tone it down a bit. Sorry about the lack of laughs, but remember...you know...plot. *coughcough*
Anywho, Thanks to all of my awesome reviewers!
Speaking of that!
REVIEW RESPONSE TIME!
NIGHTKILL/SA
Thanks for your review/your time! I'm glad you liked it :) Yeah, the potted plant thing...once again, I'm breaking the rules and the fourth wall. Some people like that, some people don't...I hope you're one of the former people :P
HOTWINGINCIDENT
Hey! How are you doing! I was just conversating with you a minute ago :P
Don't worry about talking to me too much. There's no such thing as too much talking, at least to me, Ms. Motormouth over here *points at self*. Anyway, yeah, I'm also very sad that this fic is nearing it's final feet. This was really my first, intentional major endeavor. I mean, there was the LOTF apocolyptica series, but I REALLY didn't mean to make that one drag out for so long. Plus, out of all my fics, I've always loved this one the most. It's very disappointing to be ending it in about...eh...maybe 5 to 7 chapters. I dunno how long I need. But, it's also exciting too, because it means moving on to brave new worlds! I already have two other ideas to replace this once it's over with, and they're both gonna be, I hope, just as funny. Maybe even more, because they won't have the feels. I'll announce my final descision on the inheritor of this fic's place at a later time. Hehe.
MYSTERIOUSGIRL
Ah! A new reader! I always welcome those!
Anyway, I'm very glad you liked it! Even the tacky, cliché parts with The Rapist and such~ Your favorite episode is one of my favorites as well, though I have to say that I really enjoyed writing the Christmas one, and an upcoming one is also probably my favorite...I'm also glad that you liked OOC Ralph, because some people are REALLY bothered by that. Although, I wouldn't say at this point that he's OOC...he's just kind of...pretending to be OOC. Thanks for thinking that it's 'freaking awesome' too! I think all my REVEIWERS are freaking awesome, so that means you as well! And, you wanted more and here it is...though, it may not be as funny as you wanted. Sorry. Next time, I promise!
Also, on an added note, I realize now that I announced a oneshot relating to this fic a while ago. That may or may not still happen. Hehe...eh...sorry...I got kind of side tracked with other, less important things.
Well, I guess that's it...
THANKS FOR READING! WRITE YA LATER!