Disclaimer: I don't own Resident Evil, however, I do own this story.
Author's notes: It's been a long few months. I know you guys have been DYING for this. I get countless messages asking when I'm continuing the story. I just got a hit of inspiration, so I whipped this out for you guys. I've finally got somewhere to go with this again! New and old fans alike, thank you SO much for sticking with me through the last few update-less months. Don't worry though, I'll let you know when this story is over/on hiatus. Warning, because this chapter has a fair amount of cursing in this one. Enjoy and feedback is not only welcome, but encouraged! Hope you enjoy it, and again, my apologies for the long, long wait. Without further ado, the newest installment of Raccoon City High...
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"Claire, are you sure you want to come? I don't think it's a good idea to see Steve so soon." Chris asked, pulling his personalized jacket on. The sun was beginning to go down and that would surely mean a temperature drop.
"I'm sure. I'll be okay." Claire forced a smile. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but she just wanted to see him again. Maybe it would ease the ache in her heart. Maybe it would help, just a little... and really, that's all she wanted right now. She just wanted the pain to ease...
"Are you sure." He repeated, staring his little sister in the eyes.
"Chris, I'm sure. M'not a baby anymore, I can make decisions for myself," She muttered, pushing past him to get a jacket for herself. She draped it over her shoulder and moved out the front door. She couldn't ignore the nervous pitter-patter of her heart against her ribcage.
Sure, she wanted to see him, but she was apprehensive. She was sure it'd be awkward, at the very least, and painful at the most. Nonetheless, she took a deep breath and climbed into the passenger seat of the car. She curled her feet against the seat, leaning against the door. She gazed out the window.
Shaking his head, her brother followed. He climbed into the drivers seat, shaking his head all the while. He wished his sister took his advice, but he knew she had to make her own mistakes. He leaned forward, turning on the radio. Classic rock, of course. It was just about the only thing the both of them listened to. Queen was the one band they both enjoyed.
The entire ride to the hospital was without conversation, Claire's eyes fixated on the passing buildings and cars, while her brother's eyes were fixated on the road. He tapped his fingers lightly against the steering wheel to the music. It was an absent habit that he'd developed over the years he'd been driving.
Claire felt her palms start to get sweaty when she saw the hospital. She swallowed hard, taking a few deep breaths to keep herself from calm. She hadn't thought that seeing Steve would be so stressful. She shifted slightly, trying to seem as nonchalant as possible. She wished she had a cup of coffee or something to sip. Hell, that always worked on TV...
As they pulled up to the front of the hospital, Claire spotted that familiar red hair. She averted her eyes, closing them briefly.
"Claire?"
"What?" She nearly snapped.
"...are you doing okay?"
"...m'fine." She replied, shifting again.
Chris shook his head again, stopping in front of the boy.
Steve perked up, scrambling to his feet. He winced lightly when he put weight on his arm, but shrugged It off. Had to keep up appearances. He was tough.
Chris unlocked the doors, and Steve clambered into the back seat, trying to avoid putting anymore weight on his arm. It hurt bad enough as it was. He buckled carefully and leaned against the back of the seat, breathing a sigh of relief. He could go home, eat, possibly shower, and sleep for a good, long while.
Chris gave a smile, looking at the younger boy via his rear-view mirror. "Hey, Steve."
Steve gave a weak, "Hey." in return, leaning his head back. He held his arm close to his body, trying to keep the movement to a minimum.
"So what'd you do, man?"
"Have you ever been so mad you just … punched the nearest thing?"
Chris gave a short chuckle. "Once, after Jill and I had a fight, I punched this big rock. And damn did I ever regret it."
"Yeah...s'pretty much what happened." He muttered, breathing in deep.
Claire said nothing, looking at him via the side mirror. She looked him over for a second before forcing her eyes away. Her mouth suddenly felt dry and her heart started to ache again. She began wishing that she'd listened to her brother and stayed home. It was awkward and uncomfortable, and it was painful. She just wanted to touch him and comfort him. She felt tears form in the corner of her eyes, and she tried to blink them away.
"So, you want a ride back to your place right, Steve?"
"Right..." Another weak smile was all about he could muster. "...thanks, Chris. Really... didn't have anyone else to call."
"Don't worry about it, man." Chris gave a nod and a smile. "Alright, to your place it is."
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Leon felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He raised an eyebrow, pulling it out and looking at the screen. It was Ada. He gave a soft smile, hitting the answer button.
"Hello?"
"Hey, you..."
"What's up, babe?"
"I'm not feeling very well... I have a doctor's appointment in an hour and a half, will you take me?"
He frowned slightly, giving a nod. "Yeah, sure, babe. What's wrong?"
"I've got a headache, and my neck is really stiff... all of my lymph nodes in my neck are swollen and sore to the touch. Low fever... and some sort of rash." A soft sigh. "I...I have no idea what I have..."
"Alright... I'll be there in half an hour to pick you up."
"Thanks..." A weak smile on the other side of the phone line. "...see you soon, Leon." She hung up.
As the half hour mark passed, Leon rolled up into Ada's driveway. He honked twice, leaning back in the seat of his jeep. He fiddled with various knobs and wiped dust from his dashboard as he waited. A few moments later, Ada came shuffling down the driveway. She was wearing very ill fitting clothes – some sort of red sweat suit and tennis shoes, something that he wasn't used to seeing her in all. He cocked an eyebrow – she must be feeling terrible. As she neared the car, Leon noticed she wasn't wearing any make-up and her hair looked like it hadn't been styled in days – yet another uncommon occurrence.
"...damn. You look terrible, Ada."
The cheerleader glared at him as she climbed into the car. "I'm sick, Leon."
"...yeah, I can tell." He frowned deeply, shaking his head. "Now which way is your doctors office?"
"Go down Emerdale, then go right on Ella, take it to Park Street and it's on the left side of the road." She muttered, rubbing her temples gently with her forefinger and thumb. She wished the damn sun would go down already.
Leon was told to wait in the waiting area while Ada got her exam. He complied, but wasn't too happy about the magazine selection. He found a couple that he was interested in – one to do with guns, one to do with exercise and being fit, and he also leafed through a magazine all about the Umbrella Corp presence in Raccoon City and some back story on that.
The doctor looked over Ada's chart before looking to her. "So, Miss Wong, care to tell me what's wrong? It says here your temperature is 99.8, so you're running a fever, but the rest of your vitals seem to be fine."
"My head hurts, and my lymph nodes are all swolen... I ache all over, and I'm exhausted. There's some sort of weird ...red rash on my stomach... is it the flu?"
The doctor tapped his pen on the table, chewing his lip in thought momentarily. "Miss Wong, are you sexually active?"
"...what's that got to do with this...?"
"Are you?"
"Well yes, but-"
"We're going to have to do a test, you have quite a lot of the symptoms of syphilis."
She gave a short, almost weak laugh. "Huh? S'impossible. I've only slept with one boy in a long time..."
"Are you using condoms?"
"...n-no, because I'm on birth control." A frown. "Leon said there was no need since I was on the pill..."
The doctor shook his head. "Miss Wong, I'm going to send in a nurse to run the test. It's a treatable infection. I'll send her in shortly."
Ada sat on the examination table, stunned. Syphilis. She'd been faithful, which meant that Leon... suddenly there was a surge of anger.
Not only had Leon cheated, but now she had a fucking sexually transmitted disease.
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Leon looked up when he heard footsteps. Ada's, of course. He'd been around her enough to recognize her footsteps, even if she wasn't in high-heels.
"Hey, how'd it go?" He straightened his back, leaning towards. "How're you feeling?"
Without hesitation, she smacked him. Hard, open palmed against his face. Leon was stunned for a moment before looking to her.
"What the fuck!"
"Leon, you fucking cheated on me."
"What? No I didn't!"
"Leon, I have syphilis!"
The color drained from his face and he swallowed hard. "H-how do I know you didn't cheat on me?"
She grabbed a fistful of his shaggy hair, bringing his face closer to hers. "What's her name, Leon?"
He shut his eyes, muttering under his breath.
"Who's the skank you've been screwing behind my back, Leon!"
"Ashley. Jesus christ, okay? Ashley Graham!"
