Bitter Sweet
The glaze was bright against my eyes, as I plied them open. For the second time in as many weeks I was lying in starched white sheets and staring at a bland white ceiling. My shoulder throbbed so painfully that I wondered why I had been asleep at all. And my ribs ached. Basically, I felt like something the Meowth threw up. I tried to pull myself into a sitting position and agony exploded through my arm.
"Ugnhh," I muttered, clenching my teeth against the pain.
"How are you feeling?" Asked a voice just out of my vision.
"Stupid question," I replied, "like someone shot me in the arm."
The voice chuckled. "You were lucky, the bullet barely grazed your shoulder and chipped the bone. The other kid wasn't so lucky."
"Other kid, what other kid?"
The voice muttered under its breath. "Darn, I wasn't supposed to say, not until you were a little better. The kid that was with you, we haven't managed to find identification on him yet, except that he was wearing a trenchcoat and a shirt with an "R" on it."
I remembered a Cubone, hitting one of the gunmen over the head. Remembered hearing another shot after that. A Cubone could only mean one person, the person Florion had been waiting for. "Kameron?" I asked, panic rising in my voice. "He's dead?"
"Not quite, but he suffered a shot to his chest and some damage to his lung. He's on a respirator, awaiting surgery to close up the wounds."
"Kameron," I whispered. He'd been following me, and Florion had been waiting for him. Why hadn't I guessed sooner? Why hadn't he intervened sooner. Where were my Pokemon?
"Where's my Pokemon?" I cried, realising for the first time how alone I was, for not even Maki was here with me.
The disembodied voice chuckled mirthlessly. "You don't think they'd allow Pokemon in a hospital do you? Nasty, unclean things. No, your Doctor friend said he'd look after them for you."
"Doctor friend?" I felt as if I'd lost my brain in the injury.
"You'll not suffering delayed amnesia are you?" The voice asked, sounding concerned. "Doctor Frances Warwick, Professor on Ecology staying at the college?"
I remembered, my addled brain had just puzzled me for a moment. "Good," I replied. "So, how is Kameron doing? Is he going to die?"
The voice sighed. "I didn't want to tell you this, but the chances are fairly high, until we've done the surgery, he will have extreme difficulty breathing on his own. After the surgery, his chances of surviving increase to," the voice sighed again, "I suppose I should be completely honest with you, there's not much more than a fifty percent chance that he'll pull through, and even if he does survive, he may need to live on a respirator the rest of his life."
My heart sunk. I hated Kameron, but I didn't want him dead. Or did I hate him? Would I feel this way about someone I hated? Would I feel so betrayed if I didn't care what happened to him. Tears rolled down my face. "I want to see him," I whimpered.
"I'm afraid you can't," the voice said again. "He's in a critical condition and you should not move."
"I must see him," I almost pleaded. "He must know I forgive him before he dies. He must!"
The voice sighed again, sounding wearied and hurt. "I'll see what I can do, but don't expect miracles. You'll probably all the kids got. What did you say his name was?"
"Kameron," I replied, "I, ah, don't know his surname, but his parents live, or lived, in Cerulean City. I think they owned a restaurant. I don't think he had much to do with them, they threw him out when he was ten, for getting into trouble shop-lifting."
I could only remember a little about Kameron's past – his parents had thrown him out and he had wandered alone, until another kid had taken pity on him and given him a Caterpie. He had then gone on to try and become a Pokemon Trainer, but a Caterpie was not good starting material and he couldn't seem to catch any other Pokemon, until one day he came across an injured Cubone, that had got caught in a bear trap. He had freed it, and it had allowed itself to be captured. After that, he had done better at battles and his Caterpie evolved, until it became Dancer. Then, when he was twelve, it was stolen from him and he became very angry and upset, and when someone had approached him and asked if he wanted a job stealing Pokemon, he had agreed. That was how he joined Team Rocket, and they had lent him an Arcanine and sent him after Maki. The rest is pretty much linked to me. I somehow doubted his parents would be easy to find.
"I'll definitely do my best," the voice said, and stood up, moving across my limited line of sign. It seemed to be a nurse of indeterminate gender, with short mousy hair and a skinny figure. "You're all he's got."
I was all he had. Unless you counted Team Rocket, and since he'd helped me out, I doubted they would be favourably inclined towards him. All he had. I had to see him. He couldn't die, not without knowing that I had forgiven him, that he was my best friend, that I cared for him more than I had imagined…
He had to know, no gender-less nurse could stop me.
After the nurse had departed, I tried to remove myself from the bed. My head swung for a minute – from the exertion of standing up too fast, and a stabbing pain shot through my shattered bone and my battered ribs. I clenched my teeth against the pain and forced myself to stand up. My injured arm, my left, was in a sling, which thankfully helped ease the pain a bit. The shoulder was so padded with plaster that I looked like a lopsided rugby player. Unfortunately, they had stripped me of my clothing so that all I wore was an unpleasant light green hospital gown that was obviously not tied properly because I could feel the chill on my back, and I could not tighten it up one handed. Ok, I was out of bed, I was more or less standing. Now, where was Kameron? They said he was in intensive care, and I was obviously not, so I would have to find him. I staggered to the door, walking past a small child asleep in another bed, and managed to push it open with my good hand. Outside the corridor was almost empty. A Doctor hurried past holding a sheaf of notes, a couple walked past, their faces pale with concern. I went somewhat unnoticed as I staggered down the hallway, conscious of the cold air blowing into my Hospital gown. A sign read "Intensive Care", "Maternity", "Wards 1-50" with arrows pointing every which way. The sign to intensive care led down a flight of stairs. Leaning against the banisters, my arm throbbing, hot burning pain, I half walked, half oozed down the stairs. And bumped into someone hurrying up them.
"Kataryna!" He sounded startled, and I recognised Doctor Warwick. "What are you doing out of your ward?"
I looked at him, pondered lying, then admitted it, "I'm going to visit a friend in Intensive Care."
"That kid you were found with? I understand his Butterfree called the ambulance."
I must have looked puzzled, because he continued.
"It dialled the number when the shooting started, the emergency number, and the operator heard the gunshots and sent someone over to investigate, two police and an ambulance. I've got the Butterfree back at my apartment, as well as all the other Pokemon that were running around."
"Not the Nidorans?"
He laughed. "Oh, of course not, they'd all vanished by the time the police arrived. Not a Nidoran left in the entire park, only footprints and some rather disconcerted gunmen."
"Was, anyone killed?" I had to know. What if one of the gunmen had died? Sure they were doing something evil, but that was hardly enough to warrant wanting to be a murderer, or wanting Spiko to be one.
"The other kid was the worst injured. The gunmen were bruised, scarred and suffered fractures, but otherwise, nothing fatal."
I smiled faintly. "I hoped Spiko hadn't killed anyone." My arm ached. "Could you take me to Kameron?" I asked.
"Is that the dark-haired kid?" The Doctor asked. "No, he's just gone into surgery – they decided it was too dangerous to leave him any longer."
I collapsed, literally, the pain, the shock, the despair had become too much for me. I could not stay upright any longer. The Doctor caught me and literally carried me back to my room, being careful not to bump my injured arm.
"I brought someone to see you," he said, once he had me safely tucked back into bed. He pulled out a small marble sized ball and transformed it into a proper sized Pokeball. "He didn't seem too keen on going in here, but I told him it was the only way he could see you. Come on out Maki."
"Maki!" Cried Maki and rushed forwards to give me an exuberant but cautious hug. I stroked his little bullet shaped head and patted his tufted ears.
"Oh Maki, I'm glad you're ok! Did the Nidorans and Spiko get away all right?"
Maki nodded, "ki."
"Good, at least they should be fine, with Spiko and the Nidorina to protect them." Maki looked downtrodden and subdued. "You'll still not yourself are you?" I asked, "Nurse Joy said you were fine, so what's wrong Maki?"
"Maki kiki maki mur mur mak!" He said, unintelligibly.
I looked at Doctor Warwick. He shrugged. "I think it's something to do with Kameron," he said, "but that's just a guess."
"Maki," Maki agreed. "Maki maki mur mur kiki."
"You missed him?" I asked, "and now he's hurt?"
"Ki."
"Don't worry Maki, he'll be fine, he has to be."
"Maki kik kiki mak maki mur." Maki seemed not to agree.
I sighed and gave the little lemur a one handed hug. "What about your lectures Doctor?"
He shrugged, "you can call me Frances you know. And as for my lectures, I only had one today, and then I came right here. Good thing too, can't have you wandering around like a lost lamb."
"I was not lost. I have to see Kameron."
"I'm sure you shall, once he's out of surgery. Now, would you like to know what todays lecture was about?"
I was too anxious to really care, but the distraction was welcome, besides, I didn't want Doctor Frances walking out and leaving me all alone. Alone with my pain and guilt. "What?"
"You know how we have chickens, and ducks, goats and other non-Pokemon animals."
"Of course." What did he take me for? Stupid?
"Did you know that once their was a Nidoran like animal called the rabbit?"
I shrugged. "I think I saw it in a book once."
"They're all but extinct now, and that's what today's lecture was about."
"Rabbits?" I was puzzled, I must admit.
"Extinction, and survival of the fittest, you know about that?"
I shrugged. "A bit, extinction is where something dies out altogether, and survival of the fittest says the stronger, healthier animals, or Pokemon, survive and breed."
"Exactly. Well, when the Pokemon first came to this world, the rabbits lived everywhere, until the Nidoran came to their territory. See, Nidoran live very much like rabbits, in warrens in open grassland, eating grass and berries. But they had something rabbits did not."
"Poison," I interjected.
"And fighting skills, so the Nidoran pushed the rabbits out of their homes, poisoning them, killing them and taking over their niche, that's the habitat they live and breed in. That's what the lecture was on today – how Pokemon displaced the natural animals here so that the only true animals left are those in isolated areas or those inhabiting niches that Pokemon do not."
"Like chickens?"
"I think the reason chickens have survived is because Pidgey meat is not nearly as tasty." He replied. "So humans have bred them, and kept them alive. I'm sure as soon as a Chicken Pokemon is discovered, people will breed that instead and chickens will die out."
I shuddered. "I couldn't eat Pokemon."
"Beef and mutton both come from Pokemon," he replied, making me grimace. "So does venison, and fish meat. That's why some people chose to eat nothing but chicken meat, they think eating Pokemon is too terrible to contemplate."
"Maki!" Maki agreed. He wouldn't eat Pokemon meat.
"So," said the Doctor, "who is this Kameron boy that got shot? A friend of yours?"
I told him the whole story, from the time he'd kidnapped my Vaporeon to the day he was shot. And then I cried. And cried some more. You never know what you've got until you lose it.
We talked a while, the Doctor reassuring me, and then, apologetic, he said he must return to the college for another lecture. He begged me to get well soon, because "your Pokemon are refusing to stay in their balls and are all anxious to see you. So anxious they're demolishing my house." And looked at Maki. "We have to go boy."
"Makiki," Maki said sadly, giving me a last hug, but allowed himself to be scooped into the ball. He seemed to have matured with the seriousness of the situation. I knew then that he, like Florion, missed Kameron. He couldn't die. He couldn't…
I lay staring at the tv screen, it was flickering some kid's show, a re-run of Ash's adventures. Misty was currently fighting a battle with a cool Golduck, that I knew from seeing it before, was not her's. As if Psyduck would evolve into something cool like that. I'd met Psyduck, and he was pretty dimwitted. I'd seen it before and it barely held my interest. I was too worried about Kameron. I was lying their remembering the good times we'd had together, swimming at Lake Eerie, catching the Shrubslash, beating Team Rocket. Suddenly the door to the ward swung open.
"Kataryna?" My genderless nurse asked.
"Yeah?" I was barely interested, trapped in a world of my own misery.
"Your friend has just come out of surgery. He's in recovery at the moment, you can go see him if you like, but only for a few minutes."
"I can!" I almost choked on my own joy.
"Yes, but he's fairly groggy at the moment, he hasn't fully recovered from the anaesthetic."
"How did it go?" I had to know. "Is he going to survive?"
The nurse smiled, sadly. "I wish I could tell you positive news there, but the truth is, we don't know. There were some minor complications, but the operation was a success, so now all we have to do is wait and see if he's strong enough."
"He is," I replied, positively. "I know he is." Had he not survived alone on the streets? Had he not ambushed Team Rocket from the inside?
The nurse pushed up a wheelchair. "Here, you can ride."
"But there's nothing wrong with my legs."
"I know, but it's a bit of a walk and you're not completely recovered yet yourself. Besides," the nurse smiled slyly, "this way's more fun, wouldn't you agree?"
"As long as it's faster, I'll agree to anything."
Nothing could have prepared me for seeing Kameron. I had imagined in my head, of course, imagined some pretty horrific things, given the amount of time spent alone, but nothing could have prepared me for the tiny, pale shape lying on the bed. Somehow, he looked smaller, with those machines hooked into him, monitoring his blood pressure, his heart beat… So small, so weak. So damned fragile. His hair was spread around his head like a chestnut halo, a tangled chestnut halo. His eyes were closed, his lips slightly ajar, his breathing sounded terrible. Like an old, dying man. They said the operation had been successful, so why did he sound like he could not breath? Why did he look like he had been drained by a vampire. I took his hand in mine, ignoring the mass of drips and assorted other wires hooked up to it. Some had been dug into his flesh, held in place with a piece of what looked like duct tape. Even though it looked so small and pale, his hand was still bigger than mine. I squeezed it gently, as though afraid I might break it.
"I'm sorry, Kameron," I whispered, pressing my lips against the back of his hand. The skin was so cold, clammy. "I'm sorry I thought you betrayed me. I miss you. I forgive you, won't you forgive me?"
His lips moved soundlessly, but I could see the word he was forming. "Kat."
I stepped out of my wheelchair and ran my working hand through his tangled hair, touching his cheek. "You're going to be just fine," I whispered, my face damp with tears.
With immense slowness, he opened his eyes, and stared at me. I'd never seen anything as beautiful as those dark brown eyes. He smiled, although he still held his mouth open, still panted as though he'd run a long race. "Don't…. leave…. Me." He whispered, one hand twitching on the sheets as though he wanted to move it, to touch me.
I glanced at the nurse, who was busily wandering around the room checking all the displays. The nurse smiled, and pointed at his/her(?) watch.
"I wish I could," I whispered. "But I kind of only have five minutes."
"Give….me…hand," he replied, his voice still faint, still stilted.
I put my hand in his, he squeezed it. His grip was not strong, but it was alive.
"Where….my….Pokemon?" He asked.
Trust Kameron to think of his Pokemon at a time like this. "A friend of mine is looking after them. They're all fine."
"Good," he smiled weakly. "Kat…" he said more urgently, "if…any….thing….happens….to….me…."
"Nothings going to happen," I interrupted, disturbed at his thinking. "You're going to be just fine."
"I want….you….to….have….them," he continued, ignoring me.
"Of course," I said. "Nothings going to, but if anything were too, I'd love to look after your Pokemon for you."
"Good. I'd….love….you…to….have….them."
I ran my finger down the back of his hand and glanced at the nurse, who was tapping the watch again. "I've got to go," I said, "but I'll be back soon, I promise." I leaned over and kissed him gently on the cheek. "I'll never leave you again, if you get well, and that's a promise."
He smiled. "Bye Kat."
The androgenous nurse led me out.
Doctor Warwick came visiting again that night, bringing Maki with him once more. Maki made it plain to me that he wanted to see Kameron, but the nurse would not let me in there again today, said he was "resting". I was frustrated, and unfortunately, took it out on Doctor Frances a bit. Maki was back to his old self a bit and had to be stopped before he managed to push the nurse-call buzzer, three or four times. He fiddled with everything, explored the room from top to bottom and eventually stole a handful of grapes from the kid in the bed next door, and sat on my dresser eating them noisily and messily. The kid was highly amused.
"They're going to discharge me tomorrow," I said, "they say there is nothing more that needs to be done for me, that I'll be fine as an outpatient."
"Good, then you can come to Siryntown with me, and return the fossil."
I frowned. "I can't leave Kameron. I have to stay here with him and I don't have anywhere to stay, except the park and I've been banned from going there."
I'd also had a newspaper reporter in earlier asking me for details, so I'd told her everything, even about Spiko. There seemed no point in lying. The only thing I didn't tell them was where the Nidoran were headed. That could stay my little secret.
"Of course," Doctor Frances said. "You must stay here until your friend gets well. I would offer you to stay with me, but my lodgings are small and it is not appropriate for a man of my age to share his dwellings with a young lady, like yourself. However, I have a feeling there may be a spare room in the college dormitory, that you can stay in, if you like. It should be easy to get permission."
I grinned. "That would be great, then I can come to your lectures when I'm not with Kameron."
He nodded, "and Maki and the rest can stay with you, if they behave themselves."
I had an anxious night that night, every time I heard footsteps in the hall I would sit bolt upright, worried that they were coming to tell me that Kameron was worse. But morning came, and with it the knowledge that Kameron was doing well and wanted to see me. I filled in all my forms first, so that I could be discharged, bid "farewell" to my androgenous nurse (whose name badge read "Cal", which didn't help). Then I hurried to Kameron's room.
He was sitting upright today, still connected to everything, and watching a documentary on tv about Dolfin migration habits. He smiled as I entered, a bright, almost luminescent, smile.
"Feeling better?" I asked, "you certainly look better."
And he did, the colour was returning to his cheeks and his eyes looked less glazed. Although his breathing still seemed laboured, he was not wheezing as much today.
"All the better…. for seeing you," he said, still wheezing, still having to force out the words.
I patted him on the hand. "I'm glad," I said, "I forgive you."
"I'm sorry I hurt you," he explained. "But, honestly, they…. said they'd leave … you alone, if … I did that job for them. It was just a fossil."
"I believe you didn't mean to lead me into a trap," I said, "I missed you Kam, we all did."
He grinned. "How's the arm?"
"The nurse says the bullet damaged the nerves and the bone. I'll only have limited use of my left arm again, and it will hurt with over exertion."
Kameron frowned. "That doesn't sound good."
I nodded. "But at least I'm right handed. And alive. And you're alive. How did you get shot anyway?"
"It's all a blur," he informed me. "I think Cubone… hit the man and he jerked his gun around…. and fired. That … was how I got hit. Or something."
"It's been an adventure," I muttered, "a terrible adventure, but we're both going to be alright." I told him about Doctor Warwick and the College.
"You're going to learn too much," he said, his voice growing stronger every moment. "You'll be a Pokemon expert."
I smiled. "I wish. I meant what I said yesterday too, you can travel with me again, unless you're going to run back to Team Rocket."
"Nah," he said, "I'm done with them. You're my best friend, and I love you for it. I think I'll stay with you."
I awkwardly gave him a hug. "I'm glad, I kind of like having you around. Anyway, I have to go now, Doctor Frances is waiting and he has a lecture soon. I'll be back this afternoon."
"Farewell," Kameron said as I waved goodbye. He was going to be just fine. Everything was.
Until next time….