~Grin~
I remembered you....remembered how
we had met the first time.
Stood there and remembered. Watched
the images in my head while we were waiting....waiting....waiting. I knew
that this waiting drove the others mad. Especially Wildwing.
Nosedive, did you ever realise how
much you mean to your brother?
How much you mean to me, as well?
Our endless conversations about this
tv-show...how was it called? Bernie the bear?
It amused me...all the time. All
the arguments you pointed out, only for convincing me that Bernie was a
bear. First I couldn't understand why you had been so...enthusiastic about
this. About a stupid show.
Then I understood. It was your way
of making conversation, your way of presenting yourself.
This and many other things went through
my head when they brought you.
The young duck with the big mouth,
the love for tacos and comics, who couldn't stand still for a minute....this
duck lied on a stretcher, unconscious.
The only color came from the blood
which was drippling down your face, making the whole situation unreal,
like a scene from a movie.
I could hear the yells of my team-mates
who were asking the doctors about your condition, could see Tanya who was
checking you, could smell the blood...
It didn't mean anything to me. I
was...paralysed.
I was strong – have been always
– but this time I felt weak.
Felt weak for you. Oh, how I wished
it would be me lying on this stretcher. I could live with the pain. I would
survive this. I was strong.
But you? Even in your unconscious
state I was able to recognise the lines of fear in your face. You, a teenager,
a half kid...it was so unfair. Although you were one of the toughest teen
I knew – hell, you survived things where others would collapse and cry
– but you were still a teen. You should be able to hang around with other
ducks, talking with them about your show and not with a big old guy like
me...your only problems should be a fight with your parents because you
didn't clean your room....not this!
"Can we take him to the infirmary?",
Wildwing asked Tanya, while I was still standing there.
"I think we can do it....", Tanya
said, "Would be better for him when he wakes up. The injuries are bad,
but he will survive it. A broken leg, two broken rips, and a nasty head
wound. He has lost a lot of blood, so he will be weak for a few days."
Wildwing sighed relieved. "Guess
I have to tell Phil that the Mighty Ducks won't be able to play hockey
the next month..."
Tanya chuckled: "He won't be very
happy about this!" Mallory joined the two and kneeled down. "So he will
be okay?", she asked in a very soft tone.
Tanya's smile told more than thousand
words. "Yeah."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A little grey duck in a little grey
room....
Nosedive was trembling. He didn't
know exactly why he was this frightened – it was as if his greatest
fear had come true. The fear of being rejected.
The fear of being abandoned.
The fear of loneliness.
Oh yes, although the stubborn teenager
would never(ever) tell it anyone it was the true.
The team was his family. Wildwing
was his family. And without them life wasn't worth to live. He had once
lost a family, back on Puckworld – he couldn't afford it to loose another.
It was a different kind of loss
which he suffered right now. His friends didn't die, didn't leave his world
without a good-bye – no, they turned their backs to him, laughed about
him, told him that they didn't want – and like – him.
He was used to it. He was used to
Mallory's yelling. He was used to Wildwing's harsh words.
But he wasn't used to these icy glares,
to these eyes which showed no love, which showed that every word was meant
like it was said and was as honest as...honest something can be!
He tried to persuade himself in repeating
that everything was just a dream, a weird dream, okay, but only a dream---
But there was the little nagging
voice in his head, which told him over and over again: "There must be a
reason that you dream this..."
And he remembered Mallory's words:
"If this is a dream, it's an invention of your brain. Why does your
brain 'invent' such things? Or maybe...it doesn't invent is??? Think carefully..."
Maybe he had sensed something all
the time...all the time while he was playing pranks, was eating tacos and
reading comics...
The young duck realised that he had
to leave this room very soon...or he would become insane and loose every
trust and faith he had kept until now...which wasn't that much...
"Can we take him to the infirmary?"
What was that? Nosedive perked up.
Wasn't this Wildwing?
"So he will be okay?"
Mallory? What were they talking about?
Not about him – or?
"Yeah."
Tanya. Yup. He closed his eyes.
Now he had reached the point. He
heard voices – he was insane!
"And this day started sooo good!",
he groaned.
Was this a dream? Was this reality?
He didn't know...
Once he knew, but that seemed years
ago. Once he knew that his brother loved him, but this was an illusion...or
maybe not?
His brother had shown more than
clearly that he hated him.
No, hate wasn't the right word.
He detested him!
Thought that he wasn't worth it.
He just DIDN'T CARE!
Hate would be better. Dive could
live with hatred. But not this cold I-don't-care-because-you-aren't-worth-it-attitude!
And then again he searched the reason
for that. Because he was a fool?
Because he liked to play pranks?
He always thought that the others
liked that, that it amused them.
"You really think so?", another icy
voice questioned.
Nosedive didn't need to turn around.
He knew immediately who this guy was.
"What do you want, Duke?", he asked
as calmly as possible.
"I just want to see you suffering...",
he said, "You know, I have waited so long for this day to come...the day
you finally break down, collapse, loose your disgusting self-confidence
and stop making stupid jokes. And now I am enjoying this!"
Nosedive continued staring at the
wall.
"Uh, what a frightening silence!",
the Ex-thief stated and chuckled. "Doesn't little Nosedive know what to
say? What a rare moment...we should save it in our memory..."
"STOP IT!", the younger duck yelled,
"Why can't you stay away? You have done enough...just LET ME IN PEACE!!"
"Ah, sure, Master Nosedive!", Duke
said in a sarcastic tone and bowed deeply, "I will leave if you wish...and
you will stay. Forever."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Grin~
When we were driving home, I spent
my time in watching the relieved smiles on the faces of my friends.
It was over. The nightmare was over;
Nosedive rescued and he would recover soon.
If I had looked into a mirror, I
would have seen the same stupid and relieved smile on my face. It was just...well,
I can't describe it. All the feelings which were floating through my mind...it
was too much.
This few hours full of worry, hope
and much more emotions were the most terrible in my life. And for the others,
too.
It had showed us something.
It had showed us how precious life
is.
And how easy it can be lost.
We have had luck this time, we thought.
Nosedive had luck.
But we were wrong.
Very wrong.
The time of worry wasn't over yet....
No, it had just begun!
To be continued....
NYAHAHAHA! I am nasty, I know.
Now he's rescued, but the torturing isn't over yet. Hey, this grey room
must have a meaning, or?
Bye
Kaeera