Chapter 32: Hallucination

MEANWHILE, BACK AT

THE SAN FRANCISCO HOSPITAL

McCormick closed her cell phone after talking to David. She let out an exhausting sigh, "What a night it's been." She said as she stroked her forehead, her head had been throbbing due to the stress. Her partner, Costar, stayed just outside the room where they kept Simon while she went outside to get some fresh air and to make the phone call to the boy's family.

After a moment, McCormick made her way back up to the room where the doctors had put Simon. The young chipmunk teen lay looking peaceful as he slept. McCormick looked up at the Saline pouch that, through a tube connected to his right arm by a needle. The bag it was already half empty. Slowly, it continued to drop fluid down the tube and through the needle into Simon's arm. She brought her attention back down to Simon's face and felt pity for him. The doctors had to put an oxygen mask on Simon; they noticed he was having difficulty in his breathing. Especially since they had to pump his stomach. When the detectives brought in the chipmunk teen, the doctors recognized that he had a bit of alcohol poisoning. It took almost an hour to get Simon cleansed enough to be able to receive the cure.

McCormick walked up beside the bed and pulled out his glasses from her hand purse. She then placed them on the table beside the bed. There might be a chance he could wake up and need them. After, she reached over to Simon's head and started to stroke his hair. She moved the few strands that just happened to dangle over his eyes.

"I know I told you this before, but I'm really sorry for not being able to save your friends." She started to say to as if he was awake and focused. "None of this seems fair. I truly feel that you and your friends, or any of the children from the island should not have suffered. As far as I know, you are the only true survivor. I hope that when you are able we can work together in knowing what exactly went on with those men and the other children from that island."

Just then a nurse showed up to check on the latest status of Simon's condition. After jotting down a few notes on the diagnostic sheet she looked up to the detective. "Maybe you should go back to your hotel. Chances are he will just sleep for most of this evening."

McCormick gave the nurse a confused look; she delayed in leaving Simon in case he woke up. "It will be ok, detective, my staff and I will keep a close watch over him." The nurse assured her.

After pondering it for a moment, McCormick figured that the nurse had a point. She was feeling a bit tired, and finally knowing that Simon is now safe perhaps she can finally get some rest herself. "Thank you." She said as she simply nodded her head at the nurse and walked out of the hospital and headed straight for the hotel to get a good night sleep.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Simon fluttered his eyes open. At first, he wondered where he was. There was a strange beeping noise echoed somewhere in the room. His blurred vision made it difficult to help him make sense of anything. Slowly he glanced up and saw the motion of a green blimp. After a moment, he determined that it was a heart monitor. He really began to notice wires attached from the monitor and were suction cupped to his chest. Something on his face started to irritate him. It took him a moment before Simon to realize that it was an oxygen mask. He tried to reach up to pull it off, but felt too weak to move his arm. With a frustrated sigh, Simon continued to analyze his surroundings. Finally, it dawned on him as he remembered the moment he was arrived to the ER by the detectives. He undertook hours of torture as they pumped his stomach then finally he calmed down when the doctor gave him some painkillers and the first treatment to the cure.

For some reason the room felt cool as a light illuminated not far from the bed. Simon, at first, thought that perhaps someone was in the room with him, and he was right. He thought he would have one of the doctors or nurses come up to him, but something did not seem right. Simon suddenly realized that the light was not coming from the ceiling; it was right near the foot of his bed. What was going on? What was this strange light?

Before him stood seven familiar figures, his blurred vision prevented him from seeing the details of their features, but the outer frame allowed him to recognize his friends. Could it really be them? How? Where are they coming from? "Guys? Is that really you?" He said, weakly, through his oxygen mask.

"Easy, my friend." The tall male chipmunk teen spoke. The voice was recognized to be Tom's. "You're going to be ok."

"You must build up your strength, love." Spoke the blond Chipette with an English accent. Simon knew her to be Brenda.

"Yeah, buddy, you don't want to make it this far just to give up now...do you?" Simon knew that Brian said that. He also could tell that Brian is giving him his usual cocky smile.

"I can't go on alone." Simon whimpered.

"You're never alone, Simon." A female chipmunk with bright red hair Said. Renee reached over and touched his hand with her cold-ghostly touch.

"I need you guys with me."

"We are always with you, don't ever forget that." Tom spoke again.

Then Simon noticed his friends turning and walking towards a bright white light behind them. This spooked Simon. He could sense that they were leaving him, for good. Simon frowned. He hated goodbyes with a passion. "Don't go! Don't leave me." He pleaded through his tears. Though in his weak condition, Simon still lifted his right arm to reach out to his friends.

"We are not going anywhere, Simon." A brunette human figure spoke with a soft tone in her voice. He knew right away that was Mary-Anne that spoke. Simon could feel himself calming down; it seemed she'd usually had that effect on him. He then felt her ghostly hand touching his. She brought his hand back down onto the bed and held it there gently. This again made him feel safe. The other ghostly shapes of his friends started to surround his bed. Again, this comfort Simon it made him feel that he would never have to feel that he is alone.

Just then two nurses came in the room. One of the nurses reached up the wall at the head of the bed and turned on the light so they could see what they were doing. The other nurse wheeled in a cart with a tray of tubs used to collect for blood samples, while the other pulled out a chart on the clipboard, along with a syringe filled with some sort of liquid medicine.

"Simon?" One of the nurses called out to him. "We are just here to take some blood samples and to give you another shot of your treatment, alright?" Simon managed to look up at them and blinked to let them know that he was somewhat conscious of their presences. It was obvious that the nurses could not see the spirits in the room.

While the one nurse took some blood samples from his left arm, the other nurse did a quick check on Simon's blood pressure and checked his heart rate. After writing down the updated report on the chipmunk's condition, she then picked up the syringe and stuck it in a section of the tube. Slowly she pushed down on the end of the needle so the medicine could go through the tube and into Simon's body.

Simon then took both the nurses off guard when he muttered something as if he were talking to someone else in the room. Neither of them could make out what he said since it was a quiet low mumble, and having the oxygen mask on made it more difficult to hear what he was saying. It almost sounded like he said 'when are you going to come back'.

The two nurses looked at each other with suspicion. "Is he hallucinating?" The nurse that was finishing up with tagging the blood sample tubes wondered.

"It's probably an effect from the drugs?" The other nurse assumed. She took out the syringe and tossed it in a yellow container that held other used needles. A sudden chill ran down her back and she turned back to her partner. "Do you find it a little chilly in here?"

"Now that you mentioned it, it does." The other nurse nodded. "Perhaps we should bring in a heater for this boy."

"Good idea, we don't want him to catch pneumonia."

After they turned off the light, the two nurses took the cart and left the room. Simon realized he was, once again, alone. The room felt empty and dark. Simon looked around his bed, but the spirits were no longer there. Simon let out a sigh, and fell asleep.