No Balm For Grief 9
By: Hotaru
Notes: The need for J-Pop....I'm adding in lyrics now. I've never actually heard this song, but I'm thinking the translation applies to this chapter quiet well. Werd. So, here's to "A Silent Letter" by L'arc~en~ciel. Healthy obsession, Panny. Healthy.
Tek: Did you now? My sister said "I know the pattern!" and I was like "Dammit!" But she didn't! Hahaha. Seems so simple now, hm?
Gruntyluv: I already wrote who's supposed to be next! Are you flying thru when reading? ^_~
Ota: There should be a lot of beating. That'll be exciting!
ScoobySnax: Final Destination...saw that on Sci-Fi. Not that bad, persay. Not that good, either IMO. Yes, Hikki sings First Love ("You are always gonna be my love, itsuka) when I first heard the instrumental version of that song, I listened to it at least five times in a row. So nice. Deep River, the song I used in the last chapter, is on the CD I'll be getting as soon as I can pre-order L'arc~en~ciel's new CD! Phew
Panny: Oh, that's true. Well, he can attack him at least. Bah. I confused myself here. Yes, you mentioned their astrological signs. I guess you were sorta right.
My finger tips can no longer reach the distant night sky
I'll undo the twinkling stars and set them free.
Chris took his sister's hand and held it tightly. "Does it hurt any where?" He questioned.
"Mm..my head. And my ribs." She mumbled lightly.
"You broke a few bones, kid but you'll be alright." Tears were starting to form in his eyes.
"What happened..? There was...a car..."
"Yeah, you were thrown from your bike. You had us all worried."
"Us...all?" She questioned, her eyes slowly moving around.
"Yeah. Leon is here, and Jill too." Chris replied. Leon moved into her view.
"Hey Claire. How are you feeling?" He asked.
"Weird...like I'm floating.." She answered. "The guy..driving the other car...where is he?"
"We don't know. Did you see him?" Chris asked.
Claire nodded slowly. "Yes...he had this..look on his face..like he meant to hit me."
"What'd he look like?" Chris asked, urging her on.
"I...he looked...normal."
"What do you mean?"
"I didn't really recognize him."
"Was he white, black--"
"White. Brownish hair...and stubble." Claire sighed before drifting back to sleep.
Stay with me until I fall asleep
Don't let go with that gentle hand,
like when I would get lost as a child
"Damn." Chris said, flopping back in his seat.
"You expecting more?" Leon questioned.
"Yeah. I really thought it'd be someone we know...or knew."
"He could have been hired by Umbrella to finish us off." I reminded him.
Nodding, Chris closed his eyes. "You should get some rest." I said, rubbing his back.
"Yeah...now that I know she's alright maybe I'll be able to fall asleep for awhile." He replied with a yawn.
"I think there was a couch or something you can sleep on out in the waiting room." Leon said, gesturing towards the door with his thumb. Chris stood up and stretched. "You guy's'll be in here right? I don't want to leave her alone." He said.
"Yep, we'll stay right here. Go, get some rest." I said with a smile. Nodding, he turned and went out into the hallway and disappeared behind the closed door. When me and Leon's eyes met, he smiled briefly before looking down at Claire.
"Oh! I should go call our boss and let him know we figured out the pattern." I said, suddenly remember. Leon nodded. "White male, brown hair, and stubble. Anything else I'm forgetting?" He shook his head, and I rushed out to the hallway. I caught sight of Chris getting comfortable on a few chairs pushed together. Poor guy. I ran to the phones, and quickly dialed in the Lieutenant's number again.
"Hello?" He greeted.
"Lietuenant, it's Jill again. I think we've figured out the killer's pattern!" I gushed, a little too loudly.
"You did? What is it?"
"He's going by birthdays. We think that Barry's death might not really be related, just a coincidence. My birthday is in January, Carlos's February, Claire's in April. And Claire got a good look at the guy, she said that it looked like he was trying to hit her."
"What's he look like? I'll put out an APB on him." The lieutenant said. I wasn't sure exactly what APB meant...it was a cop term I'd figure out eventually.*
"White male, with brown hair, and stubble. She fell back asleep before she could tell us any more about him. Hopefully this helps, in any case." I replied.
"Yeah. Well, that's great. Hopefully we can catch this guy before he hurts someone again. Who's next on the hit list?"
"It'd be Claire's friend, Leon. He's a cop, too."
"Yeah? Well...make sure he takes care to watch out for himself until we catch the guy."
"Right, will do. Oh, did you find anything out about the driver?"
"Yeah, no one else was brought in on that case. Now that we got a description on the guy, I'll check the hospitals again." He offered.
"Really? Great, thanks. It's getting late, so we'll call back sometime tomorrow morning. Goodnight, Lieutenant."
"Night Jill. Good work."
I hung up the phone and headed back to Claire's room, yawning slightly. I wonder if we'd take shifts watching Claire so we could all get some sleep. I opened the door to Claire's room and sighed. "You hungry or thirsty or anything?" I asked. Leon shook his head.
"I'm fine. You look exhausted. You should try to get some rest." He suggested.
"I don't want to make you watch her alone. I'll sit here until I start to fall asleep."
--*--
When I opened the window today,
I heard the footsteps of the season
Ah, your manner and smiles are my everything
The next morning, the lieutenant suprised us all with some breakfast he got to go from the nearest IHOP. The pancakes were still warm when he arrived. "Man, Lieu, I can't thank you enough for stopping by." Chris said gratefully, mid-bite.
"No problem. It's always hard when my men are dealing with family problems. I like to try to be there for them, you know?" He replied.
"Well, thanks at any rate. I was definately starving. I'm surprised that Claire hasn't woken up from the delicious smell yet."
As if we were suddenly in a cliché movie, Claire's eyes fluttered open. "Hey sis. How ya feelin'?" Chris asked, leaning over his little sister.
"A little better. How much morphine did they give me?" She questioned.
"Plenty. You up to some breakfast?" Chris held up his styrofoam container and revealed the contents.
"Sure." She turned and looked at Chris's boss. "Who are you?" She asked.
He smiled and held out his hand. "I'm Tony Windsor, Chris's lieutenant. Glad to see you're feeling better." He said. Claire tried to shake his hand, but couldn't move much. "Well, as long as you're doing alright, I should get back to the squad. Is there anything else you can tell me about the man who tried to hit you?"
"Let me think..." Claire said, closing her eyes briefly. "There was a sticker on the windshield...like a parking permit or something. It was right in the center, which was weird. I could have sworn it was Umbrella's logo, but I'm not really sure now." I saw Chris tense up in his seat.
"Alright. I'll talk to you all later. Goodbye." The lieutenant left, and Chris banged his fist on the arm of his chair.
"God dammit! I knew Umbrella was behind this. I just knew it!"
I held his arm, and said, "Didn't you hear her? She said she's not sure. Don't jump the gun, Chris. Just try to concentrate on helping Claire get better, okay?"
"But...they're coming after my friends, and now my family! You can't expect me not to get pissed off about this!" He replied, while Claire pulled his tray of food over to eat.
"You're allowed to get pissed off, but you really shouldn't lose your head. Leon's half falling asleep into his hash browns because he stayed up all night waiting for Claire to wake up. Don't you think he's upset about this too?"
"You stayed up all night, Leon?" Claire asked. Leon nodded and smiled tiredly. "That's so sweet."
Stay with me, what should I do ?
I may not always be able to look at you kindly
like when I would get lost as a child
...goodbyes are...
Watching the two friends interact, I think Chris got my point. He would finally take a break from worrying and help his sister out now. He brushed it off when he found out that she ate the rest of his breakfast. Leon offered to share, but Chris refused. "You deserve a good meal, and a few hours sleep. Eat up, my good man." Chris smiled. This was the first he had smiled in awhile, and it pulled on my heart strings. Sometimes, I wondered what was going on in that head of his. Was he ever truly happy? Had he moved on from the deaths of his teammates and friends? He would probably be a little hurt if he learned that I felt bad for him.
"So where are my flowers, guys? I expected lillies and roses. Lots of 'em!" Claire exclaimed with a big grin.
"They're not in season...I think." Chris excused.
"I wouldn't even have minded if they were from the supermarket. Just something nice to brighten up the room. My dreams haven't been too pleasant, you know."
"I'm sorry. I'll run down to the gift shop and get you a bunch of stuff okay?" Leon said, standing up, and kissing the top of Claire's head. I expected Chris to get angry, but much to my suprise, he actually smiled a bit.
"Jelly beans, please. I've kind of had a craving for them. And I think I'll suck all the color and flavor off until it's just a gelatin little...bean thing. Chris always used to say it looked like larvae or something gross.." She was pretty cheerful. Perhaps it was the morphine.
"Okay, jelly bean larvae and flowers. I'll be back." Leon said, before heading out the door.
"You eat too many sweets you know." Chris said with a shake of his head.
"Yeah, well, you only live once, right!"
"Chris, I think I'll head back to your place for a shower, and to change my clothes. You mind if I take your car?" I said, realizing I probably didn't smell pleasant.
"Sure, that's fine. Bring in the mail and everything." Chris said, pulling his keys out from his pocket.
"Thanks. You want me to bring anything?" I questioned, pulling my coat on.
"Uh...nah, I'm fine. Thanks."
"Okay, I'll see you guys in a little while." I waved, and headed back to Chris's apartment.
...I have been thinking about you.
Dear my love, I'll cross even the farthest oceans with these arms,
and I'll never be afraid again of the stormy days.
Are you feeling inbetween the rise and fall of the waves?
Looking up, the swirl of stars is beautiful,
like when I would get lost as a child
....goodbyes are...
Sooo, how did you like it? It's not angsty much, right? The song fit, right? When someone finds it....I will ask them for it. x_x
*APB means all point bulletin, according to my dictionary.
