Kim felt the tears rolling down her face. It couldn't be. It just
couldn't be. Rufus let out a low wail.
It had been nine minutes since the injection, and Kim felt the last shreds of hope being sucked out of her body... but then, she heard it.
The cardiac monitor began to slow, the beats becoming more full and regular. The doctor, whose gaze had dropped to the floor, looked up, his mouth nervously curving into a tentative smile.
"Pulse is steadying at ninety-two, nervous activity is up, brain function is up, his lungs are starting..." The nurse trailed off, stunned by the rapid turn around.
Kim felt a warmth return to her body as she began crying harder, this time in tears of joy. Rufus jumped excitedly off Kim's shoulder and ran across the floor towards Ron, jumping up on the bed and curling up under Ron's chin.
"Where did that rat come from!" a nurse yelled, "Get it, quick!"
"Wait," Kim screamed, lunging forward and placing her hands protectively around Rufus. "Let him be."
The nurse looked at the doctor, who nodded his consent.
"I guess it's enough of a freak show in here today anyway," she mumbled, "why not add a rat?"
******
The room had quieted down a few hours ago, and Kim was beginning to feel exhausted. Rufus had already gone to sleep next to Ron, who was himself doing far better than he had been earlier.
The uncomfortable metal chair had been getting to her over the past half an hour or so, and she decided it was time to stretch her legs a bit. She stood up, looking out the window at the poorly planted garden in front of the hospital. She let her thoughts drift for a moment, than turned around, amazed to see Ron's eyes open.
He seemed fixated on the ceiling, but his pupil's were small and sharp, his big, brown eyes far brighter than when she had last seen them open. Kim ran over to the bed, kneeling over him and smiling.
Ron struggled to return the smile, his mouth somewhat restricted by the ventilator. Kim rang the call button, and the doctor arrived almost immediately.
"Is everything ok?" he asked nervously.
"He's awake," Kim said excitedly. Rufus was awake now too, sitting on Ron's chin and looking happily into his eyes.
"That's excellent," the doctor said, checking a number of different instruments. "And we can pull the ventilator; his breathing is back to normal." He carefully removed the mask from Ron's head.
"You know how uncomfortable that thing is," Ron said weakly. Rufus licked his cheek in excitement, and Kim jokingly thought that maybe she should do the same.
"Ron!" she yelped, leaning over and giving him a hug as best she could with his body in a reclined position.
"KP, whoa." Ron sounded exhausted, and looked it too, but was in surprisingly good spirits. He turned his head slightly to look directly at Kim. "So, what happened? I remember pushing the Princess and the President, and then a lot of pain... that's about it."
"Someone... something, dropped poisonous spiders through a ventilation shaft... you were bitten five times."
Ron tried to sit upright, but couldn't find the strength to do it. "Attack with spiders? That is SICK and WRONG Kim. That is pure and total wrong!" He paused for a moment, trying with little success to catch his breath.
The doctor motioned for Kim to calm him down, concerned that to much excitement could be harmful for him.
"Who was it?" Ron asked, his voice raspy.
"I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know? You always know."
"Not this time, Ron. I was, uh, distracted."
"You don't get distracted."
"When my best friend is lying on the floor convulsing violently I do!"
"Uh... oh." Ron turned his head to look back up at the ceiling. "Where is the Princess?"
"She's at the conference right now."
"I need to go be there," Ron said firmly.
"Young man," the doctor interrupted, "you are not going anywhere for at least twenty-four hours, probably longer." The doctor turned to Kim, leaning close to her. "If you can't calm him down soon, we are going to need to put him back on the ventilator. He needs to have steady, normal breathing right now."
"I can handle him," Kim said to the doctor with a smile. "Could you folks leave us alone for a few minutes?"
"No, I need to help her," Ron said with obvious strain in his voice.
"Ron, you are not going anywhere," Kim said sternly.
"I need to. It's dangerous."
"You need to rest, Ron."
"Then you need to go."
"What?" Kim drew back slightly.
"You, you, you need to go. You can protect her."
"Ron, I'm staying here with you. Whoever attacked could very well try and get you here. And this time, they aren't going to leave you any chance of survival."
"Kim, I'm not the one they wanted," Ron said, his voice sounding much weaker. He let his body relax and took a few deep breaths before continuing. "They obviously wanted the Princess, not me. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"I don't know... I mean, we could all be on the target list. We don't know who is responsible, let alone what they want."
"I bet you it's Monkey Fist," Ron mumbled, his eyes sliding closed.
"Why?" Kim asked.
"Because he's standing behind you," Ron said quietly, raising his hand slowly to point towards the door.
"Kim Possible and your monkey-phobic friend. I must say, I'm quite surprised to see him conscious," Monkey Fist announced with a grin.
"Monkey Fist... I never would have expected to see you using spiders. Monkey's wise up to you?" Kim put herself between Ron and the door, closing the distance with the Monkey Master.
"Not quite," he said as four hooded monkey ninjas appeared behind him. "Monkey ninjas—ATTACK!"
The four black-clad primates leapt forward towards Kim. She extended her arms, catching the two leading monkeys in the face. They both fell back, quickly getting to their feet. The second pair took notice and broke left and right, running around Kim's back and jumping on her.
Kim whipped her head forward, throwing one monkey off and into the wall. The second monkey held tight, painfully pulling on her hair to stay put. Simultaneously, the pair of monkeys that had conducted the initial attack regrouped and lunged towards Kim's ankles.
Kim flipped backwards, pulling her legs clear of the attacking primates and allowing the two monkeys to run into each other. The third monkey, still on her hair, reached around with its hands and tried to cover Kim's eyes. In doing so, it weakened its grip. Kim whipped her head forward again, throwing the monkey at the window. The primate crashed through the glass, sending shards in all directions.
The two remaining monkeys were determined to avenge their downed comrades, and attacked Kim again, both flying through the air with their legs extended. They hit her hard in the chest, and Kim fell backwards, the wind knocked out of her. She did manage to get a hold of one of the monkey's tails, and swung the primate into a cabinet, breaking a several pieces of delicate medical equipment in the process. The fourth monkey scurried back behind Monkey Fist, realizing it could not fight Kim alone.
Kim prepared for an attack against the Man-monkey, but stopped suddenly. The villain had grabbed Ron's head, pulling the injured young man out of bed. One of his hairy hands was wrapped around Ron's neck, its incredible size completely obscuring Ron's skin. Ron himself was quivering and gasping for air, his trachea slowly being cut off by Monkey Fist's tightening grip.
"Take one more step, Miss Possible, and I snap his neck!" Monkey Fist warned gravely.
Kim's heart began to race. How had she been so foolish as to let Monkey Fist get to Ron? He was defenseless, and she should have known better.
"You, you... don't hurt him!" see blurted out, immediately realizing that her statement sounded off balanced and borderline incoherent. She had just let Monkey Fist know she was rattled
"I can't think of a good reason not too," the self-proclaimed Monkey Master said, his hand constricting further around Ron's thin neck. "Both of you have caused me far too much trouble."
"You don't want him," Kim tried to reason, "I'm the one responsible for everything that's happened to you."
"Don't even joke, Miss Possible," Monkey Fist replied angrily, "you have no idea how deep this goes. There is more between me and your friend than you could possibly know."
Kim tried to restrain herself. Her emotions were swirling. Anger was pushing her to attack, but her compassion for Ron held her back. Unlike a few hours before, however, she had choices now. They were not good choices, but they were there. She could prevent evil from being triumphant, or she could save her friend. She couldn't see how to do both. It was the decision she had feared for years, the one that had scared her since that first mission years before.
There was a loud noise, and for an instant Kim thought it was the sound of Ron's spine cracking... she closed her eyes, the horror of what was happening running like ice through her veins. But something wasn't right... the noise was more of a thud, it didn't sound like what she expected. Nervously, her eyelids lifted.
Monkey Fist seemed to roll his eyes slightly, then began to fall to the right, pulling Ron's somewhat limp body down with him. A hand reached out, grabbing Ron as Monkey Fist's body hit the ground with a thud. The remaining monkey ninja scurried out the broken window.
Princess Jenna Kilmen waved Kim over, and the two of them carefully put Ron back in the bed. "Is everyone OK?" the Princess asked.
"No," Ron said from his reclined position, "Not really."
"What's wrong?"
"I was bit by a spider."
Kim laughed. "You need to cut him a bit of slack... being bit by a spider is something I didn't think he'd take very lightly.
******
The police cruiser pulled away, the officer still somewhat shocked and disturbed by the bizarre anatomy of the prisoner he carried. Kim watched as the car disappeared around a corner, the man who had nearly killed headed to jail, where he belonged.
Kim was used to stress, but the past few days had been particularly hard on her. Her thoughts continued to drift over recent events, and her inability to maintain control over so many of them. Despite the hardships, she had come through. She had done what needed to be done. Ron was injured, but safe. Monkey Fist was on his way to prison. Drakken—
The thought hit Kim's brain like a sledgehammer. The submarine, Drakken's plan. Amidst the confusion of her recent predicament she had allowed herself to loose track of important situation. That was a dangerous event, and she promised herself it would not set a precedent. Now it was time to take care of Drakken, and soon. Now it was time to take care of the blue doctor. And for that, she needed help.
"So," Kim said, looking at the Princess, "now that Monkey Fist is behind bars, you think I could have Ron back?
------------ And that, ladies and gentlemen, concludes Book I. Book II, "Flight of the Sea King" is well underway.... Expect to see it soon. I'll be posting a preview here along with a link shortly.
As always, I appreciate the support and comments from everyone, especially those folks who have been here for the long haul and faithfully read and reviewed most chapters. That provides the inspiration that keeps me going!
Take care, and I'll be back soon as we continue with "Immortal Friendship II: Flight of the Sea King".
It had been nine minutes since the injection, and Kim felt the last shreds of hope being sucked out of her body... but then, she heard it.
The cardiac monitor began to slow, the beats becoming more full and regular. The doctor, whose gaze had dropped to the floor, looked up, his mouth nervously curving into a tentative smile.
"Pulse is steadying at ninety-two, nervous activity is up, brain function is up, his lungs are starting..." The nurse trailed off, stunned by the rapid turn around.
Kim felt a warmth return to her body as she began crying harder, this time in tears of joy. Rufus jumped excitedly off Kim's shoulder and ran across the floor towards Ron, jumping up on the bed and curling up under Ron's chin.
"Where did that rat come from!" a nurse yelled, "Get it, quick!"
"Wait," Kim screamed, lunging forward and placing her hands protectively around Rufus. "Let him be."
The nurse looked at the doctor, who nodded his consent.
"I guess it's enough of a freak show in here today anyway," she mumbled, "why not add a rat?"
******
The room had quieted down a few hours ago, and Kim was beginning to feel exhausted. Rufus had already gone to sleep next to Ron, who was himself doing far better than he had been earlier.
The uncomfortable metal chair had been getting to her over the past half an hour or so, and she decided it was time to stretch her legs a bit. She stood up, looking out the window at the poorly planted garden in front of the hospital. She let her thoughts drift for a moment, than turned around, amazed to see Ron's eyes open.
He seemed fixated on the ceiling, but his pupil's were small and sharp, his big, brown eyes far brighter than when she had last seen them open. Kim ran over to the bed, kneeling over him and smiling.
Ron struggled to return the smile, his mouth somewhat restricted by the ventilator. Kim rang the call button, and the doctor arrived almost immediately.
"Is everything ok?" he asked nervously.
"He's awake," Kim said excitedly. Rufus was awake now too, sitting on Ron's chin and looking happily into his eyes.
"That's excellent," the doctor said, checking a number of different instruments. "And we can pull the ventilator; his breathing is back to normal." He carefully removed the mask from Ron's head.
"You know how uncomfortable that thing is," Ron said weakly. Rufus licked his cheek in excitement, and Kim jokingly thought that maybe she should do the same.
"Ron!" she yelped, leaning over and giving him a hug as best she could with his body in a reclined position.
"KP, whoa." Ron sounded exhausted, and looked it too, but was in surprisingly good spirits. He turned his head slightly to look directly at Kim. "So, what happened? I remember pushing the Princess and the President, and then a lot of pain... that's about it."
"Someone... something, dropped poisonous spiders through a ventilation shaft... you were bitten five times."
Ron tried to sit upright, but couldn't find the strength to do it. "Attack with spiders? That is SICK and WRONG Kim. That is pure and total wrong!" He paused for a moment, trying with little success to catch his breath.
The doctor motioned for Kim to calm him down, concerned that to much excitement could be harmful for him.
"Who was it?" Ron asked, his voice raspy.
"I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know? You always know."
"Not this time, Ron. I was, uh, distracted."
"You don't get distracted."
"When my best friend is lying on the floor convulsing violently I do!"
"Uh... oh." Ron turned his head to look back up at the ceiling. "Where is the Princess?"
"She's at the conference right now."
"I need to go be there," Ron said firmly.
"Young man," the doctor interrupted, "you are not going anywhere for at least twenty-four hours, probably longer." The doctor turned to Kim, leaning close to her. "If you can't calm him down soon, we are going to need to put him back on the ventilator. He needs to have steady, normal breathing right now."
"I can handle him," Kim said to the doctor with a smile. "Could you folks leave us alone for a few minutes?"
"No, I need to help her," Ron said with obvious strain in his voice.
"Ron, you are not going anywhere," Kim said sternly.
"I need to. It's dangerous."
"You need to rest, Ron."
"Then you need to go."
"What?" Kim drew back slightly.
"You, you, you need to go. You can protect her."
"Ron, I'm staying here with you. Whoever attacked could very well try and get you here. And this time, they aren't going to leave you any chance of survival."
"Kim, I'm not the one they wanted," Ron said, his voice sounding much weaker. He let his body relax and took a few deep breaths before continuing. "They obviously wanted the Princess, not me. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"I don't know... I mean, we could all be on the target list. We don't know who is responsible, let alone what they want."
"I bet you it's Monkey Fist," Ron mumbled, his eyes sliding closed.
"Why?" Kim asked.
"Because he's standing behind you," Ron said quietly, raising his hand slowly to point towards the door.
"Kim Possible and your monkey-phobic friend. I must say, I'm quite surprised to see him conscious," Monkey Fist announced with a grin.
"Monkey Fist... I never would have expected to see you using spiders. Monkey's wise up to you?" Kim put herself between Ron and the door, closing the distance with the Monkey Master.
"Not quite," he said as four hooded monkey ninjas appeared behind him. "Monkey ninjas—ATTACK!"
The four black-clad primates leapt forward towards Kim. She extended her arms, catching the two leading monkeys in the face. They both fell back, quickly getting to their feet. The second pair took notice and broke left and right, running around Kim's back and jumping on her.
Kim whipped her head forward, throwing one monkey off and into the wall. The second monkey held tight, painfully pulling on her hair to stay put. Simultaneously, the pair of monkeys that had conducted the initial attack regrouped and lunged towards Kim's ankles.
Kim flipped backwards, pulling her legs clear of the attacking primates and allowing the two monkeys to run into each other. The third monkey, still on her hair, reached around with its hands and tried to cover Kim's eyes. In doing so, it weakened its grip. Kim whipped her head forward again, throwing the monkey at the window. The primate crashed through the glass, sending shards in all directions.
The two remaining monkeys were determined to avenge their downed comrades, and attacked Kim again, both flying through the air with their legs extended. They hit her hard in the chest, and Kim fell backwards, the wind knocked out of her. She did manage to get a hold of one of the monkey's tails, and swung the primate into a cabinet, breaking a several pieces of delicate medical equipment in the process. The fourth monkey scurried back behind Monkey Fist, realizing it could not fight Kim alone.
Kim prepared for an attack against the Man-monkey, but stopped suddenly. The villain had grabbed Ron's head, pulling the injured young man out of bed. One of his hairy hands was wrapped around Ron's neck, its incredible size completely obscuring Ron's skin. Ron himself was quivering and gasping for air, his trachea slowly being cut off by Monkey Fist's tightening grip.
"Take one more step, Miss Possible, and I snap his neck!" Monkey Fist warned gravely.
Kim's heart began to race. How had she been so foolish as to let Monkey Fist get to Ron? He was defenseless, and she should have known better.
"You, you... don't hurt him!" see blurted out, immediately realizing that her statement sounded off balanced and borderline incoherent. She had just let Monkey Fist know she was rattled
"I can't think of a good reason not too," the self-proclaimed Monkey Master said, his hand constricting further around Ron's thin neck. "Both of you have caused me far too much trouble."
"You don't want him," Kim tried to reason, "I'm the one responsible for everything that's happened to you."
"Don't even joke, Miss Possible," Monkey Fist replied angrily, "you have no idea how deep this goes. There is more between me and your friend than you could possibly know."
Kim tried to restrain herself. Her emotions were swirling. Anger was pushing her to attack, but her compassion for Ron held her back. Unlike a few hours before, however, she had choices now. They were not good choices, but they were there. She could prevent evil from being triumphant, or she could save her friend. She couldn't see how to do both. It was the decision she had feared for years, the one that had scared her since that first mission years before.
There was a loud noise, and for an instant Kim thought it was the sound of Ron's spine cracking... she closed her eyes, the horror of what was happening running like ice through her veins. But something wasn't right... the noise was more of a thud, it didn't sound like what she expected. Nervously, her eyelids lifted.
Monkey Fist seemed to roll his eyes slightly, then began to fall to the right, pulling Ron's somewhat limp body down with him. A hand reached out, grabbing Ron as Monkey Fist's body hit the ground with a thud. The remaining monkey ninja scurried out the broken window.
Princess Jenna Kilmen waved Kim over, and the two of them carefully put Ron back in the bed. "Is everyone OK?" the Princess asked.
"No," Ron said from his reclined position, "Not really."
"What's wrong?"
"I was bit by a spider."
Kim laughed. "You need to cut him a bit of slack... being bit by a spider is something I didn't think he'd take very lightly.
******
The police cruiser pulled away, the officer still somewhat shocked and disturbed by the bizarre anatomy of the prisoner he carried. Kim watched as the car disappeared around a corner, the man who had nearly killed headed to jail, where he belonged.
Kim was used to stress, but the past few days had been particularly hard on her. Her thoughts continued to drift over recent events, and her inability to maintain control over so many of them. Despite the hardships, she had come through. She had done what needed to be done. Ron was injured, but safe. Monkey Fist was on his way to prison. Drakken—
The thought hit Kim's brain like a sledgehammer. The submarine, Drakken's plan. Amidst the confusion of her recent predicament she had allowed herself to loose track of important situation. That was a dangerous event, and she promised herself it would not set a precedent. Now it was time to take care of Drakken, and soon. Now it was time to take care of the blue doctor. And for that, she needed help.
"So," Kim said, looking at the Princess, "now that Monkey Fist is behind bars, you think I could have Ron back?
------------ And that, ladies and gentlemen, concludes Book I. Book II, "Flight of the Sea King" is well underway.... Expect to see it soon. I'll be posting a preview here along with a link shortly.
As always, I appreciate the support and comments from everyone, especially those folks who have been here for the long haul and faithfully read and reviewed most chapters. That provides the inspiration that keeps me going!
Take care, and I'll be back soon as we continue with "Immortal Friendship II: Flight of the Sea King".