Dark Pasts, Hopeful Futures

by Thorned Rose

Consequences of actions must be faced and acknowledged in this extremely dark Rocketshippy sequel to A Diary Of Two Hearts. Six months apart can harden the gentlest of hearts, so how do they cope with the harrowing challenges they face?

6. 25th March, 2001

                                                Sunday, March 25th 2001

      It was half eleven in the morning at a private room in Viridian City hospital when the sedatives finally wore off and Jessie opened her eyes, and the unfamiliarity of her surroundings frightened her beyond redemption. She sat up in bed and her head swung with ill memories of everything she could remember from the night before, and without allowing her to say anything, she broke out in a cold sweat all over her body; due to her intensely low blood pressure she felt in agony. She felt the comforting embrace around her from James, and he ran his hands along her sticky back to try and calm her down, whispering that she was going to be fine. She was still a deathly pale colour and she felt very faint and her vision was clouding rapidly as her breathing became more strained, but nevertheless he was relieved that she was alive, and nothing could draw his attention away from that fact. She opened her mouth to say something, but instead of questions coming out of her mouth, she threw up from the variety of drugs that the medics had pumped through her system to combat the one she'd been fed. Although his arm was now covered in Jessie's vomit, he didn't resent her for it as it was proof she was still with him, and he whispered that he'd ask the nurse for different gown and bedclothes for her, and that he'd return as quickly as possible. She nodded weakly as he left; she still couldn't see properly and felt isolated now that her companion had left her. In spite of knowing that he'd return, she still felt increasingly open to a potential attack from anyone, as she hadn't suspected anybody to spike her drink like they had. She wondered why she couldn't feel any discomfort from the spoilage on her gown, but when she pressed her stiff fingers against her stomach she discovered it was numb, and a cold sense of dread filled her system as she became frantic over her baby. She called out for James, but she couldn't hear his reply over the vicious ringing in her ears as he spoke to her regarding her worrying behaviour, and that was the last she knew as a wave of blackness overcame her.

      Her eyes stung as she awakened, and she was uncertain how long she'd been out cold, whether it was an hour or a day. She was inclined to feel the latter owing to the fact she felt much more stable in herself, and she was glad to see that James was beside her again, rubbing the back of her hand gently with his thumb to soothe her. She noticed that he was now wearing a plain white shirt that looked suspiciously like part of his uniform for the job he'd taken as a chef, and that he looked genuinely worried over her condition. Her preliminary thought was that she must have been out for a few days since he wasn't going to be working there until the beginning of the following week, and she was going to ask him what day it was when he asked her how she felt. She grunted out a response since her mouth was unbearably dry, and he held her again when he was certain she was fully awake. She rested her head against his torso and he felt easier when he saw it was a normal temperature as opposed to the scorching heat it had been before, and he couldn't resist kissing the top of her head. In spite of having enough liquids in her system due to the three intra-venous needles in her arms her, she yearned for a drink. James noticed she was swallowing a lot to ease the dryness in her throat, and he offered to get her some water, and he knew it was what she wanted when she smiled in appreciation. She eagerly guzzled down as much of the water as possible, and though it took away her breath momentarily, she felt much better afterwards and she thanked him heartily. He refused to release her from his caring embrace for the whole time he sat with her (not that she minded) and he was glad that she couldn't read his thoughts that were concentrating on his one-night stand. He wasn't even sure if he could call it that, as it was the second time he'd done it, and to make matters worse it was even with the same person that Jessie despised with a passion. Her ears detected an increase in his pulse, and she didn't say anything about it, wrongly assuming that his concern had only sprouted from her condition. He held her even closer against his body and even without looking at him, she knew that he was crying by his erratic trembling, and to confirm her suspicions, she felt moisture trickle down the back of her neck. She didn't even ask him about what was wrong, part of her didn't want to know, and he came forth and apologised out of his own accord. She didn't understand what was wrong with him and he perplexed her by explaining how sorry he was for sleeping with Tyra; it was water under the bridge as far as she was concerned. She knew it had only been the once as he'd spent every other night with her, and she didn't understand why he was begging for forgiveness at this stage—was it that he'd nearly lost her without knowing whether or not she'd understood his implications that it was the only time he'd been unfaithful? She'd slept with quite a number of other men since their break up, although it was not always willing, so it seemed that she should be the one to be contrite. She closed her eyes and took a minute to decide how to phrase her next sentence without revealing why she took the line of work she did, and without making her sound like a pitiable whore.

      "I know you weren't aware of her job when you did it, and that's the only reason I've been able to exonerate it from my thoughts. The fact is, you did it unwittingly in one sense, and I held it against you for six months. I think it's time we make another fresh start, and this time we don't mention anything that's happened between us, other people or work to make sure it doesn't hurt the other person. Agreed?"

      "You make it sound so simple"

      "We've both done things that we regret, and if I had died last night, we'd have been torn apart from each other without resolving these matters. Pretend you only just met me today"

      "That's going to be a bit hard, and although my imagination could deal with it, logic would just rebound there"

      "What do you mean?"
      "You're seven months pregnant with my child, so how the hell did that happen if we only just met?"

      "You mean that…my baby's alive?!"

      "No, our baby is, and during the ultrasound scan you were given last night, we can find out its sex if we want. I didn't want to find it out without you wanting to know too, but I'm able to admit that I cried like a child when I found out you were both going to live"

      "Last night? You mean it's still only Sunday?"

      "Yes, though it's late afternoon now. You were out for most of today, and I was only permitted to stay in here if I promised not to wake you up. I didn't have the heart to anyway, you looked so peaceful"

      "You shouldn't be wearing that shirt this morning, so that was another thing that threw me off. How did you get it, did you leave…?"
      "No, I left the room twice since you were brought in here: once to tell them your clothes needed changing earlier, and the second was when I got the water for you. I needed to be near you in case anything else happened"

      "Did the shirt just materialise?"

      "No, and there's no way my imagination could believe that! Elora called in this morning to see how you were doing, and after leaving these flowers here she took the keys to my flat to get something for me to wear. I'm glad she did, I was freezing without it"

      "Surely it doesn't hold in much heat?"

      "No it doesn't, but I've been shivering from wearing only the lower half of my uniform all night. If you think on, I put my black one over you last night, and I haven't seen it since you were taken to the emergency room"

      "So, did I throw…?"

      "Up on my bare arm? Yes you did, though I don't mind too much. I'm just glad you're alive"

      "Sorry"

      "I said it's fine, don't worry about it. How do you feel now?"

      "Like I've been crushed by the world, and I've no energy as a direct result of it. I feel completely drained"

      "That's entirely understandable, but I can go to your place and pick up some fresh clothes for you if you like"

      "NO!"

      "Sorry?"

      "I, uh just mean that I'd like to spend more time with you. I should never have left the way I did"

      "I can't argue with you there"

      "I'm sorry, but it's just…"

      "It's in the past, forget about it. But there is one question I need you to answer for me, and I think you know what it's about Jessie"

      "Do we have to do it now?"

      "Fine, I'll ask you later, but it's necessary for me to know the answer though, so you'll have to tell me at some point"

      "I know, I just don't want to do it now. I know what you're going to ask, but please just leave it for now"

      "On a lighter note, they told me you'd be discharged later if your tests come back clear"

      "Let's hope this is the first time I pass an exam in my life, I hate hospitals. Besides, I'll need to get access to a mirror soon!"

                                                                     **

      The minute she entered her business after returning from the hospital, Elora headed straight for the tape that should have recorded the goings on from the night before, in spite of her increased level of exhaustion. Finding it was no great hardship for her, since only one of the cameras would have filmed the area around the bar where Jessie had been standing—she had often required information on a pair of underage thieves that often pick pocketed her customers shamelessly (they had since been imprisoned for said actions). She settled down in front of the monitors with a glass of sparkling water to scan the footage carefully, but she never noticed the presence in the room behind her, and she certainly didn't see that it was the same person that had tried to force Jessie into an abortion. She studied the screen intently, and it was only moments before he put a razor-sharp weapon against her neck that she saw his reflection on the visual display unit, but by that time she was far too late to do anything about it…

      Deep in the mainly unknown areas of the vast city, heated discussions took place between the people that had been deprived of a worthless woman to practice cruel methods of terminating a pregnancy, or at least that was all that Jessie was to them in their opinion. They knew that James was involved with her rescue from both spies and the simple fact that the only way to recognise nebulous thyroproxine before it was too late was from being involved with it yourself; this fact was neither poor nor excellent—it meant that they could easily regain the puppet they once possessed, and it meant that ambush would be the only means capable of capturing them both successfully, should they be together at the given moment in time. Still, this was no great challenge for them since most of their dealings involved warning or reminding people of reasons why their paths should not collide. If they were separate, on the other hand, it would be all-too easy to take them into their possession, due to the young couple's strength lying in each other's presence as it always had been. Leaving their thoughts of kidnapping aside, each member of the evil group was thinking the exact same thing: du Paor would be greatly pleased if they could carry it out successfully, and he'd forget his rage from losing his toy the night beforehand…

      She felt like she was buoyant high upon mystical air with her flowing blonde tresses brushing lightly against her tantalizing face as she faced the man of her dreams. She released an enthusiastic greeting as she bounded over to fall happily into his embrace, but she was denied this minor luxury as he sidestepped her eager attempt for a show of affection. Large cold, sloppy tears brooded in her amethyst eyes that pleaded for an explanation whilst she viewed him like an injured pet would to its master, and instead of comforting her, Butch mouthed 'I can't love you' before pointing downwards. She screamed as she plummeted through cumulus and nimbus clouds alike in her arduous descent. Her mouth filled with a thick, bitter-tasting liquid that was unknown to her, and in spite of her weak insides and blinding panoramic spinning images throughout her collapse, the feisty young blonde kept her eyes open to defy her rejecter, and she hoped to sustain this level of sanity as the images seemed more surreal to her. She landed in the black tumultuous icy water and faced the wrath of the storm full-blast as she screamed for assistance to shore. Even if there had been someone at hand to assist the susceptible female, her voice was carried out far into the ocean by the merciless blasting wind, and the black clouds lashed her face again and again with their hard precipitation acting as many weapons all at once. A thundering stretch of typhoon carried her out of the torturous water and she smacked her back hard into a tree that was already buckling against the strength of the airstreams, and she slid down the trunk and into the sand. The many evil shards of broken wood tore into her spine throughout her brief journey relentlessly, and she wanted to scream as she landed face-down in the sand: she had nothing except a thin layer of skin covering her ribs and she was a good few inches lower than she should be. Much to her horror, the murky sand dragged her farther and farther into its being, and foul sand joined the venomous liquid that already was in her mouth, creating a concoction that she wouldn't even wish on her worst enemies as the sound of the storm was replaced with the pouring of sand into her ears…

      Cassidy shot up from her hell-spawned nightmare with her pulse tenfold what it should be, and her weak heart was battering at her ribcage as it attempted to find a way out of her tormented body. Her eyes anxiously darted around the room, trying to recognise a face amongst the many that attempted smothering her with medicines, and Butch frightened her when he held her against his torso to calm her down. She strangled a scream out through the blood that had gathered in her mouth, both to get away from him after he had treated her in her reverie, and also as a sickening realisation thumped into her head: her dream had been correct when it had portrayed her without breasts, and she moved no more after that. He knew something was wrong as she looked into the distance with an expression of terror with her arms still tight around his shoulders, but there was no sign of movement from her aside from the thick blood oozing out of her mouth. Butch shouted her name repeatedly, each time with an increased number of decibels, but it was futile as everyone in the room knew, and he wept solemnly as he was ushered out of the room by the scientists: why had he failed to tell her how he'd felt all these years? He didn't need to hear their diagnosis two hours later, and when he did hear it he felt like he'd been stripped of his skin and being forced to roll around in a vat of salt. She had died of a heart attack that was induced by the splintered ribs puncturing her pulmonary artery, hence the blood in her mouth, and her body's panicked reaction had caused her to wake from her coma. They thought that the pain of her injuries overrode the aphrodisiacs, and she had suffocated from not receiving oxygen, which had inadvertently created the heart attack. His hands shook with sorrow and fury simultaneously as they proceeded with the exact grisly details of her pain that she would have endured, and a grim thought exploded in his heavily grief-stricken head: the person that had done this to her would pay, and if he couldn't track him down, then he'd find someone else responsible for making the woman he'd secretly loved look grotesque in death.

      Despites his body's aching yearning to fall asleep, James refused to close his eyes for anything longer than a short blink, knowing that sleep's temptation was becoming overwhelming at this point after being up for over twenty-four hours at this stage. Jessie abetted his desire to stay awake by teasing his inability to think clearly, and he decided whole-heartedly to succeed just to prove her wrong. He was greatly relieved to have her in the realms of the living after the heart-wrenching affairs of the night before, and he was even more grateful that she was gradually becoming fully revived as the medication wore off her system. Many doctors had entered and left the room to monitor her condition, but nothing had been mentioned about the likelihood of her being discharged, or regarding their child's welfare. She playfully brushed a strand of hair behind his ear as his eyes fought to stay open, and she kissed him lightly in appreciation when he gave her a warm and affectionate smile. She could see his dire need of sleep and she felt selfish for keeping him awake, as she feared the prospect of being left alone in even the slightest meaning of the word. She also dreaded leaving the undeniable security that the busy hospital offered, and even though she was afraid of being caught lying to her employers beforehand, she felt frantic as she fretted over what would happen if they saw her now. She somehow successfully concealed this inner turmoil from her sleepy partner and replaced it with a half-façade of one of total pleasure in his company, and a doctor entering the room with a loose grip on her chart ended their miniature game.

      "Don't be alarmed at my presence, I'm merely here to inform you of the results of the tests. Are you comfortable with discussing this in front of your partner?"

      "Undoubtedly. Is there anything to worry about?"

      "I bear both good and bad news, so which do you want first?"

      "Bad? Is my baby okay?"

      "That's the bad news, I take it you want to hear that ahead of the other then?"

      "Sure, but tell me if my baby's going to be alright"

      "Your baby will live through this, but there's the possible side-affects of the thyroproxine to consider. It's trebled the risk of premature pregnancy, and there's a high risk of your child being slightly deformed. If you experience any type of abdominal discomfort inform us immediately, it's crucial that we can attend to it immediately if you do, as it means the chemical is removing your placenta from the lining of the womb, and if blood gathers there, it could be doubly fatal"

      "WHAT?"

      James held her tighter against his body, sensing her distress in ways evident to him aside from her shrill panic-powered screech (her taut muscles were a dead giveaway for starters) and his worry equalled hers, even though he kept it concealed. He felt her body quaking in fear as she awaited her reply, and she gained little relief out of being told that there was nearly no chance of it happening; in her mind that small percentage was as worrying as a towering risk. Jessie became frantic with worry when she heard what the doctor had to say next, as it seemed more horrific than the thought of what could have happened the night before.

      "We could always feed you a drug that would terminate your pregnancy if that idea seems more appealing to you, but there's more threats interlinked with that as you're past the safe zone for such an…"

      "THERE IS NO WAY I'M KILLING MY CHILD, YOU CALLOUS BI--"

      "Jessie, calm down, she's just doing her job"

      "Calm down? She just wanted to know if I'd make an appointment with death on my baby's behalf"

      "Jessie, there are people far weaker in the world who would have accepted that option, but you're prepared to face whatever hits you"

      "And you?"
      "Me?"
      "Are you going to bother sticking around if I have a hideous deformed…thing…inside of me?"

      "I can't believe you're even asking me that. In my opinion, there isn't a question of me walking away at any stage, even if you give birth to something as ugly as the twerps"

      "Yuck! Nothing could be that bad!"

      "Excuse me, but are you finished, or would you like me to return in a while?"

      "Sorry about that doctor, she gets like this every now and again. Please continue"

      "Assuming that you don't want to terminate this pregnancy, you're free to leave at any stage. Would you like to know the sex of your child?"

      A quick glance between the parents-to-be confirmed their suspicions that they felt the same over the matter, and they simultaneously asked:

      "What is it?"

      Their hands gained an intense increase in the grip they were using in the few seconds before they learned what they yearned to know, and they burst out into an instantaneous cry when they were told to expect a girl. When they were left alone again, their excitement erupted into an explosion of gleeful questions and comments from both sides.

      "I'm having a girl!"

      "I wonder if she'll look like her mother"

      "Just as long as I don't know two effeminate blue-haired…"

      "Oh come on, you know that I make a better girl than you do!"

      "That's not true!"

      "Yes it is, you're not delicate enough and pick fights instead of avoiding them, and never mind lady-like!"

      "I resent that, I'm a woman anyway"

      "I know, I was the one to do it remember?"
      "You expect me to forget?"

      "Well, since woman makes you sound so old, I thought it had the same effect on your memory…"

      "Are you calling me old?"

      "Are you denying it?"
      "Yes!"

      "You're wrong then, must be another symptom"

      "You're so going to pay for that!"

      "It's your fault for not letting me fall asleep!"

      "Sure, blame the pregnant one!"

                                                                                **

      The attitude in Team Rocket Headquarters was that of an utterly morose one, bearing no exceptions of any member. The death of a young colleague had struck a chord in every person's body, even those who didn't know her that well—it was more so the fact that she hadn't reached twenty, and that had been when she wasn't partaking in life-threatening field missions. Giovanni had left strict instructions with his secretary to ignore every appointment previously arranged with his staff for that afternoon whilst he slowly drank a bottle of whiskey in his sombre mood; it was probably for the benefit of his unfortunate workers that he had no desire to see them whilst he mourned the loss of a close friend. There were too few of them in his life as it was. For the very first time in his life, he actually felt guilty for a staff member's premature demise; if he'd asked her to perform experiments on the subject without staying around for the results, then her life would never have been in any danger. He knew it was pointless even thinking that, as Cassidy would have continued defiantly; she was one of three people in the organisation who could go against his wishes and live. The other two people were the scientific and technological genius, Lindsey, and the second person was Jessie. Granted, she no longer served as a member as such, but he knew that there'd be a time when she'd return. He didn't know was not just how soon that would happen, he didn't know just how drastic the circumstances involving her return would be. He snarled at the now empty bottle of whiskey before him, and in his anger for not having more, he squeezed the tumbler in his hand until it shattered into a thousand shards. His designer suit was laced with a thin layer of the potent liquid as well as microscopic fragments of glass, and he growled menacingly as he brushed them off whilst retrieving another bottle from the coolant in his private quarters. One would think that he was some form of modern caveman due to the Neolithic noises emanating from his throat every other minute. His inner sanctum was disrupted moments later when the door flew open, aided by a vicious kick given to it by Tyra. He angrily demanded to know why she was present without permission, and before she even had sufficient time to answer he had thrown the empty bottle at her. He wrenched the top off its replacement and guzzled a mouthful of it neat before facing her to see what the reason for her passing his security so easily was.

      It was like watching a hunter prowling towards its prey, but this time the prey wasn't as timid as expected, far from it in fact. It was more like she was squaring him off, her taunting eyes raucously screaming 'Bring it on' to her aggressor, and he actually felt doubt regarding him being able to subdue her fiery aura. She denounced him for his foul tactics surrounding bugging her just to make Jessie have a miscarriage, and something happened that neither of them expected: Giovanni became pale at hearing this news. His anger instantly diminished, and was it concern that made him ask for further details on the accusations? Tyra held her ground; there was no point in losing her edge in case his was nothing more than a mere ploy, and she held her stance as she gruffly explained the details of everything Lindsey had told her. Her eyes stung from rejection as well as from anger, and it was only her august detestation of Giovanni that prevented her from activating her tear ducts. When he heard of what exactly had happened the night before, he returned more to his natural character and ordered her to round up the couple in question. She scoffed in disgust at the notion of listening to his orders exiting the office, and the echoes of her boots crunching the glass into sand echoed around the tension-packed room, and when he released an unusually idle threat about what would happen to her, she released her own weapon. She tossed the second bug back into the room, and not even the panic that flooded through her system could make her turn around when the miniscule metallic object collided on the freshly polished tiles. She'd snapped the wrong leg back on it, which unbeknownst to her had activated it, and her exit was 'explosive' to say the very least. Since the orders to vacate the premises unless it was urgent had been issued out to all of the members, there wasn't any security to silence her, and she left the building with only a handful of onlookers to assist Giovanni out of the inferno/office. It was a pity that the alcohol on his clothes was highly flammable.

      She crossed the road a few minutes later when the horrendous traffic had lessened, and much to her heart's dismay, she saw James walking in her general direction. She changed the route she was walking in and lowered her head in an attempt to avoid him seeing her, and she was successful until she tried to head down a quiet side street. He turned her around and effortlessly held her against a shop wall in a way that not only blocked her movements, but it also refrained it from looking suspicious. He cut her pathetic endeavour at a greeting short by pressing down harder on her pressure point. She winced slightly as he asked what the hell she was playing at, more so from the words than from the pressure being applied to her shoulder.

      "I didn't see you, I was just off to, er…"

      "Cut the crap, and I'm not talking about now"

      "What then?"

      "You know what it's about"

      "Look, if it's about last night, I left because I couldn't stand the sight of you two together, it brought back too many memories of when we went out"

      "You haven't changed one little bit you selfish slattern"

      "Selfish what?"

      "And just as ignorant as ever it would seem. You can pull whatever excuses you like 'darling', but I know why you left, and it wasn't out of self-pity"

      "You can accuse me all you like, but I had nothing to do with what happened to Jessie"

      "So you admit you knew about it. Am I still supposed to believe that you had nothing to do with it?"

      "I only found out about it today when Lindsey had listened to…"

      "Yes?"

      "Nothing"

      "Now is not the time to clam up, do you understand? What do you know that I don't?"

      "You-you're bugged"

      "What did you just say? I hope for your sake that it wasn't what I thought it was"

      "You're being recorded, even now"

      "You worthless whore, and you never thought to tell me? Scratch that, how did you find out about it? I know she used to work with Team Rocket, but if she still does, then there's no way you could talk to her, unless…"

      "Yeah, I worked there, okay? I resigned today"

      "Is there no end to your scheming? Did you put it on me?"

      "Y-y-yes"

      "Where is it, you vile excuse for a human?"
      "I'm not telling you, if you can't talk to me properly"

      "And no manners either, is there no end to your slovenly behaviour? You were probably the one to spike her drink too, weren't you? I mean, you weren't there when I found it, so it could have easily been you who put it in her drink when you left"

      "I didn't do it"

      "Where's your proof? Did you manage to bug that too?"
      "Do you think I could really do that to you?

      "As far as I'm concerned, you haven't changed one little bit since last year; you still deploy the same fetid manoeuvres since the last time you used me"

      "If anyone was used it was me, so don't delude yourself she-male. You always went to me when Jessie ignored you, and this is no different. You've hated me after sleeping with me twice now, and there's no point in denying it"

      "You're nothing more than a pathetic concubine to me, and I can't believe that I used to think that you could ever turn out to be something more. The next time our paths cross, trust me you'll rue it"

      James let go of the woman and ignored her tears sliding onto his forearm, and he either didn't know or care that he'd cut off circulation in both of her arms. He stalked off to Holbany Street, where Jessie's flat was apparently located, to pick up her belongings. He didn't know anything about it except the building and room number, but it was enough for him to want to get in and out of there as quickly as possible—it was located in one of the most dangerous areas of the city, and it was where he had grown up, in more than one sense of the word. It had been the general area where he'd seen women raped, lackeys mutilated, and the murder that had drawn him into the circle of fear in the first place. He felt aghast at the size of her dwelling, and the dank conditions from which it suffered. He gathered as much of her belongings up as he could that he thought she wanted, unaware that his every move was being monitored by someone else in the small flat. Once or twice the youth ineffectively glanced over his shoulder to see if he was being spied on, but he decided that it was mere paranoia triggering his thief's instincts; after all, the last thing he wanted was to be dragged into the past he'd fought to avoid for so long. When he was done with the place, he pocketed the keys and left the area altogether, as he disliked the feeling of suspicion repeatedly drumming inside his blood. When he was in a more reputable sector of the city, he headed towards an automatic teller machine to withdraw enough money for paying his fiancée's medical bill; he'd needed to book her into a private room to make sure the evil shadows tainting his past didn't latch themselves onto her when she was critically ill. He was inwardly delighted when he read the remaining balance in the account; it was more than enough to buy somewhere cheap away from the City Of Dreams that had destroyed theirs. He'd never ventured deep into Viridian Forest after the horrific incident revolving around finding Weezing grotesquely defaced (literally) in a cardboard box, and that was just one bad memory that sprung to mind. He would have gone around to the medical centre to see if the doctor knew anything about someone trying to force Jessie into a Backstreet abortion, but he found the idea of it completely unbelievable, and there would be no point in kicking up a fuss that may cost a friend his career for no apparent reason. Instead he hurried back to ensure that nobody had evaded the security surrounding Jessie's ward that he had insisted on in his absence, even if it wouldn't come cheaply.

      Several hours after receiving the news about his partner's demise, Butch returned to bid his final farewell, and to tell her what he could never say when she was still alive. She was unhooked from all of the machinery and her eyes were closed, in other words the scientists had tried to make her look merely asleep for his benefit. Even though his body was pumped with sedatives, he still felt as easy as a caffeine-filled narcoleptic at the edge of a volcanic crater. His unrestrained tears splashed onto her emotionless face, and as he held her fragile hand in his own, he was glad that the scientists had left the heating on to make her feel less cold and stiff. He gushed out all of the sentiments that had remained unheard for the duration of his time knowing her (it seemed unearthly easier to say the words when the fear of rejection was removed), and he stayed with her for what appeared to be aeons to other people, yet it passed in an instant for the grieving male. He was delivered a final request to depart the premises before he reluctantly decided to move away from his friend forever more. He leant forward and gave her the kiss he had always yearned for, except this method would be one-way. He whispered goodbye and crossed the floor to leave his friend, each footstep creating a discomfortingly loud snap as the sole pressed harshly down on the custom tiling for hospitals. He switched off the light and after a final glance at his partner, he turned to walk down the hallway and out of the god-rotting building. Either his imagination was overacting, or the sedatives were making him delusional, but in either case he could have sworn he heard a faint noise coming from the room he had just exited. Nevertheless, he re-entered the room and checked the dark area to see if it had been a rodent that had made the noise, and he nearly collapsed in shock when he left again and heard an unmistakable:
      "Sure, you turn the light off but you leave the window open. It's freezing in here"

      He flicked the light switch on immediately, and his body vibrated with ecstatic convulsions when he saw his partner wincing in the light. He called for help and as he waited for an assistant to return, the joyous youth peeled off his upper clothing and laid them on top of the chilled weary female. It was an unbelievable event for him, to say the least. And Giovanni wouldn't be happy in the slightest to find out that Tyra had been given an ample opportunity to set fire to him when the aspect of his misery had been a mistake by the scientists…

      James had been granted the evening off work due to the given circumstances surrounding what had happened in the pub the night before, and much to Elora's dismay, he handed in his notice simultaneously. She had been indisputably upset at losing her finest barman (again, in more than one sense to her), and when he'd told her that he intended moving out of the city with his fiancée, he could only console her by offering her their address or general location whenever they chose it. She couldn't bring herself to tell him what she had been threatened with earlier that afternoon, and she was relieved that he didn't ask for the security tape. He noticed the vicious scratch along the nape of her neck from where the weapon had been resting, and he joked that she must have cut herself shaving, instead of voicing his anxiety that she was in a violent relationship or something. It had been a hard goodbye for him to make, yet it was light-hearted as he was asked to perform a dance by some girl since it was her friend's birthday, and it was only when he shut the door behind him that he realised that the person who'd asked him had been the one he'd 'drunkenly' stripped for in September. But right now, there was only one woman in his life that he cared about, and she was waiting for him in his flat.