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Pyxelle
Chapter 7"'Sauron was overthrown and the One Ring was taken from him. So ended the second age.'" Eleanor closed the book, smiling a little. "Well, that's that, I guess. What do you think we should read next?"
"That's not really the end, Eleanor." Simon said from the doorway, and she turned to him in surprise. "Simon! How long have you been standing there?"
"For about two pages, I think, if I remember right." Simon came and dragged a chair over to her. He sat next to her, smiling a little. "Still refusing to finish the book, aren't you?"
"Simon, I already told you I wasn't going to read the appendices." She said in her lecture tone. "Theodore and I don't have the same obsession to detail that you do." She glanced over to the bed, touching Theodore's face briefly. "He doesn't like to wreck a story by overanalyzing it."
Simon's smile faltered a bit. It bothered him a little, that Eleanor would speak as if her and Theodore still were able to have conversations. They had taken him off the respirator almost a week ago and that had definitely lifted all of their spirits. It was good knowing that he was able to breathe on his own again, but he still hadn't given any sign of returning to consciousness. "Well, you don't know what you're missing."
"Any luck?" Eleanor asked. "You were gone longer than usual."
"No, unfortunately. Alvin wasn't in L.A. Dave didn't think he'd leave California, but now we're pretty sure that he must have."
"Oh, geez, that's not good." Eleanor said. It had been almost a month since Alvin had disappeared, and amazingly, they hadn't heard a single thing that would lead them to him. That was very un-Alvin like in and of itself. He usually couldn't go anywhere without attracting at least a little attention.
"No, its not." Simon ran his fingers through his hair in worry. "We're running out of ideas of where to look."
"Well, I'm sure you find him." Eleanor smiled a lot more warmly than he had been able to earlier. "It's just a matter of time."
It had amazed all of them when Eleanor's reaction had been the least severe to Theodore's condition. Brittany had even tried to talk her younger sister out of going to the hospital, but Eleanor would have none of it. As soon as they had moved him into the long-term care unit she had demanded that she would be able to visit. No one could have dissuaded her, and Simon made sure that both Dave and he were there for that first visit to support her. It hadn't been necessary, though.
Eleanor had stopped and stared when she had first entered the room, just as Brittany had done, but only for a moment. "Hello, Theodore," she had then said, as if she were greeting him in the hallway at school rather than in a hospital room. "This is the first time they've let me see you, so I'm sorry if you've been worried. I'm doing well, though I miss you a lot. But don't worry, they're letting guests in now, so I'll be able to see you much more."
Simon had watched in awe as she had gone to his usual chair and sat, dropping her backpack to the ground and rummaging around in it. "I know you were in the middle of the latest Harry Potter book, Theodore, so I thought I'd come by and we'd read it together. I haven't read it yet, so I hope you don't mind that we're starting over, but I know you liked it so I don't think you do." She put the book on the table next to her and turned to her boyfriend, smiling but her eyes sad. She touched his hand gently. "I miss you so much, Theodore. I'm still waiting for that picnic, so don't think you've gotten out of it. But until you can take me, I guess I'll have to plan our dates for a while." She grabbed the book awkwardly with one hand, using the other to hold Theodore's. "So, expect a lot of Harry Potter nights for the next few weeks. I'll try to think of something interesting to read after that. I'll ask Simon for suggestions – I'm sure he can think of something to entertain us." She had glanced up at Simon, and it was only then that he had seen the tears in her eyes. "It is all right, isn't it? That I come and read with him?"
"Of course, Eleanor." Dave had assured her, and since that moment there hadn't been a day that Eleanor hadn't come and sat with Theodore for hours, reading first The Order of the Phoenix and then, at Simon's suggestion, had started the Lord of the Rings trilogy. She had become a fixture at the hospital, and by now Simon had come to expect her presence when he would come here after school. Somehow she always managed to get there first.
Simon shook his head, bringing himself back to the present. "I hope you're right, Eleanor. I'm just starting to lose hope."
"You can't do that, Simon." Eleanor told him firmly. "There's no way-," She gasped suddenly.
"Eleanor?" Simon looked at her quizzically, and she looked back at him, smiling brilliantly. "What is it?"
"Theodore just squeezed my hand!" She said, standing so quickly that Simon had to catch the chair to keep it from overturning. Disbelieving, Simon glanced down, but Eleanor hadn't lied. He could see Theodore's eyelids fluttering.
"Theodore?" He asked, wrapping his fingers around both Eleanor's hand and his brother's. For a moment it seemed as if the fluttering had stopped, and he felt his heart sink, and all of a sudden Theodore's eyes were open, obviously disoriented, but open. Simon watched, barely breathing, as his little brother blinked repeatedly. There didn't seem to be any awareness in his eyes, and he could tell that Theodore, though seemingly awake, wasn't focusing on anything.
"Theodore, we're here. Please, I hope you can hear me. We're here." Brain damage. He remembered Dr. Rosewood's words with fear. Brain damage. "Theodore, if you understand me, please, look at me. It's Simon."
Theodore's eyes traveled towards him, but there was no recognition in their gaze. "Hi, Theodore," He said, trying not to cry, his eyes full of tears but a smile on his face. "I don't know if you can understand me, but I've missed you."
Theodore's mouth worked aimlessly for a moment, and he squinted at him. "S....ssss...simon?"
"Yes!" Simon actually laughed, his relief was so great. Eleanor did a strange little hop of joy next to him. "Yes, its Simon, I'm here! I'm here, Theodore."
"El'nor?" Theodore's gaze shifted, and his voice was almost too quiet to be heard, his unused vocal cords were so raspy. "El'nor?"
"I'm here, too, Theodore."
"Sorry 'bout...'nic." Theodore said, eyes sliding closed and his face clenching, as if he suddenly realized he was in pain. "Failed 'ving test. Sorry."
"It's all right, Theodore." Eleanor said, tears streaming down her face but the brilliant smile on her face even more radiant. "It's all right."
His eyes slid closed, and then opened again. He still didn't seem to be able to focus, but they traveled about the room momentarily as if searching for something. "Vuh...vuh...vuh?" He said.
"What?" Simon didn't understand him, but the sudden painful agitation in Theodore's whispered voice worried him. "I don't understand you."
"Vuh...vin." Theodore finally managed. "Vin?"
Brain damage. "Theodore, I don't...Alvin! You want to know where Alvin is!"
"Vin." The relief was apparent even in Theodore's hushed words. "Want...'vin, too."
Simon glanced at Eleanor briefly. "We'll get him for you, Theodore." Simon said then, determination in his voice. "We will."
OoooOoooO
"Now boarding Flight 103, Gate 7."
Alvin double-checked his ticket. No, he was on flight 104. He sighed, settling back into the hard airport waiting chair. Glancing around, he spied a Time magazine on the table across from him and grabbed it. He tried to read, but couldn't concentrate on the words any more than he could five minutes ago. Time quickly joined the pile he had already discarded, and he turned to the television on the wall-mounted stand. Entertainment Tonight was playing, the host telling the few people in the waiting area just why Heather Locklear was suing her pool man. That didn't really interest him, either, and his mind wandered.
He had lasted in Chicago for almost a week before he started to feel that the windy city just wasn't far enough. New York was better, for a while, but it wasn't long before it, too, felt like it was constricting him, tying him down to something that he longed to escape from. So Alvin had, with a little of his signature luck and a lot of his cash, found someone who furnished him with a new set of identification papers. Alvin had tossed the driver's license that had meant so much to him just a month ago into a dumpster, and Theo Miller – a chipmunk who looked a lot like Alvin Seville but who was two years older – was born.
His savings had contained quite a bit more than he had been expecting. Dave must have just made a deposit after Alvin had bought the car. Still, the airplane ticket and the I.D. had nearly cleaned him out, and he knew that pretty soon he was going to have to find work – wherever he ended up.
"In other news, Theodore Seville, of Alvin and the Chipmunks, regained consciousness yesterday afternoon." The host on the TV said. Alvin jumped from his seat, suddenly alert. What had the man said? "Theodore was involved in a serious accident with a drunk driver last month. The chipmunk, who had just turned sixteen, wasn't expected to survive. Though still in critical condition, Theodore has been reportedly responsive and doctors say they are doing everything in their power to help him recover. Despite this, the young chipmunk is paralyzed from the waist down. And don't be expecting anything new from the Chipmunks soon, because in addition to this, Alvin, lead singer and brother to Theodore, disappeared shortly after the accident and his whereabouts are currently unknown. Multiple efforts are being made, but a teenage runaway, even a famous teenage runaway, can be very difficult to find. America's favorite teen singing sensation looks like it's gone forever, folks. In an unrelated story-"
Alvin sat back in the chair, stunned. Theodore was still alive? And awake? How was that possible? A wide smile spread on his face, and he laughed out loud. Theodore was alive! Alvin had given up all hope on that two percent chance the doctor had seemed so sure of. He had to get home, had to-
He stopped, realizing he had already started towards the exit. The words the Entertainment Weekly host continued to play in his head.
Still critical. Still destined to spend life in a wheelchair.
Still his fault.
"Flight 104, International flight to London, last boarding call."
Last call? He must have missed the announcement during the Entertainment Weekly segment. He wrestled briefly with indecision, the desire to see his brother again strong but the fear of seeing the hatred in his eyes equally as strong. He had no right to ask forgiveness...and he didn't think he could face his family. He would forever be the one they blamed, and no matter how they tried, Alvin was sure they would not be able to look at his face without thinking of the way he had destroyed Theodore. It would be easier – for everyone – if he just disappeared.
He clutched his ticket and changed directions, running to the ticket collector as if he would lose his nerve to leave. When he arrived, he was slightly out of breath. "Did I make it?" He asked, realizing he had struggled with the idea of going home longer than he had thought.
"Just barely," The pretty brunette behind the counter said, taking the ticket. "Have a nice flight," she glanced at the ticket, "Mr. Miller."
"Thank you," Alvin said, and got on the plane.