What happened next was a blur. I can remember only bits and pieces. First there was a white light, which for a second I thought meant I was dead, it was actually a bright light in the operating room of a hospital. I remembers doctors voices, something about pumping my stomach, then I faded in and out.
A remember seeing my siblings for a second, their faces were very hard to read. I remember the asking myself where was my helmet? I could feel it was gone. I can remember my doctors asking me questions. I must have been slipping in and out of consciousness, so it was fair to assume I had failed at my attempt of suicide.
I opened my eyes, groggily. It seemed like waking up from a sleep that had lasted months, years even. I don't think I've ever felt worse, I have the worlds worst headache, and a pain in my stomach, I can feel tubes in my nose, and in my arm. Why didn't they just let me die?
I looked next to me, machines that where monitoring his heart, and some other things were on each side of the bed I was on. I wonder how long I was out for. Everything was still kind of blurry, oh God....what if I had brain damage? That's what happens to some people who fail at these attempts.
"Hello, Delightful Child from Down the Lane." I looked forward towards the voices, I could make out five forms...no not them.....please not them. The voice I recognized. I moved my mouth, not until then did I realize how sore my throat was.
"Hello....Nigel." I croaked out. My vision was returning, more focused then before. I could make them all out.
Numbuh 1 looked determined, like he wanted answers. Numbuh 2 looked nervous, uncomfortable. Numbuh 3 looked like she had been crying recently. Understandable, she was immature, she didn't understand what I had done nor that she should have been celebrating the passing of an enemy. Numbuh 4 didn't look very sympathetic, he had his arms crossed and a frown on his face. Numbuh five was hard to read, her hat over her eyes, maybe she didn't want anyone to know what she was feeling.
"This is quite an interesting turn of events." Nigel said. "I must admit, at first I thought that you and your siblings where just trying to trick us into helping you, lead us into a trap. I thought they had found our hidden cameras."
"Hidden cameras?" I didn't know about that. I caught a reflection of myself in a metal bar at the side of my bed. My brown hair was growing a bit wilder then usual.
"Yes, last time we where at your house we put hidden cameras in most of the rooms so we could spy on you. So you couldn't get the drop on us, it was...hard to believe you were actually no longer talking with your siblings."
"Numbuh 5 thinks the big surprise was what you tried to do." Numbuh 5 faced me, this was most uncomfortable.
"Ya, you shudda come to us." 3 said, her voice weak and quiet.
Numbuh 1 sighed. "I don't see why you felt the need to take your own life, if not for our cameras, and Numbuh 3's insistence that it wasn't an act you would probably be dead. We called an ambulance, and they where able to pump you stomach. You will be fine, not permanent damage."
I couldn't believe it, they had saved me. Not my family, but my worst enemies.
"You wouldn't understand." I looked away from them. "My siblings, we very close. I could not stand it all, I wanted to be my own person. I didn't want to try and destroy anyone anymore." I looked back to them. It took all but 3 by surprise, me wanting to be more then I was. " But when I told them, they rejected me because of it. My father rejected me. I found no freedom, no happiness like I thought I would. I was miserable not matter what, I just couldn't see anyway out of it."
There was a silence.
"That was only a cowards way out. It was not the answer, the path you chose was not an easy one." Numbuh 1 considered for a second. "But it is the best one. What your family does is wrong, it is right of you to want to quit."
"Yes it was." Numbuh 2 assured.
"Ya, he's right." Numbuh 4 added.
"It doesn't matter." I replied. They just didn't get it. "You've been here since this started, haven't you?" I asked. Numbuh 1 nodded. "Has my family been here to visit me?" I asked. He didn't reply. "I didn't think so."
Numbuh 4 stepped forward. "Look Delightful Ch-"
"Don't call me that, my name is Alfred." I interrupted.
"Right Alfred, look ya can't just give in cause your family a bunch of jerks, I mean your different from them, that's what this whole things about right?" I nodded. "You should be proud of dat, your not a jerk like them."
Why wouldn't they just leave me alone. "No, but still miserable and now alone."
"Not awone." 3 offered.
"You hardly no me." I stated. "Until a while ago I was one of your worst enemies."
"Not anymore." She smiled. Her cheerful attitude returning, it's a tad annoying really.
"Alfred." Numbuh 1 said to me. "I know your going to be recovering for a while, but I do have an offer." He walked next to my bed. "You need your freedom, we can help you. Your family might try and use you now that they know about us helping you. We can give you a place to stay, and Kids Next Door headquarters can take care of things like making sure you can still go to school, and have your father lose guardianship of you." He handed me my helmet. It was slightly different.
I looked at him, then the rest of the group. 3 looked at me more eagerly then the others. It was interesting.
"I will have to thin about it." I told him finally, 3 looked disappointed ,she really was a sweet girl. Numbuh 1 nodded.
"I understand, this is something that will affect your entire life."
"Could you please leave me alone to think about it."
"Of course, we're out." He signaled for them to leave.
3 looked back to me. "I'll be back tomowrrow." She promised. As everyone left, Nigel was the last in the room walking to the door.
"Numbuh 1." I said. He looked back to me. "Who is paying for my medical treatment?" I prayed it was my father, God knows he's rich enough. But, knowing him, a failure like me wasn't worth his money.
"Kids Next Door headquarters is picking up the bill."
"Thank you." I meant it, I really did.
"No problem Alfred, do think about the offer." He left. I looked at my helmet. The same old helmet, one thing different. One big number 6 was painted on both the left and right of the helmet. It was tempting, tempting indeed, but could I really do it?
To be continued.
A remember seeing my siblings for a second, their faces were very hard to read. I remember the asking myself where was my helmet? I could feel it was gone. I can remember my doctors asking me questions. I must have been slipping in and out of consciousness, so it was fair to assume I had failed at my attempt of suicide.
I opened my eyes, groggily. It seemed like waking up from a sleep that had lasted months, years even. I don't think I've ever felt worse, I have the worlds worst headache, and a pain in my stomach, I can feel tubes in my nose, and in my arm. Why didn't they just let me die?
I looked next to me, machines that where monitoring his heart, and some other things were on each side of the bed I was on. I wonder how long I was out for. Everything was still kind of blurry, oh God....what if I had brain damage? That's what happens to some people who fail at these attempts.
"Hello, Delightful Child from Down the Lane." I looked forward towards the voices, I could make out five forms...no not them.....please not them. The voice I recognized. I moved my mouth, not until then did I realize how sore my throat was.
"Hello....Nigel." I croaked out. My vision was returning, more focused then before. I could make them all out.
Numbuh 1 looked determined, like he wanted answers. Numbuh 2 looked nervous, uncomfortable. Numbuh 3 looked like she had been crying recently. Understandable, she was immature, she didn't understand what I had done nor that she should have been celebrating the passing of an enemy. Numbuh 4 didn't look very sympathetic, he had his arms crossed and a frown on his face. Numbuh five was hard to read, her hat over her eyes, maybe she didn't want anyone to know what she was feeling.
"This is quite an interesting turn of events." Nigel said. "I must admit, at first I thought that you and your siblings where just trying to trick us into helping you, lead us into a trap. I thought they had found our hidden cameras."
"Hidden cameras?" I didn't know about that. I caught a reflection of myself in a metal bar at the side of my bed. My brown hair was growing a bit wilder then usual.
"Yes, last time we where at your house we put hidden cameras in most of the rooms so we could spy on you. So you couldn't get the drop on us, it was...hard to believe you were actually no longer talking with your siblings."
"Numbuh 5 thinks the big surprise was what you tried to do." Numbuh 5 faced me, this was most uncomfortable.
"Ya, you shudda come to us." 3 said, her voice weak and quiet.
Numbuh 1 sighed. "I don't see why you felt the need to take your own life, if not for our cameras, and Numbuh 3's insistence that it wasn't an act you would probably be dead. We called an ambulance, and they where able to pump you stomach. You will be fine, not permanent damage."
I couldn't believe it, they had saved me. Not my family, but my worst enemies.
"You wouldn't understand." I looked away from them. "My siblings, we very close. I could not stand it all, I wanted to be my own person. I didn't want to try and destroy anyone anymore." I looked back to them. It took all but 3 by surprise, me wanting to be more then I was. " But when I told them, they rejected me because of it. My father rejected me. I found no freedom, no happiness like I thought I would. I was miserable not matter what, I just couldn't see anyway out of it."
There was a silence.
"That was only a cowards way out. It was not the answer, the path you chose was not an easy one." Numbuh 1 considered for a second. "But it is the best one. What your family does is wrong, it is right of you to want to quit."
"Yes it was." Numbuh 2 assured.
"Ya, he's right." Numbuh 4 added.
"It doesn't matter." I replied. They just didn't get it. "You've been here since this started, haven't you?" I asked. Numbuh 1 nodded. "Has my family been here to visit me?" I asked. He didn't reply. "I didn't think so."
Numbuh 4 stepped forward. "Look Delightful Ch-"
"Don't call me that, my name is Alfred." I interrupted.
"Right Alfred, look ya can't just give in cause your family a bunch of jerks, I mean your different from them, that's what this whole things about right?" I nodded. "You should be proud of dat, your not a jerk like them."
Why wouldn't they just leave me alone. "No, but still miserable and now alone."
"Not awone." 3 offered.
"You hardly no me." I stated. "Until a while ago I was one of your worst enemies."
"Not anymore." She smiled. Her cheerful attitude returning, it's a tad annoying really.
"Alfred." Numbuh 1 said to me. "I know your going to be recovering for a while, but I do have an offer." He walked next to my bed. "You need your freedom, we can help you. Your family might try and use you now that they know about us helping you. We can give you a place to stay, and Kids Next Door headquarters can take care of things like making sure you can still go to school, and have your father lose guardianship of you." He handed me my helmet. It was slightly different.
I looked at him, then the rest of the group. 3 looked at me more eagerly then the others. It was interesting.
"I will have to thin about it." I told him finally, 3 looked disappointed ,she really was a sweet girl. Numbuh 1 nodded.
"I understand, this is something that will affect your entire life."
"Could you please leave me alone to think about it."
"Of course, we're out." He signaled for them to leave.
3 looked back to me. "I'll be back tomowrrow." She promised. As everyone left, Nigel was the last in the room walking to the door.
"Numbuh 1." I said. He looked back to me. "Who is paying for my medical treatment?" I prayed it was my father, God knows he's rich enough. But, knowing him, a failure like me wasn't worth his money.
"Kids Next Door headquarters is picking up the bill."
"Thank you." I meant it, I really did.
"No problem Alfred, do think about the offer." He left. I looked at my helmet. The same old helmet, one thing different. One big number 6 was painted on both the left and right of the helmet. It was tempting, tempting indeed, but could I really do it?
To be continued.