I decided to change that Cicada didn't know about Formica...it doesn't work as well as I thought.

Chapter 9

The Recovery

They drove to the hospital again.

"God, mama, she's not going to die, is she?" Cicada noticed that Kisara's voice was much like Delphine's when she was about her age. Kisarami looked at her daughter as Delphine was rushed into the emergency room. "I don't know, sweetheart. I just don't know yet." Cicada went as far as he could go with her. "Why can't I stay with her?" "It's very cold in the hypothermia treatment center." "So you're telling me you're going to make her even colder? Won't her temperature drop?" "Cicada, even a kid like me knows that if you put her in a hot room, her temperature will rise too rapidly, causing her to develop failure of important organs like the heart and the brain. We will warm her up gradually." Sparkie said, in a kind of Know-It-All voice. "Whatever. As long as she's OK when this is over, I'm happy." "Cicada, may I speak to you for a few moments?" The girls knew what to do immediately. They scampered out of the room. Kisarami watched them run down the hall. "She might not last the night, Cicada." Cicada almost passed out at this. "What?" "Her heart's going back to a critical state. We can only do so much." He fell on his knees. "This can't happen! She never really did anything! God, I love her so much..." Kisarami put a hand on his shoulder. "I know, Cicada, I know." She left the room. He stared out the see-through wall at Delphine. She looked so peaceful lying face-up like that. She didn't look dead or in a critical state or anything. She looked...to him she looked like she was sleeping. He liked to watch her sleep when things were normal. He liked the way she sounded when she breathed. Like a young child. He used to reach out and caress her cheek. He couldn't do that now...he choked back tears and turned away. He went down the hallway to the girls' room. They were waiting inside. Sparkie stood up when Cicada entered the room. "Is she gonna be OK?" Cicada opened his mouth to speak. "I...you girls know I would never lie to you..." The girls nodded. "Well, I sure wish I could lie to you now..." Kisara burst into tears first. Then the others started to cry together. The girls ran right into Cicada's arms. "I don't want her to die!" Kisara cried. "Neither do I!" Sparkie also cried. "Even after all she did to us, I still want her to be alive!" Holly collapsed to the floor. Al ran to the door. "It's all my fault!" She ran out the door and to the bathroom to cry. "Dammit..." The remaining two girls fell asleep in his arms. He laid them on the couch. Then he picked Holly up off the floor and laid her on another couch. He sighed. "Now comes the hard part." He walked over to the ladies room and knocked on the door. "Al? Are you still here?" She sniffed. "Look, you know I can't come in there. Come out and talk to me."

He heard a stall opened. Then Alvis came out and threw her arms around Cicada. "It's...my fault! And now you hate me..." "I don't hate you...what gave you that idea?" "Because you really like her and I killed her!" Cicada sighed. "Look...I know this is hard on everyone...it's very hard on me, as well. But it's no one's fault." Al sniffed one more time. "Really?" "Really." "Cool!" She skipped away. He looked up. "She's right above me..." He went upstairs. "You still can't go in...it's 30 degrees in there!" Kisarami said. "Oh." His face fell. "I know how it is for you. I lost my husband to heart failure." Cicada walked away.

At about 2:00 in the morning, Kisarami peered into the room Cicada and the girls were sleeping in. "Cicada." She whispered, loud enough for him to hear, but careful not to wake the girls. He jumped out of bed. He was still wearing his clothes from the previous day. "Come. You may go in now. Bring a light jacket. It'll be like taking a walk in the fall." "Walking in the fall..." He remembered when he and Delphine would walk to the edge of the forest and watch the sunset together. Then she'd fall asleep, her head resting on his shoulder, and he'd pick her up and carry her the whole way home. He shook it out of his head.

They walked down the long corridors to the hypothermia treatment center. She opened the door and her ran inside. He looked at her. This...this isn't her! Dammit, Delphine, what happened to you? Could you have ruled like this? I don't even recognize you...where's the Delphine I know...the Delphine I love...She had at least five tubes hooked up to her. He walked out of the room. He turned to Kisarami. "I can't see her like this..." "I have good news. Her temperature is 79 degrees right now. At this rate she'll be better by Tuesday." "Tuesday." It was Sunday. "Good."

Over the next day, he was in and out of the HTC, until she was so recovered that she could sit up. "What happened to me? Cicada, what's going on?" She said fearfully. "Who am I to you?" He asked her. "But.." "Just answer. Please." "My caretaker...right?" Cicada's heart plumetted. "And how long have you known me?" "Three weeks." "Right." He sighed. She still doesn't remember.

Kitami came in. "Hi, Miss Kitami!" "Hey. You feeling better?" "Yup! Can I get out of here, now?" "I'll ask Ms. Kisarami."

"Kitami?" "Yeah?" "Can you be my best friend?" Kitami and Cicada looked at each other. Then Kitami looked back at Delphine. "Sure..." She and Cicada remembered when they, Fallon, Delphine, and Formica made a pact. She and Formica had been 12, Fallon 15, Delphine 17, and Cicada 24. But age didn't matter. They were all there to help each other out of tough spots, especially Delphine, and they would be...friends...best friends...forever...

flashback

"This sucks. Being the Maestro really sucks more than Mother made it out to be." Delphine sighed and finally made it back to her room. She silently went over to the camera fuse box and turned the cameras in her room off. "I barely ever get to see Dio anymore." "I get to come in, right? Or did you lock me out on purpose?" "Oh, damn. Sorry, Cicada...I'm just tired..." She unlocked the door and let him in. He wrapped his arms around her. "Are you going to be OK?" "Yeah...with you here I will be..." "Are we interrupting something?" Formica and Kitami walked in.

In truth, Cicada, Delphine, and Fallon were the only ones who could tell them apart. It took Fallon a little longer to realize that they were switching places a lot. But Kitami was getting older, and it would be harder for she and Formica to switch places now that she was developing. So they decided to just stuff Formica's shirt with extra cloth they all had lying around. But Kitami had a lower hairline and a chipped tooth.

"No, you guys can come in. Is Fallon with you?" Formica sighed. "Five, four, three, two, one..." A knock on the window. Delphine went over to see Fallon, grinning his famous grin, a grin that had forever enchanted Kitami...

"Stupid, you're gonna kill youself!" She opened the window and let him in. "You know, guys, I was thinking. Since we're together so much, could we be considered friends?" Delphine asked hesitantly. They all stared at her. "I guess so." Fallon said. "Then let's make a pact, right now, that seals it." She put her hand out. Kitami hesitated, then put her hand on top of Delphine's. She looked to Fallon, praying that he'd put his hand on top of hers...

Formica put his hand in next. Kitami sighed, disapponited. Fallon put his hand on top of Formica's. Cicada looked at them like they were crazy. "Are you sure..." "If you love me you will." Cicada quickly put his hand in. "I, Delphine Eraclea, declare us best friends!" "Right." They all said. They stayed best friends...through everything...through Exile...when they all escaped death narrowly...

end flashback

And now Delphine was asking Kitami if she would be her best friend. A tear escaped Kitami. "We'll be best friends forever." "Cool, Delphine."

They got to go home the next day. But what they didn't know was that there was someone watching them...the whole entire time...ever since Delphine got sick in the first place...