Chapter 10 - Just When Things Were Getting Better

Diana woke up to the sound of a bird pecking at her window and groaned. It was at least 6 am but she had grown accostomed to waking up at seven. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, stretched, and stood up. "Well, at least today looks like it's going to be good." Diana felt a tug in her stomache, signaling bad news. She dismissed it to lack of sleep and walked out of her room to Martin's. She opened the door and looked in. Martin was still asleep, curled up into a ball. The covers had fallen off him. Diana blushed, the sight of her brother sleeping topless still made her feel somewhat over powered. Sweat was pouring off his body and he was shaking but the window was closed and the room was fairly warm.

"Diana. What are you doing up?" Diana turned to face her father. She smiled sweetly and looked back to Martin.

"Coming to check on him." Diana replied and walked up to him, "He doesn't look too good." She put a hand to his forehead, "He's really burning up! He's so pale..." She went to the bathroom and retrieved a cool cloth from the sink and put it on his head. "He's so cold too." She put the blanket over him but he moaned and threw it off.

"Too warm," he moaned and opened his eyes, "It's too warm in here."

"Are you feeling okay Martin?"

"Too...warm..." Martin moaned again and closed his eyes. He groaned and turned over onto his side wincing as the bed came into contact with the injury. "It hurts..." Martin moaned and clasped his eyes tight. He didn't seem to be aware of anything around him. Slowly his eyes opened again and he let out a heavy breath.

"Martin you gotta snap out of it," Diana slowly lifted her brother into a sitting position. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fainted against his sister, his head falling forward leaning againt her shoulder. Gerad quickly called one of the staff to prepare a room that just the right temperature and with help, moved Martin to it. Martin was surround with blankets and had an ice pack on his head. He would groan every now and then but showed no signs of waking up.

Diana, on the insistance of her father, had gone outside to relax for a few moments. Her mind had gone into it's own little world. She broke out of her thought quickly though when she heard her father call to her. She rushed inside the house and found him standing there with a cup of hot cider. She took it gratefully and drank some.

Hours passed, leaving the family in a state of worry. Martin hadn't grown better, his fever slowly continued to rise leaving both father and daughter to become more tense. Gerad entered his sons room and watched as the blonde boy slept. He was ghost white and his hair was damp with sweat. Geard brushed it out and moved some to the side. A groan from his son made him jump and grip Martin's hand. Slowly dull golden brown eyes opened.

"Sorry..." Martin croaked out and looked at his father, "I didn't mean to ruin the trip..."

"It's not your fault. You're not feeling well, that's allowed." Martin pulled on his fathers wrist. "What's wrong?" his sons eyes had gone very glassy and he was looking a bit green. The man quickly pulled up the bucket and Martin emptied the contents of his stomache into it. Martin closed his eyes again, breathing deeply trying to gain back some air into his lungs. Gerad rubbed Martin's back for a few moments and helped him sit up against the headboard of the bed.

"Dad..." Gerad looked up, "I don't feel so good." Martin fell foreward. A red stain started to soak the sheets. Gerad pulled Martin up, a thin trail of blood was making it's way down the pale teens chin. He called out to Diana who ran inside.

"Call 911." He told her calmly. She did and he took the phone. "Yes. My son needs an ambulance now. He's got blood running down his mouth and he's running a fever. Yes the adress is-" Diana had tuned out by then. She craddled Martin's head in her lap as he struggled to breath.

"Come on. Come on." A stretcher soon came into the room and the paramedics put Martin onto it. Diana rode in the ambulance while her father followed behind. She watched the men in the ambulance work quickly, hooking her brother up to all kinds of machines to keep him alive. The oxygen mask had to be the worst part to see for her. She watched as it helped him to breathe.

By the time they were at the hospital Martin was pushed into the OR leaving Diana and her father to worry a great deal. The doors opened three hours later but the doctor didn't look at all happy. Diana felt tears gather at her eyes.

"There's good news," the docter said stepping out of the operating room, "We stopped the bleeding." Diana looked up, confused, "You see he was moving around so much that it caused him some internal bleeding. He's stable right now but there is still a chance that he might not-"

"Are you saying there is still a chance that he might-"

"Die?" Gerad finsihed.

"I didn't say that. There might be reprecussions though. It seems we didn't notice before but a piece of the bullet lodged into his spine. If it's not taken out it'll poison his blood." Geard pushed his hands together and bent his head. "The surgery has a 50 chance of working but if it shouldn't...your sons ability to walk will no longer exsist." Diana frowned at this.

"If we leave the bullet in?"

"Your son could die."

"So, there's no other way?"

"Well there is one way, but that's a really really really good mirical." The doctor laughed for a moment.

"Do not mock me."

"I don't see why I shouldn't. Frankly, your quite easy to mock." The doctor walked up to Gerad, "You see, I am a doctor, one of the best in the country. You're son killed my brother. I don't appriciate that." Gerad to turned to his daughter.

"Run," he whispered to her.

"But-"

"Do as I say." Diana ran toward Martin and grabbed his U-Watch. She called for back up and shook Martin to try and wake him up. Meanwhile, out side was a little busy.

"So, were you telling us the truth when you said that there was a shard of bullet in his spine." The doctor didn't reply and pulled a gun out of his coat.

"Did you think that Martin was shot on accident?" Gerad's eyes grew wide, "Did you think that it was all for nothing?" the doctor laughed, "No. You're son was supposed to die." The man's smirk faded and turned into a frown, "But no. The little whelp had to survive didn't he? Always the good centre agent. Always the one to get the praise. Always the one who gets away with most things. No, not me. Not my brother and he was a damn good agent until he gained that naughty habbit of chasing every girl with a skirt. Too bad but he did fulfill his purpose to some degree. He got that nasty little agent out of the way."

"You planned my sons death?" the blonde man stood, "Why would you even consider that? Didn't you work hard enough to get at the post he was at?"

"Me, I've never had to work for anything my entire life. I've had it all but when that little pest came...well I'm not that top notch anymore, am I?" The man stiffened in anger and pointed the gun at Martin's father. "You see, he ruined it all. Everything I didn't do, everything I didn't work for. It was all ruined in one shot. That clumsy little bastard deserves this. He doesn't deserve to live." The man waved the gun around, "How fitting. Again he'll die at gun shot. This time though I'll make sure he stays dead."

"You won't be touching a hair on my sons head." Gerad growled preparing to charge at the man. The doctor laughed and snapped his fingers. Three nurses came out, one held Diana's arms behind her back and the others had Martin's stretcher wheeled out.

"Docter.The.Paitent.Is.Ready."

"Ah...you have got to love the art of mind control. It's so rewarding." He loaded the gun and aimed it at Martin's heart, "He'll be awake soon, the drugs will wear off soon." Martin groaned and winced in pain. "You see, as much as I love helping people, he's not one of them. Surgery is intresting when you still feel pain when it's going on...doesn't it blondy." Martin opened his eyes wide and screamed in agony as the man touched the area where the stitches were bandaged. "I love that sound." Diana squirmed in the nurses grip but it proved to be no use. "There's no point in struggling girl. I know I'm going to prison after this but it's all worth just to see your brother squirm."

"Leave him alone!"

"Sorry little girl, but today just isn't his day." The insane smile on his face grew and he pointed the gun at Martin's head. "It seems to be mine though. My trigger finger is just itching to go." Diana squirmed harder but the nurse was vrey strong for someone so lean.

"Let me go!" she screamed but the nurse covered her mouth. Diana bit her, forcing the nurse to let go and knocked the man away from her brother. Gerad kicked the gun away from the mans hand and down a deserted hallway. Gerad assumed everyone ran when they saw the gun. He sighed and picked the man up by the collar.

"You ever think of hurting my son or daughter again and I will personally be the one to kill you. You do not mess with a parents kids...got it?" The man smirked and punched Gerad forcing him to let go. He ran for the gun and managed to grab it. The doctor made a swift turn and pointed the gun at Martin again. Two of the nurses had disappeared, seeming to have fallen out of their trance. The third nurse, also out of hers, was checking on Martin.

"He's in trouble. If we don't get him calmed down he could go into shock." Diana nodded and took his hand.

"You gotta stay calm." Martin looked at her then at the gun. "I know it's scary and I know your scared but you gotta stay calm." Martin took a couple deep breathes and closed his eyes.

"He's calming down but not enough."

"SHUT UP! Let him die. He's going to die today and there's nothing you can do!" The nurse frowned and watched the blonde on the stretcher.

"Calm down, everything will be fine." Martin's breathing was becoming faster and more paniked. The nurse was about to go get an oxygen mask for him but a bullet was fired at her feet. "Well I never!"

"How come...your not...scared?"

"My father used to take me hunting. I've had a few accidents in my time." She turned to the man, "I need to get him something to help him breathe easier." The nurse dodged another bullet (1) and came back out with an oxygen tank. The mask was slipped onto Martin's mouth and nose. Diana helped to keep him calm. The doctor's hand with the gun in it was shaking. Martin had his eyes closed tight (2) and tried to forget the gun was there.

"Now I'm angry. You won't like me when I'm ANGRY!" The gun in his hands fired...

I figured I should put a nice little plot twist in the story and to tell the truth I didn't even know it would lead to that.

(1) That is one brave and crazy nurse.

(2) I know Martin is brave but if you were being shot at again with a gun after a short period...I know I would be really scared. The nurse, she's a little crazy but she's smart!