Everything hurt.
He wasn't going to deny that.
The second his dark eyes began to open, he felt the deep pain within his body.
Tyler sat up in the bed he was in, seeing tubes with blood hanging on a rail next to him, and he slowly looked down at his hand, seeing a needle had been pressed into his skin.
He slowly blinked his eyes, trying to get comfortable.
Then he felt eyes looking at him from away and tiredly turned his view, locking eyes with her.
Mei Mei.
"Mei...?" He asked, and tried to sit up better, but bit his lip in dire pain as he felt like there was a stabbing in his stomach.
"Yes, Tyler..." She said, tears in her eyes as she pulled her chair closer to his side and held his free hand that had no needle injected into it, "It's me."
"Where..." He began to ask, looking around the room with still half blurred vision as he was not fully awake yet, "Where am I?"
"The hospital..."
He tensed when he heard his mother's voice. He slowly began to turn his gaze over to her who was sitting away, his dad standing beside her chair and Tyler gulped. He was so worried he was in trouble.
"I'm sorry..."
It was not him who said this though. It was his mother.
Tyler blinked his eyes confused and uttered out lost, "Wha...?"
She closed her eyes, a teardrop slipping down her cheek and she slowly stood up, walking over to him to hold his hand – but he flinched away.
His mother stopped in that instance, looking at him with sorrow and he said to her. The only thing he could say.
"I'm sorry too..."
She nodded her head, listening to his words with as much understanding as she could muster.
"Because I want you to leave."
She felt her heart nearly strangle itself in pain the second her son said that to her.
"...what?" She whispered.
"Leave." He made clear.
His heart was in so much fear inside, his beating abrupt and irregular with that woman so close to his side.
She slowly stood up straight, removing her touch, and closed her eyes as she made a strong swallow. She nodded her head and walked out of his room.
Tyler caught his father's glance, but Tyler remained still and strong. The man took a worried step back, before rushing out in pursuit of his wife.
Mei's mouth had dropped open as she witnessed this scene and she felt Tyler squeeze her hand tightly.
"It hurts so much..." He said and she nodded with tears in her eyes, as she whispered to him, as softly as she could.
"I know... I know..."
"Not my wound... but my heart..."
Mei's eyes opened wider when he said this and Tyler just tucked more into the blankets as he whispered.
"They... hurt me inside."
"But Tyler-"
"You don't know them, Mei," Is all he responded with and she bit her lip, looking at him, trying to understand. A part of her did sadly... for she had seen his mother's actions. But surely, she could change?
"It hurts..." He continued, looking through his light hospital gown to where his mid-drift was. He looked in horror when he saw he had been stitched up where the bullet had pierced him.
"I feel... weird..." He said, feeling dizzy inside and Mei squeezed his hand in support.
"The doctor..." She began to say, her tone going more cautious in volume as she tried to keep a calm strong face, "He said... they didn't have enough of your blood type to save you."
Tyler blinked his eyes opened wide and looked quickly over to the plastic bag of blood that hang beside him. He was utterly confused and Mei held his hand tightly again as she continued.
"I... I donated..."
He looked at her shocked as she showed her other arm, pulling back her jumper sleeve and showing a bandade had been placed where the needle had taken her blood.
"Why?" Tyler peeped, not thinking he deserved this act of kindness.
"Because," Mei began, tears forming in her eyes as she said to him with a breaking voice, "I-I love you!"
His heart literally skipped a beat when she said this.
How could she love him...? He had caused her so much pain.
"T-Tyler,"
He knew he didn't deserve this... he didn't deserve her and he didn't deserve her blood.
"P-please,"
He blinked, coming out of his thoughts, and looked at her, as she locked her teary eyes on his.
"Thank you," He said, and closed his eyes, laying back on his pillow and swallowing down his pain, "Thank you..."
"For what?"
"For loving me nearly as much as I love you."
"You saved my life, Tyler," Mei continued, tears soaking her face and he smiled weakly, laughing this off, but she didn't care as she continued, "You took a bullet for me!"
"And you SAVED ME." He responded, looking at her with so much love it honestly hurt inside, "You gave me your blood. You... you are in me now. You're... you're incredible."
Mei huffed out a weak laugh, wiping her tears away with the back of her hands.
"I had to," Mei said, still crying but smiling at the same time, "I couldn't lose the first boy I had ever loved."
"I'm the first?" He asked, feeling hopeful but giddy inside at her words.
"Yes!" She said with a breaking smile and she squeezed his hand again, trying to get this message through to him. But he leaned forward and hugged her close, Mei falling into the embrace as if this is where she was meant to be.
With him and no one else at that moment... in love with the one who saved her... the one who needed her as much as she needed him.
They let go of one another, their foreheads leaning against the other's gently.
"I hurt her so bad..." Tyler then continued and Mei opened her eyes to see his sad pained ones again, "My mother... I was just scared..."
"Tyler?" Mei asked.
"Of her..."
Mei nodded her head, understanding his pain and fear.
"I'll go get her," She finally said to him and he seized up at her words.
"-but,"
"Trust me," She said, and he froze, really trying to understand what she was requesting.
"O-okay," He said with a worried voice, his heart beating steadily as he tried to calm himself once more.
She left the room and went into the hospital hallway in search of Tyler's parents.
And she saw them down the hall, his mother sitting down and weeping heavily. Her husband stood by her side, his hand on her shoulder, but he too was also filled with sorrow.
She didn't know if she could go up to this woman and lead her back to her son. Mei just didn't know.
The woman was heartbroken... and this would not be an easy fix. But Mei took in a deep breath and approached them, uttering.
"Ma'am,"
The woman shot up into a straight position the second she heard Mei's voice.
"He needs to see you now."
"B-but," The woman cried, pointing at herself as she continued, "I'M A MONSTER."
Mei just stood still as the woman began to howl in tears.
"I am the MONSTER!"
"No... you're not," Mei said, trying to show the truth but not lie, "You just need to open your eyes and KNOW your son."
Tyler's father stepped away from his wife and towards Tyler's room.
"I-I want to know him..." He said in a soft yearning voice, "I know I do."
"And you?" Mei asked his mother as she stiffened right up, before nodding her head as hard as she could and she got to her feet.
"Yes... if he still wants to k-know me in return..."
Mei smiled with tears in her eyes and began to walk back to the room.
But before they entered, Tyler could sense their approach and his heart began to beat erratically again.
As the door began to open and he saw his parents were behind it, he couldn't take the stress anymore.
And then-
POOF!
Pink clouds of smoke went everywhere and the three came in, waving the smoke away till it cleared.
Mei and his parents just gasped.
There, right before them was a red panda.
Except... it wasn't a red panda... no, he was BLUE!?
Tyler sat on the bed, panting heavily as he looked down at his blue furry belly and then quickly up at his parents and the girl he loved.
"I-I'm a... I'm a..." he said not knowing what to say.
Mei closed her eyes, thinking he'd call himself a monster. Like she was.
But he didn't say that. No. He shouted in amazement as the bed creaked underneath with his new heavy weight.
"I'm ADORABLE!"
The alarms suddenly went off and nurses and doctors ran into the room to see what had happened.
"What is that?" One doctor yelled, and Tyler's mother stood before him, blocking her son from any attack as she said with certain words.
"He's MY SON."
She turned to look at him, and he watched her, his soul afraid.
"And I'm PROUD of him."
Tyler gave a weak smile, and suddenly he poofed again back into his normal boy self again.
"How did this happen?" One of the doctors dared to ask, but Mei and Tyler already had realized how it had.
"Blood..." The two said at once and smiled awkwardly at each other.
The hospital staff looked dumbstruck and quickly decided to do some tests to see why Mei's blood was having this effect on him.
"But why blue?" Mei asked Tyler with a worried voice and he smirked as he answered with the simple knowledge he had.
"Cos' I'm a boy..."
"Not only that..." Mei continued and pointed at his hair. Tyler froze, and she brought over a mirror that was on the desk nearby. He looked into it, and nearly gasped in horror when he saw his new blue hair.
You'd think a person like Tyler would scream at the sight, but he only grinned and said with a happy laugh.
"COOL!"
Mei chuckled too, but he suddenly groaned as his midsection wasn't yet healed. But he just felt so happy inside that he couldn't help but smile, even with the pain.
"So how do you feel now...?" Mei asked him daringly and he closed his eyes, a weak smile on his mouth.
"I feel you..."
She smiled back at him with deep joy.
"I feel you."
