Uwu
"Rock?... Hey… Rocky… c'mon, wake up, won't you?"
Terry sighed an bowed his head. He held Rock's limp hand in his own and watched the boy as he slept. He appeared healthy and robust, but even after several hours, failed to awaken. The nurses had insisted Rock just needed rest, but the longer the boy remained unconscious, the more worried Terry became.
Iori already woke up ages ago… why is Rock still like this? Urgh…
It'd been about half a day since everyone was rushed from the emergency helicopter into the bowels of Kagura Pharmaceuticals main headquarters and primary treatment facility. In a flurry of activity - most of which Terry remained oblivious to - The two victims of this sci-fi body swap were whisked away on gurneys and had their… brains zapped?
Something like that… probably...
In any case, the doctors had insisted of the operation had succeeded. Rock should be back in this body… So why hasn't he woken up?
"Rocky… are you in there? You're not… gone… are you?"
Had something gone wrong? Chizuru had hit him with some nonsense about experimental soul transfer and made him sign a disclosure document. The situation was so urgent that Terry didn't bother to question her. Only now was he regretting it. What were the risks? What were the dangers? Was it possible that Rock's soul (as crazy as it sounded) had evaporated in the process of this experimental procedure? Was he… gone? Disappeared? Dead?
No…
Terry, despairing, squeezed the limp hand once again. He raised it up, and clasped it in his own, pressing it against his lips and squeezing his eyes shut to pray… to who? Terry didn't know. There was nothing else he could do. He begged the abyss for his son's life.
"Ohh… Rocky."
He sighed and tried to hold down the grief. It was already late evening in Tokyo. The window was cracked open very slightly, letting the cold, crisp autumn air seep in. Terry took a deep breath and forcefully encouraged himself. It's okay. It's okay. Rock's just tired. He'll wake up any time now… right?
Right?
Terry gritted his teeth and looked over his son's unmoving form. He was breathing, but that was it. He didn't move. Neither did his eyes move beneath his eyelids. Aside from the faint rise and fall of his chest, he was still as death.
… Is he… in a coma?
Had Chizuru done something? Had the doctors screwed this up? Did they just expect him to thank them for trying, an walk away peacefullyif Rock was indeed dead?! Ridiculous! I'll-
"Ughh, ow… Ouch!...owww..."
Startled, Terry jolted upright and let go. He hadn't realized how tightly he was gripping Rock's hand until the boy awakened to complain. He was frozen in shock and simply stared as Rock bolted upright and massaged his knuckles, bleary and annoyed. The boy blinked once and frowned, as if confused and trying to recall where he was. He looked up to meet Terry's eyes.
A moments pause.
And Rock cried out.
"Dad? Dad?!"
All of Terry's dark thoughts vanished at the sound of his son's voice. The heaviness burdening his heart dropped away, and he was filled with relief. Something mysterious make his cheeks wet as he stood from his chair, and grinned until his face hurt.
"...was never getting out of there... and it was all dark, and (snorfle) it hurt really bad, and…"
Rock had begun trying to cry and talk at the same time, and Terry didn't catch a single word he babbled out. The boy had scrambled from beneath the blankets and almost fell off the narrow hospital bed in his haste to throw himself at his father.
"Daad..." *thud* "urmph…(sniffle)... Dad!"
Terry was eager to recieve him, and hugged Rock tightly against himself. Rock had thrown his arms about his father's neck and was producing waterworks down the front of Terry's shirt. Tears. Snot. Probably spit, because he had continued talking. Terry chuckled rested his cheek on the top of the boy's head and patted his hair.
"Ohh… oh, Rocky. I'm glad to have you back… you had me worried sick."
Rock managed to choke out a barely understandable response between sobs.
"I'm… Dad… I'm back… I'm back Dad… I'm back..."
Time to spill beans...