Hi guys. Time for a brand new chapter of NCE! Here is where we see the aftermath of Rudy's sacrifice to Russell. And how both of them are feeling about everything that's happened lately. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 8: Reconcile
Russell couldn't believe it.
Rudy... saved his life.
After all that's happened.
He actually... saved his life.
All the boy could do was stare at Rudy, who was groaning in pain from the knife that was in his side. As for the tough teen, he smirked, "Well, that's one of your losers down. You're next, squirt."
"No! Leave me alone! I don't have any money!" Russell whimpered.
"Not now. But unless you help me find some cash, you're gonna join your friend here..."
Before the thug could make another move... they both heard sirens, and soon enough, police cars had surrounded the alley. Russell sighed in relief. He had to thank whoever called the cops.
In a flash, the tough teen was handcuffed and led to one of the police cars, as one officer walked over to the two boys, "Everything okay?" He asked.
Russell shook his head, "No. We were attacked. Rudy's been stabbed. He needs help."
"Don't worry, son. We have an ambulance and paramedics on the way. Until they come, don't move your friend. Keep him where he is..."
As for Rudy, he groaned and looked up at the officer, "I think I'm dying..." He moaned.
"You're gonna be fine, son." The officer assured him, "Help is on the way."
"Russell!"
The small boy turned to see his brother and friends running towards him. Bill got down on his knees to hug Russell, "Are you okay? What hap- Rudy!" He gasped at the sight of Rudy bleeding out, as did the others.
"Some tough guy tried to rob us... and he was going to stab me... but Rudy got in the way... he saved me..." Russell explained.
This shocked the other boys a whole lot. Rudy... actually saved Russell? After everything he did to scare and hurt the poor child? He actually risked getting stabbed just to keep Russell safe. Albert couldn't help but smile, "Hey, hey, hey..."
"I can't believe it..." Bucky said.
"Meb neither." Mushmouth nodded.
"Rudy was actually thinking of someone else other than himself for once..." Harold added.
"Maybe he's not gonna kill us after all." Donald smiled.
As for Rudy, he looked at his friends with great regret, "If I don't make it... I wanna let you know that... I'm... sorry..." He coughed violently, hacking up blood in the process, which made the gang cringe a bit. Fortunately, the ambulance came, and the paramedics went to work to help Rudy.
Soon, he was taken to the hospital, along with Russell (whose nose was broken). Both his parents and Rudy's mother were notified of the incident, and they rushed to the aid of the children as quickly as possible. With the rest of the boys, they soon found themselves in the waiting room about two hours later, awaiting news on their friends. Albert's parents sat with them, along with Mr. and Mrs. Cosby, and Mrs. Davis.
"So... Rudy actually protected little Russell?" Mrs. Davis asked, chuckling to himself, "My baby... a hero. Maybe there is hope."
"And to think all he's been doing is hurting my babies." Mrs. Cosby replied.
"Let's hope Rudolph makes it through. Russell should be fine." Mr. Cosby assured his wife.
"Perhaps our own friends are angels." Mr. Robertson added, with his wife agreeing.
As for the boys, they were engaged in their own conversation, "I still can't believe Rudy actually did something good." Harold whispered. Bucky nodded, "Yeah. He actually risked his life for someone."
"It wouldn't be the first time..." Albert spoke up, "Remember when he pulled a prank and put Mudfoot in the hospital. He got a job in the scrapyard to help pay the bills, even though he was working in a dangerous area. You see, Rudy may be a jerk most of the time, but he does have a heart."
The gang couldn't argue with that. They were just glad that Rudy seemed to see the error of his ways.
After another minute of sitting and waiting, a doctor came out, with Russell in tow. The boy had a splint on his nose, "Are the parents of Rudolph Davis here?" The doctor asked.
Said parents, er, parent, stood up, "Yes, that's me. I'm his mother. Is Rudy alright?" She asked.
The doctor smiled, "He's stable. We were able to extract the knife and stitch the wound up. Rudolph lost a lot of blood, but we were able to save him in time. He's a little drowsy, but you're welcome to come see him. He's in Room 312. But a few at the time."
"Thank heavens..."
With that, Mrs. Davis followed him to said room. As for Russell, he was busy hugging his parents, "Oh Russell, darling. We're so glad you're alright..." Mrs. Cosby kissed her youngest on the cheek.
"I'm glad too... and I'm glad that Rudy's gonna be okay." The boy replied with a smile.
"I guess he finally realized what he's been doing..." Bill replied.
"Then I guess that means that things are finally going to go back to normal," Albert added.
Soon enough, the boys got to head to the back to see their friend. Entering the room, they saw Rudy lying in his hospital bed, an IV in his right hand which was pumping blood into his system. His mother sat beside him, "Hey dudes..." He greeted.
"Hey, hey, hey. You feeling okay?" Albert asked.
The rich boy winced a bit as he sat up a little, "Well, my side is completely sore, I feel tired, I feel numb. But other than that, I feel great!" He gave a thumbs up.
The others just grinned at the obvious sarcasm. This was the Rudy they all knew and... well, maybe not loved... but they were glad to have this Rudy back anyways, "Good to see that you haven't changed..." Russell chuckled.
Rudy was too tired to get angry at that remark. All he did was smile, "Yeah.. well, I guess while you're all here, I should be able to see what I wanna say... I'm sorry... to all of you. For scaring you. For getting mad. For hurting you..." He turned to his mother, "And Mom... I'm sorry for scaring you too..."
Mrs. Davis smiled and gave her son a kiss.
"We forgive you, Rudy," Albert said with a smile, the others echoing the forgiveness.
Bill smiled a little, "Well... even though you beat my brother to a near pulp... I guess I can forgive you too... but that doesn't mean I'll ever forget what happened, though."
"That goes double for me," Russell added.
Rudy chuckled, "Yeah. I sure won't forget." But speaking of Russell, "Hey, Mom. Guys... I wanna talk to Russell privately. So can you all, well, leave the room for a moment?"
The boys looked at one another, slightly cautious. But nodded and left, along with Mrs. Davis. Russell was confused. Why did Rudy wanna talk to him alone? He didn't want to attack him again, did he? It's not like he could in his condition. As soon as the door closed, Rudy beckoned the boy forth, "Don't worry, Russell. I'm not gonna hurt you. C'mere..."
Russell took a few breaths, before walking over to Rudy's bed. When he was standing by the rich boy's sigh, "What do you wanna talk about?"
Rudy smiled a little as... tears welled up in his eyes?
"Russell... I just wanna say that I'm really sorry for all the suffering I put you through. I let my anger get the best of me... and I just snapped. I know you didn't mean any harm in your 'no class ever' comment. And frankly, I deserve to be called 'no class' after what I did. And not only did I end up scaring you, but the rest of the cats too. So... I won't be surprised if you decide not to trust me ever again."
"Since when have I ever trusted you before?" Russell asked smugly.
"You know what I mean. The point is..." Rudy sighed, "I can't tell you how sorry I am... and I hope you'll forgive me. From now on, I think it's time we start trying to get along better. What do ya say, kid?"
The small boy just stared at him for a few moments, before smiling, "Well... I guess since you're sincere about it, I forgive you. But... it's gonna take a while before I can really get over this. So don't be surprised if I... well, avoid you sometimes in the near future."
"I totally understand, Russell..."
With that, he leaned in to pick up Russell, and the two shared a tender hug, "Rudy... thank you... for saving my life back there... if it weren't for you, I'd be dead." The younger child whispered.
Rudy blushed, "Aw... after everything that happened, I couldn't let that happen."
"You know... you're like a school on a Monday."
"School on a Monday...?"
"You have class..."
That was the sentence that made Rudy's tears fall, but they were tears of joy, "I never thought I'd hear that. I can't believe my ears. You're saying that I actually have class... and you actually mean it! The shrimp actually says that I have class! It's a miracle."
Russell then rolled his eyes, "You know what. I take it back. You're like a school on Thanksgiving. No class!"
"Why you little-"
The boy made a run for it as Rudy tried to make a grab for him. Big mistakes, as the second Rudy tried to jump out of his bed, he doubled over in pain, holding his side and gasping to see blood seeping through his hospital gown, "I think I popped a stitch.." He winced, reaching over to the table beside him to press the help button, "Nurse!"
Russell couldn't help but smile. Albert was right, things really did seem to be going back to normal.
Aww. That was a sweet moment those two had together. Of course, it ends with some classic comedy between them, and Rudy's gonna need some assistance. Next chapter will be the last, and there will be a bit of a time skip to see how everyone's doing after the events of this story. Until then, I'll see you guys later. And don't forget to review, please. Thank you.