Here we are again, with another new chapter!
MC: But this one may be a pretty sad one.
Yeah, so if you have tissues, you may need them. So... enjoy.
MC: And remember, we own NOTHING. Except for our OCs.
Chapter 2: Cory's sick
Later that night, Jake heard the phone ringing. He went to go answer it, as he picked it up, hearing a motherly tone on the other line. It was Mei, Cory's mother. "Oh hi Mei, what's up?"
Jake listened to what she had to say, and as he did, his expression turned from happy... to shock, "Oh no..."
He continued to listen to her talk, as his expression began more and more sad and worried, "Okay.. thank you for telling me.. I'll be sure to let Kari know."
That's when Mei said something else... about bringing Kari to her house, so they can tell all of Cory's friends together... Jake was a little shocked by that, "You sure about that?"
He had gotten an approval, as he nodded, "Alright then."
With that, he hung up the phone and sighed with worry.
The next day, Kari woke up with a smile as she looked on her counter to get something. It was a picture she has drawn for Cory, as a Thanksgiving gift. She couldn't wait to give it to him, but she decided to wait until the Thanksgiving dinner. As she walked out of her room, she was about to head down the stairs as she heard her parents talking.
"How are we suppose to tell her? She'll be so heartbroken." She heard her mother say.
"I understand, but there's just no other way. We're gonna have to tell her the best way we can." Her father replied.
Kari was confused. What were they talking about? She didn't know, but she had a feeling that it wasn't going to be a good thing, as she slowly walked downstairs, "Mom... Daddy... is everything okay?" She asked.
Her mother looked like she was about to burst into tears, but spoke nonetheless, "Baby... uh, get a bath and get dressed. We're going to your friend Cory's house... there's something we need to talk about."
"What is it?" Kari asked as her father answered.
"It's about your friend Cory."
"What about Cory? What's wrong?"
Kari was getting more frantic. What was going on with Cory? What was wrong?"
"We'll tell you... when we get to his house, honey." Izzy said.
The nine year old pouted a little. She hated when these type of things were kept from her. But nevertheless, she did as told as she took a quick bath, got dressed, and ate breakfast. Soon enough, the family was on their way to Cory's house.
Since Cory and his family were Chinese, their residence was designed to look more like a home in China, and it was located on top of a hill in the suburban part of Los Angeles. As soon as they got there, Jake took Kari's hand as he looked at her, and saw the look of concern on her face. He squeezed her hand softly as they walked towards the door.
Jake knocked on it, as Mei answered it with a smile, "Oh, thanks for coming..."
The family walked in the house, as Kari notice that her friends and their parents were here to. But... where was Cory? Kari sat down on the couch next to Alexa, "What's going on?" She whispered.
"I don't know..." Alexa answered.
"I'm glad you all came in concern for my son." Mei said. "Your parents know why we're here... but you younglings don't... yet..." She took a deep breath, as she continued to speak, "You see... Cory... went to the hospital last night... he's very sick."
As for the kids reactions... they seemed to understand, "Oh..." Kari said.
"He's sick..." Tony added.
"We hope he get's better.." Robyn also added.
"You gathered us all here to tell us that?" Kevin asked out of annoyance, earning a stern look from his mother.
The parents all looked at one another. They were even more worried and saddened that their children didn't understand what Mei meant. Jake sighed as he put a hand on Kari's shoulder, "Kari.. There's more to this than you know."
"I know, Daddy. Cory's just sick. He was coughing a lot yesterday, and will be in the hospital for a while. He'll get better... right?"
"Oh god..." Izzy whispered, covering her face. Jake sighed again as he tried to explain it once again, "What I mean is, this is very serious. He might not make it."
At the mention of those words, Kari only focused on four of them.
Might... not... make... it...
The others were as equally shocked, "Might not make it?" Kirana asked as she turned to her mother, Tashina, "Mom, what does he mean?"
"He means... Cory may die from this sickness." Tashina told her.
"You see, kids... Cory has some sort of terminal illness." Tony and Robyn's father, Tony Sr. told the twins, much to their shock, "What's a terminal illness, Daddy?" Robyn asked.
"He's gonna die?" Tony asked as well.
"But he's gonna get better, right?" Kevin asked.
"Yeah! I mean, it can't be that serious... right?!" Alexa asked frantically.
Bob sighed, "I'm afraid it's very serious, princess..."
Kari started to breath heavily as she looked at her parents, "But he HAS to get better. That's what hospitals are for! They make people get better! Daddy..." Jake squeezed her shoulder softly as he spoke again, "Kari. There are some times when even the hospital can't even help. So I'm just not sure."
"NO!" She shouted as tears started to fall, "Cory can't die! Cory can't DIE!"
With that, she began to sob hysterically in her father's arms, and all Jake could do was try to comfort her the best he could. As for the other kids, they didn't know what to think. Part of them were sure that Cory was going to be okay, but another part told them... that he wouldn't.
Mei watched this scene unfold with great sadness, she wished that she didn't have to tell them, but she had no other way of working through this. They had to know, "I'm sorry this had to be said this way... but, if it will make you all feel better, we can go visit Cory at the hospital."
However, to the sudden shock of everyone in the room, Kari let out a great big, "NO!", ripped from her father's grip, and ran out of the house. "Kari, WAIT! Come back!" Jake called, running after her.
But as soon as he got outside, Kari was nowhere to be seen. Now Jake was very concerned, who would have guessed she would take this news very hard. That's when he remembered that Cory was Kari's BEST friend, and they had been super close ever since Kari became free from that tyrant, It all makes sense now. Jake began to look around for his daughter, until he noticed someone sitting in the garden on a stone bench, looking at the small lake.
It was Kari, and it looked like she was sobbing hard. It broke Jake's heart to see his little girl like this, so he sat down beside her, putting a hand on her shoulder, "I can tell you're taking this very hard. Aren't you Kari?"
The nine year old looked up tearfully at her father, "Why does this have to happen, Daddy? Why does Cory have to get sick? Why does he have to die...? She asked, "This is suppose to be a happy time..."
"I know this is hard for you, but believe me. I feel just as horrible about this as you do."
"Why... you're not the one who's about to lose a best friend..."
"Actually.."
Jake sighed as he looked at his daughter, telling her something, "I know how it feels. There was a friend of mine I knew of named Tori who lost her daughter Skylar, and believe me it was so emotional to her."
"What happened to Skylar...?"
Jake just remained silent, and Kari understood just how hard it was for him, "Daddy... is it okay... if we go home... I can't visit Cory today..."
The child sighed as her father picked her up, "I understand.."
With that, the two went home while Izzy accompanied the others to the hospital. There, Jake sat his daughter in bed to let her get some rest, once doing so, Kari decided to go to sleep, but couldn't. She looked over to see the picture she drew for Cory. Blowing a kiss to it, she began to lie down.
Suddenly... she heard laughter.
That immediately startles her as she rose up from her bed, "Um... who goes there?" She asked.
That's when she heard a voice... that sounded all too familiar. "Hello Kari.."
"Who are you? Daddy..." She whimpered, looking around. That's when she saw a figure standing by her bed... when she got a closer look, it clicked on who it was... and she was horrified, "No..."
And there was a reason she was horrified for someone that was in front of her almost looked similar to her father, only his name was Blake.
"That's right.. It's me.. Blake. Your dad's most hated rival." He replied with an evil grin on his face.
Kari quickly squealed as she hid under the covers, trying to hide from this menacing former dark pirate. But she could still hear him as he spoke to her.
"I heard that your little friend may die from a fatal disease, and I for one am looking forward to seeing him die from it." He replied, as Kari felt shocked hearing that as Blake continued.
"Let's face it, you've only known him for at least a year or two, and now look at him. He's laying on his death bed with a sickness you practically gave him."
"What...?" Kari asked, coming out from under the covers.
"You heard me. You practically caused Cory to end up in this state."
"What do you mean I caused Cory to be like this? What did I do?"
Blake chuckled as he walked closer to the child, "Remember the time you had that child sickness on Valentine's day?" Kari was confused, until she remembered. She was indeed sick on Valentine's Day with the flu.
"It was the same day your friend Cory visited you, and you two were so caught into your love. It led to your first true kiss.." Blake explained to her.
She then remembered that as well, but it was merely a kiss on the cheek she gave to him, as an act of friendship. "That kiss didn't mean anything. It was just a small peck!" She protested.
"True. But that was when you were still sick, and what you failed to notice was that your sickness was highly contagious. And when you pecked him on the cheek."
She gasped with shock... was it true? Did her illness cause Cory's illness? "No..."
"I'm afraid for once, I am telling you the honest truth. It is because of you and that kiss that has placed Cory in this position."
"No! It's not true! If it was, Cory would have gotten sick a long time ago!"
"Have a look and see for yourself, though it was slow. The virus infected from the kiss you gave him slowly consumed his body for months before it took full effect."
Kari tried to not listen to this, "I don't believe it! Daddy!" Suddenly, the former pirate aimed his desert eagle gun at her, "Unless you want a bullet through your skull, you'll keep your mouth shut."
But Kari's scream came too soon, as Jake came into the room, shocked and outraged to see his rival, "You! I thought I told you to never stick your nose into our business ever again!" Jake yelled at Blake with rage.
But Blake just chuckled at Jake as he replied, "Oh come on now, you know as well as I do that I never keep my words that you tell me to keep, plus I had a reason to come here."
"What do you mean..?" Jake asked, keeping his glare onto Blake.
"I mean I know about Cory's dilemma and I knew what caused the start of it. And I was telling your little girl Kari all about how it was all her fault since she was the main cause of this."
Kari was close to hiding under the covers again, as Jake growled, "And I'm telling the truth this time, ask Kari. She'll tell you herself."
Jake then looked over to his daughter, as she hid under the covers once again. But he walked over to pull the covers off of her, "Kari. Is Blake true? Were you the one that caused Cory to be in this state?"
The child looked up at her father, as tears fell, "Remember when I was sick on Valentine's Day...?" She asked. Jake nodded as she continued, "Well... when Cory came to visit me... I was so grateful for him... that I gave him a kiss."
"You what?!"
"It was a small kiss! Just a peck. It didn't mean anything."
"But you were still sick at that time?! You knew that you were contagious!"
Kari looked down in embarrassment, blushing deeply. Blake laughed cruelly, "I told you I wasn't lying for once."
The former villain pirate then reached into his pocket, and pulled out... a needle. Jake saw that and held Kari close, "What are you doing with that?" Blake chuckled as he aimed the needle close to Kari's arm, as she whimpered in fear, "Stop!" Jake warned, reaching for something nearby.
He grabbed a lamp and smacked attempted to smack Blake over the head with it. But the villain grabbed it, and ended up doing that to Jake, "Daddy!" Kari shrieked as Blake grabbed her arm, and jabs the needle into her arm and injects the liquid.
But before the liquid could even end up going into her arm, Jake jumps up and punches the villain in the face, pointing his pirate pistol at him, while at the same time, grabbing the needle from Blake. "Game's over Blake. Now leave us alone!"
The villain smirked as he got up, and backed away, "No problem. I've already done what I came here to do. So I'll get going."
With that, Blake left the room, as Jake shut the door. He sighed as he turned towards Kari, "Are you okay?" He asked. The nine year old nodded as her father sat down beside her on the bed, "But I need to know this?! You knew you were contagious when you were sick. Yet you go and give Cory a little kiss. Why?"
"I just wanted to show Cory what a good friend he was... I wanted to show my compassion for him... it was just a small peck, I didn't know it was gonna make him sick..." Kari felt tears falling again.
But surprisingly, Jake got a bit angry. "Well I hope it was worth it. Cause you practically ended up setting Cory's fate with possible death."
Kari was shocked, never had she ever thought Jake would say something like that to her. She just looked down in embarrassment. Jake then mentally cursed himself for saying that, as he placed a hand on her shoulder, "I'm sorry Kari.. Maybe I shouldn't have said that."
Tears began to fall once again, "No... you're right! I killed Cory! I made him sick! And I killed him!" She exclaimed.
Jake frowned as he tried to calm her down, taking her by the shoulders, and shaking her a little, "Calm down! He's not dead yet, for all we know. He could still make it through this, we just have to keep praying he does."
"But if he does die! That makes me a terrible friend!" Kari said.
Jake's frown started showing signs of becoming a glare, "No it doesn't."
He then began to hugged his daughter as he began to comfort her, "We know you would never hurt or harm anyone ever. So don't think of yourself as a terrible friend."
Kari started to feel a little better, as she smiled a little, "I guess you're right, Daddy..." She whispered.
Jake smiled back as he gave her a kiss on the cheek, "Now you just go ahead and get some sleep."
"Okay... I love you, Daddy..."
"I love you too, sweetie."
With one more kiss to the cheek, Jake left the child in the room, as Kari decided to get that well deserved rest she wanted. She decided later that she would visit Cory later, it would be the right thing.
"I hope you'll be able to forgive me Cory..."
Aw. More father daughter stuff.
MC: Cute indeed.
Yeah, but now it looks like Cory's very sick, and may not make it.
MC: Don't say that. Kari's upset enough about it as she is.
I know. But as you read, we'll find out if Cory will make it. So, we shall see you guys later, and don't forget to review, please.
