Ken's gaze was blank and unfocused. So were his thoughts. Except for one. Jun. Jun….dead? His mind refused to acknowledge it. It was like the sun would never shine again. Jun was a permanence in his life, she was a part of his world, a world that had been badly shaken at the loss of his mentor. Her death shatterd it completely. In their line of work, death was always imminent, but he never took the threat seriously. He was so confindent in his training, in their teamwork….. He never assumed that one of them could actually die. And this one would be Jun. They had gone through so many together, and she gave him support and encouragement to get over, to defeat Gallactor once more, to give the world a new day….. They said the war was over, that they had won and Gallactor was distroyed once for all. But he didn't feel like a winner . He had lost everything he cared for during this war….. his father, his friends, his love…. He loved Jun. God, he only now realised how important she had been for him…. He wished he had the chance to tell her about his feelings, but in a war emotions killed. The very thought he would never see her again left an emptyness inside him and for a second he wished this world would have perished along with Sosai. This world he fought so hard to save from Gallactor, will ever repay him for the sacrifices he had made? Was it worth all ? He never felt so useless. Ken blinked as his tears ran down his cheeks.
xXx
He was awaken from his restless sleep by the doctor's voice.
"Antibiotics now. Two units!" The nurse obeyed the order and injected the drugs in the IV tube.
" Blood pressure still low. His immune system won't stand the infection. He needs a transfussion urgently!"
" He can't have one. "
The nurse was about to protest but the doctor cut her, as he rised the syringe filled with purple liquid.
" His blood has no match. "
She stared bewildered at the it. She had many blue blood patients before, but this one was the first one literary.
"But he won't survive without one."
" Not like he deserves to"
They turned in the direction of the icy voice. They never saw him coming in.
Joe had finally detransmuted, but he looked no less threatening than he did with his ripped birdsuit on. He wore now a black leather jacket and trousers, the color matching the grief on his features.
"We have orders to keep him alive." Replied the doctor with a gulp.
Joe clenched his gloved hand in a fist, feeling his remaining muscles strain to the point of breaking. He only stared hatefully at the man. Eventualy he asked absentmindedly.
"How is his state?"
" Critical. He has an abnormal blood type and we can't give him a transfussion. He developed a general septicemia so we're keeping him on antibiotics. "
Joe watched the IV tubes for a moment.
" It's that what you're pumping in him?"
" Yes, it's a mixture of morphine and antibiotics"
Joe's brows knitted in an furious expression that startled the medics.
" Who gave you permission to give this scum analgesics?" The nurse cringed at his roar, but the man kept his calm.
" Sir, this is the procedure…. This type of drugs give terrible pains….. " . Joe cut him
"Just what he deserves!" with that he pushed the man aside an yanked violently the tube from Helm's inner elbow, causing the man to groan in pain. The doctors watched concernedly the patient, but didn't dare to move from their place. The Condor's features were twisted in a mask of pure cruelty.
" Give him anymore pain killers, and I swear you'll need them on you."
Although the threatening scared the willies out of them, the stubborn medic still fought the Condor.
"We have orders to keep him alive!"
" But not comfortable!" yelled Joe.
" This is barbarity…. We are not torturers….we have higher moral standards…."
The man's whiny protests made him chuckle viciously.
" The only thing the scum understands is torture. And this is what he'll get."
Helm felt so helpless as he listened to their conversation. He felt his fear overwhelming him as he watched the doctors departing and cringed at the thought of being left alone in the room with the Condor. Joe realised he was awake as waited eagerly this moment. He would not harm Egobossler, not because he didn't wanted to, far from this, but the man was in a such pitiful condition he could have killed him with a snap of his fingers. Beside, it would be time for this, later. He would have felt sorry for his enemy if there were any human feelings left in him. Helm shrank against the mattres under the Condor's murderous glare. He wondered if he would hit him this time. Not that it could make his suffering any worse. The pain from the antibiotics was now in full force and every nerve in his body screamt. The ninja was obviously delighted of the sight. Joe stared intensly in the fear widened grey eyes of his injuried enemy. The pain was visible in them and he smiled smugly.
" Feeling good bastard?"
The voice was dripping sarcasm and hatred. Helm winced. From the way Joe emphasised the last word, he realised it had been used in it's literary sense. He felt anger rushing through him at the mentioning of his origins. Had he been well and with a gun in his hand, he would have made Condor to eat his words. Joe realised he had struk a cord and went on.
" How does it feel to be crushed like bug, huh?"
Helm's attempt to make a fist was greeted by an unbearable pain in his arm. Joe's grin widened at the man's pained moan as he toyed a syringe with morphine in front of him teasingly. Helm's eyes followed it. The pain numbed his mind and he could barely breath. He wanted desperately a pain killer, but he knew he won't get any from the Condor and the medical staff won't risk to anger him for a war criminal. He prayed the antibiotic's effect won't last for long. The piercing glare was almost as disturbing as the pain and Helm could no longer support it. He closed his eyes and turned his head away, ignoring the prostests of his aching muscles. He stil felt it boring into him.
"Get used with it, bastard!" The Condor's baleful words resounded through the noise of the slamming door.
xXx
Stranded on the hospital bed, Ken had lost the time's notion. Most of it, he would stare blankly at the white ceilling, then recalling memories again and again, until they no longer meant anything and his tired mind succumbed to a dreamless sleep. He supposed that there were a couple of days, perharps a week. Not that it mattered to him. No after Jun's death. He dreaded to associate this notion with her. At first, he hoped he had only dreamt, and waited her to burst on the door in any moment, as she did before when he was injured on the field. But she never come. The only visits he got were from the medical personel and Joe. He sensed the same grief in his friend and he wished there was a way to comfort him, but how could he do it when he couldn't comfort himself. They would have a little conversation, Joe would ask him how he felt, and he would ask him about the other's condition. Ryu was still in coma but Jinpei was recovering. Only physical. Ken could imagine what the boy felt at the loss of his sister, as he shared the same grief. He wished he could do something for Jinpei, a visit at least, but he wasn't even able to lift up from the bed. Ken stared at his left leg that was in gyps because of a multiple fracture. Other than that he only had a dislocated shoulder and some broken ribs that troubled him every time he tried to lift up. Oh, how he hated when his body let him down, but he knew he was fortunate to be alive, after he had gone through. He then looked at the food trail a nurse let on a table beside the bed. It was untouched, despite all woman's tries to make him eat. He ate very little, only enough to stay alive. But he realised that he'll never heal this way, and now all he wanted was to get up this bloody bed and see his friends. He had to support them, he knew they need him in those moments. He grabed the trail with his good arm and placed it on his lap, taking a forkful of food. It tasted like gall, but he knew he would need to recover his strength, for his friends… They needed him and he was lying here helpless……. Ken threw away the trail and it splattered loudly across the floor. With a burst of strength he pushed himself up, ignoring the searing pain and tried to stand on his feet, upholding himself in his good leg. He managed it for a second, but as soon as he let go the bed's grating he crashed on the floor, screaming in pain as he hit his shoulder. He cursed and tried to get back on his feet and crawl towards the door. Two doctors rushed in, alarmed by the sounds. They gently lifted him up and dragged him towars the bed, ignoring his screams.
"Let me go! Let me go, dammit!"
Joe arrived soon after they managed, not without a fight to set the Eagle back on his bed.
" I have to see Jinpei and Ryu … Joe, tell them."
" He's not in condition to." One of the men protested.
His friend eyed the medics, then he turned to him.
"You're staying here until you recover. " Ken grit his teeth in anger.
" They need me! "
Joe sighed. He couldn't belive how stubborn Ken could be sometimes.
" And you think hurting yourself will do any good?"
He clenched his fists, realising Joe has a point. The expressiom on his face left no place for an argue. Ken banged his fists against the mattres in frustration.
" I'll let you know if something happens" He added on a placatory voice. His leaded nodded grumpily.
There was a moment of silence, when both of them stared fiercely one at each other in a fight of wills, than Joe spoke again.
"You couldn't have done anything…….. It wasn't your fault." Ken was setted back by the statement. "
Since when you've become so wise?" He asked Joe in a low, bitter voice.
Condor gave him one of his famous saracstic smirks.
" Since dealing with you!" Ken rolled his eyes at the replica.
" Now, you stay here and if you'll make another foolishness, I'll have stripped up the bed!" the tone was determined and he knew Joe meant every word.
"'Sides, the doctors said your shoulder will be ready healed in two weeks." Ken laid back on the pillow, feeling like a reprimanded little boy, and Joe turned to leave, as the Eagle had reached his frisky point for one day.
" Thanks Joe!" The replica stopped him in his trails. "
You're welcomed!" Joe took one more glance at his friend as he left the room, and shook his head.
It were going to be two veeery long weeks.
Here it is. I tried to display Ken's brattish attitude from Fighter.