Chapter 3: June 27, 1985
Balrog runs out the elevator, finding Maria's family at the hospital waiting room. He slightly regrets his decision to drive from the gym straight to the hospital as he stands there in his work out clothes; though, he'd make the same decision ten out of ten times. Her parents are sitting together, crying. He's scared into a frozen state and becomes like statue as their tears and solemn faces makes him fear the worse. Maria's younger sister sees him first. She runs and hugs him.
Through her tears and being partially muffled from his shirt, he's told that Maria had some kind of brain attack and they've been working on her for the past hour. He didn't have any words he could say or try to be positive. He just provided a shoulder to cry on to whom ever needed it.
After several hours later, they are told by the doctor that the operation was brief as they could only keep her stable. Her condition became worse since her last check up. It gave Balrog solace that her training with him had nothing to do with it her attack.
The doctor continues. There's research being done on an operation that requires the right equipment to help her, but it'd require specially trained surgeons, and donors for brain tissue and nerves. Technical terms were being used for a few minutes, but what grounded him was that it'd take years to prepare for and would cost $50 million.
After the doctor leaves with his best sentiments, her family decides to leave. Balrog says goodbye to everyone, but he decides to stay.
After the third shift signs in, he's awakened from his sleep on the bench and was asked to leave. He promises tickets to the championship fight he was allotted if he got to see her for five minutes. It didn't talk long before people got him into the room. A nurse leads the way to Maria, her bed closest to the window. Her head is wrapped in white bandages and she's wired to a monitored with a strong sounding beep.
"Five minutes," the nurses as she walks out.
He sits down on the free chair near her and he sits down, holding her hands. In that instant her eyes slowly open. She looks at his hand and then looks at his face. It seems to him that it hurts her to move, but she still smiles. He kisses the top of the forehead and whispers, "Hey girl."
He sees her try to open her mouth, but she can't; as if it's too much of a burden. He rubs his left hand against his face and says softly, "Its ok, its ok."
She tears as she nods slowly with disagreement. He wipes away the tears on his face, as he feels them roll off his chin. "There you go, arguing with me again."
She breathes hard as she struggles to lift her left arm. She points with a shaking hand to his heart, then to his head, and then she holds his hands tightly.
He nods with confirmation, kissing her hands and then he buries his head on her side to cry. She places her hand on his head.