Chapter 8 : A Funding Promise
He needed his spine transplant desperately. Hospitals showed no sympathy. It was something already seen in the books. None of the people dared to look. One bio-tech company offered his cure. He was in a tight spot. Daniel Kyte accepted.
Daniel's life shattered before his eyes. He has lost something of great importance to him. It feels as if a chunk of his heart is missing. That large part can never be replaced. His family was untimely stolen away from him. He has never met his grandparents since they are dead. During his high school years, his parents died in a car crash. It's only ironic that both his daughter and wife are also taken away by a car crash. Drunk drivers were to blame. Now Daniel has a grudge against those who drink themselves silly. He hates them. They're the monsters of this world. They think they can drink their troubles away, but they're wrong.
He remembers sitting in the bed. White sheets. White walls. White lights. White wardrobe. White linen bandages. I must be in the crazy house.... Or.... His voice lingers. This is Heaven. I doubt it. My kid... My wife. If it was, they would be here. This is just a morbid version of Limbo. God, do you have no pity? Hell, if you even exist? He tries to speak out, but his throat is dry. His mouth feels like a desert. His fingers weakly lift, edging towards the buzzer to signal for help and/or need. He sees the bandages, but still he doesn't see his spouse or child.
A GenTern rushes to his aid in the nick of time. She hops with each step, oddly impatient. Her unruly, blonde hair bounces as she clucks her tongue, "Now honey, ya shouldn't be stressing yourself out. You just had a spine transplant. It could give. Ya gotta be careful. Boy," She whistles lowly. "Mistah Largo sure was kind ta give ya that new spine. 'Specially with the new bill.... Also a shame about your family. Terribly sorry 'bout that Mr. Kyte."
Internally, he screams. Again.... God, why do you torment me so? His body gently shakes with convulsions. He cannot talk. Tears silently slip down his cheeks. The white room begins to spin. It's similar to water paints. Once you add water, it will wash away or stain. Everything is gray and shady. Finally, the room faded to black.
It's now become a painful memory to Danny as he sits in the waiting room. He laces his fingers together, hazel eyes shutting tight. His body shakes as if he's going to go into another fit of tears. They do not come. He's learn that crying doesn't help anymore. It only brings more pain. More pain is bad. He doesn't want to turn to Zydrate. He would rather feel pain, agony, and emotion than 'nothin' at all.'
Mr. Kyte is waiting to have a private chatwith Rottissimo Largo. Of course it's about his fees. Naturally, he's lost all his money due to insurance. Why? The damned drunk had the nerve to sue him. Why? Because the lousy fellow had a case of whiplash. This is ignorance at it's best. People carry on with their own lives and don't pay any attention nor concern to anyone else. As humans, we're conceited. Prideful. Vain. A big box of sins ready to go.
I don't have the money.
His eyes flicker to the forever ticking clock.
I DON'T have the money.
Again.
I DON'T HAVE THE CRAPPY MONEY.
He's ready to break, but he can't. Daniel has to stay strong for the sake of his beloved. Even though they're no longer with them... they will be. In spirit. Another memory quickly flutters by. Junior year of high school.
He remembers looking at his parents alive and well. The kitchen walls were a beige tint. Beautiful counter tops. Shiny stove. A cozy little home. Daniel just finished his breakfast as well as his parents. He has to catch the bus or else he'll be late to school. It's the same thing that happens to teenagers on a daily basis. His parents flash grins and smiles at him, edging him to hurry or he'll be late.
"C'mon Danny boy! Get your bag or else you'll be late!" His father's still grinning. Clean brown hair. The same hazel eyes. Brown suit. Work doesn't start for another half hour for him.
"Honey, listen to your father. Oh! Don't forget to take your lunch." Smiling sweetly, she hands him the brown paper bag.
That was the last time he saw them. When he returned from school, they were dead. The police were waiting for him at their doorstep. His father picked up his mother to run some errands at the store. A drunk driver collided into their car. It was his first heart-wrenching moment. Daniel never thought he could feel so much pain and discomfort until now. Even now the spine that was not his did not feel right. There was a certain ache to it. What did they call it when a person lost a limb, but it felt like it was still there? It was a phantom feeling. This spine did not belong.
A GenTern swings open the door, looking at the sorrowful widower. "Mr. Largo is ready to see you, Sir."
He can only nod. What else is he to do? He feels like he is not in his body as if he is watching from above. He stands, he walks. He enters the office in his disheveled state. He's oh so exhausted that he sways. Rotti Largo shows concern- to his paperwork.
"Sir, you wanted to see m-"
"Oh, yes. Daniel Hyde, was it?"
"No, Kyte, Sir." It's ridiculous to address him with 'Sir' every time I speak like he's a military captain. He's a King. GeneCo's King. So, I have to treat him with the utmost respect or it's off with my head. Daniel inwardly chuckles at the lame pun in his mind.
"Kyte? What an unusual first name."
Daniel rolls his eyes. Rotti's oblivious. He clears his throat, blabbering on about the Bill. No one calls it by it's name. Only 'The Bill' or by it's number. It's the Organ Repossession bill. It's legal and well-known. Repo Men are well-known, too. They're a living legend. They deliver those keen incisions with unscathed organs.
"....so you see, Mr. Kyte, time is running out."
"I know, Sir."
"You have a few days left."
"I know, Sir." He continuously states the obvious. Let me die. I want to see them. God, I miss them. Why, God, why didn't you take me with them? Something inside of Daniel, makes him regret thinking that. His family wouldn't want him to think so morbidly. They would want him to be upbeat, but he can't. I'll go to Hell for saying that. He thinks. I've got to hold out. For them. Keep living. For them.
"I can't extend your ninety days any more. The Bill...."
"I understand, Sir."
"Oh, Mr. Hyde-"
"It's Kyte, Mr. Largo."
"Mr. Hyde," Rotti clears his throat. "I do hope you will be able to pay. Or else you will me an untimelydemise. We wouldn't want that now, would we? No, I didn't expect that." Daniel nods every now and then just to let Mr. Largo know that he is alive. "I can offer you no more funds, unfortunately. The accident was quite a startle to you." Daniel winces. It was more than a startle. It's a living, breathing agony. Rottissimo Largo has truly become an emotionless blob. Again, he inwardly chuckles. Rotti IS a blob.
"Mr. Largo, I whole-heartedly promise that I shall have the money by the time my ninety days are up. No Repo Man shall be knocking on my door or following me down a corridor.I intend to keep a promise to my deceased wife and daughter. I will continue to live and make up for their lost lives. I miss them terribly. I understand that you've shared similar heartbreak. Therefore, I WILL have the money." Defiance glimmers in Daniel's eyes as he walks off, head hung high.
Rotti remains in his chair, too stunned to react. That man hit a nerve. He was gunning at Marni. Marni. Rotti killed her. Not Nathan Wallace. Rotti Largo. A cold-hearted killer. Wouldn't the tabloids love that? I see Mr. Kyte keeps an eye on the news... We'll just see if he intends to keep his promise. He muses.
Daniel mutters under his breath, "GeneCo is a plague to our age."
- ~ -
Promises are evidently made for they are oaths to one another. They are vows that should not be broken. Naturally, we make them. It is a part of us that makes us human. These promises occasionally tinker with are feelings and dwell quite heavily in our hearts. It is often the source of heart-break and pain. Nonetheless, we continue to make promises. For one they are fulfilled, there is a great satisfaction. When they remain hanging in Limbo, they contain a unique mystery.
However, sometimes promises are broken. They become.... lies. They are foul and terribly cruel.
- ~ -
Note: I would like to thank all of my readers and the reviews. I'm truly sorry that this chapter came out so late. The end of July was very busy for me. Again, thank-you.