Chapter 21 – Hospitality
Silence. That was all that greeted Keenan's desperate pleas. He stared at the large pile of snow in front of him, knowing that somewhere was his sister. The only ones visible were the unconscious Andy and the half buried Roserade underneath him. A tiny flame flickered from the underneath the snow, which had melted only an area small enough to reveal the tip of Phoenix's tail. The situation was grim; there was no sign of movement from anyone trapped underneath the snow, and Keenan feared the worst when it came to Alexa, Keenan and the Pokémon who accompanied them. Iara was distraught, and close to tears, but the young Misdreavus was already choking back hers, and Reese was quivering where he stood. Nobody noticed the large red helicopter preparing to make a landing nearby, despite how obvious its presence was, with the tremendous gust of wind and the almost unbearable noise it made. Keenan thought calling out again would be futile, and decided on a different course of action.
"Hey!" But before he could even move, a uniformed member of a Mountain Rescue Team jumped out of the helicopter and had stopped Keenan where he stood. Keenan looked up at the gentleman, and met with a gentle look of worry. "Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa there, buddy, stay right there."
"My sister's in there!" Keenan cried desperately. He calmed down momentarily as he felt the man's thick gloved hands resting on his shoulders and watched as he crouched down to his level, bearing a reassuring smile on his face. Keenan wasn't sure if he should take comfort in what he presumed was false hope. The helicopter made a landing in a clear area, away from Keenan and the Mountain Rescue member, and the doors opened to allow other members out.
"My team will find her, don't you worry. But I need you to stand clear, I don't want you to get hurt." Keenan looked around at the various other men and women swarming around the snow pile, four of whom were around the unconscious bodies of Andy and Gabby's Roserade. All of them – even the team leader speaking with Keenan – all wore the same clothing; red hard hats, red hiking coats and hiking boots. Keenan's gaze returned to the team leader in front of him.
"W-who are you?!"
"Peter Morris, team leader for Mt Ember Mountain Rescue," the leader replied. "We were oddly called during an avalanche here by some rather fatigued gatekeepers. Just relax, kid, we'll find your sister, but I need to know how many others are in there."
"A-about 10..."
"Ah." Peter stood up properly and addressed one of his subordinates. "Middleton! Get the Flame Body Pokémon!" With a nod, the officer took out four Poké Balls and released the Pokémon dwelling inside; two Litwick and two Ponyta. Peter took out a small Poké Gear – which was of a different model to Keenan's – and formed a contact. "I'll call the hospital."
Keenan watched as the four Fire Pokémon walked and hovered around the snow, melting it gradually. The site of the avalanche's aftermath was almost too much for Keenan to bear. Colin hopped over to Keenan's side and held him under his wing.
The Goldenrod City hospital was relatively peaceful. Patients sat in the waiting area, and were each being seen to efficiently by the many nurses and doctors working at the hospital. The brown haired doctor, Finn Johnson, and the casually dressed ash blonde haired doctor, Dean Jones, conveniently and unintentionally met by the reception desk, where the receptionist was busy trying to becalm an irate patient. Vicki intervened, however, and put the abusive patient in his place, relatively speaking. Finn chuckled at the fiery colleague.
"Tomboy to a T," he sniggered. "What've you got there, Dean?" With his fingers, Dean pushed his oval shaped glasses up his face a little as he read the patients' notes he held in his hand.
"Time-waster," Dean sighed. "Just now discharged him, fortunately."
"What'd he come in with? Sack full of lies?"
"Hangover," Dean groaned. "I've just spent the last half hour explaining to him what he needed to get over hangovers."
"Hard luck, man."
"Don't you have your own patients to deal with, Finn?"
"Not at the moment; I just got here," Finn laughed.
"Well, you haven't missed anything," Dean smiled. "Just walking wounded at the moment."
"Okay, listen up, please!" a strong male voice called as a tall gentleman arrived at the reception area. Several doctors and nurses gathered around to hear their boss's words, Vicki Langdon and scruffy black haired doctor, Mark Salter included. The Clinical Lead was a middle aged balding man with a large figure, dressed in a smart black suit with a ruby red tie, rectangular glasses over his eyes and a pen in his jacket pocket. "We have a major incident heading this way; avalanche on Mt Silver, approximately 10 confirmed casualties, human and Pokémon, so I want both sides of this hospital to be properly prepared before the first wave arrives! Now, I need two doctors at the scene to aid Mt Ember Mountain Rescue, and I need one human doctor and one Pokémon doctor to go."
"I'll go, Mr Kendrick," Vicki volunteered keenly.
"Snap," added another doctor. He had a Togetic sitting on top of his bushy auburn hair and looked somewhat sporty for a doctor, dressed in a green polo shirt and black jogging bottoms with two white stripes down each leg. If it weren't for his ID tag and stethoscope around his neck, you wouldn't think he was a doctor at all. Kendrick nodded.
"Thanks, Vicki, Bart. Now, the rest of you had better get ready! Jade, can you make sure the Health Wing is ready for the Pokémon casualties?"
"Yes, boss," the artificially green haired doctor nodded in compliance, her Delcatty companion mimicking her nod gracefully.
"Good luck, Jade," Bart smiled. Jade smirked as she passed her colleague.
"We don't need it," she retorted playfully as she carefully ran towards her destination alongside her Delcatty, careful not to trip up in her black high heels. Bart took a keen interest in the movements of Jade's miniskirt until he felt a light slam on his head from his Togetic's fist.
"Finn, Dean, you make sure resus is reeady," Kendrick insisted.
"Got it," Finn nodded.
"Absolutely," Dean added.
"Mark, make sure Theatre's clear and prepped, we'll need it," Kendrick added towards the scruffy doctor.
"Yes, sir," he complied modestly.
"Isolde, you and Naomi are in charge of making sure any and all patients that are ready to be discharged ARE discharged, we need the space in cubicles," Kendrick stated.
"Yes, sir," Naomi said timidly. Her dark blonde hair was neatly tied back in a large plait, and her pink hospital scrubs were in sublime condition.
"Would you like us to help with the major incident after we're done, sir?" Isolde asked politely. Her appearance certainly didn't match her professional behaviour; her golden brown hair was tied in pigtails and dressed like a rebelling schoolgirl, wearing a white blouse with the top button undone, a loosely tied blue and white stripped tie, a baggy black knitted sweatshirt, a short grey skirt, thick black tights and pure white sport shoes. Her ID badge was clipped to the bottom of her sweatshirt and her stethoscope underneath the collar of her blouse.
"In any way you can, yes, that would be most appreciated," Kendrick smiled. "All right, let's get going!"
Vicki and Bart made their way out of the building while everyone else went about carrying out their designated assignments. Isolde looked back at the nervous nurse.
"You all right, Naomi?"
"W-what if Cubicle 3 doesn't-"
"Ah, don't fret, I'll help you with that one; I said I would," Isolde winked as she led the shy nurse away from reception.
Keenan stood next to his Fearow, partly underneath his large wing, trying not to watch as Mt Ember Mountain Rescue were trying to rescue everyone trapped under the snow. Andy and Roserade had since been carefully moved and were currently undergoing some kind of treatment Keenan couldn't understand. He noticed two yellow and green helicopters, which he identified as air ambulances, landing on the grass near one another, on the opposite side of the avalanche's mess. Vicki, Bart and several paramedics exited the helicopters and immediately tended to the uncovered patients, Peter meeting with Vicki and Bart along the way.
"We have about 5 Pokémon and 5 humans trapped in that mess," he informed them. Bart nodded.
"Got it. I'll get started on Roserade," he said as he made his way over to the frost-bitten Roserade. Vicki was about to head for Andy when, through the corner of her eye, spotted someone she recognised.
"Keenan?" Keenan looked up upon hearing his name. He then saw the very same doctor who was in charge of his treatment prior to his appendectomy.
"D-Doctor Langdon!" Concerned and confused, Vicki approached the distraught boy.
"What happened, buddy?"
"T-There was an avalanche and...m-my sister...she..."
"She's somewhere in there?" Vicki asked, dread all over her face. A nod from Keenan worried her. "Have you called your parents yet?" Keenan shook his head. He couldn't talk any more, in case he broke down in tears. Vicki put on a smile. "Tell you what, I'll call them when we find your sister, okay?" Keenan nodded. Vicki ran off towards Andy and immediately began treating him as best she could. She guessed hypothermia, and insisted he be rushed to the hospital as quickly as possible. Three paramedics worked together to lift him onto a stretcher and moved him into one of the air ambulances, with Roserade following on another stretcher. Each of the air ambulances could either take one human patient, one large Pokémon patient, one human patient with one medium sized Pokémon or one human patient with two small Pokémon patients.
An hour had passed by the time more casualties were uncovered. Despite the efforts of the Flame Body Pokémon and the abnormal thinness of the snow, the cold temperature of Mt Silver made it hard for the snow to melt away. The next casualties to be discovered were Robbie, who was groggily regaining his consciousness, Gabby, whose face was almost completely smothered in blood, Jordan's shining black Haxorus and Jordan himself, who not only had lacerations on his arms and torso – from Haxorus's claws – but the shoulder that was struck with the scalpel Keith held on Cinnabar Island was allegedly dislocated. When the air ambulance returned, Vicki and Bart were confident that the uncovered patients were ready for transfer to the hospital. Scrafty was uncovered at the last minute; he didn't appear to have any injuries other than heavy bruising, but was also suspected of having hypothermia, and was rushed into the air ambulance with Robbie.
"Just the Charizard left?" Bart questioned to his Togetic, who flew around his partner. "I thought there was more than-" As Bart began to try and move Phoenix's body, he spotted something he found odd; some strands of light golden blonde hair. "Vicki!"
"What's up?!" Vicki called back as she ran to her comrade.
"You need to see this," Bart explained, pointing to the oddly place hair. Vicki began to panic a little, recognising that colour hair all too well.
"We need to get this Charizard up straight away," she said quietly. Bart nodded, but noticed Phoenix was bleeding from the gap between his wings.
"We need to do this carefully, or that Charizard may never fly again," he said seriously. Vicki nodded and looked towards the mountain rescue members who were searching for any more casualties.
"Can we get some help over here please?!" she called. Half a dozen members and three paramedics ran over to the two doctors.
Keenan, Iara, Ruby, Reese and Colin watched as the doctors, paramedics and mountain rescue members carried out their plan to separate Phoenix from whoever was encased in his wings. Vicki and the paramedics carefully pulled Keith and Alexa out from Phoenix's protective grip, and Bart instantly began checking the Charizard over. As soon as he saw his sister, Keenan was in utter disbelief. He tried rushing over to her, but Colin managed to stop him with his wing; there was very little he could do if anything at all. Reese tried to rush over to his fallen partner, but Iara, despite her own tears, grabbed the Buizel's tails with her mouth and pulled him back.
Vicki discovered both Keith and Alexa shared identical head injuries, which she soon discovered was from Phoenix's claws when she noticed they were bloodstained. Satisfied that all of the casualties have been found, Mt Ember Mountain Rescue retreated back into their helicopter, took off and flew away from Mt Silver. Vicki signalled Keenan to approach her, allowing him to ride the air ambulance with her. Before she left, however, Vicki took out her mobile phone and made a phone call.
Hayden and Ian sat at the kitchen table, trying not to worry about Keith and Alexa's mission. Hayden noticed how mutually worried Ryder, Layla, Xavier, Skywing, Lupin, Malik, Cheryl the Gardevoir, Tidus – his Typhlosion – and Chelsea the Meganium all looked. The phone rang suddenly, taking most of the Pokémon by surprise. Lily stood up from her seat and answered the phone.
"Hello, Thorndyke residence," she said courteously. At first, she thought the call was harmless. That was before she recognised the voice on the other end of the phone. "Doctor Langdon?" Lily's confusion turned into shock as she heard the news Vicki had to tell her. "I-Is he all right?" she asked shakily. If it was even possible, her shock turned into terror as she heard more of what Vicki had to say. Lily held her hand over her mouth in disbelief, which automatically alarmed her husband. "...I-I see..." Lily fell back into her chair, overcome with grief over what she was being told. The Pokémon watched her anxiously. "...y-yes, sorry. Y-yes, w-we'll meet you there. T-Thank you." Lily ceased the phone call and left it on the table. There was an awkward silence that felt unrealistically longer than it actually was. Lupin used his telekinetic powers to move the phone and place it back where it was, the entire handset glowing in an orange light in the process.
"Lily? What's the matter?" Hayden asked. Lily kept quiet, the reality of the news she heard to sink in. Ian lost his patience.
"Lily."
"...I should have known this would happen..."
"What?" Hayden asked worriedly.
"...there's been an avalanche...A-Alexa's on her way to the hospital." Everyone around Lily was terrified beyond comprehension, Ian included. Ryder, Layla and Xavier looked around at one another; their hunch was right the entire time.
"I-Is she all right?!" Hayden panicked.
"Vicki said she and her colleague found her and Keith under Phoenix. Their injuries might still be serious, though."
"No..." Ryder collapsed onto his knees in dismay as his ears dropped down the sides of his head. Layla knelt next to him and, though she was close to tears herself, held his paw in hers.
"I said we'd meet her at the hospital..."
"We'll do just that," Ian nodded. "We'll use Teleport, it's quickest that way." Skywing suddenly perked up and flew towards Lily.
"Pardon me, Lily. Did you say...under Phoenix?" he queried shakily.
"Vicki thinks he held onto Keith and Alexa as they fell. His injuries aren't obvious, but could tell he was hit by a rock. At the very least, he might not be able to fly for a while."
"...he must have known..." Skywing muttered as he flew towards the kitchen table. He muttered something to himself as he paced around on the table before slammed one wing into the other, as if to slam a fist into his non-existent palm. "Yes, of course! THAT explains his choice of snack last night! They were Charti Berries!" Ian smiled.
"Clever; he was expecting an avalanche the whole time, and the Charti Berries helped him resist it, considering his large weakness to rock based attacks," Ian deduced.
"Yes, yes, Phoenix did his homework, SO WHAT?!" Ryder wept. "He's still hurt!" Skywing nodded before flying hastily towards Lupin, who was startled when the Chatot flew right in front of him.
"ALA!" he yelped.
"Lupin, I implore you! Inform the others of this terrible trauma! Please!" Lupin, after recovering from a near heart attack, glared at Skywing, as if to say he didn't need to be begged. Nonetheless, he nodded and disappeared in a flash of light. Skywing sighed with relief.
"All right, now that that's taken care of...Cheryl, if you'd be so kind?" Ian asked.
"G-Gardevoir," Cheryl nodded reluctantly. The Pokémon approached Ian, Hayden and Lily as Cheryl began to concentrate.
In a flash of white light, everyone appeared suddenly in the Goldenrod City hospital's reception area. The timing of the teleportation was impeccable; Vicki and Keenan, along with Iara, Reese and Ruby – with Colin having since returned to his Poké Ball – walked passed the reception area. Had Ruby not cried out for her father, neither one would have noticed the family at all. As the little Misdreavus sought solace from Hayden's Mismagius, Keenan ran over to and embraced his mother.
"Mum, Dad!"
"I-It's all right, sweetheart," Lily said softly as she comforted her son, in spite of feeling shaken up and devastated herself. Cheryl picked the little Buizel up and held him comfortingly.
"Vicki...how are they?" Hayden asked worriedly.
"We should head to the relatives' room," she said carefully.
"They're dead, aren't they?!" Ryder yelled.
"Dude, not helping!" Xavier snapped. Vicki was startled.
"Uh...no, they're not. I just thought you could use the privacy."
"...oh." Ryder felt stupid for his outburst as he followed everyone to the relatives' room.
Hayden never thought he'd return to the relatives' room so soon, let alone the hospital itself. Last time he was here, it was Keenan who had gotten hurt; now it was his daughter who was suffering. The room looked exactly as it was the first time, except it appeared as though the water cooler had since been refilled, as there were more plastic cups than Hayden remembered. Vicki closed the door and looked specifically at Hayden and Lily as they sat down. Ryder sat one the small sofa nearest to the smaller rounded table while Layla headed for the water cooler, despite being puzzled about how it worked. With Ian's help, however, she produced two cups of cool water; one for her, one for Ryder. She put the two cups down on the table near Ryder before sitting next to him. Skywing sat on Xavier's head, while Xavier himself sat next to Cheryl, who was still holding the sad Buizel in her arms. Hayden and Lily sat next to one another on the three seater sofa, Lily still holding onto her son. Ian stood next to his own son as he listened to what Vicki had to say.
"Obviously I'm not going to give you false hope, nor can I tell you anything about anyone besides Alexa and the Pokémon who came in with her," she explained.
"Not even about Keith and Robbie?" Skywing asked.
"Huh? Robbie?"
"The Sawsbuck," Ian explained.
"Oh. No, I'm waiting for his boss to arrive," Vicki replied.
"Hastings?" Ryder asked begrudgingly. Vicki nodded.
"But they share the same boss," Xavier stated. "And Keith happens to be Alexa's special friend; why you can't just tell us is beyond me."
"I see. At any rate, Alexa's gone for an MRI scan, just to see if there's any internal damage in her head, considering I found cuts on the back of her head. It's just a precaution, though, I personally doubt she has any such damage, but Mr Kendrick wanted to be certain."
"Who?" Skywing asked.
"Our Clinical Lead, my boss," Vicki replied.
"Thank you," Ian said.
"You're welcome. I'll make sure you're kept up to speed," Vicki said as she left the room. As soon as Vicki closed the door behind her, Tidus leaned forwards against the back of the sofa Hayden sat on, standing near him. He looked at his old friend with concern, as did Cheryl and Chelsea with Lily. Xavier and Skywing were anxious, but Ryder was shivering with sadness.
"...Hastings...it's his fault." Skywing scoffed.
"I highly doubt that."
"Alex told him Jordan's plan! All of it; what he wanted, where he was going next, everything she was told, she passed onto him!" Ryder exclaimed. "He just told her to go after him as normal and he'd pick up the pieces, pretty much!"
"He should have rethought his instructions," Ian sighed. "Although, to be fair, there's no real way to predict when an avalanche will occur."
"I'm still angry with him! Top Rangers, Keith and Alex may be, but they're still young!" Ryder cried. Xavier huffed.
"Personally, I blame Jordan," he said cruelly. Ryder looked up at the Zoroark opposite him, hate brimming in his eyes. "He's the one who tried to kill Alex and Keith. I don't care if he repents until his deathbed, I will NEVER...EVER...forgive that guy," he snarled as a faint glimmer of dark aura shone around his entire being.
"Understandably. And I wholeheartedly agree with you, Xavier," Skywing nodded. Ryder lowered his head again, and began to sob silently. Layla placed her paw on his shoulder, but was herself close to sobbing. Hayden leaned back and sighed, knowing he was going to be in for a long wait. Tidus patted Hayden on the shoulder softly as Lily held onto Keenan, who was so emotionally exhausted he was close to falling asleep.
Two hours passed since everyone arrived in the relatives' room. Malik cradled his sleeping daughter in his arms, hovering in one corner, near the ceiling. Ian felt tense in spite of not looking it, pacing around behind the sofa Hayden and Lily sat on. Keenan had since fallen asleep, emotionally drained, much like Alexa was when he was in the hospital. Ryder and Layla sat silently, while Xavier and Skywing engaged in a conversation with Cheryl and Chelsea, with Cheryl holding a sleeping Reese on her lap. Tidus lay on the floor, underneath Malik and Ruby, in absolute silence. Everyone looked towards the door as it began to open. Professor Hastings, looking regretful and sympathetic, walked into the relatives' room, accompanied by another man nobody recognised. The stranger looked very official, dressed in a dark grey suit with a cherry pink tie. He had dirty blonde hair, with one strand sicking out from the side of his forehead, and his lime green eyes were stained with a sector of blood red hue. Accompanying him was a Gabite with a yellow collar around her neck, a thin round stone hanging from her collar.
"Professor."
"Mr Thorndyke. Mrs Thorndyke." Hastings sighed. "I am truly sorry."
"You should be," Ryder grumbled. Lily was furious.
"Ryder!" she snapped quietly.
"No, he's right. I should have requested IP officers at Mt Silver's entrance instead," Hastings said.
"What's done is done, the main thing is Lopez won't be able to act," the stranger said on an optimistic note.
"Who?" Xavier asked.
"I beg your pardon, but who are you?" Skywing asked politely.
"Chief Inspector Brent Walsh of the International Police," Brent replied. "This is my lovely lady, Margie,"
"Gah!" Margie growled politely.
"I want to start by apologising to you, Mr and Mrs Thorndyke, for what happened to your daughter," Brent said with sympathy.
"She and Keith had protection, don't worry," Ian said calmly. Hastings looked towards Ian.
"And you are...?" Ian approached Hastings, holding a hand out to him.
"Ian Thorndyke, Alexa's grandfather," he said politely. "Hayden's father," he added. Hastings shook Ian's hand as he smiled.
"I see. Very nice to meet you, I've had the pleasure of momentarily working with your son," he said optimistically.
"Yes, I've heard all about it," Ian said. He looked towards Brent, losing his smile. "Are they all right?"
"Sadly, I know next to nothing," Brent sighed. Margie walked over to Layla and began her attempt to cheer up the sad shining Zangoose.
"I assumed we'd have been informed regularly...!" Skywing grumbled.
"All I know is two of the casualties have been rushed to Theatre," Hastings said reluctantly. Ryder looked up at him.
"Why would they put on a show?" he asked.
"No, Ryder, a hospital theatre is where surgical procedures take place," Ian explained. Ryder was still confused.
"Recall Phoenix's last accident; he had to undergo surgery," Skywing explained hesitantly. Ryder lowered his head sadly again. Phoenix's last accident was when he fought a trainer's Garchomp, and was critically struck just below his throat by the dragon's claw.
"...okay..." Xavier stood up quickly, startling Cheryl.
"No it's not! Is Alex one of them?!"
"We don't know," Hastings replied.
"Try not to worry, folks; no news is good news. At any rate, I must inform the Clinical Lead that three of his patients are wanted criminals. C'mon, Margie, let's go."
"Gah," Margie nodded. She waved farewell to Layla before she left the room with her partner. Brent closed the door behind his Gabite companion, leaving Hastings and the family in peace.
"How did you get here anyway?" Ryder asked as Hastings sat down on the only sofa not already occupied.
"The International Police has numerous police boats," he explained. "They're vital, considering most regions lack airports."
"Professor, what happens now?" Lily asked worriedly.
"Well, Keith and Alexa will need to recover, so...they're to stay in Johto on sick leave," Hastings said.
"You mean if they survive...?" Ryder sighed.
"Ryder, if you remember, Phoenix chowed down on Charti Berries; if that doesn't say he was prepared, I don't know what does," Ian said positively.
Hayden suddenly stood up and walked out of the room. Tidus attempted to follow him, but Hayden gestured him not to. Hayden's sudden departure left Tidus concerned and Ian confused.
"Was it something I said?"
Hayden walked through the hospital until he found Brent talking to Kendrick, while Margie stared at the Clinical Lead's round stomach. The conversation finished between the two men, but Brent unintentionally met up with Hayden as he walked away from Kendrick.
"Mr Thorndyke. Is something wrong?" Brent asked.
"No, I-I was just going to ask of my daughter, that's all," Hayden replied.
"I see. Seeing your kids in pain and not being able to help them...it's every parent's worst nightmare," Brent mumbled, stroking his chin.
"Have you got kids?" Hayden asked spontaneously.
"I do, yes. Two daughters, Sammi and Eboni. Mr Thorndyke, I know it's hard seeing your own daughter in pain, but at least you can be there for her," Brent smiled. "Sometimes, knowing that someone you love is nearby is the best medicine."
"Thank you," Hayden said quietly.
"You're welcome. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must speak with the doctors treating the poachers. If you have any other questions, you're welcome to ask any time I'm here."
"I will, thank you," Hayden thanked. He and Brent parted ways, Hayden making his way towards Kendrick, who seemed to have seen him coming.
"Can I help you, Mr Thorndyke?" he asked nicely.
"My daughter. Is she all right?" Hayden asked worriedly.
"We're still waiting for her MRI results, but she is stable," Kendrick began. "You're welcome to sit with her if you wish."
"Thank you," Hayden smiled. The two men heard the beeping sound of Kendrick's pager. He took the little black device from his pocket and looked at the blue LCD screen.
"Oh, I'm needed in Theatre. If you'll excuse me-"
"Please, go ahead," Hayden said politely. Kendrick spotted Isolde exiting resus.
"Doctor Jenkins!" he called. "Can you take Mr Thorndyke to see his daughter please?"
"Yes, of course," Isolde nodded. Hayden and Kendrick exchanged nods as the Clinical Lead headed towards Theatre. "Right this way, please." Skywing spotted Isolde leading Hayden towards resus as he flew towards the Health Wing.
The Pokémon side of the hospital looked identical to the human side, except with equipment specifically for Pokémon treatment. He flew past Jordan's Haxorus, Andy's Scrafty and Gabby's Roserade, all of whom were under warming blankets. He finally found Phoenix and Robbie, both of whom were finally conscious and recovering after their respective treatments; Phoenix's wings were folded carefully and bandaged together, preventing him from flying, with a dressing in between his wing joints, while Robbie's front left ankle was in a plaster, and he had bandages around his head and torso.
"Hello. Are you two well?" Skywing asked.
"Saws," Robbie nodded. "Saw...Sawsbuck..."
"Rhrrrrgh."
"As far as we know, they're doing well. The doctors recognised your shielding, Phoenix," Skywing smiled feebly.
"Saws?"
"Rhrrgh."
"Sawsbuck!" Robbie smiled happily, impressed with Phoenix's endeavour.
"Hrrgh. Rhrrrgh."
"No, and even if there was, they would not tell us because we are not next of kin," Skywing replied.
"Sawsbuck...!"
"Robbie, our concern is to be with Alexa and Keith, not to the poachers who tried to do them harm."
"Sawsbuck."
"Rhrrrgh. Hrrgh rhrrrgh."
"Saws..."
"There is no need to worry; if Phoenix escaped without life-threatening wounds, Keith and Alexa will have as well."
"Rhrrgh..." Phoenix looked at his claws with regret. "Hrrgh rhrrgh...rhrrgh."
"Phoenix, it is better that they have cuts on the backs of their heads than a smashed skull."
"Rhrrgh."
"Sawsbuck..."
"Have faith. Ian certainly does."
Isolde led Hayden into resus, which had since grown extremely quiet since Alexa, Keith, Jordan, Andy and Gabby were brought in. She led Hayden to the resuscitation room where Keith and Alexa lay on their beds. Both Keith and Alexa had bandages around their heads and the red jackets of their Ranger uniforms removed. Their gloves and stylers were also absent. Hayden's main focus was Alexa, who had new bandages around her right forearm and left wrist; both wounds had become agitated during the confrontation before the avalanche. Hayden noticed a white screen in front of Keith's bed, obscuring Alexa from his view.
"Why is there a screen?" he asked.
"Oh, that has nothing to do with your daughter," Isolde laughed nervously. "I can remove it if-"
"No. If she wakes up, I'd rather not subject her to Keith's condition," Hayden said suddenly.
"You know this boy?" Isolde asked.
"Of course; he's my daughter's partner," Hayden replied.
"I see. We're still waiting for their MRI results to come back, but we have no reason to worry about them otherwise. We're just monitoring them right now, but you're welcome to stay."
Hayden nodded and slowly made his way to his daughter's bedside as Isolde returned to her duties. Hayden gently took Alexa's left hand as he looked at her. He looked sad, but, deep down, Hayden was furious at the one responsible for his daughter's pain.
"So you'll notify me if he's awake?" Brent asked Dean. Both of whom were standing in an area with numerous cubicles around them, each one divided by a thick blue curtain. Behind them, nurses were rushed off of their feet, treating the patients who were yet to be discharged. Margie watched the hustle intently.
"Absolutely, I've cleared it with Mr Kendrick, and he's willing to cooperate with the International Police," Dean confirmed.
"Thank you. Of course, this will mean I will need to be brought up to speed with the conditions of Miss Gabriella La Roza and Mr Anthony Murdoch as well. Will that be a problem?" Brent asked.
"No, not at all, Chief Inspector," Dean smiled. "Mr Murdoch's currently under the warming blanket, but I'm not sure of Miss La Roza; I believe she's still in Theatre."
"Thank you, Doctor Jones, you've been a tremendous help," Brent smiled.
"Finn, slow down!" Kendrick said loudly, walking quickly after a frustrated Doctor Finn Johnson. Dean, Margie and Brent watched in confusion.
"I should have seen it sooner, Mr Kendrick! If I had-"
"Finn, she had a depressed skull fracture, it was hard to spot under all of that hair," Kendrick explained, finally catching up with Finn. "If anything, she would have-"
"Pardon me, gentlemen, but is there a problem?" Brent asked.
"Oh, hello, Chief Inspector Walsh. Are you asking of the three who were brought in with the young Pokémon Rangers?" Kendrick asked.
"The poachers, yes," Brent confirmed. "I have a warrant for their arrest, you see."
"Hmph," Finn pouted. "You'll have to make do with two out of three."
"I'm sorry?"
"Finn!?" Dean was horrified at Finn's manner. Or lack thereof. Kendrick sighed heavily.
"I'm afraid there were complications in Theatre," he began. "Miss La Roza died ten minutes ago." Dean was shocked; Finn had just lost his first patient for a while. No wonder he was worked up.
"I see. Will you be able to provide me with the details?" Brent asked carefully.
"Of course; I've already requested a post mortem," Kendrick nodded.
"Thank you. I will need to inform Professor Hastings and the two Top Rangers will also need to be notified," Brent added.
"Tell the professor by all means, but not the kids," Kendrick insisted. "At least wait until they've got their MRI results back—speaking of which, Dean, can you chase them up?"
"Sure," Dean nodded as he walked away from cubicles, Finn choosing to follow him.
"I don't plan to inform the children yet anyway; they escaped death themselves, after all."
Skywing flew back into the relatives' room after Xavier kindly opened the door for him. Xavier closed the door behind Skywing as he flew over to the middle of the table.
"Just to let you know, Robbie and Phoenix are fine," Skywing said happily. "Phoenix can't fly for a few weeks, however, and Robbie's body temperature is still relatively low, but the doctors are sure they'll recover fully."
"That's great news," Lily smiled.
"Indeed," Skywing nodded. "Robbie was lucky to escape with a sprained ankle and bruising as well." A knock at the door interrupted Skywing as Brent poked his head through the door.
"Sorry, Professor, can we have a word in private?" he asked.
"Certainly," Hastings replied as he stood up.
"A word?" Xavier asked worriedly.
"Relax, it's nothing to do with the young Rangers, I assure you," Brent smiled. He closed the door once Hastings was out of the room.
"I still wonder where Hayden went," Lily said worriedly.
"To sit with Alexa," Skywing answered.
"How do you know?" Ryder asked. His eyes were red, irritated by the tears he cried.
"I heard a lady doctor talking to Hayden about it and saw her escorting him to resus while I was on my way to the Health Wing."
"Ah. Skywing? Y-you don't appear worried," Xavier said shyly. Skywing sighed.
"My dear Zoroark...I was terrified when we first heard the news of the avalanche. I am, however, taking comfort in remembering that Keith and our dear Alexa were found under our fierce leader, who, need I add, would do anything to ensure her safety," Skywing smiled. "Surely I need not remind anyone of the measures Phoenix took the night before."
Hastings returned to the relatives' room alone, and quietly, to not disturb Keenan or Reese, who were still sleeping. Ruby had woken up and was locked in a gentle embrace with her cherished father, Malik. Hastings sat in his original place and sighed.
"Is everything all right?" Ian asked.
"If you please, I'd very much rather not divulge you with the details," he said quietly. "But I can say Chief Inspector Walsh meant what he said."
"Oh..." Ryder looked very glum indeed. Layla placed her head on his shoulder, and Ryder placed his arm around her.
Jordan slowly regained consciousness. Even when his vision straightened out, he didn't recognise the man standing in front of him, arms folded and staring daggers at him. He tried to sit up, only to flinch in agony, which was when he discovered his right arm in a sling. He looked around at his surroundings; he was in one of the hospital's many recovery rooms. Each room looked the same; deep brown laminate flooring, pale goldenrod painted walls, translucent lilac curtains pulled over the window, slightly obscuring the white vase of fake multicoloured flowers on the window sill and a small wardrobe at the far end of the room. Jordan groaned as he tried to sit up.
"Steady, Lopez; your little fail-heist almost cost you that arm," Brent said coldly.
"Who are you?" Jordan asked nastily.
"Chief Inspector Brent Walsh, International Police. I'm in charge of your case now that Top Rangers Keith and Alexa are-"
"Dead, I hope," Jordan said insensitively. Margie growled furiously, bearing her fangs. A gentle stroke behind her neck soon calmed the Gabite down.
"No. But, sadly, I can only make two arrests," Brent continued.
"What..?" Jordan asked in both confusion and suspicion.
"Miss Gabriella La Roza died because of your gluttonous desires," Brent stated. Jordan buried his face in his hand and sighed in disbelief.
"Oh, God...!"
"Jordan Lopez, I'm arresting you on suspicion of Pokémon poaching and murder," Brent stated firmly. "You do not have to say anything, and anything you do say may be given in evidence."
Hayden sat next to Alexa's bedside, still holding onto her hand. From time to time, either Isolde or Naomi would come into resus to check on Alexa and Keith, even though neither one had deteriorated. Resus was quiet compared to the rest of the hospital, which Hayden appreciated; he wanted to be left in peace with his daughter. He soon heard her faint moaning as she began to stir. He watched as Alexa opened her eyes and looked up weakly at him. Hayden smiled warmly, with tears in his eyes, ready to fall down his face.
"...dad..." Alexa sounded as weak as she looked and felt; she hadn't much strength in her if at all. Even talking was difficult for her, she was reduced to whispers for communication.
"Take it easy, sweetheart. You still need to rest," Hayden said softly.
"...w-where...b-bro..."
"With your mother," Hayden replied gently. "He's unharmed. It's you and Keith we're worried about."
"...Keith...? ...w-where...?"
"He's nearby, don't worry. Listen, love, when you two are out of the hospital, you can rest at home. The International Police is taking over your case; your job's done, Lexie. You and Keith are going to be on sick leave anyway, but you've both earned a rest." Alexa just stared at her father; even though she was extremely weak, the tiniest of smiles crept on Alexa's face. She was happy her mission was over, and she could actually spend quality time with her family without worrying about her duty. A tear escaped her eye. "Come here."
Hayden very carefully pulled Alexa up and held her softly in a cuddle. Alexa held onto her father with everything she could muster, which in actuality wasn't much at all, trying her hardest not to cry. Hayden, too, tried not to cry, but the inevitable tear escaped his eye.
"I promise you, Alexa. He'll never hurt you or Keith ever again." Hayden ever so slightly tightened his grip on his daughter. "I promise."
The sound of a moving screen caught Hayden and Alexa's attention as they watched Isolde moving the screen from the middle of resus, revealing the equally groggy Keith, who had managed to regain his consciousness as well. Keith, having heard everything Hayden said, gave Alexa a smile, which Alexa lovingly returned. Hayden felt relieved knowing that Keith and Alexa were going to be just fine.
To be concluded...