Heartaches
Chapter 15
By Kellyq
The room was silent until heavy footsteps reached their ears, and Rudger walked in. The atmosphere in the room turned cold. Martha moved out of the way for the older man. He regarded everyone in the room. Rally shivered, feeling violated, but he noticed how Rudger's eyes shifted to Yusei, and he was staring at his friend with a glint. Trudge observed the whole thing quietly, not liking the hostile vibes he got from the man in front of him.
"Who are you?" Trudge finally asked.
Rudger's eyes shifted to the man. They had a short stare-down. "It's Rudger and your Trudge, a motorcycle cop who works for Director Rex Godwin."
Trudge blinked.How did he know that? I don't even have my uniform on, he thought. "You didn't state your last name."
"My last name is not important right now," Rudger said.
Quick anger clouded Trudge's judgment as he reached out and grabbed Rudger's shirt. The older man took hold of his wrist, tightening his hold, and quickly yanked Trudge back. He was a bit surprised that Rudger had that much strength.
"I'd be careful if I were you," Rudger warned, not fazed by Trudge's glare. "Now, what's with Kiryu hitting his head?"
Martha nodded her head. She was about to tell them when it happened, but Crow beat her to the punch. "Kiryu's condition is more serious than we thought," she began, her voice trembling with worry.
The mystery of Kiryu's condition hung in the air, a thick fog of uncertainty. Martha was about to reveal what had happened, but Crow beat her to it, adding another layer to the enigma.
Yusei watched Rudger closely.He thought he had no feelings about Kiryu, noticing that Rudger didn't react ashe should have. Rally observed the whole thing quietly.
"He's also been having seizures," Yusei shared. Rudger raised a brow. "Bad ones, I might add."
"How unfortunate this happened," Rudger sighed, his tone devoid of genuine concern. His indifference was a slap in the face, a stark reminder of their uphill battle. This will change things, he thought. Where is he now?"
All ears perked up, and they glanced at Martha. "I'm not sure what room he'll be in, or if he's out of the O.R. yet, but when everything calms down, I'll call you."
Rudger nodded his head and walked out. The tension in the room had lifted somewhat.
"I hope he didn't catch on to the fact that I lied," Martha said, her voice filled with guilt. "I've been trying to keep Rudger away from Kiryu so he can heal, but I haven't had much luck." She sighed, the weight of her responsibility evident in her posture.
"On top of that, some of the medications that he's taking are the cause of his seizures."
"What type of meds is he taking?" Yusei asked.
Martha reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper that had been creased a few times. Yusei and Crow walked up as Martha handed the folded paper to Yusei. He opened it to see that it was a chart of Kiryu's medications and some of the street drugs.
"I'm not supposed to give you this, but I wanted you guys to know what's going on - considering that he never had this problem before he started to take Axert and Prosom," Martha explained. "The Doctor tried to get Rudger to sign some paperwork so Kiryu could change the dosage, but he kept getting the wrong number. So I've been sneaking Mysoline and giving it to Kiryu. It should help."
Everyone but Rally nodded their heads. "Where's Kiryu now," Yusei asked.
"I'll lead you guys there," Martha answered.
They reached the third floor and followed Martha to a blue-colored door. "Bear in mind that Kiryu has Brian damage, so he's not going to remember any of you; he won't be able to talk well, and his balance is way off."
She opened the door and stepped inside. The other followed her in. The room was all white and spacious but with a window and a single bed. Kiryu was propped upright against the pillow, his arm in a sling, and a piece of cloth around his head.
He eyed everyone in the room and smiled, feeling familiar with them, but he didn't know from where. Martha walked to the side of the bed.
"Good morning, Kiryu. You have some visitors."
He only smiled as they walked to the bed. Kiryu eyed everyone, and his gaze fell upon Yusei. He reached out for his friend, and Yusei took his hand. He stared into amber eyes that had changed from hateful to a tiny spark that used to be there before their first fight.
"Do you remember Yusei?" Martha asked, surprised.
Kiryu looked at Martha momentarily, then stared back at his friend. "Y - Yus - Yuse -"
"That's right, I'm Yusei. A friend. All the rest of these guys," he explained, pointing to the group, "are your friends too. That's Rally, Mina, Trudge, Martha, Jack, and -" Yusei paused when he noticed that Crow was gone. "I'll be right back."
He let go of Kiryu's hand and found his friend slumped on the floor, pounding his fist on the tile. Yusei watched for a moment.
"This isn't Fair!" Crow cried out. " This isn't fair to you either! I wanted to fix your relationship somehow, but not like this!"
Half of Yusei's expression darkened. "It wasn't your fault, Crow. We're all trying our best to protect him."
Crow nodded, rose to his feet, turned, and forced a smile, but Yusei could see through the facade. His friend was trying to mask his worry with a cheerful expression. "I suppose you're right. Now let's try and get our friend back."Their determination was a beacon of hope amid uncertainty.
Yusei's thoughts turned to Crow, feeling empathy for his best friend.I think it's time I have a friendly chat with Godwin,he thought, his expression darkening with determination.
To Be Continued ...