Chapter 62: Life Support
Rhydian;
"Mmh..." Agraon escapes me as I stir, and immediately, Ishu’s voice follows.
"Alpha Rhydian! You’re finally awake. Thank the light! I’ve been so worried." I pull my eyes open and find the dark-haired young boy kneeling beside my bed.
My eyes dart to the entrance, and my heart dies when I realise it’s day. I passed out.
"How’s Elain?" I question as I sit up and fling the duvet off myself. I feel the numbness of my tongue and an odd peppery sensation in my throat that reminds me that all’s not well.
There’s still a bit of poison in my system.
"I... I don’t know Alpha. I haven’t been to his tent." He informs me, and I rush to my feet, but I wobble.
He quickly rushes to help me stand properly.
"Alpha Rhydian, you should lie back down. Alana said You need to rest." He informs, but I push him off me and rush out of my tent.
The people around stop and bow to me as I storm across the site to Elián’s tent.
One getting, I find Alana fast asleep on her knees, beside his bed with her hand in his.
I stare at the pale boy on the bed who is thankfully breathing... but weakly.
I rush to his side, and as I kneel on his other side, Alana starts awake.
"Al...Alpha." She stutters with a bow, but I don’t care about formalities.
"How is he?" I question as I brush back the hair that’s stuck to Elián’s sweaty forehead.
"He’s alive... Thank the light. His body will take some time to sweat out the poison. Hopefully by the time we make it to Howleroot, he’ll be fully recovered." She informs, and I nod thankfully as I stare back down at Elián.
"Thank you..." I whisper to Alana, and she simply bows her head in response.
"I’ll... give you some privacy." She replies with exhaustion brimming in her eyes and her ear pressed flat against her head in worry.
As she exits the tent, the silence in the tent presses me down.
If this chatterbox wasn’t currently battling for his life, he’d have made about three to five snide remarks or said something to rile me up.
Funny how I’d rather have that than this silence.
I’ve never had a problem hating his kind before. But with him... It’s difficult.
I should hate his loud mouth. I should hate how he had the nerve to look at me like dirt under his boot. I should hate how he prances about with no care in the world... like impressing me is not even a thing he’s ever considered.
Yet... all those things are... exactly what I like about him. He may be chaotic... somewhat foolish... but he’s real. For the little while that I’ve known him, he’s never faked anything, never tried to be what he’s not...
In a world where everyone tries to suck up to me and be hypocritical to climb the social ladder, he devotes his entire existence to being true to himself.
Says what he thinks, does what he feels like... that takes guts. Guts, I can not help but admire. I never thought I would say this about anyone, but I admire his stubbornness.
I’d give almost anything to hear him pass one more since remark, or wrinkle his nose again when he looks at me.
He tried to save my life, and I got him into this mess. I won’t forgive myself if he dies because of me.
"Please wake up, Elián..."
********
Elain;
Beep...
Beep...
Beep...
Through the silence, the annoyingly piercing sound assaults my mind.
Why is it so persistent? What is it??
I slowly open my eyes, and my vision is blurry. Plus, that’s an appalling amount of bright, white light.
Am I dead? Did I actually die from saving Rhydian!? That bastard!
My vision finally clears, and I can make out what’s in the ceiling above me.
It’s a fluorescent bulb.
Wait.
A fluorescent bulb!?
I’m back!!
I’m back in the real world!! My nightmare is over! I...
Wait... what can’t I move?
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Crood. We were expecting you hours earlier." An unfamiliar voice says, and I freeze.
"Ah. Yes. I had a meeting to finish up before coming."
I freeze when I hear the voice. My heart stops, and my eyes instantly dart down towards the voice.
There, right outside the room, standing in the doorway is a man in a long lab coat... and my mother.
Tears well up in my eyes as I stare at my mother, who’s in a beautiful, corporate navy blue dress and has her hair up in a ponytail.
It’s... It’s really her...
I’m back in my world.
"Alright. Now that you’re here, we should go to my office..." the doctor begins, but Mom raises her hand the way she usually does when she’s had enough of something.
"There’ll be no need for that. What I came here to say is pretty straightforward. We don’t need to have a whole conversation about it." She replies, and I blink the tears that are blocking my view of my mother away as I stare at her.
So she does care about me. I’m in a hospital, and she came to check up on me. But... what conversation does she want to have with the doctor? It must be about the bills.
Shit. How long have I been here?
How long have I been here? Hope I’m not costing them too much money?
It feels a little nice to see that even after kicking me out... they still care about me.
"O...kay? What is it you have to tell me, ma’am?" The doctor questions, and I watch Mom shuffle through her bag before pulling out an envelope.
"It’s about my son. His father and I would like you to take him off life support. Here is a letter with both our signatures. Well, like this, done at the earliest convenience so we can start planning his funeral." She replies, and every single thing in my body goes still.
What!?
"Sorry?" The doctor replies, and she sighs.
"You heard me, Doctor James. We want our son off life support. He’s been unresponsive for two weeks. I can’t keep doing this. If he’s dead, let him die. This is torture to his father and I." She replies, and tears well up in my eyes and start pouring as I stare at the woman who gave birth to me, casually demanding my death.
Two weeks is enough for her to let go? Two weeks??
Fourteen days is enough for my mother to conclude that she’s okay with never seeing me again??
"I’m sorry, Mrs. Crood, but I can not authorise that. His brain is still active, and there are signs he could recover. This is way too soon." The doctor replies, and my mother’s expression shifts.
"Says who?!" She snaps, and I blink in awe.
"His father and I want him off life support! Do you want us to sue the hospital!?" She adds, and I gulp.
"But... he’s your son..." the doctor replies in shock, and I shut my eyes.
Am I though?
At this point... I’m not sure she’s truly my mother...
"He’s my son, and I’m asking you to pull the plug. Just do it!"