Nate

I felt my consciousness return slowly, and immediately I was hit with a feeling of immense soreness. My whole chest was sore, like I had peen pricked with a thousand needles. I tried to open my eyes again, and this time they obeyed, just in time for me to see Clarissa and Mike leaving.

"Hey."

I was shocked at how quiet my voice was. I could barely hear it, so when Clarissa shouted "wait, Mike, stop!" I thought she must have some kind of super hearing. She was in a wheelchair, which I didn't understand till she turned around. Where her left leg should be there was a prosthetic metal limb.

"Nate, you're awake!" Clarissa rolled herself closer to me. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm good." As I spoke, my voice grew stronger. "Extremely sore, but good."

"Well, I would expect so." Mike walked over to us. "You just got stitches. I think you'll be sore for a while."

"Well, that explains the feeling of being stabbed by a million little needles."

Clarissa laughed. I glanced at her leg again. How long as she been like that that she can be over it? I didn't mention anything, but I guess my face said it all, because hers fell. She studied me. "What's wrong, Nate?"

"Your leg. What happened?"

"Oh, um." She stared at the wall behind me. "After we realized you were missing, I guess I passed out. Mike and his college professor Dr. Dorado brought me here, and when I woke up, it was just...there. The doctor said I would've died if they hadn't removed it, and there's not much I can do about it." The smile returned to her face. "Might as well get over it and work with it than fight it and never be able to walk again. As much as I hate the prosthetic, I hate this chair more." For emphasis, she squirmed a little. "Makes me feel helpless. I don't like it."

I rubbed my eyes. "How did you guys find me? I know it was Mike and someone else, but I don't get how it was even possible."

Clarissa looked up at her older brother. "Are you gonna explain Mike? 'Cause I really don't know, either."

"Well..." Mike looked around the room, his eyes finally settling on the window. "After I, um, called you, my friend Marley came over and kind of demanded I tell him what was going on. He really gave me no choice, so I did, and he offered to help. Honestly, I could use all the help I could get. I promised Clarissa I'd find you."

He cleared his throat. "So, we got in the car and just drove around the city for a while. We finally found the ally you were taken in; so the skid marks. Speaking of which..." He dug around in his pocket for a moment. "Oh, um, I forgot. These aren't my clothes. Anyway, we found your glasses. Thought you might like those back.

"Continuing on, after that, we headed back to Marley's place and looked for your address the old-fashioned way. I'd had a hunch you were there and ended up being right. So we looked through phone books–"

"That is really old-fashioned," Clarissa cut in. "Why didn't you ask me?"

"Because I had just gotten off the phone arguing with you."

"Oh right."

"Anyway," Mike said, glaring at his sister. I just smiled at their antics. "Marley found close to two hundred Nate Walkers in the phone book. Apparently it's a common name. To narrow it down, we just used a bit of logic and decided to try out the address farthest from town instead of calling up everyone listed. Thank God logic paid off. I don't know how much longer you could've held out. And that is basically it."

"Wait wait wait, I know that's not it!" Clarissa returned the glare Mike shot at her. "Finish. Tell him what happened after you got there. Please."

Mike glanced at me. "Um..."

"If you don't tell him I will."

"Fine! Fine fine fine!"

I just stared at the two of them. "Uh, what happened?"

Mike sighed. "Do you know who Adrian is?"

I noticeably cringed. I immediately thought back to that room, where I was tortured for who knows how long. "Yes. Yes, I know who he is."

"Did you also know he was kidnapped as well to specifically torture you?"

I shook my head. "No, but I got the impression he didn't want to be there. He was actually arguing with my father before he...did what he did. He had guts."

"Yeah, yeah he did." Mike paused, lips drawn tight. "He helped us rescue you. He was actually relieved when we arrived. And he was extremely sorry for what he did to you."

"Was?"

Mike was silent for a long time. "Yeah, was. Your father killed him. shot him right in the chest."

It was my turn to be silent. I just stared, straight ahead, thinking that over. "That would be the second person he's killed that I know of."

"Third." I turned and gave Clarissa's brother a questioning glance. "He killed his 'partner in crime' as well. That death was less clean," he clarified. "But you don't have to worry about your father anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"Marley shot him right in the forehead directly after he shot Adrian. He is very, very dead."

I opened and closed my mouth. My father...is dead? I couldn't quite comprehend that. At first I thought Mike was playing some kind of sick, cruel joke on me, but then I saw the look on his face. He was serious.

A feeling of complete elation swept over me, like I had finally shrugged of a lead jacket I'd* been wearing since my mother's death. My face split into a huge grin. "Oh my God. I...I can't...just...oh my God."

I turned to face Clarissa. I must've looked so stupid with the grin on my face, because she laughed. "And, since you don't technically have a home now, you can live with us!"

"Whoa whoa whoa, this was never discussed!" Clarissa shot her brother a withering look.

"Really. Mike."

He raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. I know when I'm beaten. But you two get separate rooms. That is my only condition."

Clarissa rolled her eyes. "And my argument still stands." Mike groaned. I was just confused.

"Uh, what argument?"

My girlfriend smiled. "That I'm more mature than him."

I -laughed. "You're probably more mature than both of us."

"Thank you!" She turned to her brother. "See! He admits it!"

Mike rolled his own eyes. "Whatever you say, sis."

She punched him in the arm.

"Hey!" Mike rubbed his arm, but he was smiling. Things were becoming relatively normal again.

Suddenly, a doctor walked into the hospital room. When Clarissa saw her, she made a face and whispered in my ear, "That's my doctor, too. Not the most empathetic person."

I don't know if the doctor heard her or not, but she didn't seem like it. "Hello, Mr. Walker. I'm Dr. Morgan. I just need to see if your stitches are holding up properly. It'll only take a moment."

"Uh, sure. Okay."

Clarissa and Mike backed away from the bed so Dr. Morgan could get closer. She set down the clipboard she'd been carrying on the table beside me, then she pulled back the sheets to reveal the hospital gown I hadn't even realized I was wearing. I glanced at Clarissa. She was wearing a t-shirt and jeans, though the left pants leg had been cut off. "How come you get to keep your normal clothes?"

She shrugged. "I woke up like this." She looked at her brother. "Did you change me?"

Mike nodded. "Yeah, figured you wouldn't like the gown."

The doctor ignored this and pulled up my gown. She had the decency to leave my lower body covered by the sheets, but the moment she saw the wounds I saw anger flash in her eyes before it faded. I guess no one likes to this done to a kid. I certainly didn't.

I heard Clarissa gasp. I looked over at her. Her eyes were wide and she was staring at my chest. I myself was trying to look at anything but. Mike was just standing there, clear fury on his face. I think if his friend Marley hadn't killed my father he would've.

"They seem to be good." I looked at the doctor's face. It was emotionless, but the brief flash of anger I saw told me everything. "I'll leave you be, now." She pulled the gown back down and I covered myself up more with the sheets. I now avoided looking at any face in the room. Just staring at the ceiling.

"Nate, are–"

"Don't," I snapped. My voice came out harsher than I anticipated, but it had the desired effect. Clarissa stopped talking. I didn't, though. I continued on.

*"I know exactly what is there. I know exactly what he wrote. I was conscious while he did it. Not Adrian. Actually him, though I was also conscious for Adrian's part as well. I felt every stroke of that blade. You didn't. So please; just don't."

"Okay."

That was not the answer I had been expecting. I was expecting Clarissa to fight or something, but instead her voice was surprisingly soft. I was till staring straight up as she wheeled closer to me She put her hands gently on either side of my face and turned my head toward her. "But just know, Nate," she whispered. "I still love you, with or without it."'

She kissed my forehead and turned back to Mike. Stretching as much as she could in the chair, she said, "Come on, Mike I'm tired. Let's go back to my room,"

Clarissa and Mike left my room. I kept replaying over and over I my mind what she said. I still love you, with or without it. She didn't care. That had been my biggest fear' that she would hate me for something I had no control over, something my father did to me.

Suddenly, Clarissa appeared in the doorway again. "Hey, guess what," she said, smiling. "My room is right next to yours. Coincidence, I think not."

I grinned back at her. "Awesome. I'll see you tomorrow."

She waved. "Bye."

I curled up under the covers of my hospital bed. I had no idea what time it was, but the golden glow of the setting sun through my window told me it was time to sleep. I was extremely tired though I had just woken up about fifteen minutes ago. I closed my eyes. I was unable to lie on my side, so I'd have to make do.

Everything is okay. I don't have to worry about my father anymore.

I thought through the whole surprising short time span this had happened in, my mind slowing down. It felt so much longer than it had been. It seemed like centuries ago when our only major issue was school and Clarissa's bullying. We both had scars, mentally and physically, but, slowly, they would heal. Life would return to normal. It already was.

With that thought in mind, I drifted off into sleep.