I know I keep saying this but the story really is coming to a close soon.  Not many more chapters left and I’m going to make this chapter extra long!

Quote of the Chapter:

“Whether it’s the best of times or the worst of times, it’s the only time we’ve got.”

~Art Buchwald

____________________________________________

Recovery

Geller

I studied the man that had been a prisoner along with Blaze.  He was tall, blonde, blue-eyed, and although he looked weak, it was obvious he had been well-built and strong before.

“No offense, sir, but you’re creeping me out by the way you’re looking at me,” he said.

“Sorry, you just look familiar,” I replied.

“I don’t remember you at all… although coming from me, that’s not exactly a credible statement,” he muttered. “How is she?”

“Who?”

“Blaze!” the guy snapped. “How is she?!”

“Blaze is on her way to Anfang Mercy Hospital.  She’s holding on but the last time I heard, she was in shock and was conscious but wasn’t responding to anyone… or anything,” I explained grimly.  The look of absolute terror passed on the guy’s face.

“I have to see her,” he declared, standing up. “I need to see her.  She needs to know.  They all need to know!  But they all think I’m dead!  I should be… I shouldn’t have survived that.  I don’t know how I did.   The doctors even said it was a miracle I was alive,” the guy rambled.  He looked completely helpless and worried.  And the more he rambled, the more confused I became.

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“Did Blaze ever tell you about me?”

“It would help if I knew who you were,” I pointed out.

With a pained look, he said, “My name is Alvin Henry Davenport.  My callsign was Chopper but I was shot down over November International Stadium on November 29, 2010.  Everyone thought I was dead and when I woke up two weeks later after being in a coma, I had no recollection of who I was.  Two Belkans were there but at the time I thought they were friends.  When I was allowed to leave the hospital, the Belkans brought me to the hell hole that I’ve been in for the last six months.  Blaze came… I don’t know when but she called herself Elizabeth.  I have no doubt that if she would’ve said Blaze was her name, I would’ve remembered who she was.  God… now I may never get the chance.” He kicked the ambulance tire viciously.

“You were her fiancé, weren’t you?” I queried.

His head snapped up to look at me, a grimace on his face from what I guessed was pain. “So she did tell you about me.”

____________________________________________

Genette

When we got to the hospital, Blaze was already there and the doctors were refusing to let us see her.  I nearly lost it when they told me I couldn’t see my sister.  Bartlett and Pops had to grab my arms and lead me to the waiting room and stop me from decking the doctor.

By the time I was sitting down, I was shaking.  Nagase and Cassie were sitting on either side of me.  They were staying calm, but I think it was for my benefit because I was quite close to a mental breakdown.  Bartlett and Jason were pacing repeatedly.  Grimm was so silent I repeatedly looked over at him to make sure he was still alive.  Pops stayed silent as well but his constant fiddling of his thumbs told me he was anxious.  Major was next to Pops, watching everything that was going on.  Andersen and Snow were off in their own thoughts.

We had arrived at the hospital at twelve at night and when the doctor finally came in to tell us the verdict about Blaze, it was six in the morning.

“Are you all here for Miss Elizabeth Banks?” The doctor inquired.

“Yes, sir,” Jason replied. “How is she?”

I knew the news was bad just by looking at the slight trepidation on the doctor’s face. “She lost consciousness when she reached the hospital but we went ahead and put her in surgery to stitch up the stab wound.  Miraculously, no major arteries or organs were hit so internally, she is okay.  Physically, from the trauma she sustained, it might be a while before she’s back to her original condition.  The blood loss she sustained made her go into shock and we were unfortunately unable to stop her from falling into a coma.”

Nagase’s hand found mine and she squeezed it tightly.  My voice was strained when I asked, “Do you have any idea when she’ll come out of it?”

“No, but she’s still stabilized and has been moving.  In fact, we’ve repeatedly had to make sure she didn’t interfere with any of the medical equipment.  Miss Banks should be awake within a few days.  You may go see her but only one at a time.”

“Thank you, sir,” Uncle Jason said politely. “And what about Pi- I mean Larry Foulke?”

“He’s awake.  Exhausted but awake nonetheless.  Besides a few bruises and scratches, he’s relatively unharmed and can be released after he receives some stitches in his left arm.  I’ll send him out after they’re done.”

After the doctor left, Uncle Jason slumped down in a chair.

“Go see her Genette,” Nagase whispered.  I gave her a quick kiss and literally ran to Blaze’s room.  The sight made me want to be sick.  Her face was bruised and puffed up from someone punching or kicking her.  Her arms were bruised from the wrist all the way to her shoulder.  The blanket covered her stomach and I was glad I couldn’t see the bandage I knew was wrapped around her torso.  I walked up and brushed a strand of hair out of her face.

“Blaze…” I whispered.  Her eye twitched when I mentioned her name, giving me hope she could hear me and just couldn’t find the strength to reply. “You’re in an Anfang hospital.  Don’t worry, you’re safe here.  I know it’s in Belka but you were in such critical condition that they had to bring you to the nearest hospital.  Mom and dad are on their way; dad nearly punched out the gate-check-in person when they couldn’t get them a flight.  I would’ve laughed had I not been so worried about you.  I don’t know if you can hear me but everyone is here except for mom and dad but they should be here soon, within the hour.  I’ll try to prevent them from squeezing the living daylights out of you but no promises.  You know how mom and dad get when they’ve been worried about us.  Uncle Jason, Nagase, Grimm, Cassie, Snow, Pops, Andersen, Pixy, Major, and Bartlett are all here.  Harling is still overseeing the remainder of the operation.  Pixy is cut up and bruised but unhurt for the most part.  It’s you everyone is worried about.  No offense, but you look horrible little sis.  I’m worried about you like you wouldn’t believe.  You can’t leave, Blaze.  You can’t leave me, you can’t leave us.  We need you.  You’ve been our rock throughout this entire war.  I love you, Blaze.  Don’t forget that.”

I kissed her forehead and reluctantly left the room.  I wanted to stay with her until she woke up but I knew the others wanted to see her.  Uncle Jason went and saw her next, followed by Nagase, Cassie, Grimm, Snow, Pops, Andersen, Major, Andersen, and finally Pixy.  Pixy looked doggone tired but he was forcing himself to stay awake so he wouldn’t miss anything.  I felt bad for him.

No news had come from Harling since we arrived at the hospital, making me wonder vaguely if everything was going okay.

By the time everyone had visited Blaze, it was seven in the morning and at that time, my parents arrived.

“Genette!” My mom exclaimed before giving me a bone-crushing hug. “Are you okay?  Where’s Elizabeth?  What happened?”

“I’m fine, mom,” I assured. “Bla- I mean Elizabeth, is stable but she’s… in a coma.  The trauma sent her into one but she’s been pretty active.  She is moving around a lot so they think that means she’ll be coming out of it soon.”

Tears welled up in mom’s eyes right as my dad walked… actually, correction, ran in and pulled me into a hug.  He asked the same exact questions mom did and I gave him the same exact response.  They went to her room and spent a good thirty minutes in there.

They left when the doctors came into check on Blaze and run some tests.  I don’t know what type of tests they were but no one could be in the room while the doctors ran them for some reason.

It was about eight in the morning when Nagase’s cell phone went off.  She quickly picked it up and answered it quietly because she didn’t want to wake up Pixy who had dozed off sometime after he had gone to see Blaze.

“Geller… she’s in a coma,” Nagase said softly. “The doctors say she will wake up soon because she’s been moving around a lot but that’s not for certain… are you on speaker?” I heard a mumbled yes. “Someone is with you? … Who is it? … You can’t explain.  What does that mean… I really can’t.  I need to be here when Blaze wakes up…”

There was some rapid explanation but I couldn’t understand what was being heard.  Nagase, on the other, looked like she had seen a ghost.

“What are-?” she trailed off, stunned. “I-I’ll be there as fast as I can.  Where are you? … Okay, I’ll be there soon.  May I bring Cassie?  I don’t think I can see this alone… Thank you.  Bye, Geller.”

She hung up and turned to me, desperation clear on her face. “Genette, Geller needs me.  It’s urgent and after… after what he said, I can’t say no.  You know I wouldn’t leave unless it was something that couldn’t wait.”

“I know you wouldn’t.  Go ahead and I’ll call you if Blaze wakes up,” I said.  She gave me a kiss and dragged Cassie out of the room, whispering briskly in her ear.  I wondered what was going on but my mind almost instantly went back to wondering about Blaze.

____________________________________________

Cassie

When we got in the car, I finally snapped and demanded, “What the hell is going on here, Nagase?!”

She clenched her jaw as she pulled out of the parking space and drove out of the hospital. “Geller met the person that was imprisoned along with Blaze.  He… he has some interesting declarations,” she explained.  That didn’t help.

“I want to stay with Blaze,” I said heatedly.

“This has to do with Blaze,” Nagase said calmly.

“But it’s not Blaze and I want to be with my best friend!”

“Damn it, Cassie!  The guy said he was Chopper!” Nagase exclaimed.  Her outburst shut me up.

“What do you mean?” I questioned quietly.

“He said he was Chopper.  He gave his full name, including his middle name which I know for a fact is actually Chopper’s middle name.  I don’ think it’s him but I need to know how he knows all this stuff about Chopper.  I didn’t want to face it alone and I knew Genette wouldn’t be up to coming with me.  Please, just stay with me,” She begged.  I said okay.

We drove to a house on the outskirts of Anfang, in the foothills of the mountains.  It was a simple ranch style house.  The only difference was that there were about fifteen armored vehicles and about forty-five men patrolling the grounds.  When Nagase and I got out of the car, we were surrounded by six of them.  We showed them our ID’s and they immediately let us through.  Nagase and I ran inside and to the living room where Geller was pacing.  His head snapped up when he heard us charging into the room.

“Geller, where is he?” Nagase and I demanded immediately.  He motioned for us to follow him as we were led down a hall and to a bedroom.  Geller knocked but it was met by silence.  With a frown, he opened the door.  A figure lay in the middle of the bed, sprawled out in the most awkward looking position.  At first I thought he was dead but when he gave a soft snore, I knew he was alive.  Geller turned on the light and I involuntarily gasped.  Besides being bruised up and having blood staining his white t-shirt, there was no doubt about who he was.

“Chopper!” I exclaimed.

The response was immediate. “Blaze!” he shouted as he scrambled up into sitting position.  He looked dazed as he looked around, but when his eyes rested on us, the recognition was instant.

“Cassie!  Nagase!” Chopper breathed.  When he got up, Nagase took a step back, which halted his approach.  A look of hurt passed over his face. “Nagase?”

“You’re supposed to be dead,” Nagase said.

“I know… I should be dead,” Chopper agreed.  Ignoring the fact that Nagase was completely hostile towards him, I ran forward and gave him a giant bear hug.  He didn’t return it immediately from the shock of my exuberance but it passed over quickly and he hugged me back.

“I can’t believe you’re alive!  I missed you so much!  We all did!” I exclaimed.  We broke off the hug and he looked at Nagase.  Chopper’s expression looked like a puppy that had just gotten kicked repeatedly.

Nagase didn’t hesitate now.  She ran up and much like me, hugged the living daylights out of him.  I turned to face Geller but he had gone.  That was the only thing about him that bugged me; he could disappear and you would never know when.

“Oh my god…” Nagase murmured.  She repeatedly said it as the three of us sat on the bed.

“How are you alive, Chopper?” she asked. “I saw you crash.  There was no way you could’ve survived that.”

Chopper looked down and fiddled with the hem of his sweatpants.  He took a deep breath before saying, “Honestly, I don’t know.  I remember my canopy opening and I jumped just before it crashed.  I curled up in a ball and the explosion knocked me back.  I hit my head on the concrete on the end of the field and blacked out.  When I woke up, they told me I had been in a coma for two weeks.  I hardly remembered anything.  I remembered my name was Henry and that was it.  I was partially right seeing as how that’s my middle name.  There were two men that said they were friends of my fiancée because the first thing I said to them was ‘you’re not my fiancée.  They took me to the house where I was imprisoned for the last six months after I was released from the hospital.  I didn’t know any better.  They seemed to know so much about me.  That’s because they were getting information from somewhere I guess…”

“I bet it was Hamilton or Bailey… or both,” I said to Nagase.  She nodded in agreement.

“Hamilton?  Bailey?” Chopper looked confused and it suddenly dawned on me how he knew nothing about anything that had happened. “What do you mean Hamilton and Bailey were probably giving the information?”

Nagase and I shared a look, mentally having an argument on who was going to explain to Chopper what happened.  I won.  Nagase sighed before diving into the story.  She explained about how after they captured Cruik fortress, they were ambushed in the Vladmir Mountains.  She moved on to our escape and how Hamilton and Bailey had tried to kill Blaze when the three of us had gone to tell him about what was really going on.  Chopper looked like he wanted to murder someone when Nagase said that.  However, he grinned like a schoolboy when Nagase said that we beat up Hamilton and Blaze beat up Cassie.  He chuckled at the part where Grimm escaped through the ceiling and at the part where Blaze terrorized Grabacr.  After Nagase finished explaining, it was two hours later, and Chopper said, “That’s my girl.”

The three of us lapsed into silence. I realized Nagase had avoided saying how much Blaze had changed after his ‘death.’  I figured it was because he was already distraught enough about the fact that Blaze was in a coma.

“How’s she doing?” Chopper finally asked quietly.

I bit my lip before answering, “She’s in a coma but she’s been moving around so they think she’ll wake up soon.”

He swallowed, looking defeated; Chopper stood up and paced, rubbing the back of his head. “I tried to save her… I was too damn weak.  I was too damn weak!” he roared, slamming his foot into the bed.  The violent gesture made me and Nagase flinch.  He slumped on the bed, putting his head in his hands.

“Chopper, she’ll pull through, she always does,” Nagase assured softly.

“But what if she doesn’t?  She’s been through enough… Blaze has been through hell and back and a lot of it is because of me.  Now what?” he asked.

“What do you mean?” I queried.

“When do I see everyone?” he looked up with a pitiful yet hopeful expression.

“I don’t know.  I think we should introduce you to everyone one by one and not just in one big group.”

“What about Blaze?  When she wakes up, can I see her?” When neither Nagase nor I said anything, he sighed. “You don’t think it’s a good idea, do you?”

“Just… hear us out.  Blaze thinks you’re dead.  She will just have gotten out of a coma and will be confused on what’s happened.  What do you think her reaction will be if the first thing she sees is her ‘dead’ fiancé?” Nagase asked gently.

“She’ll think she’s gone crazy,” Chopper muttered.

“Just until she gathers her senses and is able to function without us worrying she’s going to collapse at any second.”

“Fine… can I pretend to be Henry at least and call her?”

“… Maybe,” Nagase said. “We’ll let Genette decide after you see everyone again but after that, I think you need to talk to Harling.  He’ll want to meet you.”

“Okay.” I could see that even though Chopper agreed to what Nagase said, he hated the fact that he couldn’t see Blaze.

“I think,” I started, “Grimm and Bartlett and Pops should see you.”

At that, Chopper seemed to perk up a bit. “I would love that.”

“Let me make a call, then.”

____________________________________________

Genette

At ten, Bartlett, Grimm, and Pops all left after an urgent call from Nagase to Grimm.  I was starting to become anxious as to what was going on but I couldn’t stop thinking of Blaze.  Two hours later, Bartlett, Pops, Nagase, Grimm, and Cassie came back, all looking elated.

“Genette, come here,” Nagase said, holding out her hand to me.  I took it and she led me through a hall and to a private room.  The door was closed, making me curious as to who or what was behind it.

“Nagase, what’s going on?” I inquired.

“Just… promise me you won’t flip out,” she urged, “because this is going to shock you.”

“Yeah, but why?  I don’t think anything else can shock me as much as seeing my sister hooked up to machinery that’s keeping her alive,” I suddenly ranted.  I shook my head and sighed. “Sorry, I’m just tired and stressed.”

“I know, sweetie,” she said softly, giving me a quick kiss. “Now let me show you.  And again, don’t flip out.”

I nodded as she opened the door.

“Nagase?” A familiar voice inquired.  I knew that voice.  I had heard it for most of my life.  But that had stopped when he died.  How could he be here?  He was supposed to be dead.  But as I stepped in the room and saw the guy leaning against the wall with an anxious but hesitant look, I knew there was no mistake.  Chopper was alive, he was well, and he was right in front of me.  And by the looks of it, he was nervous to how I was going to react.  He had a right because for a brief moment, I wanted to yell at him that the reason my sister became so aloof and so unlike herself was because of him, but then I realized he wouldn’t have known.  He would’ve had no way of knowing and I know that he would’ve done anything to see Blaze again.  For some reason, he hadn’t contacted us.  I certainly intended to find out the reason why.  And for the time being, I just reveled in the fact that my best friend was back, that he wasn’t dead.

____________________________________________

Cassie 

Genette was in the room with Nagase and Chopper for a good hour and a half, making me wonder if everything was going okay.  Chopper being alive was making us a little more hopeful.  One friend was alive, now we just needed another one to pull through.

“Hey, y’all,” Chopper quietly greeted us.  I hated how… bashful he acted.  That wasn’t the Chopper I had known, but then I reminded myself that he had just recovered from amnesia, found out his fiancée had been with him the whole time, his fiancée was in a coma, and he had just reunited with his friends.  Not to mention his fiancée’s family was staring at him in shock.

“Alvin Davenport…” Mrs. Banks murmured. “I thought-”

“We all did, mom,” Genette said. “Just listen to him.  He’ll explain.”

Chopper looked behind him and it was obvious how much it was torturing him that Blaze was just a few rooms away and he couldn’t see her.

“Al?” Mr. Banks queried.

Chopper turned to look at him.  Sheepishly, he replied, “Sorry, sir… I was just thinking about Blaze.”

Mr. and Mrs. Banks looked at him understandingly. 

“You’re Chopper?” Jason asked.  Chopper looked at him, trying to figure out who he was.

“Yes, sir,” he replied. “Pardon me for asking, but who are you?”

“I’m her uncle, Jason Banks.”

Something of the old Chopper flickered across my friend’s face as he gave a slight smirk.  It was apparent that he knew something none of the rest of us did. “It’s an honor to meet you, Jason.  I’d call you by your callsign but I don’t know if you like to be called that.  Blaze has told me a lot about you.”

Jason raised his eyebrows but he didn’t look perturbed in the slightest. “She told you about my history, did she?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Well you did a good job of keeping it to yourself.  Now get on with your story.  I’m eager to hear it.”

Chopper kneeled down in front of Mr. and Mrs, Banks and Jason and told them the story for what was probably the fifth time.  I bet he was getting sick of telling it.  Major, Snow, and Andersen joined into listening as well.

My phone buzzed and I took it out.  The message was from Grimm.

From: Grimm-

I can’t believe Chopper is back.  It’s unreal.

            I replied quickly.  My heart still pounded just thinking about the fact that Chopper was alive and in front of me.  I had seen that crash and I still couldn’t believe he had survived it.  He had had an angel watching over him that day.

To: Grimm-

I know how you feel.  When we’re alone, I’ll tell you how Nagase reacted.  Let me just say I felt bad for Chopper.

I looked at Grimm as he read the message.  He looked up at me with an arched brow and I just gave him a small smile.

Thirty minutes later, Chopper finished his story.  The three elders of the Banks family looked flabbergasted.

“Just so you know, that when my daughter wakes up and you two reunite, you have my full permission to marry her,” Mr. Banks assured.

“Thank you, sir.  Really, I appreciate it…”

“You want to go see her, don’t you?” Jason asked, although it was more of a statement.  Chopper looked at him with expectant eyes.

“God you have no idea.  Just one look, please, that’s all I ask,” he pleaded.

Mr. and Mrs. Banks agreed but only as long as he had someone go with him.  I offered.  Chopper looked at me gratefully.  I knew he preferred me or Nagase go because we were girls, and no matter how close he was with Grimm or Genette or any of the other guys here, he didn’t want to cry in front of them (although I think if it pertained to Blaze, he really wouldn’t care who saw him cry).  We got up and walked out of the room.  Once out of it, Chopper bolted.  I had a hard time keeping up with him but thankfully Blaze’s room wasn’t that far away.  When we reached it, Chopper skidded to a stop.  I should’ve warned him that the sight of Blaze wouldn’t be pretty.

He staggered over to her bed and took hold of her hand. “I’m so sorry, sweetie.  I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you in time.  You have to pull through this because I want to see you again.  I want you to see me again and I want to propose to you again, especially now that I have your father’s permission.  I love you, Blaze don’t forget that.  Never forget that,” he whispered.  I felt tears well up in my eyes watching him.  Chopper kissed her forehead and lightly braced his forehead against hers for a few moments before forcing himself away from her.  He brushed past me but I caught a glimpse at the tears in his eyes.  I gave a small smile at Blaze, not able to stand the sight of her so fragile, and left hurriedly.  Chopper was waiting outside the waiting room for me.

“You okay?” I questioned.

“No,” Chopper said blatantly before walking into the room.  I followed.

“Chopper, I talked to Harling, and he’s very interested in meeting you,” Bartlett said.  Chopper swallowed but nodded and allowed himself to be escorted out with Pops, Andersen, and Bartlett.  The rest of us stayed behind.

____________________________________________

Geller

I arrived at the hospital after the remnants of the rescue operation were over.   I had been constantly updated on Blaze’s condition but not much had changed.  When I arrived, Cassie and Nagase were to the only ones awake. Pixy and Major weren’t there because they were at Versailles with Chopper, Pixy, Bartlett, and Andersen.  Jason, Mr. and Mrs. Banks, Genette, Snow, and Grimm were all downstairs getting something to eat.  I had seen them on the way up and had said hello.

“How are you?” I asked.

“Just worried about Blaze, and you?” Nagase inquired.

“Exhausted but glad to be here.  Wh-” My question was cut off when a high-pitched noise went off.  No… no this couldn’t be happening.  She couldn’t!  I fearfully looked at the heart monitor and my worst fears were confirmed.  Blaze was flat-lining.

“No!” Nagase and I cried out in horror.  Doctors and nurses came rushing in; one had a defibrillator in his hands.  My mind went hazy during the time they were trying to shock Blaze back to life.  Barely a few seconds later, the rest of the group came up and Mrs. Banks was starting to cry.  All of us were actually, including me.  I don’t know how long it was before I heard the steady beeping of the heart monitor.  I almost died from relief.

“Blaze!” Cassie cried out.  I looked at Blaze, and realized something.  Not only had the defibrillator shocked to life again, but it had also shocked her awake.

“Blaze!  Oh my god!” Mrs. Banks sobbed.  Blaze was clawing at the tube in her throat, trying to get it out; it had been the one feeding her while she’d been in a coma.  The doctors swiftly got it out and stabilized her once again.  She was having a small coughing fit but was relatively okay.

The doctor, Doctor McCarthy, asked, “Can you hear me?”

She nodded and said hoarsely, “The light… I can’t… too bright.”

One of the nurses moved it out of her face immediately.  Blaze slowly started to open her eyes.

“Is that better?” Doctor McCarthy questioned kindly.  She nodded with a wince. “Do you know who you are?”

“My name is-” she broke off into a coughing fit briefly. “My name is Elizabeth Banks… in Osean Air Force.  Where’s Pixy?  And Henry?  Are they okay?  Where am I?”

Doctor McCarthy looked at us with a perplexed expression. He had no idea what she was talking about.  I stepped forward to speak seeing as how I was the only one that wasn’t choking up every time I tried to talk. “Pixy and Henry are both fine.  They’re at Versailles talking to Harling.  You’re at Anfang Mercy Hospital.  You were in such critical condition when you were found that we didn’t have time to get out to an Osean hospital.  Don’t worry though, you’re safe here,” I told her reassuringly.

“Why does my stomach feel like it was run over…” She was interrupted by another coughing fit. “Run over by eighteen Mack trucks?”

“You were stabbed in the stomach.  We don’t know who-” I began.

“Rald.  Rald stabbed me,” she said, cutting me off.  Her eyes were still mostly shut but they were slowly opening.

“What?  Henri Rald stabbed you?” Genette demanded. “I’m going to kill that son of-”

“No, Waldemarr Rald stabbed me,” Blaze croaked.

“We have him in custody in a top security prison.  We’ll add that to his charges,” I told her.

“Serves the bastard right…” she mumbled. “Did he find his pinky?”

“What?” we all echoed.

“Did you know your pinky has the consistency of a carrot?  But when you bite down on it, your brain stops you from biting all the way through it because it’s your pinky?  Well, I guess my brain didn’t register the fact that when his pinky slipped into my mouth when he was covering it that it was a pinky… so I bit down on it and well… bit it off… Who’s all here?”

Inexplicably, we all gave a slight laugh.  Leave it to Blaze to bring something like that up after she had just been shocked back to life.

“Genette, your parents, your uncle, Nagase, Grimm, Snow, Cassie, and I are here.  Bartlett, Major, Pixy, Pops, Andersen, and Henry are all at Versailles but they’re going to be so happy you’re awake you have no idea,” I said.

“Everyone, we’re going to have to run some tests on her and make sure she’s truly going to be okay.  We’re going to need you to leave the room,” Doctor McCarthy said politely.  We knew not to argue and so after we each kissed her on the forehead, we left.

Blaze was back.

____________________________________________

Two weeks later…

Blaze 

Apparently, I’m a fast healer because they thought I wouldn’t be able to leave Anfang Mercy Hospital for a month.  Nope, two weeks later, and I was safe and sound in Oured Memorial Hospital.  For some reason, the name struck me odd.  A memorial was usually for someone who had passed… and this was a hospital… calling it a ‘memorial’ wasn’t exactly comforting.  Just saying…

My family and friends had been in and out of my room the whole two weeks.  I think there had been possibly two hours total where I had been completely alone.

At the moment I’m talking about, it was not part of those two hours.

Nagase was with me and we were having a discussion about how the Base Commander had gotten his food that we had found on Sand Island.  We finally both agreed on the fact that his mother had most likely sent them.

We elapsed into silence afterwards and watched TV.  The screen tended to hurt my eyes because for Rald, stabbing me wasn’t enough, and he also gave me a concussion, and a pretty severe one at that.  I had a hard time concentrating on certain things for a long period of time but that was improving.  My balance had been off the few times I had tried to walk but the excruciating pain in my stomach didn’t help so the doctors weren’t quite sure what was my concussion and what was my stomach pain causing me to fall when I walked.  I didn’t either.  It also hurt me to look at screens or books for an extended period of time so I spent a lot of time sleeping.

I had forced my doctors to let me take a shower because I looked like crap and I felt like I smelled really badly seeing as how I had been trapped in a basement for two weeks or something like that and then I had been trapped in the Anfang hospital without any allowance to get up and move around… not saying I listened.  I might have stood up just to stand because I was getting so extremely bored in that bed that it was ridiculous.  And then Nagase, being the best friend she is, brought some makeup for me, just enough where I would feel presentable to everyone that came in the room.  I always like to look presentable, even when I’m on the brink of death.  That’s my messed up logic my friends.

My mind flitted to Henry, and not for the first time.  I had been going out of my mind not being able to talk to him.  Finally, I broke the silence. “How’s Henry?”

Nagase looked at me innocently. “He’s fine.”

“I want to talk to him,” I told her for what had to be the umpteenth time.

“I know but you can’t.  Not until he’s done talking to Harling.”

“He’s been talking to him for two weeks!  How long does it take?!” I exclaimed in exasperation.

“I don’t know, but it’s our orders.  Listen, I have to go because I have a meeting with Harling.  I’ll see you later.” She came over and gave me a tight hug before leaving.  I had been tempted to steal her phone to find Henry’s number because I was almost positive she had it but I refrained.  She had an IPhone and it had a security code on there, one that I didn’t know.

But then it hit me.  I leaned over to grab the phone (wincing from the pain in my stomach) and dialed the number for Versailles.  It rang until a voice picked up.  I recognized the guy’s voice as Alex, one of the security guards there.

“Hi, Alex, it’s Nagase,” I said, pretending to sound sickly.

“Hey, Nagase.  You don’t sound so good.  Are you okay?” he inquired.  Alex had been the best security guard and he became really good friends with all of us.

“Just a frog in my throat.  I think I’m coming down with something; listen, is Henry there?  I need to talk to him.”

I felt bad for lying to Alex but I was too anxious to talk to Henry.  I heard the heart monitor beeping in the background but I hoped he wouldn’t notice it or at least think that ‘Nagase’ was in the hospital room with me.  I was in luck.

“Nagase?” Henry’s voice answered.  I sighed at the sheer fact that my plan had worked.

“Henry, are you alone?” I asked.

“Uh, no, I’m with everyone else.  Why?”

“I need to speak to you… alone…” I said.  I heard him tell the others he’d be back and then a door opening and shutting.

“I’m alone now.  Is everything okay Nagase? Is-”

“Henry, it’s Elizabeth,” I said, cutting him off.  There was a stunned silence.  For a brief moment, I was worried he didn’t want to speak to me but that fear vanished when he said, “Thank god you’re okay.  I was worried sick about you.  How did you convince Nagase to let you talk to me?”

“Who says I did?” I retorted.

He laughed. “How did you do it?”

So I explained what I did.

“You’re an absolute genius, you know that, right?” He inquired drolly.

“Thank you,” I said cheerfully. “So how are you?  I’ve been going nuts not being able to talk to you.”

“I’m fine.  A hell of a lot better now that I know you’re okay.”

“Same goes for me with you.  So what are these talks you’re having with Harling?  They’ve been going on for two weeks and it has me curious.”

“He’s asking me what I know about each of the Belkans they captured and if I had figured out what they had wanted.  They wanted you, Elizabeth.  They wanted you, then your squadron.  Harling was asking me if I knew why.  I don’t but I wish I did so I could kick that bastard’s ass!” Henry ranted. “Sorry, but in case you didn’t notice, I don’t like him.”

I laughed. “Same here.  I did shoot him though which was quite gratifying.”

“You’re my hero after that,” he said with a chuckle. “Hang on…”

I waited patiently for a few seconds before someone came back on the phone. “Blaze, I cannot believe you.”

Crap…

“Hey Genette,” I greeted nonchalantly.

“What on earth were you thinking?” He demanded, sounding exhausted.

“I was thinking I wanted to know how Henry was from the actual person and not having y’all tell me how he’s feeling.  I got what I wanted.”

Genette sighed in annoyance. “Well before I hang up, I want you to know someone is coming to see you.  Someones actually.”

“Who?”

“You’ll see. Bye.”

He hung up on me.

“Bye to you, too, I muttered as I hung up the phone.  I turned back to the TV and flipped through the channels.  I started watching Ancient Aliens.  I don’t know why but the show was one of my guilty pleasures.  Plus NCIS wasn’t on yet.

I wasn’t sure how long I had been watching the TV when someone said, “Elizabeth?”

Thinking it was a nurse, I replied without looking, “Yes, ma’am?”

“How are you?”

Thinking it was odd that the nurse just didn’t come in, I looked over.  My mouth dropped open a little as I stared at the three people in my doorway.  Their faces were all pale and I think their expressions mirrored my own.

“Melissa… Mr. and Mrs. Davenport…” I murmured.  I gave them a weak, somewhat bashful smile. “I’m good… you?”

“What on earth happened to you?!” Mrs. Davenport exclaimed, rushing in.

“I was taken by some Belkans so they could get information pertaining to Osea.  It didn’t work.”

“My goodness!” she murmured. “I’d hug you but those bruises look like they hurt horribly and I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You’re fine.  I can’t feel too much of the pain as long as I don’t twist my body.  Who knew a stab wound would hurt so much,” I joked lightly.

“You were stabbed?!” Melissa inquired in shock. “My god!”

“I’m fine, really.  Seriously, you can hug me,” I assured them.  Melissa was the first one to hug me but she did it softly while I squeezed the living daylights out of her.  Mr. and Mrs. Davenport followed likewise.

“Blaze… pardon me for saying this, but we were told you were dead,” Mr. Davenport said.

“Let me guess, a guy named Hamilton called you?” I replied.  They nodded. “And he told you that I, along with my squadron, were traitors to Osea?”

“None of us believed the traitors part,” Melissa declared sincerely.

“Hamilton was the traitor.  He’s dead.  I shot him down,” I explained. “He was a spy for Belka.  My squadron and I figured it out and he put the blame on us so we had to escape Sand Island.”

“We’re just glad you’re alive,” Mrs. Davenport said genuinely.

“Blaze?” Melissa queried.

“Hmm?”

“Why did you never call us?”

I swallowed and bit my lip as I looked down at the edge of the blanket that I had sometime during the conversation started fiddling with.  I thought of making up some lie but nothing came to mind; besides, they deserved the truth.  After all, their son was dead because of me.  With a mental sigh, I confessed, “I was scared.”

“Scared?  Of what my darling?” Mrs. Davenport questioned in confusion.

“That y’all would blame me for Chopper’s death,” I whispered.  There was silence.  I didn’t want to risk taking a glance at their faces.  I didn’t think I could handle it.

“Blaze, how on earth could you think that?” Melissa finally asked, a little breathily.

“He died because the one mission I didn’t have a plan for was the mission we were ambushed by thirty or forty something planes and I couldn’t help him in time!” I fumed unexpectedly.

“We never blamed you and we never will,” Mr. Davenport declared.

“You loved, Alvin,” Mrs. Davenport added. “We know without a doubt you did everything within your power to help him.”

“We didn’t mean to upset you, Blaze,” Melissa said gently.

“I know y’all didn’t.  I’m sorry for ranting; I don’t know what came over me.”

“It’s perfectly okay.  Listen, we didn’t just come up here to ask you why you didn’t call us.  We talked to Harling and convinced him that you could come stay with us and recuperate at my parents’ home.  Your parents agreed because if for some reason some psycho Belkans came after you, they wouldn’t expect you to be at your ex-fiancé’s house.  Please, we want you to stay,” Melissa pleaded.

My willpower crumbled just by the sheer fact they weren’t blaming me for Chopper’s death. “I would love to.  Thank you, thank you so much!”

The trio grinned.

“By the way, who told you I was here?” I questioned.

“Your brother,” Mr. Davenport answered.

“I’m going to kill him…” I mumbled.  They laughed.  They stayed and chatted with me for a while until my brother came.  After the Davenports had hugged me and left and my brother came over to give me a greeting hug, I slapped him upside the head.

“Next time you are sending people I haven’t talked to in ages, give me a heads up, would you?” I snapped.

“That’s what you get for calling Henry!” Genette retorted.

“Well maybe if you had let me talk to him before that might not have happened!”

We rolled our eyes at each other before watching Ancient Aliens.  Besides being in a hospital, my life was practically back to normal.

I was enjoying every second of it.

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Wow, y’all better review because I literally worked on this chapter for half the day.  I’m exhausted now and again, only four reviews? Tsk tsk!  REVIEW PEOPLE!