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 Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2009 4:54 pm
That poor nurse. That poor nurse.
She'd been so friendly, so kind. She had seen how worried the purple-haired boy from the organ trafficking incident was, felt for him during his moment of tragedy. She'd heard him pleading with the other nurses to get the names of the other survivors, and felt a twinge of sympathy each time he got sent back to his room. So she'd decided to do something nice for him. She'd decided to compile a list for him, with names and room numbers. She'd brought it to him, ready to sympathize for the names he wouldn't find, help him call up his friends on the phone so he would know they were all right. The nurse had been so certain that her good deed would be rewarded with gratitude.
Instead, she'd wound up flat on her a**, the unfortunate victim of his overexuberence upon registering one very important name on the list.
Yahya was about to get one very worried, albeit underdressed, visitor bursting into his room.
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Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2009 5:05 pm
His head hurt, but he was sure that was the only thing wrong with him. Still, they wanted to keep him overnight, and Yahya didn't want to mess with authority right now. He just wanted to... he didn't know, he wanted things to clear up. He hadn't really been given a good explanation as to what happened, and while he wanted to know, he wasn't going to pry. All he could remember was going to school, the friends he made, and the knowledge that something had happened. He didn't know what, but maybe it would come to him in the future. Really, he should be glad that he was okay, and that...
Yahya frowned, and very carefully leaned over the edge of the hospital bed to grab his backpack. Ah, yes, everyone was fine. The baby squirrels were still asleep - no one had bothered to sift through his backpack yet, and that was good fortune in itself. Columbus, the kitten, was currently hidden underneath the covers. Yahya imagined it wouldn't be okay to be hiding pets and wild animals in the hospital, nor would it be okay to be feeding them his food (but he didn't have anything else to give them!).
If he didn't have the collection of babies, he would've grown worried himself, about the other students he knew and had become friends with. He remembered each one clearly, and he did want to know if they were all okay. It just wasn't likely he'd act on the urge until he was told that he was a-okay to go, and when he was sure someone wouldn't stumble upon his animals and toss them out the window.
He straightened back up, and managed to adjust his hospital gown just in time for Sue's sudden arrival. The student gave his friend a helplessly surprised look, lips parting to say something, but nothing came to his lips. Sue was okay! Sue was fine, Sue looked well enough to be running about and...
Yahya was so glad to see him. "Sue!"
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Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2009 5:38 pm
And it was at that time that Sue RUSHED to Yahya's bedside, SWEPT him off the bed and combed his fingers through the boy's hair, pouring his gaze into the other boy's eyes as he murmured, "Yahya... I was so worried for you...."
..... Uh, okay. Maybe not.
But still, there might have been something a bit touching about the way Sue's shoulders dropped half an inch. About how he walked forward carefully, like he was trying not to make noise and disturb the boy. Dropped into a chair, let out a sigh like it was the first time he'd really breathed since he'd woken up in the hospital.
"Damn, I'm glad to see you...."
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Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2009 5:48 pm
If that really had been the case, Yahya would have thought Sue gravely ill and in need of immediate medical attention. But, for both of their's sake, that fantasy (delusion) did not come to fruition. Rather, Yahya was making sure his hospital gown really was covering everything, a quick glance if anything to be certain that Sue wouldn't be chased out of his room. He had really missed his friend, had been worried for him, and it was really hard NOT to climb out of bed and hug him.
In the end, he didn't climb out of the bed. Instead he leaned over the edge and gave Sue the briefest of embraces (so he wouldn't get yelled at too much if his friend didn't like it). But, he needed to touch him, if only for an instant, to make sure he really was okay. He had to be in the hospital for a good reason anyways, right? "I'm glad to see you too." After a brief pause, he pulled back the covers a little to reveal a slumbering Columbus, almost proudly even.
"He's all better now. He's probably the best off out of everyone in the hospital right now. I've been hiding him until they tell me I can go." He remembered that Sue gave him Columbus to take care of, that the kitten had been sick. It was fuzzy, but the memory was there still. "I'm... really, really glad you're okay." He had said it once, but he felt the need to say it again, because he really was genuinely relieved that Sue hadn't come to harm.
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Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2009 6:06 pm
You know what? Sue was good with contact, in this case. He didn't make use of it often, but he knew when words weren't enough, and he knew what really meant something. He returned the embrace, just enough; a silent you too to Yahya's I missed you.
And no, that paragraph wasn't a fake-out.
Seeing Columbus was at once an enlivening and sobering prospect. The kitten was better than okay; he was perfect! He was healthy! It was a ******** miracle he wasn't bouncing off the walls with energy, cooped up in this little room! But....
But Mackie and Stripers were out there, uncared for. Nihls' name hadn't been on the list - Bartholomew could be anywhere. And Nibs was....
Oof. Damn it. Sue had avoided thinking about that one.
"... God dang it... I gotta get out of here soon," Sue murmured, pressing a hand to his forehead. Not just for the Zodiacs, not just because of the Negaverse. He still had... other callings. Things that needed him. ******** it.
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Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2009 6:14 pm
He hadn't expected Sue to return the embrace, but it felt good, made him feel warm and... better. This was what he needed, a little bit of human contact, some silent reassurance that all would be well. Sue provided all that with his presence, and it couldn't make Yahya feel more content. He could forget about all the students he knew but wasn't sure he'd see again, forget that he still had no idea what had happened. He could lay back in his bed and be happy. He didn't act on the urge though, instead remaining upright, being careful not to disturb the kitten sleeping at his side.
A small frown tugged his lips downwards, and again he wasn't sure if he should touch Sue or not. Something was bothering his friend, and he didn't know what it was, or even if it was his fault. "Yeah, hospitals aren't really all that fun. Maybe we can plan a great escape together, or something of the likes?" He was really just trying to make Sue feel better, and if that was making some elaborate escape plan that they may or may not act upon, then he would do it.
"I think I'm missing working at the rescue center too..." he frowned at the thought. There was so much to be done, and he'd have to re-familiarize himself with the rescue center all over again for how long he had been gone.
"Hey. You're really okay, aren't you?" He reached out, just to lightly touch Sue's shoulder, to let his friend know that he was there for him.
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Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2009 6:27 pm
Working? Working? There was a fresh groan. That's right... Sue hadn't reported to work in like, a month or something. At a retail job. During the Christmas ********, I've gotta be fired by now. Amara's gonna kick my a**...." It wasn't like he had the clothes she'd bought him anymore, either. Lost in the fire. He wondered how many times he could use that excuse without it losing meaning - sorry I haven't e-mailed you Mom, my laptop was lost in the fire!
... Okay, maybe it wasn't all bad.
"I'm... I dunno. There's a lot to think about, you know?" Sue answered, uncovering his face long enough to give his friend a gentle headshake. His mind went to Imogen, who had lost half a year of her memories, and he wondered: "Yahya... I gotta know. Do you remember much?"
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Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2009 6:41 pm
He wouldn't get fired from his job, he knew that with certainty, because they still needed him. They'd understand why he had to be away for so long, and that was part of the reason why he enjoyed working there so much. Everyone was nice, understanding, and they all had one goal in common, to help protect animal life. He'd go up tomorrow sometime and get right back to work, that is, if they ever let him out of the hospital. He was convinced he was just fine, but the doctors and nurses still wanted to keep him here.
It... sucked.
And Yahya didn't use that word often.
"Remember...?" What was it that Sue wanted him to remember? Yahya's lips creased down into a delicate frown as he thought. "I remember you, first meeting you. You ate my biscuits." He gave Sue a mock-accusing look, hoping to lighten things up a little bit still. "And about the time you gave me Colombus it's hard... to remember anything really. I don't... know what happened, but something happened. I feel like something happened."It could be big or small, Yahya just didn't know. It bothered him, having a blank space in his life where SOMETHING should have happened. "I guess that's not a lot... really..." he glanced away, confused, and a little worried.
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Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2009 6:51 pm
This memory thing was beginning to look like a pattern. It was .........
Relieving.
Sue didn't want for Yahya to have to remember. Sue wanted for Yahya to live a happier life than that. And he could only thank the Opal Crystal for its discretion - because if it were truly a pattern, and all the survivors outside of the Zodiacs had lost their memory of the worst that the school had done, then there could be no other party responsible for that mercy.
But as for now - as for Yahya - Sue just had one thing to say.
"Yeah. Me too."
Because Sue was not going to be the one to destroy that chance for a happy world that Yahya had.
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Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2009 7:01 pm
He smiled uncertainly, because he wasn't really sure what he should think about it. At least he wasn't alone, no, Sue didn't seem to be able to remember much either. Yahya was just glad that Sue could remember him, or rather, that he could remember Sue. He wouldn't mind so much if Sue forgot him, because Yahya would be certain to make sure they became friends again. But the thought of forgetting Sue was discomforting. It made him feel sick. It was possible he had forgotten other people, but at least it wasn't Sue. Even if he would not know the feeling of loss if he forgot about Sue... it bothered him.
It was a very good thing he hadn't forgotten. Yahya valued Sue, Sue was nice to him, and though from what he could remember they only met a few times... Yahya felt like he was a closer friend than those few occasions warranted. Maybe that was a part of that missing chunk of his memory, and somehow the feeling, the sensation of being good friends lingered despite the lack of evidence for it.
Yahya would trust his feelings on this one. "I'm really glad I remembered you, out of all the things I probably have forgotten and lost, I really am glad I get to remember you." Well, he was never the sort of kid to keep his thoughts to himself. "I'm glad you found me in here, too, it would have been pretty boring to wait to be released otherwise."
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Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2009 7:12 pm
"Yeah." Sue actually laughed then - a short laugh, a sad one, but it came with a real smile all the same. "Yeah. I'm glad too. ********, Yahya, I'm really... really glad."
His first real friend at Barren Pines. The one who had stayed beside him through Zombie Hell. The one who had looked for him when he'd gotten caught up in bigger gears. Sue wondered - if Yahya had forgotten him, what would he have done then? Would he have been strong enough to have let himself be forgotten, to have walked away from the boy forever, knowing that his absence would mean that much less association Yahya would have with everything that happened?
Sue didn't think he could have, to be honest. He just... he didn't have friends like Yahya. He couldn't afford to lose the only one he had.
There was still a piece of paper in his hand, and Sue rediscovered it at that moment. The List - capitals included to convey the seriousness of its contents. The List of Survivors.
"... I, uh. This is...." Sue offered it out to Yahya, deciding to let the names - and the absences - speak for themselves.
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Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2009 7:25 pm
That was what he wanted to see, a genuine smile. It warmed him to the bone to see that smile, to hear that Sue was glad too. He was the sort of person to be happy when the people he cared about were happy, and sad when they were sad. Sue's laugh earned a soft one in kind from Yahya, a smile tugging at the blue-haired boy's lips. He lifted a hand, scratching at his scalp briefly, before putting it to better use by idly petting Columbus, who demanded attention even while he slept.
His gaze was captured by the piece of paper, and almost unthinkingly he reached out to take it, his eyes scanning over the names and numbers. He knew what it was, and his heart sank. The list was... so small. What about everyone else? One hand went to cover his mouth, to hide the trembling of his lips. The list was really small... he recognized a few names on it, but so much was missing. Yahya knew what it meant, he wouldn't be upset otherwise. Sucking in a soft breath, he fought back the grief so that he could hold his hand away form his mouth without looking like a total idiot. He folded the piece of paper up gingerly, because he couldn't... look at it.
So much was missing from it. He was going to cry, oh, no, he already was crying. These things crept up on him sometimes, no matter how hard he tried to fight it. "It's... short..."
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Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2009 7:45 pm
And again, Sue could only find one word in his vocabulary that was enough to answer the situation: "Yeah." Yeah, it was short. It was too damned short. Yahya was on it... Piper was on it. A few other names Sue knew. But there were still so many missing. Tallahassee kids, for example. So many Tallahassee kids, some of which Sue and Yahya had watched die....
Yahya didn't have that memory. It was small comfort, but Sue repeated it like a mantra in his head. He could keep his pain to himself, there.
"I've talked to a couple of them," Sue murmured. "Everyone seems to be doing well. Elke got a couple stitches. Imogen's lost damn near every memory she had of the past year. Everyone seems... ridiculously happy, for what's happened. But. You know." Well, Yahya didn't know, actually - what Sue was thinking was past the other boyu'smemory. But Sue shrugged anyway, and repeated from his own memory; "We've got to live for the rest of them now. So I guess that's why."
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Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2009 7:54 pm
His hand stroked the kitten more urgently, trying to find a way to let some of the pain he was feeling seep out without bothering the little creature too much. Yahya didn't know all of the students that attended Barren Pines, but just because he didn't know them didn't mean he could not mourn for their losses, feel the pain of them not being around anymore. Yahya was naturally an empathetic person, he felt their losses. He couldn't shrug it off, and he didn't know how to express himself right now without becoming a crying mess (or a worse one, really) without putting Sue off.
And right now he needed Sue, even if it was just Sue sitting close by. "That's good..." he could take some small comfort in that. The people who did survive were doing well, and maybe that was all he could ask for. He still wanted to ask... for more, he wanted everyone to be alive still. He wanted everyone to be well, he didn't want them to be gone. Yahya had to suck in another breath to keep from sobbing, his free hand moving to rub the tears off of his face. It was time to be a big boy, suck it up... stop crying.
"You're right, we gotta... I don't want to forget them too." He didn't have names, but he didn't want to forget Barren Pines. He wanted to hold on to the memory, because the people who died there deserved to be carried on. They deserved to never be forgotten. Maybe he'd go look up a list of all the students who had attended... later, he wasn't ready just yet. "I can do it, live for them."
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Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2009 8:25 pm
Live for them. God, there was so much that was meant behind that - live for them (Ezekiel, Nibs), sometimes live because of them (Evelyn, Vera, Samuel, Jessalyn). A couple of them, live in spite of (Sebastian, Lucy). But god damn it - if nothing else, for him and Yahya at least, they were going to ******** live.
One of them, Sue, would live and remember - Yahya was the one to live and enjoy. God, Sue hoped that Yahya would be happy after this. If there was anything he could do at all to make sure of it, he would.
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