Case 36: Courter in Yellow

Hotel Victim(12)

Dipper POV

Hospitals are like portals to another world, one on the brink of collapse. No matter where you are, every hospital is the same, they may look different on the inside but the feeling of the building was the same. The fear of death hung heavy in the air, weighed down by grief and they hushed whispering of doctors.

I hate hospitals, and I think everyone in the waiting room here could agree with me.

Valentino was talking to the nurses at the front desk, flipping them his badge and explaining why we needed to know where the victim was. It only took a minute but I could feel everyone breath as we stepped into the elevator and way from the waiting room.

"Don't like hospitals." Wendy sighed and we both nodded and hummed our agreement.

The victim was roomed on the third floor, the officers who left with the ambulance now stood outside his closed door.

With a quick flash of our badges they let us in the room, The man was lying down staring at the ceiling. He barely blinked at us when we entered the room. We all shared the same look and approached the bed slowly, Wendy and I pulled up chairs on opposite sides of his bed, Valentino stands behind Wendy's chair.

"Hi," Wendy started her voice high and quiet, the way you'd see a mother talk to a lost child, in a nurturing way women seem to be born with, "my name is Wendy, these are my partners, Dipper and Robbie. We're here to help you."

He turned his head to her slowly just staring at her, "I don't need your help." he said his voice barely a whisper and dry, he struggled just to say that small sentence.

"Do you know what happened to you?" she asked.

He nodded slowly.

"Why don't you tell us your name?" I asked, matching my tone to hers.

He turned his head to me like he was just now seeing I had entered the room, "John."

"Ok, John if you know what happened do you know who did it?" I asked, leaning in a little.

His face twisted and he looked like he was going to puke, we all moved back, me and Wendy pushed our chairs back a little but didn't stand just yet. "I can't tell you that." He hiss.

"Why not?" Robbie asked, having a harder time sounding nice.

John twisted under the sheets, becoming restless, "It's not what you think, I don't need your help."

I rested my hand on his arm pinning him slightly, "It's ok John, we aren't going to hurt you."

He wrenched his arm away from me staring widely, "I'm not hurt!" his voice was slowly coming back but without water it still sounded broken and most likely hurt to speak.

Robbie shifted on his feet, his arm crossed over his chest, "Water?" I asked him and he just gruffed walking out to possibly get a cup of water for John.

"Will you help us? Do you remember what happened before you woke up here in the hospital?" Wendy asked, putting her hand on his wrist, we both watched for a breath before he answered.

"No, He wouldn't like that. He could get in trouble with you and he would not like that. It would make him sad, I don't want him sad." He wheezed, turning to her, his heart beat on the monitor was coming down, slowing as he called again.

He didn't mind her touching his hand.

I let her take the lead with talking to him, instead I watched his body language.

"Him? Do you know his name John?" She asked.

He shook his head, "They don't say, no one tells you. We aren't supposed to know." But he seemed more comfortable talking to Wendy.