The Lion King In The Human World Part 3

Guess Who's Back.

MUFASA

I couldn't feel my legs. I couldn't remember anything except that I was with my son Taka years ago. Now, I don't know where he is, if he's even still out there. The doctors and nurses can't promise I'll get home anytime soon because there's no way to tell where my home is. The only information they found was my partly destroyed credit card. 

I stared at the paper, specifically the article where they talked about me. Man awakes from 33 year coma, it explains about me, my condition, and asks if anyone knows who I am. There was a picture of me when I first came to this hospital. I looked so young, my son must have been so young. I had to find him.

ANOTHER PLACE

SIMBA

"For the last time," I said to Timon and Pumbaa, "I'll give you a promotion when I feel you deserve one. Right now, all you guys do is get a few people coffee and prank Nuka." Nuka, who was sitting besides me with pink paint staining his suit, grumbled at them.

"But Simba," Pumbaa whined, "You gave your cousin a better job than us."

"I started as an erred boy," Nuka snapped, "I earned my current position through hard work. You guys will have to do the same."

Just then the door opened, ageing Zazu walked in. "Mr. King," he said, holding a newspaper. That was old-fashioned. "One of the employees from New Jersey brought this in. There's an article that might interest you."

"Okay," I said, "What is it?"

Zazu handed me the paper and pointed to one article. 

          Man Awakes From 33 Year Coma.

   Late Sunday afternoon, the man who had been found by fishermen in their nets awoke from his coma. None of the hospital staff knew who he was and the man carried no identification on him, simply a broken credit card that doesn't work. Upon awaking, the man realized he has no memory other than being with his son at the time of whatever happened to him. There was no sign of the son.

   If anyone could possibly know this man, please report to the St. Jones's hospital.

The article showed a picture of the man now and when he was first admitted to the hospital. I froze when I saw the picture. "Dad?" I asked, "No, can't be. Can it?"

Zazu shrugged at me. "He did look remarkably like your father years ago."

Nuka looked over my shoulder. "I never met Uncle Mufasa," he said, "But I saw a lot of pictures. I would have thought that's one too if I didn't know he was dead and buried in his grave."

"He wasn't buried," Zazu said, "The grave's empty, just a tombstone marking where he would have been buried if his body was found."

"What happened to his body?" Pumbaa asked.

"Didn't they pull it out with the car?" Timon added, "Or did they just leave the car in the river?"

"They got the car out," Zazu said, "But the windshield broke and your father's body fell back into the river. It would be nearly impossible for him to survive though."

But that's what they said about me. It would have been nearly impossible for me to survive, yet here I am.

I showed the newspaper to Nala that night. We compared the picture in the paper to a picture of Dad. "How is this possible?" Nala asked, "Your dad was buried wasn't he?" I explained the whole empty grave thing to her. "Well, that seems like a waste of space," she said, "But it means that your dad could still be alive. No body, no proof of death."

I looked at the man who could be my dad. "I'm going to this hospital tomorrow," I said, "I'll find out the truth. We could take a DNA test, that worked for finding lost parents last time."

"I'll come with you," Nala said, "It sounds like tomorrow could be a big day for our family."

THE NEXT DAY

They had a DNA test thing at the hospital, they put a few of my hairs and a few hairs from the guy in. We just had to wait fifteen minutes for the results.

I held Sara and watched the people go by. A stretcher carrying an elderly man passed by, a team rushed around another stretcher, this time with a little girl on board. Some kid on crutches hit someone else on crutches. I looked up at the clock, eleven minutes to go.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up, Nala had put her hand on me. "How you doing?" she asked.

I shrugged. "Longest four minutes of my life," I told her, "And there's still eleven to go."

Nala chuckled at me. "You'll make it," she said, "And if this guy is your dad, you'll be glad you waited these long fifteen minutes."

I had to laugh at that. "And if he's not my dad?" I asked.

"Then you'll know," Nala said, "And you won't be wondering if he was for the rest of your life."

I sighed. Sara grabbed my face like a two year old does, without any grasp of personal space at all. "Smile Dada," she said, "Smile wide!" She was adorable.

"Smile wide!" Fina cheered after her sister. It is already clear that Sara's a leader and Fina's a follower.

Then the door to the testing room opened. The doctor who ran the DNA test came out. The fifteen minutes were up and she held the results. 

"Congratulations Mr. King," she said, "The test was positive all four times we ran it, there's no mistaking it. Our mystery patient is your father."

I couldn't believe it.

MUFASA

The door to my room opened, I wasn't really paying much attention, I was half-asleep. But I was jerked awake when a pair of strong arms wrapped around me. "Dad!" a voice cried.

Somehow, I knew that voice. I knew who was hugging me, it was my son. 

I wrapped my arms around him, a faint memory of him as a little tiny baby popped into my head. I had missed so much of his life, but I was here with him now. My son, my pride and joy.