Robotic Love

Chapter Twenty-Five: Compensation

*AUGUST 10 2038*

A strange sound greeted my ears as I slowly regained consciousness. I couldn't make out what it was, but I was about to make out was that it was a consistent kind of sound. I tried opening my eyes, but a bright light prevented me from doing so. I groaned softly as I shifted slightly on something soft.

Something clicked in my head as soon as I realized it. Wait... soft? I shifted my body slightly again. Whatever it was that I was lying on was indeed soft. I tried to think about what it could be. At the same time, the sound I was hearing became clear. It turned out to be beeping.

'Where am I?' I thought to myself.

"Mihael?" came a soft, familiar voice. My eyes shot open, the bright light blinding me. I sat up quickly. The action made my head spin, but I ignored it.

At first, I couldn't make out where I was or who had spoken my name as my vision was blurry. I began blinking in an attempt to clear up my vision. As time went by, my vision slowly returned. After what felt like an eternity, my vision fully returned. I began to survey my surroundings.

I was in a small room with numerous cabinets on the left and right walls, a door on the right wall, and an IV and heart monitor to my right, which beeped consistently. My right leg was in a cast and resting in a leg sling. I looked to see that I was lying on a bed with a white silk draped over my other leg and halfway up my chest, which was bandaged up. It didn't take me long to figure out where I was.

'A hospital room,' I thought to myself. 'How did I get here?'

"Mihael?" came that familiar voice again. I looked to my right. My eyes widened in surprise.

Roxanne Wolf was standing beside the bed, relief very clear on her face. Oil was building up in her eyes as her body began shaking. I saw that she was damaged as some parts of her body were dented. She gasped before she wrapped her arms around me.

"Oh, Mihael!" she cried out. "I'm so glad you're awake! I was so worried!"

After a moment, I returned the gesture. As we hugged, I heard her choking on her sobs. I began patting her back as a way to comfort her.

"It's okay," I whispered. "You don't have to worry anymore."

It took a moment for something to click in my head. What the heck was going on? What was she even doing here? Where was everyone? Were they okay? This didn't make a whole lot of sense. Curiosity began to bubble up.

"Come to think of it, what are you doing here?" I asked. "What even happened? Is everyone okay?"

Roxanne released me from the hug. I did the same. A remorseful expression formed on her face as she looked down at the floor. A wave of unease washed over me. I didn't like the looks of that.

"Roxanne," I began slowly. "What happened? Is my mother, Kyle, and everyone else okay?"

Roxanne didn't say anything. Instead, she kept her eyes on the floor as if she didn't want to look me in the eyes. I felt myself growing impatient with her. I wanted answers and Roxanne was the only one who had them.

"Roxanne, come on!" I demanded. "What happened?!"

Once again, Roxanne didn't say anything. I felt my anger boiling at this point. I just wanted to know what happened. It wasn't like I was asking for her to cut off her own hand or something like that at all.

Before I could say anything, Roxanne finally looked up from the floor. Her remorse grew slightly as she made eye contact with me. I waited for what she was going to do.