R&D

Chapter 10

The next couple of days Roshi was back in school while Dev was recovering at the hospital. Roshi would go visit him in the afternoon and do her homework from there. Normally her parents wouldn't be happy with Dev and Roshi being alone together, but since this was a hospital room and one of his arms was in a cast they decided it was safe.

On Wednesday Roshi walked into the hospital room and stopped in her tracks. Whoa, she said. Dev was awake and eating Jell-O while watching TV. But the shocking part was his head. The bandage was gone. And so was all his hair. His head was completely shaved.

Oh yeah, Dev said as he rubbed his left hand on his head. All gone, he said. Roshi sat on the bed and examined it more closely. You don't like it, he asked. It's just, different, she said, I'm sure I'll get used to it.

Touch it, he said. Roshi never thought Dev would use that phrase in reference to his bald head. She reluctantly did. It didn't feel weird. He didn't have any strange bumps or scars. Just felt like buzzed hair. Interesting, she said.

My turn, he said. Roshi thought he was going to touch her head but instead he put his hand on her upper thigh. Really, you're in the hospital, she said. And very much alive, he said. She wasn't having it and moved his hand away.

On Friday Dev was discharged from the hospital and that was the day his parents told him that Mitch had died. After school was over Roshi went over to his house. Mr. Patel stayed home that day so he was the one who opened the door when she came over. How is he, she asked. Quiet, Mr. Patel said.

Roshi walked into the family room to see Dev watching TV, more specifically Rick and Morty. She sat down next to him. Hey, she said. Hi, he said. He continued to watch TV and not acknowledge her. Are you okay, she asked. Yeah, he said. He continued to watch TV.

Do you wanna talk about it, she asked. What's there to talk about, he said. How you feel, she said unsure. He simply shrugged. She decided not to push him. As they sat there watching TV Roshi recognized that maybe this was just how Dev was. He wasn't a very emotional person. He was able to keep himself in check. A common trait of someone cool.

The next day was the funeral. Dev's parents said they would take him. He didn't ask Roshi to go with him, but when she offered he didn't tell her not to.

They got to the funeral and it was packed. Mitch was one of the most popular people at their school. He was incredibly well-liked. Warren and Cash then walked up to them. Warren had crutches and Cash had a few cuts on his arm, but otherwise the two were relatively unscathed.

Dev, Cash, and Warren went together to talk with Mitch's parents and his younger sister Kaya. The four of them: Cash, Warren, Kaya and Mitch, basically grew up together. Cash and Warren started crying upon seeing Kaya bawling. But Dev kept his cool. He was calm the entire time. Roshi saw him put a hand on Mitch's mom's shoulder to console her. He was empathetic, even if not emotional.

During the ceremony various people in the crowd went up to speak. Many of whom cried as they remembered their friend/cousin/brother. Dev spoke as well. He didn't shed a single tear. He stayed strong the whole time. He was a rock.

After the ceremony was over Roshi saw Dev consoling other kids from school. He spotted Roshi and mouthed to her if she wanted to go. She shook her head and motioned for him to keep chatting with people.

After a few hours they left and drove back to Dev's house. His parents sat in the front of the car while Dev and Roshi sat in the back. It was a wordless ride as Dev simply looked out the window and the others kept silent as to not disturb his peace. Roshi debated on holding his hand but felt awkward to do it with his parents so close by.