Agent 38: I Never Forgot You

Chapter 29: Pride

     Sarai wasn't too sure how, but definitely wanted to know why she'd closed her eyes in the apartment, sitting on the couch, and opened them in a place that most certainly was not the apartment, laying down.
     An extremely bright light glistened above her, leaving spots dancing around her vision. Her head was cushioned on what was maybe a pillow and her body was spread across a firm mattress that reminded her of a metal board. Something soft sprawled across her lower torso. Another, warmer thing sat on top of her left hand.
     There was an odd, weak feeling fogging up her mind. Something had happened, something significant and recent. What was it?
     Sarai closed her eyes again, the temptation of sleep beckoning her in. That bright light was giving her a bit of a headache and her vision wasn't clearing up anyway.
     Her right side pounded in slow throbs that sent pain ricocheting throughout her body. She tried to ignore it because she was tired and, also, wasn't really a fan of pain. Who was? It was uncomfortable and hurt too much. Sarai felt too weak and lightheaded to figure out where the pain was coming from and why, so instead she opened her eyes. At least looking around wouldn't hurt too much.
     She waited for her vision to clear. The source of the light was a small circle imprinted into the ceiling of... wherever she was. In both her peripherals she spotted something that looked like handles, colored a meek gray, and two bags of fluid that hung atop thin metal poles.
     Hang on. Sarai's thoughts finally snapped from her dazed, pain-induced trance. Where am I?
     Her eyes widened.
     Two bags of fluid. A firm, metal-like mattress. And, she now realized, the presence of a needle in her right arm.
     Not again.
     Sarai shot up, stifling a scream as the painful throbbing increased to an intense pounding at her sudden movement. She looked up to study her surroundings and, for a terrifying moment, she was back where she had been after bombing the Metro, strapped to a table. For a moment, her wrists and ankles were bound, and she was about to be sanitized. For a moment, she was in the past.
     And then she slowly realized where she actually was, and a deep feeling of dread sunk into her stomach. This was a hospital, and she was likely here because of that cut she'd gotten earlier. That cut was also probably the source of all the pain.
     Sarai noticed, quite suddenly, that Alex was sitting to her left on a chair, eyes closed. The warm thing she had felt earlier was his right hand laying on top of her left. He had one knee to his chest and the other hanging off the chair, and his head sat in an uncomfortable-looking position, cushioned on his knee. His brows were furrowed and he wasn't in the same attire as he had been before she... whatever happened at the apartment. So how much time had passed?
     Behind him was a curtain that hung in front of, what she assumed, was the door. Sarai debated waking him up, but decided not to. She'd recently discovered that Alex had trouble sleeping most nights, so when he finally got some rest, he slept like a rock. And, although she knew he was probably extremely worried, Sarai figured that letting him sleep was the healthier approach.
     So, instead, she lay back down with a sigh, trying to find something else to focus on. The pain, unfortunately, was the only thing grabbing her attention. As she stopped moving it slowly eased, reduced back to a dull throb. Sarai gently removed her hand out from under Alex's and felt her neck.
     The small cut there was covered with what felt like a gauze pad. The pain wasn't really coming from there, it was more mildly upsetting than an actual problem. It was mainly from the cut on her right side. Sarai lowered her hands, reaching under her shirt. There was cloth tape wrapped tightly around her torso, and if she twisted around, she could feel what she assumed were stitches. Sarai sighed again.
     Beside her, Alex made a small noise and withdrew his hand, tucking it in close to his chest.
     She looked up and carefully inhaled. There was a soft click and she heard the door open. A second later, the curtain slid aside to reveal Aaron, a styrofoam food container in his hands. He met her eyes and a look of relief crossed his face.
     Aaron quietly pulled a chair over to the other side of her bed and took a seat. He met her eyes. "Are you okay?"
     "Yeah. I'm fine." She responded softly.
     There was a pause.
     "You, uh.. you gave me and Alex quite the scare, back at the apartment." Aaron said, drumming his fingers along the container. "You should've seen him. I could've sworn I saw the Metro happening all over again in his eyes."
     Sarai slowly brought her knees up to her chest, turning her head to look at Alex. "He's been through too much. I just want him to be safe."
     She heard him shift in his seat. For a moment, she could tell that that was what Aaron wanted too; for his friend, his brother, to be safe. That was what they both wanted. One a best friend, the other a lover, yet the same goal in mind.
     "While we're on the topic," Sarai's voice was so hushed it was practically a whisper. "What... happened, after the Metro bombing? If you don't want to tell me, then that's alright, too. I know it's hard. I just want to know."
     Aaron's features gradually descended into that of grief. After a moment, he spoke.
     "It's not a day I like to remember." He said, eyes glued to the food container. "We left the Metro in a rush. I practically dragged him out. Alex kept telling me to go back, that you'd die if we didn't. That he was my captain, and as such, I was to follow his orders. I screamed at him. I still regret it." The Inkling's voice wavered. "I remember how I told him that you were already gone, that I couldn't let him go and lose both my best friends in the same day. I remember how, suddenly, he went from the Alex I knew to someone I didn't recognize." Aaron looked up and met her eyes. "It messed him up bad. He wouldn't really respond to anything for a few months afterward. I remember I asked him once if he'd had lunch yet; he said he hadn't eaten anything in four days."
     "That's horrible," Sarai breathed, looking back at Alex. A pang of guilt ricocheted through her stomach. "I should have fought harder. I could have gotten out, I know I could've, if I had only tried harder. I could have saved you all from years of pain."
     "None of it was your fault." Aaron said. "I'm not trying to pull the cliché, 'put the blame on me!' card, but if I hadn't stopped him, I don't think we'd be in this situation right now."
     "You're right," She said. He looked stricken for a second. "We'd all be dead. You saved him. Your decision, though it didn't end well for me, saved the entire team. It's not your fault. It's no one's fault."
     Aaron nodded. There was a short silence, and then he continued. "We told the public about your death a few days after the Metro. Turns out the whole Square felt the impact of the bombs." He hesitated and she saw his eyes filling with tears. "Alex gave a speech about you while we were there. Your funeral took place the next day." Aaron gave a humorless chuckle. "Alex asked that you be buried next to his dad. I remember he told me that it was just bad luck, how he was slowly losing everything he loved. I told him that he wasn't gonna lose me or Cal or Marie anytime soon. I begged him not to do anything stupid for a few days, just to let us figure things out. I'll never forget what he told me. I'll never forget the chill that ran down my back." Aaron glanced at Alex again. There was rage and sadness burnt into the Inkling's eyes, compressed into some kind of pitiful anger. "He said, 'Suicide doesn't sound so stupid right now, Aaron.'"
     She reached over and put a hand on his knee, because she couldn't think of anything else to say or do to comfort him. "I'm sorry, Aaron."
     He nodded again. "I kind of took care of him that first year. We were all in a pretty bad place. I'd come over sometimes and he wouldn't be there, and I'd get so scared. The first time it happened, I thought for sure he'd be gone. Cal, Marie and I went looking for him all over the city. I was so close to calling the police, and then I found him, sitting atop a bridge, staring at the cars racing by just a mere 20 feet beneath." Aaron shook his head. "I tried to get him into therapy after that, but you know him. Alex's never been one to talk about his feelings too much.
     "Personally, though, I used it as an opportunity to turn my life around. I didn't want to be the depressed gamer friend who'd never leave his room. I wanted to be able to help if I needed to. And I was. Am." He cleared his throat. "I am in no way saying that your death was a good thing, by the way. Alex saw me getting better and he tried to move on, too. I know he did, because he would ask me, every time I came over, how I did it. He really did try. At some point he did start getting a bit more... alive, I guess. He'd talk more, eat more, even started exercising, but he still wasn't happy. He was mad all the time, too." Aaron laughed that bitter laugh again. "He wasn't the Alex you see right now. He's different around you. And I don't mean in a bad way," He added quickly. "But you make him feel whole. He really does need you. We all do, I think. The Splatoon wouldn't be the same without you."
     She smiled. "Thanks, Aaron. For telling me."
     The Inkling exhaled softly. "Yeah, no problem." He was silent for a moment, then his eyes went wide and he yanked his phone out of his pocket. "Shoot– I gotta go. I signed up for an online tournament like, a week ago and I'm not gonna make it if I don't leave now."
     Sarai chuckled. "You're fine. Have fun."
     "Thanks," Aaron stood up and put his phone back in his pocket, then set the food conatiner down on his chair. "By the way, if the docs let you, try this. Callie made it a few days ago and I think it's the best spicy curry I've had in my life."
     "Will do. Bye, Aaron."
     The Inkling waved and, as he walked past Alex, gently tugged on his ponytail. His head bumped against the backrest and he woke up instantly with a groan, already reaching for the back of his head. "Agh– Aaron, you suck!"
     The Inkling laughed and closed the door behind himself with a smug, "I know!"
     Alex rubbed his blind eye, noticed that she was awake, and his voice quickly went from gruff to concerned. "You're up. God, you scared me so bad at the apartment. Are you okay?"
     "Yeah, I'm okay." Sarai said with a grin. "Don't you know it takes more than a little cut to get rid of me?"
     He laughed, just a bit, shaking his head. "I hope you know it wasn't just 'a little cut'. You nearly bled out, Sarai. You have to be more careful. Christ, you scared me so much. And Aaron. I could've sworn I had a heart attack. Please, please don't ever pull a stunt like that again." Alex reached over and took hold of her hand. His gaze lingered on her for a moment, almost longingly, and she could practically see that he was thinking about how wrong the situation could've gone. "You're so beautiful."
     She gave his hand a squeeze and smiled. "To quote the words of a wise man, 'If it means protecting you, then I make no such promises.'"

i love writing. anyway that was some backstory to what happened during the 3 year time skip.
also woah??? i actually uploaded??? on time?????
anyway have a good day gamers
Word count: 2130