Finding my way [Complete]

Chapter 15

Kong's POV

I was sure my heart had stopped beating. Other than the fact that I had bile rising up my throat threatening to spill out without my permission, I was sure none of this was real. I had never had an out of body experience before but I was surely having one now. I could see myself helplessly watch P'Arthit lying on the floor. It was like the scene had hit a pause frame since none of the characters on the screen knew how to proceed. I could see grandpa move forward and grab my phone. "Unlock it." I mechanically pressed the password without even realizing what I was doing. I heard him call the ambulance while bending down towards P'Arthit.

"Yes he is still alive. I am not sure. There is a lot of blood but its dried."......"He is definitely unconscious......Kong tell them the address."

I mechanically said those words too. How was it that I was parsing all this information without my brain functioning? Why was I not able to check his condition for myself?

I watched as grandpa scrolled through my phone and called a few other people. I am not sure who or why?

The only think I could focus on was that my heart was squeezing so hard that I was sure I would stop breathing any second. I wanted to stop breathing, atleast the pain in my chest would stop.

"Don't you dare faint on me Kong. I can deal with only one moron at a time." Grandpa was staring at my face finally realizing how pale and silent I had gone. I was still unable to get by bearings straight, but I shakily took two steps and sat down on the nearby chair. I couldn't look at P'Arthit, I just couldn't. I didn't even want to make sure it was him or how badly he was hurt. It would make all of this real. It would make all the blood real.

Grandpa crouched down in front me and rest a reassuring hand on my knee "Kong, he is alive. He is breathing. Trust me it is just like he is taking a long nap. He will be fine, but only if you can take care of him. Falling apart right now won't help anyone."

He is alive. He is alive. He is alive.

I kept chanting the mantra in my head. It had started relieving the squeeze over my heart and now that I could breathe a little better again I rushed to his side. Both his t-shirt and jeans were crusty with dried blood but I didn't dare move him. I lightly turned his face to see the left side completely swollen to the point that his eye wasn't visible at all. He was breathing softly and it sounded labored.

I took my phone back and saw that grandpa had called a couple of my friends to come and help. I called P'Knott and P'Prem too. Within half an hour P'Arthit was being driven to the ambulance with grandpa and I accompanying him. The rest of our friends followed behind. I don't think I could thank grandpa enough that day. He completely took charge. He got P'Arthit admitted, spoke to the doctor, ran around for the multiple tests they had to perform. He even dealt with the cops. He never asked any questions. Finally when the day was winding down, P'Arthit was settled in his hospital room and we were assured that there was nothing life threatening or potentially serious, grandpa grumbled under his breath and walked off without saying anything.

All of us were gathered around a table at the hospital cafeteria. It felt like nobody wanted to break the silence. Once the floodgates opened, it would be impossible to shut them again.

May finally spoke up, "Has anyone called his parents? Wasn't P'Arthit supposed to be visiting them?"

P'Knott frowned "We can't seem to get a hold of them. Their number isn't registered anywhere, none of us have it and we can't find his phone to search through it. I think we will have to wait for him to wake up."

Aim shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "So.....does anyone know what happened? I mean..umm...how P'Arthit got hurt?"

All of us shook our heads no. The always optimistic P'Prem chimed in "Well let's not stress too much. He will be awake in a day or so and then we can ask him and if he doesn't answer we can always beat it out of him....what? not funny yet? I am sure Arthit would have laughed."

P'Knott and I decided to stay back at the hospital and the other promised to visit the next day. P'Arthit was sleeping so peacefully like absolutely nothing was wrong. But something was. Something was so wrong that it had caused him to land up in the hospital.

As I settled on the small cot in the hospital room I was thinking back to the entire day. There were so many different threads of thoughts I needed to unravel. The biggest and most frightening was my reaction to finding him in that state. I knew it meant something larger than I was willing to admit. I knew I would eventually have to sort my feelings about that but right now I was just too emotional. I was too distraught to deal with the pain in my chest.

The second and the third issue seemed to be connected. Why could we not get in touch with absolutely anyone in his family and who exactly caused all his injuries. I knew we would not really get any answers before he woke up but I was trying to rack my brain to think back to the past two years. Were there any clues I should have noticed and I missed? Sifting through my memory was going to be difficult especially since I was so tired and stressed today. I promised to put a pin into this issue and revisit it later.

And now finally the last issue that had nagged me all day. Grandpa. I understood coincidences but the chance that I meet grandpa somewhere other than the dining table at home and finding a beaten and battered P'Arthit on the same day are astronomical. Also, other than me and my niece grandpa almost never voluntarily interacts with anyone. Yet today he struck up a conversation with my friends. And actually laughed. Followed me to my dorm, saved P'Arthit's life and basically took care of all big and small details required in the hospital. He even lied to the police. Why would he do that? That is so much effort for someone he has never met. It was a different thing if he knew how much P'Arthit meant to me, but before today grandpa didn't even know he existed. Either grandpa had an overly generous heart or there was something I was missing.

And then it hit me, the clue that was staring me in my face the whole day. The whole reason we went to P'Arthit's room was that grandpa swore he saw something move behind the curtains. Nothing had moved in that room for days.