Covered in a new shade of splattered tan, the once pristine old car was almost hard to recognize. Blazing through the myriad of parking spaces, Benjamin pulled right it up to the main enterance. Not wasting a moment, he got out and scooped up Aralyn from the backseat. Leaving Conan to drag himself inside, Ben hurried through the doors and headed straight for the main lobby, "Hey! I need some help!" The man shouted, with the pale and badly battered girl in his arms. This time, he needn't force any guise of emotion; the demanding and urgent tones were all true and sincere.
As he dragged himself once more to his feet and out of the car, the boy followed Ben at the fastest pace he could manage toward the hospital. His vision was beginning to blur, so it took him a moment to get his bearings before he finally staggered up beside Ben in the waiting room, shaking fingers brushing Aralyn's brow for a moment before he started to limp down the passage to find someone to help her.
He wasn't in such hot shape himself. Despite the bandage and poultice he'd place on the old wounds in his abdomen, the bullet marks were bleeding once more, and he had a fresh bullet wound in his left arm, the tiny peice of metal still lodged inside. His arms and chest were so much shredded skin from his leaping through the window pane, and purple bruises were already beginning to show from Ben's earlier beating. Not to mention the psychological confusion of hearing one minute that Aralyn was dead and the next rescuing her from a building on the verge of explosion before a bouncy and very uncomfortable ride here.
He shouldn't have been on his feet, but that combined miracle of adrenaline and fear for Aralyn still kept him going, kept him staggering down the hall and frantically peering into each room, hoping to find someone to help her.
The cries of Ben caught the attention of most of the patients in the waiting area, as well as the reception staff. Two nurses just happened to be passing through reception when the three casualties arrived. Whilst one rushed to find help, the other came forward to check Aralyn's pulse. Bursting through the double doors, a tall woman with long light brown hair and intensly blue eyes led a group of 3 nurses with a stretcher down the corridor towards Ben and Aralyn. Scooping the injured girl from his arms, Lyrissa carefully placed her down on the stretcher, as the nurse (who had been checking Aralyn's vitals) began to shout out her pulse and BP rates.
As the nurses, rushed Aralyn through to be checked over, Lyrissa remained behind. "What happened?" It was important for her to know so they would be prepared.
Another nurse approached Conan, taking hold of his arm. "Sir, I think you should come with me." She led him towards the cubicules.
From the angle he was standing at, Conan could not see the nurses attending Aralyn, so when yet another nurse took his arm, he frantically pulled away, hands lifting swiftly and fingers flying in signing. No, no! Aralyn... my sister... Aralyn needs... she needs help... my sister! The usually kind blue eyes were wild, boring into hers as if staring at her would make her understand.
What could he say now? He honestly had no idea what Michael had done to Aralyn, and was hesitant to tell the nurses anything of the story. Whatever he said, Ben knew it had to sound absolutely believable. He himself was battered up, and could only hope that they wouldn't suspect him of any wrong doing.
With only a moment of indecision, Ben fell back to the previous story that had worked so nicely last time they arrived at the hospital. "She was held hostage by a gang..." She carried a multitude of bruises, and there were certainly broken ribs. She had been couging up blood earlier as well. "...I imagine the same one that attacked us earlier." Ben added, with a nod to the frantic Conan. Seeing Aralyn so injured had rattled Benjamin more than he had first realized, and he found himself mentally clouded. He failed to come up with a story for Conan's bullet wound, or the glass cuts.
Her breathing was so shallow, it was hard to tell if she even WAS breathing. Then her eyes fluttered open, for barely a moment and she whispered I.... I can't do this anymor...more.... B-ben Then her eyes fluttered back against her pale and bruised cheeks, going so limp and lifeless, it seemed as if she had indeed died except for the breath barely escaping her lips.
Hearing those words, his heart went out to her. He knew that horrible feeling of dispair and felt absolutely powerless to do anything to help her out of it. "Aralyn, you have to fight, ok? You have to fight this." There was a peculiar tremble to the man's voice, hinting of fear and desperate sorrow. Oh god, he couldn't go through this again! He couldn't loose another daughter!
Those big blue eyes were enveloped in moisture now, wide with the threat of loosing someone he had allowed himself to get close too. "You're going to be alright, Aralyn. We can go out and find your dog for you as soon as you get out of here." He added, now struggling to make his voice sound hopeful, when such a thing should have come like second nature. He needed to give her reason to fight, and Malon had come to mind.
Taking his tense gaze from Aralyn, Ben looked to Conan for a moment, and his eyes blazed for an instant with fury. For Aralyn's sake, he wouldn't do anything to Conan ....yet. Their first priority would be to deal with Michael, if he were still alive.
Vaguely, Aralyn could hear voices and shouts, but not as much. More, she could hear things inside her head. Screaming.... God why were they always screaming?
You fucking whore! I'll kill you! The sound of flesh hitting flesh.... Pain. Such intense pain. She thought'd she scream. No, don't scream. Then he'd hit her more. It was just like home..... Daddy always hitting her. Fight back. This wasn't your dad. Just another washed up loser like him. Again the sound of flesh hitting flesh but now pain was burning up her arm. You can't touch me, you sadistic son of a bitch. Were those words coming from her mouth? Must be from the look in Michaels eyes..... She felt herself being slammed against a wall.... And she knew that it was coming....
Sanuye skipped through the hospital doors, singing a song in her native language when she saw Conan. Conan? Hey.... Conan calm down. Concern filled her eyes and she began to walk towards him but then her eyes landed on Aralyn. Oh my god.... She whispered. Then it became a scream. OH MY GOD! WHAT HAPPENED TO MY SISTER!? Sure, Aralyn hated her. But that didn't matter now. Aralyn was hurt, badly hurt. But so was Conan. CONAN! Oh, how could she be so stupid? Conan. Honey, calm down. Suddenly she hugged him, holding his body close to hers. They'll take care of her, Conan.
All the confusion was definitely getting to him, so much that he didn't even see Sanuye as she came into the hospital.
He was so busy trying to get the nurse to understand that when Sanuye hugged him, he nearly jumped. But his panicked blue eyes finally found her face, and after a moment, his face softened a bit. He considered her, weighing her in that infinite, calculating gaze... and then he melted into her embrace, reaching out to hug her back, instinctively patting her back as though she were the one who needed comfort. He winced as the movement jarred his broken ribs, but he clung to Sanuye as if she were a lifeline. His face was completely expressionless now, as Ben's always was, as he'd learned to make it. The only hint to how glad he was to see the girl was the desperation with which he held onto her, trembling slightly all over.
Shhh, I'm here. She whispered softly, and ever so gently she rubbed his back. Come on. They're gonna take care of her, ok? Lets just follow this nurse.... She waited for him to move, not wanting to hurt him and wanting him to understand. She was there. She wouldn't leave him.
Allergens? Damnit, what had Mikhail said about allergens... Ben struggled to pull himself back to mental clarity, trying to keep tabs on everyone around him while going over the multitude of data that was crammed in his memory. Allergens.. no, he couldn't think of any. At least, Mikhail hadn't come across any medical records that pointed out anything. "No, I-I don't think so." He replied with clear uncertainty.
Ben took a step back, knowing this was not his area of expertice. He was just thankful they weren't asking him any troublesome questions right now.
As he held tightly onto Sanuye, the boy managed to regain some of his composure. When her words reached him, he stepped back, giving her an apologetic look for the blood that now stained her shirt. But his face was almost calm as he turned to follow her and the nurse, giving a last glance back to Ben. Take care of her!
He knew he should just ignore that look, but Ben glanced briefly to Conan in return, before the boy was led away by the nurse. There wasn't much emotion to be seen in his eyes, except the faintest hostility. A little reminder to Conan that he was not on good grounds with him.
With the doctors and nurses swarming over Aralyn, there was little left for Ben to do here. Before anyone got at him with questions, the man drifted quietly from the scene and left.
With a nod, Eva turned and rushed Aralyn down to surgery.
Sanuye caught the look in Bens eyes, and a shiver of fear rippled down her spine. I don't like him. She whispered to Conan. She held his hand in hers as the nurse to to work, pulling out the bullet and such tsking quietly to the two teenagers.
Conan also caught the look Ben had tossed, but it did not instill the fear in him that it should have. He just didn't have any more scare left in him today. Sanuye's shiver caused him to raise the arm that the nurse wasn't occupied with and lay it about her shoulders, a silent assurance that it was alright. His face creased a little in pain as the movement strained the damaged muscles and ribs, but it was his turn to be comforting. Ben would NOT hurt Sanuye. Conan would see to it.
He held mostly still as the nurse worked, silent as the grave and praying with all his might that the doctors would be able to help Aralyn.
Throughout the process of needles and stitches and all that other fun stuff, Sanuye held Conans unoccupied hand.
It was many hours later, that Eva finally came out into the hall way. As she found Sanuye and Conan, her eyes were sad but triumphant. Shes going to make it. Shes awake now but...... I'm not sure she will be the same that she ever was. She knew Aralyn through reputation, and the girl that she saw lying in that hospital bed was not the same girl that she had heard so much about. Meek, lost, and so angry..... There was so much built up anger in the girl. Eva didn't want to be there when it all came out. You two may see her if you like.
He had waited tensely for Eva to come back, and her words awakened a sad chord in him. But the eyes that looked up into Eva's were strong, and he began to sign, slowly because of the pain, and despite the likelihood that Eva would not understand. Are any of us ever the same again, after this kind of thing? I don't beleive we can be. A soundless sigh left him, and he started to rise, having to make several attempts before he could stay on his feet.
When he finally managed to gather himself, his face was cold and flat, not allowing the tiredness that caused him to sway show in his face. The blue eyes that held Eva's were hopeless and icy. I know what ails her, doctor.
His face shifted to Sanuye, the mask slipping a bit to allow only the eyes to be soft and kind. Give me ten minutes before you come. And he stood for a moment with that warmth shining from his eyes before he turned away, slowly and unsteadily heading down the hallway to see Aralyn. Earlier, he'd allowed Sanuye to support him as he walked, but Eva was not to be trusted in that fashion. No, he would walk alone down the hall.
As he reached the room Eva had indicated, he stopped and leaned against the wall for a moment, breathless and trying to ignore the aching in his side and throughout his body. After several long moments, he gathered himself and headed inside, sitting silently in the chair placed next to the bed, hand reaching for Aralyn's.
Even though the nurse would come in and keep moving her, Aralyn was laying curled up in a small ball on the bed, with her back to the door. When Conan suddenly took her hand, her pale silver blue eyes lifted to his and tears immediatly filled her eyes before she closed them again against the pain of her body, and of her mind. She curled into a tighter ball and where before she didn't allow herself to cry, now she let a sob escape her. The pain was intense at the action, but everywhere she hurt. She hurt in her heart, she hurt in her mind, she hurt in her body. Why did these things always happen to her? Always her.
The tears in her eyes cut him to the heart, and his mouth opened without his knowledge or permission,trying to say words of comfort from lips of silence. But this time, he actually made a sound. It was a small squeak, something like the kind made when young men's voices were changing, but he could not manage more.
Tears filled his eyes as well at the thought. Always before, he had been able to hum to encourage her, sing to calm her fears, speak to soothe her anger. Now... the best tool he'd ever had was robbed for him, and he felt helpless to tell her that they would get through this, that together they would survive, as they always had.
The tears stood sparkling in his eyes, but where before he had cried in front of Aralyn, this time he took control of himself with a forceful rein, not allowing them to run. He hadn't yet the control to dispell the shimmer from his eyes, but he refused to allow them to trail down his face. He reached his other hand out to stroke along Aralyn's cheek, wiping the tears away, touch so light, as if she were made of glass. He was stretched at an awkward angle, and could not restrain a reflexive wince, but this was more important than the pain.
His heart broke for her, for only once before had she ever cried in front of him, and even that was not like this. Aralyn cried as though it would break her in two.