Reborn Heart of Steel

I only managed to nod because those were the only words I could say at that moment. Hope was dangerous. Hope could be crushed. The day was slowly passing as the best people were going to the nurses and doctors to get checked. Soon Chase and Alessandro came back, carrying with them a tray of food that, quite frankly, no one of us felt like eating. Most times, we whispered and reminisced about Aiden, or I just accompanied him in silence. When it was getting dark, the tension in the room was rising. We need to come out of the status quo and apply ourselves, as the next twenty four hours would be crucial, as said by Dr. Patel. Each one of the monitors beeping, each movement of Aiden’s fingers, has the effect of racing our hearts. ‘Well, maybe we should try to communicate with him,’ Alessandro proposed. It wasn’t the appearance of the lynching that troubled me; it was the headlines masquerading as news ‘I’ve heard that coma patients can sometimes hear what’s going on around them. ‘ Still, it is still worth the try. We told tales to Aiden, gossip at school, funny incidents at school, and even humorous stories to him that he should be prepared for great adventures when he wakes up. His parents chimed in, telling a story that had us in stitches one moment, while wiping our tears the next. As it turned out, the night arrived and one of the nurses came to me and offered to help me get some rest. We all squeezed onto the fold-away couch and extra chairs, which were not especially comfortable. But sleep was rare; there was always too much to worry about and to hope for and to fear. It struck me that there is not much more to the narrative because I must have dozed off at some point: there is no indication that I did so, but there is also a sound that woke me up. First, I did not quite pin it down a sort of whispering, which is not the same as the sounds one hears in a hospital during the night. And then again, a louder note, then a several tensed note and then, an ugly groan. I shot up so fast that the room spun, following the direction of their gaze, which settled on Aiden’s bed. This is a piece of pure fiction, but sometimes I think that in the night he is not still I saw the rustle of hair against the pillow, the restless hands clenching the sheet. ‘Aiden?’ I asked again, more to myself than to anyone else, my voice so faint I might not have spoken at all. And one more groan, somewhat deeper or longer at least. It sufficed to wake the others. And there we stood, around the bed, with our hands on our chests that felt like bursting as Aiden’s eyes opened. “Come on, honey,” said Sarah sobbing loudly. ‘Open your eyes. You can do it. ‘ It was as if, in answer to his mother’s entreat, Aiden’s eyes gradually flickered open. And they were initially dazed, their eyes shielding against the relatively dim ambient lighting here. Then he looked fixedly at each individual’s face. “W-water,” he said, his voice sounding more like a rasp. A lot of activity occurred when Alessandro hurried to get a cup of water, Chase dashed to call the nurses, and Sarah and her husband were dashing to embrace and kiss their son. I was compressed with a myriad of emotions as I stood still like a statue. Elation, relief, the lingering fear, but most of all, guilt. Beside him, Aiden looked up into my eyes from over his mother’s head. In spite of the fact that memory was beginning to fail him, and he looked at me through a veil of pain, I noticed the flicker of understanding in his eyes. He attempted to say something else, but it was painful and he recoiled. ‘Try not to speak’, I told him, and I stepped closer to where he was lying on the bed. “You’re okay. You’re safe. ” He nodded his head a little and then his face creased into a frown of deep thinking. “Bri. .. anne,” he managed. “You. … okay?” New drops rolled all over my face. Even now, even after all this, his primary concern was me. “I’m okay,” I told him. “Thanks to you. ”

A perfunctory smile, if it could even be called such, appeared on his lips and his eyes once again shut, probably the movement taking much out of him. The sudden addition of several people in scrubs and stethoscopes around the bed caused the room to become more rambunctious without becoming out of hand in its excitement. Afterward, we were led out into the hallway and, in a very funny situation, hugged one another and cried in relief. It was as though he was in a daze Chase could only utter the words ‘he’s awake’ repeatedly. “He did it. ” I nodded and felt a weight lift off of me, my heart felt less heavy than it had in days. But even on this account, one concern lingered on the minds of the families or at least that’s the impression one gets from reading the article. The Raven was still out there. Thus, his men have not accomplished the intended goal and, as such, they are likely to attempt it again. The thing with the disease was none of us were safe, not really. In an as if in response to my thoughts, Alessandro squeezed the shoulder. “Hey,” he said softly. “Alright, let’s just fight one battle at a time, all right?” “Okay. ” “Let’s just be thankful for this,” he said, pointing to the board. He had died because of me. In a way, the least I could do was not to follow him into the abyss, and so I forced myself to focus on more lighthearted thoughts. Alessandro was right. But there was no way we could dwell on that Aiden was alive, and he was awake. But at some level he was going to be okay. Days went by in a whirl of doctor’s visits and police questions. Again, we were allowed to enter Aiden’s room when the sun was rising, by 07:00 AM. Aiden was an indistinct figure in bed, lifted slightly so he could breathe, and appeared to be deathly ill, but unmistakably conscious. His parents beside him could not stop touching him, as if they wanted to pinch themselves to check if he was real. “Hi,” he said when we got in; he previously was still groggy, but his voice improved this time. “Hi back at you,” Chase said, giving a young man a grin in return. ‘You gave us quite a scare man. ‘ Aiden could only mutely smile slightly. “Apologies for that folks. Did not intend to cause such a ruckus. ” I went over the railing to the foot of the bed and my hands tightened around the bar. “Aiden, I-” He interrupted me with a swing of his head sideways. “Don’t,” he said softly. ‘I can only guess what you will say, and you don’t have to; I would do it again, in a heart beat. ‘ He spoke kindly and without reproach, and I was almost undone; then Dr. Patel came in. “I am sorry to intrude,” he started, “but I need to do some tests now that Aiden is awake. It shouldn’t be more than an hour or so. ” We both nodded and started to leave the room. Just as I was about to walk, Aiden caught up and called out. ‘You okay there Brianne? Do you have time to talk for a minute?. ‘ Stunned, I turned to the man from whom I expected disapproval, Dr. Patel, to refuse my statement. “For the space of a moment,” he said. The others left, and this left Aiden and me alone. He pointed at me to come closer, and he flinched as a result of the gesture that he had just made. “What is it?” I inquired and sat on the edge of his bed. Even with the painful expression still written all over his face, Aiden’s eyes hardened up, he looked serious. ‘I think there is something you do not know,’ he said, looking at her gravely. It wanted to know ‘something about The Raven, and why exactly I was in Westbrook High in the first place. My pulse quickened, a shiver down my spine. “What do you mean?” Aiden looked at the door, as if to make sure nobody was within the room to overhear our conversation. Then he took a deep breath, his next words shattering everything I thought I knew. ‘Brianne, I’m not who you think I am, but you need to understand that you are royalty, and I was assigned your protection… The Raven – he isn’t the only one with an organization, and you are right in the middle of a war you cannot comprehend and for friendly advice from someone who just took a bullet for you, you need to run far, far away”

Then the lights of the hospital went dark.

“They are here” Aiden said.