# A Sibling's Value

Title: A Sibling’s Value
Status: Complete
Characters: Fang, Naser, Samantha, Ripley
Rating: SFW
Classification: One Shot
Author: Anonymous
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Strum a few more chords and... there, that’s the set done.
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There are a few halfhearted claps coming from around the dark and grimy pub, there’s barely anyone in here and even less that are actually listening to us play. I set my bass on a stand and seat myself down on the edge of the stage, letting out a soft sigh. I get a tap on the shoulder from one of the guys I was playing with, the orange allosaurus shakes a pack of smokes in front of me. I give him a soft smirk but shake my head otherwise silently, the pair of them head out towards the back door to smoke and take a load off.
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After a bit of time scrolling my phone and checking messages I pick myself back up and get off the stage, a few drinks from the bar sound perfect right now. I make my way over and seat myself on one of the empty stools, setting my phone down on the oak counter and wave over the mint-green brontosaurus working behind it.
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“What’ll it be, miss?”
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I ask him for straight jack with ice, and before long I’m slid a rocks glass half full of whiskey and a single large ice cube. Simple and effective order, I pick up the glass and take a decent sip from it before returning it to the counter. Another sigh, I take a glance over to the TV in the corner behind the bar. The news is on, running some segment about the rising crime rates across Volcaldera, mostly in the lower income areas and commercial districts. Of course it’s on the rise dipshits, more and more desperate people without much to their names trying to dig out of rock bottom in the worst way possible. At the very least I still have my stuff and my apartment, it isn’t much but it’s still something to my name. Another sip of the whiskey, cold to the mouth but warm to the throat, and to the heart, lovely stuff. They finally wrap up their segment on the painfully obvious and move on to sports; as if I care any more about that nonsense.
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The relative quiet of subdued pub tunes and the low volume television is quickly broken up by my phone vibrating a foot away from me. I pick it up with my free hand and turn on the screen to see who’s calling... it’s dad. What the fuck does he want today? Just another call about some dumb opportunity he’s found where I can push paperwork for the force? Fuck that and fuck him. I let the phone ring all the way to voicemail, judging by how it stopped he clearly didn’t leave one, figures. Moments later, however, the phone starts vibrating once again, and once again it says dad on it.
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Fine, I’ll entertain your call, dad, let’s see what nonsense you have for me this time. I set the glass down and take my phone outside with me, the door makes a short chime as I exit out into the gloomy and windy day that it was outside. Leaning up against the outside wall I answer his call, nonchalantly getting the ball rolling with a groaning, “What do you want this time?”
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“Lucy... Where are you?” His voice comes out softer than usual, a bit shaky even. Maybe he’s actually learned the fact that he should be the one that fears me these days.
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“Why the fuck do you want to know? All you NEED to know is that I just had another show today... and it went great! Everyone loved it.” Sure sold that fucking lie Fang, good one. Though, not like he was there to fact check it or anything.
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“Listen Lucy, please listen... Naser’s be-” his voice was almost timid, subdued.
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I cut him off as soon as I hear my brother’s name, I already know what kind of conversation is coming, “Oh yeah? What great feat did wonder boy pull off this time, Ripley? Did he find the cure for cancer?”
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“Lucy...” he murmured out, seeming like that was the max volume he could do now.
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“Maybe Dino-AIDS?”
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“Lucy... please...”
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“Save some dumb orphans from a burning building?”
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“Lucy.”
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“Oh oh! I bet he-”
“LUCY JUST LISTEN TO ME FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE ALREADY DAMNIT!”
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There was a guttural and primal sounding anger to his voice, taking me aback somewhat due to the sudden change in tone. I return a growl to him, but also relent and let him talk, “Fine, what did Naser do?”
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“Lucy... Naser’s been shot.”
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All confidence and hubris drains out of my body, followed quickly by the color from my face. I stand there, eyes wide open as they stare off into the distance. My slight smirk is flipped as a look of dread washes over me. “He... What?” I couldn’t keep the tone I had before, even I could tell how shaky and nervous my voice was.
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“He was on a walk in between cases at the hospital, as far as we can tell it was a robbery gone wrong, for what reason I don’t know. He’s currently alive but in critical condition”
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My body involuntarily begins slumping against that wall, my legs no longer able to support my own weight as I slowly slide down the wooden exterior of the pub. My hands tremble, causing me to lose grip on my phone as it clatters against the sidewalk. My hand still stays up by my head, right where the phone was. It’s almost like it was pretending to still hold it, but in reality, I just couldn’t move my arm whatsoever.
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“Lucy, please... Whenever you have the time, please go see your brother. He’s in the ICU at UCVB, that’s all I ask of you.”
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He must have figured that the noise coming from my phone was me dropping it, my breathing was becoming harsher, heavier as I struggled to get air in and out. Hearing his request, I muster out a response as best I could, “Y-yeah. I will...” my inflection was raspy and soft, the quivering of my lips helped to signify how hard I was trying to fight back tears, and failing to. Fortunately, it was loud enough to be heard,
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“Thank you, Lucy.” and with that the call closed, leaving me all alone on that cold sidewalk. Before long I couldn’t hold it back any more, my head sunk between my legs as my arms wrapped around them. It all started with a short bit of sniffling, before progressing to full on weeping. Naser, my baby brother, may be dying in a hospital bed. I struggled still to even grasp the reality of it, my talons digging into my arms and drawing blood as my crying only got louder.
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I haven’t seen him in so long, even if this is going to be the last time... I need to go see him. I took my time gathering myself, lifting my vision still blurred somewhat due to the tears. Collecting up my phone as well as collecting my strength as I stood back up. One hand tucked my thankfully intact phone into my pocket while the other wiped away the tears that remained on my face. I take a look at the dreary day around me with a dejected expression. The hospital was a fair distance from here, walking was out of the question for getting their quick, catching a cab was what I needed to do now.
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Fortunately within short order a beat-up yellow sedan with a little taxi sign on top was rolling down the road. I raised up an arm to hail it on over and fortunately that worked out for me, at least I was having some kind of luck today. The window begins rolling down as the car pulls to a stop, without hesitation I begin spilling out my request, “I-I need to get-”
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“I know where you need to go, missy.” That voice was ever so familiar, at the same time I didn’t believe it a bit.
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I open up the back passenger side door and climb on in, sure enough in the driver’s seat was a yellow velociraptor, orange coat, dark red hair, wild eyebrows, and a pointy patch goatee. I shut the door behind me still trying to grasp the fact that two years after high school I still run into this guy, of all the taxi drivers in town, him.
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“Next stop, UCVB Medical Center, express trip.” His voice is off from what I remember, it still sounds mostly the same, but there’s no snideness in his tone. It’s just deadpan and straight forward, like someone without personality. The vehicle tears off at a rather surprising pace towards the more affluent part of town. Whilst staying fully focused on his driving, the raptor speaks back to me, “You haven’t spoken to him in some time, have you?”
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“How... No, it’s been a while at this point.” My voice was still shaky, nervous, afraid. I looked down at the marks I had left on my arms, fortunately they weren’t bad enough to require any intervention.
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“Sibling animosity, two opposites stuck together for so long eventually shove each other apart. Even if accidentally, even if they care about one another, still happens a lot of the time.” I look up at him, I swear he hasn’t turned for a moment, staring directly out the windshield with complete focus as he drives the car. “You still care greatly for him, deep down, don’t you?”
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Trying to reply back ends with my choking up on my own words, before taking another moment to compose myself and finally managing to force it out, “Yeah... Even if he did fuck up parts of my life in high school, and his egomaniac girlfriend pushed me together with a complete waste of air. He’s still my little brother, out of anyone in my family he always cared the most, he always wanted to help even if he fell flat more times than not.”
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The driver gives me a solitary nod, “He feels the same way about you as well, I’m sure.” I can feel the tears coming back once again, I lower my head to look at the floor. It’s not full-on crying like earlier, but sobbing none-the-less. “He’ll be happy to know you came, no matter what. You’re doing the right thing, miss. My only reply is a whisper like ‘thank-you’, I can’t manage to get out much more than that at this point.
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The discussion had eaten up the ride time, pulling my head up I can easily see the massive, sterile façade of the hospital. The taxi comes to a screeching halt right in front of the entrance. I reach down to pull out my wallet, during which time the raptor reaches up to the taximeter and resets it.
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“My payment was getting you here, kid. Now go see him, I’ll catch ya around.”
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With that I give him a slight nod and climb out of the taxi, shutting the door behind me. With that he drives off as fast as he had appeared, leaving me on my own once again as I face the hospital. For a moment I just stand there, mind racing about all the potential outcomes of this. Shaking my head a bit I finally will myself forward, heading in through the sliding doors.
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I make my way over to the reception desk, instinctively pulling out my ID and setting it on the sterile white counter. I look at the iguanodon decked out in scrubs behind the desk and state my business,
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“I’m here to see my brother, Naser Aaran. I was told he’d be in the ICU here.”
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After checking my card, she slides it back to me along with a visitor badge with some identification printed on it. I clip it onto my tank-top and listen to her as she relays me a set of directions to get to the room. Following a short thank you I’m back on my way to find him, following the signs for the ICU and heading for the stated room number I was given.
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The stale and oppressive halls seem to go on endlessly, if not for paying attention to the numbers on doors you’d be understood in assuming that you’re just walking in an endless loop. I stop a few times to ask various staff if I’m on the right way or not, of course the answer is yes and that I’m just on the longest walk of my life. Finally though I had reached the end of my journey, the room number I had been given was on the placard on the wall next to an open door. It was time I finally see Naser again, I just hope this isn’t the last time I get to...
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There he was, laid back ever so peacefully in that hospital bed... an IV inserted in his arm, oxygen mask over his face, bandages wrapped around his chest and his forehead. Despite everything, he seemed so peaceful laying there, like he was just trying to rest. I walked over to him and gently placed a hand on his chest, making sure to not disturb any of the leads and wires they had running to him. I couldn’t really read the monitor they had up, Naser would know all these medical numbers, all I know is that the one line that reads out a heartbeat graph was still going. My baby brother was still alive, for now at least.
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For a short while I just kind of stood there, I couldn’t bring myself to cry or anything, I felt emotionless. I make my way to the other side of the room and grab one of the chairs that had been left there, then bringing it over next to the bed before seating myself in it. Here I was with my brother, in a hospital, once again. The last time I was here was over a decade ago. Just as I thought I was finally getting all the thoughts of that event out of my head, here were some fresh memories to drag them back to the forefront.
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I... had never truly apologized to him for what happened, for telling him the lie that led to him mangling his wing and... Stop, stop fucking thinking about it.
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I bury my head in my hands, staring down at the floor.
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It was already bad enough that I had to see him in this state. I don’t need to relive in my head what happened all those years ago... not again. Even if it was my fault for... STOP, Fang. Don’t think about it, don’t remind yourself of it, he needs you here now more than ever. Don’t go driving yourself away on shit you can’t change, be here for your fucking brother.
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I pull my head back up once more, looking over at Naser before turning my attention towards the door. I sat there for some time essentially waiting for a doctor to come by. Just seeing him being alive was not enough, I needed to know exactly what was wrong with him, what was his outlook? I lean back in the chair, slouching down a bit as I continue staring at the door. Once in a while I’d take a glance over at Naser as if I was expecting him to have vanished or something, but really all I wanted was to see him move, even the slightest bit of movement. He’d been motionless the entire time I had been in the room, even if he was asleep that was somewhat abnormal for him.
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Fortunately, after a while of waiting a blue raptor in scrubs walked into the room, giving me a formal introduction of sorts, “Good afternoon ma’am, I’m Doctor Chase, neurosurgeon. You’re...” he gives a quick glance down to the visitor’s badge I had been given before looking me in the eyes once more, “Lucy Aaran, if I may ask, what is your relation to the patient?”
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It caught me off guard a bit that he used my given name, then again I guess they just reprinted on the badge what my ID says. I start out my reply with a sigh, thankfully not a dismissive one like usual, just a sigh out of tiredness, “Sister, I’m his older sister.”
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The raptor shuts the door and makes his way on over to Naser and I, standing beside the bed and in front of me as he continued, “Ah, sister, it’s good to see you two care for each other so much. Naser was known well enough around the facilities here as he was doing his medical internship with UCVB. Unfortunately, I don’t know him personally, but I’m sure only has nice things to say about you.”
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I can’t bring myself to make a snarky remark on that, I bet Naser has only had negative things to say about me with how I treated him in our teenage years. Instead, I ask him another question that had come to mind, “So, if you’re a neurosurgeon, does that mean that he was shot in the head?”
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The raptor looks over his clipboard to double check his information before shaking his head and replying back, “Fortunately no, the bullet impacted his chest, as far as we can tell luckily it made a clean entry and exit without hitting any vital organs. Unfortunately when he collapsed, be it from the force of the shot or just shock, his head hit fairly harshly on the sidewalk. There doesn’t seem to be anything on that front that requires any operative work, however the trauma to the head has left him in a comatose state. As of current he hasn’t responded to any physical or audible stimuli, so facilities are being set up for the potential need for long term care.”
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I look over at Naser once more, then back up to the doctor, “So he’s going to live then, right doc?”
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“Yes, his injuries are non-fatal. The current major concern is his recovery from the coma, what effects it will have on his mental functions long term, so on. Comas can be short as a few days or a week, it could last years. Depending on how long he’s in it he may need physical therapy afterwards, and once he is conscious again, we’ll have to see if it affects his mental capacity and motor functions.”
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I lightly place my hand on Naser’s stomach, letting out another sigh before looking back up at the raptor again, “Thank you for filling me in... How long are visitors allowed to stay here?”
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The doctor placed the clipboard down, guessing he had just done some record keeping on it or something, he smiles warmly down to me and answers, “Family members of patients can stay as long as they feel is necessary, however, please do remember we are here for the patient and not you. We can provide some basic things like bedding if we have extras, but food, toiletries, and other such articles you will have to handle yourself. You’re welcome to the cafeteria and basic items you might need can be found in the shop not far from it.”
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I smile back up to him and give a short nod, trying my best not to tear up again, “Thank you, doctor. Thank you for taking care of him.”
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“Of course, Ms. Aaran, we’ll do everything in our power to make sure he gets through this as smoothly and quickly as possible, I promise.” And with that the raptor took his leave, heading back on out of the room, glancing back and giving a smile to me. It felt... comforting, like he realized how worried I was and how much I cared about my brother. At least this time I wasn’t left alone, I had Naser, and I didn’t plan on leaving his side any time soon.
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The afternoon passed on mostly without event. I texted dad later on in the day just to let him know that I was here and that Naser was stable. Ended up taking the offer to grab from the hospital cafeteria, stuff was only one step above inedible, then again, so was the stuff I ate on a regular basis. Most of my time was spent just sitting next to his bed, checking my phone at times, and watching whatever was on the television.
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Come time for rest, I got a sheet and a pillow from the extras the staff had and fashioned a bed with them. I set about arranging the three chairs the room had into a sort of base, then tossed the pillow on one of the end ones and proclaimed it to be ‘better than the floor’. Before turning in for the night I went over to Naser, gently placing a hand on his head and smiling down at him, “Sleep well, baby brother. I’ll be here for you in the morning.” I then went and flicked off the lights for the room before fitting myself into my makeshift cot. For the first time in a long time, I wasn’t sleeping completely alone.
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The next few days, thankfully, went by in the same uneventful way. I’d get up, check on Naser for a bit, then go take care of my own needs. Then I’d come back and kill more time with him in the room, more watching the TV, and backing off to give the doctors space if they needed to run any checks or procedures. Talking back and forth with them provided more peace and reassurance. Then I’d grab a second meal from the cafeteria and continue just relaxing with my brother, waiting for him to wake up.
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By the fourth day he was showing marginal improvements. He was beginning to regain some functions, his eyes opening typically as a response to conversation, making small movements in response to touch, and he had begun mumbling somewhat incoherently. The doctors said this was all great news, and that along with the fact that he was in good health before this that a good recovery was the most likely outcome.
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I sent messages back and forth with mom, telling her that she and dad should come by to check on him as well. I ended up asking her about that old keyboard I used to have in my room, and if they still had it there. She stated they did and offered to bring it by tomorrow when she and dad could visit together. At this point I didn’t even know if I could even play the keyboard, I haven’t touched them in so long, just guitars. Either way, I knew it was worth a shot trying to.
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At the end of the day I gave Naser the usual goodnight, lightly rubbing his forehead and wishing him sweet dreams. As I did I swear I heard him mumbling something to me, almost like he was replying directly. If it weren’t for all those wires and lines I’d lean in and squeeze him tightly here and now, but instead I just give an even bigger smile to him, before once again shutting off the lights and drifting off to sleep on my impromptu bed.
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Day five was here, I once again will myself off of my plastic mattress and sit up for a stretch. If they were keeping to their word, mom and dad would be coming by today, so I better make sure I get myself at least presentable. Thankfully I had one of the guys I had played with a few days ago bring me some spare clothes, so I won’t have to smell like death even after a shower.
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I make my way on into that sterile, bright white bathroom. I set my new clothes by the sink and strip down before stepping into the walk-in shower. Cranking the water on to hot and letting it rain down on me I can finally feel my muscles relaxing a bit. Sure, my bed situation was better than lying flat on the floor, but it wasn’t exactly the greatest for my body. I go about the usual routine, soap for the body, shampoo for the hair, taking time to just bask in the heat of the water.
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I lock up a bit as my thoughts roam, thinking about how the parents are visiting today. I haven’t seen them in so long, it’s been about two years since I moved out and I never really did look back. How are they going to even react to seeing me, or worse, how I look? I’m sure dad’s probably seen me here or there, or at least has heard enough about me from his cop buddies. I run a hand over my buzzed down hair, mom is probably going to flip when she sees this along with the tattoos. Hopefully I’ll at least have time to preen myself to show some signs of upkeep.
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Just remember, you’re all here for the same reason. Everyone’s worried about Naser, they’ll be happy to see him improving from how he was day one. Hell, maybe they’ll be happy to see you as well, to see that you’ve stood by him all this time. Just play nice with them, Fang.
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I shake the last of those negative thoughts from my head and turn the shower off and stepping out. Next grabbing a towel from the rack and drying myself off before wrapping it around me. I make sure that towel is tucked into itself so that it’ll hold itself up before making my way to the mirror. I go about preening both my wings and arm feathers in effort to do away with the whole ‘shaggy and sad’ wing look, finally... As I wrap up with the last few feathers I extend my wings out and examine them in the mirror in full. Jeez, I almost forgot how good they looked when I actually took the time to maintain them, guess that’s why mom always called me her ‘little angel’.
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I wrap up my beautification with a quick bit of teeth brushing and deodorant application with stuff I bought from that shop. From there I pull on my standard attire consisting of the same old fourteen-eye boots, a pair of ripped up black jeans, and an equally dark tank top with spots for my now fixed wings to come through the back.
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Looking up at myself once more in the mirror I can’t help but... smile. Even with spending all of my time in a hospital like this I’ve been feeling... happier, I guess. Like I’m actually doing something fulfilling for once. Something I’m doing actually matters, is actually affecting another person... in a positive way no less! Maybe that was the missing piece, getting so hung up on chasing this dream goal, I forgot to make sure I was even happy doing it. I shoved everyone aside, my friends, my family, all of them... kicked to the curb so I could chase something just to validate myself to them.
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Can’t stay in here forever though, need to go ahead and get breakfast before mom and dad get here. I make my way back out of the bathroom, setting my used clothes to the side. The doctors were currently doing some check-ups on Naser, so I just set my clothes down and headed on to the cafeteria. All the while, managing to still retain that smile I had regained in the bathroom.
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By the time I got done eating the flavorless nonsense they were serving the doctors had cleared out of the room, once again it was just Naser and I in there, doing the usual TV watching.
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“Lucy...?”
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A soft yet surprised voice breaks the droning of the programming on the TV
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“Is that you, sweetie?”
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I look up from my phone, spotting my petite-as-ever mother walking towards me. Dad clearly had seen or heard about me as he didn’t react nearly that shocked, other than to see me still here. A warm smile grows across my face as I see her, picking myself up out of my chair and walking up to her.
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“Yeah, I’m here mom.”
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As I approach her, she essentially lunges forward, pulling me into a death grip as I can feel my insides squeezed thoroughly. She leans up against me and rests her head against one of my shoulders, clearly trying to hold back crying, be it from happiness or sadness. I lean my head gently against the top of hers, wrapping my arms around her just as she had with me, idly rubbing her back as I let her take all the time she needed.
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“I’ve missed you so much Lucy... It means the world to me knowing you and your brother are both safe now.”
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“Thanks mom, the moment dad called me about Naser I rushed over here as quick as I could. I... I was so scared that he was gone, that I’d get here and never get to tell him how much he meant to me.
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As mom and I embraced, I noticed dad was pushing that keyboard I had asked them for into the room, even brought me the stand for it. Once she had seemingly had her fill of being an impromptu chiropractor, she backed off a bit to give me a small peck on the cheek. Her smile seemed so genuine, so full of life, like she didn’t seem to care at all about my hair or my tattoos. All that mattered to her was here we all are, I was fine, Naser was recovering, and we were all a family once again.
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“You know you’re welcome back home at any time, right sweetie? We still have your bed and everything if you need a place to stay.”
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“Maybe soon, mom, but for now I don’t plan to leave here until I can leave with Naser.”
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She looked up at me with tears in her eyes, before pulling my head down and giving me another kiss
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“I’m sure Naser’s happy to hear that sweetie. All these years he’s never stopped worrying about you, I’m sure he’s just as happy as we are to see you. You’ll always be our big girl, and his big sister, no matter how rough things get.”
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I start tearing up a bit as well before letting her go, allowing her to move on to her son, whilst I turn to face my dad once again.
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“Lucy.”
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“Yeah, big guy?”
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I see one of the rarest things of all over the past decade, that big pterodactyl actually cracking a genuine smile. He pulls me into a hug as well; nowhere near as bone crushing as mom’s spine breaker.
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“I’m so proud of you, not only for coming, but spending all this time with your brother. I’m sure having you around has helped him recover even quicker.”
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“It’s nothing, just had to come make sure my baby brother was okay. I’m his big sister after all, I have to look out for him.
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He slowly unwraps his arms from me, one of his hands landing on my shoulder and the other stops gently atop my head.
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“I’d say you’ve gone above and beyond honestly. You’ve come here and shown what kind of person you really are.”
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Yeah... the real me, the real Lucy. Breaking out from the hard and unforgiving shell she was hiding in. I like the sound of that really.
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All I can return to him for that compliment is a smile, just like the one he was giving me. With that my teary-eyed dad joined mom in checking on Naser, I look over at them all with a soft smile before turning to that keyboard I had asked for. Heading over and inspecting it closer showed it was just like I remember it, albeit a bit dusty, but that’ll solve itself over time. I consider playing it there and then, but I decided it’d be best to give them their moment with Naser for now.
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I at the very least went ahead and got the keyboard hooked up and checked that it turned on. Giving the stand some height adjustments for the chairs in the room and wiping it down a bit to clear the dust before setting it aside. I make my way back over to everyone else, crowding around my brother alongside my family.
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“Doctor’s been saying he’s making quite the quick recovery. He’s already gone up to a ten on some scale they mentioned after being at three the first day he was here. I told them that all the mumbling he’s been doing is just him being normal.”
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I know I shouldn’t tease him too much, given the situation, but I’ve gotta give my little brother a jab here and there.
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Dad looks over at me, gently rubbing one of those large hands of his on my shoulder, “You plan on staying here again tonight?”
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“Yeah, I don’t plan on leaving until I can take Naser with me. Once I can though I’ll bring him straight home, promise.”
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“If there’s anything you need, just give us another text or call. I promise you back that I’ll get it here any time of the day.”
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I give him a slight nod of agreement, without much more discussion the two of them had to be on their way. Mom giving me another spine shattering hug as she did whilst dad just gave me a subtle thumbs up
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“By the way, you better be growing your hair out again dear!”
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There it was, I knew that was coming at some point. I return an eye roll and a smirk to her as she giggles on her way out. Once again, Naser and I alone in that room. I turn to face him and gently place a hand on his arm, his arm tensed up like it had several times before already. It wasn’t ‘normal’ per say, but it was definite Improvement over where he was days ago. I then seat myself in the chair I had next to his bed, leaning my head up against the mattress as I watched the TV alongside him once again.
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Day six was here, after a typical... well, as typical as it gets, morning routine I went to check on Naser once more. Overnight he had begun speaking words again and his eyes moved a lot more coherently. However, what he was speaking was either completely aggressive and full of rage, or complete mismatched sentences that didn’t make sense. The doctors tell me it’s something called post-traumatic amnesia. Whatever he says right now I shouldn’t take seriously, though I should be happy about it because it was further improvement. Huh, never thought of my brother swearing to be a good thing unless if it was because of a joke I pulled on him.
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Deciding it’d be best to take the time I had across the from him to go ahead and warm up my skills with the keyboard I went ahead and flicked it on again. After dialing in the volume to try not to disturb other rooms I start playing. What mostly comes to mind is some of the newer songs I’ve written, but, some of them are songs I barely remember until I get started with them. Stuff that I used to play when I was a kid, before I picked up the guitar and all.
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Over time it all began to click, I guess playing piano was just one of those things that sticks with you forever. I decide to mostly play those older songs I remember, remind me of my childhood. Thinking back on it I recall there being some songs Naser would sing along with me on, bet he’d enjoy it if I can remember and play some of those. Over time they start to click with me once again. Maybe later on if he’s doing better I’ll play a few of them.
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Day seven, I’m earlier than usual. Guess I just slept earlier so I got up earlier as well. I go ahead and get my morning routine out of the way like always before sitting down behind the keyboard once more. I start playing away as I try to remember those old songs from back then.
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If I had the sheet music I’d have them down already, but that’s not an option at this point. I’ve been at it for an hour or so, repetition, repetition, until I notice something sounds, different. At first I think something’s going wrong with the keyboard until I notice it... the sound was Naser, singing along with it.
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My eyes light up like stars and I let out a high-pitched squeal of joy, quickly gunning it over for my brother and wrapping myself around him tightly. At first the only noise I get back out of him is an ‘oomf’ as I essentially crush him like mom did to me a few days ago.
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“H-hey! Go a little bit easy on me here, Fang.”
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I perk up a bit, quickly remembering the fact that he’s still bedridden and covered in EKG wires. I lightly ease off of him, reducing the pressure back down to just a gentle hug. I feel him wrap the arm that doesn’t have the IV in it around my back as he gives off a slight chuckle. The feeling of his hand on my back is soothing given what it means to me now.
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“I was so worried about you; I didn’t want to lose my little brother...”
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“Hey, don’t worry, I don’t plan on giving up on you any time soon Fang.”
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I tilt my head slightly, looking back down at him as I ease off the hug a bit more.
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“It’s Lucy, Naser.”
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I watched the smile on his face grow wider and wider as he heard that, I feel he was just as happy as I was to hear me say my own name again.
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“Gotcha, Lucy it is then, sis. Thanks for staying here with me all this time.”
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He smiles up at me, and I smile right back, reaching down and gently rubbing his head
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“Your wings are looking great, by the way. It’s nice to see them back to their full glory.”
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“I... I’m really happy to have them back as well, it’s so good to take some pride in my appearance again. Now I just need to grow my hair out again.”
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I chuckle a bit, he returns a nod of agreement to me as I stand back up. I decided I’m gonna do what I said I was, I went back over and grabbed the keyboard, bringing it back over to my chair next to his bed. Naser gives me an even wider smile as he sees me get set up to play
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“Hah, you gonna serenade me for a little while?”
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I look back over to him, continuing to smile brightly at him as nothing was going to ruin my good mood.
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“Actually, I thought we could do a duet! Some of those old songs that we used to do together as kids.”
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His smug smirk quickly turned right back into a soft smile, then giving me a nod as a response
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“Yeah, I dunno how good my lyrics will be, but I’ll give it a shot.”
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I prep myself one last time before giving him a short countdown, from there it was all instinct. Both for him and for me, he stumbled over the first verse, but he immediately caught himself and managed to keep up. His memory of the lyrics was better than he had stated. He honestly was on a roll as far as I could tell, not like I remember the words too well either. Outside of more doctors and paperwork, along with some breaks of course, Naser and I sat there all day, singing and playing songs together until after the sunset, and we loved every single minute.
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Day eight, or well, the first day out. Naser still can’t move the greatest after lying in bed for an entire week, so it’s my job to make sure he gets home. I wheel him along through the halls of the hospital, the same ones that a week ago I was frantically rushing through to find him. Now we were finally getting to leave, both of us, alive. It was such an uplifting feeling knowing that he had pulled through, and that with a bit more time he’d be back to 100 percent again.
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I wheel him back out past the reception desk and into the open air outside. It had been a week since either of us had been out in the warmth of the Volcadera sun. Pulling up to the front walk I start to pull out my phone to call for a cab, only for one to show up as if on cue.
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“Hey Naser,”
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He turns to look back up at me as I start posing my statement
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“Five bucks says the driver is a yellow raptor.”
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“Sounds good, five bucks.”
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The yellow cab pulled up and stop, as the window rolled down I smirked over at it then down at my brother
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“Let me guess, you kids need a ride home, don’t you?”
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Without hesitation I pop open the back door and carefully help Naser out of his wheelchair and into the back seat. From there I get the wheelchair folded up and into the trunk before making my way into the opposite side. With us both seated and the taxi heading out I slouched back against the broken-up upholstery. After a week of only having plastic chairs it might as well be one of the most expensive beds in the world.
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I let out a soft sigh and look up at the roof as I relax on the ride home as this entire nightmare scenario finally left behind me.
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“Seemed like you really enjoyed taking care of me over the week, sis.”
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I mean, yeah... It was actually nice to just take care of him in whatever way I could, keep him company as he finally came to again. Was definitely more enjoyable than most of the other stuff I’ve done recently. Plus, seeing him smile and hearing his voice again was all the reward that I needed, really.
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“I guess I did, we haven’t spent any real time together over the past few years, and that’s mostly my fault. Even with the circumstances involved, it was great having things back to the way they were back then. You know, before all of the fighting and arguing, before high school and all.”
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“Yeah, in all honesty I was really surprised to see you there, but I’m really happy you were. Having someone by your side the whole time like that makes a world of difference.”
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I can’t help but smile over at him, reaching my arm over to gently rub at his back, trying to keep myself from getting overly emotional over it.
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“I think you’d make a great nurse if you tried, honestly. I know it may not be what you want to be, but I think you’d be great at it if you really put yourself behind it.”
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You know, I really like the thought of that, honestly.
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“Maybe someday, who knows.”
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He shoots a smile back over to me as he relaxes back on the seat. I myself turn away and look out the window for a moment, gazing out upon the bright and sunny day around us
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Strum a few more chords and... there, that’s the set done.
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The group that had crowded around me filled with claps and cheers. I set my acoustic guitar down and smile towards them before giving a slight bow.
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“Thank you everyone! I’d be more than happy to play more but sadly my break is just about over.”
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I look around at the group, kids, parents, families. Here they were in a place that tends to bring as much grief to people as it does joy, and yet I was able to put smiles on their faces. Out of the corner of my eye at the corner of a hall I catch a glimpse of my brother. He looks just as dopey now as he did when he played dress up when we were kids. I still haven’t gotten used to calling him ‘Doctor Aaran’ either, likely never would, not like I think it matters to him. I pick up my guitar and give a small wave to the group I had played for before heading off to put it away. Maybe on my next break I’ll come back and play some more.