Chapter 3
It was a while, a good chunk of hours to be more specific. Ripley was able to use his authority as a high-ranking police officer to give everyone permission to stay past visiting hours. During the time he had, Anon had told EVERYTHING. Every major event. The gang involvement, the driving skills, the constant abandonment from others, his parents' deaths, the life-threatening drug deals, even the story of how he bought the pistol he owns. After what could have been the biggest truth bomb ever told, everyone's in tears. Especially Reed after hearing the story of Anon's accidental overdose with extra fentanyl laced in. He sat right by Anon with understanding, as a similar episode happened to him. He knew the true dangers of stimulants, every druggie did, yet no one ever wanted to talk about it. If anyone tried, the thought would quickly be pushed aside. Hearing Anon's stories finally brought that pain in the back of his mind out of him. Reed couldn't bare to see anyone else having to go through the kind of pain he did, especially one of his friends, but at the very least he had one more thing in common with Anon. Fang had a very small suspicion that Anon had a similar history to Uncle Moe once upon a time, but his masking allowed that thought to escape right when it came. Fang never could have expected that her gut told her the truth. It usually doesn't, so this is a pleasant surprise for her. Trish has been itching to gore Anon with her horns ever since she heard he had basically gotten her friends had into a deadly chase, but after hearing Anon's story, the feeling has toned down. It isn't totally gone, she still thinks that it was partially Anon's fault that the four had almost lost their lives that day, but she isn't not going to give credit where it's due. As for everyone else, they're still in shock, struggling to take it all in.
Sitting by Anon on the hospital bed, Reed slithers his hand into Anon's in hopes of consoling him.
"Anon... how the hell are you alive right now, dude? It sounds like you should have died from that dose you took, man. D-don't get me wrong, I'm happy that you're here, but... how on Earth did you survive?"
He saw this question coming from a mile away. Luckily, with the can on it's side, the beans can keep spilling without too much trouble.
"I remember shaking on the ground and not being able to move. I couldn't feel any pain, but I knew for a fact that I was in a horrible state. I was gagging from the air itself. I remember screaming "I can't breathe, I can't breathe" over and over in hopes that someone was going to hear me. It was like someone was forcing their knee on my throat. Someone burst through the door after I was already screaming for about 3 minutes, I couldn't tell who it was, I was only able to see their clothing. He looked like a million bucks. I can only remember him picking me up and throwing me in a limo to drive me to the hospital. After that, it's just fog. I kept fading in and out of consciousness. In, out, in, out, over and over again. When we got there I only saw complete darkness... and then I woke up in the bed. I tried asking who it was that brought me here, but they insisted that I didn't need to know."
Anon finally lets out a hearty chuckle before continuing.
"Heh. Now that I remember, the way the guy was talked and all kind of reminded me of you, Uncle Moe."
All eyes are on Moe now. From him comes one deep breath in, and one deep breath out. He gestures towards 5 of the visitors, all noticeably not part of his family.
"Hey, dere's somethin' very important I need ta tell Anon ova here. You youngins mind scramin' for a bit while I talk to 'em? Also, while you're at it, get that thing from the lot out front, will ya?"
Not wanting any trouble with the intimidating Tyrannosaurus, Reed, Naomi, Trish, Rosa and Stella immediately take their leave and head to the parking lot to... get something?
Before he can think more on it, Anon notices a horrifying glare from Moe. Needless to say, it was one that was sure to have Anon nearly shit his pants at the sight.
"...Anon, if yous tells anyone what I'm about to tell ya, I'm turning you into tomorra night's stew, capiche?"
A loud gulp and nods at breakneck speed shows the human's understanding of his situation.
"Alright... Anon, dere's a couple a' things I need ta tell you, son. Remember what you was just talkin' about wit that drug incident?"
"Yes, Uncle Moe."
"And how yous said that the one who saved you sounded like me?"
Anon starts to freeze up. There's no way it's what he thinks it is.
"...Yeah?"
"Well, yous was right, Anon."
"I was the one who saved yous that day."
Silence.
Freezing cold, unforgiving, relentless silence.
The realization hits everybody like a freight train, and Anon nearly screams at the top of his lungs.
"WH-"
Moe quickly covers his mouth with a deadly stare before any noise comes out. The now speechless Anon nods in fear and shock, listening in.
"And the gang yous been in for almost your entire life?"
"It's wonderful ta see yous again, Underboss Leo!"
That right there...
That's the moment he knew.
From the oddly happy attitude, to the sketchy money practices, to the formal title with his real name. It's all summed up now.
Moe wasn't just any dodgy big-mustached Tyrannosaurus, he was the boss of a gang.
The very same gang that Anon had grown up in for all of his life just until about a year ago.
Everyone begins to look at Anon with worry as he just... stares. It's the kind of stare that's so distant you can't tell if they're alive or not. He was lost, not even in his own thoughts, just completely lost. Time seems to have stopped for what felt like hours to Anon, and it didn't show any signs of resuming. His hand is held over his mouth, eyes wide open, staring at the floor. Fang begins to make her way toward Anon, each step a thundering boom to his ears.
"Anon?"
He doesn't move. Not a single inch. It's almost as if he became a statue, or a hollow body with nothing inside. He couldn't believe that for most of his life he's been working under Uncle Moe himself. The boss' identity had slipped right under Anon's nose. Fang calls out once more in hopes of helping him.
"Anon..."
She places both hands under his chin, responded to by a gasp through Anon's teeth.
"Look at me, Anon."
He hesitates for what feels like another eternity before slowly moving his eyes to Fang's.
"I know that... this is a lot, and... nothing makes sense right now."
"Anon, I..."
She begins to struggle against a wave of tears, getting even closer to Anon.
"I'm so sorry..."
She lightly wraps both arms around his neck, sobbing quietly to herself. She never wanted to admit it, but she felt responsible for bringing Anon into this entire mess. The family tie to Uncle Moe's criminal organization gave her the idea that anyone brought close to her emotionally would rope them in to their own world of trouble. She was never intimidated in order to feel this way, it just naturally came.
Anon very slowly brings his arms up to Fang's back for his own embrace, still feeling as unstable and discombobulated as before. Thinking on it more, he began to feel responsible. Wherever he went, trouble seemed to always be only a few steps behind. It glued to him as if it was his own shadow in the sunlight. It was his fault they chased him. His reputation alone could have caused 3 innocent lives to be taken, and for what?
"Fang, you have to understand, I don't... you guys... this isn't..."
A short huff of annoyance comes from Anon as he continues to blurt out the any words that come to his mind.
"You all shouldn't... I'm not... it's just..."
Anon pulls his arms back and starts digging his nails into his scalp using both hands in frustration.
"I FUCKED UP."
"I FUCKED IT ALL UP BY JUST BEING HERE, FANG."
"No."
A new voice forces Anon's head to face the new voice of Ripley. He begins to walk towards the hospital bed.
"Don't you DARE say that. I don't think you realize what you've done for us all."
He kneels down, straightening both arms and holding Anon by his shoulders and looking him right in the eye as if a father was consoling his son.
"You saved my kids lives, can you not see that?! You can't begin to imagine how glad I am to have you here, boy."
"Anonymous, you've shown something to me, and it initially wasn't something that I thought would ever be true."
"Look, I thought you were some nobody skinnie who couldn't do anything right to save his life."
Any ego that Anon had left might as well have sunk to the center of the earth with that one.
"But, not only have you proven to me that you possibly have the most resolve out of anyone on this planet... you've also shown that you can protect people."
"You protected 3 innocent lives, Anon. You protected my family. There's nothing that makes me happier than seeing someone look out for my kids, especially as much as you."
He gestures to Fang and Naser in a quick panorama motion.
"When these two told us what happened, they said that you had a certain look while you were driving. They described it as "the look of someone who was ready to die." Would you agree with them?"
"Were you prepared to die for my family?"
Anon doesn't hesitate to take a deep breath and nod.
"Yes."
OH SH-
Another harsh hug comes in, but Anon is held up and his back is practically breaking this time. Ripley laughs to himself as he "pats" Anon on the back, AKA nearly impaling him with his hand. He was glad to have another embrace, but Ripley unintentionally pushed it a bit with his brute strength.
"ACK- RIPLEY- BACK!"
Now knowing to stop, Ripley does so. He places Anon back on the hospital bed and gives him the look that simply states "I'm proud of you".
Anon gives a happy chuckle, currently full of contempt and comfort. From that point on he knew that everything was going to be okay. However, he still was concerned for Moe. Wouldn't he be mad about ANY of this?
"Hey, Moe... I'm sorry about tonight. I know that telling me all of that was probably not what you were planning, and it must've been hard. Thank you."
"Of course, kiddo. If anyone should be apologizin', it's me. Yous been through a lot, the least I coulda done is tell ya... I'm sorry."
"Surprised yous didn't catch on, though! Why'd yous think I was so happy to see ya, especially wit my lil' Lucy?"
Anon now had the feeling that told him how to solve it all now. He was going to officially let go of his past instead of just shoving it to the side. How he would go about doing it was still being brainstormed and probably will be for a while. This wasn't about to happen without the others, though. He would've never gotten this far without them, doing something as hard as that would be impossible alone.
"Well, there was one more thing I wanted to ask you guys."
Everyone waits for Anon to ask in anticipation, getting the gut feeling that this was important.
"Will you... help me put my gang life behind me?"
"I see a chance to start over, and I don't want to waste it. I know it'll be really difficult and there's no way for me to do this without you."
"Please?"
Moe gives a warm smile and places one hand on Anon's right shoulder.
"Absolutely. Don't worry kiddo, we's all here wit ya to the end."
A sudden knock on the door makes everyone jump. The silhouette of Doctor Crecellius projects past the door blinds. Anon looks to Moe for permission to let him in, and he gives a quick nod.
"Come in!"
Quietly opening the door as to not wake sleeping patients in the nearby rooms, he walks in with a biggest smile Anon's seen from him so far.
"'Ello again, Anon. Ah got good news for ya! Yer free to go!"
"What? How? What about the costs of the surgery, or contacting the insurance company, or-"
"It's all been covered, son. All paid for. Someone was really lookin' out for ya these past few days."
Moe hides his face from the Doctor to give Anon a sparkling wink with his signature toothy smile.
"And... yer friends gotta sweet surprise out in the front lot for ya too. They say yer gonna love it."
Everyone in the room seems to line up towards the door, clearing the way so Anon can go first. He steps out with Moe right behind him, followed by the rest. Anon's heart had started accelerating in anticipation. What on Earth could they have for him?
Naser almost sprints to catch up to Anon, clearly pumped about seeing his reaction.
"Hey man, you're gonna love this. You can take it as everyone's token of gratitude. I... also wanted to say sorry for whackin' you in the face."
"Nah dude, you're all good. I think I needed some sense knocked into me anyway."
They both chuckle at the joke, beginning to pick up the pace towards the hospital entrance. Just what in the name of Raptor Jesus could be on the other side of that door? Finally arriving, the only thing that's standing between the present and Anon was the double door. One foot at the mat below, and the double door opens to reveal Naomi, Trish, Rosa, Stella, and... a stunning, shiny red Challenger Hellcat on the road.
Anon was about to faint at the sight. There was no way that this was real. It couldn't be, it wasn't! Yet, Moe's projecting call would put an end to Anon's disbelief.
"Welcome to the family, Anon!"
To say that it was extravagant would be a disrespectful understatement. The muscle car's paint seemed to glisten even without the piercing of the sun. The running engine replicated that of a tiger's growl, ready to pounce it's unsuspecting prey. The smell of the tires invaded his nostrils with gritty smoke and rubber. It had to have been from the Ark of the Covenant, it looked too incredible for any mortal's eyes. Anon's heart was overtaken with absolute joy in that moment, and no other emotion was present in that moment. This was much more than a token of gratitude, it was an incredible showing of love. It meant the world to him, and it made him think of what Moe said to him.
Not only was he welcomed to Fang and Naser's family, the others had welcomed him as a brother of their own.
"You... come on, you didn't..."
Anon begins to tear up as he approaches the car. On the trunk's hood, he could see multiple names painted on in their own unique fonts. Each and every one that visited him had written their names. Anon walks over to the left side of the car, gliding his hand over the back hood as he does so, his sensitive fingerprints pick up the ticklish feeling of everyone's names. He reaches the front door and opens it to show the driver's seat. After taking a moment to appreciate the inner scenery he steps inside, not bothering to close the door to see a sparkling deep black leather steering wheel and a custom home screen for the user interface in the center...?
It was exactly that. A photo showing everyone huddled together giving the brightest smiles they possibly could illuminated the interior of the car. Even Ripley was smiling like a normal person!
"Sooo? What do you think?"
Trish walks up to the car, hands behind her back as she waits for Anon's response. God, what did he do to deserve these meteor dodgers?
A jump right onto her with a quick hug that could give Ripley's a run for his money is his answer. Damn it all, here comes the waterfall again.
"I love you guys..."
"Oh Anon, you maravilloso humano, We love you too!"
Rosa continues to fill Anon with joy. Dear lord, this is way too much to handle! Before he can faint from the happiness overwhelming him, Naser comes up with an oddly smug grin on his face.
"So Anon, wanna take this for a test drive?"
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A newly repaired NasCar and a roaring Challenger sit next to each other, engines revving, rubber burning. Adrenaline was pumping, eurobeat blasting.
"Alright, let's go over this one more time. We go around the city block and back, not too far, got it? Also, I almost forgot to mention that whoever loses is paying for the band's next venue!"
The stakes are high, the cheering deafening!
"Yeah Anon, show him who's boss!"
"Bruh, show me those skills man!"
"Naser, show that skinnie who's boss!"
"TEAR HIM A NEW ONE BABE, BEAT HIM SO BAD THAT HE HAS TO GO BACK TO THE HOSPITAL ROOM AGAIN, YEAH!"
Holy shit, Naomi.
Here it is, the moment we've been waiting for. Waiting for about 15 minutes, to be exact.
"Oh, Anon, one last thing!"
A cocky glance from Anon prompts Naser to continue.
"Fang said she'd think that you'd make a good brother-in-law for me!"
WAIT
WHAT
WHAT THE FUCK?!
Naser uses Anon's shock to speed down the street with a head start. Oh HELL no! He's not getting away with that!
"OH NO YOU DON'T, PRICK!"
The two cars speed by each other as they disappear into the blinding streets.
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>this will never happen to you