That's how it's meant to be
Tech opened his eyes, everything was white, it had an intense clarity and a fresh breeze. He blinked a few times yet to see anything but only an intense clarity that forced him to close his eyes.
"Where am I?" Tech whispered
There was a loud cry and the sound of a metal tray hitting the ground.
"Who's there? Hello?" Tech asked
"My God! You're… you are…" Said a feminine voice
"Who are you?" Tech asked again, he tried to open his eyes again but in vain, the clarity blinded him.
Tech heard some digital noise that he immediately associated it with the dial of a number on a phone, the person who was present with him began to speak, now he knew that it was a woman.
"Hello… yes it's about him, he- he woke up… ok I'll be waiting for you"
Tech heard the woman hung up and hurried footsteps coming towards him.
"How do you feel?" The woman asked concerned.
"I'm fine…"
"Do you feel any pain?"
Tech felt a cold thing upon his chest that made little pressure.
"No"
"Can you see me?"
"No, there's too many light, I can't see."
Tech heard more steps and a characteristic sound of curtains being closed.
"What about now? Better?"
Tech opened his eyes slowly, now only lamps illuminated the place. The woman approached and Tech was able to see her, a woman dressed in white with a stethoscope around her neck.
"Now I can see you"
"Great, my name is Elizabeth and I'm your nurse"
"My… nurse?"
Tech looked around and saw that he was in a bedroom, around him was several medical devices and several electrodes were glued to his body, he immediately knew that he was is a hospital room.
"What happened to me?"
"Do you remember something?"
"I… I remember being in a large place… there was… a robot and-"
The nurse faced the hero unsure if he remembered something else.
"REV, where is he?"
"I'll answer that…"
A man had entered in the bedroom, he removed his coat and threw it over an armchair
"Ryan? What are you doing here?"
"Hello to you too... thanks for calling me Elizabeth" Ryan said greeting the nurse
"Can you leave us alone please?"
"Sure, I'll be outside if you need something"
The nurse left the room leaving Ryan and Tech alone.
"We have a lot to talk my friend… but first of all, how do you feel?"
"What happened to me?"
"That's a valid answer… ok, for starters, do you have a clue on how long you've been here?"
"No… I have no idea... what day is today?"
"Hum… Thursday"
"Thursday… we went on mission on… ah… I don't know… let me check on my- wait, where's my communicator? My devices? And my uniform?"
"There wasn't a uniform much less a 'you' Tech when they found you. You spent nine months here in comatose"
"Nine months?" Tech wasn't believing what he just heard
"Actually… nine months and three days"
"How… how did this happen?"
"Well, I don't have too much information about how and when they found you, but when they brought you here-"
Ryan stopped talking when he heard his cell phone ringing.
"What an inappropriate time… it's my wife, excuse me- Hello?... hi honey... I'm in a hospital... no I'm not dying... it's just- honey I-"
Ryan motioned to Tech and went out of the room. Tech was alone in the room, from the outside he could hear Ryan talking to his wife, the sunlight wasn't bothering his eyes anymore so this was the opportunity to analyze the room.
The room was large, with a single bed which was leaning against the wall on the center, a single large window on the right wall, a picture of a fisherman on the left wall and near the door which was located just in front of the bed were two armchairs.
The floor went unnoticed until a leave that came floating through the window landed, the ground was covered with dried petals, dead flowers, dried bouquets and a bunch of balloons that had lost its gas and now were just a bunch of plastic.
"What is all this?"
Ryan entered the room again rubbing his ear.
"*Phew* God my wife talks! As I was saying, when they brought you here the media appeared, they had reporters and editors at the door trying to get inside to know what happened to you, thanks to them I knew where you were and I came here. When I arrived I found a tall woman in a long dress and she introduced herself, Zadavia her name right? I don't know how but she knew that I had powers"
Ryan began to pace the room and scour the ground, he found the balloons and began to catch them.
"We talked for a while, she told me about your state, you wasn't well, actually she was pretty straightforward to me and told me that you could perhaps never wake up, she started telling me why you wasn't using you healing power but I didn't understand a single word, it was about the meteor and radiation, something like that…"
Ryan picked up all the balloons and began to inflate them.
"I stayed in the hospital for a while, hoping you to wake up. In that time your friends came to visit you, everyone but..."
Ryan gave the balloons to Tech.
"The two bunnies, the duck and the big purple guy gave you only flowers. And every time when I leaved the room for a while I always had the feeling of a breeze passing by me and every time I returned there were bouquets and balloons all around the room. Over time the rabbits stopped coming, later the duck and then the big purple guy, but the balloons and flowers always showed up… every day"
Tech picked up the balloons and looked at them unsure of what to do.
"Your friend Rev must really like you Tech"
Tech looked at the balloons and realized that they contained writing, they were those typical balloons decorated with messages that you usually give to ill people, and one by one Tech began to read.
- Get better -
- Get well soon -
- Miss you -
"After a while he stopped coming… -sigh- and me too" Ryan said quietly
Tech crushed the balloons and threw them back on the ground, he seemed angry.
"I want you to get me out!"
"What?"
"You heard me ... I want to get out, I spent nine months here and I want to finish what I started"
Ryan took a while to respond.
"I admire your determination Tech but you are very weak, you could pass out at any moment, you could fall in front of a car or something even worse"
"I'm going anyway, with or without you"
Tech began to pull the electrodes one by one from his body, ignoring Ryan
"This is pointless Tech! He's safe, you've saved him!"
Tech stopped.
"Have you ever lost someone before Ryan?" Tech said in a low tone
"I… yes…" Ryan said, remembering that had lost his wife once.
"Then you know what I'm feeling… I know that he's alive, but the thing is that it's been nine months that he thinks that I AM "DEAD"!"
"I just want this nightmare to end," Tech said placing his hand on the doorknob.
Ryan looked at Tech quiet.
"Are you coming or not?" Tech said.
"Someone will need to hold on the doctors" Ryan said after some thinking
"Thank you" Tech smile.
"Where are you going anyway?"
"I'll go to our tower, I'll met up with everyone"
"Yes, but isn't it a bit too far from here?"
"I'll go by underground, there's a station three blocks from here and the end of the line is next to our tower"
"Why don't you just take a cab? Or a bus? It's ah… safer for you considering your status"
"The subway is quicker and does not cost me anything"
"…okay, take care"
Ryan opened the door and looked around to see if anyone was coming, he gave a signal and Tech left the room and went straight to an elevator
In the tower the rest of the team was sitting in front of the TV, with Tech hospitalized the rhythm of their lives had changed, for nine months the green coyote wasn't walking through the halls, no explosion in his laboratory, no new apparatus and no discussions between him and the road runner. Everyone was quiet while Danger was jumping the TV channels.
- ... The weather today is sunny with a cool breeze... - "Who cares?" Danger said
- ... And Acmetropolis team won another game in the ... - "Good"
- ... Now that you have the steak it's time to prepare the sauce... - "Sauce?"
- ... Breaking news, it seems that the Loonatics hero Tech E. Coyote is walking by the streets... - "Garbage"
"WAIT!" Everyone shouted at once.
Ace grabbed the remote from Danger and returned to the news channel.
- ... And he's going to the subway station to all appearances, there he goes! That's it ladies and gentlemen our hero is back and seems recovered, I just don't know why he is wearing clothes from the hospital. Here speaks Falcon II flying over the city -
"He… he…"
"He is…"
"Is it possible?"
No one believed their eyes, they stared at each other without knowing exactly how to react to the news.
"We need to go after him!" Ace said hurriedly rising from the couch
"Listen, we will separate into groups and go to the station, Duck and Rev you guys… where is Rev?"
Tech made it to the station in minutes, he would have arrived faster if several people hadn't stopped him asking how he felt and why he was wearing those hospital clothes. Going down a couple of stairs Tech reached the boarding area, the place was empty at that time of day, the movement was never big and often the station was empty, the only people to circulate were janitors and a man who was on the opposite platform staring at the recovered hero.
"I thought… I would never… get here…"
Tech approached the edge that separates the platform and the tracks to look if the train was coming, he noticed that his vision was getting cloudy and a slight headache was starting.
A train appeared at the end of the station, with many flying cars and other kind of transportation the subway fell into disuse and now worked only with a single wagon and this controlled by a computer. Tech heard the noise of the train and went closer to the edge of the platform, his head now ached like a smith beating on an anvil.
"My head… is…" Tech could barely speak, he felt that he would faint.
Tech staggered backwards, trying to keep standing on his feet, he was dangerously near the edge of the platform, his eyes could no longer hold open, he staggered forward, the train was coming fast and within seconds it was going to pass by the platform.
"I… have to… get to… train…"
Tech turned around and saw the train approaching, he took a step back, one to the side and collapsed, his body slowly fell off the platform and fell between the rails.
On the other side of the platform a red figure followed with its eyes the body falling on the rails, Rev ran onto the tracks, grabbed Tech and when he was about to flee the train passed by the station at full speed.
The place was bright and a refreshing breeze was coming through a window, Tech slowly opened his eyes and after a while he noticed that he was back in the hospital room. Tech heard some noises and wondered aloud
"Who's there?"
Tech heard footsteps coming towards him and then a familiar voice spoke
"Beautiful fall you suffered there at the station! The next time you and your friend decide to play on the subway tracks please be careful!" Ryan said, holding a laugh.
"Ryan…"
"Your walk to the tower didn't go as expected… you-"
"Yeah I remember… I blacked out, how long I've been here? Months?"
"No one gets months in a hospital for a faint, you went back two days ago"
Tech looked at Ryan and saw him with a big smile.
"What is the reason for your happiness?"
"Didn't you notice anything different in here?"
Tech looked around and wondered how he hadn't noticed it before, colorful balloons were floating all around the room, several pots of flowers were occupying a table beside the bed and the old balloons were now floating tied to the headboard.
"That one and that one are mine… the rest is from your friend"
For a brief moment Tech had forgotten about Rev.
"Where is he?"
Ryan's smile grew.
"He's out there, do you want me to call him?"
"Yes" Tech said immediately.
Ryan got up and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Tech couldn't take his eyes off the door at any time Rev would be coming in, he felt his heart speed up when he saw the doorknob turn, the door opened noiselessly and Rev entered.
Tech wasabout to get upwhen Rev ran to his side and gave him a big hug,the embrace was strong enough to overthrow Tech back on the bed, taking Rev along with him.
The bedroom door opened again and Ryan entered.
"Tech I need to talk to -" Ryan stopped.
"-You" he said later with a single blow, looking at the two heroes embraced in bed
"I… I'll come back later, sorry!" Ryan said turning around
Rev got up in a flash and started talking, looking reddish than the scarlet balloon right next to him.
"It's-not-what-it-seems-I-got-here-and-I-hugged-him-and-we-fall-into-the-bed-together-no-wait-this-is-not-helping-look-I'll-go-out-there-to-eat-something-because-you-know-I-ve-been-here-for-two-days-and-I-haven't-eaten-anything-so-I'm-really-hungry" Rev said running out the room.
Ryan was standing by the door without saying anything, just looking at Tech who had a blank expression.
"Well… as I was saying-" Ryan said walking to the side of the bed, ignoring what happened.
"I need to talk to you about our little adventure…"
Ryan pulled a chair next to the bed and sat down.
"Before you begin-" Tech said.
"Let me ask you something I've been thinking of… how do you know everything that happened? I mean, if I saved Rev, I never met you…"
"I don't know, that's weird for me too but it seems that the changes in time do not affect me, maybe because I own the power, I don't know…"
"This is all pretty crazy," Tech said rubbing his forehead.
"Yes it is… So, it's only me, you and that woman Zadavia who knows what happened, the others including your friend doesn't have the slightest idea of what you've been through, and I assume that you won't tell them, right?"
"This is our business"
Ryan got up from his chair and stretched out a hand to Tech.
"I guess this is goodbye Tech… my job is done!"
"I can't thank you properly for what you did for me, thank you so much!" Tech said shaking hands firmly with Ryan.
"It's always a pleasure to help a friend!"
Ryan walked over to another chair and took his coat throwing it over his right shoulder.
"Please go visit me someday, I'll be happy to see you again and you can take your friend if you want." Ryan said, winking at Tech.
"Thank you I'll sure… wait, I didn't understand your 'friend', what are you implying?" Tech couldn't help but to blush
"See you soon Tech"
"Hey! Get back here you didn't answer me!"
Ryan smiled at Tech and walked out. A few seconds later Rev enters the room.
"What-you-told-to-your-friend-he-came-out-laughing-and-told-me-to-lock-the-door-next-time-I-didn't-understand-what-he-meant-by-that-are-you-hungry-I-bought-this-sandwich-at-Carl's-Bar-man-this-is-the-best-sandwich-I-ever-tried-so-far-you-must-go-there-something-or-maybe-we-can-go-there-another-time-but-hey-what-do-you-say-about-your-room-much-better-don't-you-think-everything-here-is-just-too-much-white-I-know-because-it's-a-color-that-keeps-people-calm-but-what-if-"
Tech smiled as he kept staring at Rev blabbering on, he never felt so happy to hear him and at that moment his presence was all that he wanted, and maybe another hug.
"Maybe… I'll take you to Ryan's house. Friend…"
There you go, the end! After soooooo long! There's a reason for my delay, there was an electrical incident here in house and my computer turned into a pile of melted plastic, I lost my story and I had no backup! It took me a while to get another computer but I was sad because I lost the perfect ending for this story and I became disillusioned and didn't finish it, until I told myself that I couldn't let my story unfinished so I forced myself to make a new one! I hope you enjoyed this not-that-perfect ending I was expecting. Thanks to all of you who read my story!