"So she's doing fine? That's good then." Rikki said as he took a breath of relief. He sat back onto the couch after pacing around the room.
"How are things with the club?" Isaac asked as he served drinks for the both of them. Rikki's concerned expression turned into irritation as he explained.
"Damn bastards wanted to trash Mei's story. Even willing to burn down an entire building to cover up their shit." Rikki gripped the glass of grape juice harder after spouting another round of curses. Isaac stayed silent but was uncomfortable with how the juice was spilling all over the carpet.
"How's Sydney handling things?" Isaac asked. Rikki's annoyed face relaxed. He chugged down what was left of the grape juice.
"She was frantic at first, and wouldn't stop crying 'till she saw Mei. That made her cry a whole lot more. I think focusing on salvaging the club and getting more dirt on Ozwell is keeping her mind off things." Rikki said as he forced a plain smile. "You look horrible though, getting enough rest?"
"Yeah, it's just… I have this small project I've been working on and I've just hit a wall. Now my head is just… blank." Isaac said as he swirled the glass of grape juice, and stared at the whirlpool-like motion. His eyes were fixated on the glass as his thoughts were bombarded with noise. A loud ring with a vibrating sensation accompanied by the voice of a woman.
some part of me wanted to stay away from you
now more than ever
it would be better for you that we go our separate ways
Then it stopped. Back to a blank, dark, and empty place. He almost lost his grip on the glass, spilling a few drops instead. Rikki stared at him with concern.
"Isaac, you wanna go to a hospital or speak with your dad about this?" He asked.
"I'm fine." Isaac blurted out. Being admitted into a hospital or getting family involved would only lessen his time with his project, he knew this. "I just, really need to get this done."
"Well, what is it?" Rikki asked as he stood up and set the glass down on the coffee table. Isaac lowered his head, reluctant to share.
"C'mon man, you look like whatever this thing you're doing is eating you up inside. Plus, it'll be a good distraction from me worrying about the others." Rikki poked and prodded more until Isaac gave in. Rikki cheered in disbelief that his persuasion skills were still there.
"But you can't tell Mei," Isaac said.
"And depending on how big it is, I may or may not tell Sydney." Rikki playfully said. Isaac was about to object until Rikki assured him that they would confide in his secrecy.
"All right, you convinced me. Especially the part with Sydney murdering me when she finds out we didn't tell her." Isaac remarked and the two chuckled. Suddenly, a noise, as if something had fallen. The two look around, expecting Sydney to jump out from the shadows.
"So this project is what's got you looking like this, huh?" Rikki asked, looking worried. "Is this about your illness?" Isaac stayed silent. He clicks his tongue and then presses his lips together.
"When are you available? I… don't have much time." Isaac stammered.
"We can start right now," Rikki responded.
~~~
Sounds of ticking as the clock hands circled were all Mei could focus on. She was to sit upright whenever she could as advised by the doctors. Her nurses would make their rounds and assist her in stretching her legs. She would walk around the room completely aided and supervised by her attendant. Greeting them with a smile, Mei had to do this every day. The sound of the doorknob turning as they entered. Their footsteps, she could hear them all walking through the hallway outside.
She wanted to see it. If someone was there beside her. She wanted to see if someone had entered the room or was about to enter but she couldn't. She could only hear the fire burning through the building. The sounds of glass shattering, feeling as if the shards were inches away from her face. No matter how much pressure her hands would press on her face, the feeling would not go away.
"Sweetie? Are you ready?" The nurse asked as she entered the room with a wheelchair.
Mei who sat upright and with a bright smile turned her head.
"You bet!"
What followed was an afternoon of rehabilitation for her. Portions of it had the nurse assisting her around the room and the recreational area. She would walk by herself while the nurse guided her nearby. Mei found her very accommodating but would have preferred to have a face to associate with the calming voice. Stumbling on uneven ground and often hitting obstacles, Mei felt frustrated but the nurse encouraged her to get familiar with her environment. Mei scoffed but ultimately agreed.
As evening drew close, her dinner was served and as with every meal she was spoon-fed. Mei kept insisting that she could eat by herself but the nurse countered. Mei persisted, she demonstrated to the nurse that she could do it by grabbing a spoon and stuffing her mouth. To her realization, she must have grabbed the fork instead as she felt grains of rice fall down from her chin. The nurse chuckled and applauded her effort. It may have seemed like an act of amusement but deep inside, Mei felt helpless. Bathing, clothing, eating, and even walking, Mei couldn't do them by herself anymore.
"Sweetie?" The nurse asked as she noticed a tear flow down her cheek. Mei swiftly wiped it off and then presented her with the most broken smile she could muster.
"You're a journalist, aren't you?" The nurse asked. Mei turned her head to her in surprise.
"Oh, your friend who comes in every day. He would gush about how great your stories are. He even gave us some of the articles. Gotta say you do some great work out there." The nurse said. Mei blushed, wondering how she would hide her face in this situation.
"If you'd like, I could write for you from time to time. I'm sure you're pretty bored, being cooped up in this room for weeks now." The nurse offered. Mei looked at her with trembling lips. She could not say a word but nodded in reply. The nurse assured her that she wasn't alone and that this was not the end. Then the nurse noticed a peculiar object placed on a faraway table. It seemed to be untouched given how dusty it was. She took it and placed it next to Mei.
After the nurse cleaned up and left the room, Mei was left once again alone in the room. She was getting ready for bed but suddenly felt an object nudge at her. Taking it into her hand, she recognized the shape and texture to be her recorder. She turned it on and cycled through her interviews. From the first story, she made to the most recent. About to go to bed, the cycle of recording continued to her surprise.
"Hey Mei! HOW ARE YOU?! OH MY GOSH! DON'T ANSWER! I'M HEADING THERE NOW!" She recognized the voice from the recorder to be Sydney's.
"Hey quit hogging the recorder! Hey Mei, things are getting pretty quiet over here. Which is boring, so get better and come back to us as soon as possible, you hear?" Rikki's voice said from the recorder.
"What?! That's all you had to say?! How about me? I had a lot more to say?" Mei heard a scuffle and thuds, suggesting Sydney wrestled with Rikki for the recorder.
"Hey, Mei. Hope you're keeping busy there. Things aren't the same here without you. Well… Uh… What I'm saying is… We miss you. I miss you. I'll make sure to visit you every day so that you never get lonely." The voice that seemed like Isaac's said from the recorder.
'Hey! My turn! I have a lot more things to say!" Sydney's voice from the background said.
What followed was more recordings of Sydney with indistinguishable language. After listening, Mei buried herself into her bed and hugged her pillow tight. She kept the recorder close to her face as more tears came from her eyes but she also felt in her heart the love of her friends as a smile found its way onto her face.
"Hey quit hogging the recorder! Hey Mei, things are getting pretty quiet over here. Which is boring, so get better and come back to us as soon as possible, you hear?" Rikki's voice said from the recorder.
"What?! That's all you had to say?! How about me? I had a lot more to say?" Mei heard a scuffle and thuds, suggesting Sydney wrestled with Rikki for the recorder.
"Hey, Mei. Hope you're keeping busy there. Things aren't the same here without you. Well… Uh… What I'm saying is… We miss you. I miss you. I'll make sure to visit you everyday so that you never get lonely." The voice that seemed like Isaac's said from the recorder.
'Hey! My turn! I have a lot more things to say!" Sydney's voice from the background said.
What followed was more recordings of Sydney with indistinguishable language. After listening, Mei buried herself into her bed and hugged her pillow tight. She kept the recorder close to her face as more tears came from her eyes but she also felt in her heart the love of her friends as a smile found its way onto her face.