Journey

Struggling

NOTE: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS, WHICH RIGHTFULLY BELONG TO ANTHONY HOROWITZ. I ONLY OWN THE PLOT. 

The following day, Alex was moved from the ICU floor, down to the recuperation floor. He no longer needed intensive care. At least, not physically.

He still wasn't talking. He had to drink fluids in order to get nutrients because he refused to eat and his stomach wasn't yet healed enough to digest chewed foods. Fox figured he knew why Alex wouldn't talk to them. It was actually kind of obvious. Alex didn't trust them. It made sense. They'd never given him a good reason to trust them. That was what Wolf had always told them. Wolf. Dang, he missed him. This leader job sucked. Like, completely.

K-Unit was stuck in the hospital. They had to be near Alex, not only to protect him, but to be there for him. That was their duty. Whether he was accepting it or not.

Fox knew for a fact that Alex almost never slept. There were always dark circles under his eyes, and Fox often walked past his room to see Alex gone, walking through the hospital alone, trying to block out the memories in the best way he knew how. The first time Alex had gone missing, Fox had panicked and rung the emergency bell. That was his first mistake. Alex ran back to his room, thinking something was wrong, or someone was hurt, only to find everyone freaking out because he was missing. He'd been so angry. He hadn't said anything, but Fox saw it in his eyes. Now, learning from his mistake, he just let Alex do what he wanted.

One night, a week before Alex was to be released, Fox decided to follow him. Alex crept through the dark hallways, up several floors, and stopped in front of a door. By the bright, colorful patterns on the wall, Fox guessed it was the children's floor. Fox waited until Alex had stepped in, before he hid behind the door and listened in.

"Alex!" A child's voice.

Alex laughed. Actually laughed. Fox couldn't believe his ears. "Hello, Jack. How's my little friend tonight?"

"I feel great! The doctor says I must rest though. Are you going to tell me another story?"

"I'm not sure. You look a little pale. Maybe I should just let you sleep." Alex sounded worried.

Jack went on. "Please! I want to hear about your friend! And the spy!"

Fox started. Alex was telling a little boy stories about himself? What if the secrets leaked? Fox reached to open the doorknob when Alex spoke again.

"Alright!" He laughed again. "Did I tell you about the time she was kidnapped?"

She? What the heck?

"No." came the awed answer.

"Her son, the spy, had been sent on a mission by the government, and she was so worried about him that she convinced him to let her come with him."

Fox slid to the floor, shocked and confused. The voices in the other room went on. He was telling the little boy about him and Jack. But a weird version where Jack was his mom? Things weren't looking too good. Fox didn't know what to do. But he had to tell Snake. He got up and ran silently down the hall, and up the stairs, back to his room. He shook Snake awake and whispered for him to follow him. They crept together back to the child's room. Fox motioned for Snake to be quiet. This was their first look in Alex's mind.

"And then her boy beat them all up and ran outside. Jack was just getting in the car that was going to explode. He yanked her out and together they stole a jeep and raced out of the compound to safety. From that day on, the spy never took his mother for granted. Because he almost lost her and life without her would have been terrible."

Snake inhaled sharply. Alex had made his own ending.

"Wow." The little boy whispered.

"So, you see, Jack, there's always a reason to live. Because someone you love is waiting for you, and you can't just give up on them."