Remade

Chapter 12

After storming out of library and walking so quickly that Carter and Jo and have to practically jog to keep up with me, we get to the infirmary. I plunk my bag onto the receptionist's desk and she looks up from her computer. "Mason Darrow's room?" I ask bluntly, while Jo and Carter are panting behind me.

She sighs and pops her gum and begins to search through her data base. "Room 394."

"Thank you," I snap.

"Um, Bridget?" Jo says tentatively as I start for the hallway. I turn around. "Take it easy okay? He's probably in a lot of pain and has a dozen thoughts going through his mind. Who knows why he decided to get involved with this?"

"That's what I intend to find out," I snap. Joanne bites her lip. I soften. "Sorry Jo, I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm just so pissed at him..." How could he do this? Doesn't he know better? What was he hoping to accomplish or prove? Doesn't he know that he could've gotten seriously hurt? These thoughts rekindle my determination to find him and I start hunting down his room until I find it. I walk into his room where he is reaching up to a nurse to accept red Jell-O. He looks at me and I gasp. My best friend has his arm in a cast, a striking black eye, and cuts all over his face. I can't really deduct much about his torso but by the way he is slightly wincing while reaching for the food with his good hand I can tell he has at least a couple of bruised ribs. "Bridget?" he croaks as the nurse walks past me in the doorway.

A wave of anger and relief and worry engulfs my eardrums as I pounce on him, smacking his Jell-O out of his hand. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING YOU IDIOT?" I screech. He looks at me in shock but I continue. "YOU COULD'VE BEEN PERMANENTLY HURT, YOU COULD'VE BEEN KICKED OUT OF THE INSTITUTE, YOU COULD'VE FUCKING DIED IF YOU WERENT CAREFUL." I start smacking his good arm and he winces.

"Ow, geez Bridget, stop."

"OH YOU WANT ME TO STOP? YOU SEEMED PERFECTLY FINE WITH THOSE GUYS KICKING YOUR ASS."

"Bridget, Bridget, BRIDGET." I stop and he looks at me intently. "I can't explain to you why I did this." I scoff. "I just felt like it was something I had to do in order to be better and stronger. I'm sorry I caused you any distress or worry." His face is calm and apologetic but his eyes are twinkling. "You were really worried weren't you?" he adds.

I grunt. "Of course I was, you moron. What did you expect?" He smiles at me. "Don't ever do that again." I take his good hand and squeeze it, hard. He seems much happier as if things are okay and back to normal. Gotta make a final impression. "If you do that again, I won't come visit you and if I do, I'll only come while you're asleep and lower your levels of morphine so you can feel everything. Promise me you won't." He nods as if saying 'Yes ma'am" and he looks like a little boy who has just been scolded. I can't help but laugh shortly and lean over to give him a peck on the cheek. "Take care Mason. I'll see you tomorrow." I let go of his hand and stand up.

He smiles back. "See you tomorrow," he says softly and when I'm at the door and I turn back, he's fallen asleep.

"How is he?" Joanne asks anxiously as I shut the room door and join her and Carter out in the hallway.

"A bit banged up but he seems alright. I wasn't able to see any medical charts or ask the nurse anything."

"Let me go see if I can find out anything specific," she says and she walks over to the receptionist's desk, leaving me and Carter alone in the hallway.

"So... You and Jo huh?" I say after a couple of awkward seconds of silence.

Carter blushes. "That obvious huh?"

"I can tell you like her if that's what you mean," I say kindly. "She likes you too, you know." He looks at me hopefully. "She does. She's just not sure how you feel. That's where I come in." I cross my arms. "Joanne is the sweetest person alive and she is like a sister to me. If you care about her, go for it and make her happy. Just know, if you mistreat her, hurt her, or break her heart in any way, I will kick your ass to the moon, and so will the guy in there as soon as he recuperates. He didn't get banged up by playing with puppies. Do we have an understanding?"

He nods.

"Good," I say as soon as Joanne comes back with a manila folder.

"Okay so the witch behind the desk didn't want to say anything so I said I saw a coffee gift card on the floor behind her and I swiped this." I laugh and Carter looks at her incredulously. "What? It's just a file and I'll give it back!"

"It's just awesome." Carter says.

She blushes and mumbles "It's nothing," and fumbles the folder open. "Okay, Mason Sebastian Darrow. Broken left arm, black eye, dislocated right shoulder, 3 bruised ribs, and additional blows to the abdomen."

I wince at all the information. "My God, Mason..." I murmur as I take the folder from Jo and flip through the papers and look at his x-rays, grimacing when I see the ones of his arm and torso. In his file, however, in the very back, is a picture of a little boy, about 7 years old, laughing at the unknown photographer behind the camera. He's wearing a little Star Wars t-shirt with all the characters from the saga printed on it. I beam down at the picture. Little Mason. Happy, carefree, full of smiles. Joanne and Carter are engrossed in conversation so I swipe the picture and stick it into my bag and give the file back to Joanne. She takes it and makes her way back to the desk. She walks past the desk, pretends to do a double take, and walks back to the desk. "Oh my gosh, there's a bee in your hair!"

"WHAT?!" The previously dull, monotone girl starts jumping up and down, spinning and waving her hands in her hair. While she's distracted, Joanne plunks the file down on her desk and mouths the words Go, go, go! We all take off practically running and try not to burst out laughing.

"Are you crazy?" Carter gasps when we're far enough.

"Maybe a little, I guess you'll just have to see," she says back.

I shoot a look at Carter and raise my eyebrow. See? He gives me the tiniest nod and turns to Joanne. "Hey Joanne? Are you doing anything Saturday...?" I turn around and give them a bit of privacy as he asks Joanne to dinner.

"I'd love to!" Joanne squeals. Carter smiles in delight. "Oh wait, I can't. Bridget, don't you have your first fight that day?"

I open my eyes wide. Our Sparring tournament starts next week and I'm one of the first ones up against a girl named June Gates and Adanna is going up against Tiffany and she's really nervous about it. If she beats her, she'll be even more shunned than she already is. If she loses, then she won't advance or represent her true talent. How could I have forgotten? I have to be careful in my training and work harder.

"But what about Monday night? I have the night off..." She grins slyly.

"That sounds great. I'll see you then," he winks at her and goes towards his dorm building. She looks at me in surprise.

"Did that really just happen?!"

"It seems it did Jo."

"You didn't say anything did you?"

"Not a word."

She sighs in relief. "Good, I didn't want you to scare him."

I bite my lip guiltily. "Yeah we wouldn't want that..."