The Blazing Rebellion

Chapter 50

Sera POV

For the second time that month, Sera and John walked through the doors of the Wellston Hospital together. Just as it had been that time, Sera could see that John's hands were shaking; she said a few reassuring words, hoping that it would help.

The last time they'd come here, it had been to see if John had any mental illnesses. That had been a hard day for him, but Sera could tell that this trip made him even more nervous. Before, he'd already known he had some sort of problem. Now, though, the question of whether or not his parents were alright was one they wouldn't be able to answer without seeing the state of them. The thought of it made Sera worried, and they weren't even her parents. Though I care more about William than my dad or mom.

She'd been somewhat surprised when John had called her back into his room. She knew how upset he'd been when he'd learned his dad was injured; she'd been the one by his side when he was suffering the most. The decision to visit his parents, to see if they were alright, couldn't have been easy for John. She was glad he'd made it, though. She'd meant everything that she'd told him. Sitting around wouldn't help anything, and it was true that he didn't seem to be getting better. The numbness that had come over him was worrying, too. Of course Sera didn't want to watch him break down in tears again, but hiding his emotions was almost worse.

"...what if we don't go in?" John asked, suddenly pausing. They'd just entered the hospital, but they hadn't made it to the front desk yet. Sera noticed that John was still shaking, though it had spread from his hands to his whole body. She bit her lip. He's really scared for this... I really hope that they end up okay. She didn't know what she'd do if she had to watch John fall apart again.

"Everything will be fine," Sera told him. She hated the idea of making up things that could end up to not be true, but it was all that she could think to say. She was trying to convince herself, too, wanting William to be alright almost as much as John did.

John nodded at this, although he still appeared unsure. She led him to the front desk. "Which room is Mr. William Doe in?" The woman at the front desk typed something into the computer in front of them, pausing a moment before pushing a clipboard towards John and Sera.

"William and Jane Doe are in room 206. Write your names here," She told them, giving a smile that neither John nor Sera returned. I don't think I can smile when I don't know what we're going to see. Suddenly, she wished that she hadn't brought John here. Maybe waiting would've been better after all.

"Let's go see him," John insisted before Sera could do anything. Determination had formed in his amber eyes. Some part of him had clearly made the decision that checking his father was the only way to go, even if it hurt in the end. Sera let out a breath. It was his choice in the end. She was simply here to support him.

They left the front desk and headed down the hall. Room 206 was on the second floor, so they had to take an elevator; the ride up was completely silent. In fact, John didn't give any acknowledgement that he knew Sera was there until they reached the front of the room where John's parents were. She waited for him to open the door, but he didn't.

"John-?" She began, wondering if he'd decided against this decision and wanted to leave now. Instead of telling her that they should go, however, he reached out and grabbed her hand in his, squeezing it hard. She squeezed back. I'm here for you, John. With a last glance over at her, he put on a brave face and opened the door.

Sera forced herself to step through the doorway first, pulling John along with her. He was still holding her hand just as tightly; it was clear he didn't want to let go. She found that she didn't want to, either. Their hands were a sign that they were by each other's side, for better or for worse.

Once inside, Sera saw that there were two beds; one was empty, but the other had a dark-haired figure under the covers. William. She didn't see John's mother, the mysterious and powerful Jane, anywhere. Maybe they took her out of here to do some tests. She heard John's intake of breath as he saw his father. He was in the bed furthest from the door, however, and it was impossible to tell from here how injured he was.

"Do you want to get closer?" Sera asked John softly. When he didn't answer, she took a step forwards. He followed. Time seemed to slow as if Sera was using her ability as they reached the bed at the end where John's dad lay. He didn't seem to be stirring from here; when they got closer, they could hear the beeps of a machine keeping track of his heartbeat. There was also the quiet sound of his breaths. Sera felt her shoulders relax. He's alive. A part of her had been worried, though she knew if he'd died someone would have already told John.

John was still tense next to her, however. He wasn't satisfied enough by his dad being 'just alive.' He had to see more. She stepped forwards with him until they were right next to the bed. Sera took a deep breath as she took in the appearance of WIlliam.

He was alive, yes, but not in the best state. There was a bandage wrapped around his head, and Sera could see drops of blood already leaking through. The bed's blanket covered the rest of his body, but Sera could see the beginnings of bruises on his neck. It was clear that he'd been through a fight, and she struggled to remember that in the end his group had won. Next to her, though, John didn't seem to care about this. His hand in hers had tightened to the point where it almost hurt; Sera winced but didn't let go. She could feel that he was shaking, though whether in fear, sadness, or rage she couldn't tell.

Before she could ask him, however, the door to the hospital room opened. Sera turned to see a nurse pushing a woman in a wheelchair. Her eyes widened as she recognized who it was. The woman had white hair and the same amber eyes as John... So this is his mother, Jane. John still hadn't turned around next to her, but she tapped his shoulder to alert him to the new arrival.

"Oh, hello! I wasn't aware that we had guests," The nurse told them, pushing open the door and wheeling Jane forwards. She glanced over at John and smiled, though Sera saw a flash of worry cross through her eyes. "Are you John Doe?"

He didn't answer, but Sera nodded for him. The nurse pushed the wheelchair forwards. "We've been trying to get her to talk to us, but so far she's been irresponsive... maybe if she can see someone she knows, she would communicate."

Sera bit her lip and glanced at John. His eyes were still downcast, his hair hiding them in shadows so Sera couldn't see how he was feeling. Slowly, though, he turned around to face the nurse and took a step forward, finally letting go of Sera's hand.

"...hello?" He asked in a small voice, crouching down in front of the woman in the wheelchair. Her amber eyes, so like John's and yet so unalike them at the same time, stayed blank. "Mom?"

There was a moment of silence. Jane gave no response to the fact that she'd just seen her son. John stood up, his head still tilted downwards as she stared at his mother. "...she doesn't remember me."

Without another word, John moved past the wheelchair and ran out the open door of the room, vanishing into the hallway. Eyes widening, Sera muttered an apology to the nurse before following him.

She found John outside of the building, sitting on the curb. He wouldn't talk to her, but she could see tears streaming down his face. It appeared that his numbness was finally gone. She wrapped his arms around him, but John didn't respond to this. She let him sit there for almost half an hour before she let go and stood up. He didn't resist when she called a taxi and pulled him inside; he didn't react until they were back to Wellston.

He finally spoke once Sera had shut the door of his dorm behind them.

"I hate NXGen. This is all their fault," He told her. Although his voice was low, there was no disguising the emotion filling it.

John had turned back to anger in his pain.