The Far Away Bear (mxm)

Chapter 10- Kin

Pov: Jaden

"..how...I..supposed...know?!"

My head was a foggy mess, rolling it side to side on a soft surface.

I'd been drifting in and out of it for a few moments now, taking in snippets of a conversation going on around me. There was sometimes a soft hand pressed to my forehead, another gentle touch and then it would slip away, replaced by a damp cloth.

The walls of the cave were moving, beating in a pattern-like wave on either side of me and i swayed my head left to right to try and focus.

"Arlow.." I'd barely managed to get the word out, breaking through my swimming thoughts and spiraling vision. "w-what's...why am i...?" i was burning up. Arlow's hand engulfed my own, i just about saw his worried eyes looking down at me from above, his lips set in a thin line.

"We can't leave him like this"  Was that Peat? He sounded far away from me, somewhere further into the cave, or maybe he was outside the shack. "He needs to see a doctor, a real one, something isn't right Arlow!" Peat sounded frightened. Arlow looked up from me and away, probably toward Peat when he spoke, his hand never left mine "But we can't, It's against the rules. Once he's here we can't let him go Peat, We can't break the code!"

"Do you want him to die!?"

Peat's voice made Arlow flinch and tense up. He looked down at me with a pained expression while i panted through my fever, delirious.

"of course i don't." he whispered out, his hand tightening on mine, i didn't think that was possible "But he might not find us again, we...i might never see him again" his words were fading away, my vision draining of color and dropping down into a dark tunnel.

"Arlow, We don't have a choice. We don't have time."

 The last thing i heard before i fell off the edge of consciousness and into oblivion was a strange growling sound that came out like whimper, and the feeling of a forehead pressed to my own.

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When i finally opened my eyes again i couldn't understand what had happened, how i had gotten to where i was now. The beaming bright light above me flickering as i was rolled through a hallway at a quick speed, faces i didn't recognize were hovering over me, looking down as they ran through doors that flung open with the impact of my trolley.

A hospital, i was at a hospital?

My arms swung up in confusion and delirium, moving around to try to reach his again, Arlow. He had been right there, right beside me just a moment ago. Where was he now? I clasped a sleeve and gripped it weakly, fingers pried my own open to release them, the doctor next to me caught them instead, a nurse easing my arms down to my sides to protect me and probably themselves.

I'd lost all understanding, watching as they worked on me, checking my pulse, a doctor ordering a head scan while another shined a light in my eyes that sent a painful sting into my head. I winced and clammed up, rolling my head away.

"Arlow?" i called out shakily, the doctors exchanging concerned looks between each other before one eased closer to speak to me, his blonde hair pushed back from his face "Is that someone who was with you? Do you need us to call somebody? What's your name?"