The Dark Side

Chapter 14

"Ok, Send him in." answered the nurse.

In seconds James came rushing in and picked me up with a huge hug and swung me around.

"Mellon! I was so worried about you! Are you Ok? What happened? I saw that shuttle crash on my way here. How did that happen?" James gently put me down, and nervously looked around the room."Where's Joe?"

I hung my head and said nothing. I twirled the ring, Joe gave me, around my finger stressfuly. James looked to his son.

"Michael...?"

Michael held his hands behind his back and rubbed the back of his leg with his foot.

"He's died in the crash Dad."

James was struck speechless, he sunk to his knees and dropped his head into his hands. He cried out loud. The nurse came over and sat him in a chair. Me and Michael sat next to him, comforting him.

"He was my best friend *Sob*... Since fourth grade *Sob*... We had this dream together, and It...It's all my fault!" He cried. "I wanted us to be astronauts."

"He saved Michael, and all the other kids in this school. If he didn't guide the shuttle the other way then it would have been a disaster. He did what he had to." I said.

James looked Michael, he hugged him tightly.

"Thank you..." He whispered.

Suddenly a voice came on the intercom

"Mrs. Flag the ...President is here to see James and Hellon."

"Ok..?" said the nurse.

Me and James exchanged looks. James told Michel to go back to class. The president walked in with a couple of body guards and pulled a cigar from his pocket.

"Sir there shall be no smoking in here." The nurse informed.

The president paused before he lit the cigar. The nurse walked up to him and took the cigar out of his mouth.

"I'll leave you all to talk." She said.

The president waited for her to completely exit the room, then he pulled out another cigar from his body guard's pocket and lighted it.

"I heard what happened to the commander, he will be recognized as a hero from now on. He saved this school, right?." He let out puff of smoke."We found his body, He is still alive."

James gasped while my heart raced.

"Were is he!? Is he Ok!? How-"

"Hold on, Hold on..." The president interrupted. "Before we get all crazy and stuff, did you bring back any plant samples?"

My excitement was washed way by grief and anger. I walked to the plant that sat under a chair, covered with a cloth. I took it to the president and shoved it at him. One of his body guards hesitantly took a step forward.

"Hit the woman, and the woman will hit back." I threatened, showing him that I didn't fear him.

I looked back at the president.

"There's your stupid plant. Now were is Joe?" I demanded.

"You got guts kid." He said. "The commander is being taken to the closest E.R. He should have arrived by now."

"Do you have any idea how he survived?" James asked.

"We found him a couple yards away from the shuttle." The president mentioned. "Were guessing that he jumped out right before it crashed. But the fall and the explosion left allot of damage on him."

"Thank you." I said, then me and James rushed out.

We saw the nurse talking to some other adults in the hall, waiting for our conversation to be over. Right when she went back in I heard "I said no smoking!" behind the door. Me and James left the school and headed to the closest E.R.

Once we got there we wen't strait for the front desk.

"We're looking for Joseph Uthal." I said.

"Are you a family member?" The lady asked.

"I am his fiance." I answered.

"And who is this." She said, looking at James.

"Uh, I'm his brother." He claimed.

The lady pulled up a list of people on her computer.

"Let me see here..." She said scanning throough the list. "Ah-ha! He just settled into room B106 on the second floor."

Me and James darted towards the elivator, but James acidently pressed the button for the fifth floor, so we had to wait patiently to get to where we were going.

Once we got to Joe's room we walked in quietly. He was unconsious, laying in the bed all cut, burnt, and brused up. All his arms and legs were broken too. I broke into tears at the sight of him. James patted my back. I reached for Joe's broken hand, and held it. I layed my head on the edge of the bed.

"I'm so happy you're Ok." I cried.

James pulled up a chair and sat next to me.

"Thats gonna leave a mark." He joked.

I let out a short laugh. I know some people might turn around and slap him in the face yelling "Not funny!" But I can't blame him for trying to cheer me up. At the moment, I hate Joe for pulling such a stunt, and scaring me like that. I wouldn't know what to do without him. I hope he recovers soon, there is so much to be done, things had just started.

"Excuse me..." said a lady walking into the room.

She was holding a tray with a cup of thick, white, cream and a small brush.

"I am Sir Joseph's nurse, nice to meat you." she greeted in a British accent.

Me and James got up to shake her hand. She placed the tray on a night stand next to Joe, then dipped the brush into the cream and started spreading it on Joe's burns.

"He is very lucky that he survived such a fall, and major explosion. It would have killed most people."

"What are his current conditions?" I asked.

"Well, I'm sure internal bleeding has been taken care of. He will have scars remaining, due to the flying pieces of metal from the shuttle. He will wake in... I'd say about... By morn. but he won't be able to walk for at least three weeks." she mentioned. "If I were to guess, his wounds are normal compared to greater damage I've seen before."

I sat calmly in relief, He did look critically injured, but with today's technology, anything can be taken care of. I watched the cream placed on Joe's face slowly dissolve his burns into lightly brown marks.

"What are the worst injuries that you have seen?" James asked.

"Well during the eight years that I have worked here. I did serve this one lady who had broken her spine, ribs, and limbs in numerous places. Except her right arm which was apparently missing. She was missing one eye, and her left ear was torn to shreds. She had deep cuts all over and-"

"Ok, that's enough for one day." James stopped in disgust.

"Oh, my pardon. If you were wondering how she ended up like that, she snuck into a zoo at night, hoping to steal animals, and got stuck in the lions exhibit through the night."

"Thats terrible." I commented.

"Heh, at least it's not bad as-"

The nurse unbuttoned Joe's shirt to place more cream for the burns. Joe was more cut up, burned, and bruised on his torso than his face and arms combined. It looked like he was a live zombie still decomposing. James threw up in the trashcan beside him. I covered my eyes before they fell out of my head.

"Please tell me it was worse than that." James hurled.

"Remember when I said he'd be up by morn? I change my mind."