The Metal Children

12 Back To Jutek's House

Claire had never liked hospitals, and it had been forever since she visited one, herself. Though sustaining injuries is basically a part of Claire's life, from battling others and defending herself, she wasn't the one to go find a proper doctor. Her healings were always done by Asri, who used to be a doctor before he officially retired to help Bea at Refill and become Metal Children's healer of the South City clan. Claire called Wayne on the way to the hospital in the ambulance that had brought wounded victims of the fire at Chili's, and Kerol was one of them, even though he insisted he was 'okay'. Unfortunately, 'coughing blood' wasn't exactly considered as 'okay', and Claire ended up winning in persuading Wayne to come over to the hospital. He insisted that there was no point of him going, because he was having his internship in some forensic mumbo jumbo instead of a proper hospital - and he hated how they had misplaced him - and he was not in a very good mood, from his voice. Claire remembered that he had texted her earlier, wanting to see her, but she ditched him for a dinner with Kerol and a very fiery explosion.

She was sitting by at the waiting area, along with several other mix of healthy and diseased people. Waiting wasn't really her favourite thing to do, but there were things she wanted to give a thought about, without having Kerol around to bug her or taunt her with questions. She had been to the washroom several times, to wash her face and freshen up, but to her, she still smelled like ash and ruined concrete. There were debris on her sweater, which she haven't bothered dusting off at all, and her hair was pulled up into a messy high bun - she couldn't wait to actually wash them. The hospital's air conditioning had been set to at least eighteen degrees Celcius, but the sweat on her scalp and her neck was more damp than dry. She thought it was probably because she was a firebender, because it would make the most sense to her.

Hell, she doesn't really know how her senses work anymore.

"Ms Logan?" A snowy, white-skinned nurse had appeared from the emergency ward, tapping her gently on her shoulder.

"Oh," she replied politely, although confused. "I'm not Ms Logan, I'm her friend," she corrected the nurse, although it doesn't matter that much anyway.

"I'm sorry, you look so much like him, I thought you were his sister," the nurse apologised.

"I could say I'm like that, only non-biological," Claire commented, and raised to her feet. She followed the nurse into the ward, which wasn't more pleasant than the waiting area. The bitter smell of medicines hit her nasal like a wave of uncomfortable paste of mint, and there was too much blue and white in one room. The emergency ward was composed of a row of eight to ten hospital beds with blue curtains, and she immediately found Kerol sitting on the second bed, with his pants still on, but bare waist upwards, with a huge white gauze bandage spread on his back.

He looked as if something was biting his leg.

"Do me a favour and say you don't need your sweater," Kerol said as Claire approached him. She wasn't sure if it was a joke, or otherwise, but she stood with her arms folded across her chest. "I had to dispose my shirt, it was ruined."

"Was it your idea, or is the doctor gay?" Claire joked back. She pulled a plastic stool and sat on it - she was pretty sure she wasn't allowed to sit on the hospital bed as she wasn't a patient. "How are you feeling?"

"Cold and bare. Give me your sweater," Kerol replied, a heavy huffed followed. "And don't stare at me."

Claire chuckle. She noticed that flush of red on his cheeks, no matter how much he wanted to hide it with all his macho shield. She unzipped her sweater - and thank heavens, it was oversized and not pink - and passed it towards Kerol, who waved it around him and pulled it like a blanket. It was only now that she realized that he had never been this exposed when she was around. It was nearly peculiar, but interesting. The skin on his body were drawn with light coloured scars. Suddenly, she remembered who he was. She tried to refrain from asking where those scars come from. It was probably much safer that way.