Remember Who I Am

Chapter XXXIII

December 27, 2023

8:29 AM

Manhattan, New York City, New York

Dorian lay on a gurney, being rapidly rolled to the ER unit. Doctors surrounded him, and he had been bleeding profusely. When he was shot in the shoulder, it had hit an artery. They had reached the ER unit and placed him in a room and connected his vital needs So far, Dorian's survival was 50/50.

* * *

Xavier hit the brakes on the car he drove, the car containing Maggie in the passenger seat. He had stopped in a parking spot in the lot, before getting out, along with Maggie.

"He's here?" Maggie asked, her voice quivering in anxiety.

"I'm sure he is." Xavier responded.

They walked through the cold air before reaching the automatic doors that opened for them. The waiting room, out in the open, contained about 13 people, each waiting for someone. Xavier and Maggie went up to the front desk.

The receptionist looked down for a while, before finding her eyes up at them; "How can I help you?"

"Is there a Dorian Black?" Maggie asked.

"In the emergency room, are you of any relation?" The receptionist asked.

"He's my husband. How is he?"

"We don't know, we're only half sure, he got shot in the artery, they were looking for someone for communication, you can go, he's in the ER unit in 17."

"Thank you."

"Who is he?"

The receptionist looked at Xavier.

"A--"

"A friend." Xavier said, interrupting Maggie; "I'm a friend."

"You can stay out here, sir."

Maggie sprinted behind Xavier, making her way to the emergency room as Xavier stood.

"I'm here to visit someone too, that is, if you have them." Xavier requested.

"Who?" The receptionist asked.

"Clover Yoshino."

"Clover... Clover, Clover, Cl-- We do have a Clover. She's alive. In the ER. They said she, most likely, will survive."

"Okay, can I see her?"

"Relation?"

"Family friend."

"Any proof?"

"Okay, I'm just a friend. But she doesn't have any close family to accompany her, I don't even know how she survived with no past information in this hospital."

"Go ahead, I guess. Room 21, ER."

"Thanks."

Xavier walked toward the ER unit, which he had found quickly. He walked down the E-shaped hallway, the bottom half being 1-10, the middle half being 10-20, and the top half serving as 20-30. Xavier figured they needed more rooms. Xavier walked and walked and walked, making it past the middle half of the E, before making it to the top, Clover's room being the first on the right.

"21." He saw the sign over the door.

Xavier sprinted toward the door, gripping the handle, and twisting it, opening the door. There, she saw a bedridden Clover, messy hair, hospital outfit on. She snapped her head toward him.

"Xavier... hey." She spoke.

"Hello, Clover. Nice to see you're... doing well." Xavier greeted back.

"I guess I am. So, has anything of... significance happened?"

"Multiple... uh... Tyler's dead."

Clover stared at Xavier, looking concerned; "Tyler? He's dead? What the fuck happened?"

"Yeah, after you got shot and hospitalized, I was captured, put in a room, they brought Tyler in. They-- he-- they shot him but it only grazed his lip, made him kinda look like... Joker, then, Dorian ambushed them, shot the guy with us with a sniper from another building, and then the guy shot out the window, I guess out of shock, and it landed perfectly in the fucker's shoulder, hit an artery, he's up in here too, if you didn't know. Then I brought Tyler up on top of the building Dorian was on, and some more men showed up, and we had a fuckin'... fuckin' shootout, then the men came up, nearly destroyed this piece of evidence we had of some men who know where Rich is, but then shot Tyler instead, killed him, sick motherfucker."

Clover stared at Xavier in shock from his anecdote.

"Are... you okay? Is Dorian okay?" Clover asked.

"Yeah, I'm good, and Dorian... they said he's 50/50." Xavier answered her question.

"All we can do is hope."

"Damn right."

"Well, what now?"

"Hunt down the men, find Rich."

Xavier approached the bed Clover lay on, putting his hand on the ledge of it; "After that, waste my life."

Clover pulled her arm up and put her hand on his.

"We're focusing on now. We just... finish things, okay? You can do it. Get revenge for your mother. And mine. Kill Rich. I know you can and will."

Xavier stared at her as they held hands; "I know."

* * *

The receptionist watched as Xavier emerged from the rooms, before walking up to her. He reached into his pocket and pulled out car keys.

"Give this to Maggie, the woman I was with, the wife of Dorian, when she leaves. These are the keys. I need to leave early." Xavier requested.

"What about you?" The receptionist asked.

"I'll walk."