Remember Who I Am

Chapter XXXVI

December 29, 2023

12:17 PM

Manhattan, New York City, New York

Maggie and Xavier sat in the hallway of the ER section of the hospital. They were waiting for news on Dorian. Whether he was dead or alive, they needed closure. Maggie gripped onto Xavier's hand, and she hoped for good news. Despite her hopes, she was expecting bad news. Not because of anything they had heard, but Maggie knew that she tended to have bad luck, and nothing really good ever happened to her.

"He's gonna make it." Xavier spoke; "I know it."

"All we can do is hope, right now." Maggie said grimly.

"It's a shoulder wound, just a shoulder wound."

"I know... just... when have things ever gone my way?"

"This will."

Maggie looked up at the roof, she focused on the pattern of the lights that were up there. Every 5 horizontal (to her) tiles, a new light would be there. There were 1, 2, 3 lights from the wall to her and Xavier. Maggie overheard in the room Dorian was in something being tossed into a trash can. It wasn't a good sign. She overheard distant footsteps before the door of the room Dorian was in opened. Maggie looked at the doctor that walked out, which looked over him previously.

"Oh, god. How is he?" Maggie asked.

"Dorian Black?" The doctor asked.

"Yes." Maggie and Xavier both said simultaneously.

The doctor sighed; "He didn't make it."

* * *

Xavier walked through the hallways of Bloomington's apartment complex. He had just got done dealing with the unhinged and tragic screams of Maggie, her knowing she had just lost her husband so quickly. He even cried a little bit. He walked up to the apartment to announce to Bloomington that he was officially going after him. He was going to get Rich soon, and that was that.

This brought him to a moral dilemma, though. Ever since his mother died, he had practically disregarded his dad. There were even days where he didn't think about how his dad killed himself. It made him think of himself as selfish and brought him guilt, guilt being a feeling he hated, but it was a feeling he dealt with for 22 years. It had grown on him.

It would still be something he would consider 'fucked-up'. But he needed to get out of his mind, which he did. He walked through the hallway and, after climbing the next flight of stairs, saw yellow tape. There were no CSI, but police officers were there. Xavier sprinted toward the tape, which caused one of the officers to turn around.

"Woah, woah. Stay back. Who are you?" The officer asked, showing authority.

"I'm fr-- related to Delbert Bloomington." Xavier spoke.

"Delbert... he's... he's dead."

Xavier stopped sprinting. He stared at them.

"Sorry. There was a dog in there. Is the dog yours?"

Xavier's mind was too filled up to even fit the information of Bloomington's death in it. He just wanted to at least answer this question.

"If it's a brindle great dane, yes." Xavier answered.

"It's at an animal care facility." The officer reported.

"Okay, just..."

Xavier walked off. Bloomington was dead. For this, he was going to make sure Rich paid. 3, 4 deaths on Rich's conscience. In the next few days, Xavier wanted Rich's death to be on his conscience.