Pieces Part 1

Someone Back At Home

"I'm in bed, what's going on?" I murmured. Not fully having come to, I attempted to flop over on the bed I was on top of. The endeavor brought a sharp pain up my ribs that ached the longer I propped myself upright. "Crap," I cursed, sagging back into the mattress.

At that moment, a flurry of red hair whipped my neck. "Maurice!" I glanced to my left--beside me, a red-haired girl lifted her head from the pillow.

"Amber..." I barely mustered a word before she tackled me on the mattress. She pounded my chest, sobbing and shouting and uncaging all the emotions that'd festered while I was unconscious.

"Moe, you're awake!" She wailed. I let out a shriek at the pain she inflamed in my side. "You idiot!"

A weary smile traveled across my face. As sore as I was, it relieved me to see that Amber was safe. Unscathed and sound. If she was alright, the mission had to have been a success. We were all able to escape without getting hurt.

I said, "Amber, I'm glad you are safe. We made it out. I... kept my promise."

Her eyes dropped to her knees. "Yeah, you did..." She trailed off weakly.

Gently, I cupped her face in my palm. "Amber, I think I'm ready for us." My irises wavered as I poised for her reaction--an utterance, a grin, anything. But of all things, I was met with a brush to the side. She removed my hand from her face and returned it to my lap, avoiding my gaze.

My pulse skyrocketed. What was going on? I just confessed. Did I get rejected?

"Sorry, Maurice, this just isn't the right time." She explained meekly.

"It's not the right time?" What did she mean by that? What happened while I was asleep?

The room's door swung open before I could prod for further insight. Through the entrance came Charles, along with two nurses and Albert.

I swiveled my eyes around the room as everyone stared at me. "What's going on? Is there something on my face?" I swiped my hands up and down my body in case anything was amiss.

The others' expressions remained knotted. The two nurses clasped their hands in Charles, and Amber suddenly dove into her pillow in tears. Albert pulled his glasses off, smearing his face with tissues before pointing at my side.

Perplexed, I looked to where his finger was directed. And sure enough, Mario's graduation picture was set on the mattress.

Throat feeling constricted, I stammered, "Wait, where's Mario?" I didn't know what response to expect, but I didn't imagine it'd be pleasant.

I waited for a reaction. A sign. Anything. But time wasn't enough to assuage a grim atmosphere like this one. Everyone looked like they'd had their hearts wrenched out of their chests, and I couldn't discern why. How could we be this broken after what we'd achieved?

Did everything go to plan? Where is Mario?

Squirming on the spot, Albert broke into a stride towards my bed. He took the wheelchair next to it by the handles and steered it to my feet, beckoning me to get on. I glanced at Amber, who was still crumpled into a fetal position.

"We should go," Albert says with a hand on Amber's shoulder. She sniffled, staggering to the floor as I let Albert guide me out of the room.

We traversed through the hospital at a tempered pace. I looked around the halls, eyeing the red-nosed visitors on standby for results. The building's interior was so bright yet so glum. I could see why people crowded the courtyard.

As we wound through more corridors, a group of silhouettes seemed to track along many of our paths. All of our paths. This couldn't have been a coincidence unless these people were strapped for an afternoon itinerary. I warily stole a glance in their direction.

Police officers. Damned be my luck--though, I hadn't done anything wrong, had I? Maybe the officers were tailing someone else. Perhaps I'd turn around again, and they'd no longer be there.

Nope. They were still hot on our heels--or I guessed, in my case, I should've said wheels.

"Who are those guys following us?" I hissed to whoever would reply first.

Amber, now pushing my wheelchair, whispered, "Did you forget we got arrested? The police have you on 24-hour security waiting for you to wake up. It won't be long until they come to arrest you."

"Wait, come to get me?" I jabbed a finger into my chest. "For what?"

Albert laid it out firmly. "You have an arrest warrant for the murder of Tina Richardson."

Chills overwhelmed my body. "Don't tell me..." Trembling just as much as I, Amber affirmed my suspicions.

"Your arrest was delayed due to your injuries, that replacement of a kidney," Albert explained.

Speechless, I lowered my hand to my right side. The ache I'd been feeling wasn't in my rib cage but just under it all along. I clutched the surgical site. The area was still tender, too sore to move my body with.

I looked forward as reality sank in. He got away. And with this, I'd still have a target on my back. There was no more running away.

Albert dropped something on my lap. "Before you go in, you should know I retrieved this from the Police's evidence locker. You should be more careful with where you drop things."

I thanked Albert before even inspecting the artifact. We treaded outside the hospital, elongating the slow, leisurely pace we took inside. But Amber's grip on the wheelchair now felt stiff. Like we were heading to a cliff that she did not want to stare down from--I had a sight to brace myself for but held no clue as to what it was.

We soon approached a statue that read as follows:

"Mario Benevolent Hnazant"

Director/Father/Son

(August 28th, 1987- March 19th 2012)

"Loved and Loss by Many"