The Decay

Chapter 63 - Recovery

63

As the NFAD landed back at the headquarters, a medical team was already waiting for them. Richard was rushed out of the NFAD and into the clinic. A separate team took care of the rest of them. Ray was unscathed, Alexia had lost weight and was trembling from the experience, but otherwise she was alright. Mike was weak, his right calf throbbing. After inspecting the calf, he too was taken to the clinic, mostly to get the bullet out and to deal with the pain.

Ashe entered the clinic on a stretcher, he saw Anita. She rose from her seat as if a bee had stung her. She ran over to Mike and tried to hug him as best she could. 'Hey, hey, easy there,' grinned Mike. 'What happened to you?' she asked. 'My heroics got me in minor trouble,'said Mike. His grin faded. 'It's not me you have to worry about though. Richard got it worse.' She looked at him, guilty. Secretly she was relieved that it was Richard and not Mike that had ended up like that. Not a thought she wanted to share with anyone. 'And what about you?' asked Mike. Anita smiled. 'Can't recall the last time I've felt this good. Physically, at least,'she said. 'I was informed about everything while you were away.Artemis himself came to see me.' Mike raised his eyebrows, surprised that Artemis had visited her in the clinic. 'Speaking of which,' she continued, 'When you've recovered, he wishes to see you. And me as well,' she said. Mike nodded. 'I'm very tired. I'll let them take care of my leg and rest a bit. Then we can talk to him.' She leaned over and kissed him on the lips. Soon after, he went into a room to get the bullet removed.

Less than three hours later, Mike was laying in his bed as he overheard a doctor talking to Alexia. 'His condition is stable now. He was very lucky. The bullet missed his heart by a sliver.' Alexia sobbed with relief. 'He will need to spend a while in the regeneration fluid. It could take weeks before we let him out of constant supervision,' said the doctor. Alexia let out a weak thank you before collapsing back in her seat, relief washing over her.

A few minutes later she entered the room where Mike was. 'Hey Mike, I bring good news,' she said. Mike smiled at her and nodded briefly. 'I heard what he said. I'm glad he'll be fine,' he said. She looked at him, an expression on her face that he could not decipher. 'I...' she paused. 'I never thanked you. For getting me out of that prison.'Mike shrugged as best he could. 'Nah, don't mention it. It was clear how much you meant to Richard. I didn't do it just because Artemis ordered me to. Had we known earlier, we would have come sooner,' he said. An awkward silence fell between them.'So, uh, how are you feeling now?' she asked. 'Better, thanks,' he replied. 'In fact, I'm going to get ready soon. They injected a green liquid into the wound and incredibly, it's almost gone now,' he said. Alexia grinned. 'Yeah, that thing is wonderful. I once had a long cut on my forearm and it healed it in just over an hour.' 'I'll see you in Artemis' office,' she said. 'Yep,' replied Mike before closing his eyes for another few minutes. As Alexia left the room, he spent sometime thinking for himself. It was good that his calf had almost healed. He needed to be ready for what was next. Whatever it was, he knew it was not going to be easy.

Thirty minutes later, he was out of bed, dressed in a pair of black jeans and a t-shirt. He put on a gray jacket that fit him snugly and walked out of the clinic. It was time to talk to Artemis.