"Kid... there's.... there's been a mistake..." I heard a small voice float from Alexus' cot. Her sentence shook from the silent sound of tears.
I rushed over to her, and immediately kissed her bandaged fore-head, holding her hand. "What's wrong?" I calmly asked. Well, almost calmly. 'Is she going to die?' I kept asking in my head.
Her head dropped, and she looked at our intertwined fingers, squeezing a little tighter as tears ran even faster down her cheeks.
"You're going to die, aren't you?" I accidentally spoke aloud. I immediately noticed my mistake. "Wait, no-I mean..."
She giggled a little. "Kid, you're so silly..." she whispered.
I let out a sigh of relief, glad I could make her smile, but I was then distracted by her bandages. They were all over her body - practically like clothes. The blood-soaked linen wrapped around her torso, where Duff had stabbed her - I shivered at this memory - and her head. They covered her forehead, just above the eyebrows, and covered the back of her neck and right behind the jawline. I felt tears prick in my eyes over the guilt I felt for letting this happen.
But her face was still... her. And just as beautiful, even with the large blue and purple bruise on her eye.
Her voice eventually brought me back to the conversation.
"I'm sorry, Kid..."
I stared at her with a hint of shock in my expression. Sorry?? For what?
"I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused..." she said as if she'd read my mind. "I put all of you in danger. I should've known that Duff was going to be looking for me, I should've left, I-" Her tears choked her in painful wails and sobs. She reached for me, and although I saw that it pained her to move, she needed me. I gave into her embrace, and softly hugged her back.
"Alexus... this is not your fault. And we were happy to help you end this... you don't have to suffer any more..." I rubbed her shoulder blade, deeply breathing in the smell of blood and metal. My nose and throat burned at the sharp scent, but I ignored it.
"Kid, how can I stop suffering?! My sister died at me own hands!! She may have been evil, but she was my sister!" She wailed even louder now, and I frantically tried to calm her down.
The door burst open, and Stein rushed over to see the problem.
"What's going on? Is she hurt?"
"Uh, no... just... post-traumatic-stress-syndrome, I think..." I awkwardly answered.
"Oh..." he watched her as her uncontrollable crying resumed. "That's perfectly normal. Here, give her one of these. She might get sleepy, but it should alleviate the guilt and pain." He held out two, small white pills in his palm.
I nodded, and he turned to check the rest of the monitors for any problems.
"Alexus..." I sat on the edge of the cot and rubbed her back. "I'm sorry for everything you're going through, but... these should help." I held out the pills, and she cooperated.
After she swallowed the medication, she looked up at me, her eyes red from the tears. "K-Kid... I... I love you..." she hugged me again, this time much tighter.
She buried her face into my chest, her warm tears staining my shirt.
"I love you, too, Lexi." I kissed her head softly. Her crying almost completely stopped after a few minutes, her silence almost made me believe she was asleep.
"Thank you..." she whispered with a soft smile.
Stein, almost forgotten was still in the room, and he coughed awkwardly.
I blushed, and released Alexus from the hug. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. The medication seemed to be kicking in.
"It's time to change her bandages," Stein informed me, and I let him take over.
He slowly peeled the previous linen from her head, and she stayed completely still and quiet, letting him do his work.
Later after layer, the red stains became bigger and darker.
"Stein...? W-would you mind telling Kid...?" she trailed off.
"Didn't know how to let him know, huh?" Stein chuckled.
I stared at them, confused.
Stein nodded and resumed unwrapping the wraps while he spoke. "Well, her original ears were damaged quite severely, and there was no way of fixing them; or the tail, for that matter, since it had been completely severed off from the body in the battle..."
The gears in my head slowly turned, making little progress in understanding what he was trying to say.
He seemed to notice my absence of mind, so he said it more bluntly. "So, your 'fox-girl' is now only your 'girl'." He tried to make a joke of it.
My stomach dropped; she... she's not symmetrical anymore?? Permanently?!
"No more fox ears," Alexus said, beaming. "Or tail!" she added, her smile broadening.
My slow-as-molasses mind was still stuck on the "symmetrical" thought as she awaited me to react. I just, couldn't.
"Kid, I get to be normal now!!" she excitedly bounced up and down, but winced and stopped when the pain deterred her movement, although her smile remained intact.
"But... how can you hear now?" I wondered aloud, still now processing her excitement.
"Stein surgically gave me human ears, Kid! Isn't it great!?" She grabbed my hands and squeezed them in hers. I glanced at Stein for an explanation.
"I made them as symmetrical as possible, for your benefit" he assured; and with a hint of self-pride.
I relaxed, and allowed myself to be happy for her.
"You're still symmetrical!!" Now I was bouncing in my seat with joy, and a smile spread across my face.
They laughed, and Alexus called me "silly" again.
Everything was looking up.
