Lost Amongst Many

Chapter 52

-???'s POV-
My ribs still hurt terribly, so I remained in the medical room for a few more hours, still drifting through consciousness, exhausted from my struggle.

Finally, enough of the pain evaporated, and I got up shakily and walked to the counter for a cup of water.

A medical staff came over and held me up so I didn't fall over, and then walked me back to the bed with my water.

I drank what I had and fell asleep, no longer in immobilizing agony.

I woke up to someone shaking my shoulder lightly, bringing back some pain.

"There are a few people here to see you, sir."

"For the thousandth time. Just call me Rob. I hate being called Sir."

"I apologize Rob. Would you like me to let them in?"

"Yeah sure. Let me get changed quick."

I made my way slowly upstairs to my room. I changed my clothes and washed up a tiny bit before heading back down.

I saw Mitch, Jerome, and Preston. Mitch wa shielding Preston, and Preston had his midsection wrapped tightly in gauze like my own.

Jerome had a few too many grey streaks in his dark brown hair for a 15 year old. He looked older.

I made my way very carefully down to the main floor, and met the three of them with minimal pain.

"Hello."

"Hi Rob."

"Hi. Why are you here?"

"We were curious what happened to you."

"Me? What happened to Preston?"

"I asked out first."

"I don't know how to explain it. I was working and my side suddenly felt like I got stabbed. I was immobilized in medical until like, an hour ago. I was in shock earlier."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Now what happened to Preston?"

"Exactly that. He got stabbed and went into shock. He was down for hours until a local medic helped."

"What? That seems coincidental."

"It does. Were you actually stabbed?"

"No."

"Why do you have gauze?"

"It still hurts. The gauze is tight enough that it's sort of cutting off the pain to an extent."

"Oh. Do you think these are connected?"

"They might be."

Preston didn't look too good still. The gauze on him was already getting red, and Mitch noticed at the same time.

"Can we see your medical staff? Kara thought this would happen."

"Yeah. This way."

The staff took Preston in and tightly rewrapped his wound.

"Hey Rob." He rasped quietly.

"Hi Preston."

"Doing King stuff I see?"

"Trying to. Your stabbing aession seemed to have stopped that."

"My stabbing session? Are you crazy?"

"Who stabbed you?"

"I could not see them. Too dark."

"Oh. Then if you got stabbed, why did I suffer the pain too? We aren't the same person."

"I do not know... Though it frightens me that there is now a possibility that if I die, you die."

"What?"

"If you feel my exact pain, and I die, you might die with me. I do not like this thought."

"Neither do I! I don't wanna die and I don't want you to die either. I want you to live more than I want myself to live."

"Why?"

"Because reasons, Preston."

"What reasons?"

"Reasons."

"What are they?"

"I don't want you die."

"Why?"

"Reasons."

"What are those reasons?"

"You're too valuable to me, okay?"

"Valuable?"

"Preston, I-" I couldn't finish my thought with everyone listening. I was raising my voice to the one person I hate yelling at, despite our arguments in the past.

In a whisper, too soft for even Preston to hear, I go hard my thought.

"Because I love you."

And I ran upstairs as fast as my pain would allow.