Burn in Hell | C137cest AU

He Forgets - Chapter 18

       In his own home, Rick felt like a stranger anymore. It was odd. He felt fine knowing Morty hated him, but knowing he hated him and was in a coma took the homeliness out of being home. 

       Rick had tried to see Morty's house, to go clean it up, but he couldn't stay in the building for very long, couldn't deal with the dust that had been accumulating over the near month and a half. He had cleared most of it away before he had to leave. So he had gone down to see Morty's family, if they were still in the same place.

       Using his GPS, Rick had gone through the address history and found the only place he didn't have logged in permanently, adding it to 'Morty' before he was on his way, listening to a 'borrowed' BOTDF CD. 

       During the entire drive, Rick wondered what he was supposed to say. Was he supposed to tell them first thing, or maybe say he was looking for something of the brunet's and go from there? It was strange. How do you tell somebody there son had been alive and well the entire time they had mourned? Or that he was now in a coma? How are you supposed to do that? Seriously.

       In the small town, Rick was little more than a stranger with a mission. He found his way to Morty's childhood home fairly quickly, seeing that the quaint little town appeared a little more dismal than the last time he had been there. Or maybe that was just a personal atmospherical perception. 

      There is was, the front door. Through the window, Rick saw Summer and her mother, turning his mouth to the side as he rang the doorbell. "That's new," he muttered, placing his hands in his pockets.

       "Hello?" Summer greeted curiously when she answered, probably forgetting the man after so long. 

       "Hi," Rick mumbled, taking a hand from his pocket to wave with a sheepish smile. "I, uh, don't know if you remember me, but I was wondering if you had a free moment to talk about your brother?"

       Summer's eyes went wide before she opened the door, stepping to the side. "Are . . . are you Rick?" The man nodded, somewhat relieved that she remembered. "Yea," he chuckled awkwardly, waving when their parents noticed him. Jerry was on the couch when he walked in, having approached the door behind Summer. 

       "So I've got no idea how you're gonna take this . . . "       

      The air had a funny, strong smell to it. It was almost so strong that bleach could be tasted. Sterility is no joke anymore, apparently. There was a strange sense of unease surrounding the individual, loud and unnerving noises all around. And voices. It was all a whispered garble of sound, growing steadily louder.

       "It's been almost two months, now." Something like. . . sheets of paper, maybe, rusting about. 
       "Is he gonna wake up anytime soon?"
       "Sir, we really have no answer. We've never been able to answer a question like that with certainty. We'll just have to wait and see what he does."
       "Alright," came a disheartened whisper. 
       "I'll leave you folks be with him. They say comatose patients really can hear you, y'know." Like that was supposed to make them feel any better . . .

       Something sounded like a door clicking shut and more motion could be heard. There was added weight, something jostling the form around. 

       "Morty," came a whisper. Who's Morty?

       "Hey, baby, it's your mama." Was somebody crying? "And your big sis!" You, my dear, are way too excited for my liking.

        "Your dad's over there, sweetheart. He doesn't know what to do right now, so we'll let him sort it out on his own."

       "We didn't know you've been alive this whole time," came a light reply, gruff and resentful, almost. "But that's not your fault," they quickly added. "Maybe you wanted away from us permanently, or maybe you just didn't want to bring us into your hectic life again. But, either way, it was insane having Rick show up. I almost punched him, kid. I wanted to. I thought he was lying."