Better Eight Than Never

Epilogue

They were extremely lucky that night.

A few minutes after the explosion happened, the police were on the scene, they kept Bato, Hachi, and Ophelia's wounds from getting worse, kept them alive until the ambulance could get there. While they watched the Great Zapfish was pulled away from Hachi's side and escorted back to inkopolis tower, and lights shone brighter, sirens blared louder, hope became stronger in the wake of this catastrophe.

There wasn't another word for it. From all the images on the news, there was a trench carved through the city, and even then buildings still threatened to collapse, dust and smoke filled the air, and every so often the ground still shook, as if Orion's ghost still loomed over the city.

When they arrived at the hospital, Ophelia was whisked away immediately, and Hachi right after, but Bato found himself in the lobby, sitting on a couch with his friends. People looked over them with pity, they were hurt, but he could tell what was on their minds; 'at least I don't have it that bad'.

That was where he still was. Staring into a cup of fountain water which a kind anemone had given him, as well as so many other people, to make sure that hydration wasn't on the list of things they had to worry about right then.

So lucky.

Many places in the city were without water right then, some might still be without power, without phone signals. And so many without their lives.

He couldn't bring himself to drink. He was so worried about Hachi, about his stepmother, about Sheldon, about Callie and Marie, about Jill and Simon's father, about everyone who had been on the streets that night.

The lobby was full of a constant chatter, quiet only from exhaustion. Without a doubt if the people where were well rested it would be a cacophony. Intermittently, Octoling tentacles stuck out in the crowd, coiled tight and pale, exactly how Hachi's had looked when she was frightened.

He wondered what would happen to them now? And what would happen to Hachi? Would his mothers let her stay with him? That was one of the things he wanted most right then. He wanted his mothers to be fine, and he wanted Hachi back. He'd known her for such a small amount of time, but already he cared about her so much. Stress tears dripped into his water cup, and he took a moment to take a deep breath.

"MOM!" Jill exclaimed. And he lifted his head to see Jill had sprang from her seat and spread her arms wide to meet her mother, who in the blink of an eye wrapped her tight into a hug.

"Oh my little darling, you're alright!" Madeline said, squeezing Jill tightly. "I was so worried, I came as soon as I could, and– Oh Simon! What happened to you!?" She gushed, then ran over to where Simon was seated and hugged them as well.

"M-Mom..." They croaked, he wasn't sure he'd do much better. "H-Have you heard from Dad?"

"What, yes!" Madeline said. "I made a beeline for home because he called me, and said you were gone, AGAIN, and he'd been splatted and couldn't find you, I'm so glad you're alive..."

"Wait, you came right home?" Jill asked. "Didn't you have that Krak-on commercial to film?"

"Krak-on can suck it!" She replied. "And we'll keep the fact that I said that between us, ok?"

Bato almost smiled, and beside him Toda snorted.

"Oh." Madeline said, straightening up and offering a hand. "You must be Bato. I'm Madeline."

He gave a slight nod. "I am; it's nice to meet you, Madeline. I'd stand, but ah..." He trailed off, glancing at his wounded leg.

She grimaced. "I'm going to fight whoever did this to you kids."