The Beauty of Hunger

THREE

          The red head drives us to the hospital, while I apply pressure to his dad's wound. I have to take my shirt off and use that because there's nothing clean around. I don't feel uncomfortable, I mean, his dad is unconscious and both I and the boy were worried about getting to the hospital.
          When we finally get there his father is immediately rushed into surgery, same for me, the bullet had only grazed my shoulder. Fred -which I later found out his name was- was still in his.  I look around my hospital room and groan. "I send you out for food and you get shot?" I lift my head to look across the room.
        "Ugh fuck off, Mansa."
        "I'm just saying."
     I feel like he's laughing at me. Damn weirdo. I lay back against the pillow, closing my eyes. I listen to the annoying beeping of the machines. It's all so sickening, hospitals. They promise safety, and they promise to help, but in the end they always say there was nothing they can do. When someone dies, there was nothing they could do. When he died there was nothing they could do to save him.
       "Hey, hey, hey. What did I tell you about that, Makeda?" Mansa asks, concerned.
      "You told me not to dwell on it, what's done is done." I sigh. "So stop, before you trigger it again." I give a shaky laugh. Before I can say anything else, the door to my hospital room bursts open. "Oh my goodness, my baby, my baby was shot." Toni runs to my bed, and climbs in. I laugh at her.
       "You don't just run into someone's hospital room and climb into their bed, Tones."
        "You do if you drove hours just to get here, and your tired." She snuggles close to my left side, and I scoot over making room for her. I shake my head. "Your so weird."
      "It's because I love you." she plants a kiss on my cheek. "Aww, that's nice, I love pie." I joke. Netty makes a hissing sound. She takes off her Serpents jacket, wrapping it around us both a little. We lay there a while, talking about today's events, before long a doctor comes in. He's old, and balding. He holds a clipboard.
      "Ms.Topaz, is it? You're vitals seem good, we were able to stop the bleeding and get the bullet out. You're shoulder should heal up nice, just keep it clean, we should be able to release you as early as next week." It says in an overly joyful voice. "Next week?" I croak. I can't stay a full week, who knows what they'll do to me?! It's only a graze!
        I get up out of the bed shaking my head no. "No, I don't think so."
        "Ms.Topaz, we have to keep an eye on you, now if you'd just calm yourself." the doctor says. He takes a steps towards me, and I back away. "Hey, if my cousin says she isn't staying, then that's that." Netty says from behind me.
       I turn around to look at her, still laying on the bed. She adjusts her Serpent jacket over her body, making it more visible. When Doc gets a get a good look at it the color drains from his face. He doesn't say anything, just nods his head a small yes, and leaves the room. I sigh in relief. "Thank you Netty." I tell my cousin, grateful. "Don't thank me Ducky, you would've done the same." I got to sit in the only chair left, next to the bed.
         Mansa stands up. "Well I have to go check in with Grandpa, tell him you're still alive, come on Toni."
       "Wait where are you two going?"
       "I just told you where I'm going, but Toni is going to stop by pops to get your bike, and then she's gonna stop by the trailer and grab you some clothes, yours were destroyed." Mansa explains.  "Why can't I go?" I ask, with a pout. "Because you're wearing a hospital gown and socks." I just cross my arms across my shoulder, well my left seeing as to how my other is in a sling. I'm glad I'm a lefty. 
        After Mansa and Netty leave I order some lunch to my room, a turkey sandwich, some chips, a jello cup, and a slice of cheese cake. I watch Criminal Minds while I eat, I watch two more episodes before I get tired of the boring hospital room. I wonder how long Toni will take.
       I find some slippers beside my bed and slip them on, deciding to go on an adventure. First I walk around the floor I'm on before getting on an elevator, I head down to the first floor. As soon as step out of the elevator I see him, the red head kid, talking to three other kids. That's when I see him, Forsythe Pendleton Jones. The third, he would always say. "Sythe?" I say, excitement clear in my voice. The dark haired boy looks up at the familiar nickname.
       "Duchess? Duchess!" Sythe stands up from his group of friends, and rushes over to me. He engulfs me in a massive hug, picking me up off of the ground and spending me a little. I giggle. He puts me down hands still on my shoulders, taking a step back to get a good look at me. "Wow." he says. But it isn't in a romantic way, more like an 'I remember when you couldn't get on the swings by yourself' type of wow. "I could say the same, you've changed, you know, except for the brooding look and beanie." I laugh.
        He looks at my arm that's in the sling, my hospital gown and the bloodied patch on my shoulder, only being seen because the hospital gowns shoulder is pushed out of the way. "What are you doing here?" concern clear in his voice. "She's the girl I was telling you about, the one who tried to save my dad, Jughead." The red head says.
       I finally turn to acknowledge Sythe's little group of friends. The red head steps forward, "Archie Andrews, thank you so much." He says, shacking my good hand. "I didn't do anything, just punched a creep and got shot as the after math."
         "Well to me you did something." he says genuinely. I nod and step back beside Sythe, a little uncomfortable with being in the good graces of someone. A girl with golden skin, and raven black hair steps forwards. "Veronica Lodge, what you did was very brave." Veronica says. I nod again, raking my fingers through my hair. Last but not least, the girl with the blonde hair steps forwards. "I'm Betty Cooper, I just want to say thank you." she has a smile on her face that seems forced.
       Ugh these Northies and their damn hospitality. They sit back down, Archie motioning for me to join them, I sit next to Sythe. "So how do you and Jughead know each other?" Archie asks. I can tell he doesn't care, that he's just trying to distract himself.
     So I humor him. "Uh, when we were six, Sythe here had the biggest crush on me, his dad used to always bring him around my grandpa's trailer."
           "No I didn't." Sythe argues, fighting back his smile. "Did too, he asked me to marry him the day of my tenth birthday." I tell Archie, he smiles. "My cousin made us kiss."
         "Your twin brother beat the crap out of me. And then you beat the crap out of him, you said, 'don't touch my hubby!'" I laugh. Everyone laughs a little, before we fall silent again. "So how is he, your dad?" I ask.
       "Ugh, I honestly don't know, we don't know if he's gonna make it, or-"
       I reach over the small table that separates Sythe and I from the two girls and red, taking Archie's hand in mine. I say something I never thought I'd say in a hospital. "He'll be okay, you seem like a fighter, and I can only imagine who you got that from." I smile at Archie and he smiles back.
     Before I can say anything else two women and a man walk up, two blonde and one brunette. "There isn't any new information. You're dad is in surgery. He's gonna be there for awhile." The blonde one says. The other bends down beside Archie, "Have you told your mom about any of this yet?" she asks him. "No, no I haven't called her. I'll be right back." Archie stands to leave, walking away as if he's in a trance.
      When he's gone, I notice the blonde giving Sythe the side eye. "What?" he asks.
      "Mom, do not start this." Betty says.
"Start what?" I ask. "Well of course I can't help but wonder if Jughead's Southside associates had anything to do with what happened to Fred." Betty's mother says in a defensive tone. "What the hell, you Northsiders and your damn privilege." I snarl,standing up.
        "Yeah at least you can't accuse my father seeing as to how he's in jail." Sythe says, annoyance clear in his voice.
       Veronica grunts, leaning back in her chair, resting her head on Betty's shoulder she says, "Oh my God, I can't handle this."
     As if on cue, Toni appears with a bag. "Ducky I've been looking for you." I stand up, happy for an excuse to leave."Ugh thank God, I was being suffocated by privilege and designer hand bags."
Both Toni and Sythe laughs at my joke, I see  Betty and her mom give him an odd look. I grab the bag from Netty, looking inside.       
        She's packed me some grey sweat pants, a pink cropped tee, a grey hoodie, and some Nike sandals. Without another thought, I take the sweats out of the bag, slipping them on under my hospital gown. I then take my gown off -I'm wearing a bra underneath- putting on my crop, and jacket. As I slip my sandals on I say, "Well guys it's been real, but me and cuz gotta motor." When I slip the last sandal on I stand up. "Oh, Tones you remember Sythe, you made us kiss once." I jab my thumb towards Sythe, who turns a remarkable shade of red.
       "Oh, I literally bumped your heads together." She laughs. "It's good to see you again, I'm sorry about FP, but no Serpent stands alone."
       "No Serpent stands alone." I repeat. "Thanks. . . I think?"  Sythe says with an amused smirk. "It's a Serpent thing, you'll learn about it later." I tell him. I'm getting ready to walk away with Toni when I turn around. Bending down I plant a kiss on Sythe's cheek. "Don't be a stranger."
There's a choking noise from Betty's mom, I wave at everyone saying goodbye, before officially leaving.
         When we walk out of the hospital I notice two certain gang members driving towards the hospital on their bikes. When they stop in front of Toni and I, a fake smile spreads across my face. "Aw you guys didn't have to come visit me." I say in a sweet voice. "Ain't nobody here for you." Tallboy grunts. "Then who ya here for?" I ask skipping next to Tallboy. "Me." Sythe says. This should be interesting. "I got nervous when you said to meet at the hospital." Tallboy says. "I was wondering about when you said the Serpents had my back, does that courtesy extend to a guy who's like my brother and a man who's like a second father?"
         "What do you need?" Tallboy asks.
         "Fred Andrews, my buddy's dad, was just shot during a robbery at Pop's. The guy was wearing a mask." Sythe explains.
"Serpents don't wear masks." the guy behind Tallboy says. "Duh, dick head, shut the hell up and listen." I say. "Some of these Serpents were working for Fred when for reasons of his own he decided to let them go." He runs his fingers through his hair.
       "Maybe someone took it personally and went rogue, you guys know every hidey-hole in town. Someone has to know something about what went down at Pop's."
         "We'll knock some heads." I say. He says a thank you and heads back into the hospital. Before I know it Tall boy's all up in my face, ready for another beating I suppose. "You don't speak for the Serpents,  you haven't even decided whether or not you're gonna go through with the initiation." he says in a low voice.
     I smile, standing on the tip of my toes. "Who says I haven't?" I grab Toni's hand, guiding her towards my bike. "Well it's obvious who's driving." I laugh. "Yeah, wanna head to the Wyrm?"
      "Yeah."

      Oh look at that! Three in a row! Ok let me stop. Well I'll cut this short because I know no one reads these things and I'm so socially awkward that I can't even speak through a Fic. I'm ashamed. Hope you enjoyed it! Until next time!