PULSE

Memories

Marco prayed, and prayed some more. He wasn't a religious man, and had his doubts on god, but if there was one, he hoped that they would heed his pleas.

His flames burned brightly, even in the well lit room, they couldn't heal others the same way they healed him, but every bit counted. Even if Ace's heart was no longer beating, his flames could give his body a few vital minutes.

Whitely's face was blank as she and her surgeons worked on Ace, her hands were steady, and her words precise. But Marco knew, that she'd kill him afterwards, whether or not Ace lived.

They opened up Ace's wounded chest to get to his ribs, lungs and heart. The sight was sickening, all of Ace's ribs were either fractured, or broken. 5 of them pierced his lungs, one came dangerously close to his heart, but by some miracle, just barely missed it.

They worked fast and efficiently. Moving Ace's ribs, Whiteley's surgeons pulled each rib carefully but swiftly out of Ace's lungs, as another would inserted what looked to be tubes into him, Marco's medical knowledge was lacking in this field, but he trusted his brothers and sister.

"Get the blood bags! 4 of them!" Whiteley instructed, "Get ready, mask over his mouth and nose!"

What Whiteley did next made Marco suppress a shiver. "Commencing Resurrection." She had Ace's heart in her right hand, as she started pressing and releasing it in a steady rhythm, making it pump blood throughout Ace's body again. The surgeons around Ace stiched Ace up quicker than how Izo stitches clothes, IV drops and 4 blood bags were inserted into Ace even though he was still cut open.

The sight of Ace breathing on his own again...of his heart beating on it's own again...made Marco let out a breath of relieve.

"Get his lungs closed up as much as plausible, check on his digestive system, and get Marco out of here, he's not needed." Whitely's words held no emotion, but it felt as if she had dunked him in ice water.

It was clear to him, that she wanted nothing to do with him for a while, and who could blame her?...not after what he had done to Ace, someone who Whitely saw as a son of her own...

Marco said nothing as he walked towards the door, flames already gone. He braced himself to face his family, and didn't expect to be shown any mercy what so ever. He didn't deserve it.

But they were quiet when he got out of the ER, except for a few gasps. That's when he noticed that he was covered in blood. Ace's blood, and he kept his head down.

A silence hung in the air, no one moving, just...staring...at each other, at the floor, or at Marco.

Pops was the one to break the eerie silence, "Marco, son?" Marco flinched, and looked up at his father's voice, but he didn't dare meet his eyes, nor the eyes of his fellow commanders, his brothers, "How is he?" His voice was soft, without anger, but commanding nonetheless.

"He's alive, yoi." Marco's reply was just loud enough for them to hear.

He heard sighs of relief from all except one, Deuce. Instead of a sigh of relief, he got up from a chair by the side, eyes boring into Marco's skull, demanding his attention, and asked, in the coldest voice, dripping in disgust, "What did you do to him, phoenix?" His moniker was practically spat out.

Never before had Marco felt so ashamed and disgusted at himself. He couldn't bring himself to hang his head, nor could he denie anyone of the truth...
And so he told them...
He told them of what he had done during his visits to Ace, of how he'd throw Ace's body around, of how he'd claw into him, not listening to his words as he falsely accused him of betrayal. Of how Ace had died mear moments ago...
He told them about how his ribs were all either fractured or broken, he told them of how his lungs were punctured, he told them of the blood bags, of the bruises on Ace's skin, of how Whitely needed to hold his heart in her hand to resurrect him, and of how they were still operating on him now.