Fuse ✔

Chapter Eight

Axel woke up to the sound of beeping machines and the feeling of light blankets on him. He instantly knew he wasn't in his room.

He was in a hospital room. His whole body pulsed in short waves of pain. They were more bearable now, probably from the number of pain killers he was on.

"You're up," Lola said as she opened the door.

She had a cup of coffee in her hand.

"Don't move," Lola ordered as she rushed over to him.

"What day is it?"

"It's a Saturday, you've been asleep for four days," Lola told him.

"When they do I feel so tired. Father, he had..."

"Father took you home, he managed to flush the poison out. They both decided it was best to take you to a hospital for the convulsions and your heart."

"What do you mean?"

The door opened and a doctor walked in.

Axel recognized him as the man Lola had been talking to at Mr Stein's.

"Axel, good to see you're finally awake. I'm doctor Ian." He introduced.

For a doctor, he looked rather young.

"I'm just going to see if you have gained your motor skills back. Can you please bend all your fingers for me?"

Axel moved them with ease.

"Can you move your arms?"

Axel managed to move them, but they were a little bit shaky.

"Hmm, can you move your legs and wiggle your toes?" He asked as he scribbled on his clipboard.

Axel wondered if doctors had messy handwriting all the time.

He couldn't move his legs or wiggle his toes, he couldn't even slightly lift his knee.

"Don't worry about it, it's perfectly normal to not be able to move your legs. You are on some pretty strong pain killers and you've been asleep for four days." He assured. "Lola may I please speak to you outside?"

"Sure, Luke – uh, Dr. Ian," Lola replied as she got up.

He probably wanted to talk to her for reasons other than medical.

As they left Axel could hear the sound of little footsteps walking up to the bed.

"Hi!" Zander smiled as his little head popped up from one end of the bed.

"Hello!" Zaria greeted as her little head popped up from the other end of the bed.

She had two pink plasters stuck to her forehead, other than that she seemed fine.

"Hey, you two!" Axel cheerfully responded, knowing that his little sister was her old self.

"Can have Mr. Roarey back? You no need." Zaria asked, pointing to the bedside table.

On the bedside table, there was a vase of bright yellow flowers and Mr. Roarey.

"Sure," Axel said as he handed her Mr. Roarey.

"Mr. Roarey helps be brave, give him to ma, she sayed had give him to you."

"Do you two want to come up here?" Axel asked as he patted the bed.

"Ma sayed no. Might ow you." Zander spoke up.

Even though they spoke in broken three-year-old English, Axel understood most of what they said.

"Don't worry about it, I'm fine. I might not be able to race you both for a while, but I'm fine." Axel said as he helped them up.

He turned on the TV and they watched cartoons.

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They were partway through watching Wile E. Coyote try to catch Road Runner and fail, yet again, when his mother walked into the room.

"Zaria, Zander, why don't we go get Axel something from the café downstairs?" Lola smiled at the doorway.

He knew something was wrong. Lola had her serious matter smile, it was never good to see it.

"Okay!"

As they left hand in hand, Sophie closed the door.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Sweety." She sniffled as she lightly hugged him.

Her eyes were red and puffy. She had been crying.

"What's wrong?" Axel asked with a worried tone.

"Nothing everything is fine, Sweety." She attempted to smile she wiped her eyes with a tissue.

"No, it's not. What's wrong?" Axel asked taking his mother's hand.

Sophie let out a long shaky sigh and sat down on the ugly green plastic chair next to the bed.

"After your father had found you. You were almost dead. Then you did die. You were dead..."

"Well I'm definitely alive bow, I'm talking to you."

Sophie didn't smile, her face was still.

"Nothing was working and the only way was to fuse one of your father's prototypes to your spine..."

He had a piece of metal attached to his spine, a piece of metal was keeping him alive.

"The poison had caused major damage to your heart and your nerves, luckily the device is stabiling that."

"I'm fine with that, I guess I'm like part cyborg now. My hearts still beating, I'll recover. You'll see me run and win track again in no time." He comforted her.

Sophie's hands trembled and her voice started to shake.

"No." It barely came out as a whisper.

"What?" Axel laughed nervously, "what do you mean no?"

Sophie stayed quiet, looking at the ground as tears began falling.

He felt his heart skip multiple beats when he realised.