"Looks like HDF finally dealt with the mess. I can finally go and take a nap. Took them longer than usual, but that's not my business."
"I would hate to be the guy who is going to clean up this mess."
'Crack.'
"I missed." A chunk of concrete hit the side of the nearby trash can.
"Can't even walk properly. They should make this guy clean up before they lock him up."
'THUD!'
"Damn it, my foot. That's a large chunk." He pokes it with his leg.
"Squishy?" He kicks away the roofing and wood chunks.
"A kid. I hope I didn't kick him too hard." He turns the boy over to get a better look.
"Wait."
The doors of the hospital swing wide open.
"I need a doctor. Now."
"Sir, there is no need to shout."
"Sorry, I need urgent medical attention."
"You don't seem to be in any pain," the nurse scanned him.
"It's not for me." He turns around to reveal a dusty and bruised Ulim.
"I'm going to need a bed in the main entrance, stat." She slams the phone back on the wall.
A bed comes racing in with two nurses beside it.
"Check his vitals and get an IV going."
"Vitals seem fine. Heart rate is lower than average." They check his hands.
"Pale palms. He has lost a significant amount of blood." They open and check his pupils.
"Everything here seems to be fine."
The bed races to the emergency room.
"What do we have?"
"The preliminary shows a loss of blood and multiple cuts and bruises on the head. The shoulder muscles also seem to be swollen and bruised."
"I see. Get the X-ray set up, quick."
"Yes, doctor."
The door to the emergency room closes.
The receptionist pulls out a form.
"Name and relationship with the patient?"
"Jack… the name is Jack. I don't know the kid. This is the second time we have met. I just found him and brought him here."
"Okay, I understand." She picks up a phone. "Can you check if the patient who just arrived has any identifiers on him? … He does, good." She pulls the form back. "That will be all, sir. We will take care of the rest."
"Will he be okay?"
"No need to worry, sir. Our doctors and nurses are on it."
He slowly walks to the exit. The receptionist is already on the phone.
"How many beds? Yes, I think we can accommodate all of them."
He stands in the cold city night and takes a breath.
"I think I will go back to the gym."
He vanishes back into the night.
"Jerold turns off the TV. I think he is waking up."
"Mom…" He pries his eyes open.
Tears fill Diana's eyes. She squeezes his arm even tighter.
"How are you feeling, champ?" Jerold walks closer.
"We were so worried about you." A fractured smile forms on her face.
Nanisca, who was preoccupied with trying to eat a toy, finally noticed her brother.
"Ouch!"
She escaped her father's arms and landed on her brother.
The whole family laughed for the first time since they arrived.
"Now… now… Nanisca, we need to let big brother rest." Diana reached for her. She shifted away.
"It's okay, Mom." Ulim tried to prop himself up.
"Don't exert yourself." Both parents put him back in his original resting position.
"What actually happened?" his father asked.
Ulim tried to recall the whole incident; he only had fractured pieces of it.
"I mostly remember the tornado."
"The news said a mysterious new hero was seen at the location."
"I did not see anything." Ulim did not know how to explain the situation to his parents.
"I guess you couldn't, with all the chaos."
"Jerold, stop interrogating him."
"Sorry, I was just curious."
"You can be curious later."
Ulim looked at his mother and father bickering. He smiled. It was just like old times. Nanisca, who was now on his chest, started making noise too. Well, I guess some things have changed.
The door opens.
"You're finally awake," the doctor walks in.
"Ma'am and sir, visiting hours are over. We need to let the patient rest."
"We understand, doctor." Jerold peeled Nanisca off Ulim.
"Ouch!" She was scratching and kicking.
"We love you." Diana reluctantly lets go of his hand.
They exit the room with Nanisca still reaching for Ulim from her father's shoulder.
The door closes.
"So, how are we feeling today?" The doctor checks his clipboard.
"I'm great, just some pain here and there."
"Good… good. You should be out of here in no time. We just must let those bones heal up. You did sustain some minor fractures. Those winds were rough, huh?"
"Yeah…" His eyes dart around the room.
The doctor focuses on his clipboard and records some information from the monitor beside the bed.
"Okay, that will be all for now."
The doctor takes his leave.
"Doctor?"
"Yeah?"
"Is there a patient named Amani in this hospital?"
The doctor flips through the clipboard. He comes to a stop.
"Mmmh… yes, she is just down the hall."
Ulim was filled with relief.
"She hasn't woken up yet, but she will be fine."
His heart sank.
"Is she a friend?"
"Yeah."
"Don't worry, she will be fine." The door closes.
The room went quiet. He stared at the ceiling. Her voice rang in his mind. All he could hear was her crying and apologizing.
"I'm sorry." A tear slides down his cheek.
Down the hall, a monitor beeps at constant slow intervals—a weak heart rate.
No improvement.
The doctor writes on his clipboard. A nurse enters the room.
"Nurse, did her parents come in today?"
"No, we have informed them, but they did not show up."
"I see."
"Maybe they will come in tomorrow."
The door closes again. Only the slow beeping and humming of the life support fills the room.