(this isn’t technically required a reply but if you feel you must, I’ll post back and play with you)



The machine had been bleating out a high pitched, strenuous beep at regular intervals the entire night. The IV bag dripped a constant flow of clear liquid into the tub and pumped it into the body at equally rhythmatic intervals.

Criss woke to the sound of the television attached to the wall, an obnoxious applaud from a talk show audience. He tried to reach out to the side table for the remote and found he couldn’t move his right hand. His blue eyes rolled downward and found his arm tapped to the bed armrest, a big square block of an IV stuck into his arm. His eyes followed the tube upward to the bag that hung slightly over his head.

Grunting, Criss reached across his body with his left hand and searched for the button that would use hydraulics to sit the bed up.

“Ah, we’re awake are we, Mr. Angel. How are you feeling?”

Criss’ blue eyes searched and found a doctor in a white coat holding a clip board standing near the foot of the bed. He was a tall man, thin, maybe one hundred and forty pounds if he was lucky. He was clean shaven with small features on a long face. His hair was dark, his eyebrows speckled with gray. It told Criss he dyed his hair. The thought made him wonder why he couldn’t feel his hair lying around his shoulders. He reached up to find it braided in one solid braid and curled around the top of his head. Out of the way. He searched for his voice and found that it was thick and rough, several tones deeper then normal.

“Can we turn the T.V. off?”

The doctor raised his eyebrows, looked at the television, then nodded. “Yes, of course.” He walked around the bed and took the remote and turned it off. “I’m Doctor Davis. I’ve been monitoring you since the surgery. You’ve been asleep for a day and a half. Tell me how your feeling.”

“Sick.” He patted his stomach.

The doctor leaned over Criss with a penlight he’d taken from his pocket and pulled open one of his eyelids. “Sick. You mean nauseous? The medication we’ve got you on will do that. Do you feel you can hold any food down?”

Criss thought about that while the doctor shifted the light to his other eye and then to one of his ears. “Maybe.” He found his mouth was dry. He raised his eyes once his vision had returned normal from the temporary blindness the light had caused. “Did they get it all? All the cancer?”

The doctor frowned and checked his other ear. Frowned. Criss frowned in return. “Doc?” The doctor touched his jaw.

“Open your mouth.” Criss complied and the doctor flashed the light in while speaking. “Unfortunately, Mr. Angel, your body had a reaction to the drugs the doctor used to put you under. Your skin became clammy, your temperature rose, and your blood pressure and heart rate rose. Typical shock syndromes. Your heart beat speeding up as it did prevented Doctor Synder from scraping it all.”

“So it’s still there.” It wasn’t a question. Criss looked down the length of his body. He was covered in a blue paper gown, from waist down he was covered by a soft, gauzy white blanket and a less-soft white sheet. He pulled the gown up, being sure that he remained covered, and peered down his chest. There was a white, cotton gauze cover the center and left side of his chest, tapped down around the edges with surgical tape. A purple bruise leaked out around the edges of the tape. Criss shook his head, causing the thick braid to fall from his head and land on his shoulder.

“Are they going to try again?”

“Actually, they plan to let you go home today if your well enough to eat, rest off the surgery and the side-effects. Then you’ll have to speak with Dr. Synder and see where you’ll go from there.”

“Fine. Can I get dressed?”

“I see no problem with that. Let me get your bag.” He walked to the end of the bed, hung the chart in it’s place, and walked to the chair against the wall, picking up a black duffle. He brought the bag back and set it on the bed beside Criss. “I’ll un-tape your arm now but you’ll need to keep the IV in. If you feel you want to walk around, go ahead but take the IV pole with you. Cafiteria is on the second floor, the gift shop on the first. If you need anything have a nurse page myself or Dr. Reynolds.”

“Did I get any...visitors?”

The doctor looked sympathetic. “Not that I know of, Mr. Angel.”

Criss let the doctor un-tape his arm, then stood, oblivious, or seeming to not care, that he stood nude there. He opened the bag as the doctor left and pulled his boxers, a pair of loose black cotton pants, and a look, button up silk shirt. He’d brought the shirt with awareness that one way or another he’d have to have something soft over his chest.

Criss sat back down on the edge of the bed and slouched. He quickly straightened, realizing that slouching was painful, and stared at his hands folded together in his lap. The surgery had gone bad. he's in some ongoing dance with life and death. Logan hadn’t come. How much worse could things get?

They could get a lot worse, of course. He could know that Logan had been beat up by the very man that broke his hand a few months back. He could know that when Logan was in trouble, the first thing he did was shout out Criss’ ‘name’. And he’d not been there. One must wonder, is it good or bad that Criss doesn’t know yet.

There was a gentle rapping on Criss’ door. A few moments later a nurse opened it a crack and poked her head around the corner.
“Sorry to disturb you, Mr. Angel. But it seems you have a visitor, your daughter is here to see you.” She said with a grin, the doctor must have told the nurse about their conversation and Criss’ lack of visitors.
Fede had to say she was his daughter, it was the only way that she could get in to see him. She tried to avoid the whole situation, but the nurse was very stern about the matter. Finally she admitted to their fake relationship, the words stuck in her throat. She hadn’t referred to someone as dad in over ten years.

The nurse opened the door for Fede and stepped away, going about her business. Fede stood in the doorway, she seemed out of place and quite uncomfortable.
“Hi…” She mumbled, stepping across the threshold of Criss’ room. “Sorry, I didn’t bring any flowers… I hope I’m not disturbing anything… the nurse said you were alone.”
She noticed the lack of flowers, get well cards, bowls of fruit, and other paraphernalia that one would bring to a sick relative. She wondered if his son had paid him a visit.

Criss raised his eyebrows hopefully when the nurse poked her head in and announced a visitor. Maybe Logan had come after all! Maybe he really was coming to see him. How long had it been since Logan had gone home? Since Criss had stopped worrying about him. He'd spent a few weeks trying to find him, and if he weren't in the hospital now, he'd probably still be looking for him.

your daughter is here to see you.

His eyebrows rose up higher, if that was at all possible at this announcment. He'd not even expected a 'your son is here to see you.' The most he'd expected was 'your foster child' or 'Logan Agnor is here' or 'some punk that calls himself your foster kid'. Logan only looked like Criss in that his hair was dark, and while Criss would call him son, he believed that Logan still called him Goth or 'my foster parent'. Which, Criss was working on making the adoption final now.

He looked plesantly suprised, enough so not to leave enough room for disappointment that it wasn't Logan. He turned slightly, the IV line preventing him from turning all the way to look at her. "Fede, come in." He said, his voice still more horse, deeper and gruffer then usual. "That's alright, I don't like flowers anyways." He managed to smile rather weakly.

She could see the disappointment and surprise in his eyes. She wondered it would have been better if she hadn’t come. Fede still entered a bit further, but still kept her distance.
“Yeah, sorry… they kept telling me family only. It was the only way I could get in.”
She assumed that’s what he was surprised about. It must have made his stomach turn when the nurse announced his daughter was here. Criss really did look like he’d gone through hell and Fede instantly noticed the difference in his voice.

“So… how’ya doin’?” She asked with a timid, almost anxious grin.
She wasn’t very good at this compassion crap and her words almost sounded satirical in nature. She didn’t mean it like that, in fact that was the last thing on her mind. The fact he was dressed and sitting on the side of the bed must have meant he was feeling much better.

He wasn't, in fact, feeling better at all. If anything, he felt worse. And he noticed her compassion sounded a little tight, rehersed maybe? Definatly not natural, but it was ten times better to get false compassion from a potential friend (and a soon-to-be student) then it was to get it from a doctor who would only go next door and ask the same question.

Criss stood slightly and moved further down the bed, leaving the entire length of the bed empty between them and he guestured with the hand that was not restrained by an IV line. "Go ahead and sit." he offered. "Not doing well I'm afraid. They couldn't get it all. I had some reaction or something to the meds they gave me and it interupted the surgery." He tried to say it like he didn't care. Obviously he did, but he managed to pull of a light tone.

"Good news is I can go home probably today. And in a few days, I can try to start helping you." He smiled there. "You've not had any incidents since the Twa Corbies I hope?"

She walked further into the room and perched herself on the edge of the bed, and she seriously was on the edge. One leg folded under the one that was planted firmly on the ground. Even now it looked like she was going to run. I guess there’s no need to say that Fede was a very light sleeper. Her face grimaced as she heard of his difficulties.

Fede didn’t know what to say, she wanted to apologise. Her head lowered, the brim of her baseball cap obscuring her features.
“Shit… I’m sorry.” These words sounded far more sincere. With the medical technology today, Fede expected him to be all cured.
Going home today? Yeah, that didn’t sound like the best idea in the world. Criss had just come out of major surgery with severe problems. She guessed they wanted his bed.
“Nope… been a good girl.” She said with a small, reserved grin and shake of her head.

Actually, he'd come out of the surgery two days ago and had just waken up after the long slumber. She looked like she was about to run, and he wouldn't stop her if she did. He might ask her not to, but he wouldn't stop her. In fact, maybe it was that they were in a room alone togather. While she'd eventually need to get used to being alone with him do he could teach her, he stood up anyways. She'd probably feel more comfortable with a few more people around.

"Don't be. They're going to try again later." He shrugged. Whinced. The shrug moved the shoulder with the stitches and sore muscles. "I need something to eat." He said after a moment and touched the pole with wheels that his IV bag was hooked too. He pulled his hair down from the rediculous pile of braid they'd made on top of his head and let it fall down his back. "Lets go try to find this cafateria they tell me of."

She wasn’t planning on running, it was just something that she did. She was always waiting for something, on alert. If one didn’t know better it could be concluded that Fede was a wanted criminal and the police were about to run into the room and arrest her. She had been running from something her entire life and now it was just second nature. The hospital was probably doing its fair share at creeping her out as well. The smell of disinfectant was nauseating.

“I hear hospital food sucks.” Fede said as she easily slid off the bed into a quick stroll.
She slowed down beside Criss and walked beside him, keeping his pace. She had never stayed in a hospital, one of the disadvantages of not having health insurance. Come to think about it, that was probably a good thing. Her physiology was inherently different than a humans’.

Should be just ahead…” Fede pointed down the corridor after inspecting an overhead sign.
She glanced back to Criss, she did this quite a few times during their little excursion to the cafeteria. It was almost like she expected him to collapse at any given moment. Although she wouldn’t admit it, and would deny it wholeheartedly, she was worried for him. He looked like he was on death’s door.

Criss smiled. "You know, I've heard that too. But I'll risk it. I've not eaten in two days and at this point I'm willing to knaw through this IV line just to get to a cardboard meal."

He didn't have much trouble keeping up with her, except for when the IV pole bumped the wall or snagged a corner and he had to pause to correct the mistake. The scent of disinfectant didn't help his empty stomach any more then it made her feel good. He may look like he's at deaths door but really, he's no where near it yet. But he feels like it. There's too much worry weighing him down.

He wondered once again where Logan was, why he hadn't visited him. Did Logan not care, not love him? Did he just not want to see him like this? Or had something happened to him that Criss didn't know about? That was the problem with Logan's random disappearances. Criss never knew if he was just being angsty and disobediant or if he was hurt or dead until he showed up at home. He at least knew now that if Logan were hurt but well enough to come home, he would return for Criss to help. He'd figured that out after the whole ordeal with his hand being broken.

"Ah. There it is." There was a lot of noise sifting from behind the double doors and when he opened them, a rather large crowd accompanied the increase in noise. He glanced at her, then at the crowded room and he didn't think either of them were up to that mess yet. "Actually. Maybe I'm not so hungry." Or maybe he just doesn't want to go in there.

Fede too looked out into the crowd, it was so distracting and confusing. People and faces blended together into a sea of pastels and shades of grey. Although the crowd was mildly intimidating, Fede was confident she could brave the noise and the people. It was a bit of a relief when Criss opted out, saying he wasn’t hungry. From the look in his eyes, she thought he was but didn’t say anything to the contrary. She nodded slowly, agreeing with Criss.

“Heh, yeah. Maybe we should try a bit later, or find somewhere more quiet?” She glanced around, taking a few steps back from the double doors. “If your peckish, there should be one of those vending machine things around?”
I guess it was somewhat obvious that Fede thought Criss to be hungry. A hurried doctor pushed past her without as much as an ‘excuse me’ as she waited for Criss to respond. She snapped her head in his direction and glared something awful. After that, she backed up against the wall, half leaning against it. Fede thought it best to leave a bit of room for people to pass.

He watched her glare and put a hand out, almost as if to touch her shoulder and calm her. He dropped his hand, wrapped his fingers around the IV pole, and started back down the hall way. He didn't feel like he could control her if she got too angry at this moment, the lack of ability to control her right now was the biggest reason for not entering the Cafiteria.

"He's in a hurry. They don't get much of a break anymore." What with people like his son sending a steady flow into the hospital. He visibly whinced at the thought of Logan and shook his head. "Maybe there is a vending machine somewhere But I know where the gift shop is. That's got to have something." He's heading towards the elevator.

She wasn’t planning on burning the doctor, although the thought did cross her mind. A little hot foot never hurt anyone… much. Fede took down the corridor beside Criss, her head was lowered slightly and obscured her face. She wasn’t really looking ahead of her and could only see about two metres of tile.

“Gift shop?” Fede mumbled under her breath, “What the hell does a hospital need a gift shop for? Oh yeah, I was in the hospital the other day and brought you back a souvenir.” She said with a sardonic grin.
The pair entered into the lift along with a few other patients and doctors. The floor with the gift shop was already illuminated. The doors closed with a ding.

He laughed, touched his chest, whinced. The laugh had caused a little ache and touching the bandaged stitches and sore hadn't helped. But it had been funny. He stood in silance beside her for the rid and then exited when the doors dinged. On the landing he replied, "It's for idiots who forget to bring their mothers flowers. And for parents to run down and sneak their sick child cnady." There was nothing bitter in his voice.

Actually, a gift shop was a good idea. As they entered he noticed candy, chips, stuffed animals, flowers, magazines, books. Not a bad idea at all. He picked up a bag of chips and a bottle of water. "Do you want anything?"

“Ahh…” Sophie said quietly. She hadn’t thought about that side of things.
She wondered around the small store and almost died when she saw the price of flowers. They were really ramping up the prices for the forgetful idiots. I guess they’ll think twice about not buying flowers from the supermarket. She smirked, wondering how much this store brings in, it must have been a lot.

She turned her head as Criss asked if she wanted anything. Looking back down at the confectionaries she sighed quietly.
“Nah, I’m okay, especially at these prices.”
She didn’t want Criss wasting his money on overpriced junk food that they could get at the store across the road for half the price. Naturally, Fede was very cautious with the money she had.

"If your sure," he sounded like he didn't believe her and grabbed a second lunchable size bag anywyas. He payed for them and handed her the bag of chips. "Don't want them save them for later."

He struggled for a moment to figure out how to hold the chips, water, and pull the IV line pole along as well before giving up and holding the water bottle out to her. "Help please?" And then, "So it shouldn't be long before I'm feeling well enough to at least start a few minor lessons with you if you'd like. Nothing big. Perhapes little concentration exercises." Which are easy for Criss to do because he's a telepath as well.

Fede took the bottle of water from Criss without saying a word and only a fleeting glance, she was still looking at her bag of chips. Even though she was hungry, she figured it would be best to save them for later. The bag crinkled softly as she pushed it into her jean jacket pocket and mumbled a thank you. Her eyes slowly turned up to Criss as he mentioned her training. Fede would have been lying if she said she wasn’t anxious to begin.

“You sure you’re okay? We don’t have to do this if you aren’t able to. Don’t want you dying or anything.” That was truthful, Fede didn’t want Criss to die because of her inability and his moment of weakness.
Luckily as of yet, no one had died because of Fede. The worst anyone sustained was second degree burns. She was forever thankful for that.

"It won't be a problem. I'll need a little distraction for a few days anyways, maybe longer, and It won't be hard work because we won't be dealing fire right away but rather your mind."

He punched the button for the elevator and it dinged open immediatly. He smiled faintly. He'd watched her put the bag of chips in her pocket, it bothered him to see that. He knew she was saving it. He hated seeing that she lived like she did.

(oh my, that's short. Sorry)

(lol, no worries ^_^)

Fede didn’t want to be a bother, and she knew she was at times – well most of the time. A small, thankful smile crept across her lips. Sometimes Criss and his offer seemed too good to be true. He must have really cared about her, she could only wonder why. Fede tried to avoid thoughts like that though, she found they always led to disappointment.

“Right, my mind.”
That shouldn’t be too stressful for either Criss or Fede, and they needed somewhere to start. Somewhere so Fede could begin to trust Criss more, this was just the first step on her journey.

Fede wasn't a bother to Criss, not in ther very least. He must have really cared about her, she could only wonder why. Because she was a baby, only sixteen years old, his Logan's age, the age that he spent still in the orphanage. He'd gottn Logan out of there but Fede had never even been there. He had awe for that, and pitty. The orphanage fed and bedded you. Safty, and Fede was't safe. Criss seemed to attract and be attracted to children.

"Good. We can start in a couple of days. Is there anywhere you'd prefere to meet?" This was such an easy, calm thing, so unobvious that they could do it in the public library for all her cared, but whatever made her feel safer. He did realize these first few lessons would not only be for the mind, it'd be giving her time to learn to trust him.

She thought it best to be somewhere quiet when dealing with the mind. Or so she thought, her only experience of this kind of thing was from what little TV she watched. Her mind conjured up an image of a Buddhist temple high in the mountains. The room would be dark, only illuminated with candles and a soft loafing smell of incense. Yes, but that was only in the movies.
“I don’t know… does the park sound okay?”

The park sounded a good idea to Fede, it was large and relatively peaceful. She also knew the surroundings, so she was at ease there. Fede was always suspicious and withdrawn in new places. Naturally, that wouldn’t be the best environment for her to train her mind.

Criss nodded slightly as another Ding indicated that they were once again on the floor they'd started off on. Criss pulled the IV lines along behind him the way a child drags along a little toy on wheels by a string. He didn't feel as rediculous as he should have, not here, among other people with much worse cases then himself. He at least go to wear his own clothes, opposed to those backless gowns the usually put people in.

He half turned at the waist, carefully avoiding straining his chest, to look at her with those blue eyes. "You really didn't need to come here." He murmured the words, but he knew she would hear them. "But it meant a lot to me. That someone came." The I really am not alone.

“It was nothing.” Fede quickly said with a sad, quirky grin.
Increasing her pace, she walked beside Criss. Although she wouldn’t admit it, it made her somewhat glad to hear that her visit was not in vain. It took a lot of pacing back and forth before Fede walked into the hospital. Though it wasn’t anything to most people, and usually taken for granted, she always struggled with relationships. She had to build her courage to enter. The thought of turning around and walking away crossed her mind on more than once occasion. Fede wanted to ask where his son was, Criss seemed to mention him quite a bit. It was odd that he wasn’t here. But she didn’t know anything about it and didn’t ask.

“Hey, so… are there more tests or you going home now?” She tried to change the subject from her gesture and lowered her head, her features hidden beneath the shadow of her baseball cap.

He smiled a little at her reply. “It was a lot. But if you wish to keep thinking of it as nothing then go right ahead.” He pushed the IV line into the room he was staying in, leaving the door opened fully for her comfort. He tapped the almost empty bag hanging from the pole with one finger. The bag jiggled but was unaffected.

“When this is finished and I speak with the surgeon about making another appointment, then I can go home.” Or go drive around and watch out the windows helplessly with ill-based hope that Logan will be just walking along the sidewalk.

Fede smiled weakly, not knowing how to respond. She followed Criss into the room and dropped herself onto the bed. She seemed a little more relaxed this time, although she still sat on the edge. Blinking a few times, she took in the contents of the bag and sighed quietly. From the IV bag, it wouldn’t be long until Criss was out.
“You want me to go?”
She didn’t to be in the way when Criss and the doctor spoke. Resting her hands on her legs she glanced from the door to Criss. Fede guessed it was about time for her to go, unless he still wanted her to stay around.

He smiled at her. She reminded him of a deer. Granted, a deer with razor sharp teeth and the ability to start fires, but a deer nonetheless. She was so skitish and worried. But then, he was sure that someone in the world had given her a reason to be so worried and suspicious of people in general. Which only made his heart hurt a little for her. Criss is a bleeding heart.

"Yes. I think soon you should go. How are you getting home? And when do you want to start this?"

Fede nodded quickly. She figured she was outstaying her welcome.
“Yeah, okay. I’m gonna walk… it’s not that far really.” She had to think about the last part, Fede didn’t want to push Criss into this when he was still recovering from his surgery. “Umm… how about Saturday?” That was three days away. She wondered if that was too soon.

She scooted from the side of the bed and walked slowly across the tiled floor towards the entrance to the room. Turning on her heels, interlacing hands behind her back, she stared towards Criss.
“Hope you get better soon.” Her words still seemed a little forced, but not as much as her first greeting.

"Last time you said it wasn't far it ended up being something like four miles," he comented. "Will you take a cab if I give you..." He stopped short, made a soft sound that resembled a laugh. He'd been going to say 'if I give you money' but then he'd recalled how she'd rejected his offer to an airconditioned room. "Would you even take the money for a cab if I offered?" he corrected himself.

"Three days," he murmured to himself. Then he nodded. "Three days should be good but I'll ask the doctor if I can be up and about then. Call the appartment. Do you still have the card?"

Hope you get better soon

"Thank you, Fede."

She lowered her eyes as Criss offered her money for a cab. It would have been nice not to walk, but she wasn’t a charity case. She had always tried to be self sufficient and tried not to accept help unless it was completely necessary. She was very fickle. Fede nodded to still having the card, it was in her back pocket. She turned on her heels again and walked slowly out of the room, glancing over her shoulder as she turned the corner. She smiled the best she could and muttered good bye. There was also the inkling at a wave. Fede continued down the corridor to exit the hospital and head home, a small smile on her lips.

"As I thought," he said when she lowered her eyes. He smiled at her the best he could manage when she turned and left the room. Then looked up at the IV bag and prodded it once more. "Be carfully Fede," he said, really to no one because he knew she was already in the corridor. He closed his eyes. "Be careful Logan." Be alive Logan.

OOC: Would you like to continue this story here or shall we head somewhere else to continue?

We should probably move it. Since he won't be in the hospital anymore.

Alright, I'll create a new one in the park then. It'll be up in a few minutes or so -- probably a bit longer. Here we go.