Birth of a Pilot

Angelo is glad the trio left so soon; the amount of visitors is starting to overwhelm him, especially with strangers thrown into the mix. Luckily for him, there should only be one visitor left.

“Will my brother be here soon?” Now that he’s not focused on socializing as much, he wonders why Leon hasn’t shown up yet.

“When the ambulance picked you up, he had to drive back here by himself.” Roxie presses a finger against his cheek. “He should be back by now; let me check my phone.” She takes her phone out of her scrubs and scrolls through it. “Oh… he got stopped for questioning at some point, but it’s okay since he’s not in trouble!”

“That’s good…” Angelo can’t conceal his disappointment. 

“He should be here before the day is over.” Roxie reassures him.

Angelo surely hopes so, but hoping isn’t going to bring Leon there any faster. Thankfully, Roxie is still here.

“Roxie?” He asks. “How’s your day been?”

“Terrifying.”

“Mine too.” Angelo smiles. “Did you learn anything while working here?” Asking that makes him feel like a teacher or some other adult figure. It’s weird.

“Yes, Professor Muffinhead, I learned a valuable lesson today” Roxie must also notice. “The lesson of experience! That’s the only thing keeping me from leveling up to a nurse corporal.”

“Oh w-wow!” Though he’s impressed, Angelo stifles laughter at Roxie’s wording. “Level up, huh?”

“Yeah.” Roxie winks. “Don’t you know that only real gamers level up in real life?”

It may be the concussion, it may be the sedatives, or it may just be boldness, but Angelo decides to take a risk.

“S-sorry, I am but a simple noob.”

Her mouth forms a tight line. “Never talk to me again.” She continues over Angelo’s laughter. “I can forgive you for not being a pro elite gamer like me, but we do not use that kind of language in this house, young man. Honestly! What would your brother say?”

“He would be extremely disappointed in me.” The reaction his use of horribly outdated gaming terminology got from her makes Angelo snicker. He knows she’s going to tell Leon, and he knows he’s going to be equally, if not more disgusted.

“As he should be!” Roxie huffs in indignation. “And you should be too.”

“I am.” The patient lowers his head in mock shame.

“By the way.” Roxie’s demeanor returns to normal. “Did you wanna see the group chat we made for you?”

“For me?” Angelo would have assumed that a group chat about him would just be the others talking behind his back, but if Roxie is willing to show him, then maybe it’s not as bad as he thought. “O-okay.”

“Let me scroll to the top first!” The nurse-in-training scrolls through her phone. “It’s a long one.”

Roxie scuttles over to Angelo’s bedside, showing him her phone. “I’ll hold it for you, and you can scroll with your not-as-hurty hand.”

“Th-thank you, Roxie… A-Actually, if it’s okay, I think I can s-scroll with one hand.” 

“That’ll work! And make my arm less tired.” Roxie seems relieved that he suggested that.

Angelo scrolls through the chat logs. As Jun promised, it’s an adventure! Roxie provides additional commentary along the way to fill in some of the gaps. Angelo appreciates it, but even more so, he appreciates the lengths everyone went to get him back safely. The young patient fills his heart overflowing. He’s moved to tears.

Thank you… Thank you all. He can’t say it, but he mouths it to Roxie, hoping she understands. She doesn’t seem to, but that’s okay.

“Do you want to stop reading?” She asks kindly. Angelo nods, even though he doesn’t want to stop, but he’d rather not cry all over Roxie’s phone. She takes her phone back. “You can read the rest later.”

The door opens. Angelo’s hopes skyrocket, only to be dashed as someone who isn’t Leon rounds the corner. It’s Aiden.

“Knock fiiirst!” Roxie chides. “He’s having a moment!”

“Oops.” Aiden continues walking to his spot on the counter, completely unapologetic.

Roxie gains a confused expression. “Weren’t you supposed to be having lunch with Jun and the Starwalker crew? You shouldn’t be back this soon.”

“They took too long.” Aiden leans his head back. “They should still be in the mess hall if you wanna go.”

“Oh! Thank you.” The curly redhead gives Aiden her phone. “Take this in case Muffinhead wants to read more of the group chat. I’ll set it there for you so you don’t have to navigate it. Wait...” She realizes something. “The screen’ll lock after a certain time frame… Hmmm, I guess I’ll have to give you my password!”

Even Aiden looks concerned. “Uhhh Rox? Why do you keep trusting me with your phone? Aren’t you worried I’m gonna snoop through your stuff or somethin’?”

“That’s exactly why I’m giving you my phone!” Roxie claims, as if that makes any sense at all. “Even if you did snoop, would you care enough to use it against me?”

Aiden raises his eyebrows. “...Nah. You’re right.”

“Jun told me you were easy to trust because of that!”

“O...kay.” The blond watches in confusion as Roxie shows him her password. “Sorry you believe everything he says.”

“It’s okay!” She turns to Angelo. “See you later, Muffinhead. Let Aiden know if you have severe abdominal or head pains so he can tell Dr. Akachi!” She leaves.

Aiden looks at Angelo. “I’m so worried for her.” Angelo nods in agreement. “I’m gonna text Jun.”

The patient is unsure if he should stop Aiden, and even more unsure if he can. Silently, he continues crying at the thought of his friends, until he drifts off into a deep sleep.

Angelo wakes up to someone with bleached hair and darker skin standing near his bed. He briefly wonders if Emil came back to visit, but his eyes adjust and he can see that this person is a middle-aged woman.

“Hello, I’m Dr. Akachi.” she introduces herself. “I doubt if you remember me from earlier.”

The patient shakes his head. He doesn’t. She chuckles. 

“State your first and last name.”

“Angelo Summers…” He looks on as she checks his arm band.

“Looks like you’re still the same guy.” The doctor gives him a thin smile. “I’ll be overseeing your recovery for the next week or so. Over the course of the next few days, you’ll be due for a couple CAT scans. Basically, we’ll have you lie on a table to get scanned by an X-ray. It shouldn’t take longer than a half-hour.” She casts a glance at the lukewarm orange juice on the stand to Angelo’s right. “You’ll want to drink that before 12 am. No food or drink after then, okay?”

Angelo nods in understanding. “Where did this orange juice come from...?” At some point, it occurred to him that Rachel is Romero’s daughter, and since he associates the orange juice with her, he wonders if she brought it in to poison him. It may be an extreme assumption, but Angelo is not taking that chance. One close encounter with death is enough for the day.

...Were there three flower bouquets before?

“You asked for it when you first woke up. One of the temp nurses brought it back only to find an intruder in your room. She left on her own, thank goodness.” Thorough fatigue shows through her face. It looks like she had a rough day, too. “Right now, I’m just going to take a blood sample from your arm, so we can check to see how your liver’s doing.”

That makes no sense to Angelo, but he figures she’s the one with a degree. He watches as she wraps a tight band over his left arm. She takes the arm, examines it, and prepares a syringe.

“Staff Major Romero must really want me to work for my paycheck today. First, one of my patients tries to escape because of him, and then your situation. I overheard the whole thing between Ranger Allen, Kelly, and your brother; it’s a miracle you didn’t come out worse than you did.” She smiles. “Thank you for that.”

“My brother was here?” That explains the assorted flowers. Angelo wishes someone would’ve woken him up at the time. Where is Leon now?

“Yes. He stayed here for a while, but he and Ranger Allen went to go have dinner with some friends. Things are pretty calm right now, so I let her and Ranger Kelly go for the day. Reception will be able to keep a better lookout; you shouldn’t have to worry about anyone else sneaking into your room, though I can understand why his daughter came in to apologize. Poor girl.” She shakes her head. 

...And I’m sorry I did this to you. Angelo suddenly remembers Rachel’s saddened voice, followed by some of his own words.

Don’t be. Romero… He should be sorry, I think. But you… helped me.

“Anyway, I’m done taking your blood.”

Reality is thrust upon the patient. His blood fills Dr. Akachi’s syringe, but he can’t remember her ever sticking it into his arm. Thinking back to his sudden memories, he feels bad for ever thinking Rachel would poison him. Today must be hard for her too. What’s going to happen if her dad goes to jail? He needs to know.

“Dr. Akachi...? I-I’m sorry if this is a weird question to ask, but what’s going to happen to her? Romero’s daughter, I mean. I hope I didn’t break up a family…” He mutters.

The doctor looks surprised by his inquiry. “Well… I overheard something, but I feel it’s unethical to share private matters from other patients’ rooms, but… Just know that she has other people to care for her.”

“That’s good…” The news relieves Angelo. “Also, I-I’m sorry for asking something like that.”

“It’s okay.” She smiles vaguely, but warmly. “I have a few questions to ask you as well, before I leave.” She grabs a clipboard and pen. “First, do you or any relatives have a history of anemia?”

“I think my mom mentioned having it? She said I might, but… I got deployed before I could get diagnosed.”

“That’s… interesting. We’ll have to determine that.” The doctor jots something down. “Was hers an iron deficiency?”

Angelo nods, suddenly remembering why he held off that doctor’s appointment. He could’ve been immediately rejected from the IF if he got a proper diagnosis. More anxiety than usual overcomes him. Could he get in trouble if Dr. Akachi found out?

“Oh, good…” She sighs. “I can probably just prescribe you some supplements, then. Anything else, and your crew would’ve had to find a new member. It’s good you answered honestly, though. If you hadn’t, we might’ve cut you open for no reason. Saves me a headache and you a scar.”

Both the doctor and the patient laugh nervously.

“Do you have a previous history of head injuries?”

Angelo shakes his head. 

“The less, the better.” Dr. Akachi jots something down. “This’ll be the last question depending on how you answer. Have you been experiencing any sharp pains in your head or abdomen since being admitted?”

Angelo shakes his head again. His pain, though constant, has been dull. It’s frustrating, but manageable.

“Okay, so far, so good.” She packs up her materials. “I’ll be out of your hair now. Press the call button if you need anything.”

With that, the doctor leaves, and Angelo is alone once more. Everything feels so quiet now, so still. He knows he should be happy now, but he can’t help but to feel a little down. Most of the crew is celebrating without him, even though he’s the one who almost died. On second thought, he gave the others enough trouble today, they deserve the break from him. He hopes they’re having a lot of fun.

A creeping sense of unease grips Angelo, who slowly realizes what bothers him the most about the silence. It reminds him of being in the Starwalker. He feels as if Romero’s voice could assault him any minute. The patient wants to cover his ears to soothe himself, but with his injury, he can only cover one. His throat is dry and hoarse. The orange juice could help with that if not for one problem. He can’t reach it. Everything hurts and he feels panicky now that he has nothing to distract him. A familiar lump forms in his throat and tears sting at his eyes. Part of him is determined to get through this on his own. The rest of him believes Leon can’t show up fast enough.