章 29: Reformed Criminals Pt. 4
When I woke, I could feel a slight pain in my right leg. I wasn't sure where I was at first. Then I saw a familiar face next to the bed. It was Chase.
"I don't want you here," I said through a croaky throat. A nurse came over to me.
"How are you doing?" she asked. I glanced up at her.
"I'm doing well but I don't want this person here."
"That could be the medication talking," she said gesturing, making light of what they were saying.
"No, it isn't. It's me talking. And I'm saying it because he had his d*ck in someone else," I stared back and forth between the two. "That's why I don't want him here. Do I sound like someone who is of sound mind to you or not?"
The nurse pursed her lips, her chubby cheeks turning red, but it wasn't because she felt awkward. She was trying not to laugh at Chase. I turned to him, still groggy from the anesthetic but clear enough to say, "Get out."
I expected an argument, but he did exactly what I wanted. He rose from the chair beside the bed and walked out the door. I watched him leave and then I turned back to the nurse.
"That was fricken awesome!" she exclaimed. I nodded and then fell asleep.
***
When I woke up, I wasn't sure what time it was. My eyes were half-open, and I automatically looked at the seat beside me. It looked like Chase was there until my diplopia resolved. Once it did, I could see that it was the fellow catburglar. I was surprised to see him and confused.
We glanced at one another, and my brow furrowed.
"Had to check on ya," he said softly. I nodded.
"Thanks. For coming when you did. And bringing me here."
"You're welcome." He studied my face. "Do you remember anything about our time before?"
"At Sonic? Yeah."
"No, with the simulations, I meant."
"Simulations?"
He lifted a red piece of construction paper. I stared at it for a moment and then everything came flooding back. I inhaled deeply and glanced at him.
"Do you remember?"
"Yes, Luca."
"We chose to be criminals."
"We thought it would be fun."
"We did but things went a different way," he said.
"That's an understatement."
"We need to find a way to retain what we've gathered throughout these sims. It is becoming dangerous."
"I think so too. Maybe we could get tattooed with something red."
"That's a fine idea. Because we are the same people. We just need reminders."
"Let's do it. Once I'm out and better."
"Any idea how long?"
"I'll have to find out."
Our voices must have notified the nurses. They came in and checked on me.
"How is your pain? On a scale of one to ten where one is almost no pain and ten is I can barely stand it."
"It's about a six," I said.
"Okay, we can give you a little bit of something to help with that."
The nurses gave me an injection of morphine. I felt woozy and then I fell back to sleep.
***
When I woke up Luca had left me a note with his number. The nurse came in and gave me a shot of blood thinner. I had been bed bound for long enough that they needed to prevent clots. I was already feeling much better.
"Hello, let's take some vitals for you," said the same nurse who laughed at Chase. After she was finished, I asked, "When do you think I can get out of here?"
"Oh, by this evening I think."
I asked her to hand me the phone and I called Luca.
"Hi," I said.
"Hello there."
"I think I can leave this afternoon. Can you come get me?"
"Just tell me when."
***
By the time it was 5 pm I was ready to leave. They had me waiting in my wheelchair and crutches for Luca. He came through the double doors and then took the two back handles. As he wheeled me outside, I realized it had started to rain. I covered my face, and he leaned over me trying to keep me from getting wet.
We were laughing about it as we walked to his truck.
"Oh, you're such a cute couple," said a stranger walking by. Luca and I stopped laughing. He gave the person a nice smile and wave. Then he wheeled me right up to the passenger door. When I got out, he helped lift me into the seat and then set my crutches in the back behind me.
I watched him bring the wheelchair back to the hospital in the rain. Someone made him for me. Someone who knows me best. It had to be the real me.
Closing my eyes, I began to do something I hadn't ever done … pray. I spoke out loud, "Dear Real Me, I don't know if you even exist, but I have faith that you do. I need there to be a sign. I need to know that what I'm doing here isn't for nothing," I paused, opening my eyes, and glancing at Luca walking back up to the truck. "If you made Luca for me, to save me, to care for me, maybe even to love me, show me a sign."
I opened my eyes and looked around at the rainy day as the drops surrounded the truck. When Luca got inside, I watched him as though he were in slow motion, and I knew the answer was yes but that wasn't the sign. Suddenly in the back of the truck a plethora of mums rose out until the back of the truck was stuffed with them.
Luca adjusted his mirror and then yelped in surprise. For some reason he thought if he started the truck and sped off that would solve the problem but obviously, it didn't.
"What in the world? Bloody mums comin' out of the truck. They're going to bust open the doors."
"Those are mums?" I asked. He nodded.
"Yeah, they're my favorite kind of flower. Pity they only last in autumn. Would love it if they were perennial."
"Aren't you worried about this?" I asked as the flowers began to burst through every crack and fly in bits onto the road.
"No, why would I be?"
"Don't you wonder why it happened?"
"Oh, I know why. You must have asked the creator to thank me with my favorite flower AND she answered you."
"How the fuck are you only telling me about this now?"
"Wot?"
"That you can talk to the creator!?"
"I didn't KNOW it per se. Just had me a hunch."
"Well, they really are beautiful flowers."
"That they are! Now, how are you feelin'?"
"Good enough to get a tattoo."
"Then mate, let's do this."
Luca and I rode to a tattoo shop that he knew from his catburglaring persona. When he dropped in, I hobbled to the front door in my crutches and then he opened the door for me. I was happy to see familiar faces.
"This is Dima," Luca pointed. Dima nodded. "And this is--"
"Brutus!" I shouted.
"You lot know each other?"
"Oh, come here for hugs!" Dima shouted. They both hugged Luca and I tightly, then the brothers traded one for the other and gave us more hugs. We all were laughing, and my crutches fell to the floor with a loud clank. Everyone stopped but then kept hugging.
Shortly after, Dima helped me with my crutches and Brutus took Luca to his station. I sat down and asked Dima what he thought about the location on my body.
"What is your preference, hm? Would you like it big, small?"
"I need to be able to see it. It needs to have a lot of red in it."
"Ah, well I can give you a nice rose tattoo."
"Can you make it a mum flower tattoo?" I said loudly. Luca whipped his head around and gave me a half smile. I couldn't hear what he and Brutus were discussing. I guess for me to find out what he got I'd have to wait.
Dima was an artist with a light touch, yet while he shaded, he meant business. The line work was beautiful. I could see what he was doing every step of the way. When we were finished, I had a rusty-blood colored mum flower on my forearm. There was no way I was going to lose sight of that!
After Dima wrapped me, I crutch hopped over to see what Luca was getting. It was the same thing as me, only bigger. He was bigger anyway so it was going to take a little while longer. I sat down in the chair across from him and watched.
"You copied me," I said, with an overexaggerated eyeroll.
"What can I say? It was a lovely idea."
I watched him wink at me and I knew that the creator wanted us to remember forever from here on out. We made it through the first round of trials. The next adventure was yet to come.
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