Chương 12: morning

Billy woke up with a pounding headache, feeling as if he had been struck with extreme force, maybe drank a keg of beer. He couldn't open his left eye, and there was the white light, and the distinctly different look that made him realize it wasn't the correctional facility; it was another place, the hospital.

Memories of Face of Dog beating him, the crazed look in his eyes, jolted him out of the trance he had fallen into. Damn idiot. He was wearing a hospital gown, and to his surprise, an old man was looking at him, perhaps in his eighties.

-Are you okay, young man? - the old man asked.

-Yes, sir, I'm fine, just a bit tired, - Billy replied, feeling the pressure in his head. A flesh-colored bandage attached to adhesive tape and hooks was connected to his head, along with the neck brace; he understood his situation better.

-You don't look good at all, son, - the old man said.

-I think so. Do you know anything, sir? By the way, I'm Billy Carson, - Billy said.

-Pleasure to meet you, young man. I'm Joseph, and yesterday afternoon the stretcher-bearers brought you here. You took quite a beating. They'll run tests in the afternoon to see if you have a broken skull, son, - Joseph said.

-Thank you, sir, - Billy said.

Looking at the status screen, like a projection of his mind, however, he was curious to see something different, a song that he could play in his mind like a radio, like an MP3 recorded in his mind that played this particular song. Something was interesting.

Functions:

-Key playback: can play the song from the singer's perspective.

Other functions:

-Learning workshop: teach singing a song.

-Style key: enhance your style to give a unique singing in your songs.

Key point: soft voice color, raspy snoring, and vocal ability.

It played a reproduction without background music, fading in the singing style. From his vocal abilities, he could see that it was a very demanding song; the vocal range was complicated, broad, and demanding.

Status.

Billy Carson.

Singing: (9/10) Level 1: Amateur.

Piano: (5/10) Level 1: Amateur.

Rating: Worldwide.

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Numbers: Followers.

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Songs:

Like a Stone - Audioslave.

-Is there something wrong, kid? You're too young to be in the hospital for such a severe beating as you took yesterday. You must be a very troubled young man, - Joseph said.

-You're right, old man. Unfortunately, this time, I got framed. Of all the times I got away with it, this was the one where I least deserved such a severe beating. But now, I just have some anger in my heart, - Billy said.

He wasn't lying; he felt hatred, a deep emotion that only made him want to scream, insult, and kick.

-Ah, the things in life. Well, son, count yourself lucky; you're whole and in one piece, - Joseph said.

-Has anyone ever hit you like this before? - Billy asked.

-It's happened. Son, when I was your age, I got hit many times. Those hits came from my brothers; they liked tormenting me. They were a few years older. When I entered school, the first kid who tried to bother me ended up being reduced to a beating from me. Since that day, my brothers never hit me again, - Joseph said with nostalgia in his tone.

-Well, mine was an ambush; the guy who hit me was twice my weight and, I'm sure, at least a few inches taller, - Billy said.

-Ah, boy, you've got to put some muscles in those arms. If you keep being this thin, people will bully you, - Joseph advised.

Billy was about to respond when he noticed trouble. His mother, with her bag, had teary eyes but hadn't seen him yet.

-That's the room, - they told his mother.

She fixed her gaze on him, and upon seeing him, she let out a scream.

-My little sunshine, - Agustina Lopez said.

-Mother. -

She approached, unsure whether to hug him. His head was injured, and his neck was in a brace—well, it was stiff. He didn't quite understand why someone would do this to him.

-Those horrible gang members! Tomorrow, I'll file a complaint with the authorities against those idiots, - she clenched her fists. - Savage inhumans! Don't worry; your mother will take care of everything, - Agustina said.

"Thank you, Mother, for your support," Billy said, moved. It was good to have someone backing him up, someone who cared.

-Haha, you'll see. Your mother will beat up all those punks who dared to bother my baby, - Agustina said. Her warmth was so comforting that Billy couldn't help but feel secure.

-Yeah. -

-Well, I'm on my break; I have to go to the bar, but I had time to prepare a good meal. Your mother is excellent, - Agustina said.

Though it was reheated, it was exquisite.

-Do you want something, sir? I see you there, and it feels odd that you watch us eat. I'd get hungry if I weren't just freshly fed, - Agustina said.

Joseph looked up. - Well. -

-Well, wash your hands. Whenever you're going to eat, you should wash your hands, - Agustina said, passing him a hand sanitizer.

Old Joseph cleaned his hands as Agustina set the table, took out a plastic plate, and served the reheated beans and rice.

-It looks delicious, - Joseph remarked.

Agustina just smiled, leaving old Joseph to attend to her little Billy, who was eating with relish. It warmed her heart to see him so battered. According to the medical reports she had received this morning, everything was fine—no fractures and everything was pending the head injury, which the doctors assured was just a concussion and nothing more than that.

-Sonny, brought dessert. I know you love dulce de leche, but this time, I focused on the apple pie, - Agustina said.

-Thank you, Mother, - Billy said.

Agustina cut and served Joseph, who smiled like a child at the pie given by his new roommate's mother.

-I have to leave in twenty minutes, but tomorrow at noon, make sure to behave. Mom will bring you something delicious to eat, - Agustina said, giving a sweet kiss on Billy's bandaged forehead.

-Stay a while, Mom, - Billy said, feeling a bit shy. No one can help it with such a good and affectionate mother. Memories of fourteen years came back to his mind—his mother there, caring for and loving him.

...

what name would you give Billy, or what artistic name? mmmm, the character is more daring, arrogant, and passionate.