"Things need not have happened to be true. Tales and dreams are the shadow-truths that will endure when mere facts are dust and ashes and forgot."
- Dream (Song: 'Sandman')
"Three, I have found through my adventures, is a special number. Things come in threes more powerfully than in pairs. The adventure started with three people: Marle, Lucca, and myself. We were all characters his, the Entity's, play. Magic, though there are more than four types, includes the most common called Fire, Ice, and Lightning. The three become the powerful fourth called Shadow. Even Lavos had three layers, and his last layer happened to contain three parts. With all of this, I wasn't too surprised to find the three Patrick encountered in his life."
From the Journal of Crono Kisaragi
"Come on," he demanded the coursing energy, "isn't that enough"
The energy started to pulse more rapidly, and beads of sweat formed on Patrick's forehead. In nervousness he tapped his fingers on the computer monitor as he started to pray silently.
"Please…"
The energy continued to pulse only, the energy seemed to have found a medium.
"Isn't that enough…"
The energy pulsed quickly and steadily.
"I've come so far…"
Patrick Simmons started to walk, almost in a trance, toward the energy, but stopped himself. He stayed at his counsel.
"…To fail again."
The energy pulsed at an immeasurable rate, and a blue light filled the room. Then, the center of the circular machine glowed with a large blue orb of energy. Patrick smiled with excitement as the energy started to condense. It condensed increasingly until a bright flash of blue light filled the room, forcing him to cover his eyes.
The light died down in a moment or two, and Patrick opened his eyes to a blue orb with, what he could estimate as, a thirty-centimeter diameter. He stared at the orb with awe for a minute then started laughing uncontrollably.
"By Lucca I've done it!" He laughed, though he had finally calmed down. "Now to use this key I developed after hitting my head on the toilet." Patrick pulled out a car key and aimed it at the gate. "Open Says Me!"
The gate opened with the sound of a turning engine. Patrick smiled triumphantly, his hands at his hips and he approached the gate taking careful measurements and notes. At long last he had succeeded in his dream and goal and he was going to show them all he had done it.
"We'll see who laughs last, John Cindel. I finally got it working, and I'm going to get a promotion for sure. Hah! I'm such a genius."
"Isn't that Lucca's line?" a childish voice asked. Patrick turned to see a child, whom Patrick earlier presumed to be six to eight, standing against the closed lab door. The boy was wearing dark blue jeans, a night black shirt, and white tennis shoes. His face was as serious as stone, as if he was and adult with the most important piece of information that one could know. However, the strangest thing about the boy was his odd blue hair which caused Patrick to think he was a relative. The boy had yet to clearly answer that question..
Patrick shrugged his shoulders and walked to his terminal, typing up some commands. "Feh, well Lucca isn't here, kid, and it's time for me to get some dinner."
"She's sitting next to your bed," the child said cryptically, "and you can't go home for dinner yet."
Patrick crossed his arms in a rather annoyed manner. He blew away some strands of hair that had come away from the neatly combed rest. "Is that so? Do tell, kid, why can't I?"
The blue-hair child pointed to the gate with his right index finger. "Because…he's coming for you."
Patrick turned his head lazily toward the gate. In a flash , the gate expanded and filled the room, and Patrick saw for the first time the terror he had destroyed so many times before. Before him was the almighty Lavos in all his glory. He was huge, larger than a house for sure, and his spikes were spikes on spikes, and they didn't look too friendly. Lavos' eye was leering directly at Patrick.
Patrick backed up into a wall noticing a drop in the temperature as if Lavos had sucked up all the energy in the room. "What the hell? Who…how did he come through?"
The child stood right by him, his face expressionless as he stared upon Lavos with hatred a child should never be able to show. "He's here…waiting for us. He's here, but he's not here, and at the same time, he's coming here…for us. We have to run for now, Patrick. This isn't the same Lavos Crono fought."
Patrick closed his eyes. "Run? How do you run from something like that? I don't want to die, though. I can't beat him. Run. I have to run!"
The room suddenly felt warmer, and a light breeze blew through Patrick's hair. He opened his eyes to find himself standing in the center of a football stadium. Whether anyone was watching, he couldn't tell because the seats were blurry as if light itself was bending endlessly around the stadium, restricting site. He looked forward to suddenly see Crono, Marle, and Lucca. An open gate was behind them, and Lucca stepped forward.
"I guess this is our goodbye," she said, her blue eyes averted away from his. Her face was that of sadness and grief, and her lower lip trembled slightly. "We have to go home."
"What do you mean you have to go home," Patrick almost shouted, "You haven't been with me that long. Why can't you stay here with me?"
She met his gaze, tears had filled her eyes, "We have families to return to, Patrick. Mother…father…they must be worried about me. Crono has his mother to look after, and Marle and her father enjoy the time they spend together. We can't stay, Patrick. This just isn't our world."
"Damn it! You can't leave…Lucca…there's so much to say, but I can't find the words. Damn, this isn't right!"
Before he knew what was happening, Lucca had embraced him tightly, burying her head in his chest. Any trace of the strong, smart-ass Lucca Kepler he knew had disappeared. She had dropped her barrier and let him see her as she was. She, like him, didn't want to leave, but it couldn't be avoided. This wasn't their world.
She pulled away slightly and stood on her toes, giving him a small kiss on the cheek. Her voice seemed merely a whisper. "Goodbye…" Then she was gone. She ran through the gate, disappearing from his life forever.
"Lucca?" Patrick breathed the name. "Wait…no, I'm coming!" Without a second thought, he ran toward the gate. He didn't get five feet near it when the earth began to shake, causing him to fall on his face, dirt and blood mixing with two small scratches on his face. He stood up to see the earth literally falling down before him. It was falling into an abyss.
Patrick looked around, seeing the chaos. "Oh no you don't…I'm not going down so easily. I'll escape. Yeah! That's it!" He jumped on a scooter. "I'll escape on this magic scooter, and be safe." He road the scooter, the abyss catching up when the scotter began to lift off the ground like a plane and soar away from the chaos and destruction.
Patrick then found himself in front of an army. He was adorned in armor with loyal troops behind him. Across the battlefield was a legion of monsters like that from the Final Fantasy games. From Ancient Dragons and Behemoths to Malboros and Wind Wings. They were there.
His eyes narrowed in determination and he thrust out his arm, a katana in hand. "Alright, men, it's time to show these bastards what we've got! Charge!"
With a battle cry, they marched forward. Man against monster, the fighting was intense with blood spilled on both sides within the first minute of the battle. Patrick had chosen a position to defend after slaying his first few monsters. He had his katana in hand, swinging it at anything not human. A powerful Malboro approached him, ready to take him down with some Bad Breath.
Patrick saw him coming before the monster got in range. "Oh no you don't. I won't let you take me that easily." He thrust his hand forward. "Eat this! Fire!" With a bit of concentration, a wave of fire burst from his hand engulfing the Malboro, but the monster wasn't down yet.
"Still up for more?" Patrick said to himself. "Fine then. Ice!" A blue wave of energy leapt forth from his hand and struck the monster, encasing him in ice. "And before you thaw…Lightning!" A bolt of lightning came from the heavens and struck the Malboro, shattering it to pieces as it lay helpless in the ice. "Heh…I win."
It seemed that the Malboro was the leader because as soon as it died, by the hand of a magic-using human no less, the group of monsters ran for their lives. Patrick's soldiers killed the stragglers, and the scientist/warrior smiled, his fingers on his right hand in a V. "Heh. V is for victory."
Patrick later was in a hot bath, resting on the edge, letting the stress of the battle flow from his body. It was a glorious victory, but if only she was there to be with him. "Lucca where are you. Things are too lonely without you here." Patrick suddenly felt smooth, soft hands on his shoulders, massaging them gently. Patrick took a deep breathe. "Well, well, who might you be?"
The voice was coy and had the hint of mischievousness. "Who else would it be you delicious hunk of man meat."
His eyes went wide at the voice and he turned his head to see the face. "It couldn't be…could it?" He turned to see Lucca with him, her hands on his shoulders rubbing them in a rather sensual manner. He gulped with shock and surprise. "Lucca?"
In response, she hugged herself close to him; her whole body was pressed against his own. "In the flesh," she said teasingly, "if you haven't noticed that is, Mr. Simmons."
She broke away long enough for him to turn around, "You came back? I thought you were going home."
Her kisses were like butterflies against his neck. "I couldn't stay away…please don't make me go."
Patrick brought his arms around her, pulling her tight. "I won't…I won't let you get away from me again. Lucca…I care for you more than I ever thought I could care. I never thought this would happen in a million years." He looked into her deep eyes and smiled. "Lucca…just you being here is enough. I swear, if this is a dream, don't wake me up."
"But you have to wake up some time," Lucca said, breaking away. Her form then took the form of the small blue-hair boy as the bath and everything else disappeared into blackness. "You can't stay asleep forever…there's someone waiting for you. There are several wanting you to wake up, and there are things you need to know." The child began to disappear into the void of black.
Patrick looked around, questions filling his heart. "Wait a second! What do you mean? Where's Lucca? Is she safe? Did she get away from the Black Widows?" There was no answer. "Answer me I say! Where is she? Lucca? LUCCA!"
June 20, 2006
10:58 PM
Ventura County Hospital. Ventura, CA
Room 318
Crono and Marle had gotten a ride from their chauffeur Chris Baker after hearing the message of Patrick's hospitalization Lucca had left earlier that evening. Michelle and Chris had dropped the two off, unable to find a parking spot and insisted that they would come by the hospital in the morning.
Crono and Marle had arrived to find Lucca in the waiting room. She was lost in thought, mumbling about Widows and Lightning. They found her soaked and wrapped with a towel the hospital staff had provided, since she had opted not to remove her clothes and wear a hospital gown. Crono and Marle had come with a change of dry clothing for Lucca as she requested. It was something she was glad to get into.
Patrick just came out of surgery, during which the doctors had removed the bullet. They insisted he was lucky to get out of the "Black Widow Attack" as Lucca had told them. She had yet to tell Crono and Marle the full story, having decided to wait until the time when she felt they were secure. The doctors put Patrick in a private room on the third floor, and the trio found the room with little direction. They planned on keeping an eye on Patrick through the night.
"So the doctors say that the bullet missed his heart by less than an inch? That's some amazing luck." Crono said, standing against the wall facing the end of Patrick Simmon's bed. Patrick was connected to an IV, and machines kept up with all his vitals as he lay in the bed. A bandage was wrapped across his chest showing where doctors had dug the bullet out, though no bandage could cover all of his bruises and wounds he had received in the fight.
Lucca didn't turn, her eyes remained on Patrick's bed. Her mind still raced with questions of "what" and "why" and "how." After Patrick was shot, Lucca managed to flag down the car that had come their way. Though she didn't want to, she had no choice but to move Patrick's body, and the car owner, who never did identify himself, gave no complaints when a Patrick's blood had seeped into the cushion. The blood could come out, and it wasn't something the Good Samaritan was worried about at the time. In fact, the man didn't say much, but kept a small smile on his face, only asking Lucca to tell the Patrick that he would see him in a few years. The whole scene was still fresh in her mind.
Earlier
The rain was relentless, pouring down upon Lucca's glasses, staining them with streaks that couldn't come out until she had something dry. It was a damned situation. If she removed her glasses, she couldn't see a thing. If she didn't remove her glasses, the water blurred her vision, thus, she opted to leave them on.
Lucca turned to her right, hearing a sound in the distance. It was salvation. Somebody was driving down the same road at this time of night. A smile of pure joy painted her face, and she left Patrick for a moment, standing up in the middle of the road to wave her hands. The car began slowing down at a distance, dispelling any fears she would be run over. She ran to the car as it slowed to a stop, but stopped as the door opened.
A man, slim and well built, stepped out of the car, its color and type unimportant and unseen to her passed the car's headlights and curtain of rain. However, the lights from the car itself allowed the man's slight features to be displayed. The man looked to be in his mid thirties. His face seemed hardened, though they were kind. He had black hair cut short on all sides, looking rather militaristic. His voice was one of concern, but it was kind and soothing to her. In her eyes, the man was salvation in a hand basket. "Good evening miss," he said calmly with a smile, "might I be of assistance?"
Lucca decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth and trust this man. She could always burn him if he was a threat, but then the fact she didn't know how to drive the vehicle was a pain. "My friend was shot by some gangsters," she began. The man shook his head with a smile as if expecting those very words. "I need help getting him to a hospital. Please, can you help me?"
The man walked forward, straight passed Lucca, though he did give her a reassuring pat on the shoulder as he passed her by. He knelt down next to Patrick's body, not even bothered with the rain. "So, this is how you got shot, eh boss?" the man mumbled under his breath, though Lucca would never hear him. He picked Patrick up in his arms and brought him without another word back to his car. He opened the rear door on the right side without any assistance and deposited Patrick in the back seat, placing no restraint.
Lucca watched the scene rather surprised, the rain no longer registering. The man's movements were smooth and planned, even in the simple act. He didn't seem worried at all, as if he knew the very situation had come. "Do you know where to take him?" she called out, not even approaching the car.
The man smiled and pointed in the direction he originally came. "Ventura County Hospital," he said simply, "now will you please get in so I can get out of this rain?" Lucca's sensing then returned to present, noticing the cold rain dripping from her body. She ran to his car, flung open the door and sat down, closing the door behind her. The heater was on to full blast, easing the chill.
Her eyes widened slightly. She felt the water soak into the chair and turned to the man, who was in no better condition than she on those terms. He must have noticed and said in the same manner as he shifted the car to reverse, "Don't worry…it's a rental." Lucca buckled her seatbelt for the ride, saying nothing on the way. The man sped down the way, not paying attention to multiple cameras that caught his picture as he sped through intersections. Amazingly, Patrick never moved from his position in the back seat.
The man's smile never left his face. He helped drag Patrick's still bleeding body to the hospital emergency room. Lucca had given apologies for the blood, but he shook his head as if it really didn't matter. He muttered something she didn't understand, but figured it was something about "a rental." Before the man left, though, he asked only one thing of Lucca. "I need to leave now, but be sure to tell him when he wakes up that he'll see me in a few years. That's all I ask." The man kept smiling as he walked out of the doors just as the hospital staff ran to aid the bleeding scientist.
Present
"There was no luck about it," Lucca finally confessed, "With the things that happened tonight, I would not be surprised if Patrick knew the bullet was coming and tried to dodge it mid-air at the last minute." Here eyes never left the bed.
Marle placed a comforting hand on Lucca's shoulder. "Hey it's alright, Lucca. He's alive. You're alive. At least you were able to take care of them after Patrick lost consciousness, which brings a question to mind. What happened out there? You told the doctors that you escaped from the Black Widows gang, whoever they are, after he had been shot. Lucca…I can see it in your eyes. What happened?"
Lucca sighed, sitting down in a chair next to Patrick's bed and turning to the two for once since they had entered the room. "Tonight," she started, "after you two went on your 'night on the town,' Patrick and I were driving back to the house when we were blinded by a bunch of lights. It seems that before we came, Patrick made some enemies of a local gang, and they came for blood."
"Well if they're small given that they're local, how did they know where to find you, or Patrick that is? It would seem too much to be a coincidence that they would know exactly where and when to stop you."
Lucca merely gave a nod of her head, "I've been thinking about that, but allow me to finish, Crono. Upon his damn manhood request, Patrick fought the gang by himself. He even used his telekinesis, which didn't disturb the gang. Eventually they got a cheap hit in, and he fell to the ground."
Lucca bit her lip, "They beat him pretty good and threw him in my direction. I was about to fry their asses when he stopped me, ran forward and performed some daredevil stunt by trying to catch their leader off guard. Then, the leader fired the shot-"
"And they just left? Just like that? Assuming he was a gonner?"
Lucca pulled on Crono's ear and said sweetly, "Crono, be a good boy and keep your mouth shut until I'm done, okay?
"Yes ma'am," he said in a slightly pained voice.
"Good…well, where was I?" She thought for a moment. "Oh, yes. After the shot…I still do not believe it happened. What happened was impossible."
Marle gave Lucca a reassuring smile. "It's alright Lucca. Just tell us what you saw. If you saw it with your own eyes then it must have happened."
Lucca took in a breath. "Alright…well, to be frank, an intense lightning-based magical attack similar to Luminaire wiped the gang all out tonight. They were atomized like Crono almost was…" Lucca's gaze once again fell on the unconscious form of Patrick Simmons. "They were killed by a magical attack performed by Patrick as he hovered in the air after being shot. They're dead. The entire gang is dead."
Crono and Marle gazed on Lucca with half-believing eyes. "So what you're saying is that this guy who brought us here with an Interdimensional Gate used magic?" Crono said disbelievingly. "Why didn't he tell us about it in the first place? He warns us enough against using it."
"Do you really think Patrick would keep something like that from us?" Marle questioned, a slender finger on her chin.
"Not a chance," Lucca immediately replied. "I doubt he knows about it at all. In fact, there was something about the way it all happened. I can't place my finger on it, but I swear it looked like some sort of self-defense maneuver; a maneuver that Patrick himself may not be aware of."
Patrick began tossing in his bed which aroused the attention of the three. His head shifted from left to right, and the covers rustled. He seemed distraught and frustrated, and for a moment, he seemed at peace before he returned to his previous state. He pulled at his IV tube at a point and sweat poured off his head.
"Poor Patrick," Marle muttered.
"I wonder what or who he's dreaming of," Crono contemplated.
Patrick then chose that time to sit up in his bed. His eyes were wide and full of fear and grief. He let out one shout. "Lucca!" His breathing was heavy and it took him a moment to realize that he was neither in the darkness nor was he on the street, but in some sort of bed. He realized he was in a hospital.
"I'm right here," Lucca said softly. "It's all right. You're in a hospital safe and sound. How are you feeling?"
Patrick rubbed his temples. "I have a headache the size of Los Angeles. What the hell happened?" He didn't let her answer, but went straight to a thought, "Let me guess, you fried those Widows with a fire attack?"
Lucca was surprised at this along with Crono and Marle, and it showed. "No," she answered, "I didn't blast them with a fire attack. Tell me, what do you remember last?"
"Ugh, oh, let me think. I hoped you would forgive me and charged the Boss with an attack, and he fired a bullet into me. After that…after that….it's black, I can't remember."
"I see," Lucca said thoughtfully, "a subconscious self-defense attack."
Patrick raised an eyebrow and sat up on the bed, taking in the surroundings. He was still a bit disoriented. "What do you mean 'self-defense attack?' I had to take the offensive or else who knows what would have happened if you used something like flare…I didn't want anything to happen, but I guess it doesn't matter."
Crono crossed his arms "Patrick, not that it matters, but have you blacked out or anything like this only to wake up and find something strange in your surroundings. More importantly, did this happen during a time your life might have been in danger?"
Patrick rubbed his bed-ridden hair, his eyes showing signs of recognition. "Well now that you mention it, I had a couple of blackouts before I had the gate opened, but they occurred after I as able to at least breach the gap and have the gate orb." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully while he sifted through the mental haze that was in his mind, "If I recall, the first time I thought I was going to get pummeled and cut by a large piece of glass only to wake up with a bunch of glass, and some ice and water around me."
"Ice?" Marle questioned, "Didn't you find that strange to the least?"
He nodded, "Yeah, it was weird. I told the janitors to clean it up and fix the air conditioning. I mean, that's the only thing I could think of at the time. The damn AC went on the brink and started having ice form in the ducts near a shaft."
"You said a couple of times," Lucca continued her investigation, "when was the other one?"
Patrick began to rub the area around where the needle for his IV had entered him, "The night you guys came into my life." Patrick smiled fondly at the memory, "Damn, I was a messed up scientist…"
Patrick received no arguments and crossed his arms with a frown, "Anyway, the lightning had struck and sent a charge into the gate orb to act as a key. I think it overloaded because the orb began to pulsate rapidly, and I honestly thought it would overload. Then things went white and dark, and I woke up to find burn marks on the floor and then you guys."
"Fire," Lucca mumbled, counting the incidences on her fingers.. "First Ice, then Fire, and now Lightning. Amazing."
Patrick wasn't paying attention. He was focusing on his attention on pulling out his IV needle without puncturing his vein. Lucca looked up and grabbed his wrist before Patrick could go farther. "Patrick Simmons," Lucca scolded, "what do you think you're doing?"
Patrick's lips became a thin line. "I'm pulling this damn thing out so I can get ready to get out of here. I don't like hospitals. They're for the sick, and I'm not sick."
Crono and Marle stood safely away from the bed as Lucca countered, "Getting struck by lightning counts you to be sick so stay in bed!"
"The hell? I was struck by lightning?" He began laughing, "Imagine the odds, and I lived through it too. Hah. That explains the headache at least."
Lucca sighed in comforting relief, "So you'll stay in bed?"
Patrick had a grin on his face, "Nope, I don't like hospitals so I'm leaving." He began to work the IV needle again.
Lucca slapped her hand on her forehead. "What a stupid-geek, if that's even a word in this world."
Patrick looked up from his work for a quick insertion, "It might be. Is 'sarcasta-bitch' a word where you come from?"
Lucca came back with a smile, "Well I guess you are feeling better." She placed her hand on his wrist and smiled, "However…" she squeezed a pressure point on his wrist that she had learned through her travels, "you're not well so stay in bed!"
"Eep! Nurse!" Patrick said weakly.
Crono and Marle shook their heads. "I knew Lucca could be scary, but I never knew she could be THAT scary. I suddenly pity the guy."
Marle then nodded her head in agreement, "Yep, Lucca has been known to get onto you, but she sure is harder on Patrick. I guess the old saying about people being together and arguing is true."
"Alright!" Patrick shouted, "I'll stay." Lucca released her grip with a smile which spanned from one ear to the next.
"So shall we tell him now?" Marle asked aloud?
"Tell me what?" Patrick questioned.
"It wouldn't hurt to tell him," Crono chimed in.
"Tell me what?" Patrick questioned again.
"I'll tell him," Lucca volunteered.
"Tell me what!" Patrick said with agitation
"I didn't use a magical attack on the Widows," Lucca confessed, staring him straight in the eyes, "you did. You fried them all with a Lightning attack."
Patrick blinked a couple of times and began to laugh from his belly, "Oh, that's good. That's really good Lucca. I'm feeling great." He calmed slightly, "Thanks for the laugh. I really needed it."
Lucca kept her serious gaze, "I'm not kidding. That lightning bolt that struck you was probably summoned. Patrick Simmons, you have magic."
Patrick had stopped his laughter completely and kept his gaze with Lucca. "Oh, shit. You're not kidding are you?" Lucca only shook her head. "Oi, but…how? Why? I never used magic before."
"Who knows," Crono said, "but I think we should start training you to use it correctly, don't you think? Maybe we could start with a bit of healing spells," he winked to Marle, "right, love?"
Marle pecked Crono on the cheek. "First let's see if he can heal himself. If his magic was that powerful, then he should be able to heal himself to the least." Marle stood across from Lucca on the other side of the bed. "Ready, Patrick?"
Patrick darted his eyes from Lucca to Crono, and then to Marle, "Umm, well, where do I begin, assuming this will work? I've never used magic that I know of so I don't know what to do or look for."
Marle placed a gentle hand on his heart. "Just close your eyes and concentrate on healing yourself. Search through your body and soul until you come to a spot around here," indicating his heart, "that is warm and comforting at the same time it is cool and soothing."
"Warm and comforting?" he questioned. "Cool and soothing? What is this, a heating pad and ice combo?" He had locked his hands together as he had seen Marle do in the video game, though who knows how much truth there was in that.
"Trust her," Crono encouraged, "she has some of the most powerful healing magic so she knows her stuff."
Patrick grinned, though he was just trying to hide some fear. Things were moving so fast. He woke up just ten minutes ago and now he's going to cast magic that he supposedly had. He didn't truly believe it, but he figured giving it an honest shot wouldn't hurt. "Okay, I'm ready. What do I do when I find this feeling, Marle?"
Marle had her hands clasped together and her eyes were shut, giving him a demonstration of the normal posture she used, "Just say Cure. That's all there is to it. Magic is just energy, according to what Lucca says, and all you need to do is draw that energy and cast it."
"Okay then," Patrick said taking a deep breath, "here I go."
"Before I forget," Lucca interrupted. Patrick glanced Lucca's way, waiting for whatever it was he needed to hear, "The guy who helped me asked me to tell you that you would see him in a few years." She shrugged, "Hell if I know what it means, but he did ask."
"I'll remember that…." Patrick closed his eyes and began to meditate as he sat up in his hospital bed. He searched for that feeling for a couple of minutes, finding nothing. He squinted his eyes, trying to deepen his concentration. He kept up this method for a several more minutes as Crono, Marle, and Lucca watched in anticipation. He finally relaxed his eyes as he gave up and sighed, a part of him hoping.
He gave a mental call to himself, "Well, Simmons, you tried. Kid, if you can here me, I'd like to know at least what they were talking about." He relaxed and searched once again; figuring it wouldn't hurt.
11:27 PM
He had failed, something he had done many times in his life. He had failed, but that didn't mean Marle couldn't help him out. Lucca insisted that he had cast a spell which wiped the gang out, and though he was skeptical, Patrick assured Lucca he would try again. Besides, there was a nagging feeling in the back of his head, and it would not leave. Crono and Marle volunteered to help however they could.
Several nurses had been surprised as Patrick signed himself out of the hospital with a smile. Crono, Marle, and Lucca, though they didn't go by those names within public ears, smiled with the whole scenario, though Lucca had a caring look in her eyes, which she hid when one of the other two trio looked at her. Patrick had put his pants on after taking his hospital gown off, though he had not put his shirt on just yet because of the bandages. He knew clothing and bandages didn't work, and he wanted to get out of the hospital before removing them.
"Mr. Simmons," one of the nurses, her name tag read "Julie", said sternly. She had been the only one to follow him after he signed out, insisting he follow procedure, "For one you haven't had enough time to recover. Secondly, you should allow us to let you out in a wheelchair as hospital policy."
"Sorry, miss, but, one, I'm feeling much better thanks to your doctors." He grinned in spite of himself. "And if I'm well enough to stand after that minor surgery, I think I can walk out of here fine." Patrick stepped onto an elevator with the trio following him, letting Patrick take care of the nurse. Truth be told, they were slightly afraid of the woman.
Julie growled, stepping onto the elevator as Patrick pressed the button for the ground floor. It appeared she had been used to unruly patients before. "Sir, I am ready to follow policy even if you are not so please get into a wheel chair as soon as we get to the ground floor." She glanced down, "And please put a shirt on."
Patrick sighed. He respected her job and she had a strong will, and a stubbornness since she kept persisting. Those were things he did respect in a person. "Tell you what…I'll put my shirt on when I'm ready, and I'll get into a wheelchair once these elevator doors open."
Julie smirked in victory. "You have a deal, Mr. Simmons." Once the doors opened, Julie led Patrick to a wheelchair where he proceeded to sit down and cross his arms.
"I won't enjoy it though," he commented.
July kept her smirk, "You don't have to enjoy it. You just have to sit there until I let you off outside."
The trio unsuccessfully stifled their snickers. They followed the nurse and patient out. Julie stopped the wheelchair at the curb where Patrick gladly got up and said his goodbyes to Julie, glad to have her gone.
"Finally that's over with" Patrick said in relief and tore the bandages off revealing the healed wound where the doctors had done surgery. No scab or scar had remained on him.
Marle poked her finger where the wound used to be. "Does that hurt at all Patrick?"
Patrick looked down at the wound. "It doesn't hurt at all, fortunately." He stepped away and put on his black shirt that still had the bullet hole. "Well shall we get going?"
"How?" Crono asked. "We didn't drive here."
"But…Where's the car?"
"The car?" Crono asked. "Umm…I think it was towed back to your place. Chris and Micheele called a towing company before they gave us a ride here."
"So now we have to get a ride from them or a taxi?" Patrick sighed and looked back to the hospital. "Oh man. Now I have to deal with the all powerful nurse."
Lucca gave him a pat on the back, "Look on the bright side. After you deal with her, you can deal with me for that damn stunt you pulled back on the highway."
Before Lucca could hear a response, Patrick was walking back the hospital on double time.