[PRE-NOTES] Sorry about the month long delay again. And no, I haven't given up on writing this fanfic. I am just moving at my pace to avoid rushing chapters for now on. Keep in mind there will be a delay for chapter 8 and possibly chapter 7 as I wouldn't near a computer for quite some time. Hope you enjoy! [/PRE-NOTES] The fluorescence light beamed a cool white wave of photons, it wasn't pleasant, to say the least as these types of lights give off a sort of harsh feel to look at. I don't know how to properly describe it. It feels… sterile if I could try to describe it. I couldn't just stare at the ceiling all day. I pick up my head to see my surroundings. I was in a hospital, judging by the sticky circular pads on my chest connected to a heart monitor, the IV attracted my right arm, and the greyish blue gown was now wearing. A cheap small tv was playing some local news, the volume barely audible for me. Looking around more, it appeared I was alone in the room. No one besides the sounds from the outside of hospital workers moving around patients, doing miscellaneous tasks. A few minutes has passed and a nurse walks into my room. She was a raptor. Tan, orange with light accent stripes, couldn't be more than in her early 30s. "Hi there Miss. Aron. My name is Nurse Cooper. I’m just going to chart your vials and the doctor will be with you shortly." The nurse said "What happened?" I spoke "You were bought here because you fell unconscious. We contacted your family to know you're here, they're currently outside in the waiting room." "My family?" "Yes, I could bring them here if you would like." "Uhh… Sure…" The nurse left the room after writing down some medical jargon on a clipboard. After she left, I am greeted to see Naser enter the room, but alongside him was the same woman that said she was mom and… someone else… He was taller ptero than Naser. Standing 6'3. He was slim. The years were kind despite him being middle-aged. In terms of color scheme, it was the same just like Naser, but his scale pattern was different. He wore a leather brown jacket and a dark grey shirt, some faded-out Demin jeans, and old leather shoes. From the crazy experience I had been having all day, I could only conclude that this may be a version of my father or something along the lines of that "Oh my god thank goodness you awake…" The older woman said She rushed towards me, extending her arms and wings out to offer me a large "I'm glad you're ok" hug. Still bought me a slight hit of anxiety when she came to me. "I'm glad you're okay dear. After your mother told me you ran out of the house and the hospital told us you were here. You had us worried sick." The man said "Yeah, Trish told me what happened with you after you guys met up at the school," Naser said Looking at Naser, my mind triggers flashbacks of his body laying bleeding out in the school hallway. I couldn't even look at him with a straight face. "Honey what's wrong" as she gently places her hand over mines. I didn't respond back; all I did was look down at my wool blanket. My heart raced as a chill ran down my spine "Fang… look at me please," The older ptero said "It's okay. You're here, you're safe. It's just us. Your family" Family… That was the final nail in the coffin for any way to puzzle this. This isn't my world. Whatever naïve thought I could try to explain everything I have heard and witnessed went through a window and into a fiery burning dumpster. These people claim to be my mom and dad… The only one that is recognizable in the room was Naser. I continued looking down at my bedsheet "Sweetie… please tell us what's wrong…" "…" "Could I…." I said "Yes, hon?" she said "Could I speak to Naser alone…." "What? Me?" Naser replied, looking surprised Naser was surprised, asking what I want with him alone. "Oh! Uhh… Sure thing sweetie…" Both she and the older man proceeded to leave the room quietly, leaving only me and Naser alone. Naser, without question, grabbed a nearby chair and sat right next to me. "So why do you want to speak to me alone? Is something wron-" "…" "Fang?" No words, I broke down right in front of him. I extended my arms and wings, wrapping him around me as my eyes quivered with tears. Grasping for air as my cries drained my lungs of oxygen. I sobbed as Naser hugged back without hesitation. He doesn't know what I did to him. Only that I have him now or at least some form of him with me. "I killed you…" I whispered while sobbing "What? "I killed you… It was me…" "Fang, look at me. Okay, you don't kill anyone. I'm here. It's just me" "BUT I DID! I'M SORRY! I FUCKING KILLED YOU FOR WHAT!" My sobs became louder as he held onto me tight" "Shhhhh it's okay Fang. I'm here, you didn't kill anyone..." "But I did… I shot you and left you for dead…" I whisper again "It's okay Fang. I'm here, okay?" He continued to hug me as I did too. The conforming feeling didn't waive my deep sorrows and regrets for what I'd done to him. I held him tight against me. I'm sorry, for everything I've done to him… Naser let go as I tried to wipe away my tear. I cried so hard on his shoulder that a semi-visible watermark on his floral jacket. "Fang what is going on…" Naser said It took to a few seconds to compose myself to tell him everything, I don't expect him to believe me but it was better now to tell him. His expression tells me that his concern for me is more important "You promise to try to believe me Naser, please…" I replied "Okay… I will. Just… tell me" I nodded my head. "Everything is just… different, I don't recognize anyone besides you or Trish. Mom and Dad… look like strangers. Remember when I told you about Anon?" "The hueman guy, right?" "He is... was someone you know, you invited him to my band show in the school's auditorium at the beginning of the year. Everyone laughed after we bombed it. After that, that's when we're introduced. We became friends, and a few things led to another. Then we got together. He helped get a gig at our… I mean someone I knew at a local pizza place. Besides the power going out at the end, we did… good." "We had one more shot at the school's prom. But after my guitar string broke, we played the exact double bass as we did with the last school show. They… laughed again, only this time… Something in me broke… I stayed with him that night. But after we got into a fight, l left him because of how he just didn't care or… how calm he was about it, I don't know... The next day, I came back home. Dad was pissed, you tried to talk to me, but I just stayed quiet and went back to my room. When alone in my room, I remember that moment, when they laughed at us at prom. That moment, just… broke me. I knew… what I wanted to do… When everyone went to sleep, I went inside Dad's safe, got his gun, and sneak out to Anon's place for the night. I left early to school and… I… I…" "What?" he replied The tears started to come again. "A-and then I started shooting…" "Everyone… *sniff* You were there, and Naomi was too. Y-you tried to tell me to put the gun down. I shot Naomi… and then…" "I shot you." I sobbed as I covered my eyes as more tears leave from my body. Naser hugged me again, as if I could ever forgive myself for what I'd done to him. "But I'm still here fang…" "I SAW YOU BLEEDING, BEGGING ME TO S-STOP! AND I DIDN'T CARE. I WALKED AWAY AS YOU BLEED TO DEATH BECAUSE OF ME. ALL YOU DID WAS TRY TO HELP, EVEN THOUGH I DIDN'T WANT IT. I KILLED YOU BECAUSE I'M A SELFISH BITCH THAT SHOT YOU AND EVERYONE OVER A STUPID FUCKING SHOW" My body was shaking from raw emotion. "I'm a fucking monster" I whispered "Fang… I… What happens after?" "I-I went to the rooftop of the school, And then… I was going to…." "You don't have to finish if it makes you uncomfortable." He said I took a deep breath to mustard up the courage to say the next part "And then, Anon came. He caught me off guard… and… I… I shot him… He came out of nowhere; I thought it was someone else… But the moment I realized it was him. I snapped back to myself to see what I have done… He pled with me to stay… I'll I did was try to make him stay away from me…" "And when I reach the end of the ledge, I… I knew what I had to do… I'll I remember before I jumped was seeing was… see us together… with a kid…" "And that's when I woke up here. I thought everything was a dream. But seeing Mom and dad… Trish… No one knows who Anon is and what a human is… I realized that it wasn't a dream…" Naser looked at my bedsheet, trying to figure out whether or not I have gone batshit insane or if I'm telling the truth. A part of me is saying he wants to, but everything I said was just so much to take in. Imagine if you knew someone for your entire life, and then one day, tells you you're responsible for half a dozen deaths and you killed yourself and only for you just wake up as if nothing happened. “*sigh*Okay, so you are saying that you woke up in an alternative version of… your world because of what you have done. You can't recognize Mom and Dad, but you can recognize me, along with Trish. What about Naomi? Reed? Stella and Rosa? Sage?" "I know all of them, but Sage? Didn't he move away?" "He has always been with us since Freshman year. He hasn't gone anywhere since." "Sage left a year ago and we haven't seen him since." "Hmm. Okay. What do know of Mom and Da- I mean your Dad and Mom" "Da- Uh... I mean… My Dad, He's a police commissioner for the VBPD, Mom... I mean My mom… just stays at home with us. She just does Mom stuff you know. Like clean, cook, chores." "Police commissioner? Huh…" The room was awkwardly filled with silence for a few moments. Naser, still uncertain to believe me because how of how absurd it sounds, thinks either I'm genuine and I'm telling him that I'm from some alternative universe or if I'm going through some psychotic episode. Either way, it's the truth… And He's the only one I could trust at this point. "It's just, a part of me says that you're going… "Crazy…" 'NO, I mean, DAMN IT. That's no-" "I get it, Naser… It sounds like I'm going insane, But I'm telling you the truth. I don't know why and how I got here. I thought everything was a dream until I saw Mo-… I mean your mom or I guess… our… Mom." "Are you really telling the truth…" "Yes… I am… And you're the only one I know and trust right now." "But if you're telling the truth, did you really…" "…" "Sorry" "It's fine… Just… I'm sorry" "Fang… I'm not going anywhere, I'm still here." He proceeded to hug me, if my tear ducts weren't completely worked to death, I would be crying. But all I did was hug him back. I hear a knock at the door, the knob turns counterclockwise and gently opens to reveal an older brownish Spinosaurus, guessing by what the nurse said previously, it must have been the doctor. But Instead of the usual white lab coat and clean look you normally picture. He wore a black blazer and a casual shirt, his morning 5'o clock and under bags look, he looks like he just came out of bed. The thing that stands out the most was his obvious limp and wooden cane. I could have sworn he seem familiar. "Miss. Aron, I'm Dr. Haus. And I'm being held here against my will by the upper management just to tell you that you're cleared, nothing wrong physically. All test work came out clean." A simple "Your free to go" would have been better. His last name sounded German as hell but he spoke in a clear American accent. "But before you leave, I would like to speak to you alone Miss. Aron, in private, if your…" "Brother.' Naser said "I was going to say significant other, but thankfully this isn't Alabama" Dr. Haus said "What?! Jesus dude That’s my sister!" Naser said "Relax, it was just a painfully unfunny joke. As they say, Laughter is the best medicine or so to be believed" Naser got up and made his way toward the door after the doctor's semi-funny remark, shaking his head. He places his cane next to the drawer beside me and sits on the chair Naser was previously "So. Miss. Aron. According to our reports, you said you fell unconscious "suddenly" after you were talking to your friend near your local high school. Trouble thing is this sort of thing doesn't happen randomly, especially since you were unconscious for nearly 8 hours. "Wait, you're saying I was knocked out for 8 hours?" "Indeed. Your blood work came out fine, with no past incidents or known pre-existing conditions to trigger your sudden loss of consciousness. You're not on any known medications. Your ECG test concluded your heart rhythm is normal. You weren't on any drugs at the time. Seems like besides that incident, physically, nothing is wrong with you" "Just the interesting part is how does an 18-year-old pterodactyl go to a deep comatose-like state for hours just like that. Not really a normal thing you see around here" he said sarcastically "Look, me and my friend were talking about something that made me feel dizzy and I fell unconscious alright?" He takes a short pause before grabbing his cane and standing up, walking away a bit from my bed. "Vasovagal syncope." "What?" "It's where the body has a sudden drop in blood pressure due to physical or psychological stress, explaining your sudden loss of consciousness. Your "Vagus nerve", that's *here*" He points at the side of my neck "It's responsible for regulating organ function and is the reason why you don't manually have to pump your own body or move your own breakfast down in your digestive system" "Funny thing about that nerve is that also helps control anxiety and stress by lower blood pressure everywhere in the body. The only downside is that for some people, if the brain undergoes severe psychological distress say from looking at something physically repulsing like the sight of blood or… going through a traumatic experience. The Vagus nerve overcompensates, trying to counteract your increase in heart rate and blood pressure, by rapidly decreasing Blood pressure, which is why you lost consciousness" After that medical lesson, he reaches down into one of his blazer's pockets and grabs a prescription pill bottle. He opens it and takes out three white pills and swallows them down without even needing to chug down water. He extends out his arm, pill bottle in hand, as a sign of gesture for an offering "It's Vicodin. Helps to deal with both acute and chronic pain, will probably help a little whatever you're going through" he said I took his offer, and he hands me a single pill, he walks awkwardly, cane in hand, towards the sink and grab a small disposable cup, the faucet pours tap water down the cup, and he walks towards me with it. "Thanks," I said Opening my snout, I place the pill in my mouth and drink the water provided to me. "What I can't figure out, is that you should be awake only after a few minutes after losing consciousness. CT scans showed no brain injury. If would explain why you knock out the way you did. But you didn’t… It's like if the brain decided to go into a deep REM sleep, second only to being in a comatose state" "Other than that, there's no longer a reason to keep you here in the hospital, so you're free to go. But my suggestion, is you figure out whatever's troubling you mentally and resolve it. The physician side of me would say normally that a healthy dose of counseling and therapy would be helpful in this case but, something tells me it's a bit more than that" I nodded my head as the Vicodin begins to relax me. He grabs his cane and heads toward the door "Take care of yourself in the future, Miss. Aron" Dr. Haus said before leaving the room Besides acting like a bit of dick in the beginning. The doctor guy wasn't half bad, or I guess that's the Vicodin taking place, the mind and body felt… relaxed for the first time in over a day. At least I am free to go leave. After a few minutes, the door opens again to see Naser and… my suppose parents carrying a clear hospital bag of my clothes. They came to me and placed the bag on the bed. Naser comes to the left side of the bed "Everyone is outside in the waiting room." "Everyone? Like Trish, Reed, Naomi? Rosa and Stella?" "Sage too" I guess that when they figure I ended up in the hospital, they all came in support… The same raptor nurse comes, after she proceeded to remove the sticky pads and IV drip, placing a cotton ball and some type of band-aid tape over where the needle once was. I head towards the bathroom in the hallway with a bag of clothes in hand. A few minutes in the bathroom later, I come out fully dressed and ready to leave finally. Going down the maze-like structure of the hospital corridors, we all walk out into the main hospital waiting room. Trish and everyone else stand up in unison the moment they saw me. I recognized everyone in the room. Reed, still looking the same since I saw him. Looking at Naomi… my brain triggers back memories of that faithful moment, with her laying down on the floor, riddled with bullet wounds in a pool of her own blood. Even with the Vicodin in my system, I still felt the rush of emotions, it wasn't anger as I normally feel with her, what replaced it was… guilt… anxiety… Sadness… Rosa was the one stands out the most. For one, she looks…. different… that the Rosa I knew. I don't know where to pinpoint but she looks different. Even though she would the exact same black dress. Stella and Sage were there also, standing in silence. All glad to see me well. Trish rushes towards me and gets me a surprised hug "Thank God you're okay," Trish said Sadly, on the inside, I was far from being okay.