To Become

The first few days out of the coma, Kylie hardly spoke to Ryan at all. He kept debating with himself whether he should give her journal to her for her to read or just have her remember herself. He decided to wait to see if she would have any memories even if they were just small flashes.

The other day he had left briefly and picked up a few books for her to read, but they still sat on the table next to the bed unopened. It was now really starting to get to him that she was ignoring him and it took all he had not to go off on her for it. All he wanted to do was yell or hurt her just so she would show some reaction. The only thing she did was sit on the bed and stare at the wall. When her meals came, she barely touched the food. A bite or two of everything and that was it.

Five days after she woke up, Ryan had had enough of it. He decided that he was going to take matters into his own hands. He was going to get her to react, to do something. He decided this as he had been taking a smoke outside. The doors parted as he re-entered the hospital. He made his way to the second floor using the stairwell then walked down the hall deep in thought. Outside the door to Kylie’s room, he stopped and whispered to himself, “This should be fun.”

Sleeping in for once, Greg finally got out of bed, took a quick shower and dressed. The past two weeks had not been very good and since he was now taking care of Sara who had just suddenly went into a depressive state, he was beginning to feel old for his thirty-four years. He had been letting Sara stay in the cell with Chastity and Nicole for the past few nights. Chastity said that she could have her cot and she would sleep with Nicole. The arrangement had worked so far. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. Maybe he’d play today.

He went into the kitchen and leaned against the counter watching Jason who was at the table having a drink. “We should do something today.”

Jason looked over at Greg and nodded. “Like what?”

“I don’t know. We could go shopping and get the girls some new clothes.”

“I don’t like shopping for clothes. I never know what to get. The styles keep changing all the time.”

“It’s not like they leave here anyway so what does it matter? I just thought that it would give the girls something to be happy about. Why don’t you take your niece shopping and remember what you bought her, then we can go shopping and you’ll know what to buy.”

“Aislynn has camp right now.”

“Her figure skating camp?”

“Yeah.”

“I thought that ended yesterday.”

“She just started another one,” Jason told him. “It’s a synchronized one I think.”

Greg smiled. “At least she’s still skating. She’s good.”

Nodding, Jason finished his drink and put the glass in the sink. “She’s not doing boarding this time though, and the camp ends around five each day, so I’ll see if I can pick her up from the school tomorrow and take her to the mall. I haven’t seen Aya in a while anyway.”

“So if you’re doing that tomorrow, what are we going to do today?”

“What we usually do.”

“Which is?”

“Going down to the basement and dealing.”

For a moment Greg paused and thought for a moment. “I don’t think Chastity and Nicole are going to work today.”

“Why is that?” Jason asked him a bit confused.

“I just don’t feel like making them work today, and I don’t feel like messing with money, and I don’t feel like having anyone but me around them.”

“Now who’s being territorial?” Brad questioned once he had came up the stairs from the basement. “Go play doctor with them.”

“I don’t have to play doctor. I am a doctor,” Greg replied matter-of-factly.

“You know what I meant. If you’re a doctor, you must have a medical play fetish. You have sounds and specs and there is that enema set. Go have fun, but tell me before you do, I want to watch.”

Sighing, Greg pushed away from the counter and turned to head downstairs. “If you want to play so bad then I’ll get the stuff for you then you can do it and I’ll watch to see if you even know what you’re doing in the first place.”

“I think I know what to do with that stuff. I’ve seen you before,” Brad told him.

“A long time ago.”

The two continued talking down the stairs to the basement, and Jason brought out his cell and dialed the number of a good friend of his.

Kylie’s lunch had come and she was eating the gelatin that came with it when Ryan walked in. She never turned to look at him as she took another bite with the plastic spoon. Ryan stood against the wall behind her and watched her finish. She put the small dessert bowl down and returned to the position of staring at the wall. Ryan decided to make his move.

He slowly walked up to her. Reaching her, he took his hand and tapped her head softly two times. There was no response. Then he decided to wave in front of her face, so he went around to where he was more in front of her and waved both of his hands back and forth across her face. A few blinks of the eyes, nothing more, just a natural response. He could only think of one other thing to do. Something he knew he might regret later on, but at the moment it didn’t matter. His hands reached out and grabbed her sides then dug in with a clawing motion. At first nothing happened but a few seconds later, a smile appeared on Kylie’s face and giggling erupted. She fell back and squirmed trying to get Ryan to stop and Ryan climbed up on the bed and leaned over her tickling her with all the strength he could muster.

By the time he was finished, Kylie’s face was covered with tears shed from all the giggling Ryan caused her to do. A huge smile was still plastered on her face and Ryan couldn’t hold one back either. “I finally get something out of you. You’re still just a stubborn little girl aren’t you?”

She turned and faced him and shook her head. “No.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yes.” A minute went without speaking before she said, “By the way, thanks for the books. How did you know that I like the Twilight series?”

“You told me before.”

“I haven’t told you anything about me or…did I? I don’t remember.”

“I know quite a bit about you. I have known you for over five months now,” Ryan told her.

“This is awkward.”

Ryan laughed lightly. “I guess it is.”

“It’s scary. I don’t know what’s happened to me at all. I know that you…you did that, what else? Was there others?” Kylie’s head was turned down, and her eyes were squeezed shut.

“Of course there were. That’s your job.”

“Well it isn’t anymore.”

“As soon as you get released, you’re going back there, and yes, you will start working again.”

“But why?”

Ryan stood and went around to the chair next to the bed and sat down. “Because I said. That should be reason enough, shouldn’t it?”

Shaking her head gently Kylie replied, “No it isn’t. I don’t remember anything!”

“Don’t yell,” he warned her briefly. “Whether you remember anything or not is none of my concern. You’re the one who decided that you wanted to kill yourself. Well you didn’t succeed and now you have amnesia. That’s your fault and you’re problem. Not mine. You will continue to do as I say because if you don’t, there will be consequences and they’re not consequences which you will enjoy.”

“You’re sick.”

Ryan stood up and his hand swung around so fast that she didn’t even know she had been slapped until she noticed the metallic taste in her mouth. Her hand went up to her lip which was bleeding. “I don’t know how many times I’ve told you to watch your mouth. You don’t think a lot do you?”

She turned away from him as a small tear rolled down her face. “I’m sorry about your sister.”

“What?”

“You were the one who was telling me, right? About your sister. That some people had murdered her and your father and you were there when she died…”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I’m sorry,” Kylie repeated.

Walking over toward the window, Ryan looked out through the blinds. “The doctor said you could go home tomorrow.”

“Home?”

“Yes, back home with me.” With a slight glance back over in her direction he carefully spoke to her. “I’m sorry, too, that I hit you. I guess I just thought that maybe if it was hard enough, you would remember. I don’t want to have to start all over.”

Staring over at him, a strange feeling washed over Kylie. It was something that she had felt before, but she couldn’t remember when it was or where it was. She took a deep breath before saying, “Then don’t.”

“I’m not letting you go.”

“I get that, but you don’t have to start all over. I don’t want to have to pretend that five months of my life never existed.” She suddenly put her hand over her stomach. “I feel funny.”

Ryan hurried to the wall behind the bed and grabbed a vomit bag. He held it out in front of her and out of her mouth came mostly liquid. There was only one heave, mostly from the realization of what was going on finally sinking in. He slowly pulled the partially filled bag away and pressed the button calling a nurse in. He handed the bag over to her as was the procedure in the hospital. Kylie’s forehead had started to perspire, so he went to the bathroom and ran a washcloth through cold water before wringing it out and folding it then placing it atop her head after she had lied back down. “Better?”

She nodded slowly. “Thanks.”

The nurse came back in with an eight ounce sprite can and a straw giving Ryan orders to make sure she drank all of it but slowly. Ryan nodded and pulled the tab then put the straw in. He put the straw up to Kylie’s mouth and she drank. When she was finished, he put the can back on the dining tray. “Good girl. Hopefully that will help settle your stomach.”

“Ryan?”

“What is it?”

“You’re nice.” And she slept.

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A/N:
This chapter goes to my dear Bella. I hope you can be happy now. =P

Thanks for the reviews and don't forget to R&R!