*All characters copyrighted to poseidon Simons

Chapter 10

My Friend Nicolas

"James, are you gonna be okay?" Kia asked for the third time.

"Yeah." James answered the same way he'd been answering. He would say yeah, but when you looked at him...it was easy to tell he didn't mean it. James shifted on the couch once more and picked up his guitar, strumming a few chords out. They sound sad, mournful...

"James?"

"Yeah Kia?"

"Is there anything you'd like to do today?"

"Nah...unless we could go see someone at the hospital..."

"Who?" Kia jumped at the chance to make him do something before he became a pitiful wreck.

"His name is Nicolas..."

Kia bit her lip, recognizing the name, "Okay..."

James got up, looking slightly more lively. He was still really depressed though. She wasn't sure how to get him out of his depression. Kia took James down to the hospital, and they found Nick's room.

James almost cried at the sight. There were tubes stuck in his nose, a mask was over his face, and something was stuck in his arm. He was asleep, but looked like he'd just been awake for the past week. Bags were vividly evident beneath his eyes, not to mention that he seemed far too skinny to be healthy. James stopped the first nurse he saw, "Is there any way to help him?"

The nurse sighed, "Not unless he gets an operation, but his family never pays for one. The school he goes to has enough money saved up for him, but they can't do it unless he's calmed down enough...they're waiting for him to wake up..."

James walked to the side of Nick's bed and held a hand.

James looked at his friend..."C'mon Nick! You can pull through this! C'mon! I'll do whatever I can to help, just wake up and tell me you're gonna be okay!" Player could feel a tear slide down his cheek and wiped it away, "Please, just wake up, Nick. C'mon buddy! You can pull through...I know you can. You wake up and I'll make sure your dad doesn't bother you again."

Kia put a hand on his shoulder, "What do you mean, James? What's so bad about Nick's father?"

Player flinched. He wasn't supposed to tell!! He couldn't, he couldn't! He did, "Nick's dad is a TDO member. Nicolas was adopted, and I wasn't supposed to say anything. I don't care anymore...I wanna see Nick get better...just want him to get better..."

Kia's hand spasmed on Player's shoulder, "Why couldn't you tell?"

Player motioned for her to come closer so he could whisper, "He threatened to kill all of you. I--he was serious! I watched him kill a little girl just so he could prove he wasn't bluffing!" Player felt another small tear slide down. This time he left it alone, "I'm scared, Kia..."

Kia forced Player to look her in the eye, "What was the guy's name?"

""I only know his first name..."

"What was it?"

"William. He was a mountain dragon and didn't have any wings...I don't know what else to tell you."

She pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number. Player listened intently, "Hello, police? This is Kia Grey. A wingless mountain dragon who's first name is William belongs to the TDO and killed a small girl a short while ago." She waited a moment, then scowled, pressed a button, and repeated herself. This time Player heard a response.

"Any ideas where he lives maam?"

Kia's face went blank...she brightened, "No, but I have someone who does. His adopted son is here in the hospital recovering from a heart attack. Send someone over as soon as you can."

The voice on the other end promised to send someone right away, and only a few minutes later, an officer was in the room, waiting with them. All that was left now was to wait for Nick to wake up.

Nicolas lazily opened an eye halfway. The bed felt so comfortable...he wanted to go back to sleep.

"When do you think he'll wake up?" That sounded like James' voice!

"James?"

"Nick?!! James was suddenly shouting, "He's up, he's up!!!!"

Nicolas opened his eye the rest of the way and smiled, "Hey James..."

James wrapped his arms around Nick and hugged fiercely, "Nick, you're up! You're up, you're up, you're up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Nick tried feebly to push him away, "It's okay James...this isn't the first time I've been in the hospital..."

James let go and smiled down at Nick, "I was so worried about you! Nick, I thought you might not wake up!"

Someone in an officer's uniform pushed James aside. A thresher smiled kindly down at him, "Now...Nicolas, your friends here told us about your father, and we need you to tell us where he lives, okay?"

Nick shrank into his bed, "What?!! But if dad was found out, he'd be taking it out on me! Why hasn't he...hurt me yet?" It didn't make sense! His dad never let anyone discover him without some sort of threat to make sure the police would never find out! Had he made some sort of mistake? It didn't seem possible...Nick told them where to go, hopeful that his father would now be gone for good. It would be so great to have that man gone...but if he was, where would Nick go? Nick would be alone on the streets, abandoned...sent back to the orphanage...he didn't want that anymore. Even staying with this cruel excuse for a father would be better. He now regretted telling them where to look, but couldn't take it back.

The thresher patted his shoulder, "Thanks kid, we owe you a lot." He got out a walkie-talkie attached to his uniform and spoke into it as he left, "We have a location sir, how many officers should we send out?" The door closed, blocking the answer.

Nicolas shook his head and turned back to James, "Why are you here? What's been going on at school?"

James suddenly looked mournful as he spoke, "I'm here because I was worried about you...and I was kicked out of school."

"WHAT?!!!" Nick couldn't believe it. He wouldn't have his best friend there any more! What was he going to do? He didn't want to be shunned again! Not again!!!!!!

James saw him start to overreact and held him, "Nicolas, calm down! Don't lose it again!" He started to hug him, "I don't want you to have to go through that again!"

James' voice registered in Nick's mind, causing him to calm down enough so it wouldn't be a problem, "But without you there, I'll be lonely..."

"What about Kenny and Gina? They'll still be there. Bruce won't be in your class though."

"Huh? What happened to him?"

James finally smiled, looking more like himself every minute, "He's normal now. He can talk like you and me!"

The news made Nick happy beyond belief, but he didn't let himself get excited too much fr fear of another attack, "I'll still get to see Kenny and Gina? But what about you? You were the most fun."

"I'll miss you too, Nick. I'll really miss all of you guys..."

Speaking of friends, Kenny, Gina, and Bruce all popped in right then, "GUYS!!!!"

They all waved as they came in. Each looking like they had something wonderful to tell.

James turned as well, "What brings the three of you here?"

Bruce happily answered, "My mom. She brought us to see you James since you--helped out back there. We were all extra glad when we found out you were with Nick!"

Gina nodded, "And we've got some great news!!!!!!!!"

Kenny's eyes went wide, "Can I say it?!!! Please?!!!!!"

They nodded.

Kenny whooped loudly. When he was done, he came up right by Nick and James, "Mrs. Hall says that Bruce, Gina, and I are all okay! We're all normal now!!!!!!!!!!"

"NO WAY!!!!!!!" Nicolas shouted. He knew one of his friends being normal was great, and all of them being normal was better than perfect, but it didn't seem posssible..."This is so cool! All of my friends are normal now! They don't have to be in the special classes anymore...but then that means they won't be with me anymore...I'll be lonely again. I won't have any friends to turn to! I'm gonna be alone again! No! I don't wanna be alone again!!!!!!" He started crying. Nick didn't realize he'd started to speak out loud, "Not again! I don't want all of my friends to go away! I wanna be with them! I don't want to be alone again!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've been alone almost all my life! I CAN'T GO BACK TO THAT!!!!!!!! I CAN'T!!!!!!!!" He could feel it building again. The blodd pressure was going to shoot up at any moment and give him another attack...well let it. He was gonna be alone again, and this time he didn't even have a father--a home to go back to! He'd have to wander the streets and beg again like before at the orphanage! It wasn't fair! He knew three kids who were going to be normal and he was still stuck with this stupid heart problem! His closest friend was being kicked out of school for no good reason!!!!! He hated being alone! He hated it more than he was afraid of being beaten by his dad! Nothing compared to being alone! It was the worst hell he could think of!!!! The blood pressure inside him shot skyward, much higher than ever before. He blacked out instantly.

No one moved when he stopped. They were all silent, afraid...the steady blip of his heart rate was the only thing that kept them calm inside that room.

It became a constant tone.

Doctors rushed in and tried their hardest to get his heart going again, but everything they tried failed. Nothing seemed to help the kid!

Kia rushed everyone out of the room. Nick was dead...

Dead...Player jerked as he realized this and howled out a mournful cry right there in the hall. He didn't care who stared. His friend was dead!

Nicolas was dead...