Day 52: Game Room

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Lunch had taken his mind from his worries, if only for a few minutes. But after the intercom sounded and the nurses began leading patients onto the next activity, one look at the bulletin board brought everything back in full force. No replies from Ashton, Dias or Dad. By now Claude felt like he was practically counting down until the end of the day, when he was going to have to finally grapple with the real possibility that most of his friends from before Landel's, as well as his own father, had fallen victim to the institute.

And now he was going to have to deal with his mother being here on top of that. It didn't seem like a coincidence that she'd show up right when his father's whereabouts were so up in the air. But what did it mean? Why couldn't Landel leave his family out of this?

Normally, the announcement about new video games would have made him perk up, but his eyebrows only knit together with concern as his nurse led him into the game room. That didn't seem to stop her from trying to get him to unwind, though.

"Oh, come now, Thomas, you've worn that expression for most of the day!" she told him with a frown. "Why don't you have a bit of fun now that your eyes are all better? I'm sure you could use it."

The last thing he wanted was to be reminded of his "sleep studies", he darkly thought to himself. But before he could protest, his nurse had sat him down in front of one of the television screens. There was an old gaming console, one Claude had never seen before, and he glanced at her with a confused expression. "Go on," she encouraged as she placed one of the controllers in his hands. "I know how much you enjoy these kinds of things. Someone will come play with you soon, too, I'm sure. Doesn't that sound nice?"

He didn't have time to answer her, because she'd soon bustled off to tend to some of the other patients. Claude watched her leave with a sigh. He realized the daytime staff meant well, which made knowing what they turned into at night even worse to think about. But now he was just being negative for the sake of it, wasn't he?

Taking in a small breath, he reached over to the console and turned it on. As long as he was waiting for some kind of answer from the bulletin, there probably wasn't much he could do except pass the time. Claude watched the title screen appear on the television, his expression growing more curious in spite of himself. Super Mario Bros....

[For Prussia!]

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[no-dont-go.livejournal.com]

She could not accept this. Would not accept it. Heat was a constant source of comfort here. He was the first--he had been here since day one, and she had seen him every day since. Last night could not have been the last! She wouldn't allow it!

Nurse Cathy seemed determined to get Aigis under control. She had a stern scowl that didn't match her normally pleasant face and she stood her ground against Aigis' cries. "Angela Cassidy! Calm down right this instant."

"I will not be calm until you tell me what you did with him!" They had done something with Heat, sometime while she had been asleep. It had to have been them. He would never have left willingly. Never...

"You have to accept that he got better, Angela."

"No!" Aigis clutched her arms around herself, feeling herself shrinking inward. She felt so cold, and she shook like she was going to fall apart. This was not happening. She didn't want it!

"Don't worry! You'll get better in time--"

"NO! I will not get better!" She shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut tight. When she opened them again, they were wet and spilling over. "I will not! I won't!" She took a deep breath, preparing to say more, but no words came out. Instead, only a high-pitched whine escaped between her teeth.

Without knowing what she was doing, without even caring anymore, she felt herself lowering herself down. She wrapped her arms around her knees, squatting in a fetal position on floor. Down there she felt helpless to fight against it. She realized the truth, but she didn't want to accept it. But she had to. It hurt. It hurt so much. Another high-pitched cry vibrated through her. Nothing could hold this feeling back anymore. She just wanted to stay down there forever.

A gentle hand touched her head. Nurse Cathy. She didn't want that touch, but she was too consumed to move away from it. What she wanted right now... What she wanted... What she needed...

[foolishmessiah.livejournal.com]

"Aigis."

Minato spoke her name aloud, taking a step, then two, into the game room. His nurse was still in the way, keeping him from clearly seeing what has going on further into the room, but it didn't take much for him to understand what was going on. Two voices, one familiar and filled with pain, and the other, stern and attempting to show authority.

"Christian, stay back. Angela is just upset right now." His nurse's voice quavered slightly between sounding upset and soothing. It was not working; he wouldn't stand for those weak explanations when he could hear his friend crying not too far from him. But they were keeping him back, and he clenched a fist in veiled frustration.

Aigis shouldn't sound upset. It was so strange in his ears, causing an ache all the way to his temples. What had happened? Why was she crying? She shouldn't have to cry. He didn't want any of his friends, especially her, to be brought to tears by this place. It had been bad enough when it was Junpei.

"Aigis." He said her name again, a little louder than he usually allowed of himself. He stepped around his nurse so he was even closer now, but was stopped short of her hand falling on his shoulder.

[no-dont-go.livejournal.com]

Aigis shook her head, hoping to brush off the nurse trying to comfort her, but she was persistent. Aigis took a shaky breath and looked up, her eyes spilling hot tears. This would normally have fascinated her, but she didn't question it now. It wasn't the time. She didn't want to deal with it.

"Angela..." Her nurse looked sincere, she did. But Aigis wasn't having it.

"Just leave me alone," she whimpered, her voice scratchy and thick. "Leave me alone."

She was about to bury her face back into her arms to shut out the world again, but something... she heard something. Her name. Her real name. What her friends called her. Maybe she had imagined it, it seemed so far away. But...

"Aigis."

She gasped. No, she had certainly heard it. Was that--! She turned, and probably the only one that could make this situation, well not bearable, but survivable. Minato-san.

She reached out one hand, the other supporting her as she leaned towards him from her seat on the ground. Those nurses seemed determined to keep them apart, but she wouldn't be able to stand it if they took him away too. Not him! Not him!

"Minato-san!" she sobbed, still reaching. She just wanted his touch, just a little touch. Was that so much to ask?

[foolishmessiah.livejournal.com]

Minato frowned, his patience literally fraying as he felt the nurse's hand on his shoulder and watched Aigis reaching out for him. He tried to step forward again, the grip on his shoulder becoming firmer as he reached out to Aigis. Why were they keeping them apart? Did these nurses think that he would hurt Aigis, or somehow make things worse? The only ones making the problem worse were the nurses, making Aigis more upset and drawing more attention to them.

If things went downhill from here, they might take Aigis away. Sedate her. Force her to deal with whatever she was feeling, alone.

He tried to move towards Aigis again, relieved that his nurse's grip had loosened. Freed and not being followed, he didn't hesitate to hurry over to Aigis, kneeling in front of her and taking her hand. For now, he didn't speak, instead allowing his eyes to do the talking for him. Concern, compassion, the desire to make her situation better -- to make her feel better.

He held her one hand in his two, squeezing it meaningfully. I'm here. I understand. Please don't cry.

[no-dont-go.livejournal.com]

She continued to reach, reach, reach for him, even going so far as to crawl a bit just to reach him. He was coming towards her now. Was it really him? Or had she dreamed it, as she had dreamed so many different and bizarre things this morning? But no, it was true. This was real, and she knew it from the warm that enclosed her reaching hand. From the gentle, worried eyes that gazed into hers. So close.

That warmth, it seemed to spread from that hand, down her arm, through her chest and to the rest of her body. She still felt broken inside. She still couldn't quite stop the tears. They flowed hot and thick down her face, but her sobs became less labored.

She had to force herself to breath deeply, trying to clear her throat enough to speak. Even when she tried, only more tears wanted to come. In the end, she could only force one intelligible sentence from her mouth.

"Heat's gone." Fresh tears rushed to her eyes, and she gave another pitiful sob. It hurt. It hurt so much!