Clarke opened his eyes to a room far quieter than he expected, the smell of antiseptic occupying the air. There was no one else in the room except for him. He felt heavy and his throat was dry. He looked over and saw Kate talking to a patient near the doorway. The patient pointed toward him, signaling that he was awake, then Kate came rushing over.
"Oh my God, Lomi! You finally awake!"
Clarke tried to sit up, his muscles weighing him down, he looked at his arm where an IV drip was taped to his skin. Although he was back in the ward, it felt very different. He remembered collapsing to the floor in the play area that afternoon, but it felt like he'd been asleep for days.
Kate caught his lost expression, placing her hand on his shoulder, she explained.
"You're okay, Lomi. They just transferred you from the city hospital yesterday. You were there for a full week after the collapse."
"A week?" Clarke exclaimed, his voice still weak from tiredness.
"Yes a week. We weren't sure you'd come around so soon after the move. You had us all sacred to death."
Kate handed him a cup of water to drink. "Don't rush it," she urged. " Your body is still too weak."
Clarke drank the water, each gulp hitting the back of his throat. He finished it and gave the cup to Kate. She took it with an expression of relief and concern.
"Where's Lana?" Clarke asked as soon as she dropped the cup.
"The shy boy? He should be in his room," Kate said smiling, "I guess you guys are close. He refused to leave your side after you collapsed, he even asked to go with you to the hospital."
Clarke diverted his gaze to the door, a well built figure stood there watching at him. It was the therapist, Karl.
"You're awake, Lomi. We were all worried," he said, closing the door behind him as he approached the bed.
Clarke kept his eyes fixed on Karl, he knew him now. The "Kan" Karl had mentioned was his father's personal assistant or so Clarke had believed. Aside from his parents, Kan and Maddea were the only people he had ever truly known. He had even considered looking for Kan first before he came to Edenvale, never realizing that the killers got to him right after they killed his parents.
"I would like to be alone, please," Clarke said. He needed space to take in all the information that recently flooded his memory.
Kate and Karl exchanged a look.
"Of course. You can take all the time you need," Kate responded calmly, as she stoop up to leave. She organized the bedside table and explained to him on what to do in case he needed help. She left first, leaving Karl alone in the room with Clarke.
"You've been staring at me since I walked in," Karl noted, pulling out the chair to sit. "Do you have something to say?"
"Kan." Clarke said flatly
Karl's expression softened into a sorrowful one. "I guess you remember him now."
"There's nothing to remember," Clarke stated in his usual nonchalant tone. "He was just my dad's personal assistant,"
The sorrow vanished from Karl's face, replaced by an instant flash of fury.
"What? Just your dad's personal assistant?" Karl roared, almost grabbing Clarke by his neck. "He refused to go to the hospital just to keep you safe! He ignored me, his own brother for you! Even when the monster that killed your parents got to him, he used the last bit of strength left in him he's just an assistant to you?"
He moved closer to Clarke, until they met eye-to-eye, his breathing heavy and ragged.
"Don't test me, Clarke Hawkins," he said before turning and storming out of the room in anger.
Clarke watched Karl's retreating figure, he knew how much Kan had done for his family, but he'd rather pretend to diminish his efforts than drag Karl into the world he was living in.
As the door swung shut, Clarke noticed the curtain between his bed and the next one rustle. He turned his head to the direction, reached out with discomfort and pulled the curtain aside to find Lana lying on the bed. He had been there the entire time listening to the conversation between him and Karl.
"What are you doing, hiding there," Clarke asked.
Lana looked terrified by what he just heard.
"Did Logan do this?" He asked, tears shimmering in his eyes. Disappointment was written all over his face, yet he tried to fight it. He was desperate to give his uncle the benefit of doubt.
"And who's Logan?" Clarke retorted, he had no idea who he was talking about.
Lana was taken aback. A part of him relieved that Clarke didn't recognize that name. That man was the devil himself.
"Logan, who? Who said Logan," he stammered trying to deny ever mentioning the name. "How… how are you feeling," he added quickly, trying to change the subject.
Clarke fell silent. He didn't want anyone to suffer because of him, he knew they could be in great danger if the killers to track him down to the hospital, so he decided there and then to cut everyone off before it reached that stage.
"Can you stop acting like we're friends?"
The statement hit Lana like a truck. He finally thought they were hitting it off as friends but now they were back to square one. He felt a sudden rush of anger burning inside him pleading to be let out.
"Can you stop confusing me?" He snapped, cutting Clarke. "I was on my own when you came, apologizing. And now you're trying to push me away?
It was Clarke's turn to be shocked. He hadn't realized that Lana was capable of such actions. He opened his mouth to speak, but Lana wasn't done.
"I don't want to hear what you have to say. Get some rest, I'll come back to check up on you later, and by then. you'd better have fixed your attitude."
With that, he stormed out of the room. Clarke couldn't believe the day's events. He just woke up from a week long sleep and on top of that, he had managed to piss off the two people that were important to his plan.
Despite the tension, he let out a sma laugh, he couldn't deny that he looked cute when he was angry with his hands hanging beside him , fists curled up. He then adjusted his position on the bed and closed his eyes, finally letting sleep take him.
•••••
Back in his office, Karl sat in his chair staring at his brother's picture on his his phone. He remembered when he took the picture, he had begged his brother all morning for just a picture but Kan didn't agree. He pretended to respect his decision and while Kan wasn't looking, he took the picture.
"That ungrateful little bastard," he cursed under his breath.
He was about to continue talking to his brother's photo when his phone rang . The caller ID displayed SI and he rushed to pick up the phone.
"Hello. What's the update?" He asked the other person immediately he picked the call.
"What!" He exclaimed.
He dropped his phone and dashed out of his office, heading for the reception desk.
"Hi, where's Kate," he asked urgently.
Clara was shocked because that was the first thing he said to her since he arrived at the hospital. "There," she pointed at Kate's emerging figure coming towards them. He followed her fingers and rushed to meet Kate, and without waiting for her to speak he asked.
"I need you to do me a favor. It's urgent."