Necropolis: Chapter I Part VI Dreams
Nero’s mouth rehydrates and feels his voice returning, he manages to huskily reply, cutting off House. Nero glances out to the nearby window to see the predawn dark indigo blue sky blanking the sleeping necropolis. What a town! New Golgothica. A town full of tombs, graves, and wacko sculptors dedicating their skills to the rich dead. He smirks to himself. “Why, Oh Why?” of all the cities in the world, he chose the one where the dead lived, but he knew why, and the cold in his heart reminds him. It's 5:00 am and the dead were up with the dead, he thinks as a sour smile drifts from his lips. Nero feels his eyes getting heavy and he thinks he better get some coffee in his system soon, getting back into the early morning swing of things was harder than he then realizes after a few months of sleeping till noon. His head drops softly with the unfinished business of sleep and he snaps himself awake.
Suddenly, a nurse’s face hovers high above, blurry and a mouth working with frantic words, other faces float like ghosts and lights burn bright into his sensitive eyes, and pain flares in raw veins as darkness reigns in. Nero’s last thought is “Why?”
“Why? That's what I was going to ask you, Nero, was why?” said a familiar voice, which sounded like it was coming from deep inside a tunnel. Pain suddenly comes washing over Nero's joints, head, and chest. Struggled to sit up. “Steady, slow down there, Nero your back among the living, don’t rush it.” came the voice again, closer this time. This time it was coming from a shape that bobbed and ungulates with each word. The black void was becoming a gray void full of vague shapes. The cool crisp linen sheets covering his body were white abstract forms. His mind realizes in embarrassed horror he was naked except for a flimsily hospital gown that is covering his aching body. Tart and pungent smells of disinfectants drifted to his nose. The world of the living among the dead came swimming to him as he pushed himself up on the bed.
A large humanoid shape emerged out of the darker black forms and it appeared to be talking to him.
“You took several bullets and had a bad fall. The doc says you’re lucky to be alive and here in that bed.”
The last person he wanted to see sat across from him, but oddly enough it was good to see him. House sat there cool and confident in his three-piece suites and his skin is all smooth cream and coffee. Was Nero jealous? Nero pushes stray thoughts like this away with a shake of his head and a smirk. The sergeant was the picture of professionalism. “Yep! You’re a lucky one!” Drones House.
Nero tried to speak but he suddenly felt his mouth suddenly dry and thick, he needed a drink in the worst way. All that came out was a croak and a gasp of air, he gestured to the glass and water pitcher on the side table. House, seeing his gesture, reaches for the pitcher and fills Nero a glass. “Here you go, you have been out for a while, you must have wicked cottonmouth…”
“How long?” Nero stammers. Blacksmith’s composed features flicker with concern and then his face gives up a slight smile and goes on to explain that he was unconscious for the past week.
“What!” exclaims Nero.
“I have been out for that long!” Sinking back into the bed Nero places a hand to his throat as if to wipe away the sore feeling that started to burn in the back of his mind.
“Did Jessica stop by?”
“I needed to speak with her.”
“Well about that, we have to talk about that,” House mutters. Koffs and look suddenly very uncomfortable and not very cool. “Look, this is not my…” House manages but Nero cuts him off again.
“What the fuck, man what the hell are you saying…”
“She’s gone, Nero, she came by the office to drop off your stuff, she said she can’t ‘take it any longer’ whatever that meant.”
“Hey man, agh…” long pause, but House keeps on. “Nero, look, I did not come here to give you bad news, no, I came here to see how you’re doing, I know that other than…!”
Hey, man you’re alive and that's what counts.”
“I am sorry for your loss, but from what I have seen you can do better,” House says, then he looks like he wants to be anywhere but here at the moment.
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