Open up your mind, let your fantasies unwind

Alton and Aeria had to go to the hospital after the big fight with August. They practically had to be pried apart, mostly because Alton didn't want to let go of Aeria, but eventually they were separated and taken to different rooms to be taken care of. Alton's stab wound was stitched and bandaged up, and he was left in the hospital to recover.

The whole time he was practically in a catatonic state of shock, not talking or reacting to anything, not even the pain. He laid on the hospital bed, staring straight ahead, not really letting himself think or feel anything. It was too hard. He couldn't think about knowing his sister had just been raped. He couldn't think about how August's neck had snapped against his foot. He couldn't.

Someone had sent word to Katsa immediately after Alton was taken to the hospital. Because Keegan lived three houses down from she and Alton it was easy to drop off her amazing babies so she could go see her amazing boyfriend who had been hurt terribly.

"Alton!" Katsa cried as she sped in the room. The most perfect boy in the world lay on the bed looking shattered, causing a terrible case of shivers to run up Katsa's spine. "Oh, Alton, oh honey," she said, walking over to Alton's bed and brushing her hand on his arm.

Alton cringed a little bit, which was the first expression he'd made in hours. Katsa was one of the few clio he couldn't just withdraw from and block out completely. Her voice broke through to deep within where he was hiding inside himself. He looked at her for a long as if he hadn't seen her in years, and then quickly looked away.

He didn't know what to say to her, so he didn't say anything.

Katsa had no idea what had happened on TL, she had only been told that Alton was found with his sister who was in a similar condition, as well as another clio who had been found dead. Of course this brought terrible things to Katsa mind, and she had feared the worst.

Katsa didn't know what to say or how to help, all she could do was act on an impulse of love, so that's what she did. "I'm so sorry, Alton," she said, tears forming in her eyes. She didn't know what she was sorry for, other than for not being there when this had happened or not knowing what was wrong, but she said it anyway. "We're gonna be okay, everything's going to be okay," she choked.

She didn't know why she was so upset, the doctors had told her that Alton would be fine in just a few days and that he would be able to go home, but Katsa could just tell that something worse than just bodily damages had been done. What was wrong with her poor Alton? D:

"Nothing's okay," Alton whispered, his voice hoarse, staring ahead so intently it was as if he could see something there that no one else could. Nothing could be okay, nothing could be undone. He couldn't undo what had been done to Aeria, and he couldn't undo what he had done to August. Nothing could be fixed or made up for. Nothing was okay.

"What's wrong?" Katsa asked, trying to fight back tears. Her hormones were still a little wonky from the pregnancy so it wasn't easy for her to control her emotions. "Please tell me what's wrong, Alton. What happened?"

Alton shook his head, his eyes still fixed. "I can't," he whispered. How could he tell Katsa he had killed somebody? Some law enforcement clio who had found them said something about 'self-defense.' But was it, really?

No. It wasn't.

"I love you, Alton," Katsa said, her voice shaking. She didn't know what was wrong, but Alton needed to know that she loved him. "Me 'n Kamber 'n Kairi, we love you," she said. "Please tell me what's wrong, let me help you..."

"You can't," Alton replied flatly. He was beyond help. He had sunk down to the lowest of lows, and there was no coming back from that. Not even with the help of the three most perfect clio in the world. In fact, especially not with the help of the three most perfect clio in the world. He didn't deserve their help. He didn't deserve anything good. Especially not Katsa's love.

"Let me try!" Katsa insisted, her tears starting to fall. "You helped me, let me help you..." She couldn't just watch her Alton lay here broken like this. She didn't know what was wrong, but it wasn't his fault, and it could be helped. She would make sure of that.

Quote :

but it wasn't his fault

Well, part of it kinda was, actually.

"Katsa, you have no idea," Alton moaned, putting his hand over his eyes. Thinking about what he'd done made him start to feel sick. "There's a world of difference...between you and me now." He had helped her get through the fact that she was bringing new life into the world. She wanted to help him get through the fact that he had taken it away. It wasn't even remotely close to the same, it was completely opposite.

Katsa didn't know what to say to that. What could have pulled them a world apart in less than 5 hours? "Just try to explain to me Alton," she begged, "I'm thinking the worst here, I don't know what's going on."

"The worst," Alton said, "is what happened." It wasn't like the truth was going to make Katsa feel better. Either it was worse than what she was thinking, or just as bad. It being anything better than what Katsa was thinking was an impossibility. He gave a sudden, involuntary shudder.

Katsa blinked. What did he mean the worst had happened? "Pl-please, we can fix this," she said, wiping tears from her eyes. "I love you, we can do anything, we can fix this!"

"Katsa...please, just...just stop," Alton pleaded in a strained voice. He shut his eyes tightly and turned over so that his back was to her. He shook uncontrollably, feeling physically ill, sure that if he even tried to relive what had happened he would puke. "I don't wanna talk about it. I don't...I just want it to be over..." It was never over, the scene just kept playing again and again in his head.

Katsa nodded tearfully, wishing there was something she could do. She didn't even know how to comfort him because she didn't know why he was so upset or what had happened. She watched him flip over and stare at the wall, and a little piece of her broke inside. She was failing him...

"I love you," she whispered feebly for the millionth time. "We don't have to talk about it..."

Alton stared at the wall, trying to block the thoughts from his mind, when randomly he wondered, Where's Aeria? Was she okay? Were they taking care of her? Did she need him? "Do you know where Aeria is?" he asked Katsa out of nowhere, even though there was absolutely no logical reason that Katsa would know. He wasn't even thinking straight at this point. It was all just random, awful thoughts and feelings all over the place.

"The doctors said something about her being a few rooms down, but I just needed to see you," Katsa said. "But they told me she's okay..."

What could have happened?!

Alton sat up in bed. "I need to go see her..." he muttered, with kind of a far away look in his eyes. God, he couldn't even imagine what Aeria must be going through right now. He had to be there for her. He started to get out of bed. "Which room?"

"A-alton, I don't think that's a good idea!" Katsa said. "You should lay down, you might hurt yourself!" she protested. Besides, she didn't even know Aeria's room number.

"I-I'll go see her, I"ll go make sure she's alright, okay? Just lay back down, please!"

Alton cringed, and reluctantly--not to mention very slowly--lowered himself back onto the bed. He was making Katsa upset, and he didn't want that. He buried his face in his hands. "Okay," he muttered, his voice slightly muffled. "Tell her...Tell her I said..." he let out a moan of frustration when he couldn't think of anything to tell her to say to Aeria. He uncovered his face and looked at Katsa. "Bring her in here...if she'll come.

Katsa nodded and turned to leave the room quickly, "I'll be right back, Alton," she said as she left. She did not want to leave him, but she also didn't think it was a good idea if he got out of bed.

Katsa walked quickly down the hall, poking her head in every door she passed by. The doctors had mentioned that she was close to his room, so she couldn't be far. Five doors down she found Alton's sister, Aeria, balled up on a hospital bed.

"A-aeria?" Katsa said quietly, not going in the room. She still held a grudge against the girl, but this was for Alton, and Alton needed her.

No response came from the ball on the bed so Katsa moved closer. "Aeria, are you okay?" she asked a little louder. Still no response. "Alton wanted to know how you were," she added.

Finally the ball on the bed shifted, "Alton?" a cracked voice said from beneath the sheet.

"He's fine, everything is okay," Katsa said, her heart twinging a bit at the sound of Aeria's broken voice. "Everything is going to be okay, Aeria," she said.

"Where is he?" Aeria asked, pulling the sheet off her face and staring at Katsa. Her face betrayed no emotion but anxiousness.

"Three doors down," Katsa said immediately. She didn't feel like she had the authority to keep Aeria in bed because she really had no ties to her, so she watched silently as Aeria left the room.

Alton shot out of bed like a bullet when he heard footsteps coming back and saw Aeria come into view through the doorway. If his stab wound hurt, he didn't feel it. He was numb to any real physical pain. "Aeria..." he whispered in a voice full of pain. His arm gave a little jerk, as if he were going to reach out to her, but both his arms stayed at his side.

Aeria looked at Alton momentarily before running to him and hugging him. She wasn't sure of much anything right now, but she did know that Alton had saved her. That she had Alton, even if she didn't have anyone else. Even if everything had failed Alton would still be there.

Katsa watched from the hallway, but the scene seemed eerily private. She looked down to give them a little privacy, but her heart was still hurting.

Alton did hesitate to wrap his arms tightly around Aeria. He wanted to just hold her forever, to take away all of her pain, to undo her hurt, to protect her from the world. Even though he had saved her from getting killed, he had been too late to save her innocence. He felt like he had failed her. Like he had failed everything. "I am so, so sorry," he whispered to her, smoothing down her hair.