My mind slowly drifting back to my reality, I feel a slight resistance on my chest as I try to breathe.
Opening my eyes, I'm flashbanged by a white light. Two rectangular lights hang from the ceiling I seem to be staring at. Another white light coming from my side shining directly into my face.
Looking around I notice cabinets and cans, a computer on a swivel like contraption and a roller wheeled chair sits beneath. A caution sign on a trash bin next to it.
A medical office, thinking back I don't think I've been to a hospital almost two years.
Looking down I see a small head of light curly brown hair, smelling like coconut and lavender I could recognize this head anywhere. Reaching down I run my hand through her hair, gently stroking her head feeling a bit of resistance as my hand combs deeper into her curls.
A little irritated at her improper grooming I open my mouth to speak, not a sound leaves my mouth.
"It'll take some calibrations and time for the MKx3 voice box to work properly." A soft voice to my side rings out, a woman dressed in scrubs sits to my side, fingering through her notes.
A hooked thin nose, purple eye shadow against her pale skin with a slight blush across her gaunt cheeks that held her small chin and mouth, a deep red lipstick covering it. She was tall and thin, model esque elegance if I'm being frank.
Her big brown doe eyes looking up from her notebook, taking me in. And then looking back down to her notes.
"I'm doctor Aileen, I'll be your appointed caretaker for your remaining time here." Her voice was gentle, a small smile on her face as she looked down at both me and Amelia setting her notes aside. "You'll need this for now."
Walking over to me, she takes out what seems to be iPad of some kind. Eyeing it a bit as it enters my hands, I see the screen light up displaying some words. Text to speech operative system, sponsored and produced by Ca1 Car3, or Cal Care. A dumb design choice for a medical company if I'm being honest.
"Why did you update my voice box, it hasn't been touch in almost two years." I struggle typing the words in, the text to speech saying the words before I could even finish typing yet not missing a beat nor getting a single word wrong.
"Your legal guardian gave us the go ahead." She say as she sits by my side.
Sighing, I put my hands on my face, trying to sit up. My hand pushing my niece down a bit to my lap.
Upright, I hunch over letting my hands fall from my face. Letting one hand fall back to Amelia's head, combing through it gently.
"That sucks." The voice from my text to speech says aloud. "I don't like letting other people touch my implants without my permission. It's whatever though."
"We assure you the procedure was non invasive, if anything it's an improvement upon your previous model." She says smiling still, still gentle and warm. "But there is something I wish to discuss with you." Her previously gentle smile turned into a frown, a shadow cast under her eyes.
Before she could elaborate, I hear the door swing open. Walking through, some of my boys come through.
My old friend, Josue, a bronze skinned muscular man. His neck beard thick and trimmed, a cross tattoo under his right eye, a top knot pony tail holding his curly hair. Some scars running across his head from a few to many fiascos with his previous gang activities. Turning twenty-two soon, he was one of the oldest boys that worked at Little Haven. The perfect bouncer.
His snake skin boots clacking against the floor with every step, a small oval buckle on his loose fitting jeans, a brown leather jacket fitted perfectly with a loose black shirt tucked inside. He was dressed like a farm hand, an indicator a life he used to live.
Cisco followed him, his usual attire on, but his face was a mess. A bandage across his nose and cheek, a busted lip swollen and red hangs from his lower mouth.
They make eye contact with me, a big smile crosses Ciscos busted mouth as he makes his way toward me, hugging me.
"Bro! It's been like a week man." He says letting me loose. "Thought you weren't ever going to wake up man."
I couldn't help feeling a smile tug on my face, my teeth bare against the air.
"You look like shit." My text to speech says.
He pulls back, looking back at Josue, before breaking into a hard laugh.
"And you sound better, you have more emotion in your voice with this." He says, laughing pretty hard.
"Bullshit, I'm not that monotone." I type in, laughing a bit at his jab.
I do have a problem with adding inflection to my voice, so as much as I hate to admit it, this text to speech might not be much different to my usual voice.
"You're even better at lying with this damn thing." He says, laughing through his words.
"Bullshit." My text to speech lies through its circuits.
Some more laughs are shared between us before I turn my attention to Josue, who had stayed to the corner of the room. His arms crossed as he looked at the floor, his eyes dark and serious.
"Josue man, it's good to see you." I type in, shooting him a toothy grin.
"You should've asked for help." He says flatly, arms still crossed as he steps closer to my bedside.
I don't answer, raising a hand toward the huge man, looking down to Amelia once again. I know she had woken up not to long after I had sat up, now pretending to be asleep.
Shaking her a bit, I see her face feigning bliss. I put my hand down to her nose and mouth and hold it a bit.
A moment passes before her eyes slam open and she pulls away.
"UNCLE TYR! YOURE SO MEAN!" She screams before standing on the bed and pulling my hair. "WHYD YOU WAKE ME LIKE THAT?!" Her pulling intensifying.
Trying to tell my voice falls silent, trying to get hold of her hands I pry apart her fingers.
She falls on her back between my legs. Then I hear it, her hiccups and snorts.
"Why'd you do that uncle." Her soft snorts and hiccups now picking up into a wail as her hands and legs kick and thrash around. "You can't leave."
Grabbing her by her legs, I pull her toward me. Placing her head unto my shoulder, rubbing her back.
She was so small, her tiny form thrashes. She was the spitting image of her mother. A flat cute button nose, big round brown eyes, her chubby cheek connecting with a small chin. She looked like she could be my little sister.
"I'm sorry Amelia" I mouth, hugging her gently. Beads of salty tears leaving my eyes, looking back to Josue. His expression softening a bit.
I wanted to wake Amelia and let her wait outside before having this conversation with him.
Sniffing a bit, I run my hand across my eyes and nose. Pulling Amelia away, I rub her face with my hand as well, wiping the snot and tears from my hand onto the quilt covering my legs.
"I need to talk to your kuyas, can you wait outside?" I type, still wiping away her tears with one hand.
She shakes her head, still sniffing.
"I'll be quick, I promise." The text to speech says, as I put my forehead against hers. "I won't go anywhere."
Her mouth still in the shape of a large frown opens to speak, seeing that she was having a hard time speaking she just nods. A snot bubble popping as she does so.
Putting her down from the bed, I look to Aileen.
"Can you wait outside with her?" The text to speech says.
"No problem, but theirs something we must discuss after." She say, taking a step toward Amelia. "We'll just be outside. It won't be long." Aileen gently offers her hand.
Amelia nods, not looking away from me for a second as she takes Aileen's hand and is led outside.
A moment passes before Josue steps toward me, uncrossing his arms he throws them up.
"What the hell, Tyr. Why?" His eyebrows knitted, he stares holes into my eyes. "I'd beat your ass right now if you weren't hooked up an IV"
"It's alright, he's awake." Cisco says putting a hand Josue's shoulder. "He must've had his reasons."
Josue bucks off Ciscos hand, pushing him back.
"I know his goddamn reason, that rich princess pendeja." Josue looks back to me. "You're such a fool, do you know how long you've been out?"
I shake my head, not bothering to try and reply on the tablet. Staring at my wrists I see the stitches running along it to my elbo and bicep.
"No reply? You're usually pretty good with excuses." Josue says stepping closer and grabbing me by the collar of my hospital gown.
Putting my hands up I push his face away, feeling frustration but knowing I have nothing to say.
"You're a bitch and you'll be a bitch until you handle your shit like a man." Josue says letting me go and pushing me back down. "Everyone's in the shitter cause Little havens golden boy's in the hospital. No one knows you put yourself here though, besides the people in this room."
Raising an eyebrow I look at both of them, rubbing my neck gently.
"I didn't tell the boss, only time he stopped by was to give permission to the hospital to update your voice box model." Cisco says, a tone of frustration at the bigger man.
I look at him, nodding in gratitude.
"Also that pendeja Eva has been blowing up our fine establishment looking for you after you axed your contract with her." Cisco continues, handing me a phone.
Looking at it, I recognize the two little brown faces on the Home Screen. My sister and niece, it was my phone.
Unlocking it I scroll through my notifications, ninety-nine plus messages from unknown user. Shaking my head, I'm reminded that I simply deleted her number, not blocked her.
Some unpleasant things run through my mind, I completely forgot about Eva. With waking up with god knows what memories corrupting my mind, she completely slipped my mind.
I just close my phone and place it to my side. I had some other clients messaging me as well. I didn't really care to read them.
"A week, Tyr. You've been out a week." Josue says, pacing back and forth.
Looking at the two of them, I convey a sorry the best I could with just my eyes. Not really meaning it of course. My life is my own, the only person I was actually sorry toward was my niece.
"The boss is pissed nonetheless, you'll hear about it when you get back." Cisco says, steering away from both me and Josue and reaching for the remote.
"Who gives a shit. Tyr, if you ever want out" Josue pause a moment before continuing. "I told you, you can rely on me. You didn't have to resort to this." He says stopping in front of my bed looking down, his gaze sincere.
I sigh, giving him a thumbs up. I love these guys, I love all my boys. But gestures like this feel suffocating. Even if endearing, hypocritical of me as it is to feel this way.
A moment passes in silence, before Cisco goes outside and informs Amelia and Doctor Aileen to come back in.
Amelia bursts into the room, running straight toward me and jumping onto the bed.
Smiling I pick her up and let her sit on my lap.
Aileen pokes her head through and walks to her computer. But I see a look on Ciscos face, looking the doctor ups and down. Before heading over to her, talking to her.
Josue and Amelia start to talk as well, I pay no attention to there conversations, looking instead at the TV that Cisco had turned on earlier.
"Good morning people of Califrei, I hope you are all having as good of a morning as us at CNB." Statewide broadcasting network.
Califrei News Broadcasting network, everything that happens in the state of Calfrei is usually under their watchful eye.
After some moments and discussion over politics I don't really give a shit about, it goes to the weather. Heavy rain, strong winds, and cloudy. Damn, the usual.
The next topic was discussing how Third street cartel had gotten there hands on some scrying scrolls, and had been using them to commit petty robbery. Theories of something bigger being planned made by some bald dude screaming into the mic.
Then the next topic came in, the president had made an emergency docking on a carrier craft due to the weather and raging winds. The carrier was actually close to the port outside of Little Haven.
Apparently a lot of high position diplomatic representatives were on the craft. Making decisions that'll effect all of our small lives we're taking place on that carrier. Discussions about war or policies and what not looming over us.
"Seems like the big wigs decided that the little old city of San Blanco was good enough to land at." Josue had stopped his conversation with Amelia, now lying on my legs.
Cisco had parted without me noticing, probably getting shot down by the doc he went to go brood.
"Ahem, now that it seems you've had your bearings. I hope I can talk to you." She says, her face going back to her darkened expression from earlier. "It's about your bodies condition."
"What's wrong doc?" The text to speech rings through the air. "I feel pretty fine."
I feel my heart race in my chest, recalling the memories from whatever depressed dude I had lived through. How my life was a game and what not, how I was just a bunch of pixels with an already determined path. I felt a strong sense of distancing from myself.
"It might be unprofessional to reveal this to you and not your legal guardian." She pauses a moment walking toward me, taking my hand.
"Spit it out doc, what's wrong?" Josue chimes in, his anticipating plain on his face as he crosses his arms again.
"I don't know how to tell you this, Tyr" she pauses again before continuing. "You're dying."