The downstairs of the hospital was frantically doing the best they could to deal with those that continued to come to the city. Not only were they healing the injured, but they were also trying to take care of those that needed a little more.
Supplies for food and water, the basics for those that might have lost their homes for the time being. Members of Ben’s local team were going around taking surveys trying to get a gauge on a number of things.
In the middle of their struggle though, several vehicles started to arrive. As they opened up, medical teams, as well as more supplies, were seen on the inside.
Help from Notsburg and from AJ Entertainment had arrived as well as various other places. Places that hadn’t been so affected by the Phoenix Gang's attacks. They were unable to get to Slough before due to their own little problems, and fear of an attack as well as the blockades that had been set up in and out of Slough.
As for in the hospital itself, at the very top floor where VIP members would receive the top treatment in the largest of rooms, Gary had been led to one room in particular, and as the door opened his eyes had met a person he had been longing to look eye to eye with for a while now.
“Mom…” Gary called out.
Slowly, he placed one foot in front of the other. Before he knew it, his vision was getting blurry. He lifted his hand out, trying to reach his mother, until he finally stood by her bedside and stroked her face as she sat up right.
“It’s real… this is real… it’s not a dream.”
“Of course, it’s not a dream,” Maya replied. “It’s real… I’m sorry Gary, I’m sorry I left the family to you. You really did take everything upon yourself. I can’t believe my stupid boy who dyed his hair green, grew up to build all of this and protect the entire city.”
Gary didn’t know what to say, he just held his mother's hand, and for a moment, he placed his head into her chest.
The others watching, such as White, Kai, and Xin, looked away, as they wanted their family to have a peaceful moment. As the three of them had come in for a big hug with each other.
”Stupid, everything was so stupid, we lost so much time together!” Amy cried.
The three of them continued to sob together with their shoulders moving up and down, but eventually, they started to come to. Gary had pulled up a seat and sat alongside Amy by her mother's side.
While Xin, White, and Kai had decided to go to the back of the room, where there was a coffee machine as well as a few magazines for them to at least pretend to read rather than listening in on the family's conversation.
“I’ve heard a lot about you from Amy, and everyone else, I know what you have been up to, it must have been hard for you to have done everything Gary,” Maya said.
In some way, Gary was quite pleased that he didn’t have to tell his mother the difficulties of what he had done, what he had built up. For a long time, he had been wondering in his head, when his mother did wake up, how did she explain the entire situation.
From what she had already told him, she had seen what he had done to Sin, the leader of the Phoenix Gang that had attacked the city, and had learnt even more of who Gary was.
The one thing he was somewhat saddened by was seeing her reaction, but he saw that as a good and bad thing, as he didn’t quite know what her reaction would be.
“There’s something that I wanted to ask you, you remember everything right, everything that happened to you?” Gary asked.
At that moment, Amy’s eyes widened and she gripped the blanket that her mother was using tightly. It was clear she had already heard part of the story.
“I will, tell you everything.” Maya went on to tell the details of what had occurred that night. What went on with the color wars while she was working in the shop. How she had helped a fellow college of hers and who had caused the damage.
The last thing that had happened to her in the final moments. Gary was refraining from biting his own lip and drawing blood, as he didn’t want to scare his mother, but right after the story came to an end, and there was one more detail that she had to travel to him.
“The person, that did all of this, Xin and Austin was fighting against him, he seems to be a member of the Phoenix gang, and he is in the hospital room… next to us. Your friend Austin is keeping an eye on him. I asked them to take him in, because I… wanted to talk to him, to find out why he did what he did.” Maya asked.
Gary could feel his heart beating in his chest, it was humbling loud and adrenaline was running through his body. The person was right next door, that had caused so much trouble. He could easily break the wall between them and snap the person's neck immediately.
However, just like Maya, Gary was also curious.
“Can I speak to him first, and then when I know everything is okay, and if things are safe, you can speak to him?” Gary asked.
Maya nodded.
“You deserve it, you have been dealing with everything else so far, so you can continue to deal with things now.”
Gary stood up from his seat to head next door with Kai, but before he left he had one more thing to say.
“It isn’t just me mom, it’s because I had great people around me to help.” Gary said with a smile.
After leaving the room, Gary’s smile disappeared and he wasted no time sliding the door next to him. He could immediately see Austin but his eyes then lingered to the man that was strapped down, and immediately Gary’s mouth was left wide open.
“Gil…”
*****