[Gabe Alim]

It had been 12:00 am, and Gabe was getting ready for bed. He’d spent the day in Bass and was happy to hole up in the little apartment he still maintained there. He’d let Liz out, and they’d just finished watching a Netflix series before settling down to sleep. Gabe’d just swapped into a long shirt and pajama bottoms before flopping into Liz’s arms to be snuggled by a giant burning fire lizard. And then it hit.

THUD.

And suddenly Gabe was awake, very awake.

THUD.

And Gabe was clutching his face and rolling sideways.

THUD.

And Gabe squirmed, writhed, and sat up. Lizbeth was scrambling in confusion. <Gabe?? Gabe, what’s wrong???> her mental voice that sounded so clear to him most of the time sounded distant even as he turned to look at her. There was darkness at the corners of his vision.

Gabe’s gaze flashed to her wide worried eyes. His lips parted, but no words came out. Lizbeth wouldn’t need to hear it. His thoughts like a wail echoed out in her head instead: ‘IT HURTS—’

---

The hospital trip was not one Gabe would remember well. He remembered Liz carrying him at some point and some doctors (or nurses? Or something else? He couldn’t be sure now) being afraid of her up until she proved to be no threat. He remembered being stuffed into a hospital gown and laid out in bed with his worried Charmeleon looming over everyone. He remembered being asked about… something?? What was it again?

But all these instances would bleed together for more than seven hours before the headache finally subsided again…

“Ugh….” Gabe groaned as he realized at some point he’d lost consciousness. Reaching up and pinching the bridge of his nose, Gabe immediately felt a different nose in his hand, that of Liz’s. Opening his eyes slowly one after the other, Gabe met her large worried stare as she hunched as close to the bed as space would allow for.

<Are you…. Hurting less….> Liz’s thoughts were hesitant, uncertain, as if she was afraid that the active presence of her thoughts would be too much for him right then.

Gabe made a face but ultimately deflated. ‘Yeah….’

A low rumble escaped from Liz. She wasn’t entirely sure she believed that but— before she could think anymore, Liz was leaning back a bit as a nurse stepped in to check on him. There had been so many admitted to the hospital that night that it was a minor miracle he had a private room. Perhaps also having a massive Fire lizard carrying you into the ER had something to do with it. “Ah, we contacted your family; they should be in sometime today,” the nurse mentioned. And the meter monitoring his heart rate immediately went up. The nurse fidgeted clearly aware of his discomfort and mentioned that he didn’t have to see them if he didn’t want to…. but….but yeah.

Gabe lay back in bed and slapped a hand over his face debating… what he even wanted to do.

Rae Kempler

[Rae Kempler]

Oh I don't know what you've been told,

[attr="class","rae"] It was fuck o'clock in the morning when the phone rang. Rae didn't answer it, waking up just enough to reach over to the nightstand and tap the power button to silence the ringer. But then it rang again. Whoever it was apparently really wanted to get in touch with her... Barely cracking her eyes open, she looked to the screen. Mom... This better be important. She answered. "Hm."

"Racheal, it's Gabe," she said. Ugh, what now? "We just got a call that he's in the hospital." Wait what? Okay, now she was awake...

---

It was around 7:30, and Rae had been at the hospital for hours. Mom and Dad had put her on watch duty, because Dad and Michael had jobs, and "well you know your mother's health". So she was supposed to wait and call them as soon as Gabe could have visitors.

She knew it seemed awfully busy, but discounted that as "just her luck" and an annoyance. She hadn't been watching the news, nor listening to others around her, instead putting in headphones and watching Netflix on her phone, checking between every episode if she could see her dumbass brother yet. She couldn't.

Finally, she was sick of waiting. Spotting a nurse heading toward his room, she followed. "Hm? Ah, excuse me, miss, you're not supposed to be--"

"Out of my way," she ordered. The attendant looked bewildered a moment, but then grew stern.

"You're not allowed to be back here without an escort," he said, firmer.

"Then escort me," she insisted.

"I will, right back to the lobby."

Rae huffed. Under different circumstances, she might have tried to sweet talk him, but right now she was pissed and worried and pissed. She didn't say another word, simply shoved her way past him, prompting him to grab her arm, and her in turn to twist and pull out of his grip.

Finally, just as the nurse was leaving Gabe's room, Rae practically fell in the doorway with the momentum of wresting herself out of the man's grip again. "MISS," he yelled.

"I'm SEEING my BROTHER," she snapped back.

353	Gabe Alim

But this girl right here's gonna rule the world.

✿

[newclass=".rae b"]color:#878FE2;[/newclass]

[Gabe Alim]

It’s fine. I can slip out before no one notices. I have… I have— I don’t have Pokeballs… He didn’t have Harriet or Gum or anyone aside from Liz did he? Great… The commotion outside Gabe’s room wouldn’t really reach him immediately. What can I do— how can I ….

Lizbeth, however, would catch the sound of something and raise her head up off of him to look towards the door— just in time to see Rae come tripping in. She winced and immediately snarled towards the man reaching for Rae snapping her maw a bit and causing him to sputter.

Wrenched form his thoughts, Gabe’s gaze immediately shot sideways to meet Rae. Shit. He was out of time. And then. “Quiet down!” It came off as much more of a whine than an order, and Gabe hated himself for it. Pressing his hand hard against his forehead and face, Gabe took in a slow shaky breath. “Ngh…” Was it possible to just pass right out again and not have to deal with this? He was... He was. 

Ugh, his head hurt. 

[Rae Kempler]

Oh I don't know what you've been told,

[attr="class","rae"] Rae jumped a little when the Charmeleon snapped in her direction, only realizing after the fact that she'd seemed more pointed at the man behind her. That said, Arceus's Holy Ass, was that Lizbeth? When the fuck did she get so big? When the fuck did she evolve? Gabe had her as a Charmander for years, but she also hadn't seen him for months, so who knew when the fuck it would have been.

Shaking her head to clear it, her gold eyes fixed on Gabe. "What happened?" she demanded, tone still forceful, but admittedly quieter than before.

The man who'd followed her in huffed slightly, keeping his distance thanks to the fire lizard, but insisted again, "Miss, you need to leave."

The nurse was a little more sympathetic but also conflicted. She'd just told Gabe he didn't have to see his family but this poor girl and... nngh... "Ah..." She turned to Gabe then. "Do you mind having a visitor now?" She'd leave it up to him. That seemed fair, and if he didn't want the woman here she'd help the attendant escort her out.

186	Gabe Alim

But this girl right here's gonna rule the world.

✿

[Gabe Alim]

Gabe winced at the clear and direct question posed to him. “I…” He gulped and didn’t say anything immediately. Liz growled low though not even she was sure if it was at Rae or the situation as a whole at that point. As the nurse turned to them (or rather Gabe, but Lizbeth counted herself in this) and asked, both Gabe and Liz exchanged a look. Gabe gulped. It was now or it was later. He wasn’t going to get out of this so easily without Pokeballs, so he supposed… “….Yeah, she can stay,” he answered.

The nurse nodded and made a gesture for Rae before assuring the other nurse it was fine and ushering him out quietly before closing the door.

Only after that did Gabe’s attention finally settle on Rae. She’d asked him a question. He hadn’t forgotten that, but … “…I don’t know…” he admitted, in possibly the least teasing, most honest way he'd been with her in who knew how long, exactly. “ I was fine and then suddenly pain hit and I thought I was having a—“ Seizure, stroke….aneurism…. Gabe gulped down the last thought. His head still throbbed a little. Reaching up a hand, he rubbed his forehead slowly.

Liz looked form Rae to Gabe and back again a few times. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to put herself between them or permit Gabe closer, but she wanted to do something. Something.