Beneath the Courage

Return

(Thank you for your patience, I just got a new laptop and got everything set up. The keyboard is a bit weird, but I'm getting used to it slowly lol Puppy jail cause she wouldn't stop pulling on her brother's ear.) 

Callem-

"Micah?" 

I waited a few moments, hoping that he'd respond. When he didn't, I poked his shoulder beneath the blanket. 

"Micah?" I asked again, wanting him to wake up. 

"It doesn't matter how much you nag him, he's not going to wake up just because you want him to." Mellac said from behind me, where he'd been looming with a scowl on his face ever since Jayson had left with Parker to go to work. 

They had taken days off specifically so that at least one human was home to look after Micah, since Hice refused to let anyone but Oliver touch Fri. Micah had shown signs of improvement after the transfusion from Ocar, but he still hadn't woken up. Fri has been waking up a lot. Why won't you? 

I knew nothing about his condition besides what little Oliver tried to explain to me, so it wasn't like I thought poking him and asking him to get up would honestly help... but it made me feel at a bit better that I was still here for him and wanting him to come back. 

After walking around that hospital and seeing people alone in rooms, seemingly waiting to die with no one beside them, I knew I couldn't just leave Micah by himself. "Maybe he will." I put in, just because I knew that it would make him mad. 

I loved my brother, but sometimes I just had to bother him. 

"And maybe Eight will like you one day." Mellac returned, earning a glare from me. "His name is Kipper." 

Mellac rolled his eyes at that, but didn't respond as he turned and left the room. "Don't worry, he's a jerk all the time, but he secretly wants you to wake up, too. So you should, or else he might try to drown you in the pool so that things could return to mostly normal." 

"That sounds... unpleasant." 

I nodded, staring down at the blanket. "Yes, it's not very comfortable. He tried to drown me when I was twenty seasons bec-..." My eyes went wide, then jerked up to stare at Micah. "Did you just talk?" 

His eyes are closed. He doesn't look like he's awake.

His breathing did sound a bit funny, though. 

Should I go wake up Oliver? 

The idea didn't settle well. He'd been up every couple of hours to help Fri and check on Micah. He needed to sleep.

But Micah had to have spoken, unless I'm hearing things. 

"I think so." Micah gasped out quietly. 

Everything in me was telling me to run over and hug him and maybe lick his face a few times, but I knew that I had to get Oliver instead. Running for the door, I shouted for him even as I darted down the short hall and into the living room where he often slept on one of those blow up things on the floor by the couch Fri used. 

When I stopped in front of the sofa, the only people to be seen were Hice, holding a sleepy Fri and baring his teeth up at me. "Where is Oliver?" I asked, ignoring his warning. He was a mean mer, but no matter how much he flared his gills or snarled, he wouldn't do much as long as Fri was safe with him. It was adorable, but I wanted to live so I kept that bit of information to myself. 

Hearing something in the kitchen, I decided to stop bothering Hice and check there. That's where I found Oliver, hovering by the microwave waiting for something that didn't smell anything like good to finish cooking.