The ambulance slowed as it entered the hospital parking lot. Ed's eyes fluttered back into his head and he was instantly transported back to the desert landscape. He wasn't startled to be there again. He was a bit shocked to see Animal there to meet him.
"Look kid, before you started saying something that was going to get you tossed into the psychic ward I figured I would pull you back here for a moment to explain a few things." Animal was talking rapidly obliviously wanting to impart what he could in a quick time frame.
"We don't have much time so I will start. What you did tonight, though heroic and all was a touch too little a touch too late. So you belong to the Mummies now. You cannot be killed by normal means and you sure can't just up and die by normal means either. You can't talk about this or seeing me at the wreck sight. If you do they will lock you away and run all kinds of tests on you. Since you can't be terminated by normal means that equates to you enduring years of torture. Once they figure out that you can't be killed, they will step it up and it will get real ugly real quick." Here Animal paused to let that sink in mentally for Ed.
"You will lead for all intents and purposes a normal life until I come for you again. I strongly suggest that you begin being less wrapped into your life and more into that of your common man's. On the day that I come for you, you will be put before a trial of your new peers and if you are found to be lacking, you shall not like the outcome. IF however, you are found to be worthy you shall raid with us, helping to right the wrongs of mankind through out the land and history." Animal shifted his weight, and started to head for his bike.
"Look, Pupdawg, I like you. Moreover, I don't want to have to give you another warning. Come to grips with your new life. It isn't easy to do, but something that you need to do none the less." Animal kicked hard on the starter and the motorcycle roared to life. He turned to face Ed again. "Now, I have said more than I should have, back to reality for you." And with a dismissive wave of his hand Ed was back in the Emergency Room, staff members scurrying about him trying to figure out why his vital signs had suddenly tried to crash on them again.
He blinked his eyes and suddenly his vital signs stabilized again and the staffers watched him with puzzled looks on their faces as he sleepily attempted to pull the oxygen mask away from his face, blinking his eyes rapidly as if he needed to get something out of them like dirt or sand. He was trying to mumble something to them, it sounded like a question. Finally, one of the nurses reached over and gently pulled the mask away from his face.
"Why?" Was the hoarse whisper that he issued forth to them.
This drew further looks of dismay by those in the room. This was quickly chalked up to some delusion brought on by the stress of the events of the night. People began milling about cleaning up the room of the debris used to re-stabilize him. The doctor walked to head of the gurney where Ed's head rolled back and forth mumbling. He tried to speak in soft tones so as to not startle the man out of his delusion.
"Sir, how are you feeling?" The doctor asked, concern lacing his words.
Ed gave the doctor a startled look before nodding his head to the doctor, having given up on trying to form any actual verbal responses.
"Ok, sir, a moment ago you asked why. We had to bring you in because you had crashed on the paramedics at least twice at the scene and once more once you got here. We are going to keep you over night for observation We can't figure out exactly what is going on, so we want to watch you and make sure there isn't something more odd going on with you." The doctor stated rather flatly. Like this was nothing new to him.
Ed slowly nodded to him and he drifted off into a rather deep slumber. He was almost instantly returned to the side of the road. The rain was coming down in sheets now. He watched what looked like him throw his right leg over his motorcycle. Watched as his persona fired the chrome beast to life and zipped up his rain shirt. He almost jumped out of his skin when he head the two cars collide. He watched in awe as the two cars became airborne, one spiraling throw the air, and the other tumbling end over end. The first car landed on its roof and slide another twenty feet or so, while the second one came to an abrupt stop with its nose firmly planted in the earth. It looked like some one was trying to grow cars out of the mother earth.
Now things seemed to make sense, he remembered now rushing to the first car and pulling the driver and passenger free. He watched as his counterpart leapt into action. Turning off the bike and taking off at a dead run to the first car with its driver's side door pinned shut due to the dirt and grass that it had scraped up while sliding. He freed the passenger quickly then struggled to get the rather large Asian man out of the upside- down car.
Luckily both vehicles had missed the family and their vehicle, and he was able to get the father figure to start calling for assistance. The girl that was pulled out first was hysterical, and hadn't even noticed the large gash on her forehead. The mother sprang into action trying to calm her down and getting her into their large SUV, and promptly began applying pressure to the almost free-flowing river of blood on the child's forehead. The persona of Ed and the father figure from the family soon pulled the Asian man from the car and immobilized him as best they could before moving onto the second car. They were in the process of freeing the driver from the second car when the ambulance came screaming up. That is when the persona of Ed gave out and he fell where he stood. This is what caused a great deal of confusion amongst the rescue workers. It wasn't until they understood the father that they realized that the father and Ed had nothing to do with the wreck aside from trying to insure that those involved had been moved to safety away from the threat of an exploding vehicle.
Ed watched with detached interest as the paramedics set about reviving his physical body. He didn't know what was transpiring. He was in fairly good physical shape, and relatively healthy. That is when he finally saw him. Animal watched all this while standing under the growing car. Ed began to walk towards Animal. As if sensing that Ed wanted more answers Animal walked around the corner of the car and disappeared from view. Ed listened in stunned silence as the ambulance drove off with his physical counter-part.
Ed jumped awake in the private hospital room. The sun blazed through the uncurtained windows. Ed sensed that rain had cleansed so much filth the night before, and now was cycling around to a new re-growth. He looked around his room; the TV had been left on ESPN, but the volume was set too low for him to hear it very well. He only really heard his heart monitor and the respirator making their normal sounds. This room was very nice. Well, nice as far as hospitals go, Ed thought to himself. He hated hospitals. They were the places that you went to either get bad news or find out how sick you really were.
He tried sitting up and found that the strength had left his body. He wasn't able to get his arms under him to support his weight very well due to all the tubes that they had sticking out of him. Just then he head the toilet give off the distinctive sound of a hospital toilet being flushed and then he heard the faucet at the sink being used. I few moments later, out stepped the most lovely woman that he had ever seen.
She was short, with long brownish hair to her waist. Her hazel colored eyes seemed to shift hues almost continuously. She could not be more than five foot three inches tall and that was with her platform hospital shoes on. She was obviously his nurse, but she seemed like so much more.
"Good morning, sleepy head." She smiled at him, and it appeared to be brighter than the sun ever thought about being.
Ed once again tried to sit up but winced almost instantly from the shooting pain in his head.
"Now you just need to lay back and let me take care of you like the Carters requested." The nurse scolded him.
A quizzical look raced across his face at the mention of a family name. He cleared his throat and tried to speak. All that came out was a hoarse whisper, barely audible. This brought the nurse close to him and Ed swallowed hard to try and be able to speak up a bit.
"The who?" He was finally able to get out, again barely audible.
"The Carters silly, the family that you stopped to help on the side of the road. They are one of the richest families in these parts. They followed you from the crash site last night and insisted that you have the very best in accommodations. 'Cost is a hurdle we shall not have to worry about' Well actually it was more like 'aboot' you know how them Yankees can talk and all." The nurse said with an evil twinkle in her eyes.
Again Ed made an attempt to sit upright and again failed. Being coming increasingly disgusted with himself for not being able to do the simplest of tasks was starting to wear on his nerves. He glanced up to see the nurse standing close, awaiting him to ask her for help. He hated that, and she could very easily tell that he was the stubborn sort. He sighed heavily, looking her in the eyes.
"Well then..." he looked at her nametag "Wendy you just gonna stand there and laugh at me or are you gonna help me up?" He asked with a hint of venom in his voice.
Wendy grinned at the admittance of needing help and figured she should bite her tongue.
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